Vikings' stadium will continue to sell meat, dairy alongside vegan options | Fact check
The claim: Minnesota Vikings’ stadium getting rid of meat and dairy products
An April 14 Facebook post (direct link, archive link) shows a screenshot of another social media post forecasting a big change at the home of the NFL’s Minnesota Vikings.
"U.S. Bank Stadium plans to be a completely 'kill free' stadium by switching entirely to plant-based meat," reads the post. "All ice cream, cheese and condiments will be replaced with dairy free options as well. The Vikings will be the first NFL team to have a completly (sic) vegan stadium."
The Facebook post was shared more than 4,000 times in five days. Multiple other Facebook posts shared the same claim and were shared hundreds more times.
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Our rating: False
U.S. Bank Stadium will not eliminate meat and dairy products from its concessions, according to a Minnesota Vikings official. The claim originated with a social media account that regularly posts false claims about NFL teams.
Stadium has vegan options alongside meat, dairy
Jeff Anderson, a Vikings spokesperson, told USA TODAY the stadium will not eliminate meat and dairy products from the menu.
“A small number of stakeholders – fans, partners and media outlets – have inquired about the post,” he said in an email. “There is no validity to the claim.”
Only offering vegan vittles seems unlikely considering the founding partners of U.S. Bank Stadium include Land O’Lakes, an agribusiness company whose brands include its eponymous dairy products.
U.S. Bank Stadium lists two areas where patrons can find vegan foods on its concessions page. It has also previously been recognized by PETA for its vegan offerings.
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The claim appeared to originate on the X (formerly Twitter) account for NFC North News, which regularly posts false or exaggerated claims about the NFL. The account posted the same claim on April 12, though the wording in the original differs slightly from the screenshots circulating on Facebook.
USA TODAY previously debunked a post from the account that claimed Ford Field in Detroit was closed because a “partially eaten corpse” was found onsite.
USA TODAY reached out to the Facebook users who shared the claim but did not immediately receive responses. The X account could not be reached.
Our fact-check sources:
Jeff Anderson, April 18, Email exchange with USA TODAY
Minnesota Vikings, Aug. 15, 2015, Land O'Lakes Named Founding Partner of U.S. Bank Stadium, Official Partner of Vikings
NFC North News, accessed April 18, About account on X
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Minnesota Vikings stadium is not going vegan in September | Fact check