McDonald’s unveils meatless Beyond burger, the “McPlant”

Big Mac or McPlant, that will soon be the two options consumers in line at McDonald’s will have at the Golden Arches. A statement issued by McDonald’s on Monday said that it has developed a plant-based patty named, appropriately, the “McPlant.”

“As we have worked to better understand customer demand, some markets around the world have tested plant-based products. Informed by those learnings, we have created a delicious burger that will be the first menu option in a plant-based platform we are calling McPlant. McPlant is crafted exclusively for McDonald’s, by McDonald’s,” said McDonald’s International President Ian Borden in a statement.

Borden continued, “In the future, McPlant could extend across a line of plant-based products including burgers, chicken-substitutes and breakfast sandwiches. And, we expect some markets will test the burger next year. We are excited about the opportunity because we believe we have a proven, delicious-tasting product. When customers are ready for it, we are ready for them.”

The fact that Micky D’s announcement insinuated it had gone the plant-based direction on its own was a blow to Beyond Meat, whose founder Ethan Brown had made no secret he had a long-term goal of partnering with the fast food giant.  The news was also a blow to investors, sending Beyond Meat shares plunging nearly 10% in early morning trading Monday. Shares reversed losses in the afternoon when a Beyond Meat spokesperson cleared the air by stating, “Beyond Meat and McDonalds co-created the plant-based patty which will be available as part of their McPlant platform.”  Since it’s “co-created,” it’s unclear what exactly is in McDonald’s plant-based patty from an ingredient standpoint. A source says McDonald’s hasn’t announced the suppliers it plans to use for the McPlant.

In September 2019, McDonald’s debuted Beyond’s P.L.T. burger in southwestern Ontario. That test ended in April with McDonald’s saying it would continue to evaluate its options on the plant-based burger front. The McPlant will be put into test in 2021 on a market-by-market basis.

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