McDonald’s to enter the plant-based burger market soon with its own McPlant
Fast-food giant McDonald’s has unveiled its own unique plant-based burger along with some other items on the menu that will be meatless.
The burger has been given the name McPlant, and this has led to lots of discussion on whether or not that is the most appropriate name for it across all reaches of the Internet.
These new products are going to be test marketed by the company in 2021.
The plant-based patty was made specifically for McDonald’s with the help of the leader in the space, Beyond Meat.
This is a huge victory for the company and will help it continue its development of a wide variety of plant-based offerings. There is no word as of now how much the new burgers will cost.
McDonald’s is also planning to test other plant-based products in addition to the McPlant next year, including both breakfast patties and “chicken” nuggets.
Of course, Beyond Meat is well versed in these kinds of offerings as they currently have products ranging from various sausages to meatballs to beef and others inevitably coming soon.
McDonalds’ international president spoke of the addition by saying, “In the future, McPlant could extend across a line of plant-based products including burgers, chicken-substitutes and breakfast sandwiches.”
In addition, the McPlant burger “delivers our iconic taste in a sink-your-teeth-in (and wipe-your-mouth) kind of sandwich. It’s made with a juicy, plant-based patty and served on a warm, sesame seed bun with all the classic toppings.”
Of course, this is McDonald’s attempt to enter the plant-based market several years after some of its major competitors have already done so.
Burger King began selling its Impossible Whopper last year with the help of Impossible Foods’ product, which is plant-based.
Other competitors like Del Taco and Carl’s Jr. have also added plant-based products to their menus with the help of Beyond Meat.
Pizza Hut has also added a pizza with plant-based sausages to its menu too. KFC has also released a plant-based fried chicken in certain locations with the help of Beyond Meat, too.
The Golden Arches had created a plant-based burger in the past with the help of Beyond Meat, but it was only on a trial run basis in Canada. This was called the “PLT”, which featured plant, lettuce and tomato as the name would suggest.
The burger stopped being available earlier this year. McDonald’s also had a vegan burger that was only available in Germany in 2019.
Clearly, this is a case where the fast food giant realizes the trends and does not want to miss out on the party.
Whether or not the new burger tastes as good as its competitors or will be able to carve out a sizable share in the market is uncertain.
The fast-food chain realizes it will still mostly be seen as a place to get a meat-based burger at its core, but to have a plant-based alternative or two on the menu for vegetarians who happen to stop by is certainly a worthwhile endeavor.
McDonald’s is certainly a formidable player in fast food around the globe and it should be interesting to hear the reviews come in once the new products see their official releases next year.
