Following similar moves by Burger King, KFC and other fast food retailers, McDonaldβs told investors Monday that it is launching a meatless βMcPlantβ burger via expanded market testing.
Having tested a plant-based burger in Canada through a partnership with Beyond Meat, the McPlant will be tested in various global markets in 2021 and will be exclusive to McDonaldβs. The new offering will include the retailerβs classic burger toppings, which typically include lettuce and tomato.
βBeyond Meat and McDonaldβs co-created the plant-based patty which will be available as part of the McPlant platform,β a Beyond Meat spokesperson said after the news.
However, Beyond Meatβs shares had fallen 4 percent by the end of trading Monday as McDonaldβs didnβt name Beyond Meat specifically as a McPlant supplier, instead merely stating the fast food retailer is developing the new offering with a supplier.
Further on the meatless front, McDonaldβs said that it is also considering testing plant-based substitutes for its chicken products, along with its egg and bacon breakfast sandwiches.
"McPlant is crafted exclusively for McDonaldβs, by McDonaldβs," Ian Borden, McDonald's international president, said in Mondayβs virtual investor meeting. "In the future, McPlant could extend across a line of plant-based products including burgers, chicken substitutes and breakfast sandwiches."
The McPlant launch comes long after rival Burger King launched its meatless βImpossible Whopperβ in April 2019 in the US, featuring Impossible Foodsβ top-selling plant-based burger. Starbucks, Carlβs Jr. and Dunkinβ have likewise already launched plant-based meat products into their menus since.
"We think our culinary team nailed it. There are other plant-based burgers out there, but the McPlant delivers our iconic taste in a sink-your-teeth-in (and wipe-your-mouth) kind of sandwich," McDonald's said in a Monday blog post. "Itβs made with a juicy, plant-based patty and served on a warm, sesame seed bun with all the classic toppings.
βMarkets can adopt the McPlant when theyβre ready and we expect some to test the burger next year.β