McDonalds announced on Monday that it is going to begin producing a meat-based burger, known as the McPlant. The company reported that they expect the menu item to begin appearing at locations in the next year. Some markets will test the burger in 2021, but markets will “adopt the McPlant when they’re ready. In a blog post McDonald’s said, “we think our culinary team nailed it. There are other plant-based burgers out there, but the McPlant delivers our iconic taste.”
The company reportedly tested a plant-based burger in Canada earlier this year, using patties made by Beyond Meat Inc. The blog post said they received an “encouraging response.” According to a CBS article, Ian Borden, McDonald’s international president said in a call with investors that “in the future, McPlant could extend across a line of plant-based products including burgers, chicken-substitutes and breakfast sandwiches.”
Fast Company reported that in addition to launching a McPlant burger and potentially reducing emissions by cutting down on the amount of beef the company purchases, the company is also attempting to reduce emotions by supporting regenerative agriculture. They said this step by McDonalds is evidence of the growth in plant-based meats.
The article reported that Beyond Meat’s stock sank after the news was announced, McDonalds reported that the McPlant was “crafted exclusively for McDonald’s, by McDonalds. A representative from Beyond Meat, however, told the Fast Company reporter that “Beyond Meat and McDonalds co-created the plant-based patty which will be available as part of the McPlant platform,” but did not say if they would continue working with McDonalds. Beyond Meat is connected with Burger King to supply the plant-based patty for their Impossible Whopper.
