Fast food restaurant chain McDonald's is finally now ready to get on the plant-based meat hype train. The company announced Thursday that it will be introducing a new McPlant burger at select outlets in the U.S. starting next month.
McDonald's said it has formed a partnership with Beyond Meat, which will be supplying it with its plant-based burger patties. The company said as a test run, it will be making the McPlant burgers available in only eight restaurants starting on Nov. 3.
The company said the burger will be available in outlets in El Segundo, Manhattan Beach, Cedar Falls, Irving, Carrollton, Jennings, and Lake Charles. McDonald's did not say which specific outlets in those cities would be offering the burgers.
Since the technology became widespread, several fast food companies have been experimenting with plant-based offerings to meet the demand of new types of consumers, including so-called "flexitarians." These types of consumers want to eat meat but prefer options that are healthier and more environmentally friendly.
A year after announcing plans to introduce the McPlant burger, McDonald's is ready to test it out in the United States https://t.co/AUngWXzGIJ — CNN (@CNN) October 15, 2021
McDonald's is somewhat late to the plant-based party, in the U.S. particularly, as competitors such as Burger King, Wendy's, and Starbucks have already started offering plant-based meat products to their customers.
Burger King was one of the first to introduce a plant-based meat product. The company added its new Impossible Whopper burgers to its menu in 2019 as part of its partnership with Impossible Foods. In June, Wendy's started to offer its new Spicy Black Bean Burger at select outlets.
McDonald's originally announced its plans to introduce a line of plant-based meat products during an investor update in November last year. The company said the plant-based line, which is called the McPlant line, will include plant-based chicken products and plant-based breakfast sandwiches.
The way McDonald's will be preparing its new McPlant burger is likely not meant to target vegetarians. The burger will be coming with the same toppings as its traditional burgers, which include American cheese, mayonnaise, ketchup, tomato, lettuce, onions, and pickles. However, the burger will be prepared on the same grill as those of other meat and egg products, a practice that is frowned upon by strict vegetarians.
