McDonald’s joins vegan push with Beyond Meat PLT

Wednesday, 2 October 2019 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Reuters: McDonald’s Corp. will test a new ‘plant, lettuce and tomato’ sandwich using Beyond Meat’s patties in 28 restaurants next week, following major rivals in betting on the growing popularity of plant-based alternative meat.

Shares of Beyond Meat, which have roughly tripled in value since the company launched on the stock market in May, rose about 10% before the bell, while those of McDonald’s were flat.

The world’s largest burger chain joins Tim Hortons, KFC and Dunkin’ Brands in moving ahead with versions of a plant-based addition to their menus using Beyond Meat’s patties.

McDonald’s already sells plant-based burgers in Germany and Israel in partnership with Nestle, which is also on track to launch its Awesome Burger at retailers and restaurants in the US.

Nestle launched its plant-based Incredible Burger in April under the Garden Gourmet brand in several European countries. The same month, McDonalds started selling the patties as Big Vegan TS in its 1,500 restaurants in Germany.

“We’ve been working on our (Beyond Meat PLT) recipe and now we’re ready to hear feedback from our customers,” McDonald Vice President of Global Menu Strategy Ann Wahlgren said.

The PLT sandwich, which has no artificial colours, flavours, or preservatives, a key factor for health-conscious diners, will be priced at C$ 6.49 plus tax in 28 restaurants in south-western Ontario, Canada from today.