McDonald's also puts veggie burger on the menu

After Burger King, McDonald's is also going on the vegetarian tour. The fast food chain will launch a burger and a number of other meat-free alternatives under the name McPlant next year.

For years, McDonald's held off when it came to meat substitutes. But the popularity of plant-based products among consumers continues to grow and with it the group of vegetarians, flexitarians and vegans is growing. A trend that the fast food giant can no longer ignore. The developments in the production of veggie burgers, which make them more and more resemble real burgers, undoubtedly gave the final push.

Test with Beyond Meat
Last year McDonald's started a pilot project in Canada in partnership with Beyond Meat. The American food company provided 28 branches with the so-called PLT burger (plant, lettuce, tomato). Or Beyond Meat, which is now also in Zoeterwoude in the Netherlands feet on the ground has and is working on a factory in Enschede, the supplier of the McPlant burger was also not clear at first.

The fact that the share of Beyond Meat fell sharply last Monday, November 9, probably says it all. The price fell 7,5% after the news about McPlant came out. McDonald's itself says it will supply its own product and not cooperate with other suppliers of meat substitutes.

Burger King preceded McDonald's
This is in contrast to the biggest competitor Burger King. More than a year ago, this fast food chain introduced the vegetarian Whopper at a test level. For this veggie burger, which has also been available in the Netherlands since September, Burger King has teamed up with Impossible Foods† This is the major competitor of Beyond Meat, in which shareholder Bill Gates invested $2017 million in 75.

It is not yet clear in which markets McDonald's will introduce the McPlant burger in 2021. Depending on demand, the product will be rolled out slowly. It is also the intention that McPlant will be expanded in the future with other vegetable products, such as chicken substitutes and breakfast sausages.

Growth potential for McPlant
At the beginning of this week, McDonald's released its third quarter figures. The turnover in the United States exceeded expectations, while in many European countries it fell by 10%. The new market that the fast food chain is going to tap into with McPlant will undoubtedly benefit turnover next year. The global market for meat substitutes will rise to $10 billion in the next 140 years, analysts at Barclays expect. That equates to approximately 10% of global meat consumption.

Jeanette Pennings

Jeannet has her roots in the flower bulb sector and she grew up on an agricultural company in the northern part of North Holland. As a generalist she reports for Boerenbusiness across all sectors. She is also exploring the possibilities of sponsored advertising.

j.pennings@boerenbusiness. Nl

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