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McDonald's tags Beyond for plant-based burger test in Canada

QSR superpower, McDonald's, is entering the plant-based garden, with a test of its new P.L.T. burger in Canada.

Photo: Provided.

September 26, 2019 by S.A. Whitehead — Food Editor, Net World Media Group

Much of the QSR world has been waiting for the announcement that came at 6:30 this morning that quick-service superpower, McDonald's, is testing a plant-based burger. And the winner of this particular patty contest among the leading plant-based meat providers is Beyond Meat, which created the proprietary "burger" blend McDonald's is testing Monday in 28 Southwestern Ontario, Canada, stores. 

The burger — called simply, the P.L.T. (for Plant. Lettuce. Tomato.) — is being put to the test with consumers for 12 weeks. It contains the plant-derived patty on McDonald's iconic sesame seed bun, with tomato, lettuce, pickles, onions, mayo-style sauce, ketchup, mustard and a slice of processed cheddar cheese. 

It will be cooked on the same grill as other burgers so is not being promoted as a vegan or even vegetarian product. However, that's in line with a lot of research around plant-based diners, who tend to be so-called "flexitarians," meaning those who consume meat, but occasionally prefer to enjoy a plant-based meal for both personal and environmental health.

"McDonald's has a proud legacy of fun, delicious and craveable food--and now, we're extending that to a test of a juicy, plant-based burger," McDonald's VP of Global Menu Strategy Ann Wahlgren. "We've been working on our recipe and now we're ready to hear feedback from our customers."      

The new offering will sell for $6.49 in Canadian currency, which is about $4.90 in U.S. currency.

When asked whether the test results would be used to drive further tests or placement of the P.L.T. on the menu in the U.S. or elsewhere, McDonald's spokeswoman Lauren Altmin said in an email this morning," As we stay on top of consumer trends, we continue to innovate and always listen to our customers. We believe testing in Canada will provide the right learnings to help inform our global markets on plant-based consumer trends."

Wahlgren also said the test allowed the chain to learn about "real-world implications of serving the P.L.T., including customer demand and impact on restaurant operations." 

And those "real-world implications" could be huge, not only for the golden-arched burger chain, but Beyond Meats, which has been swinging carrots at competing plant-based burger maker, Impossible Foods, for slices of the QSR burger pie. That company's so-called Impossible Burger has been a big hit, particularly with McDonald's rival, Burger King which earlier launched the very popular, Impossible Whopper. And all those factors could, according to Euromonitor International Research Analyst Miranda Lambert, make for some interesting days ahead. 

"This has been yet another massive week for plant-based alternatives with Impossible and Beyond Meat essentially swapping places as Impossible introduced it's first packaged food offerings in Southern California grocery stores and Beyond announced their newest and largest entry into foodservice with McDonald's," Lambert said in an email.

"It seems as though, after the success of the Impossible Whopper, McDonald's has finally given into consumer demand for more plant-based options. Though Beyond Meat has had success with their Carl's Junior partnership, partnering with the world leader in foodservice gives them previously unthinkable international expansion potential. ...

"McDonald's and Burger King have always played on their rivalry with promotions including 1 cent Whoppers when ordered through the Burger King App in a McDonald's parking lot. However, Impossible and Beyond have consistently resisted rivalry claims with both sides insisting they are working towards the same goal of decreasing international meat consumption. There is currently plenty of growth space in the market for both companies to flourish, but it will be interesting to see if they will be able to maintain such civility as the market becomes more crowded and competition heightens."

Indeed it will be an interesting path forward, particularly since, as Lambert pointed out McDonald's somewhat inexplicably chose to launch its first plant-based offering in Ontario, Canada, rather than in its home country. QSRweb did ask the brand why Canada was selected, but did not receive a response. 

The P.L.T. has 460 calories and 17 grams of protein, according to the brand's nutritional profile. The 28 test stores are in  Strathroy, Sarnia, London, St. Thomas, Ingersoll, Woodstock, Tillsonburg, Exeter and Aylmer — all in Ontario. McDonald's is the world's leading global foodservice retailer with over 38,000 locations in over 100 countries 
 

About S.A. Whitehead

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Pizza Marketplace and QSRweb editor Shelly Whitehead is a former newspaper and TV reporter with an affinity for telling stories about the people and innovative thinking behind great brands.