McDonald’s Is Testing a Plant-Based Burger Made With Beyond Meat

McDonald’s Is Testing a Plant-Based Burger Made With Beyond Meat

  • Hannah Bugga
  • Hannah Bugga

The day we thought might never come is finally here: McDonald’s, the largest restaurant company in the United States by sales, just announced partnering with Beyond Meat to start testing a plant-based burger in 28 restaurants on September 30.

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Say hello to the new P.L.T. from @mcdonaldscanada – a juicy, delicious burger made with a Beyond Meat patty! The P.L.T. will be tested for 12 weeks in 28 McDonald’s restaurants in Southwestern Ontario, Canada starting Monday, 9/30. __________________ “Being of service to McDonald’s has been a central and defining goal of mine since founding Beyond Meat over a decade ago,” said Ethan Brown, Founder and CEO, Beyond Meat. “It comes after a long and productive collaboration to make a delicious plant-based patty that fits seamlessly into McDonald's menu, and we’re thrilled with the outcome." __________________ Click link in bio to learn more about this exciting announcement and to find the full list of participating restaurants!

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Customers in southwestern Ontario, Canada, will be able to try the aptly named P.L.T. (plant, lettuce, and tomato), served on a warm sesame-seed bun. After news of the partnership broke, Beyond Meat’s stock shot up an impressive 13 percent and McDonald’s stock rose slightly. Founder and CEO of Beyond Meat Ethan Brown said in a statement:

Being of service to McDonald’s has been a central and defining goal of mine since founding Beyond Meat over a decade ago. It comes after a long and productive collaboration to make a delicious plant-based patty that fits seamlessly into McDonald’s menu, and we’re thrilled with the outcome.

McDonald’s joins other fast-food giants that have added plant-based burgers to their menus, such as Burger King, Red Robin, and White Castle. Even KFC is jumping on the trend, recently selling out of their plant-based Imposter Burger in the U.K. and testing vegan fried chicken in Atlanta, where customers lined up around the block.

While this move by McDonald’s is exciting and a wonderful step in the right direction, there’s much more that needs to be done. Tragically, chickens in McDonald’s supply chain are among the most abused animals on the planet, bred to grow so large so fast that they often can’t walk without pain.

Hundreds of brands—including Burger King, Starbucks, Subway, Jack in the Box, and Denny’s—are committed to banning the cruelest practices inflicted on chickens. McDonald’s has yet to make a similar commitment.

You can take action for animals at McDonaldsCruelty.com.