McDonald’s is test-marketing Beyond Meat analogue burgers in Canada, the first time the world’s largest restaurant chain has tested plant-based burgers from a major producer.
The “Plant, Lettuce, Tomato” or “PLT” burger is undergoing a 12-week test that started Sept. 30 at 28 outlets in southwestern Ontario. While some McDonald’s restaurants outside the U.S. sell plant-based patties, the Ontario test market represents the first trial for a protein supplied by a dedicated major producer of meat analogue products.
Beyond Meat’s main rival, Impossible Foods, is in Burger King, White Castle and Red Robin. McDonald’s has been holding back on wide-scale introduction of meat analogue products, partly because it is reluctant to direct franchisees to dedicate grill space to them and partly because it has been paring menu items.
