The McPlant is a vegetarian (and in some regions vegan) burger sold by the fast-food chain McDonald's in several European countries.[5] In 2021, McDonald's partnered with Beyond Meat, a Los Angeles–based producer of plant-based meat substitutes, to create the McPlant platform.[6][7] It features a plant-based meat alternative burger patty made from plant ingredients such as potatoes, peas and rice.[8]

McPlant
The McPlant as sold in the United States
The McPlant
Nutritional value per 1 sandwich
Energy510 kcal (2,100 kJ)
45g
Sugars11g
Dietary fiber5g
27g
Saturated8g
22g
Vitamins and minerals
MineralsQuantity
%DV
Sodium
29%
670 mg
Other constituentsQuantity
Cholesterol25mg
Percentages estimated using US recommendations for adults,[3] except for potassium, which is estimated based on expert recommendation from the National Academies.[4]
Source: [1][2]
The McPlant's packaging as it is in the United Kingdom

The McPlant was launched in the United Kingdom in January 2022, after tests in October 2021.[9] It is also available in Ireland. In both the United Kingdom and Ireland, the burger is vegan due to the use of vegan sandwich sauce and a vegan cheese alternative.[10] The McPlant is also sold in a non-vegan variant (with cheese and egg-based mayonnaise) in Austria,[11] Germany,[12] and Portugal,[13] as well as in the Netherlands with cheese and a vegan sandwich sauce.[14][15] When the McPlant was launched in Germany in February 2023, it replaced the Fresh Vegan TS burger, leading to some criticism from vegan customers. One journalist reported that the burgers were prepared on the same grill as meat products.[16] McDonald's Germany targets flexitarians.[17]

In January 2023, McDonald's launched the Double McPlant with two patties in the United Kingdom and Ireland.[18][19] In Austria, McDonald's also sells the McPlant Steakhouse, a variant of the burger with steakhouse sauce.[20] In Germany and France, it also sells McPlant Nuggets made from wheat and pea protein. The full list of ingredients is not disclosed.[12][21]

In several other countries, the McPlant was tested but not introduced in the permanent menu. The first tests occurred in Sweden and Denmark between January and April 2021.[22][23] In the United States, the product was initially tested in November 2021, with expanded tests in California and Texas from February 2022.[24][25] The trial run of the McPlant in the United States was discontinued in August 2022,[26] reportedly due to low sales.[27] From July until November 2022, the McPlant was served in Victoria, Australia, as a limited run item.[28][29]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "McDonald's First Meatless Burger Is Surprisingly Delicious". Sonoma Magazine. March 4, 2022. Archived from the original on March 19, 2022. Retrieved August 16, 2022.
  2. ^ "McPlant™: McDonald's Plant-Based Burger". McDonald's. January 21, 2022. Archived from the original on August 16, 2022. Retrieved March 11, 2022.
  3. ^ United States Food and Drug Administration (2024). "Daily Value on the Nutrition and Supplement Facts Labels". FDA. Archived from the original on 2024-03-27. Retrieved 2024-03-28.
  4. ^ National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine; Health and Medicine Division; Food and Nutrition Board; Committee to Review the Dietary Reference Intakes for Sodium and Potassium (2019). Oria, Maria; Harrison, Meghan; Stallings, Virginia A. (eds.). Dietary Reference Intakes for Sodium and Potassium. The National Academies Collection: Reports funded by National Institutes of Health. Washington, DC: National Academies Press (US). ISBN 978-0-309-48834-1. PMID 30844154. Archived from the original on 2024-05-09. Retrieved 2024-06-21.
  5. ^ Wiener-Bronner, Danielle (November 9, 2020). "McDonald's announces new chicken sandwich and 'McPlant' burger | CNN Business". CNN. Archived from the original on August 16, 2022.
  6. ^ "Beyond Meat® Announces Strategic Global Agreement with McDonald's". Beyond Meat, Inc. February 25, 2021. Archived from the original on February 26, 2021.
  7. ^ Lucas, Amelia (October 14, 2021). "McDonald's to test McPlant burger created with Beyond Meat in eight U.S. restaurants next month". CNBC. Archived from the original on October 15, 2021.
  8. ^ Wells, Madeline (February 15, 2022). "Bay Area McDonald's launched the new 'McPlant' burger. I tried it". SFGate. Archived from the original on August 16, 2022. Retrieved March 11, 2022.
  9. ^ "McDonald's vegan McPlant burger is now available in all of its UK restaurants". The Independent. 2022-01-05. Retrieved 2023-03-13.
  10. ^ "McPlant - Nutrition & Ingredients | McDonald's UK". www.mcdonalds.com. Archived from the original on February 23, 2022. Retrieved August 16, 2022.
  11. ^ "McPlant". McDonald’s (in German). Retrieved 2023-03-13.
  12. ^ a b "McPlant®". Better M | McDonald's Deutschland (in German). Retrieved 2023-03-13.
  13. ^ "McPlant". McDonald's Portugal. Retrieved 2022-03-13.
  14. ^ Foreman, Polly (2022-10-07). "McPlant Returns To All 250 McDonald's Stores In The Netherlands". Plant Based News. Retrieved 2022-10-23.
  15. ^ "McPlant » Voor de flexitariërs ☆ McDonald's". www.mcdonalds.com (in Dutch). Retrieved 2023-03-13.
  16. ^ ""Bullshit": McDonald's streicht vegane Burger - und erntet Shitstorm für Alternative". www.tz.de (in German). 27 February 2023. Retrieved 2023-03-13.
  17. ^ "McPlant | McDonald's Deutschland". www.mcdonalds.com (in German). Retrieved 2023-07-19.
  18. ^ "NEW Double McPlant". McDonald's UK. December 9, 2022. Retrieved January 1, 2023. After a successful launch last year, McDonald's is rolling out the NEW Double McPlant in all restaurants across the UK & Ireland from Wednesday 4th Jan 2023
  19. ^ Axworthy, Nicole (December 29, 2022). "McDonald's Launches Vegan Double McPlant at Nearly 1,400 Locations". VegNews. Retrieved January 1, 2023. On January 4, global fast-food chain McDonald's will roll out a new Double McPlant in all restaurants in the United Kingdom and Ireland. The move comes after a successful launch of its original plant-based burger, the McPlant, last year.
  20. ^ "McPlantSteakhouse". McDonald’s (in German). Retrieved 2023-03-13.
  21. ^ "Pourquoi ne connaît-on pas la composition exacte des nouveaux nuggets végétariens McDo?". mc.bfmtv.com.
  22. ^ Sanchez, Kait (2021-02-02). "McDonald's is testing the 'McPlant' burger in Denmark and Sweden". The Verge. Retrieved 2023-03-13.
  23. ^ "McDonald's Starts Testing McPlant Burger in Europe". The Spoon. 2021-02-02. Retrieved 2023-03-13.
  24. ^ Lucas, Amelia (January 26, 2022). "McDonald's McPlant burger made with Beyond Meat sold better than expected, analyst says". CNBC. Archived from the original on January 28, 2022.
  25. ^ Lucas, Amelia (January 20, 2022). "McDonald's expands test of McPlant burger created with Beyond Meat". CNBC. Archived from the original on January 31, 2022.
  26. ^ "'I'd rather eat an actual burger': why plant-based meat's sizzle fizzled in the US". The Guardian. 2022-09-24. Retrieved 2022-10-22.
  27. ^ Lucas, Amelia (28 July 2022). "Beyond Meat stock falls after conclusion of McDonald's McPlant test". CNBC. Retrieved 2023-03-13.
  28. ^ "McPlant | McDonald's Australia". mcdonalds.com.au. Archived from the original on August 16, 2022. Retrieved July 6, 2022.
  29. ^ "McDonald's adds McPlant burger to menu in select Victorian stores". news.com.au. 2022-07-04.