The McPlant: Would you eat a plant-based burger at McDonald’s?

When you think of McDonald’s, you think of tasty (but unhealthy) fast food, don’t you? Burgers, fries, Ayam Goreng, and of course, those sinfully delicious Chicken Nuggets—yum. But can that famous recipe for flavour translate to something a little more eco-friendly? Perhaps.

McDonald’s has announced that a new lineup of plant-based meat alternatives will be added to the menu in 2021, under the McPlant moniker. These will range from plant-based burgers to chicken substitutes, and it takes into account the expected rise in consumption of meat alternatives in the future.

These meatless alternatives have actually been tested by McDonald’s in Canada, in collaboration with Beyond Meat—plant-based food specialists. However, when announcing the McPlant, McDonald’s told CNBC that the new meatless lineup was created “by McDonald’s and for McDonald’s” (without naming a supplier).

This was countered by an official statement by Beyond Meat, per CNBC:

Why the McPlant?

McDonald’s isn’t the first major fast food joint to do this. In certain countries, major franchises such as Burger King have added meat substitute offerings to their menu in the past. In fact, McDonald’s move makes a lot of sense, with legitimate issues over the meat industry’s impact on the environment, and even animal welfare.

However, meatless burgers can still be unhealthy… for you. According to the Harvard Health Blog meatless burgers are heavily processed and high in saturated fat—despite containing protein, vitamins, and minerals. In fact, the article confirms that meatless burgers are “good for the planet, but not always good for our health”.

In any case, the meat alternative industry is predicted to be worth GBP 106 billion (~RM574 billion) by 2029 by Barclays Bank. Meanwhile, shares of the American fast food chain rose recently in response to the announcement, with Beyond’s shares also fluctuating accordingly.

For now, McDonald’s will test out the meat-alternative burger in select markets in 2021, and depending on the results, we might just see Mekdi’s answer to the Impossible Burger soon.

But would you eat it?

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