The fast food giant is making strides into the vegan market after announcing a new “plant, lettuce and tomato” (P.L.T) sandwich featuring Beyond Meat’s patties.

The burger will first feature in 28 stores in Canada as part of its 12-week pilot program.

In an interview, Michaela Charette, the company’s head of consumer insights, said: “We know we’re not first.

“We’ve been taking our time to get it right.”

The sandwich’s main component is a Beyond Meat patty that has been tweaked to accommodate customers’ preferences based on their demographic eating habits.

Ann Wahlgren, McDonald’s Vice President of Global Menu Strategy, said: “As customer interest in plant-based options accelerated rapidly, our curiosity piqued, too.

 “We’ve kept an eye on this emerging trend, and now we’re ready to learn more by running a test in one of our markets.”

The burger is fully plant-based but will be grilled on the same surface as meat.

Customer Feedback

The Beyond Meat P.L.T. will be on the menu for 12 weeks to gauge consumer response.

Wahlgren said: “We’ve been working on our (Beyond Meat PLT) recipe and now we’re ready to hear feedback from our customers.

“During this test, we’re excited to hear what customers love about the P.L.T. to help our global markets better understand what’s best for their customers.

“This test allows us to learn more about real-world implications of serving the P.L.T., including customer demand and impact on restaurant operations.” 

Beyond Meat Success

The demand for Beyond Meat’s products has skyrocketed over the past few years as the brand scales new heights by catering to the growing popularity of plant-based alternative meat.

The brand recently launched vegan sausages in 458 stores across the UK to meet huge demand.

In a recent interview, CEO Ethan Brown said ‘the company could take on the largest fast-food chains, provided that it was done thoughtfully’.

With the Beyond Meat burger, McDonald’s joins the brand’s other fast food businesses to introduce vegan options such as Burger King, Tim Hortons, KFC, and Dunkin’ Brands.

• Read: KFC & Beyond Meat’s vegan fried chicken sold out in just five hours

Would you try a vegan McDonald’s burger? Share your thoughts in the comments section below!