Photo: Steve Daniels via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0, cropped. This adapted image is also licensed CC BY-SA 2.0.
McDonald's vegan McPlant burger is now on the menu at more than 250 restaurants across the UK. It went on sale in ten restaurants in Coventry on September 29, and from today (Wednesday, October 13) another 250-plus branches have it too, with a full UK rollout expected next year.
And yes, it's properly vegan. Restaurant Online reports the McPlant is certified vegan by the Vegetarian Society, and it's cooked on a separate grill with dedicated utensils.
The patty was co-developed with Beyond Meat over three years and is made from pea and rice protein. It comes with a vegan cheese alternative made from pea protein, vegan sauce, ketchup, mustard, onions, pickles, lettuce and tomato in a vegan sesame bun. It costs £3.49 on its own or £4.89 as a meal, according to The National.
Michelle Graham-Clare, chief marketing officer at McDonald's UK and Ireland, said:
We are always looking for different ways to innovate and meet our customers' needs, and with McPlant, we have a delicious plant-based burger that will appeal to everyone. Whether you're vegan or just fancy a plant-based patty, we're confident you will enjoy the McPlant.
Beyond Meat founder Ethan Brown, meanwhile, promised that "We will combine the power of Beyond Meat's relentless approach to innovation with the strength of McDonald's global brand to introduce new plant-based menu items." The McPlant was first trialled in Sweden and Denmark, where it was added to menus in February.
When the world's most famous burger chain cooks plants on their own grill, you know the market has changed. And it's good news for anyone who trains. Research in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that plant protein builds muscle just as well as animal protein, and the World Health Organization classifies processed meat as a Group 1 carcinogen. No wonder people are swapping.
We've been waiting for this since McDonald's first announced the McPlant last November. Since then Burger King UK launched the Vegan Royale, Burger King ran its first meat-free restaurant in Cologne and Oatly was valued at $10 billion. It all started with Greggs' vegan sausage roll and KFC's vegan burger.
Would you like fries with your planet-friendly burger?