The McPlant's packaging as it is in the United Kingdom
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]
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.[16] According to McDonalds, the burgers are prepared on the same grill as meat products and thus are not vegan or vegetarian. McDonald's Germany targets flexitarians[17] and lists all ingredients of the burgers.[18][19] In Germany an additional McPlant Tomato Chargrill became a permanent menu item after a collaboration with two members of the band Tokio Hotel in 2024.[20][21]
In January 2023, McDonald's launched the Double McPlant with two patties in the United Kingdom and Ireland.[22][23] In Austria, McDonald's also sells the McPlant Steakhouse, a variant of the burger with steakhouse sauce.[24] In Germany and France, it also sells McPlant Nuggets made from wheat and pea protein. The full list of ingredients is not disclosed.[12][25] In Germany, McPlant nuggets are fried in the same fryers as chicken McNuggets and thus might not be vegan or vegetarian either.[26] McDonalds Germany lists the ingredients, the nuggets are based on wheat and pea protein.[27]
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.[28][29] In the United States, the product was initially tested in November 2021, with expanded tests in California and Texas from February 2022.[30][31] The trial run of the McPlant in the United States was discontinued in August 2022,[32] reportedly due to low sales.[33] From July until November 2022, the McPlant was served in Victoria, Australia, as a limited run item.[34][35]
^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). "Chapter 4: Potassium: Dietary Reference Intakes for Adequacy". In 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). pp. 120–121. doi:10.17226/25353. ISBN978-0-309-48834-1. PMID30844154. Retrieved 2024-12-05.
^"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
^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.
