The competition among purveyors of plant-based protein is heating the fast food industry with a frenzy that resembles the increasing hot chicken sandwich wars.
On Thursday, McDonald's MCD announced its plan to test its first ever plant-based burger, the McPlant, it created with Beyond Meat BYND in a strategic three-year partnership relationship. For now, however, the September 29 launch is limited to 10 restaurants in the United Kingdom and Ireland. On 13 October, it will expand to 250 locations before rolling out each United Kingdom and Ireland more broadly by 2022.
after three years of research and development, the Golden Arches cooked up a plant based patate served on a vegan sesame bun with vegan cheese that's based on pea protein and a new vegan sauce. It is served with traditional toppers like onions, pickles, lettuce, tomato, ketchup and mustard.
McDonald's also told it clear that it will be cooked separately from other burgers and sandwiches using other utensils — perhaps taking note of the trouble that embroiled Burger King QSR which introduced its plant-based Impossible Whopper in 2019.
The chain was sued by a vegan customer who claimed the restaurant chain took part in misleading and false business practices when advertising its plant-based entrees. Burger King dismissed the lawsuit in 2020 after a federal judge won the suit.
According to a new report by food intelligence firm Tastewise, menu mentions of plant-based meat have spiked by a staggering 1,320% in the U.S. compared to pre-pandemic levels in early 2020.
Fake meat's march into fast food chains shows no signs of slowing down. Burger King's Impossible Burger was followed by Starbucks' January 20th, 2020 launch of the Impossible Breakfast Sandwich — which was followed then by Dunkin's Beyond Meat Breakfast sandwich.
And '2121' has been the dawn of other plant-based entrees, like Morningstar Farms K in offering Southwest Veggie Power Breakfast Sandwich and Wendy's Spicy Black Bean Burger.
This is one of those rare moment in history where business opportunity aligns with the betterment of the world, Alon Chen, CEO and co-founder of Tastewise, told Yahoo Finance in an email. Plant based is both the right thing to do for the world, and will increase exponentially in the next 10 years. However, it is not just vegans being lured by meatless food — the evidence suggests there are many others who made the shift for different reasons.
Consumers from all lifestyles expect brands to address concerns about climate change, sustainability and personal health, said Chen.
This shift created a $14 B opportunity over the next decade, where the question is not 'if" every foodservice business must offer plant-based alternatives to food, but 'when' and which technology will prevail, he added.
Tastewise data shows the playing field is still tilted in favour of slim meat, with plant-based options comprising a traditional portion of menu options — at least for now. While opportunity exists within this market, 54% of Americans have already tried the meatless alternatives in popular fast-food chains, according to a recent poll by Piplsay. Of that number, 70 percent said that they enjoyed it.
And while Burger King is an early entrant in the competition, most have tried plant-based meat there. According to Piplsay, 41% of consumers tried BK's meatless entrees, followed by 10% at Starbucks, 10% at Wendy's WEN, 10% at Subway's and 8% at Dunkin'. Elsewhere, less than 7% of all the people have tried it in other places such as Del Taco, Qdoba, Carl's Jr. and others.
Even though plant-based poultry options are on the rise, so is their popularity in the United States. Recently Shake Shack SHAK collaborated with Beyond Meat to bring Beyond the Original Orange Chicken to its menus, and Panda Express offered a limited-edition vegan menu item.
Lastly, fake seafood is also bubbling up on menus and making its way to the Internet — up 90.7% in social interest per Tastewise. Recently, Long John Silver s and Whole Foods have leaned on fish-less.
Brooke DiPalma is a reporter for Yahoo Finance. Follow her on Twitter at BrookeDiPalma or email her at bdipalma@yahoofinance.com.