McDonald's Launches Vegetarian Burger... Alternative Meat Market Expected to Grow

'Macplant' Pilot Sales Next Year
Artificial Meat to Account for 10% Within 10 Years

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kwon Jae-hee] McDonald's, the world's largest fast-food chain, will launch burger products including plant-based alternative meat next year. Since the outbreak of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), fast-food chains have been rushing into the alternative meat market, and the market size is expected to grow further.

According to the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) on the 9th (local time), McDonald's announced that it will introduce a vegetarian menu line called 'McPlant,' which replaces meat patties with plant-based meat, sometime next year. The McPlant line will be applied not only to hamburgers but also to chicken and breakfast menus.

Ian Borden, President of McDonald's International Business Division, expressed expectations during a conference call, saying, "McPlant is a product line developed exclusively for McDonald's," and "In the future, McPlant will expand to the entire product range, including burgers, chicken, and breakfast items."

When McDonald's faced disruptions in the meat supply chain due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it partnered with artificial meat manufacturer Beyond Meat to start developing burgers replaced with plant-based meat. Earlier this year, it temporarily introduced a product line made with plant-based patties supplied by Beyond Meat at some stores in Canada.

McDonald's plans to conduct a pilot sale of the 'McPlant' line containing plant-based meat developed together with Beyond Meat in certain regions starting next year.

With McDonald's decision to launch an artificial meat product line, the alternative meat market is expected to gradually expand. Especially in the current situation where a food crisis is being discussed after COVID-19, alternative meat is emerging as an option.

Barclays, a global investment bank in the UK, forecasted that artificial meat will account for more than 10% of the total meat market within the next 10 years. According to market research firm MarketsandMarkets, the global alternative meat market is expected to grow from the current $12.1 billion (approximately 14.8 trillion KRW) to $27.9 billion (approximately 34.2 trillion KRW) by 2025.

Last year, competitor Burger King started selling the 'Impossible Whopper' using plant-based patties earlier than McDonald's by partnering with the US food tech company 'Impossible Foods.' Dunkin' Brands Group, which owns brands such as Dunkin' Donuts and Baskin-Robbins, also has Beyond Meat as a partner. McDonald's development of plant-based menus is somewhat behind these companies.

Chris Kempczinski, CEO of McDonald's, said, "The location and timing of McPlant's introduction will be determined according to local demand," adding, "The experience at our outlets will continue to evolve." This means they will continuously release products that satisfy consumers' tastes.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.