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McDonald's unveils McPlant line, which includes meatless patty co-created by Beyond Meat
McDonald's will test a meat-free burger in several markets next year as it adds plant-based menu offerings, which it has coined "McPlant."
International President Ian Borden said that McPlant was created "by McDonald's and for McDonald's." Borden said that the McPlant line could also include chicken substitutes.
McDonald's has not yet disclosed the supplier for the line. A company spokesperson declined to identify their supplier but said that McDonald's will not be manufacturing the products.
But a spokesperson for Beyond Meat said in a statement to CNBC that the company co-created the plant-based patty that will be available as part of the McPlant line. Shares of Beyond rose as much as 4% in afternoon trading after falling as much as 6% earlier on Monday. The stock, which was briefly halted for volatility in both morning and afternoon trading, is currently down less than 1%.
See also: Beyond Meat shares rise on news that it collaborated with McDonald's on the McPlant options
Beyond Meat earnings miss big on declining food service and consumer demand
Beyond Meat's partnership with McDonald's to develop the McPlant burger wasn't enough to keep shares from collapsing after the company posted third-quarter earnings that fell far below analysts' expectations.
The big miss sent shares tumbling nearly 29% in after markets closed Monday after reporting it generated $94.4 million in revenues and a loss of 28 cents per share versus the $132.8 million in revenue and 5 cents per share loss that analysts had expected.
Previously: Meatless "Beyond Burgers" Come to Fast Food Restaurants
Following IPO of Beyond Meat, Tyson Foods Plans Launch of its Own Meatless Products
Plant-Based "Impossible Burger" Coming to Every Burger King Location
Meat Industry PR Campaign Bashes Plant-Based Meat Alternatives
Bot Orders $18,752 of McSundaes Every 30 Minutes to Find If Machines are Working
(Score: 3, Interesting) by JoeMerchant on Tuesday November 10 2020, @08:15PM (18 children)
Chicken Nuggets that contain unrecognizable chicken related products. Why not McPlant "burgers" with no meat?
1991, my first trip from the South to California - was offered a "veggie burger" but declined, who would want a burger with veggies on it, I thought. I literally could not conceive of someone selling a "burger" where the patty was made of vegetables.
🌻🌻 [google.com]
(Score: 2) by takyon on Tuesday November 10 2020, @08:25PM (3 children)
https://vegnews.com/2019/6/tyson-debuts-plant-based-chicken-nuggets-made-with-egg [vegnews.com]
https://www.perdue.com/products/perdue-chicken-plus-chicken-breast-vegetable-dino-nuggets-22-oz/80700/ [perdue.com]
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Tuesday November 10 2020, @08:35PM (2 children)
When the right to a dignified life extends beyond man and mammals, to the birds... Perdue and Tyson are going to owe quadrillions in damages and reparations.
🌻🌻 [google.com]
(Score: 3, Funny) by krishnoid on Tuesday November 10 2020, @09:27PM
They can seize their accounts, but it's hard to collect from people into perpetuity after the cloned ancestors and their descendents [pbs.org] figure out what's up and exact revenge. They are rather clever girls, after all.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday November 12 2020, @02:29AM
Don't worry - the animals will have their recognition in time: https://pbfcomics.com/comics/amends/ [pbfcomics.com]
(Score: 4, Insightful) by Thexalon on Tuesday November 10 2020, @08:37PM (5 children)
As someone who eats a mostly vegetarian diet: Non-meat burgers aren't my first choice, and the best ones don't try to taste like meat, but they're usually reasonably tasty.
For example, black bean burgers are pretty easy to make from scratch if you like doing that (basic ingredients: The beans, an egg, and some bread crumbs to help it all hold together, plus whatever veggies and spices you want to add) and with the right sort of spices will taste a bit like chili or a burrito in burger form. If you're ever curious enough to try them, your grocery store or even Walmart probably has a variety of flavors in the frozen foods section for about $3-5 that are ridiculously simple to prepare (microwave them, or fry them up in a pan, or put them on the grill), and you'll also sometimes find them on the menu at bar-&-grilles.
The only thing that stops a bad guy with a compiler is a good guy with a compiler.
(Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Tuesday November 10 2020, @08:42PM
Oh, my horizons have expanded in the last 30 years. I can even imagine that some people willingly eat vegetarian now.
Still can't imagine who would ever pass up a plate of beef brisket burnt ends.
🌻🌻 [google.com]
(Score: 2) by Subsentient on Tuesday November 10 2020, @09:19PM
I've been fully vegetarian since I was 17, I'm 25 now. They have a lot of good burger patties from Boca nowadays, and the prices are going down. I buy the spicy fake chicken patties and eat them like jumbo chicken nuggets. They're really good.
"It is no measure of health to be well adjusted to a profoundly sick society." -Jiddu Krishnamurti
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday November 10 2020, @09:23PM
Black bean burgers are great! I like millet patties as well.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday November 11 2020, @02:04AM
Every few years, I would try all of the veggie burgers in the local supermarket that attempt to mimic the taste of real meat. They were always awful, to the point that I usually spit out the first bite and threw the whole thing in the trash. But Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods genuinely cracked the code. I have a slight preference for the Impossible Foods beef substitute, but I can eat either one without any sense that I'm missing out by passing up real beef. Their fake meat tastes as good or better when compared to anything I've had at Five Guys, Steak'N'Shake and In'N'Out burger, plus most diners and family restaurants.
So if you haven't tried them, then I suggest it. In addition to their burgers, I use the Impossible Foods and Beyond Meat ground beef substitutes in chili, pasta dishes, and tacos and find it every bit as good as the bison and organic ground beef from grass fed cattle that I get otherwise.
On the other hand, the Beyond Meat chicken and sausage meat substitutes still, in my arrogant opinion, taste awful. And the Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods products are painfully expensive, averaging more than $8/pound most of the time. It's still only for wealthy people, I can get edible if not delicious ground beef for $3.50/pound.
(Score: 2) by Freeman on Wednesday November 11 2020, @05:30PM
The Black Bean burger at "Mooyah!" is very tasty, my wife says their meat is good too. Their Milkshakes do something bad to my gut, maybe too much fat in them or a slight sensitivity to dairy. The real reason I stopped going, it a bit expensive for a burger and they stopped carrying their pre-mixed lemonade-tea. Doing your own Lemonade+Tea from the drink station, just isn't the same.
Super good Mooyah! burger: (Though a bit messy.)
Ice Burger (Lettuce Wrapped, instead of Bread)
Black Bean Burger
Cheddar Cheese
Avocado
Cholula
Grilled Onions
Mayonnaise
Tomatoes
Joshua 1:9 "Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee"
(Score: 3, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday November 10 2020, @08:45PM
I really wish instead of vegie burger monstrosities, they just popularized portabella sandwiches. Not really pretending to be a "Burger" but be its own thing. Instead we get foodite horrors. What is foodite? Glad you asked, I made this term up years ago when I stopped eating processed food. Here is how I view this type of thing:
1) find the lowest quality and cheapest protein source that:
a) legally qualifies as food.
b) legally qualifies to be called whatever you want the end product to be.
2) Add as much filler as you can and still have the end product:
a) legally qualify as food.
b) legally qualify to be called whatever you want the end product to be.
3) now you add some or all of the following to fix the terrible taste:
a) Salt, everything needs more salt
b) Sugar, it is addictive and HFCS can be added to anything.
c) Fat of some sort
d) MSG
e) some flavoring
4) Now it is time to add some coloring and binders to fix up color and texture.
5) Slap that slop in a mold and wait for it to set.
MMMMMHHHH... Foodite. Served fresh* at McDonalds.
* Foodite is always fresh, bacteria probably won't eat and if they do we can add preservatives too.
(Score: 4, Insightful) by corey on Tuesday November 10 2020, @08:55PM (3 children)
(Score: 2, Insightful) by Subsentient on Tuesday November 10 2020, @09:26PM (1 child)
Wow, I love that. I'm stealing it. It has been assimilated into my consciousness. Resistance is futile.
"It is no measure of health to be well adjusted to a profoundly sick society." -Jiddu Krishnamurti
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday November 11 2020, @08:35PM
the fuck is this Insightful? Funny maybe
(Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Tuesday November 10 2020, @09:32PM
Don't forget low cost fats.
🌻🌻 [google.com]
(Score: 1) by fustakrakich on Tuesday November 10 2020, @10:24PM (2 children)
I don't want meatless meat. I want cultured (lab grown) meat. Something that is meat
La politica e i criminali sono la stessa cosa..
(Score: 2) by PartTimeZombie on Tuesday November 10 2020, @10:38PM (1 child)
I want that too. It could also be better for the environment, if it is done right.
(Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Wednesday November 11 2020, @02:47AM
I want that done right - we're decades away.
It will probably be a merger between factory farms and lab grown tech that eventually gets it right.
🌻🌻 [google.com]
(Score: 2) by looorg on Tuesday November 10 2020, @08:32PM
Will be interesting to see if it will sell or not. I guess they dont have to put up the billions served sign just yet.
(Score: -1, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday November 10 2020, @08:41PM
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ersatz_good [wikipedia.org]
(Score: 4, Funny) by Gaaark on Tuesday November 10 2020, @08:46PM (2 children)
That's the best name the marketing team could come up with? Why not McFacePlant?
--- Please remind me if I haven't been civil to you: I'm channeling MDC. ---Gaaark 2.0 ---
(Score: 2) by krishnoid on Tuesday November 10 2020, @09:36PM (1 child)
They're saving that for if/when nobody buys it.
(Score: 4, Funny) by kazzie on Wednesday November 11 2020, @05:57AM
You mean they're saving face?
(Score: 2) by SomeGuy on Tuesday November 10 2020, @08:51PM (4 children)
I suppose to serve vegetarians is one thing (To Serve Vegetarians? Its a Cookbook!), but as McDonalds leads the race to the bottom, I fully expect what will happen is they refine the process until it is cheaper than meat and then drop meat/allegedly meat products.
Fuck McDonald's hamburgers anyway. Dollar Tree has these nice little microwavable QuickBite burgers that are just as good, if not better, quicker to nuke than waiting in line, and safer since you don't have to wait around in a filthy McGrease pit.
(Score: 2) by epitaxial on Tuesday November 10 2020, @08:54PM
You buy hamburgers from a dollar store?
(Score: 2) by Subsentient on Tuesday November 10 2020, @09:32PM
Those Dollar Tree burgers probably contain more meat from Ukrainian children than from cows.
"It is no measure of health to be well adjusted to a profoundly sick society." -Jiddu Krishnamurti
(Score: 3, Insightful) by krishnoid on Tuesday November 10 2020, @09:34PM
McDonald's food isn't great, but it seems like they provide a real service for the poor [financialpost.com] even in a polite socialist hellhole like Canada.
(Score: 2) by FatPhil on Wednesday November 11 2020, @11:36AM
And the "vegetables are what food eats" saying maintains its truthiness.
Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people; the smallest discuss themselves
(Score: 2) by Subsentient on Tuesday November 10 2020, @09:29PM (2 children)
McDonald's food is disgusting, and knowing them, they still put pig fat in the buns for these new "vegetarian" burgers. Don't be fooled.
I've often joked that the only vegetarian thing on McDonald's menu was their soda.
"It is no measure of health to be well adjusted to a profoundly sick society." -Jiddu Krishnamurti
(Score: 2) by tangomargarine on Wednesday November 11 2020, @08:31PM (1 child)
Don't give them ideas--just wait until next year when scientists figure out that chemically-treated bison urine is cheaper than corn syrup with only 90% of the flavor!
"Is that really true?" "I just spent the last hour telling you to think for yourself! Didn't you hear anything I said?"
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday November 12 2020, @02:16PM
Well, at least it's probably healthier.
(Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Tuesday November 10 2020, @09:33PM (9 children)
I've always regarded chicken as a meat substitute. Back when Catholic friends couldn't eat meat on - uhhh - Fridays wasn't it? we would have fish or chicken or something instead. When the grocery funds ran low, buy chicken instead of meat. Or, if a doctor, girlfriend, or someone was harping that you should "eat healthier", somehow chicken qualified as "healthier".
So a chicken substitute would more properly be a meat substitute substitute? Faux meat substitute? Placebo meat substitute? This could get complicated . . .
(Score: -1, Flamebait) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday November 10 2020, @09:42PM (3 children)
Thanks for a nice non-political example of how dumb you are.
(Score: 2) by Phoenix666 on Wednesday November 11 2020, @12:51AM (2 children)
Thanks for a nice non-political example of how dumb you are.
Washington DC delenda est.
(Score: -1, Redundant) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday November 11 2020, @02:37AM (1 child)
Thanks for a nice non-political example of how dumb you are.
(Score: -1, Offtopic) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday November 11 2020, @02:54AM
Thank me for a nice example of how dumb I am.
(Score: 2) by arslan on Tuesday November 10 2020, @09:58PM
The calories on some of these are way up there as well - at least the ones that are offered in my neck of the woods. So if your health management involves managing total calories, a simple grilled chicken burger would have much less calorie or if you want to keep to the beef burger, maybe skipping out on the cheese and sauces instead.
Of course there's other aspects of not eating meat outside of managing calorie that are important to some folks.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday November 11 2020, @03:45AM (1 child)
Does it taste like chicken?
(Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Wednesday November 11 2020, @04:07AM
If you drown it in rapeseed oil at 400 F for 30 minutes, EVERYTHING tastes like chicken! Your old Ford Fiesta will taste like chicken when properly cooked.
(Score: 2) by tangomargarine on Wednesday November 11 2020, @08:29PM (1 child)
I've never understood this thing where people classify "fish" separately from "meat". They're both the muscles of dead animals, aren't they?
"Is that really true?" "I just spent the last hour telling you to think for yourself! Didn't you hear anything I said?"
(Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Wednesday November 11 2020, @09:09PM
Yeah, I guess so. But it has it's roots in Judaism. There were all sorts of foods that were "clean" or "unclean". And, of course, you couldn't contaminate a "clean" food, even with another "clean" food. Gotta keep the dairy separate from the meat, meat separate from grains, etc. You can only eat certain foods in the same meal with certain other foods. It was a maze of ritualism, learned from birth and enforced throughout childhood.
(Score: 3, Funny) by srobert on Tuesday November 10 2020, @09:58PM (1 child)
Will it duplicate the same lack of quality that McDonald's customers have come to expect from their usual offerings?
(Score: 2) by NateMich on Tuesday November 10 2020, @10:43PM
Since it won't sell all that fast compared to the regular burgers, you can guarantee you'll get the full "been sitting in the warmer too long" experience.
(Score: 2, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday November 10 2020, @10:14PM
I used to enjoy going to McDonalds. But then they blared in their ads about going 365Black -- black all 365 days of the year. Not being black, I couldn't go anymore. Except on Leap Day, every four years, but I usually forget.
At least I don't have to worry about falling into one of their ball pits. Bad way to die.
(Score: 2) by istartedi on Wednesday November 11 2020, @12:09AM (1 child)
Make like a tree and stay off my burger.
Appended to the end of comments you post. Max: 120 chars.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday November 12 2020, @04:28AM
The summary says plant-based, not insect-based ;-)
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday November 11 2020, @12:38AM (5 children)
I want a veggie burger. The ones Morningstar Farms makes are perfect. They also have a black bean salsa one that's good too. I don't understand the obsession with wannabe meat. If I want beef, I'll order beef. A lot of times I want veggie. It's not any healthier (the beef burgers might even be the healthier choice but it's a burger, who fscking cares), I just like the texture and how it tastes. Also grilled portobello burgers with swiss are so good. Why waste time with corporate frankenfoods when there are already so many good burgers that don't involve meat?
I remember one place that was on campus a long time ago. I'd spend $5 and get a grilled veggie burger, a lot like the ones you can get at Burger King, along with a side of curly fries. Not sure if those are made by Morningstar but very similar. I loved getting raspberry iced tea to drink.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday November 11 2020, @02:09AM (4 children)
wannabe meats are transition foods - foods for people that want to give up meat for ethical or environmental reasons but love the taste. The problem is that most wannabe meats taste awful. The Beyond Meat chicken and sausage products still taste awful.
But they did figure out wannabe ground beef, to the point that our family has switched almost entirely. I made chili a few hours ago with the Impossible Foods ground beef substitute, and it tastes as good as when I used to make chili with bison or organic ground beef.
I like black bean burgers, but I get tired of them in a hurry.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday November 11 2020, @05:02PM
Ground turkey is great in chili, but "turkey bacon" is awful.
(Score: 2) by tangomargarine on Wednesday November 11 2020, @08:27PM (2 children)
Came here to say this. Once they get done pumping it full of salt and additives and whatnot, they've mostly erased the health benefits.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/health/2019/10/25/burger-kings-impossible-burger-veggie-whopper-healthy/4070993002/ [usatoday.com]
"Is that really true?" "I just spent the last hour telling you to think for yourself! Didn't you hear anything I said?"
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday November 11 2020, @11:31PM (1 child)
Comparing beef to an impossible burger is a bit ingenuous, most hamburger recipes add a lot of salt to the meat. For instance this is one of the top google hits (the only one I checked) it adds 1.5 tablespoons of seasoned salt to 1.5 lbs of ground beef, and comes out at 1533mg sodium per patty: https://www.thewholesomedish.com/the-best-classic-burger/ [thewholesomedish.com]
(Score: 2) by tangomargarine on Thursday November 12 2020, @09:54AM
Presumably you mean disingenuous?
--
No, it's 1.5 teaspoons. Tbsp is 3x the size of a tsp, dude.
So it comes out to 1920 mg of sodium per 1.5 lbs of meat, for 480 mg per patty.
"Is that really true?" "I just spent the last hour telling you to think for yourself! Didn't you hear anything I said?"
(Score: 4, Informative) by Phoenix666 on Wednesday November 11 2020, @01:03AM
McDonald's has been suffering flat sales in recent years for a few reasons. One is that some customers have been looking for healthier alternatives. Another is brand dilution, which has crept in through breakfast burritos and salads. Also, chains like Shake Shack and Five Guys have been eating into McDonald's core brand identity. Introducing veggie burgers with Impossible Burgers and now McPlant is an attempt to shake up the market and win back customers who have been defecting for healthier alternatives.
It's a gimmick, though, and only exacerbates losses because of brand dilution and competition from "real" burger chains while not bringing back health minded consumers.
So it doesn't really matter what the plant-based burgers taste like. Truth be told, the plant-based varieties in all their different forms taste fine, if different. Brand identities and customer expectations don't always map to actual dining experience the way we think they do.
Washington DC delenda est.
(Score: 2) by Azuma Hazuki on Wednesday November 11 2020, @10:29AM (2 children)
I like veggie burgers that advertise themselves as such well enough, but still haven't tried these supposed perfect meat replacements. Maybe I will at some point. But if you're going to be vegetarian why not go the whole hog (pardon the mixed metaphor!) and, you know, eat things that are very clearly vegetarian foods and proud of it? Learning some Indian cooking is really helpful. I'm am omnivore but could plausibly go vegetarian with enough recipe wrangling.
I am "that girl" your mother warned you about...
(Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday November 11 2020, @12:50PM
Up until recently all of the meat-replacement vegetarian foods tasted awful. I'm trying to transition the family to eating as little meat as possible, and they fight me when I simply don't buy any. The Beyond Meat beef substitute and the Impossible Foods beef substitutes are the best tasting beef replacements I've ever had, better than anything except top tier real beef. My wife and kids don't complain when I cook those. I made chili with Impossible Foods beef substitute yesterday, I made tacos with Beyond Meat beef substitute last week, and I have a stack of burgers of both types in the freezer that I'll be grilling soon.
I think true vegetarian foods that don't even pretend to be meat-like are the goal, but this kind of product is useful for the transition process.
Beyond Meat also makes chicken and sausage substitutes, but I think those taste as horrific as any meat substitute from ten years ago. Beef is the only thing they got right so far. And unfortunately, both product families are expensive - more costly than organic grass fed ground beef. I'm hoping as production ramps up that the prices come down, you're never going to switch most omnivores that pay half as much for adequate real meat and 20% less for equally tasty real meat.
(Score: 2) by Freeman on Wednesday November 11 2020, @05:35PM
The vegetarian burger at Burger King isn't awful. It just tastes like fast food. Not sure, if they overcooked the patty or what. Still, I'm much more of a Black Bean Burger kind of guy, than any "fake meat" burger. I really like some Kroger brand vegetarian breakfast patties, though.
Joshua 1:9 "Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee"