Beyond Meat is teaming up with McDonald’s! The plant-based company recently announced that it had entered into a three-year strategic partnership with the fast-food giant. Ethan Brown, Beyond Meat founder and CEO, said in a statement:
We are proud to enter into this strategic global agreement with McDonald’s, an exciting milestone for Beyond Meat, and look forward to serving McDonald’s as they bring expanded choice to menus globally.
As part of the partnership, Beyond Meat and McDonald’s will explore co-developing exciting new plant-based menu items, such as vegan chicken, pork, and egg. Beyond Meat will also be McDonald’s preferred supplier for the McPlant patty—a plant-based burger that is currently being tested in select McDonald’s locations around the world.
McDonald’s began testing the McPlant burger in 2019 in Canada. The burger is currently being tested in specific locations in Sweden until March 15 and in Denmark until April 12. While we don’t know when plant-based options will make an appearance in the United States, this partnership with Beyond Meat seems like a step in the right direction. Francesca DeBiase, McDonald’s executive vice president and chief supply chain officer, said:
We’re excited to work with Beyond Meat to drive innovation in this space, and entering into this strategic agreement is an important step on our journey to bring delicious, high-quality, plant-based menu items to our customers.
In even more exciting news, Beyond Meat has also entered separate agreements to develop new plant-based menu items for Yum Brands Inc. This includes massive chain restaurants, like Kentucky Fried Chicken, Pizza Hut, and Taco Bell.
Beyond Meat has also created a joint corporation with food giant PepsiCo: The PLANeT Partnership. Beyond Meat will help PepsiCo develop, produce, and market plant-based snacks and beverages. The move allows Beyond Meat to take advantage of Pepsi’s huge marketing and production networks while giving Pepsi an entrance to the plant-based market. Ram Krishnan, Pepsi global chief commercial officer, said:
Plant-based proteins represent an exciting growth opportunity for us, a new frontier in our efforts to build a more sustainable food system and be a positive force for people and the planet, while meeting consumer demand for an expanded portfolio of more nutritious products.
While we may have to wait for exciting new Beyond Meat creations at McDonald’s, plenty of vegan options are available right now! Check out these nine vegan hacks for your favorite fast-food restaurants, and download our FREE Vegetarian Starter Guide for amazing recipes to try at home.