McDonald’s Canada flip-flops on plans for plant-based menu offering

The global test of the McDonald’s P.L.T. starts Sept. 30 in 28 Southwestern Ontario restaurants for 12 weeks. (McDonald’s Canada/supplied)

McDonald’s Canada is just days away from rolling out a pilot project in Ontario that involves the Beyond Meat plant-based meat replacement product. On Monday, September 30, 28 restaurants in the southwestern region will offer the P.L.T. for a limited time. The acronym stands for plant, lettuce, and tomato, and the patty itself was crafted by McDonald’s for the new menu item.

“McDonald’s Canada has a proud legacy of innovating across our menu and we’re excited that Canadians will be the first in the world to try the P.L.T.,” says Jeff Anderson, chef with McDonald’s Canada. “We’re eager to hear what our customers love about the P.L.T. to help McDonald’s around the world better understand how a plant-based burger works in our restaurants.”

Just two months ago, McDonald’s Canada told CTV News there was no plan in place to offer a plant-based burger and that it was, “sticking with 100 per cent all Canadian beef.”

“As a customer-obsessed company, we are committed to continuously testing new menu items to offer a variety of options,” says Michaela Charette, head of consumer insights with McDonald’s Canada. “The P.L.T. complements our existing line-up of craveable burgers and sandwiches, and enables us to assess Canadian’s growing demand for plant-based protein options as well as restaurant experience. During this test we’ll continue to listen to our guests to understand their tastes.”

Compared to the company’s hamburger, the P.L.T. has more than double the fat, at 25 grams compared to eight grams. and 200 more calories. However, on the protein side, the new option has five more grams of protein, but significantly more sodium than the hamburger.

Nutrition facts provided by McDonald’s for the P.L.T.(McDonalds.com)

Nutrition facts provided by McDonald’s for its hamburger. (McDonalds.com)

The company plans on having the P.L.T. on the menu for 12 weeks, or while supplies last.

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