McDonald’s testing new ‘P.L.T.’ plant-based burger in Canada

McDonald’s is rolling out a new plant-based burger called the P.L.T. — which stands for plant, lettuce and tomato — for a test-run in dozens of Canadian locations.

The fast food giant announced Thursday that 28 restaurants in southwestern Ontario will begin conducting a 12-week trial of the new vegetarian-friendly option. 

The McDonald’s sandwich will include a plant-based burger from Beyond Meat, made without artificial colors, artificial flavors or artificial preservatives, instead of a traditional beef patty.{mosads}

It will be served on the traditional sesame seed bun “with the iconic McDonald’s taste customers have come to love from McDonald’s.”

“McDonald’s has a proud legacy of fun, delicious and craveable food—and now, we’re extending that to a test of a juicy, plant-based burger,” Ann Wahlgren, McDonald’s vice president of global menu strategy, said in statement. “We’ve been working on our recipe and now we’re ready to hear feedback from our customers.”

Meet the P.L.T., a delicious, juicy plant-based burger, that will be available for a limited time as a test at selected restaurants in Southwestern Ontario. pic.twitter.com/0oozPRXGcT

— McDonald’s Canada (@McDonaldsCanada) September 26, 2019

The rollout is in partnership with Beyond Meat, a food company creating plant-based meat products in a push to improve human health, positively impact climate change and improve animal welfare.

CNBC reported that shares of Beyond Meat rose 12 percent after McDonald’s unveiled the Canadian test using its burgers.

McDonald’s follows its competitor Burger King in unveiling a plant-based burger substitute. The “Impossible” Whopper was tested in April.

KFC became the first fast-food company testing a plant-based chicken substitute with Beyond Meat last month.