While much of the hype around plant-based foods has subsided from a few years ago, McDonald’s is once again exploring whether there’s demand in Canada for a meatless burger.
Starting March 18, the fast food behemoth is testing a new sandwich, called the McVeggie, at select restaurants in British Columbia, Ontario, and New Brunswick. The trial will run until April 14, with the intent of gathering customer feedback before potentially launching the sandwich across the country.
The McVeggie’s breaded patty is “made with a blend of vegetables (including carrots, green beans, zucchini, peas, soybeans, broccoli and corn) and seasoning, topped with shredded lettuce and mayo-style sauce served on a toasted sesame bun,” the company says.
It’s the latest of several attempts by McDonald’s over the past 30 years to sell a plant-based burger.
The company conducted a six-month trial in Canada of a plant-based burger from Beyond Meat in 2019-20, before quietly removing it from its menus in April 2020.
The company also offered a meatless burger, the McVeggie Deluxe, for several years in the early 2000s, but it was pulled due to lacklustre demand.
Unlike the Beyond Meat burgers that were sold at McDonald’s, Tim Hortons, A&W, and elsewhere, the new McVeggie does not attempt to imitate meat, according to Francesca Cardarelli, chief marketing officer at McDonald’s Canada.
“You can really see the vegetable component in it, which I think adds a bit of a vibrancy and uniqueness from what we’ve tested in the past,” she told The Canadian Press. “This is what they’re looking for now.”
McDonald’s says the new plant-based burger will be tested in the following communities:
Langley, BC
Richmond, BC
Surrey, BC
Brampton, ON
Windsor, ON
Dieppe, NB
Moncton, NB
Riverview, NB
Sussex, NB
