As market tests begin to roll out across Europe, Beyond Meat has announced it has secured a three year supply agreement with McDonald’s for the fast-food restaurant’s McPlant burger.
The US plant-based meat alternative company will be McDonald’s preferred supplier for the patty in its new plant-based burger which it is testing in selected restaurant locations globally, starting in Europe.
The burger is the first product in the McPlant range, however Beyond Meat revealed it will be exploring co-developing other plant-based menu items with McDonald’s such as plant-based options for chicken, pork, and egg.
“We’re excited to work with Beyond Meat to drive innovation in this space, and entering into this strategic agreement is an important step in our journey to bring delicious, high quality, plant-based menu items to our customers,” said McDonald’s executive vice president and chief supply chain officer, Francesca DeBiase.
The agreement is a limestone for Beyond Meat.
“We will combine the power of Beyond Meat’s pared and relentless approach to innovation with the strength of the McDonald’s global brand to introduce crave able, new plant-based menu items that consumers will love,” noted Beyond Meat founder and CEO Ethan Brown.
The news comes less than one year after Beyond Meat opened its first manufacturing facility in Europe, in Partnership with Dutch mean company Zanderbergen.
At the same time, Beyond Meat also announced a global strategic partnership with Yum! Brands to co-create plant-based protein items for its reactant chains KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell.
“We are honoured to enter into a global strategic partnership with Yum! Brands, on of the world’s largest restaurant companies. We look forward to expanding our work with the teams at Yum’s ionic KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell brands to together bring truly delicious plant-based product innovation to consumers,” said Brown.
Commending the brands for bringing plant-based meat into the mainstream, both deals were welcomed by the Good Food Institute (GFI), an NGO that promotes clean meant and plant-based alternatives to animal products.
“When these restaurant chains move, the entire food industry takes notice,” commented GFI executive director Bruce Friedfrich.
“These agreements will reverberate throughout the global supply chain and send a strong signal for the future of plant-based meat in restaurants.”
