McDonald’s France Launches McPlant Nuggets in Collaboration With Beyond Meat

From vegconomist.com

McDonald’s France has partnered with Beyond Meat to launch a new menu option, Veggie McPlant Nuggets, at its 1,560 restaurants.

The nuggets are made from pea protein and coated in a wheat and cornflour breading. They are available at the same price as McDonald’s Chicken McNuggets, and in the same formats (x4, x6, x9, and x20).

As reported by Le Figaro, consumers responded very positively to the nuggets in taste tests, favourably comparing them to the meat-based McNuggets. The fast food chain said it was confident that the product would be a success.

While McDonald’s has previously offered meat-free options in France, they have often been limited-edition, and unsuitable for vegans due to the inclusion of dairy or eggs. In contrast, the new nuggets are fully plant-based and will be a permanent menu addition.

                                                                                                  © McDonald's

Plant-based at McDonald’s

The McPlant Nuggets previously proved successful after launching at McDonald’s Germany last year, despite attracting controversy when it emerged that their preparation methods may make them unsuitable for vegetarians or vegans. McDonald’s has also continued to roll out the McPlant burger throughout Europe, where it is performing well despite a reported lack of success in the US.

In some European markets, the chain is offering other plant-based options. Four new meatless menu items (some limited-edition) were launched at McDonald’s Netherlands in 2023, and the chain also revealed it was positioning vegetarian items ahead of beef on menus to encourage more people to try them. In the UK, McDonald’s began trialling vegan ice cream in June.

However, there are still relatively few plant-based options available at McDonald’s compared to other fast food chains such as Burger King, which is working to make its menu 50% plant-based.

“With Veggie McPlant Nuggets, we are responding to an increasingly strong desire of French consumers who want to vary their protein intake without compromising on pleasure,” Jean-Guillaume Bertola, Chief Marketing Officer at McDonald’s France, told BFM Business.

https://vegconomist.com/gastronomy-food-service/fast-food/mcdonalds-france-mcplant-nuggets-beyond-meat/