The P.L.T. will be available in Ontario for a limited time
By Diego Flammini
Staff Writer
Farms.com
A popular restaurant chain has introduced a plant-based burger to its Ontario customer base.
McDonald’s will test its P.L.T. (plant, lettuce, tomato) at 28 locations in London, Strathroy, Sarnia, St. Thomas, Ingersoll, Woodstock, Tillsonburg, Exeter and Aylmer, Ont. for 12 weeks.
The patty will be a Beyond Meat product. The burger will also have pickles, onions, mayonnaise-style sauce, ketchup, mustard and a slice of processed cheddar cheese. Consumers can try it for $6.49 plus tax.
Introducing the burger as a trial will help the restaurant determine if it’s something consumers want on a permanent basis.
“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,” Jeff Anderson, a chef with McDonald’s Canada, said in a Sept. 26 statement.
Beef farmers are of two minds about the burger’s entry into Ontario.
While they may not be in favour of it, they understand that it’s another way of supporting local farmers.
“It’s a give and take,” Larry Gough, a beef and cash crop producer from Middlesex County, told Farms.com. “I’m not for (the plant-based burgers), that’s for sure. But at the same time, the farmers that raise the ingredients used in the Beyond Meat products have another way to sell their crops. I understand that McDonald’s is just giving their customers more choices.”
The restaurant chain’s decision to introduce a plant-based burger represents a change from a few months ago.
In August, the company announced that its 1,400 Canadian locations would continue to serve 100 per cent Canadian beef in its burgers.
Farms.com has reached out to McDonald’s Canada for comment.
McDonald's photo