Food Professor Examines Relationship Between McDonald's & Beyond Meat

It appears that McDonald's could be moving ahead with its McPlant product lineup without Beyond Meat.

 

The plant-based meat alternative products will be rolled out by McDonald's in 2021. There is some question as to whether or not the two companies will continue to work together.

 

Dr. Sylvain Charlebois is a food professor at Dalhousie University.

 

He believes Beyond Meat has hurt itself by encouraging consumers to ditch real meat.

 

"People who actually like Canadian beef will continue to like Canadian beef," he said. "The issue here is about inclusiveness, it's about flexibility as well. Sometimes people do want to try something else and by saying that this plant-based alternative can replace other options that may actually be seen as less environmentally friendly or less healthy, can be seen as insulting for consumers and farmers as well."

 

McDonald's and Beyond Meat teamed up in late 2019 with the Plant, Lettuce, Tomatoes (PLT) sandwich, running a pilot program in southern Ontario.

 

Charlebois says McDonald's is one of agriculture's greatest ambassadors, promoting Canadian commodities quite well over the years.

Video: Seaweed-Based Solutions: Building Natural Performance in Modern Swine Production

In today’s pork industry, producers are under increasing pressure to do more with fewer inputs—while maintaining performance, improving animal health, and meeting sustainability expectations.

we sit down with Sylvain David and Scott Preston from Olmix to explore how seaweed-based solutions are emerging as a foundational tool in modern swine nutrition.

Rather than acting as simple alternatives, these solutions are designed to support gut health, immune resilience, and overall system consistency—especially during key stress periods like weaning, feed transitions, and disease challenges.

The conversation dives into:

• What seaweed-based solutions actually are and how they work

• Why consistency and standardization matter in “natural” products

• How gut health connects to immune function and performance

• Where producers are seeing real-world impact today

• The role of natural solutions in the future of sustainable pork production