Now also vegetable!

McDonald's and Beyond Meat® fulfill a long-awaited guest wish with McPlant® Nuggets

21-Feb-2023 - Germany

McPlant® nuggets are new to McDonald's Kosmos and will be available in German restaurants from February 22. This means there will then also be a plant-based alternative in the Happy Meal®. In addition, the McPlant® burger, which is already available in some other McDonald's markets, will now also be permanently added to the menu in Germany. Together with Beyond Meat®, the company is thus establishing a new product platform aimed primarily at flexitarians.

The proportion of flexitarians, i.e. people who want to give up meat for a time, is growing steadily in the population. With the introduction of the McPlant product platform, McDonald's Germany wants to take this development into account and is introducing new plant-based alternatives to its product range. Another plus point is that the company can now also offer a plant-based alternative in the Happy Meal with McPlant Nuggets.

The two products, McPlant Nuggets and McPlant Burger, offer new choices to flexitarian lifestyles with their signature McDonald's flavor. They are also designed to encourage guests to try meat-free alternatives and discover them for themselves. In order to launch a product that meets precisely these criteria, the company actively involved consumers in a broad-based market test. Although the McPlant Patty and McPlant Nuggets are made from plant-based ingredients, they taste just like typical McDonald's products and thus complement the restaurant menu perfectly. Based on wheat and pea protein, McPlant Nuggets are a real alternative to the popular Chicken McNuggets® in terms of taste. The McPlant Burger with its juicy "Beyond Meat" patty based on pea protein in combination with cheddar processed cheese preparation, tomatoes, lettuce, pickles, onions, sandwich sauce, ketchup and mustard will convince even die-hard McDonald's fans.

"With the introduction of the McPlant product platform, we want to establish an appealing offer for the growing group of flexitarians:inside our restaurants. By working with the well-known Beyond Meat brand, we were able to create products that seamlessly fit into our company's iconic offering in terms of taste," said Mario Federico, CEO of McDonald's Germany.

Guests' wishes come first

In developing the McPlant products, McDonald's focused on guest preference. Extensive restaurant tests and surveys formed an important basis for the design of the new range. The McPlant product platform is intended to bring plant-based alternatives closer to a broad group of customers and to reduce fears of contact. The target group for the new platform is therefore people who normally eat meat and who can be persuaded by the two new products to try out a different diet and integrate it into their everyday lives. For McDonald's, transparent communication has always been a matter of course and the needs of the guests have top priority. For this reason, both products point out that contact with meat products may occur during preparation in the restaurant kitchens. Especially for strictly vegan and vegetarian people, this knowledge about possible cross-contamination is essential.

Free sampling while stocks last

In order to make the new McPlant products known to as many people as possible, employees will be distributing free sample portions in McDonald's restaurants in Germany from February 22 to March 1, 2023. From March 2 to 5, 2023, McDonald's fans and registered users of the McDonald's app will have the chance to win one of 100,000 coupons to try the McPlant burger and McPlant nuggets for free.

Eat what you like

Under the motto "Eat what you like," the comprehensive marketing campaign surrounding the launch of the new McPlant product platform, which was designed by the agency Scholz & Friends, will also start on February 22, 2023. In a 30- or 20-second TV spot, which was implemented with the production company e+p and Dennis Gansel as director, the focus is on the benefits of the new flexitarian offer at McDonald's for the guest.

Several short formats put the two new products in the foreground and are accompanied by the song "You flexy thing", a cover version of the Hot Chocolate hit "You sexy thing" specially produced by top artist "Alle Farben".

Note: This article has been translated using a computer system without human intervention. LUMITOS offers these automatic translations to present a wider range of current news. Since this article has been translated with automatic translation, it is possible that it contains errors in vocabulary, syntax or grammar. The original article in German can be found here.

https://www.yumda.com/en/news/1179598/now-also-vegetable.html