McDonald’s Says Plant-Based Test Didn’t Pan Out in US

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(Bloomberg) -- A top McDonald’s Corp. executive reiterated that the company’s previous US test of plant-based meat didn’t work out and added that the burger chain’s diners don’t go to its restaurants for salads. Most Read from Bloomberg A test of its McPlant burger in San Francisco and Dallas “was not successful in either market,” Joe Erlinger, the chain’s US chief, said at the Wall Street Journal’s Global Food Forum in Chicago. That test wrapped up in 2022, the company said following the remarks. US consumers aren’t looking for “McPlant or other plant-based proteins from McDonald’s,” he added. The company has said plant-based food has fared better in European markets. Erlinger said that “if people really want salads from McDonald’s, we will gladly relaunch salads. But what our experience has proven is that’s not what the consumer’s looking for.” Shares of Beyond Meat Inc., which has partnered with McDonald’s to produce the McPlant burger, erased an earlier decline as of 1:38 p.m. in New York trading Wednesday to be little changed on Wednesday. McDonald’s shares were little changed. Instead of plant-based options, McDonald’s is investing in its chicken offerings as consumers lean toward that protein. The company sells more chicken than beef these days, he added. “Some of it’s driven by affordability,” he said. “Chicken is less expensive to produce, and so for a consumer that’s looking for more affordable food, chicken is a great option right now.” (Updates first paragraph and share trading, and adds details on salads.) Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek ©2024 Bloomberg L.P.