Of course, the renewed and now emphatically changing world of Farm-to-Table is upon us and growing in popularity at rapid speed. I do find it all so very interesting because many years ago I did work with Gardenburger (in Portland, OR) prior to Kellogg’s purchasing them.
Morningstar Farms were popular items (and still are today) but also were products that were sold primarily to vegans or vegetarians and often sold at local organic food co-ops or whole food markets (or similar). Might be a stretch analogy but let’s recall that decades ago major automobile companies were making electric cars but in similar terms the renewed and recent popularity can be directed at Tesla. Beyond meat and Impossible foods (and many others to come) will also need to be certain they can support the new demand so that they are not like Popeye’s chicken franchises that gained major popularity with their chicken sandwiches but had a complete failure with keeping up with the demand (failed supply chain).
As to the article, I think that the following words really show how McDonald's and others are afraid of falling behind, but also somewhat skeptical about whether this growth vertical will continue. Let alone, let’s be frank, McDonald's has never been the first to initiate or ingratiate itself to healthy menu items (and lifestyle-consumer) choices.
The experiment shows that the company has paid attention to consumers’ growing interest in plant-based burgers.
However, the P.L.T. is not vegan.
The stakes are smaller. If McDonald’s P.L.T. is a flop, it can quickly pull it from the market and go back to the drawing board.
The food world has been waiting for McDonald’s to wade into the plant-based burger competition. Now, it’s planning to do so, but Americans won’t get to try it, unless they take a road trip.
McDonald’s said Thursday it is going to test its new P.L.T., which stands for plant, lettuce and tomato, at 28 restaurants in Ontario. The burger goes on sale September 30.
The plant part of the burger is a patty developed by Beyond Meat, one of the two powerhouses in plant-based burgers, the other being Impossible Foods.
Beyond Meat shares jumped $17.43 in mid-afternoon trading to $155.75.
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