McDonald’s is in the process of creating a new plant-based offering, known as the McPlant platform, which is slated to become available in various international markets in the coming year, as reported by USA Today.

During a presentation to investors, McDonald’s revealed that the McPlant recipe was developed specifically for the company. Ian Borden, McDonald’s international president, stated, as cited by USA Today, “McPlant is created solely for McDonald’s, by McDonald’s.”

Borden indicated that this unique formulation has the potential to be utilized across a range of plant-based menu items, encompassing burgers, alternatives to chicken, and breakfast options.

Up until now, McDonald’s has been relatively slow to participate in the growing competition among corporations offering plant-based burgers and chicken – particularly within the United States.

Customers visiting McDonald’s restaurants globally – including those in Germany, the United Kingdom, Hong Kong, Israel, Canada, and Finland – can currently find vegetarian sandwich choices on the menu.

Notably, McDonald’s Canada previously conducted a trial run last year in collaboration with Beyond Meat, introducing the PLT sandwich (a reference to the company’s earlier McDLT sandwich).

In comparison to other fast-food chains in the U.S., McDonald’s has been somewhat behind the curve. Burger King has collaborated with Impossible Foods to introduce the Impossible Whopper, and Beyond Meat has partnered with KFC to create a plant-based nugget.

The two dominant alternative protein companies have successfully established a significant presence in the fast-food sector thus far – however, McDonald’s introduction of its exclusive formulation likely represents a setback for these companies, as well as other startups that were hoping to secure a partnership with the McDonald’s corporation.

This includes companies such as Chile’s The Not Company and Hong Kong’s Green Monday Holdings, both of which were competing to become the supplier of McDonald’s plant-based patty.