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McDonald’s unveils Aussie-first McVeggie burger

Nick Hall

The battlegrounds have been set. In 2020, the fast food war will officially be waged on plant based products, thanks to the roll-out of McDonald’s new McVeggie burger.

After watching competitors Hungry Jack’s and Domino’s introduce plant-based and vegan offerings in 2019, Australia’s largest fast-food franchise has finally weighed into the market.

Launched on Wednesday, the McVeggie burger is an entirely plant-based offering, McDonald’s first vegetable-based burger available nationwide.

Jenni Dill, McDonald’s chief marketing officer revealed a rising demand for meat alternatives was behind the move.

“We know there’s an appetite for alternatives to traditional meat proteins and Australians are looking for more plant-based options in their diet,” she said.

“As a business constantly focused on responding to what Australians want, we’re excited to now be serving up the McVeggie burger to our customers across the country.”

Deconstructing the McVeggie burger

The new McVeggie patty is comprised of Australian grown veggies including potatoes, peas, corn, carrot and onion.

However, despite the plant-packed patty, much like Hungry Jack’s Rebel Whopper, the McVeggie burger isn’t strictly vegetarian.

“For those who are vegetarian, although there are no meat ingredients in the McVeggie burger, due to its cooking procedure, it’s not strictly vegetarian,” Dill revealed.

Rise of plant-based offerings

It’s been an enormous 12 months for the developing vegetarian, vegan and flexitarian markets. Late last year, Hungry Jack’s founder Jack Cowin even went so far as to introduce his own product, and for good reason.

Reports from Roy Morgan Research suggested that more than 2.25 million Australians live a meat-free lifestyle, marking the country as the third-fastest growing vegan market worldwide.

With McDonald’s new McVeggie burger now available at all stores across the country, the iconic brand is the latest in a long line of fast food chain’s to beef up it’s plant-based product line.