McDonald’s to launch McPlant nuggets with Beyond Meat in Germany

McDonald’s is expanding its McPlant line with another Beyond Meat item.

The fast-food giant announced Wednesday that customers in Germany will be able to order plant-based McPlant Nuggets starting Feb. 22. McDonald’s, which has more than 1,400 locations in Germany, is also adding the McPlant burger to the country’s menu.

The launch comes just days before the two-year anniversary of the companies announcing their three-year deal for Beyond to become the preferred patty supplier for McDonald’s McPlant burger. Since then, the burger has been permanently added to menus in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Austria, the Netherlands and now Germany.

McDonald’s and Beyond worked together to create the new plant-based nuggets and tested them in nine restaurants in Stuttgart in August. The nuggets are made from peas, corn, wheat and tempura breading. Beyond has had a chicken substitute available in restaurants since mid-2021, when the company rolled out its revamped recipe.

But it looks unlikely at this point that U.S. customers will get the chance to try the new McPlant Nuggets for themselves at the company’s roughly 14,000 domestic locations. McDonald’s and Beyond ended their U.S. test of the McPlant burger in 2022 and haven’t announced any plans for additional testing or a nationwide launch. BTIG analyst Peter Saleh wrote in a research note last June that the sales were disappointing.

Rival Chick-fil-A announced last week it’s testing a cauliflower version of its chicken sandwich as it seeks to appeal to health-conscious customers.

Shares of Beyond have shed nearly three-quarters of their value over the last year, dragging its market value down to $1.08 billion. Wall Street has become skeptical of the company’s long-term growth opportunities as grocery and restaurant sales lag. In October, Beyond said it would lay off roughly a fifth of its workforce.

However, Beyond’s stock, which has experienced volatility ever since its public market debut in 2019, closed Wednesday up 12% prior to the announcement. The company is expected to report its fourth-quarter results on Feb. 23 after the bell.