【Eric Falk】

There's a new burger coming to McDonald's menus in 2021,Eric Falk and it's already creating excitement among vegan, vegetarian, and environmentally-conscious fast food lovers.

The new plant-based burger, called the McPlant, was first reported by USA Today on Monday. It was crafted as part of McDonald's new "Accelerating the Arches" growth strategy, in which the company has pledged to focus on better serving communities and making a positive impact by "responsibly sourcing quality ingredients" and "driving climate action to protect the planet."

Sure, the "McPlant" is a ridiculous, painfully unappetizing name for a burger, but the effort behind the new menu item is a noble one. Since cutting down on meat consumption can help reduce greenhouse gas emissions, relying more on alternate meats has proven beneficial in the fight against climate change.

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The McPlant is certainly a step in the right direction for fast food chains, and USA Today confirmed that the meatless burger could inspire a larger line of plant-based products at McDonald's.

"McPlant is crafted exclusively for McDonald’s, by McDonald’s," Ian Borden, McDonald's international president, said at an investor meeting per USA Today. "In the future, McPlant could extend across a line of plant-based products including burgers, chicken-substitutes and breakfast sandwiches."

What a time to be alive.

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Though McDonald's has ventured into plant-based territory before — launching the Big Vegan TS burger in Germany and vegan nuggets in Norway in 2019 — other fast food chains have added more widely accessible meatless menu items. Burger King, for instance, began selling an "Impossible Whopper" in the U.S. in 2018 and it has since debuted nationwide.

"There are other plant-based burgers out there, but the McPlant delivers our iconic taste in a sink-your-teeth-in (and wipe-your-mouth) kind of sandwich," McDonald's said, according to USA Today."It's made with a juicy, plant-based patty and served on a warm, sesame seed bun with all the classic toppings."

Though exact dates related to a McPlant rollout remain unclear, it's expected that markets around the world will begin testing the meat-free burger in 2021.

It's not yet known if the McPlant will grace U.S. McDonald's locations, but the company also announced that its new Crispy Chicken Sandwich will be arriving in the U.S. in early 2021.

But just to be clear, that sandwich is definitelynot meatless.

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