Starbucks Will Offer Plant-Based Meat Sandwich Starting In Canada

Starbucks is the latest franchise to get on the fake-meat bandwagon, according to an announcement from the company on Thursday. The coffee chain will source its plant-based meat from Beyond Meat, the same company supplying meat-free patties to McDonald's and select other restaurants. Starbucks will first offer its plant-based food items in Canada starting later this spring season.

Plant-based meat products have become a popular alternative to actual meat amid growing concerns over climate change and the potential health consequences associated with eating too many animal products. A number of restaurants and fast-food franchises have added plant-based meat to their menus, though most have limited these offerings to certain regions and stores.

Burger King is notoriously one of the first nationwide franchises to offer a plant-based hamburger patty across all of its stores, but competitors like McDonald's have also started testing these products with their customers. Starbucks will join them by offering a Beyond Meat sausage, egg, and cheddar cheese sandwich in Canada.

The company's new spring menu will be available starting on Tuesday and that is when the new sandwich will be available. The announcement follows a similar one from competitor Dunkin' Donuts, which said in October 2019 that it would expand its own Beyond Meat offerings to 9,000 stores across the US starting later last year.

It's unclear how much Starbucks will charge for its plant-based sandwich once it arrives; as well, there's no word on when or if the company plans to expand its sales into the US. Beyond Meat's plant-based meat products remain available to purchase in a number of grocery stores throughout the nation.