McDonald's jumps on meatless burger trend with 'Big Vegan TS'

McDonald’s is hopping on the meatless burger train as the restaurant chain begins selling its new vegan burger in Germany -- one of its biggest international markets.

Nestle is producing the meatless patty for McDonald’s “Big Vegan TS” burger, which the chain began selling late last month.

The burger is being described as the “meatless alternative with the real McDonald's taste,” according to a translated press release from McDonald’s Germany office. The vegan burger patty is made of soy and wheat.

Most restaurant chains have offered a veggie burger or vegan burger alternative to the standard patties made of meat for a while now. But many meat-eaters have long complained about the texture and the taste.

But in the past several years, the plant-based protein trend has exploded, particularly with the rise of companies like Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods, which produce plant-based burger patties that taste like beef or chicken.

These newer companies have been partnering with established restaurants in markets across the globe such as Canada and the U.S.

This trend has been due in part to newer technology and better techniques, which have allowed vegetable-based patties to look and taste like meat.

A&W has offered a Beyond Meat burger on its menu for a while and Burger King has started testing a meatless version of its classic Whopper in the U.S.