Despite an initial wave of enthusiasm when McDonald’s launched its McPlant burger five years ago, the meatless burger created in partnership with Beyond Meat continues to encounter consumer resistance.

McDonald’s Austria last week became the latest to remove the McPlant burger from its menu after lacklustre sales.

The McPlant was originally rolled out in the United States in 2021, expanding to 600 locations by 2022.

The McPlant patty is made from ingredients including peas, rice, potatoes and beetroot.

Despite high hopes, the McPlant failed to enthuse McDonald’s customers, with some media reports stating some restaurants were selling as few as three burgers per day.

The McPlant also launched in numerous other international markets in 2022 including Australia, being offered in 270 restaurants across Victoria.

After a “limited trial” trial the Australian McPlant quietly disappeared from local menu boards the same year without a trace.

A year earlier McDonald’s Australia had also quietly pulled its original McVeggie burger from menus just two years after introduction.

In July last year the McDonald’s US announced its decision to drop the McPlant from its vast restaurant network, citing a lack of consumer interest.

“I don’t think the US consumer is coming to McDonald’s or looking for McPlant or other plant-based proteins from McDonald’s right now,” head of McDonald’s US operations, Joe Erlinger told a business conference in Chicago at the time.

A statement from McDonald’s Austria said it would look at introducing a vegetable-based patty to provide a non-meat burger offering.

Despite the setbacks in several markets the McPlant continues to appear in some stores in international markets, including the UK, Ireland and Germany.