Just as Yves Veggie Cuisine announces its discontinuation, a McDonald’s vegetarian sandwich has officially launched across Canada. Will Canadians bite, or pass it by?
“Research shows that many Canadian consumers are more open to transitioning toward plant-based protein diets, though they often demand higher quality and transparency,” says Dr. Sadaf Mollaei, the Arrell Chair in the Business of Food in the Gordon S. Lang School of Business and Economics.
Mollaei is a University of Guelph professor in the School of Hospitality, Food and Tourism Management who studies sustainable food systems, consumer behaviour, marketing and decision-making in relation to sustainable food choices.
“The discontinuation of a legacy brand like Yves likely signals ‘plant-based’ is no longer sufficient,” Mollaei says. “Instead, the future will favour plant-based products and brands that can deliver on consumer values, like flavour, affordability, lower processing and demonstrable safety.”
Plant-based market getting crowded
As the plant-based market became increasingly crowded, “Yves likely struggled to keep up in that landscape,” she says, “since their product branding seemed to focus on substituting meat, which might not be in line with current customer demand.”
McDonald’s seems to be aware of this, Mollaei says, as the McVeggie stakes its marketing on flavour, leveraging implied benefits and values without overstating them.
“The messaging is ‘inclusive’ and ‘Canadian’ rather than ‘just vegetarian’ or ‘just health,’ emphasizing flavour, choice, evolving tastes, and locality rather than making bold health or sustainability claims, which avoids overpromising while still appealing to those values.” Such overpromises on health and sustainability can elicit consumer fatigue, Mollaei says, if the claims are not effective and made with transparency.
With the growing trend toward a flexitarian diet, she adds, some Canadians want to see plant-based options without having to give up on meat entirely.
“Products that bridge the gap well, hybrids or easily integrated into mixed diets, may perform better, which is a marketing strategy we observe with the McVeggie.”
Mollaei urges Canadian consumers to look beyond the “plant-based” or “veggie” label to understand ingredient quality, degree of processing, cooking or heat-treatment methods and possible formation of harmful compounds.
Beyond the absence of meat, there is a lack of information on those details for the McVeggie. Whether the sandwich meets standards of sustainability, health or chemical safety is still unknown.
“No matter how value- or mission-driven a product is, if the taste, price, convenience, texture or overall experience do not satisfy sensory expectations, many consumers will revert to conventional options.”
Mollaei is available for interviews.
Contact:
Dr. Sadaf Mollaei
smollaei@uoguelph.ca