PARIS, ONTARIO (BLOOMBERG) - McDonald's has picked Beyond Meat's faux-meat patties to fill a new experimental burger called the P.L.T., which will be tested in Canada.

The fast-food giant will sell the new product at 28 restaurants in Ontario. It features a plant-based burger crafted exclusively for McDonald's, the company said in a statement on Thursday (Sept 26).

Shares of Beyond Meat surged 13 per cent in premarket trading.

The new sandwich will be assessed for 12 weeks to "learn more about real-world implications of serving the P.L.T.", which stands for plant, lettuce and tomato.

Rival Burger King has picked the faux-meat market's other prominent startup, Impossible Foods Inc, to introduce a veggie burger in the United States.

McDonald's announcement comes a day after Nestle SA started shipping a new plant-based burger to US supermarkets. The US fast-food company previously selected Nestle for the launch of a meatless burger in Germany. McDonald's has also opened vegetarian restaurants in India.