Fast food giant McDonald's is dipping another foot into the world of plant-based "meat," announcing plans on Thursday to test a vegetarian burger in Canada.

The "PLT," standing for "Plant.Lettuce.Tomato," will be available for 12 weeks in 28 restaurants in Ontario starting on September 30.

"McDonald's has a proud legacy of fun, delicious and craveable food – and now, we're extending that to a test of a juicy, plant-based burger," said Ann Wahlgren, vice president of global menu strategy.

"We've been working on our recipe and now we're ready to hear feedback from our customers."

Plant-based protein is not a completely new pursuit for McDonald's. The fast-food giant has launched with Nestle and vegetarian burger in Germany.

This time, McDonald's plans to partner with the fast-growing Beyond Meat, which developed a patty that McDonald's described as "delicious, juicy, perfectly dressed plant-based burger" with "the iconic McDonald's taste customers have come to love."

McDonald's rivals are also making a push into the fast-growing business.

Burger King in April unveiled a vegetarian "Whopper," while KFC, also with Beyond Meat, has sold plant-based nuggets.

While meat alternatives have been around for decades, a new generation of companies including Impossible Burger and Beyond Meat has employed technologies to produce proteins with taste and texture that more closely approximate meat.

Large food companies are also becoming more active in the space, with Nestle planning on October 1 to launch its "Awesome Burger" in the United States after unveiling the "Incredible Burger" in Europe.

(Cover: McDonald's golden arches are seen on a window of a branch restaurant. /VCG Photo)