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Beyond Meat expands plant-based portfolio with Beyond Sausage

18-Dec-2017 - Last updated on 18-Dec-2017 at 16:29 GMT

Beyond Sausage - the latest innovation from plant-based brand Beyond Meat – is made with pea protein isolate, fava bean protein, rice protein, potato starch, coconut oil and beet juice “to deliver on the juicy, satisfying taste and texture of pork sausage, but with more protein, 43% less total fat, 38% less saturated fat, 27% less calories and 26% less sodium than traditional pork sausage.”

Launching exclusively at the Whole Foods Market Pearl Street store in Boulder, Colorado, in three flavors: Original Bratwurst, Hot Italian and Sweet Italian, the Beyond Sausage is wrapped in alginate, and designed to sit in the refrigerated meat case, alongside the Beyond Burger, said Los Angeles-based Beyond Meat, which has just raised $55m to further its plant-based ambitions.

“Like the Beyond Burger, the company used its proprietary approach to braiding and binding proteins, fats, minerals, and water to recreate the basic architecture of meat.

"In the same way it simply makes sense to sell plant-based milks (like almond and soy milk) in the section of the store where consumers currently go looking for milk, savvy retailers are realizing it’s helpful to their shoppers - and good for business - to merchandise remarkable plant-based meats like The Beyond Burger in the meat set.

"70% of Americans say they’re looking for protein alternatives to traditional animal based meat. We say, why make it easy for them by offering expanded choice for different types of meat where they currently shop."

Co-founded by Ethan Brown and Brent Taylor in 2009, Beyond Meat launched its first products on the national stage in 2013, and is now in c.19,000 stores including Kroger, Albertsons, Safeway, HEB, Target, and Whole Foods, with products including Beast burgers and sliders (made from non-GMO pea protein); Beyond Chicken strips (made from non-GMO soy and pea protein); Beyond Beef crumbles (made with non-GMO pea protein); and its highest profile product, the pea protein-based Beyond Burger, which is sold chilled alongside conventional meat.

The ready-to-cook Beyond Burger, which is shipped frozen but merchandised in stores’ refrigerators (it has a 10-day refrigerated shelf-life), is now in 5,000+ stores, and is also gaining traction in the foodservice market in chains from TGI Fridays (where it will roll out nationwide in 2018) to Veggie Grill (it’s now on the menu in almost 4,000 restaurants, hotels, college campus dining halls, hospitals and other food service outlets).

Ingredients list, original Brat: Water, pea protein isolate, coconut oil, sunflower oil, contains 2% or less of: rice protein, faba bean protein, natural flavor, potato starch, salt, fruit and vegetable juice, apple fiber, methylcellulose, citrus extract, calcium alginate casing.