Tech start-up launches ‘juicy’ plant-based sausage
Its revolutionary plant-based product – dubbed the Beyond Sausage – is made from pea, fava bean and rice protein. It comes in three flavours: Original Bratwurst, Hot Italian and Sweet Italian.
The vegan sausage, which supposedly tastes like a traditional pork bratwurst (although we’ve not been lucky enough to sample it), will be sold at the Beyond Burger restaurant. You can find it inside Whole Foods Market’s store on Pearl Street, Boulder, a city in the US state of Colorado.
Sausage casings are often made with collagen, pig or sheep intestines, but the Beyond Sausage’s skin is derived from algae. Beetroot gives the sausage its meaty red colour, while coconut oil replicates the delicious juiciness of sausages.
CEO ‘love’ for meat-free sausage
“I love Beyond Sausage first and foremost because it’s truly so enjoyable to eat but also because I see it as an advance in our team’s relentless march toward a perfect build of meat from plants,” said Ethan Brown, CEO of Beyond Meat.
“Though we aren’t there yet, I’m encouraged by the progress we’ve made with Beyond Sausage and look forward to hearing what the consumer thinks.”
Nutritionally, the plant-based sausage performs well. It contains more protein than traditional pork varieties, 43% less total fat and 38% less saturated fat. It also has less sodium and boasts fewer calories than a traditional US banger.
For Beyond Meat, the California-based tech start-up behind the sausage, it’s another stride forward as it leads a clean meat movement sweeping across the US.
Its trademark Beyond Burger, a meat-free patty that bleeds like beef, is sold in the meat aisle of more than 5,000 US grocery stores and is on the menu of 4,000 restaurants.
Since Brown founded the business in 2009, it has attracted investors including Bill Gates, Leonardo DiCaprio and the biggest meatpacker in the US, Tyson Foods, which retains a more than 5% stake in the start-up.
