NEWS IN BRIEF

HelloFresh adds Beyond Burger to online meal kit menus playing into growing consumer 'flexitarian' trend

19-Aug-2019 - Last updated on 27-Aug-2019 at 21:43 GMT

HelloFresh will start offering Beyond Meat’s Beyond Burger in its meal kits next month as part of its premium ‘craft burger’ collection, addressing a growing consumer interest in plant-based eating and meat reduction.

Founded in Berlin, HelloFresh has global distribution throughout North America, the UK, the Netherlands, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand. The meal kit company introduced the Beyond Burger on its menus in Canada last month, shortly after its competitor Blue Apron announced a partnership with Beyond Meat.

“We are always looking to expand our menu offerings and provide customers with exciting, new recipe choices that appeal to a variety of palates and eating preferences,” said Marcel Comtois, vice president of procurement, HelloFresh US.

SPINS sales data revealed that US retail sales of plant-based meat were up 9.6% to $801.1m in the 52 weeks to April 21, 2019, significantly outpacing growth in conventional meat sales (+2%).

According to a survey of 2,014 US consumers conducted by market researcher Health Focus International, the top purchase drivers behind plant-based food and beverage items (57% of respondents) included: ‘promotes daily health’ and ‘promotes long-term health’.

Other top reasons for buying plant-based products included ‘taste preference’ (49%) and ‘eating clean’ (48%).

'Beyond Burger looks, cooks, and satisfies like beef'

HelloFresh noted how the Beyond Burger has less total and saturated fat than an 80/20 (80% lean beef to 20% fat) beef burger and contains 20g of plant protein derived from a blend of peas, mung beans, and brown rice.

In addition, Beyond Meat stated that its plant-based Beyond Burger looks, cooks, and satisfies like beef and is free from GMOs, wheat, and soy.

“We know that tasting is believing, and this partnership will enable more consumers to experience the meaty taste and juicy texture of the Beyond Burger while enjoying the added nutritional and environmental benefits of consuming plant-based protein,” said Beyond Meat CEO Ethan Brown.

HelloFresh’s first menu item featuring the Beyond Burger will be a ‘Goudalicious Burger’ topped with caramelized onion jam, aioli, melted gouda, and served with seasoned potato wedges, available nationwide the week of Sept. 14, 2019.