Beyond Meat announced today the newest iteration of its plant-based burger, which will hit store shelves starting next week. The company said this latest version is its “meatiest, juiciest” burger to date.
While Beyond didn’t go into too many specifics around what changes it made to its burger, a Beyond rep emailed us to say that the newest iteration “removed mung bean protein and added vitamins and minerals to deliver a micronutrient profile comparable to beef.” According to the press announcement, in addition to a new taste and texture, the nutrition profile of the new Beyond Burger includes:
- 35% less total fat than 80/20 ground beef
- 35% less saturated fat than 80/20 ground beef
- Fewer calories and no cholesterol compared to 80/20 ground beef
- B vitamins and minerals comparable to the micronutrient profile of beef
The press release didn’t mention anything about the sodium count in Beyond Meat. The current version has 350 mg of sodium, or 15 percent of your daily value.
As we’ve written before, by re-creating traditional meat with plant-based ingredients, companies like Beyond Meat and its rival, Impossible Foods, can make burgers more like software. Each company has released successive iterations of its products, tweaking the ingredients to achieve different nutritonal, flavor and textural outcomes.
If the new Beyond burger proves to be an improvement on its predecessors, it’s arriving at the right time. The Good Food Institute’s (GFI) most recent survey data show that 56.8 percent of U.S. consumers purchased plant-based foods in 2020. In particular, sales of plant-based meats doubled over the course of 2020 to reach $1.4 billion.
We’re just four months into 2021, and it has already been a busy year for Beyond Meat. The company announced global distribution deals with both McDonald’s and Yum Brands, opened its first manufacturing facility outside the U.S., in China, and bolstered its European retail presence.
For those who can’t wait until May 3, Beyond Meat is hosting a number of pop-ups across the country on May 1 and 2 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., where people can try the new burger for free.
- Atlanta (Piedmont Park (Greystone), 400 Park Dr NE, Atlanta, GA 30309)
- Chicago (Pioneer Court, 401 Michigan Ave, Chicago, IL 60611)
- Dallas (Klyde Warren Park, 2012 Woodall Rodgers Fwy, Dallas, TX 75201)
- Los Angeles (The Brig, 1525 Abbot Kinney Blvd, Venice, CA 90291)
- Miami (LAB Miami, 400 NW 26th St, Miami, FL 33127)
- New York City (Barclay’s Center, 620 Atlantic Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11217)
For the rest of us, the new Beyond Burger will be sold in grocery stores nationwide beginning May 3 as a two-pack, as well as a new four-pack (MSRP: $9.99) and a 1lb Beyond Beef ground pack will become available later in May. The new burger will be available on Beyond’s direct to consumer site “soon.” Foodservice operators will get access to the new Beyond Burger in June, and the company says it will introduce a second Beyond Burger patty option with half the saturated fat of 80/20 beef later this year.
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