Beyond Meat builds “meat” directly from plants, seeks to increase retail capacity following COVID-19

19 May 2020 --- As consumers become more aware of global food systems and want to make better choices for themselves and their families, plant-based meat can play a significant role. That is according to Bram Meijer, Marketing Director EMEA at Beyond Meat, who says that under the current pandemic there is a prolonged shortage of animal protein, and he expects an “incremental benefit given that previous data has shown that a significant portion of our consumers also purchase animal protein.”

“We believe this is a significant moment for the plant-based sector and we want to be part of the solution,” he tells FoodIngredientsFirst. “We’re making adjustments to increase accessibility across retail and continuing our march on cost-reduction within our production process and supply chain. Our supply chain is very nascent – we are just getting started. As we scale, we can mature the supply change and our production processes alike, and drive cost reduction and lower pricing to win over more consumers,” Meijer notes. 

Beyond Meat’s tagline, “Eat What You Love,” represents a strong belief that by eating its portfolio of plant-based proteins, consumers can enjoy more of their favorite meals, and by doing so, help address concerns related to resource conservation and animal welfare. “We see that most consumers seeking plant-based options don’t have an aversion to meat per se, but rather the baggage that comes with it,” continues Meijer. “By building meat directly from plants, Beyond Meat can make a positive impact on these areas, thus enabling consumers to have their burger and eat it too,” he enthuses. 

While it is a higher bar to reach, our commitment to high-quality, simple, plant-based ingredients without GMOs, soy, gluten or artificially produced ingredients sets the industry standard. “We believe it is the right approach as it’s grounded in delivering what the consumer wants. The good news is the animal isn’t getting more efficient, it’s standing still, meanwhile we continue to get better. Everything we need to perfectly build meat from plants is already available in the food system, and we’re getting closer to closing the gaps every day, Meijer details. 

In the Beyond Burger, peas and rice provide the protein; beetroot provides the meaty red hue and coconut oil and potato starch offer juiciness and chew.In the Beyond Burger specifically, peas and rice provide the protein; beetroot provides the meaty red hue and coconut oil and potato starch offer juiciness and chew. The company uses a combination of pea and rice protein due to its high protein count, and for a complete source of protein with a chewier texture that is closer to beef.

Continuous innovation
The plant-based industry is one of constant innovation and improvement both with existing products and new ones, according to Meijer. “At Beyond Meat, we are committed to a rigorous approach of rapid and relentless innovation to improve our products in terms of taste, nutrition and price as well as develop new innovations across our three product platforms: beef, pork and poultry.”

The introduction of the new, meatier Beyond Burger in Europe is the next step forward towards creating plant-based meat that is indistinguishable from its animal protein equivalent. This year, the company also launched Beyond Sausage across supermarkets in Europe, a plant-based sausage made to look, sizzle, and satisfy like traditional pork sausage. It has all the juicy, meaty deliciousness of a traditional bratwurst, but comes with the upsides of plant-based meat.

“In addition, we’ll continue to secure additional partnerships both in retail as well as with quick-service restaurants (QSR) to make our products more accessible all over the world,” continues Meijer. Earlier this year, the company also announced an exclusive test of the Beyond Burger at selected IKEA stores throughout the Netherlands and expanded its partnerships with retailers like Albert Heijn to introduce Beyond Sausage.

“In Europe, we’ve announced a new production facility, in collaboration with Zandbergen World’s Finest Meat. This will be Beyond Meat’s first manufacturing facility outside North America and supports the growing demand for plant-based meat in Europe while advancing Beyond Meat’s vision to be a global protein company,” explains Meijer.

In January, the company announced a multi-year pea protein supply agreement with Roquette, a global supplier of plant-based ingredients. The deal is said to “significantly increase the amount of pea protein to be supplied by Roquette to Beyond Meat over the next three years,” as compared to the amount supplied in 2019.

By Elizabeth Green