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The high tech plant-based Beyond Burger is now available from 5,000 stores across the US.
The burger recently launched in the meat section of 770 Ahold-owned Stop & Shop, Giant Landover, Giant Carlisle and Martin’s stores on the east coast.
A spokesperson said: “The addition of Ahold-owned stores brings The Beyond Burger’s distribution footprint to 5,000 retailers.
“That’s in addition to the 3,700 restaurants, hotels, college dining halls, and other food service outlets nationwide serving up Beyond Burgers.”
‘Excited’
Ethan Brown, founder and CEO of Beyond Meat, said: “We are excited to share with consumers that Ahold will be placing The Beyond Burger in their meat case.
“We know that up to 70 percent of consumers are looking for alternatives to animal protein, and applaud Ahold on providing consumers with expanded choice within their meat aisle.”
Mainstream
Brown has always maintained that being in the meat case has been a key policy, telling PBN: “From the beginning and right up to today, the idea has been that we want to be part of the mainstream discussion in terms of protein at the centre of the plate.
“We don’t want to be a niche product.
“We want to get out of the meat alternative case where almost no mainstream consumer shops.”
Controversy
Beyond Meat recently announced that meat giant Tyson had increased its stake in the company, as part of a funding round that raised $55 million.
Tyson first bought a five percent tranche of the brand in October 2016 leading some commentators worried that Beyond Meat was diluting its values.
Beyond Meat CEO Ethan Brown tried to address the concerns, saying: “Do I think Tyson and its executives are the enemy because they have a radically different view of our relationship to animals? I don’t.
“The good news is that Tyson and I can – and do – agree on many other things including: the need for sustainable protein for a growing global population; that innovation can fuel growth and profit; and that business best serves the consumer by offering choice.”
Among Beyond Meat’s other investors are Bill Gates, actor and activist Leonardo DiCaprio, Twitter co-founders Biz Stone and Evan Williams, Kleiner Perkins, former McDonald’s CEO Don Thompson, Honest Tea founder Seth Goldman, and the Humane Society of the United States.
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