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New vegan burgers are set to launch in the meat aisle of thousands of stores across the US this Summer.
The patties, from Californian startup Before the Butcher, come in beef, chicken, turkey, and breakfast sausage varieties. They are made from a base of non-GMO soy protein.
Vegan in the meat aisle
“By mid-July, we’ll have our four burgers in two out of the three largest grocery retailers in the country, and by the end of August, we’ll be in all three, with 3,000 plus retail locations across the country. We’ll also have bulk packs of burger ground, breakfast sausage, Italian sausage, and chorizo sausage,” Danny O’Malley, Founder of Before the Butcher, told Food Navigator.
“We will be in the fresh meat department although one of the retailers will put one of our products in the frozen meat department, but regardless, we’ll be in the meat department? [as opposed to the vegetarian/meat-free segment where brands such as Tofurky and Field Roast currently sit].
“I think we’re soon going to see a plant-based protein section within the protein area of every grocery store across the country.”
‘Not a niche product’
The first vegan meat to be sold in the meat aisle of grocery stores was the Beyond Burger, which launched in Target in early 2018.
Beyond Meat Founder and CEO Ethan Brown told Plant Based News: “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 center 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.”
