The Authentic Food Co. (TAFC) will be distributing the burgers, which are currently sold in 11,000 US locations.
Dates and locations for where the burgers can be found have not been announced, although the company’s Instagram and Twitter pages say that the Beyond Burgers have “landed”, suggesting they will be appearing in the very near future.
Created entirely from plant-based ingredients, the Beyond Burger is seen as a more accessible version of Impossible Foods’ Impossible Burger, as both closely resemble meat and even ‘bleed’. The Impossible Burger is currently only available at selected US restaurants, including David Chang’s Momofuku Nishi.
The Beyond Burger is made with a pea protein isolate and contains canola oil, refined coconut oil, water, yeast extract, maltodextrin, cellulose from bamboo, methylcellulose and potato starch, among other ingredients, that it maker says give it the eating qualities of meat.
According to its website, the burger provides more protein than beef per kilogram, with less total and saturated fat.
Parent company Beyond Meat is seen as a leader in the plant-based meat field, and has received backing from Microsoft founder Bill Gates to create mass market solutions to minimise meat consumption.
The company’s distribution deal with TAFC comes at a good time for the brand, with a recent survey by the Vegetarian Society the number of people switching to a vegan diet has almost quadrupled over the past 10 years.
“Beyond Meat is a fantastic addition to our range as they are leading the plant-based burger revolution started in the US so they already have a great product and brand we can now offer to our customers in the UK,” says TAFC’s CEO, Nik Basran.
“They have doubled sales in the US in 2017 and are increasing distribution to more than 25,000 grocery stores and restaurants, highlighting the opportunity it presents to our UK customers.”