EL SEGUNDO, CA - Those who stay on top of food trends, particularly in the realm of plant-based foods, may be familiar with the groundbreaking “bleeding” vegan burger from Beyond Meat®. The company, with investor backing from the likes of Bill Gates and Tyson Foods, made waves earlier this year when Safeway announced it would stock the item in 280 stores. Now, Kroger is joining the party and will offer Beyond Meat burgers in 605 stores.
“At Beyond Meat, our focus is on building meat directly from plants–juicy, delicious, satiating meat that also delivers the upside of plant-based protein,” said Beyond Meat’s CEO Ethan Brown, in a company press release. “We are grateful to see Kroger place the Beyond Burger in the meat aisle, where consumers are accustomed to shopping for burgers and believe this is an important step in broadening the way people think about, and define, meat.”
The pea protein, yeast, and coconut oil meatless patties cook like real meat, even "bleeding" beet juice, according to a report from Business Insider. The uniquely authentic meat-like experience has attracted a nearly cult-like vegan following, and an impressive list of investors, including Twitter co-founder Biz Stone, the Humane Society, alongside Bill Gates.
The Beyond Burger will begin to roll out in 605 select Kroger-owned stores across 13 states within four of Kroger’s key banners: Fred Meyer, King Soopers, Kroger, and Ralph’s:
- Fred Meyer (AK, ID, OR and WA)
- King Soopers (CO, UT and WY)
- Kroger (AL, GA, MI, OH and SC)
- Ralph’s (CA)
According to the company press release, the multi-state roll out will begin with Ralph’s, King Soopers, and Kroger stores, with Fred Meyer locations coming online in early August. The full roll-out is expected to take a few weeks’ time, so consumers are encouraged to call ahead to their local store to ensure the Beyond Burger is in stock. For a full list of participating Kroger stores that will carry the Beyond Burger, visit the Beyond Meat blog.
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