Bleeding Vegan Burger to Expand to Whole Foods, Across US

FoodNavigator recently spoke to Beyond Meat—makers of the new, much buzzed-about Beyond Burger—and shared that thanks to a “remarkable” reception, the plant-based burger is preparing for an expansion to Whole Foods Market by fall, and nationwide by the year’s end. The pea protein-based burger made headlines last month when it debuted at a Colorado Whole Foods location and sold out in an hour. Beyond Burger is the first vegan burger to “bleed” (using a mix of coconut oil and beet juice) and to be sold refrigerated alongside animal-based meat instead of frozen with veggie burgers—a deliberate tactic used to lure veg-curious meat eaters. “I’m not telling people not to eat meat,” CEO Ethan Brown said. “Telling consumers not to eat things they love, that’s a lousy way to run a business. I’m allowing them to continue eating what they love, which is meat, but have it to be meat from plants.” The company reportedly underestimated volumes “by a factor of 20,” prompting it to look into significantly scale production and expand the rollout of the burger. The news follows reports of Silicon Valley startup Impossible Food’s own rollout of its much-anticipated Impossible Burger, set to make its debut at a high-end San Francisco restaurant this summer.