Beyond Meat to Expand to UK in 2018

Vegan company Beyond Meat announced plans this week to expand to the United Kingdom—in both the foodservice and retail sector—by early 2018. Seth Goldman, company executive chairman, revealed that Beyond Meat’s objective is not to cater to vegans and vegetarians—which he said is at a stagnant five percent of the population in both the United States and the UK. Rather, Goldman seeks to reach new consumers who are reducing their meat intake. “There’s just such a tailwind around plant-based protein,” Goldman told media outlet Just Food. “There’s so much interest and excitement, but also, when we talk about who our core audience is, we talk about anyone who’s been told by their doctor to eat less red meat, which is just about everybody.” The company’s innovative Beyond Burger debuted in the meat department at a Colorado Whole Foods Market last year and has since expanded to 11,000 distribution points, including Safeway, several fast-food chains, Yale University, vegan market Green Common in Hong Kong, and food service giant Sysco.