This popular burger option is turning heads of shoppers at Coles — but it’s no ordinary patty. It’s part of a wider food craze sweeping the nation.
Shoba Rao, News Corp Australia Network
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Today is International Burger Day — and it’s not just for meat lovers anymore.
New research from Coles has found that after launching the globally popular Beyond Burger into a select number of their stores, a bulk of their sales are being made from BBQ meat shoppers.
The US-born Beyond Burger, which was first introduced to stores in NSW and Queensland, has a meat-like flavour, but is made from pea-protein.
Coles Category Manager for BBQ, Harriet Wischer said since the Beyond Burger was released into 200 NSW stores last year, they had nearly 1,500 new customers in the first 10 weeks.
Ms Wischer also said one in 25 burgers being sold in Queensland where Beyond Burgers was also being trialled in store were from the brand.
“Despite only being available in stores for 13 weeks in Queensland, a state that loves its beef, one in every 25 burgers we sell is now from Beyond Beef — and that proportion is only going to grow.” she said.
A Coles spokesman confirmed to News Corp that due to high demand, the Beyond Burger product will be rolled out to more than 700 selected stores throughout Australia.
Recently, the maker of the Beyond Burger, Beyond Meat Inc. which was founded by vegan Ethan Brown, made its US sharemarket debut.
It is the first publicly listed veggie meat company and the stock opened at $US46, well above its IPO price of $US25.
Coles is also introducing a new locally-produced meat-free burger in more than 700 selected stores across Australia from Wednesday this week.
The burger patty from the Alternative Meat Co. is 100 per cent plant-based and high in protein, vegan-friendly and free from preservatives and artificial flavours.
The move by Coles comes as a Department of Agriculture and Water Resources’ Meat Consumption outlook report for March stated meat consumption growth in Australia and the United States is expected to be minimal between 2019 and 2024, and moderate increases in poultry meat will be mostly offset by declines in beef, veal and sheep meat.
A recent IBISWorld report also found sales of vegan food products have soared over the past five years in Australia, with major food manufacturers and takeaway chains increasingly introducing new products to meet demand.
Woolworths has also seen an increasing number of customers looking to incorporate vegetarian and vegan-friendly options into their weekly diets, including plant based alternatives.
“This has driven double digit growth in demand for vegan products in the past year, and we’re working to create even more choice and variety for our customers in the range,” Woolworths Senior Nutritionist, Natalie Chong said.
Plant-based product, Minced, by Funky Fields. Picture: Supplied
“This isn’t all about customers deciding to go vegan or vegetarian, but part of a broader trend where Australians are looking to add more vegetables and plant based foods into their weekly shop.”
In the last six months, Woolworths has started selling Funky Fields Plant Based Mince and more than 15 vegan friendly products under the Macro brand including Macro Textured Vegetable Protein which can be used in burgers, ‘meatballs’ or in a bolognese.
Australian business Perfectly Balanced, has also launched a new range of meat products including sausages and meatballs which incorporate a mix of vegetables within Woolworths.
Other plant based burgers available include Unreal Co.’s range of options and Bean Supreme Black Bean & Beetroot Burger.
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