Beyond Meat adds sausage

Beyond Meat, the maker of Beyond Burger, announced in December that it is launching a new product called Beyond Sausage. In announcing the new product, the company says it delivers on the juicy, satisfying taste and texture of pork sausage but with the added health benefits of plant-based “meat.” It lists those benefits as: More protein than pork sausage; 43 percent less total fat; 38 percent less saturated fat; 27 percent fewer calories; 26 percent less sodium; and no GMOs, gluten or soy. On its website, the company states its mission is to, “Create mass-market solutions that perfectly replace animal protein with plant protein.” In announcing the product, the company called it, “A miracle of modern meatiness and the first sausage you actually want to know what’s inside: a blend of pea, fava bean, and rice provide the protein. Trace amounts of beet lend the meaty red color. Coconut oil ensures mouth-watering juiciness. And it’s all wrapped in a 100 percent plant-based casing derived from algae.” The initial product launch was in Boulder, CO; it will be available elsewhere in early 2018. Red meat giant Tyson Foods indicated its support of the new protein with financial investments in Beyond Meat in 2016 and 2017.