The Beyond Burger has been all the rage lately. The 100% vegan burger is meant to imitate a beef burger with the inclusion of healthier ingredients and health benefits. The burger has recently been added to the menu of TGIFriday’s, who is the biggest restaurant chain to carry the burger. Many other restaurant chains carry the burger and it is sold by retailers across the country.

The Beyond Burger is made by The Beyond Meat company. Beyond Meat also produces vegan and vegetarian sausages, chicken strips, and beef crumbles.

How It All Started

Founded in 2009 by CEO Ethan Brown, Beyond Meat’s mission is to “plant the future of protein” and provide healthy meatless options for everyone. Their products started selling nationwide in Whole Foods Market in 2013 and from there, they expanded.

They cite that making meat from plants is improving human health, positively impacting climate change, addressing global resource constraints, and improving animal welfare.

The all vegan burger is meant to emulate a beef burger, giving those who don’t want to eat meat with an option to still experience it. This is achieved with the main ingredients of peas, beets, coconut oil, and potato starch.

The Beyond Burger seems better than a regular beef burger in every way. In a diagram from their website, you will see that there is less saturated fat and cholesterol in a Beyond Burger. A Beyond Burger also has more iron and protein toppling a beef burger. 

The greater health benefits from a Beyond Burger than a beef burger is a fact that attracts many consumers. There is no question about where the beef came from or whether the meat is free range. There is a reassurance that all the ingredients are natural and will leave the consumer feeling great. 

Growing Meat 

Beyond Meat has received support from Bill Gates, PETA, Tyson Foods, and many other prominent people and companies. After Whole Foods began selling Beyond products and they flew off the shelves, other grocery stores followed suit. Target, Kroger, and Albertsons are among other grocery stores that sell Beyond Meat products.

Beyond Meat is available in 10,000 plus restaurants, hotels, universities, and more. Burger chains Bareburger, Epic Burger, and BurgerFi are among other restaurants that joined TGIFriday's on the new trend. Yankee Stadium, Legoland, Stanford University and Yale University also carry the burger. Yale was the first university to do so, introducing a growing interest in meat alternatives amongst their students.

The company also has plans to expand globally. Beyond Meat is available in Hong Kong, which has the highest meat consumption per capita in the world. They’re looking to expand to other countries as well.

Don't Sleep on this Meat

Many meat eaters may be skeptical about Beyond Meat’s products, however they truly imitate meat. Bill Gates himself noted that he couldn’t tell the difference between real chicken and Beyond chicken.

If you’re an avid meat eater, don’t judge Beyond Meat’s products before trying them. If you’re a vegan, vegetarian, or a lover of meat alternatives, look forward to Beyond Meat’s products reaching more restaurants and countries all across the world.

Beyond Meat is working daily on making their burgers taste more similar to beef. They are also working on producing meatless bacon that tastes just like pork. 

So the next time you're craving a burger, give the Beyond Burger a try. Satisfaction is 100% guaranteed.