Beyond Meat has launched its first whole food plant-based meat product line – Beyond Sun Sausage.
According to the company, the new sausage is not intended to replicate the experience of conventional meat but offer its own satisfying protein option, consisting entirely of ingredients from vegetables, fruits and legumes, including spinach, bell peppers, yellow peas, brown rice, red lentils and faba beans.
Beyond Meat added that the Beyond Sun Sausage line is made with avocado oil, which has been shown by the American Heart Association to be high in heart-healthy monounsaturated fats. The company added that the product offers 12g of clean protein per link, is low in saturated fat with only 1g per serving, and has 0 mg of cholesterol with no added antibiotics or hormones.
The Beyond Sun Sausage’s nutritional profile therefore earns it certification from the American Heart Association’s Heart-Check program and the Better Choices for Life program of the American Diabetes Association.
Dariush Ajami, Chief Innovation Officer, Beyond Meat, said in a statement, “Filled with clean, plant proteins including yellow peas, brown rice, faba beans and red lentils, this launch further exemplifies our industry-leading commitment to raising the nutrition bar for plant-based meats and creating delicious, healthy products.”
The Beyond Sun Sausage launch is the company’s latest effort to raise its nutritional profile in response to uncertainty among consumers about the health benefits of plant-based meat.
Aside from the recent reformulation of its core Beyond Burger, Beyond Beef and Beyond Sausage to be made with avocado oil, Beyond Meat also recently released a free collection of heart-healthy recipes certified by the American Heart Association’s Heart-Check program.
What’s more, the company launched a targeted marketing campaign late last year focused on its health credentials, particularly with regard to its products being certified as a heart-healthy food by the American Heart Association.
The Beyond Sun Sausage comes in three flavours – Cajun, Pesto and Pineapple Jalapeño. The company has yet to announce when the products wil retail overseas.
Beyond Meat’s pivot to whole food products comes only a week after The Wall Street Journal reported that the business is in talks with bondholders to restructure its debt following a financially turbulent period. According to the report, in Q1 2024, the company’s revenues narrowed by 18% year-on-year, though the figure was still slightly higher than analysts’ expectations.
While the environmental benefits of plant-based meats have been scientifically verified, their health profile is still being debated.
A recent Good Food Institute (GFI) report based on surveys of plant-based meat products in various European countries suggests that exchanging conventional meat for plant-based could reduce the risk of heart disease and bowel cancer, improve overall gut health, and help maintain a healthy weight.
However, it should be noted that different plant-based meat products can carry very different health profiles based on their ingredients and consumers should educate themselves before choosing products.
For example, experts have advised that burgers and sausages that are a “pressed cake” of minced ingredients such as nuts, beans and vegetables are preferable to reformulated products that look identical to meat.
To stay up-to-date on the latest industry headlines, sign up to Future Alternative’s enewsletter.