Costco UK Just Launched Bulk-Buy Vegan Burgers

You can now bulk buy Don Lee Farms’ organic vegan burgers from Costco in the UK.

The plant-based beef patties come in packs of 10 at Costco. The ready-to-grill burgers look, cook, and taste like animal-based meat, even “bleeding” like the real thing thanks to the inclusion of beet juice, and sizzling like meat due to vegetable-based fats.

The organic burgers pack 15 grams of protein and contain no cholesterol or artificial ingredients. They’re also gluten-free.

When Don Lee Farms’ vegan burger first arrived at Costco in the U.S., consumers purchased it one million times in 60 days. Don Lee Farms announced in April 2018 that its product was the fastest-growing plant-based burger in its category.

The burger’s popularity led to it being launched at nearly 2,000 Kroger markets in the U.S. It is now sold in the meat section at retailers like Kroger, Fry’s, Fred Meyer, and Ralphs. Don Lee Farms President Donald Goodman said in a statement that its partnership with Kroger allowed the company to expand “to where our customers want us to be.”

The UK’s Appetite for Vegan Meat

Brits are hungrier than ever for plant-based meat. Leading UK supermarket chain Sainsbury’s recently released data that said that 91 percent of people in the UK are flexitarian, the term coined for those who actively try to reduce their consumption of animal-based meat, dairy, and eggs.

This shift in eating habits has affected the sales of meat-free food. Sainsbury’s said it had experienced a 65 percent increase in the sales of plant-based products year-on-year, and that the number of people searching for vegan products online has increased by 82 percent.

Like Costco, many companies are introducing plant-based burgers to cater to demand. TGI Fridays in the UK added its own “bleeding” vegan burger to the menu earlier this year, while meaty burger chains Byron Burgers and Honest Burgers also offer vegan options.

UK supermarket chain Iceland’s own-brand No Bull Burger even outsold its Wagyu beef. The vegan burger’s popularity motivated Iceland to expand the range to include vegan meatballs, mince, pizza, chilli, and hoison duck spring rolls.

Vegan Food at Costco

Costco is keen to tap into the demand for vegan food. In the U.S., it offers two-pound boxes of vegan chicken fingers. The warehouse store also offers two-packs of JUST’s liquid vegan eggs for $9.99 each, which is around the price of a single bottle at other grocery stores.

Shoppers can also find three-pound tubs of vegan cookie dough on Costco’s store shelves in the U.S. Costco stores in Canada sell bulk packs of So Delicious vegan ice cream.