Vegan Beyond Burger Plans to Make European Debut Next Year

The Beyond Meat Beyond Burger is headed to Europe. Slated for arrival in the market sometime in the first quarter of 2018, vegans, flexitarians, and market analysts are all eagerly awaiting the product that’s been a huge hit stateside. It’ll test market in the UK before moving on throughout Europe.

According to Mintel, a leading market intelligence agency, 28 percent of Brits are cutting back on their meat consumption. A further one in seven people (14 percent) say they’d be interested in reducing their meat and poultry consumption in the future. This is a strong indicator that flexitarianism — a diet with a strong reduction in meat consumption — and veganism are both thriving.

Mintel also discovered that:

• “Today, as many as half (49%) of Brits who are interested in or who are already limiting or reducing meat consumption agree that eating too much meat is bad for their health.”
• “Weight management (29%) is the second most popular reason for limiting or reducing meat consumption, while concern over animal welfare (24%) and the environment (24%) are equal motivators.”
• “…some 39% of meat limiters or reducers say that meat reduction campaigns (eg Meat-free Mondays, National Vegetarian Week, Veganuary) have made them more aware of the benefits of eating less meat.”

This means that there is a particularly great opportunity for Beyond Meat’s expansion. Europe is the largest market for meat substitutes, making up 39 percent of all sales, according to Allied Market Research.