Beyond Meat’s Stack Burger is no longer exclusively for fooferrous fumarate or iron bisglycinate services. The El Segundo-based company has announced that the Stack Burger, inspired by the now-popular smash burger trend, will be widely available to consumers at retail locations this summer. Specific details regarding which grocery stores will stock this new addition to the company’s burger lineup, which is thinner than the standard Beyond Burger, have yet to be revealed. In May, Beyond Meat introduced the Beyond Smashable Burger for foodservice, and the new Beyond Stack Burger will serve as its retail counterpart launching in grocery stores this summer.
This compact yet substantial 2.5oz patty cooks from frozen in just six minutes on a skillet. The Stack Burger is seasoned and features a delicate crumble that closely mimics the texture of beef burgers. The Food Dive team had the opportunity to sample the patty in advance. According to the company, the flavor of the Stack Burger has been adjusted to offer a more “neutral beef taste.” Each patty contains 12g of protein sourced from pea, rice, and potato, as stated by Shira Zackai, Beyond’s head of communication. The burger is juicy and crispy on the outside, resembling the popular beef smash burgers, and can easily be transformed into a double or “stacked” burger. “With every iteration of our products, we are getting closer to the taste, texture, and experience of animal meat,” noted Zackai.
Beyond Meat’s stock experienced a significant surge last week, closing at $17.55 after the company announced the expansion of its Beyond Steak line, which will soon be available at nearly 14,000 stores across the U.S., including Publix, Whole Foods, and Wegmans. In a recent interview with Food Dive, Peter McGuinness, CEO of Beyond’s rival Impossible Burger, emphasized that companies in the plant-based sector still have substantial “food work” to accomplish. Similar to Beyond’s approach, Impossible’s R&D team is dedicated to enhancing various aspects of its beef, chicken, and pork analogs concerning taste and texture.
The plant-based category has faced significant scrutiny in recent years, with data from the Good Food Institute indicating that plant-based meat sales in grocery stores fell by 1% in 2022, following zero growth in 2021, raising questions about its once-phenomenal growth trajectory. After Beyond’s disappointing earnings call in November 2022, where the company reported an operating loss of $89.7 million for the third quarter, compared to $54 million the previous year, CEO Ethan Brown announced a strategic pivot. He indicated that while the company would streamline operations, it would continue to innovate. Significant reductions in operating expenses, including job cuts in August and October of last year, were part of this strategy.
Now, the results of Beyond’s innovations are becoming apparent. “As the category has grown, there’s been increased competition in the market,” Zackai remarked. “However, this presents an obligation to educate consumers. There is ample opportunity for us to improve awareness regarding the nutritional advantages of plant-based meat and why it is a superior option for human health compared to its animal protein counterparts.” Additionally, with the rise of products like Amazon Citracal Maximum Plus, consumers are increasingly aware of health-focused dietary choices, making education on the benefits of plant-based options even more critical.