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Consumers hungry for more plant-based meat options are getting plenty Thursday.
Beyond Meat Inc. BYND, +0.81% launched an e-commerce site, shop.beyondmeat.com, that offers its products directly to consumers, while Incogmeato by MorningStar Farms is offering the largest new product line launch in the brand’s 40-year history.
The direct-to-consumer site is the digital equivalent to Beyond’s presence in more than 26,000 retail outlets nationwide, including Target Corp. TGT, -0.09% and Amazon.com Inc.’s AMZN, +2.85% Whole Foods Market Inc., as well as club stores such as Costco Wholesale Corp. COST, -0.12% and BJ’s Wholesale Club Holdings Inc. BJ, +0.44% .
Meanwhile, MorningStar Farms, a division of Kellogg Co. KELL, +0.49% , is rolling out a Iine of meatless burger patties, bratwurst, Italian sausage, and Chik’n nuggets as part of a nationwide marketing campaign, according to Sara Young, general manager of plant-based protein at Incogmeato, told MarketWatch in a phone interview.
Young said 60% of Americans want to try plant-based proteins, based on a Cambridge Group study.
The moves come amid a significant ramp-up in the distribution of meat-less products to consumers. Since March, Impossible Foods Inc. has increased its presence at grocery outlets 60 times to 9,000 stores that include Kroger Co. KR, +0.80% and Walmart Inc. WMT, +0.05% . Additionally, Impossible products are sold through Starbucks Corp.’s SBUX, -0.37% 15,000 stores. In June, Impossible launched a direct-to-consumer e-commerce site with free delivery for orders over $75 in the continental United States.
This week, Impossible said its flagship product is now available in packages of two pre-formed, quarter-pound (4-oz.) burger patties at nearly 2,000 grocery stores nationwide owned by Kroger.
