Chicken-style burger, fillet and nuggets launched by Beyond Meat

Beyond Meat has expanded its UK range into with a first move into chicken alternatives.

The US plant-based giant has launched three chicken-style products: a Beyond Burger Chicken-Style (rsp: £4-£4.30), a Beyond Fillet (rsp: TBC) and Beyond Nuggets (rsp: £4).

The Beyond Burger Chicken-Style went into select Waitrose stores on 19 April, while all three lines will be available in select Sainsbury’s branches from 3 May.

“After launching beef- and pork-style products in the UK, we’re delighted to be introducing Brits to our tasty new Chicken-Style range,” said Steve Dalby, regional sales manager UK at Beyond Meat.

“Innovation is at the heart of Beyond Meat, and our new plant-based burger, fillet and nuggets will allow people to continue eating what they love, no sacrifice required.”

Available in both the frozen and chilled aisles, the products are made using a mix of wheat and fava bean protein, then coated in golden breadcrumbs.

The brand said it had carried out extensive research ahead of the launch, in a bid to provide a “texture and taste as close as possible to its animal meat counterpart”.

The unique qualities of fava beans made them “the optimal ingredient for replicating the taste and texture of chicken”, Beyond Meat added.

The brand’s Enschede facility in the Netherlands was responsible for developing the protein used in the manufacturing process.

The chicken-style range is made in Germany.

“Following the success of Beyond Meat’s burgers and meatballs we know our customers love the brand and think they will love this product too, as demand for plant-based chicken grows,” said Catherine Shacklock, Waitrose chilled vegan & vegetarian buyer.

“Our customers are always looking for something new, and this product is a great example of how advanced the plant-based market has come in both flavour and texture in recent years,” she added.