Hamburger joints were early adopters of plant-based meat options, but now, Pizza Hut’s collaboration with Beyond Meat makes them the first national pizza chain to offer plant-based toppings across their 7,000 locations.
The pizza restaurant recently launched two vegetarian pizzas, the “Beyond Italian Sausage Pizza” and “Great Beyond Pizza.” Although the inclusion of cheese means that the chain’s pies are not vegan, Pizza Hut’s chief brand officer, David Graves, told Forbes, “We continue to see strong demand for plant-based meat on pizza. The partnership with Beyond Meat allows us to meet that need by giving customers the choice of a plant-based sausage without sacrificing on flavor.”
Pizza Hut is the first chain to go national with plant-based meat options, but it’s not the first chain to experiment with these offerings. Both Blaze Pizza and Little Caesars have introduced meatless meat toppings in select locations.
Pizza Hut’s new toppings are certainly in line with consumer trends. The plant-based meat market is expected to continue to grow by nearly 16% each year and other fast-food chains, like McDonald’s and Burger King, have launched plant-based options as well.
We recently shared a story about the UK’s first vegan deli. As more and more people adopt plant-focused diets for nutritional and environmental reasons, we are sure to see more restaurants embrace the plant-based movement.
