A Super Bowl ad about vegan meat—one with a positive message—aired during the big game on Sunday.
If you were watching the game only for the commercials (guilty) and are in the Los Angeles area, you probably caught this one. Carl’s Jr. launched a commercial promoting its new Beyond Famous Star burger, the first time that a plant-based burger was featured in a Super Bowl ad.
The star of the commercial, an Old West cowboy turned yoga master, says:
A juicy charbroiled burger with a patty made from plants? … Only the folks at Carl’s Jr. could pull off something that bold. … All the legendary flavor, none of the meat. When the wagon of change comes, you ride along with it.
Carl’s Jr. launched Beyond Meat’s acclaimed Beyond Burger in 1,000 locations nationwide earlier this year, making it easier for millions of people moving away from meat.
Jason Marker, CEO of CKE Restaurants, said in a statement:
We know people are looking for options—in fact, roughly one-third of consumers identify as flexitarians—and we’re thrilled to partner with Beyond Meat to bring more delicious, irresistible flavors to our menu.
Carl’s Jr. sells the vegan patty as a meat-free alternative to the chain’s Famous Star burger. The charbroiled patty is served on a vegan bun and topped with lettuce, tomato, onion, and pickles. Just don’t forget to skip the cheese and mayo, as they contain dairy or eggs.![]()
Not only was the Beyond Meat burger the first plant-based meat featured in a Super Bowl commercial, Beyond Meat is the first vegan company to go public and the Beyond Burger was the first plant-based patty to be sold alongside ground beef in supermarket meat cases.
Consumers worldwide are wild about Beyond Meat’s products. To keep up with demand, the company recently opened a second production facility and hired hundreds of employees in Missouri.
In Canada, the Beyond Burger is so popular at fast-food chain A&W that it sold out completely in a month and was unavailable due to a shortage of plant protein used to make it. Because of high consumer demand, a Canadian federal program set aside $153 million in funding to enable the country to provide more plant-based protein.
Beyond Meat has now sold more than 25 million Beyond Burgers worldwide, and its products are sold in restaurant chains TGI Fridays, Veggie Grill, and Del Taco.![]()
Beyond Meat’s rapid growth reflects the growing interest in vegan food. According to GlobalData, there were six times as many vegans in America in 2017 as in 2014, and Allied Market Research predicts that the meat substitute market will grow 8.4 percent from 2015, potentially reaching $5.2 billion globally by 2020.
With more restaurants rolling out vegan options and actively promoting plant-based fare—such as with an expensive Super Bowl commercial—2019 is clearly the “year of the vegan.” And it’s only February.
It’s never been easier to ditch animal products, and more people enjoying vegan food is great news for the billions of animals who suffer horribly at factory farms. Cows, pigs, and chickens raised and killed for food are subjected to unthinkable cruelties: tiny, filthy cages; burns and amputations; and merciless slaughter.
But you don’t have to live near a Carl’s Jr. to enjoy the Beyond Burger. The plant-based patty is sold at a Target near you.
For recipes with the delicious burger, click here.
Not yet vegan? Learn how to make the switch by downloading our FREE Vegetarian Starter Guide today.
