Beyond Meat partners with supermarket Sainsbury to boost UK presence

(Reuters) - Beyond Meat <BYND.O> said on Thursday it has rolled out its plant-based meat burger in 372 Sainsbury stores <SBRY.L> and 41 Gourmet Burger Kitchen restaurants, in a move to boost its presence in the United Kingdom.

Demand for plant-based meat has grown as customers turn increasingly health conscious and concerned about the environmental impact of industrial animal farming.

"The UK continues to be a crucial part of Beyond Meat's long-term growth strategy in Europe," Chief Growth Officer Chuck Muth said.

The company earlier this year secured partnerships with UK-based Ocado <OCDO.L>, Holland & Barrett, and JD Wetherspoon <JDW.L>.

Thursday's announcement comes days after the plant-based meat maker said its burger patties - made from peas, mung bean and rice to mimic the taste of a beef burger - will be available at more than 2,400 Walmart Inc <WMT.N> stores.

(Reporting by Shanima A in Bengaluru; Editing by Aditya Soni)