Pizza Hut to offer pizzas with Beyond Meat sausages in U.S., UK

By Siddharth Cavale

(Reuters) - Pizza Hut on Tuesday launched two pizzas with plant-based meat maker Beyond Meat's <BYND.O> sausage in the United States and the United Kingdom for a limited time, taking advantage of the consumer craze for plant-based meat options during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The chain, owned by U.S.-based Yum Brands Inc <YUM.N>, is jumping on the substitute meat bandwagon as more people search out healthier snacks and comfort foods.

For Beyond Meat, the deal marks another feather in its cap and comes a day after it announced it had co-created the patty for McDonald's <MCD.N> new "McPlant" line of faux meat products that will debut in 2021.

Pizza Hut said it would offer Beyond meat's faux meat sausages as a 1-topping option on the Beyond Italian Sausage Pizza and as a special recipe in another pizza, The Great Beyond Pizza, across U.S. stores and some Pizza Hut Express stores from Nov. 10, until supplies last.

In the United Kingdom, it will be offered at three outlets in London for only three weeks as well as in some locations in Luton and Liverpool, adding that the pizzas will be available only through delivery and takeaway in both countries.

Consumers have been craving more plant-based meat alternatives. Retailers and large fast food chains have been answering the call, stocking freezers with several brands and adding options on menus.

Pizza Hut's deal with Beyond Meat is three months after it ran trials with Beyond Sausage pizzas at five locations in Puerto Rico and tested its first-ever burger offerings through the Beyond Burger in China this past June.

On Monday, Beyond Meat reported quarterly sales grew at its slowest pace since it went public in 2019, as shoppers eased off on buying burgers, sausages and meatballs at stores, having stocked up earlier in the year.

(Reporting by Siddharth Cavale in Bengaluru; Editing by Bernard Orr)