Organisers of the SailGP competition - which is being staged in Plymouth - have partnered with US vegan burger company Beyond Meat.
The food producer has been named as the official plant-based meat partner for the event from July 17 to 18, 2021. Available in about 118,000 outlets across more than 80 countries, Beyond Meat will bring its products to athletes, fans, and guests at the Great Britain Sail Grand Prix to show how consumers can “Eat What They Love”, without compromising on taste, a balanced lifestyle, or the environment.
SailGP – dubbed the world’s most exciting race on-water – features the best sailing athletes going head-to-head in identical, supercharged catamarans at coastal venues worldwide including Bermuda, Southern Italy, Denmark, South of France, Australia, New Zealand and the USA.
SailGP said it is committed to putting purpose at the heart of its global championship by making more impact than its footprint, with a goal to be the most sustainable and purpose-driven sport in the world.
Having been recently verified as climate positive with a triple-gold rating from the UN Climate Neutral Now initiative, SailGP uses cutting-edge technology to Race for the Future , breaking boundaries in sustainability and accelerating the transition to clean energy.
In a recently published report by the UK Climate Change Committee (CCC) it was recommended that people should be asked to eat 20% less meat and dairy produce by 2030, and 35% less by 2050, if the UK wants to meet its net zero emissions target by 2050. This small change would help cut greenhouse gases and free up land for storing carbon.
Beyond Meat's innovative plant-based products positively impact key global sustainability issues, including constraints on natural resources.
According to the University of Michigan’s 2018 Life Cycle Assessment, the original Beyond Burger, when compared to producing a 1/4lbs standard US 80/20 beef burger, uses 99% less water, 93% less land, requires 46% less energy, and generates 90% fewer greenhouse gas emissions.
As SailGP’s official plant-based meat provider for the Great Britain Sail Grand Prix, Beyond Meat is building on its commitment to make plant-based meat more accessible across the UK and satisfy growing consumer demand.
The partnership highlights the innovative nutritional and environmental benefits of Beyond Meat products, which use plant-based ingredients to deliver the taste and texture of animal-based meat
Fiona Morgan, director of purpose and impact at SailGP, said: “There are huge benefits of a more plant-based diet for nutrition and of course for a better planet to help mitigate climate change.
“At SailGP, we remove more carbon than our footprint, with a 55 percent target reduction, based on science, by 2025 and we are already climate positive, taking responsibility for our league and putting actions in place across the board. Race for the Future is accelerating change and working with Beyond Meat as the official plant-based meat provider of SailGP in Plymouth is a perfect partnership to do this.”
Bram Meijer, Beyond Meat’s regional marketing director for EMEA, said: "Beyond Meat is delighted to be the official plant-based meat partner for the upcoming Great Britain Sail Grand Prix event which shares our core brand value of sustainability.
“In Plymouth, SailGP teams, world-class attendees and fans will have the opportunity to try Beyond Meat's iconic Beyond Burger and fan favorite Beyond Sausage without having to compromise on taste or the environment.”
Beyond Meat Inc is one of the fastest growing food companies in the US. Founded in 2009, Beyond Meat products are designed to have the same taste and texture as animal-based meat while offering certain environmental benefits.
Beyond Meat’s brand commitment “Eat What You Love” represents a strong belief that there is a better way to feed the future and the positive choices we all make, no matter how small, can help us move towards the kind of future we want.
The firm said that by shifting from animal-based meat to plant-based meat it can help address concerns related to resource conservation and animal welfare.
