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Plant-based proteins? Subway says 'let's play (meat)ball!'

Subway again threw out a pitch today in the ever-heightening QSR plant-based protein wars, when it announced it will test a plant-based meatball in its new Beyond Meatball Marinara.

August 7, 2019 by S.A. Whitehead — Food Editor, Net World Media Group

Subway — which introduced one of the QSR category's first plant-based patty sandwiches many years back — today showed it's also ready to take that ball and run with it into other plant-based product categories when it said it's partnering with Beyond Meat to test what Subway said is an exclusive Beyond Meatball Marinara sub. 

The QSR worked with Beyond Meat — which, along with Impossible Foods, has been a big player in the plant-based restaurant burger market — to develop the sub, which is a meatless version of one of Subway's favorite sandwiches the chain said. The offering will be tested in 685 U.S. and Canadian stores as an LTO starting in September. However, Subway Public Relations Coordinator Shannon McMahon said the sandwich is not the chain's first plant-based offering, nor will it likely be the last. 

"Subway first introduced the Veggie Delite as a vegetarian option for our guests and it was created in-house," McMahon said in an interview with this website. "The Beyond Meatball Marinara will be tested in six markets ... and is available only at Subway. ... We are looking to explore plant-based versions of other major protein categories on our menu."

McMahon did not specify what other protein categories might be under consideration or development, but Beyond Meat currently offers direct-to-consumer products that simulate the taste of beef and sausage. Thus far, no large U.S. QSR has offered vegetable-based protein options for chicken, turkey, pork or even fish, although such products are available widely to consumers for home consumption. 

Subway's vegetable-based Meatball sandwich contains 24 grams of protein and will be tested at stores in Halifax, Nova Scotia in Canada, as well as these five U.S. markets' stores:  

• Fresno-Visalia, California.
• Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.
• Jackson, Mississippi.
• Louisville, Kentucky.
• South Bend-Elkhart, Indiana.

McMahon did not say when the brand's other plant-based protein sandwich, the Veggie Delite, was first developed and offered, though the chain did say the Veggie Delite and the new meatball sub are among some 1 billion possible vegetable-based sandwich combinations consumers can choose at the chain. The Beyond Meatball Marinara is among the offerings in Subway's Fresh Fit menu that includes 6-inch subs made with wheat bread, lettuce, spinach, tomatoes, onions, green peppers, cucumbers and a choice of sauces. Each Fresh Fit item offers the diner two full servings of vegetables. 

The Beyond Meatball Marinara sub includes the Beyond Meatball itself, as well as marinara and Parmesan, all toasted before serving. The chain said research from NPD Group currently indicates that 70% of individuals in the U.S. who consider themselves "meat-eaters" still eat a non-meat protein meal once a week. Larger numbers of people are moving to this option for both their own health and the health of the planet since plants require far fewer natural resources like water and fuel to produce than meat from livestock.

"We're excited to partner with Subway and are grateful that the menu team, through to senior management, has entrusted us as their innovation partner to deliver delicious plant-based proteins to their guests," Beyond Meat founder and CEO Ethan Brown said in a news release about today's announcement. "We look forward to a long-term partnership with Subway as we together serve and delight existing and new fans of this iconic chain."

The chain's new entry in the plant-based protein game is just the latest in a cascade of QSRs recently announcing new plant-based players to their line-ups, including Burger King's decision to take its Impossible Whopper nationwide last week, as well as Dunkin' (meatless breakfast sandwiches), Tim Hortons (plant-based eggs) and Baskin-Robbins (plant-based ice cream) shortly before that.

Last year, White Castle became one of the first large QSRs to enter the plant-based burger category when it introduced the Impossible Slider. At Subway, McMahon did not specify how long the chain's test would run nor how and when it would decide to possibly expand the offering nationally if the test is successful. 

Photo: Provided

About S.A. Whitehead

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Pizza Marketplace and QSRweb editor Shelly Whitehead is a former newspaper and TV reporter with an affinity for telling stories about the people and innovative thinking behind great brands.