TORONTO – A&W Food Services of Canada Inc. announced the national rollout of the Beyond Burger to its Canadian restaurants beginning July 9.

The plant-based burger, created by El Segundo, California-based Beyond Meat, will feature classic toppings — lettuce, tomato, red onion, pickles, ketchup, mustard and mayonnaise. The patties are made from pulse crops, like peas and mung beans and are free of gluten, dairy, trans fats, cholesterols and GMO ingredients.

“We are a burger loving company with a lot of firsts, but this is the fastest new-product launch in our history,” said Susan Senecal, president and CEO of A&W Canada. “When we tried the Beyond Meat Burger we were amazed with how great it tasted and knew we had to be the first national burger chain to bring it to Canadians across the country.”

Beyond Meat already distributes plant protein alternatives to meatballs, chicken strips and tenders, beef crumbles and burger patties to 27,000 grocery stores and restaurants in the United States. The company recently announced plans to expand into more than 50 international markets over the summer.

“Our partnership with the iconic A&W brand is a tremendous step forward for Beyond Meat and, correspondingly, consumers who are seeking broader access to healthy and sustainable options for the center of the plate,” said Ethan Brown, founder and CEO of Beyond Meat. “We recognize in A&W a shared commitment to innovation and delighting the customer and are pleased to together introduce the Beyond Burger to the Canadian market.”

Beyond Meat expects to find new distributors in Germany, Australia, Mexico, Chile, Israel, United Arab Emirates, Korea, Taiwan and South Africa.