The Lightlife Ground will hit shelves in thousands of stores across the US and Canada this Summer, alongside the brand's new Lightlife Burger

The new range will start rolling out instores from this month (Photo: Lightlife)

Vegan ground beef will be launching in the meat aisle of thousands of stores across North America in coming weeks.

The Lightlife Ground is part of a new pea protein-based product line created by Lightlife, that also includes Bratwurst Sausage, Italian Sausage, and the Lightlife Burger - which the brand describes as the line's 'hero product'.

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The range will start rolling out in stores from May, hitting shelves in Acme, Albertsons, Haggen, Jewel, Pavilions, Safeway, Vons, and Wegmans among other outlets in the US. The products will be available in more than 3,400 stores in Canada, including Federated Coop, Loblaws, Longo’s, Metro, Save-On-Foods, and Sobeys.

'Exciting launch'

"This launch is very exciting time for the business and the brand," Dan Curtin, President of Greenleaf Foods, the parent company of Lightlife, said in a statement sent to Plant Based News.

"We've said it before: we didn't join the plant-based category overnight - we've long been pioneering the industry.

"With this in mind, it's wonderful to be able to see years of expertise, innovation, and passion come to fruition when this groundbreaking product hits shelves this month."

The range includes includes Bratwurst Sausage, Italian Sausage, and the Lightlife Burger

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Vegan food sales in the US

The launch comes amid growing vegan food sales in the US - with the vegan meat sector is growing slightly faster than the plant-based food market as a whole, according to data released by the Plant Based Foods Association in 2018, which saw overall sales skyrocket by more than 20 percent between 2017 and 2018, topping $3.3 billion, and plant-based meats growing at 24 percent topping $670 million in sales.

Michele Simon, Executive Director of the Plant Based Foods Association (PBFA), said: "The plant-based foods industry has gone from being a relatively niche market to fully mainstream.

"Plant-based meat and dairy alternatives are not just for vegetarians or vegans anymore; now even mainstream consumers are enjoying these delicious and innovative options in the market today."