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The Beyond Burger gets its protein punch mainly from peas, but shoppers will most likely find it alongside ground beef in the meat section of most of the Metro Vancouver grocers carrying the product.

Its manufacturer, Beyond Meat, wants to position itself that way, as a direct alternative to meat, not specifically a vegetarian product, and grocery retailers don’t have a problem obliging for a growing base of so-called flexitarian consumers.

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“Pretty well everybody is merchandising it within their fresh meat case, with the ground beef section,” said Ken Clark, general manager for meats at Save-On-Foods, and “I have no issue (with it).”

The marketing rankles British Columbia’s beef producers, who see an element of “misleading” advertising in making an allusion to meat.

“I believe the labelling should be clear and have no connotation to meat,” said Kevin Boon, general manager of the B.C. Cattlemen’s association.