A fast food chain in New Zealand has denied misleading its customers after sparking outrage after it was revealed it was secretly serving fake meat.

Hell Pizza company launched its burger pizza last week, with ingredients including a “medium-rare burger patty” that was, in fact, made from plants.

Management has said it had sold 3,000 of the pizzas but only one person had guessed they were topped with meatless ingredients that were made by US company, Beyond Meat.

Hell Pizza has admitted it has covertly carried out a marketing experiment on its customers, but has insisted it was done to introduce them to meat-free alternatives, which have proved to be popular.

“We care about the planet and want to start a conversation and raise awareness about sustainable food choices," said general manager, Ben Cumming.

“A lot of people are instantly put off by the idea of fake meats, so we made the call to not reveal its meat-free origins to eating it because we were so confident they'd enjoy these patties.”