International pizza chain Papa John’s recently added vegan pizzas to the menu at its more than 70 locations across Spain. The new items were created in partnership with vegan brand Beyond Meat and United Kingdom-based campaign Veganuary, marking the first time a fast-food chain has offered vegan pizza in Spain. The new Papa John’s Green menu will feature two pizzas: Papa John’s Green (made with with tomato sauce, onions, black olives, tomatoes, green peppers, mushrooms, and vegan cheese) and Papa John’s Green PLUS (made with tomato sauce, tomatoes, green peppers, mushrooms, vegan cheese, and topped with plant-based Beyond Burger meat).

“With this launch, we are continuing our commitment to quality ingredients and we are excited to partner up with Beyond Meat, a market leader in plant-based meats, to respond to new consumer trends like the growing demand for plant-based options,” Javier Aranguíz, General Manager of Papa John’s Spain, said. “Papa John’s Green offers our customers two new pizzas for all those who want to reduce their consumption of animal protein without giving up the best pizza.” According to research conducted by Papa John’s, 86.2 percent of Spaniards prefer meatless pizza toppings, with 65 percent willing to reduce their meat consumption citing various reasons, including health (63 percent), animal welfare (22 percent), and environmental issues (15 percent for adults over 30 years of age and 25 percent for those under). “We are excited to introduce consumers to our agreement with Papa John’s that offers a pizza with the usual taste and quality, and with the added nutritional and environmental benefits, of plant-based meat,” Chuck Muth, Chief Growth Officer of Beyond Meat, said. “Papa John’s is a global brand and we look forward to continuing to work with them to offer new options to their customers.”

In 2019, Papa John’s added three vegan pizzas featuring dairy-free Sheese made by Bute Island Foods, along with a vegan version of its popular Marmite and Cheese Scrolls, to the menu of 350 UK locations. The chain sold out of the vegan cheese within 24 hours of its launch and expanded vegan options to include two types of cheesy vegan potato wedges shortly thereafter. In January, Papa John’s UK hired blogger Clare Every as its first Chief Vegan Officer to help the chain develop new vegan items for its UK menu in 2020.