Meatball sub image via Subway

Beginning next week, Subway stores in the Fresno area will participate in the meatless trend with testing of the plant-based Beyond Meatball Marinara sub.

A well-known test market for everything from the first credit card to Taco Bell’s Doritos Locos Taco, the Fresno-Visalia area is one of six test markets for the meatless meatball sub, according to a Subway spokesperson. The other markets are Jackson, Mississippi; South Bend-Elkhart, Indiana; Louisville, Kentucky; Harrisburg-Lancaster, Pennsylvania and Halifax, Nova Scotia.

Subway announced earlier this month that the plant-made protein option will be available starting Sept. 5 for a limited time in 685 U.S. and Canadian locations, according to a news release. It’s part of a “strategic collaboration” with Beyond Meat, the Los Angeles-based producer of plant-based meat substitutes whose products are served at restaurants including KFC, Carl’s Jr., TGI Fridays and Del Taco.

“We’re excited to partner with Subway and are grateful that the menu team through to senior management has entrusted us as their innovation partner to deliver delicious plant-based proteins to their guests,” said Beyond Meat Founder and CEO Ethan Brown, in a statement. “We look forward to a long-term partnership with Subway as we together serve and delight existing and new fans of this iconic chain.”