The past year has seen a stream of plant-based launches, as innovation continues to heat up in the market.
FoodBev Media rounds up its top ten product picks, which highlight some of the key trends in the category.
The White Rabbit debuts new Italian ready meal range
In February, The White Rabbit unveiled a new range of gluten-free ready meals.
Featuring Italian classics “with a plant-based twist,” the meals include The Lasagne Al Forno, The Macaroni Gratin and The Tagliatelle Bolognese, alongside dough balls.
The range is available in Sainsbury’s stores nationwide.
Prodigy Snacks introduces vegan salted caramel chocolate egg
The same month, ‘better-for-you’ confectionery company, Prodigy Snacks, announced the launch of a plant-based salted caramel chocolate egg.
The vegan offering is said to contain less than half the sugar of a typical filled egg and is free from palm oil and refined sugar.
Made with natural ingredients, the product is high in fibre to support gut health. It is also “plastic negative,” as the brand removes ten ocean-bound plastic wrappers from the environment for every egg sold.
Prodigy founder, Sameer Vaswani, said: “Our mission is to inspire the evolution of chocolate. We want to change the world of chocolate for the better – better for our health and better for the planet.”
GoodPop unveils plant-based frozen dessert sandwiches
In spring, US frozen treat brand
GoodPop introduced gluten- and dairy-free oat milk dessert sandwiches in a chocolate vanilla flavour, marking the brand’s first foray into stickless frozen treats.
Made with non-GMO ingredients, the “cleaned-up classic” contains 110 calories and 8g of sugar. The sandwiches are kosher and free from refined sugars and sugar alcohol sweeteners.
Daniel Goetz, CEO and founder of GoodPop, said: “We love reinventing classic nostalgic favourites with better-for-you ingredients, which means they have a much shorter, better-for-you ingredient list and are allergen-friendly, but without sacrificing taste”.
Plant B introduces sweet lupin-based egg alternative
In April, German food tech start-up Plant B launched a sweet lupin-based liquid egg alternative.
The Plant B Egg is said to be rich in protein, fibre and zinc, and is made with only seven ingredients, including lupin flour, sunflower oil and spices.
The vegan offering can be used to make scrambled eggs, cakes, waffles and quiches. Free from cholesterol, the egg alternative has a low carbohydrate content and contains 70 calories per 100g – around half the amount provided by a chicken egg.
According to Plant B, the sweet lupins are sourced from northern and central Germany and neighbouring parts of Europe to keep delivery distances as short as possible, and an environmental assessment by Eaternity reportedly found that the plant-based product’s CO2 emissions footprint was less than 10% of that of a conventional chicken egg.
Belazu rolls out vegan ‘nduja paste in UK retail
This summer, Belazu Ingredient Company announced the retail launch of its Ve-Du-Ya ‘nduja paste alternative. The vegan offering was
initially created in collaboration with pizzeria chain Pizza Pilgrims and has since been introduced in Honest Burger.
The paste aims to emulate the taste, texture and melting qualities of traditional ‘nduja sausage and is made by fermenting the same Calabrian chillies used in the classic recipe.
Ve-Du-Ya is free from xanthan gum, palm oil and gelling agents and can be used as a pizza topping, in sandwiches and ragùs, and to coat oven-roasted vegetables.
Gü unveils plant-based version of Zillionaire cheesecake
As autumn got underway in the UK, chilled dessert brand Gü introduced a vegan version of its Zillionaire cheesecake in Tesco and Sainsbury’s stores.
The plant-based treat features layers of chocolate ganache, caramel cheesecake and caramel sauce, along with a crumbly biscuit base and sprinkles. Gü Plant Zillionaire is gluten-free and Vegan Society approved.
The launch came as the brand set out the ambition to double its global business by 2025 and announced a “luxe brand refresh” to reflect its positioning as a premium treat.
Hippeas partners with This to launch new smoky bacon flavour
In September, Hippeas partnered with plant-based meat brand This to launch a limited-edition This Isn’t Smoky Bacon flavour of its chickpea puff snacks.
“Everyone loves bacon, snacks and being healthy. The assignment was simple to comprehend but hard to execute. These puffs are 10/10,” said Andy Shovel, co-founder of This.
Each 22g pack contains 1.3g of fibre, 3.7g of plant-based protein and only 87 calories. The snacks are vegan whilst also being gluten-, palm oil- and MSG-free, and are non-HFSS compliant.
Impossible Foods unveils frozen meal range
This year also saw Impossible Foods add a range of single-serve frozen meals, Impossible Bowls, to its protfolio. The line-up reimagines eight classic comfort food dishes using the company’s assortment of plant-based proteins.
The range includes Sweet & Sour Impossible Pork, Teriyaki Impossible Chicken, Chili Mac with Impossible Pork, Barbeque Impossible Pork, Spaghetti & Impossible Meatballs, Pasta Bolognese with Impossible Beef & Pork, Burrito Bowl with Impossible Beef and Spicy Enchilada Bowl with Impossible Chicken.
Impossible Foods’ CEO, Peter McGuinness, said: “Convenience and accessibility are a huge part of this, and we’re excited to give people even more ways to try and buy Impossible products. This is a major milestone that we’re proud of and hope will push the category forward in a meaningful way. It’s never been easier to try a delicious plant-based meal in minutes.”
Each 9oz Impossible Bowl contains 10-13g of protein and 0g of trans fat. The launch came on the heels of the introduction of Impossible Chicken Patties, which began rolling out in retail in August.
Cathedral City launches first plant-based cheddar
In September, Cathedral City entered the vegan market with a new plant-based cheddar, available in block, sliced and grated formats.
The dairy-free cheese has been years in the making and is based on the taste of the brand’s creamy cheddar.
Neil Stewart, head of marketing for Cathedral City at Saputo Dairy UK, said: “This is an exciting moment for the dairy-free cheese sector. Demand for free from alternatives is soaring but for some shoppers, such as flexitarians, there hasn’t been an offering which is good enough to encourage them to purchase regularly. That’s where our new plant-based range comes in.”
Beyond Meat announces launch of plant-based steak product
October saw Beyond Meat announce it was expanding its beef substitute portfolio with the introduction of a plant-based alternative to seared steak tips. Containing 21g of protein per serving, Beyond Steak can be used to make dishes such as fajitas, tacos, stir-fries, sandwiches and salads.
The product comes seared and chopped into pieces and aims to emulate the “juicy, tender” bite of its meat counterpart.
Beyond Meat chief innovation officer, Dariush Ajami, said: “Beyond Steak is a highly anticipated expansion of our popular beef platform and we’re proud to introduce this innovative product to consumers nationwide. Beyond Steak delivers the taste and texture of sliced steak in a way that is better for both people and the planet.”
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