Gastronomy & Food Service

Sausalitos Beyond Burger

© Sausalitos

Germany: Beyond Meat’s Steak, Burger, & Meatballs Now on Menus at SAUSALITOS

German gastronomy chain SAUSALITOS is launching new dishes with Beyond Burger, Beyond Steak, and Beyond Meatballs. SAUSALITOS is bringing three new plant-based dishes to the menu featuring Beyond Burger, the Beyond Meatballs and the award-winning Beyond Steak at over 40 SAUSALITOS locations in Germany. The new offerings come in response to the increasing number of German consumers consciously refraining from eating animal meat. According to a survey by GFI Europe, one in two Germans has reduced their meat consumption in the last five years. Instead, 41% of Germans eat plant-based meat at least once a week. “The wishes of our customers change, so we constantly adapt our offering and keep up with the times,” says Eiko Scharfenberger, food product manager at SAUSALITOS. “Beyond Meat’s plant-based …

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Veggie Grill and OmniFoods

© Veggie Grill

Veggie Grill Relaunches Mexican Baja Fish Menu with OmniFoods Golden Fillet

Vegan fast-casual chain Veggie Grill announces partnership with OmniFoods, relaunching its Baja Fish menu items with OMNI Golden Fillet, replacing the Gardein Fish Filet.  The announcement follows the restaurant chain’s other recent, notable menu additions over the last few months, including steak fajita quesadillas with Beyond Steak and poached egg avocado toast with Yo Egg’s plant-based runny egg. Veggie Grill will feature the OMNI Golden Fillet in three authentic Mexican dishes: Crispy Baja Fish Tacos, Crispy Baja Fish Bowl, and Crispy Baja Fish Burrito. These menu items will be topped with a jalapeno slaw, cilantro, and pico de gallo.  The new offerings will be available at all of the chain’s 17 locations across California, Oregon, Washington, and Massachusetts. This marks OmniFood’s first restaurant partnership in …

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Chunk Foods chunk steak sandwich

© Neat Burger

Chunk Foods Partners with Neat Burger to Launch Chunk Steak Sandwich in Manhattan

Chunk Foods has unveiled its newest foodservice partnership, this time collaborating with Neat Burger, a vegan fast-casual restaurant headquartered in London UK. The centerpiece of this collaboration is the Chunk Steak Sandwich, now available exclusively at Neat Burger’s Nolita location in the heart of Manhattan.  This partnership represents a significant step forward for Chunk Foods, as it marks the introduction of Chunk Steak to the fast-casual dining landscape. Founder and CEO of Chunk Foods, Amos Golan, expressed his enthusiasm for the collaboration, stating, “We’re thrilled to partner with Neat Burger to introduce the Chunk Steak Sandwich. This marks a milestone as Chunk steak becomes available at a fast-casual dining establishment for the first time.” The Nolita location opened earlier this year, making it the first …

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Shinsegae Food You Are What You Eat

© Shinsegae Food

Korea’s Shinsegae Says “You Are What You Eat” With New Vegan Restaurant and Brand

South Korean food producer and catering provider Shinsegae Food has announced it is launching a new vegan restaurant and brand called You Are What You Eat. According to Pulse News, the fast-casual restaurant will open this month in the Gangnam district of the country’s capital, Seoul. It will reportedly offer options such as pasta, salads, and sandwiches, along with a range of other meals and desserts. The menu items will also be available in the form of ready meals for customers to take home. Shinsegae Food recently trialed the new concept with a food truck at the World Knowledge Forum. The truck served options made with the company’s plant-based Better Meat products, including kimchi fried rice with canned ham and pizza bread with sausages. Forum …

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shake shack and zero acre farms

© Zero Acre Farms

Shake Shack Transitions to Zero Acre Farm’s Cultured Sugarcane Frying Oil

US burger chain Shake Shack announces its new partnership with Zero Acre Farms, a food company focusing on creating environmentally conscious cooking oil made from cultured sugarcane. The collaboration was announced this morning, coinciding with the kick-off of Climate Week NYC. Two Shake Shack locations in New York City, at Hudson Yards and Battery Park City, will exclusively use Zero Acre oil for frying, replacing traditional soybean oil. Last year, Zero Acre Farms received a series of investments from notable figures like Robert Downey Jr. and Richard Branson, along with further sum from fast-casual chain, Chipotle earlier this year. Cultured sugarcane oil The world currently devotes 20–30% of all agricultural land to vegetable oil crops. But Zero Acre’s mission is to end the food industry’s …

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plant-based university

© Xavier Lorenzo - stock.adobe.com

Canadian University Surpasses 40% Plant-Based Menu Goal

Western University in Ontario, Canada, has exceeded its initial commitment to introduce plant-based meal options in its residence dining halls. The institution, which had originally pledged in May to make 40 percent of its dining hall menus plant-based by January 2024, has surpassed this goal ahead of schedule. As of September 2023, 43 percent of the meals offered in Western University’s dining halls are plant-based, according to Colin Porter, the university’s director of hospitality services. This achievement comes as a result of Western University’s collaboration with the Humane Society International, making it the first institution in Canada to commit to a plant-based goal through an audit process. The collaboration also involved a professor from the Department of Nutritional Sciences at the University of Toronto. This …

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Quorn Foodservice Business Unit announces new brand identity

Paul Jennings, Head of Culinary at QuornPro. © QuornPro

Quorn Foodservice Business Unit Reveals New Brand Identity

Quorn’s Foodservice Business Unit has announced an “extensive repositioning exercise” and new brand identity. The unit will now be known as QuornPro, as the brand works to position itself as an ideal protein solution for food service customers. The change comes in response to research which suggested that the unit would benefit from having its own values and mission, complementing Quorn’s retail division. According to the brand, the unit has already gone beyond selling frozen food and is now helping chefs at food service outlets to offer sustainable alt meat solutions. Quorn says it aims to be “the best protein on the planet”, becoming more than a classic meat alternative. Starting this month, the rebrand will roll out across the UK and the EU, with …

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Mcdonald's Mcplant

© Mcdonald's

McDonald’s Launches the McPlant in Switzerland and Slovenia

McDonald’s continues its global plant-based menu expansion following the successful launch of the McPlant Steakhouse in the Netherlands, which features a patty co-developed with Beyond Meat and three other new plant-based options. Now, Switzerland and Slovenia are the latest European destinations to add meatless offerings to the menu. McPlant in Switzerland As the popularity of flexitarianism continues to grow in Switzerland, McDonald’s is catering to the demand by introducing the McPlant to the menu. The plant-based patty is crafted in collaboration with Beyond Meat and can be served entirely plant-based by omitting the cheese and sauce.  Lara Skripitsky, managing director of McDonald’s Switzerland, highlights: “With the McPlant, we offer our guests who eat flexitarian food even more choice. The McPlant patty is made from plant-based …

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McDonald's Netherlands new meatless options

© McDonald's Netherlands

McDonald’s Netherlands Launches More Meatless Options, Places Them Before Beef on Menus

McDonald’s Netherlands has added four new options to its meatless range, as the chain works to encourage customers to choose more sustainable alternatives. The new menu items are: McPlant Steakhouse: A beef-style burger with chargrill sauce, temporarily available alongside the original McPlant. The burger is fully plant-based if ordered without cheese. Meatless McKroket: A breaded jackfruit burger that will temporarily replace the conventional meat-based McKroket. The burger is plant-based if ordered without sauce. In blind taste tests, many testers reportedly did not notice that the patty was meatless and described it as having a “signature McDonald’s taste”. Veggie Nuggets: A vegetarian option that will be permanently available. The nuggets contain dairy and eggs, making them unsuitable for vegans. Veggie Chicken Honey Mustard Salad: A salad …

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Planted pulled original packshot

© Planted

Planted Seals Partnership with Vegan Certified Football Club Forest Green Rovers

Switzerland’s Planted, describing itself as Europe’s leading foodtech scale-up, has partnered with eco-friendly, vegan football club Forest Green Rovers. The one-year collaboration will see Planted’s pulled meat range added to the menu of the club’s gym bar and hospitality areas, as well as samplings taking place on matchday. Forest Green Rovers, based in Gloucestershire, UK, was recently described by FIFA as “the greenest team in the world”. The carbon-neutral football club, whose chairman is Dale Vince of Ecotricity, became fully vegan in 2015 and is reportedly the only football club to have the vegan registered trademark.  Recently, UK brand DR. VEGAN became the Official Supplement Partner of Forest Green Rovers, in an agreement whereby players will receive DR.VEGAN’s sport-certified supplements, as well as nutritional advice …

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The Vegetarian Butcher and Düzgün Food Group, launch plant-based kebab skewers for food service.

© Unilever

The Vegetarian Butcher and Düzgün Group Launch Plant-Based Kebab Skewer for Food Service

Unilever’s The Vegetarian Butcher and Düzgün Food Group, a producer and wholesaler supplying skewers to döner chains, shops, and restaurants in more than 15 countries, announce the European launch of their first jointly developed product: a plant-based kebab skewer for food service. The new meat-free kebab, intended for large-scale operations, can be cooked and grilled vertically on a large skewer and shaved off as traditional animal meat. The NPD is said to offer the authentic taste and experience of the traditional kebab. It is halal-certified and lactose-free, suitable for vegans, vegetarians, and flexitarians. The product is already available for distribution.  “Hacking meat icons like the döner kebab with plant-based equivalents is what it is all about for us. We are targeting meat lovers – from vegans …

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Zess launches plant-based deli fillings for foodservice

© Zess

UK: Zess, Fresh Direct & Brakes Introduce Innovative Plant-Based Deli Fillings for Foodservice

UK plant-based food startup Zess has introduced a new range of plant-based deli fillings for wraps, sandwiches, pasta, jacket potatoes, or tacos in partnership with Brakes, the leading wholesale foodservice supplier in the UK. Zess partnered with Sysco GB’s company Fresh Direct (Brakes’ sister company) to create the unique deli fillings which are crafted in the UK at Fresh Direct’s Fresh Kitchen facilities. Hiren Umradia and Rhys Richardson founded Zess to revolutionise food choices due to health and environmental concerns. The startup argues that some of the world’s most pressing problems, such as climate change and diet-related illness, are connected to food choices. “A special shoutout goes to the incredible team at Sysco for their relentless dedication to bringing this partnership to life. I appreciate all your …

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© Veggie Grill

Veggie Grill Welcomes Beyond Steak to Its 100% Plant-Based Menu

US fast-casual chain Veggie Grill furthers its partnership with Beyond Meat (Nasdaq: BYND) by introducing an expanded range of Beyond Steak options.  Veggie Grill opened the doors of its flagship location in Irvine, California, in 2006, and by 2020, it expanded to 36 locations across the US. While the chain has scaled back to just 17 locations across California, Oregon, Washington, and Massachusetts, it’s focusing on innovating its menu with fresh items such as those featuring Beyond Steak.  Innovating the menu All Veggie Grill locations will now serve Romaine Caesar Salad with Beyond Steak, Steak Fajita Quesadilla, and Sonoran Bowl with Beyond Steak. Beyond Steak can also be added to other select Veggie Grill menu items, including the Caesar Salad Wrap. Veggie Grill has received …

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BK Germany Spongebob Meal Deal

© Burger King Germany

Germany: Burger King Launches Plant-Based SpongeBob Inspired Bikini Bottom Burger

Inspired by cartoon character SpongeBob (whose home is called Bikini Bottom in the popular series), Burger King Germany launches the Bikini Bottom Burger with vegetable patty and pineapple sauce, available in a standard size or junior deal for kids. The “patty is not a meat alternative … just without meat,” notes BK. Burger King, the pioneer in meat-free burgers in Germany, now offers customers another plant-based alternative, and instead of imitating the taste of beef, chicken, or fish, the fast food chain has developed a new vegetable patty product. It consists of salsify, beets, other vegetables, and herbs, is tender on the inside but firm to the bite in consistency and crispy on the outside, according to the chain. In the Bikini Bottom Burger, the …

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Mr. Charlie's Vegan Big Mac

©Mr. Charlie's

“Vegan McDonald’s” Mr. Charlie’s to Open First Australian Location

Mr. Charlie’s, the US fast food chain often referred to as the “vegan McDonald’s”, is expanding into Australia with a new location in Sydney. Based in the suburb of Redfern, the store has already been built and will open in the coming weeks. The location has been chosen partially due to its proximity to the Aboriginal Employment Strategy offices; Mr. Charlie’s plans to work with charities and brand partners to provide opportunities for indigenous communities. This echoes the chain’s practices in the US, where it has hired several homeless or formerly incarcerated staff members with the aim of “employing people so deserving of a second chance but overlooked by a broken system”. Employees are paid above the minimum wage. “More than a vegan burger joint” …

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Netherlands flag

© Sokarys - stock.adobe.com

Ten Dutch Caterers Commit to Selling 60% Plant-Based Proteins by 2030

Ten Dutch corporate caterers have joined forces with animal welfare organisation Wakker Dier to increase the proportion of plant-based proteins they sell. The companies — Appèl, Cater Concept, Hospitalents, Hutten, Markies Catering, Rootz Kitchen, SAB, Van Leeuwen Catering, Vitam, and Zo-vital — have committed to the objective of making 50% of the proteins they sell plant-based by 2025. By 2030, this figure will rise to 60%. The ratio of animal to plant-based proteins sold each year will be monitored and publicly reported. Currently, just 40% of the protein consumed in the Netherlands is estimated to come from plant sources. The country’s government has pledged to increase this to 50% by 2030, lower than the target set by Wakker Dier. Majority plant-based Support for plant-based diets …

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A tray with vegan steak skewers

© Chunk Foods

Report: US Purchasers of Plant-Based Meat Spend $400 More and Visit Restaurants 30X More Than Average Consumer

Among several key highlights, a new GFI report on the performance of plant-based proteins in US foodservice in 2022 shows that consumers who purchase plant-based meat spend approximately $400 more than the average consumer and make over 30 more visits to cafes and restaurants.  According to the report, these engaged foodservice customers are vegans, vegetarians, flexitarians, and meat-eaters looking to replicate the animal-meat experience with sustainable options. The report says that younger (18-24) male and Black, Hispanic, and Asian consumers are more likely to purchase plant-based meat in restaurants than the average consumer, mirroring customer segmentation trends in retail. Besides plant-based meat; plant-based chicken, pork, and seafood sales have experienced significant growth since 2019 and continue to capture larger shares of the overall plant-based protein …

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PizzaPilgrims

©Pizza Pilgrims

UK: Plant-Based Consumers Prioritise Value When Eating Out Amid Cost of Living Crisis

According to the new Eating and Drinking Out report by Lumina Intelligence, plant-based consumers in the UK are prioritising affordability when dining out, as the cost of living crisis continues to limit spending power. Vegan, vegetarian, and flexitarian consumers are increasingly opting for value options, leading to a drop in the sales of more costly branded meat alternatives. This is true even among more affluent consumers. However, plant-based meat burgers remain more lucrative than vegetable-based ones, and make up 62% of the meat-free burgers available on menus. Regular restaurants offer the greatest number of plant-based dishes, while QSRs sell the most meat alternatives due to the popularity of options such as burgers. The number of meatless dishes available at pubs and bars is said to …

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Better balance x kale my name

Image supplied by Kale My Name

Better Balance Continues Foodservice Expansion with Award-Winning Restaurant Collab

Since its US launch last year, plant-based food brand Better Balance has secured many global strategic partnerships, helping to build brand awareness and transform restaurant menus. The newest collaboration with award-winning Chicago restaurant Kale My Name marks yet another milestone in the brand’s mission to bring flavorful plant-based alternatives to consumers worldwide.  From the beginning, Better Balance recognized that partnerships were key to shaping its brand. Last year, it teamed up with Mexican chain Gorditas Doña Tota and 7-Eleven, and even helped Civitas Metropolitano become the first plant-based stadium in mainland Europe.  Most recently, Better Balance announced a new partnership with Kale My Name, becoming the first restaurant in the United States to offer its Better Hot Dog. The pea protein-based hot dog is gluten-free, …

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Hart house anniversary

© Hart House

Hart House Marks 1st Anniversary With WHIPT Collab & Week of Celebratory Events

Hart House, the plant-based quick-service restaurant (QSR) founded by comedian Kevin Hart, is gearing up to celebrate its first anniversary in style. In just 12 months, Hart House has rapidly expanded to four locations across Southern California and has also hit the road with its own food truck. To celebrate the milestone, two of the So-Cal locations invite customers to “Party With Hart.” The Hollywood and University Park South locations of Hart House will host anniversary parties on August 25, from 6 pm to 8 pm, where guests can enjoy swag giveaways, games, and live music. Additionally, Hart House has joined forces with WHIPT, the creator of plant-based whipped toppings, to offer a special edition milkshake to mark the occasion. The “House Party” vanilla mint …

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