V2FOOD is an Australian partnership between CSIRO, Main Sequence Ventures and the founder of fast food chain Hungry Jack’s. Together the group now announces its first plant based meat product created for Hungry Jack’s plantbased Rebel Whopper burgers, and it has its sights set on export for the new product.
V2food’s CEO Nick Hazell spoke about the plans to expand the plantbased meat from the domestic Australian market to retail outlets, restaurants and quick-service restaurants internationally. Mr Hazell commented that the product is aimed at omnivores rather than vegan consumers: “We’ve chosen to focus on the 99pc who are meat lovers rather than the 1pc who are vegans.”
With this launch the v2food company intends to have “a leading presence” within retail and food service by early next year.
According to the Financial Times’ article last week, plans are afoot to build a vast plant-based meat factory, with Hungry Jack’s founder Jack Cowin and CSIRO’s $232 million Innovation Fund leading the construction of a $20 million, Australian facility, which will provide its V2Food with its product.
As we reported last month, a study by Food Frontier titled ‘Meat the alternative: Australia’s $3 billion opportunity’, revealed that plant-based industry is set generate $3 billion for the Australian economy by 2030.
Meanwhile, in response to the announcement of a vegan option at Hungry Jack’s a petition has been launched pleading with the chain not to cook the vegan burger on the same broiler as meat products, as has been the case with the McDonalds PLT burger and Burger King’s Impossible Whopper.
