LIVEKINDLY Collective, a collective of brands including Fry’s, Oumph!, The Dutch Weed Co, and LikeMeat, announces that the latter brand is launching NPD ‘WOW Chicken Chunks’. The news closely follows the appointment of Malik Sadiq, a former Tyson Foods exec with 15 years of experience at the poultry giant, as joint CEO of the collective.
“You would have heard recently that the plant-based meats category is no longer growing. We can confirm otherwise,” Malik Sadiq
Sadiq joined LIVEKINDLY as COO in June of 2021, due to his “affinity with sustainability”, according to a representative from the company. He was appointed to the role of Co-CEO in November along with David Knopf, formerly of Kraft Heinz, who also carries out the role of CFO at the collective.
“You would have heard recently that the plant-based meats category is no longer growing. We can confirm otherwise,” comments Sadiq in a statement today.
“What we see is that consumers are more conscious of how their diets contribute in a positive way to climate change. Delicious, affordable plant-based food is the way to help further grow the category,” he adds.
The new chicken-style product from LikeMeat was developed by LIVEKINDLY Collective’s R&D team and is produced at its vegan production facility in Oss, the Netherlands. The chunks are produced using European soy, using “an innovative technique, which creates a juicy and tender texture,” according to Achim Knoch, Head of R&D Europe at LIVEKINDLY Collective.
Germany as key market
The NPD is available today in Germany which represents the collective’s fastest-growing market, and is set to roll out into the Netherlands, Norway, Denmark, Finland and South Africa.
”In Germany, where our segment grew by 5% last year, LikeMeat grew by 21% outperforming the market leader. 2023 started with increased demand, too. With our new deliciously flavored and textured product launching in this exciting market, we are confident to continue to lead the charge,” states Anja Grunefeld, GM DACH and Global Head of Innovation at LIVEKINDLY Collective.
Malik Sadiq adds: “Our mission is to make plant-based eating the norm, with conscious diet choices made easy for people, and to create alternatives that can replace animal protein, without compromising on taste or texture.”
