Patties Food Group has announced it will introduce a plant-based Four’N Twenty pie to service stations, supermarkets and football grounds in Australia this March. The meat-free pie will be made mainly from soy protein using the same pastry and seasoning so as to resemble the original meat version.
Anand Surujpal, general manager of marketing and innovation at Patties Food Group, said it had taken eight months of testing to perfect the pie,and stated that: “If I hadn’t told you it wasn’t a meat pie, you wouldn’t know, It’s got the same colours, textures, the taste profile, the mouth feel, you’ve got all those elements.”
Mr Surujpal said the product was a way of appealing to a broader market of consumers, rather than the standard beef variety, which had traditionally been associated with men.
The classic Four’N Twenty meat pie is the latest carnivore icon to go plant-based in a bid to appeal to the rising number of Australian flexitarians trying to cut down their meat intake without giving it up for good. However, the product is not technically 100% vegan as according to the company it is made on a production line that makes other meat Four’N Twenty pies, making it unsuitable for vegans who choose to avoid cross contamination.
Anand admitted there were some fans who wanted the company to stick to the classic, however the rise in people interested in vegetarian options made it something they felt they had to provide, stating, “It allows us to stay current.”
