La Vie VLT launches as part of Sainsbury's meal deal

© La Vie

Products & Launches

Sainsbury’s Partners With La Vie to Add Vegan BLT to Stellar Vegan Meal Deal Offer

British supermarket chain Sainsbury’s has added a new vegan sandwich to its lunchtime meal deal in partnership with French plant-based bacon producer La Vie. Sold under Sainsbury’s Plant Pioneers brand, the VLT contains La Vie bacon with lettuce, tomato, and vegan baconnaise. As part of the meal deal, customers can get the sandwich along with a snack and a drink for a total of £3.50. The VLT is now available at over 800 Sainsbury’s stores UK-wide. The launch comes after Sainsbury’s became one of the first UK retailers to stock La Vie bacon and lardons, following a successful marketing campaign by the French brand last year. La Vie has since seen considerable success in the UK, becoming permanently available at Burger King stores and Breakfast …

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Biff's Plant Shack

© Biff's Plant Shack

Products & Launches

Award-Winning Brand Biff’s Plant Shack Launches at Sainsbury’s

UK street food brand Biff’s Plant Shack, best known for its crispy fried jackfruit products, has launched at Sainsbury’s stores nationwide. Customers will be able to choose from Crispy Fried Jackfruit Wingz, Crispy Fried Jackfruit Burgers, Smoky Chilli Cheeze Waffle Fries, and Banging Bhaji Loaded Fries. The Wingz and Burgers are made up of at least 50% jackfruit and contain natural seasonings such as mushrooms, carrots, herbs, and spices. The products are described as “fakeaway ready”, and the company has just added the option to cook them in an air fryer for those wanting to save energy. Expansion Biff’s began in 2017 as a London street food stall called Biff’s Jack Shack. The company quickly expanded, opening more sites across the city and launching a …

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Scramble OGGS

© OGGS

Products & Launches

Scrambled OGGS Launches in Over 500 Sainsbury’s Stores Across the UK

UK egg alternative brand OGGS  is launching its plant-based Scrambled OGGS over 500 Sainsbury’s stores across the UK this September 14th.  According to Oggs, Sainsbury’s has decided to increase distribution from 126 to almost every store following the news that Scrambled OGGS is the UK’s best-performing egg alternative. CEO and Founder of OGGS, Hannah Carter, commented: “The launch of Scrambled OGGS® nationwide marks the next stage in our mission to remove unnecessary egg products from the food chain. If you could switch eggs for a plant-based option that tastes great and produces 60% less CO2e – why wouldn’t you?” No more breakfasts without eggs Sales of plant-based egg alternatives in the UK have grown by 99% in the last year, with vegans and carbon-reducers looking …

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meatless-farm-plant-based-steak-launch

© Meatless Farm

Products & Launches

Meatless Farm Launches Vegan Steak Into Sainsbury’s

UK meat alternative giant Meatless Farm today announces the launch of a vegan steak NPD into 125 Sainsbury’s stores nationwide, targeting flexitarians and meat-reducers who enjoy red meat but are aware of its environmental impact and stating that in-home steak consumption is currently on the increase*. Meatless Farm joins Vivera – available in Sainsbury’s and Tesco, and the LiveKindly-acquired No Bull steak at Iceland, as plant-based steaks currently available in major British supermarkets. The plant-based steaks are based on pea protein, are soy- and gluten-free, and reportedly emulate the taste and texture of steak made from cows. The Meatless Farm Steak contains over 15g of protein per fillet and creates a lower carbon footprint than its animal meat counterpart. And of course, without the suffering. …

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Doner_Spiced_Beef_Style_Squeaky Bean

Spiced beef Doner ©Squeaky Bean

Meat- and Fish Alternatives

Squeaky Bean’s New Product Rollout Includes Vegan Pepperoni, Chorizo, Beef & Chicken Kebabs

UK brand Squeaky Bean, perhaps most known for its hugely popular plant-based pastrami, announces the launch of NEW ready-to-eat Spicy Pepperoni Style Slices to its wide portfolio. The 100% plant-based vegan range, including Chicken Style Pieces, Chargrilled Mini Fillets and Sandwich Slices such as the famous NYC Deli Pastrami, is now available in Tesco, Morrison’s, Sainsbury’s, Waitrose, Ocado and Asda. Last month, the brand sealed an agreement with Yo! Sushi which saw the addition of its vegan mock duck onto menus with three vegan dishes: Hoisin Duck Roll, Hot Topped Duck Maki and Mighty Duck Fries.​​ Multi product retail rollout The launch of Pepperoni Style Slices this Wednesday 27th April closely follows the launch of Squeaky Bean Doner Spiced Beef Style and Shawarma Chicken Style …

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©The Vegetarian Butcher

Retail & E-Commerce

The Vegetarian Butcher Launches Frozen Range into Sainsbury’s 

The Vegetarian Butcher, a leading plant-based meat producer, has launched frozen versions of some of its most popular chilled vegan products. Now available in UK supermarket Sainsbury’s, the range will receive a wider retail rollout in the near future.  Unilever-owned alt-meat brand The Vegetarian Butcher’s new frozen range includes Patty on the Back quarter pounders, Happy Go Clucky chicken-style burgers, Unbelievaballs plant-based meatballs, and Little Peckers chicken nuggets. The retail move comes as the brand’s research found a gap in the market for larger and more value-for-money plant-based frozen ranges. The rapidly growing brand has made multiple foodservice moves lately, most notably with Burger King – including a fully vegan store in Madrid – as well as Domino’s Peppero’nay pizza, and Starbucks’ Tu’Nah sandwich. Frozen …

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© RAMONA's

Marketing & Media

Mediterranean Brand RAMONA’s Rolls Out Six-Figure Ad Campaign in the UK

Last November, Mediterranean brand RAMONA’s launched at over 300 Sainsbury’s stores in the UK. Now, the company has rolled out its first nationwide ad campaign at the supermarket chain, with posters in almost 250 stores. The posters feature the slogan “Made with love (and chickpeas)”, alongside images of RAMONA’s falafel and houmous. They will be accompanied by a full-page ad in Sainsbury’s in-store magazine, featuring a 25p off coupon that can be used for any of the brand’s products. RAMONA’s has invested a six-figure sum into the campaign, which will run until February 8. The Sainsbury’s in-store magazine will be available until February 2, with coupons redeemable until the 28th. Vegan options at Sainsbury’s Sainsbury’s has significantly expanded its vegan range over the past year …

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Tesco Mince Pies

©Tesco

Market & Trends

UK: Where to Find the Best Vegan Mince Pies This Christmas

Christmas would not be Christmas without a mince pie. Historically, mince pies contained minced meat along with festive fruits and spices – hence the name – but the modern mince pie is thankfully meat-free. However, most mince pies on the supermarket shelves are still not vegan-friendly, often containing butter, milk, or egg.  Vegan mince pies first hit the mainstream in 2017, with UK supermarket Asda the first to launch its own brand plant-based version with dairy-free pastry. Over the following years, other major UK supermarket brands have released their own vegan versions of the Christmas treat.  According to research by Money.co.uk, Tesco Plant Chef Mince Pies are the best value from the big supermarkets, with each pie costing 21p each. Aldi Free From Mince Pies …

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OmniFoods group shot

©OmniFoods

Products & Launches

Asia’s Plant-Based Pioneer OmniFoods Arrives Into 119 Sainsbury’s Stores

OmniFoods‘ plant-based pork products, OmniPork Mince and OmniPork Strips, have expanded into Sainsbury’s stores across the UK and are now available in the chilled aisles in 119 locations. The news follows its initial entry into the UK this March with VeganKind, and the recent Big Vegan Pig Out, a series of partnerships with restaurants in 21 UK locations. After dominating the Asian market, OmniFoods has seen successful recent retail expansion into Woolworth’s in Australia and into Whole Foods and Sprouts in the US as well as 25 food service locations in the US as listed here. The Hong Kong based pioneer even had time this June to enter the growing alt seafood category with the launch of the OmniSeafood line which includes Omni Classic Fillet, …

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itsu

© itsu ltd

Products & Launches

Itsu Launches Vegan Protein Cup Noodles Into Sainsbury’s

Itsu, an Asian-inspired healthy eating brand, has launched a new line of vegan protein noodle dishes that will be available at Sainsbury’s in the UK and on Amazon from this month. The soya bean noodles, with a handmade miso-based broth produced in Japan, offer over 20 grams of protein per serving and are available in three Asian flavours. The three flavours available are: Super Sesame: a vegan miso-based broth with a blend of nutty sesame seeds, herbs and spices Crackin’ Curry: a miso-based vegan broth with a blend of Japanese curry spices. Mega Miso: a vegan miso-based broth with a blend of spices and a hint of chilli. The handmade miso-based broth complements itsu’s existing range of popular noodle dishes and is made by Yoshihiro, …

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Moving mountains Sainburys

©Moving Mountains

Company News

UK’s Second Largest Supermarket Chain Sainsburys Closes its Meat & Fish Counters

British supermarket group Sainsbury’s, the second-largest in the country after Tesco, announces it will cut 3,000 jobs as part of a company revamp. There will be huge in-store losses with the closure of fresh fish and meat counters around the UK, as reported The Times yesterday Wednesday 4th November. One can hope that the shelf space can be used to increase vegan and plant-based products. We have reported that this year the retailer has launched THIS vegan meat; Squeaky Bean sandwich slices; new product lines from LEON;  vegan Applewood cheese; and Moving Mountains products, just as a few examples. Sainsburys added 31 new vegan products to its own-brand vegan range a year ago following a 65% increase in plantbased sales, and currently stocks popular vegan …

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Plant Pioneers

©Sainsbury's

Products & Launches

Sainsbury’s Adds 31 New Vegan Products to Plant Pioneers Line After 65% Increase in Plant-Based Sales

Sainsbury’s is preparing to reap the rewards from next month’s Veganuary food sales. The major supermarket chain has announced a huge extension of plant-based food, in all of its UK stores, saying that has already seen a 65% increase in sales of plant-based products year-on-year.

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