Schouten

Schouten has introduced an NPD for the plant-based snack segment: Vegetable Bites.

Image courtesy of Schouten
Products & Launches

Schouten Launches Plant-Based Snack for Kids Packed with 46% Vegetables

As insufficient vegetable intake continues to be a growing problem, especially among children, Schouten, a pioneering Dutch company in plant proteins, has introduced an NPD for the plant-based snack segment: Vegetable Bites. Schouten’s new bites, packed with 46% vegetables, include corn, carrot, garden peas, onion, and red bell pepper. The nuggets are said to offer a crunchy texture. To make them appealing to children and adults alike, they come in heart, round, and star shapes. “80% of the children who tried the bites would like to eat them again. Adults also responded very positively to this introduction,” comments Kees Van den Heuvel, Trade Marketer at Schouten. The growing snacking category According to Van den Heuvel, the NPD addresses the increasing demand for plant-based snacks and the …

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Schouten chickenless pops

© Schouten

Products & Launches

Dutch Family Company Schouten Europe Launches Southern Fried Chickenless Pops in Response to Market Trends

Schouten Europe, the first Dutch player in the development of meat alternatives based on plant proteins, is launching Southern Fried Chickenless Pops made from soy and wheat, in response to consumer trends. The family business, founded back in 1990, markets one of the most extensive and diverse assortments in the world and supplies its products, mainly under private labels, to more than 50 countries. The company also develops many products based on customer demand. Attractive concept Daphne Sanders, product developer at Schouten, explains that the choice of Southern fried flavor was made due to its popularity. “But various other flavor variations can be applied to these pops, making it an attractive concept for our business partners.” “The main protein sources for these pops are soy …

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Plant-based egg white

© Schouten Europe
Egg Alternatives

Schouten Europe Launches “Innovative and Versatile” Plant-Based Egg White

Schouten Europe, a Netherlands-based producer of vegetarian and vegan products, has launched its first plant-based egg white. The product is said to look and taste like chicken egg whites, while providing the same nutritional benefits. It takes far fewer resources to produce than conventional eggs, and is suitable for those with egg allergies. Described as a versatile ingredient, the plant-based egg white can be used in a range of applications such as spreads, salads, wraps, and sandwiches. It is made from soy protein and rapeseed oil, and has a chilled shelf life of three months. “We are excited about introducing our plant-based egg white to the market and helping accelerate the shift to more sustainable food production,” says Schouten. “We believe our innovative solution is …

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Henk Schouten

Henk Schouten, Chairman of Schouten, image supplied
Interviews

Schouten: “We Are Constantly Innovating in the Field of Fish and Chicken Substitutes”

Way back in 1990, when modern veganism as we know it was hard to even imagine, Henk Schouten of Schouten Food began to develop meat substitutes based on plant-based proteins. Over three decades later, Schouten is a family business that Henk runs with his children, Niek-Jan, Peter, Rhodé and Wouter. The Dutch company operates worldwide and is a leading player in the meat-free market. Schouten offers a vast range of plant-based meat and seafood products and works closely together with retailers; manufacturers; global fast food chains; European wholesalers, and food service providers. It was great to speak with Henk Schouten and hear his unique insights into the market. You started with the development of meat substitutes based on plant-based proteins in 1990. What were the …

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Plant-based proteins pilot program

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Society

Dutch Town Launches Pilot Program Encouraging Residents to Choose Plant-Based Proteins

The Dutch town of Altena has become the first in the Netherlands to launch a pilot program encouraging locals to eat more plant-based proteins. The program is a collaboration between the Green Protein Alliance (GPA), its members, the Municipality of Altena, the Province of Noord-Brabant, and Wageningen University. In particular, Schouten Europe — a plant-based meat brand and GPA member — is heavily involved. Plant-based together As part of the pilot, interventions will take place at schools, supermarkets, and restaurants under the slogan “Plant-based together”. These interventions will include tasting sessions for plant-based products. Local ambassadors — such as Olympic beach volleyball player Raïsa Schoon — are helping to raise awareness of the program. Currently, 61% of the protein consumed in the Netherlands is animal-based, …

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Grass protein

© Grassa
Protein

Meat Alternatives Created From Grass Protein? Schouten and Grassa Investigate

Schouten Europe has joined forces with another Dutch company, Grassa, to develop meat alternatives made from grass protein. Currently, Grassa works mainly in the agricultural sector. The company notes that when a cow eats grass, only 30% of the protein is used, with the rest converted to manure. By removing some proteins from the grass beforehand and using them for other purposes, efficiency is improved and cattle emit less nitrogen. The concept is similar to that of New Zealand’s Leaft Foods, which has developed a way to extract protein from leaves. Schouten wants to investigate whether this technology could be used to produce a local, scalable alternative to soy protein with a lower carbon footprint. According to Grassa, grass yields 2.5 times as much protein …

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Fishless Sticks Schouten

Fishless Sticks ©Schouten

Market & Trends

Plant-Based Fish Sales Spike as “Profitable Fishing No Longer Possible”

Alt-protein producer Schouten Europe has reported a significant rise in plant-based fish sales, as the price of conventional fish continues to climb due to the conflict in Ukraine. According to Schouten, profitable fishing is “currently no longer possible”, with many fishing boats not setting sail due to the soaring cost of fuel. This has triggered a growing interest in plant-based seafood. Fish alternatives by Schouten After producing meat alternatives for three decades, Schouten launched its first alt-seafood product — Vegan Green Tuna — in 2021. This was followed by vegan fish sticks and burgers later in the year, with the company saying the documentary Seaspiracy had created a significant increase in demand. Schouten has also been in communication with several companies in the conventional fish …

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Schouten Tempeh Mince

Tempeh Mince ©Schouten

Products & Launches

This Dutch Brand is Creating Tempeh Mince by Upcycling its Own By-Products

Dutch family-owned Schouten Europe has created plant-based minced meat created with fermented tempeh, partly consisted of by-products from one of Schouten’s production facilities. The tempeh mince will be available for retail, out-of-home and the food processing industry. “We want to avoid food waste as much as possible and the by-product is completely safe and usable, we can market it as tempeh mince” Schouten is launching two new varieties, spicy and mild, with the latter intended for consumers and/or product developers who want to season the product themselves. By-products are generated in the production of other tempeh products in the Schouten range and the new upcycled products cater to the fact that minced meat (known as beef grounds in the US) is now one of the …

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Schouten R&D fish sticks

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Products & Launches

Schouten Launches Vegan Fish Sticks, Says Seaspiracy “Made a Big Impression” and Has Increased Demand

Following the launch of its plant-based tuna this January, as well as last month’s plant-based chicken and beef pieces that the company believes will become more popular than their conventional counterparts; Dutch producer Schouten now announces vegan fish sticks will be released this month, with further fish substitutes to follow in the coming months.

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Tempeh Today, Schouten Food

©Schouten Food
Agriculture / Agribusiness

Schouten Brings its Sustainable ‘Tempeh Today’ Production System to India

On 25 February, Henk Schouten, CEO of Schouten Europe, will introduce Tempeh Today – an innovative way of sustainable and healthy food production – into Bangalore, Inda. The protein-rich tempeh is produced onsite in high-tech small-scale fermentation units (SFUs). Tempeh Today’s goal is to implement at least 100 SFUs in this fast-growing region over the next five years.

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