Products & Launches

UK Gyoza Brand Itsu Launches First Vegan Meat Gyoza

Itsu, the UK’s leading gyoza brand, has extended its number one frozen gyoza range to include a vegan variety, called the teriyaki chick’n vegan gyoza, now available in supermarkets throughout the United Kingdom. The launch comes at a time when consumers are expected to continue dining at home.

According to a press release from the company, “Katherine Austin, itsu’s Senior NPD Manager and resident gyoza expert, spent months trying every meat alternative on the market and learning the meticulous ratios needed for creating the perfect, juicy plant-based meat. To add flavour and depth, she combined it with sweet teriyaki, kale, carrot and spring onion. Katherine has now created a gyoza that makes meat-free Mondays something to look forward to.”

According to Julian Metcalfe, who founded Itsu in 1997 in London, “A rise in sales for our plant-based products seemed the perfect opportunity to launch the UK’s very first ‘vegan meat’ gyoza …though, this is a product not just made for vegans, or vegetarians, it’s made for everyone – we’re incredibly proud of the final recipe, and can’t wait for people to try it.’

© Itsu

Itsu opened a branch in New York in 2018 and will be expanding into Paris in 2021.

Demand for vegan and plant-based foods has increased significantly in recent years in the UK, outpacing many countries. Just two years ago, only 3 percent of ready meals were plant-based. Today, that figure is 16 percent. Additionally, almost a quarter of ready meals are now suitable for vegetarians, and about 25 percent of ready meals are vegan or vegetarian at Asda, TescoMorrisons, and Waitrose.

recent study has shown that 46 percent of consumers are convinced meat-based ready meals are unhealthy while 12 percent buy plant-based ready meals on a weekly basis.

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