After being awarded UK Product of the Year 2020 for its plant-based sausages, food giant Kerry Group’s own-brand Richmond has announced an expansion of its plant-based range. The dairy and meat giant has become increasingly proactive in its plant-based output, with the launch of Richmond’s meat-free mince and meatballs the latest offerings announced this week.
Richmond first launched its first meat-free product last year with its plant-based sausages and since then a burger has also been added to the now expanded range. Kerry Group was ranked #5 on the FAIRR list of global companies actively supporting plant-based foods and beverages, recently acquiring Dutch maker of textured meat alternatives Ojah, as well as Pevesa Biotech, a Spanish specialist in non-allergenic and organic plant proteins.
With a new report revealing the rapid acceleration of the alternative protein market, Kerry Group looks set to be riding the wave of a market said to reach at least $290 billion by 2035, a figure higher than the GDP of Finland.
“We know the meat-free market is booming but we’re seeing a real opportunity for growth in shoppers who are looking for affordable, delicious meat-free food to slot into family favourites – that they know will result in clean plates all round. We’ve been blown away by the success of our Richmond Meat-Free range so far and are using this momentum to help retailers offer even more choice at mealtimes and recruit new shoppers to the meat-free category,” Kerry Foods marketing and category director Victoria Southern told The Grocer.
Soon to be available in Asda and Sainsbury’s supermarket stores, the new mince and meatballs products are made from rehydrated textured soya and wheat protein. The mince (rsp: £3/335g) and the meatballs (rsp: £3/352g) are available at an accessible price-point in order to attract new customers.
