British chilled convenience food brand Rustlers has launched its first fully plant-based product — the Meatless Maverick Chick’un Fillet.
The ready meal consists of a pea and wheat protein fillet on a sesame seed bun. It is topped with vegan mayo and salad leaves.
Rustlers — which is owned by meat producer Kepak — launched its first vegetarian option, the Meatless Maverick Classic Burger, about a year ago. But while labelled as plant-based, the burger contains a slice of dairy cheese, making it unsuitable for vegans. The new Chick’un Fillet, on the other hand, has been certified by the Vegan Society.
Vegan sandwiches
A report published in June found that many UK retailers have reduced the number of vegan sandwiches they offer, though the use of alt proteins in sandwiches has increased by a huge 620%. Food service outlets such as Subway tend to provide more options than supermarkets, with 34% of the sandwiches on offer meat-free.
“For the growing number of meat reducers, our Meatless Maverick Chick’un Burger provides an easy swap while behaviourally fitting existing habits and overcoming the most prominent barriers to trial for the plant-based category –– price and taste,” said Elaine Rothballer, head of marketing consumer brands at the food division of Kepak Group.
The new Rustlers sandwich is now available at Tesco.
