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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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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Waitrose Vegan NoLobster MarieRose Roll

©Waitrose

Products & Launches

Waitrose Continues Vegan First-To-Market Run With Christmas No-Lobster Roll

UK supermarket Waitrose has released its new Christmas range for 2021. In total, the range includes 20 new vegan products, with Waitrose continuing its first-to-market strategy with the introduction of a vegan lobster roll. As reported in January 2020, Waitrose successfully introduced first-to-market products, including Vegan No Egg Fried Rice and Crisp-Crumbed Fishless Goujons made from banana blossom. In September 2021, Waitrose continued its vegan first-to-market strategy when its largest-ever vegan and vegetarian launches included several first-to-market products in the supermarket prepared meal sector, such as the Crispy No Beef with Sweet Chilli Sauce. The Christmas No Lobster Marie Rose Roll is filled with roasted king oyster mushroom and vegan Marie Rose sauce in a vegan brioche-style roll with semi-dried tomato and lovage. Other vegan …

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Nestle Garden Gourmet

© Nestlé

Products & Launches

Nestlé to Relaunch Garden Gourmet in UK Supermarkets with Sensational Range

Global food giant Nestlé is relaunching its plant-based Garden Gourmet brand into UK supermarkets. After initially entering the UK market back in 2018, the world’s largest food producer is hoping to crack the growing UK alt meat retail scene with its Sensational range.  Nestlé has announced plans to roll out the Garden Gourmet Sensational vegan range from 20th September, with the brand advertising its commitment to be carbon neutral by 2022. The plant-based range is already popular in the UK foodservice, with Subway UK using Garden Gourmet as the sole provider of vegan meatballs in its popular Meatless Meatball Marinara. Initially, the range will include four plant-based products comprising burger, mince, Cumberland-style sausages, and Mediterranean-style filet pieces. Nestlé has recently been expanding its alt protein …

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Ivy Farm Sausage

Image courtesy of Ivy Farm

Startups, Accelerators & Incubators

Ivy Farm to Bring First Cultured Sausages to UK Supermarkets by 2023 & Produce 12,000 Tonnes of Cultured Pork Per Year

Ivy Farm Technologies aims to become the first commercial producer of sustainable, cultured meat in the UK. Co-founder Russ Tucker, originally from a family of butchers, says the startup plans to produce cultured sausages for supermarkets and restaurants by 2023, followed by meatballs and beefburgers, with plans to produce up to 12,000 tonnes of cultured pork per year by 2025, the equivalent of saving 170,000 pigs from slaughter.

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LIVEKINDLY Iceland

Image: LIVEKINDLY/Iceland

General

UK Supermarket Iceland Doubles Plant-Based Offerings With Launch of LIVEKINDLY Brands in 1000 Stores

Following the LIVEKINDLY Co’s acquisition of No Meat, Iceland’s vegan meat alternative brand, the UK discount supermarket announces today it has doubled its meat-free offering in almost 1,000 stores, with the rollout of Fry’s, Oumph! and LikeMeat products. Andrew Staniland, Trading Director at Iceland Foods, stated: “We’ve seen substantial growth in meat free sales”. The products to be launched into Iceland and The Food Warehouse include: Fry’s – Chicken Burger, Chicken Nuggets, Big Fry Burger, Curry Pie and Fishless Fillet. Oumph! – Oumph! Kebab Spiced, Pulled Oumph!, Oumph! Balls, Oumph! Mince and Oumph! Smoky Bits. LikeMeat – Like Chicken Nuggets and Like Breaded Chicken. Domenico Speciale, General Manager, LIVEKINDLY Collective UK says: “Partnerships are crucial across the whole value chain to help deliver our mission …

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M&S wines

M&S

Products & Launches

Marks & Spencer Introduces New Range of Vegan and Sustainable Wines

UK retailer Marks & Spencer has launched a new wine collection featuring 12 vegan wines as part of the company’s push to make its wine range 100% vegan by 2022. Named “Found”, the wines were also chosen for their sustainability credentials, with wineries utilising carbon offsetting schemes, organic and biodynamic farming and water management programs. 

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Southr fried Buffalo ramen Wicked Kitchen

©Wicked Kitchen

Food & Beverage

Tesco Named as Number One Plant-Based Supermarket in UK With 76 Own-Brand Products

UK retail giant Tesco has been crowned the best choice for plant-based food options in a recent study of the nine major supermarkets. Tesco, the largest supermarket chain in the UK, was found to offer the widest range of own-brand vegan meals and plant-based alternatives. Here we compare the runners up and speak to Tesco’s Head of Plant-Based, Chef Derek Sarno, on the news.

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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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©THIS

Food & Beverage

‘Hyper Realistic’ Plant Meat Producer THIS Launches in ASDA, Now in 3 of the Big 4 UK Supermarkets

THIS™ launched into 412 ASDA stores this week. Having only just launched into Sainsbury’s last month and Tesco in June, ASDA is the third of the “big four” supermarkets in a five month period and according to the founders, two self-confessed meat-lovers, the expansion will help the brand to reach £7 million in revenues this year.

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Vegan-Box morrisons

©Morrisons

Food & Beverage

UK Supermarket Morrisons is Delivering Weekly Vegan Essentials Box to its Customers

As supermarkets globally adapt to restrictions in place by the pandemic lockdown, one supermarket in the UK has launched a vegan Essentials Box delivery service to help get necessary food to customers direct to homes. Morrisons started creating the essential boxes in April and has now extended this box scheme to include vegans.

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