Vega Insiders develops "next generation" meat alternatives

© Grunchy/Vega Insiders

Meat- and Fish Alternatives

Vega Insiders: “Next-Generation” Plant-Based Bacon & Kebab Meat From the Netherlands

Vega Insiders is a Dutch company producing a range of meat alternatives, most notably plant-based bacon brand Grunchy and plant-based kebab meat brand Holy Cow. The company says it is currently focusing on a small product range in order to “bring meat substitutes to the next level”. Grunchy and Holy Cow are described as “next-generation” meat alternatives that “go a significant step further than the traditional first-generation meat substitutes”. According to Vega Insiders, the products have been developed using advanced technology to replicate the flavour, texture, and appearance of meat. The company claims it does not launch its products until “everything is right”. The products Described as “real plant-based bacon”, Grunchy is sold in three varieties: slices, strips, and pre-baked streaky bacon. Made from fava …

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The Vegetarian Butcher and Düzgün Food Group, launch plant-based kebab skewers for food service.

© Unilever

Food Service

The Vegetarian Butcher and Düzgün Group Launch Plant-Based Kebab Skewer for Food Service

Unilever’s The Vegetarian Butcher and Düzgün Food Group, a producer and wholesaler supplying skewers to döner chains, shops, and restaurants in more than 15 countries, announce the European launch of their first jointly developed product: a plant-based kebab skewer for food service. The new meat-free kebab, intended for large-scale operations, can be cooked and grilled vertically on a large skewer and shaved off as traditional animal meat. The NPD is said to offer the authentic taste and experience of the traditional kebab. It is halal-certified and lactose-free, suitable for vegans, vegetarians, and flexitarians. The product is already available for distribution.  “Hacking meat icons like the döner kebab with plant-based equivalents is what it is all about for us. We are targeting meat lovers – from vegans …

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© The Mighty Kitchen

Startups, Accelerators & Incubators

Cyprus-Based The Mighty Kitchen Wins IFE Big Business Break Competition

Cypriot alt meat startup The Mighty Kitchen has taken the top spot at International Food Expo’s first Big Business Break competition. Along with three other finalists, The Mighty Kitchen pitched in front of a panel of judges at the event in London, UK. The prize is up to £500,000 in investment from Surya Foods, the co-founder of the initiative. The Mighty Kitchen first launched in Cyprus in 2019, offering Mediterranean-style alt meat products such as strips, gyros, shawarma, and Cypriot meatballs. Breaded chicken-style nuggets and tenders are also available. To produce the meat alternatives, materials chemistry and data modelling are used to give pea and wheat protein an authentically fibrous texture. In 2021, The Mighty Kitchen announced that it planned to expand internationally, starting with …

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product of the year 2023 winners

Image: vegconomist

Fairs & Events

Product of the Year 2023: 17 Vegan Winners in Multiple Categories Chosen by UK Consumers

*Updated 2/2 to remove Starbucks Chilled Classics Multiserve which is not vegan* The Product of the Year, the largest consumer survey of product innovation in the UK, has revealed the winners of its 2023 awards, with 17 vegan products chosen by consumers across multiple categories. According to organisers, this year, nearly a fifth of consumers said plant-based was the most important factor when buying or trying a new product and plant-based products made the “greatest imprint” across multiple categories, ranging from big brands to startups. Consumer led The annual Product of the Year Awards is the largest consumer-voted award for product innovation and serves as a benchmark for predicting top interests and trends in the year ahead. In its 19th edition this year, 8,000 adult UK consumers …

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meat-free kebab

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Food Service

Planted Reveals Meat-Free Kebab in Collab With German Caterer HOFMANN’S

Alt meat brand Planted announces a new collaboration with German catering specialist HOFMANN’S for a Thai-style kebab served with rice featuring planted.kebab, made with pea protein. Planted raised £61 million this September in one of the largest alt-protein rounds ever in Europe, stating its mission to become Europe’s biggest meat-free alternative producer. The Swiss producer has been expanding its brand through various partnerships. For example, earlier this year, the company launched a plant-based chicken curry with the vegetarian chain Hiltl; partnered with fitness and leisure club David Lloyd; and with TV Chef Gizzi Erskine for the Plantstronomy Cooking Event. Planted is already established in Switzerland, Germany, Austria, and France with products such as kebabs and chicken-style pieces. The brand is also beginning to gain traction in …

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The Filthy Vegan

© The Filthy Vegan

Food Service

UK: The Filthy Vegan to Open Two New Sites in the Midlands

Nottingham-based food stall The Filthy Vegan is to open a takeaway at East Midlands Designer Outlet in Derbyshire. The brand will join major names such as Starbucks, Burger King, and Subway at the shopping centre’s food court. Not to be confused with Matt Pritchard’s Dirty Vegan, The Filthy Vegan initially launched in 2019, offering plant-based kebabs made with soy meat. Customers placed orders via Facebook and Instagram, and the meals were prepared in the home kitchen of co-founder James Freeman. After receiving a highly positive response, The Filthy Vegan decided to open a stall at Nottingham Beach. Following the success of its kebabs, the company has now expanded its range to include plant-based hot dogs, chicken-style burgers, doughnuts, and more. Vegan food in Nottingham Nottingham …

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Satvinder Bains, Home Chef and Founder of Plant Alternative

©Plant Alternative

Products & Launches

Plant Alternative Launches [SHICKEN] Indian Kebabs into Costco UK

Plant Alternative, a London-based producer of 100% plant-based, restaurant quality Indian dishes called [SHICKEN], containing a realistic chick*n meat created from textured soya fibre, announces a retail agreement with Costco across the UK. Plant Alternative’s range of authentic Asian dishes caught the attention of Vegan investor Matthew Glover last year, who was “blown away” by their quality, resulting in an investment from his VC firm Veg Capital which helped propel the brand’s success.  Founder Satvinder Bains spent two years developing [SHICKEN] curries with a team of chefs to ensure that while using only plant-based ingredients there would be no compromise on taste. The final recipes, combining marinated and flame grilled [SHICKEN] vegan pieces and hand-crafted Indian sauces, resulted in the closest vegan match to some …

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Oumph Kebab Doner Style lifestyle

©Oumph!

Products & Launches

Oumph! Launches “Shaved” Döner Kebab Meat Made From Pea Protein in UK

Swedish plant-based brand Oumph! this week launched a new product – Oumph! Kebab Döner Style – into Iceland supermarkets in the UK. The new vegan kebab is made from pea protein, is gluten-free, and comes in “shaved” pieces like traditional kebab meat. Oumph! continues its success after being acquired by LIVEKINDLY Co and rolling out into Germany through the Edeka Group stores this June and also expanding into the Australian market in July. The brand’s portfolio is now in Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, United Kingdom, Ireland, Germany, Netherlands, South Africa and Australia. “We are proud to share the newest plant-based innovation from Oumph! with all fast food lovers in the UK”, says Domenico Speciale, General manager UK at LIVEKINDLY Collective. “When I first tasted …

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© Better Nature

Products & Launches

Better Nature Drops New Range with Ribs, Rashers, and Roasts

Following its recent £1.6 million Seed Round, UK meat-free brand Better Nature is launching a brand-new product range just in time for summer. The new tempeh-based products are staples for any vegan BBQ, brunch, or Sunday roast dinner with the family.  Better Nature prides itself on its nutritious products that support a healthy gut and lifestyle, and the new range has received the highest possible rating for its carbon footprint. The products are also both carbon and plastic negative, meaning they offset double what they produce. Fabio Rinaldo, Co-founder and Head of Product Development and Operations at Better Nature comments, “This new range is a result of our ongoing mission to make a plant-based lifestyle more accessible and enjoyable, by removing the need to compromise …

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Doner Summer

© Doner Summer

Gastronomy & Food Service

UK Vegan Kebab Chain Döner Summer Continues Growth, Set to Open Fifth Location

Döner Summer, a vegan kebab and street food chain based in the north of England, has revealed it will soon be opening a new location. Hints posted on social media have led fans to speculate that it will be in Sheffield. The popular street food outlet said it had just signed a lease on the new store, which will be its fifth to date. “Our meat substitutes are so realistic meat-eaters often can’t tell the difference” Döner Summer’s existing stores are in Leeds, York, Manchester, and Hull. The Hull location opened last November, with over 200 customers queueing to get in on the opening night. Döner Summer hinted that the new location would be about 35 miles from Leeds and was somewhere it had traded …

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What the Pitta - Camden

©What the Pitta

Food & Beverage

Vegan Kebab Chain ‘What the Pitta’ Presented With London’s Best Takeaway Award by London’s Mayor

What the Pitta, a UK based vegan kebab business with stores in Brighton, Camden, Croydon, and Shoreditch, has been named as London’s best takeaway in the British Kebab Awards. Co founders Cem Yildiz and Rojdan Gul were presented with a plaque by Mayor of London Sadiq Khan in front of an audience of over a thousand public and MPs.

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Oumph! produkt

© Oumph!

General

Oumph! Now Available at Holland and Barrett

The vegan brand Oumph! from Swedish company Food for Progress is now available at Europe’s largest health and wellness retailer, Holland & Barrett. As Oumph! has recently announced, four of the brand’s vegan products will initially be available in 620 Holland & Barrett stores across the UK – Pulled Oumph!, Kebab Spiced, Thyme & Garlic and The Chunk.

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