Dive Brief:
Beyond Meat is telling customers it plans to launch a chicken alternative this summer, Bloomberg reported, citing people familiar with the company s plans.
The plant-based manufacturer has a long history with faux chicken, having first produced strips in 2012 before moving into plant-based beef. Beyond Meat pulled its frozen chicken-strips from shelves in 2019.
Beyond Meat has cemented itself as one of the undisputed leaders in the plant-based sector, along with fellow upstart Impossible Foods. While beef is popular among manufacturers, more plant-based companies are expanding their reach into chicken and other meats.
Dive Insight:
Nearly a decade ago, Beyond Meat entered the food space as a maker of plant-based chicken. Since then, the California company has become known for its dominance in beef and more recently sausages. Beyond Meat pulled its earlier chicken strips because, the company said, they weren t delivering the same plant-based meat experience as so
Share it
As consumers clamor for more variety in plant-based meat, Nestlé s Sweet Earth said it is taking the opportunity to ride the chicken wave as it fights to become a market leader in the fast-growing segment, said Jesse Curtis, who oversees the brand for the food giant.
Sweet Earth launched its first Mindful Chik n line in 2019, the same year its debuted its faux beef options in Awesome Burger and Awesome Grounds. The alternative poultry quickly outperformed our business expectations, Curtis said, which has given the brand momentum to push ahead with new flavors and products that incorporate Mindful Chik n.
Nestlé s Sweet Earth Brand Adds New Plant-Based Chicken Options forbes.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from forbes.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Shares
Food giant Nestlé has abandoned its pursuit to trademark the terms “The Original Vegan Butcher,” “The Vegan Butchers,” and “Vegan Butcher” after a lengthy battle with Minneapolis-based vegan butcher shop The Herbivorous Butcher. In 2016, Guam-born siblings Kale and Aubry Walch opened The Herbivorous Butcher the first vegan butcher shop in the United States to much fanfare, selling their house-made deli meats, sausages, ribs, and cheeses. Shortly after opening, The Herbivorous Butcher raised criticism from media outlets for the use of the word “butcher” when applied to vegan products terminology that has since become commonplace in the American lexicon in large part due to the success The Herbivorous Butcher has seen in its years of operation.
Impossible Burgers additive that makes plant-based food bleed needs more FDA testing, claims suit that questions whether heme is safe to eat
The Center for Food Safety claims not enough testing was done on soy leghemoglobin, which is genetically engineered for Impossible Burgers
The color additive has the effect of making it seem like the plant products bleed
The FDA approved Impossible Foods use of heme in July 2019
Impossible Burgers are available across the country and are sold by prominent national restaurant chains, such as White Castle and Burger King