The entrepreneurs and innovators creating plant-based varieties of America’s favorite meat protein.
Plant-based foods maker LikeMeat, a LiveKindly Collective brand, is launching Like Chick’n Wings. The plant-based meat offering provides a tender and juicy vegan alternative that crackles when it cooks, according to the company. Featuring 11 grams of plant protein per serving, the meat-free wings are non-GMO and are packaged with Buffalo sauce for easy preparation.
LikeMeat’s Chick’n Wings are formulated with soy protein concentrate. A three-piece serving contains 190 calories and 11 grams of protein. Other plant-based chicken alternatives formats manufactured by the company are pieces and nuggets.
Abbot’s Butcher offers a plant-based chopped chicken application formulated with pea protein. The product has a slow roasted flavor profile. A half-cup serving has 80 calories and 14 grams of protein.
CHKN Not Chicken is a shredded format of plant-based chicken available in three flavors — Naked, Zen and fiesta. The product is formulated with pea protein and a vegetable base blend of carrots, celery, onion and tomato. A 4-oz serving has 140 calories and 20 grams of protein.
CHKN Not Chicken raised $4.5 million in a September Series A funding round led by Stray Dog Capital.
Quorn Foods USA, a business unit of Monde Nissin Corp., has introduced meatless cutlets and wings to its line of products. The plant-based chicken alternatives are in the frozen food aisle of supermarkets and formulated with a mycoprotein that is grown using fermentation. The cutlets have approximately 240 calories per serving and range in protein content between 14 grams and 15 grams. The wings have 270 calories per serving and 16 grams of protein.
Impossible Foods has introduced a plant-based chicken nugget that has the texture of white meat. The nuggets are made with soy protein and sunflower oil, and are coated in a wheat flour breadcrumb coating and seasoned with onion, garlic, paprika and black pepper. Each four-piece serving contains 200 calories, 10 grams of fat, 10 grams of protein and 320 mg of sodium. The nuggets contain 40% less saturated fat and 25% less sodium than traditional chicken nuggets, according to the company.
Beyond Meat, Inc. is offering plant-based chicken tenders. Formulated with fava beans and peas, Beyond Chicken Tenders contain 40% less saturated fat than traditional foodservice chicken tenders, the company said. The plant-based alternative is cholesterol-free, non-GMO and provides 14 grams of protein per serving.
Meati Foods is a processor of fungi-based meat alternatives. The company is currently developing plant-based whole cut takes on chicken breast, steak and jerky, and plans to introduce other products like pork tenderloin and deli meats in the future.
The company raised $50 million in a Series B funding round in July led by BOND and Acre Venture Partners, with participation from Prelude Ventures, Congruent Ventures and Tao Capital.
Lightlife Foods, a Maple Leaf Foods brand, has introduced a pair of plant-based chicken alternatives that are breaded and may be merchandised in the fresh meat section of grocery stores. Formulated with pea protein and other ingredients that are processed using a high-moisture extrusion technology to create formats with the taste, color and pull-apart texture similar to conventional white meat chicken, the products provide 8 to 10 grams of protein per serving.
The Kellogg Co.’s Incogmeato by MorningStar Farms plant-based meat alternative brand expanded this past April with the introduction of Chik’n tenders. Available in original and sweet barbecue flavors, the tenders are made with soy protein and feature fibers that mimic the texture of chicken. The plant-based alternative features a breading and contains more protein and 27% less fat per serving than traditional chicken tenders, according to the company. Both varieties contain 230 calories, 9 grams of fat and 17 grams of protein per serving.
Apr
2024
New product innovation swept the show floor.
Beverage innovation is on the rise.