The product will be rolled out to 430 Sainsbury’s stores in the UK before becoming available in other European retailers later this year.
Vivera launched a plant-based steak in the UK in 2018 and has claimed to have sold more than one million of them already. Initially available through Tesco, it is now being rolled out to Sainsbury’s stores as well, following an increase in Vivera’s processing capacity.
Vivera worked with chilled food category partner Winterbotham Darby to develop the product that has a “true bacon taste, look and feel with a substantial health benefit due to fact that the pieces contain zero fat”. Currently, Vivera has around 40 plant-based products that are available in 25 countries and more than 25,000 retail outlets.
Gert Jan Gombert, chief commercial director of Vivera, explained why the British market would be first for this new product. “Especially in the British market we foresee a large demand for our fat-free vegan bacon. Traditionally it is one of the product categories where meat has been difficult to replace,” he said. “Our product development team has done an outstanding job in making the bacon pieces as tasty as the available regular bacon while reducing the fat level to zero! The overwhelming positive feedback from British consumers for our vegan steak, after its introduction last year, made us decide to give again priority to the British market and have the first launch to market here.”
In June, GlobalMeatNews will host The Future of Plant-based Proteins Conference in Amsterdam. Featuring presentations from the European Plant-based Food Association, The Good Food Institute and Finnebrogue, it will discuss all elements of the plant-based sector. To book your place, click here.