Post by account_disabled on Feb 22, 2024 5:44:27 GMT
Nestlé, the Swiss multinational food and beverage company, has launched its first plant-based seafood alternative. It is a tuna substitute called Vuna, after its sales of plant-based meat alternatives surpassed £166m last year. Vuna's main ingredient is pea protein, commonly used to make low-calorie sweets and vegan protein shakes. Nestlé claims it has the same flaky texture and flavor as tuna, as well as a nutritional profile similar to canned tuna in brine. Nutritionally, pea protein is known to be low in calories, suitable for vegetarians, and rich in amino acids. It is also touted as one of the most sustainable plant proteins, as growing peas requires relatively little land and water and, unlike soy, can be grown in colder climates. For these two reasons, pea protein has become increasingly popular, with 11% of plant-based alternative products launched on the UK market since 2019 containing the ingredient.
Nestlé said in a statement that the development of Vuna took more than nine months, involving research teams from Switzerland, Germany and the United States. The company's predominant motivations for creating the product were the continued shift toward vegan, vegetarian, and other plant-based diets, as well as the need to address overfishing and support ocean biodiversity. In the case of vegan diets, a record 500,000 people signed up for Veganuary this year and, in the case of overfishing, the WWF estimates that 13% of global tuna stocks are overfished. Starting next week, Vuna Bulgaria Mobile Number List will be rolled out across Nestlé's Garden Gourmet brand in Switzerland. The company will offer a refrigerated product in a glass jar and ready to make sandwiches. Should the launch be successful, Vuna will be launched in other global markets later this year. At the beginning of 2019, Nestlé launched its most famous plant-based meat alternative in Europe, the Garden Gourmet burger, made with soy and wheat. A release followed in the United States under their Sweet Earth label. During 2019, Nestlé recorded £166m of sales of plant-based meat alternatives. A decisive moment Nestlé was recently recognized by investor coalition FAIRR as one of the food and drink giants leading the transition to plant-based diets, and the organization's new online benchmark puts it high on the list in terms of spending on R&D and existing offers.
FAIRR also identified Nestlé as one of a select few companies that has established a dedicated plant-based team, alongside companies such as: Tesco. Sainsbury’s. Marks and Spencer. Hooks. Coles. Unilever. In the case of Unilever, it is notably working with the WWF to encourage the adoption of what it calls “The 50 Foods of the Future”—plant-based foods that supposedly have a low environmental impact—and is transitioning to increasing its use of these. food in their own products. Even though some major companies (including Costco and Kraft Heinz) are lagging in their efforts to harness and foster the plant-based food transition, FAIRR, led by Coller Capital, ultimately predicts a global boom for the alternative protein market. Aside from current concerns around animal welfare, climate impact and nutrition, the coalition sees the COVID-19 pandemic as a key motivator for many consumers. A previous FAIRR analysis found that 44 of the world's largest meat, seafood and dairy companies are considered “high risk” in terms of pandemic vulnerabilities.