German ingredients manufacturer BENEO showcased vegan chicken chunks as the next step in the company’s vegetable protein strategy at the Fi Europe show yesterday.
Following the acquisition of Meatless BV at the beginning of the year, BENEO is expected to add the chicken chunks as a semi-finished product to its portfolio for the first time in the second quarter of 2023. Thanks to a special recipe and a patented production process, BENEO states it will offer manufacturers a highly scalable and effective way to join the plant-based shift.
Visitors to Fi Europe were able to sample the plant-based chicken pieces for themselves as award-winning chef Pieter-Jan Lint from Belgium prepared vegan dishes with prototypes of the new semi-finished product.
The vegan chicken chunks offer food manufacturers a flexible basis for numerous product concepts, according to BENEO. The plant-based semi-finished product is available fresh or frozen and consists of key ingredients such as myco and pea protein, combined with flavour. With a carbon footprint three times smaller than that of conventional chicken, this plant-based alternative also meets consumers’ growing interest in resource-saving solutions.
Meatless BV’s patented processing technology now makes it possible to produce semi-finished products easily in large quantities and cost-effectively. Thus, the highly automated process offers food manufacturers decisive advantages in the current economic situation.
Jos Hugense, founder of Meatless, comments: “When it comes to plant-based meat alternatives, consumers focus on taste, texture and sustainability. Food manufacturers who can score in all three areas have incredible market potential. Thanks to our new manufacturing process, we are delivering just that: imitation chicken meat that requires little processing and few ingredients, and is compelling in terms of both sensory quality and cost-effectiveness.”
Dominique Speleers, Member of the Executive Board at BENEO, says: “This year’s Fi Europe is the ideal platform to announce the next step in our plant-based strategy with our first semi-finished product. We are confident that our plant-based chicken chunks offer exactly what the market is asking for. And it expands our versatile range of ingredients for high-quality meat and fish alternatives, all of which meet the high expectations of today’s consumers.”
BENEO is presenting this latest product at Fi Europe 2022 in Paris from 6-8 December at stand 4.C30.
Read our interview with Andreas Herber, Member of the Executive Board at BENEO.
