It would be churlish to dismiss out-of-hand attempts by food manufacturers to tackle the big issues facing the industry and the planet.
Innovation will play an important role in helping, for example, to bear down on the food industry’s impact on the environment.
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But the move by Quorn Foods to supply its fungi-based mycoprotein for use in products that also contain meat has left industry watchers scratching their heads.
The company, one of the most prominent meat-free businesses in the UK, is working with the country’s National Health Service to put so-called ‘blended’ products on menus.
Quorn, owned by Philippines-based Monde Nissin, is also teaming up with unnamed catering customers to develop similar products.
The origins of the Quorn business were set in concerns in the 1960s about a growing population and food security. Central to the company’s proposition in recent years has been how mycoprotein can offer an environmentally-sustainable alternative to meat.
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By GlobalDataQuorn has been among the brands in the UK (and to a lesser extent in markets in Europe, North America and Australia) at the forefront of driving interest in eating less meat and has grown to become a sizeable business.
But demand for meat alternatives in key markets like the UK and the US has slowed. It’s clear that some of the projections set out by advocates in the sector of how quickly demand for meat-free products could rise – and, as a consequence, how the consumption of meat would fall – are unlikely to be met.
“Reduction in meat consumption is not happening fast enough or with enough scale to have the impact we need it to,” Quorn Foods CEO Marco Bertacca tells Just Food. “This is about looking for new solutions to reach more consumers and make a meaningful difference to the fight for our planet.”
Bertacca said Quorn was “still in the development stages of our catering partnerships”.
“We are working with one of the largest catering companies in the world, and the opportunity will see us feed millions of consumers every day with these options,” he says.
Asked what products are being worked on and when they would hit menus, Bertacca adds: “Our partners who are making the products control the timings but we expect to see items on menu by the end of the year. There are already blended solutions on NHS menus and we will continue to build on these.
“This project will see us support the partners as they develop their own staple menu items, such as burgers and sausages, which contain a blend of Quorn and meat.”
The move, however, casts minds back to the late 2010s and the early part of this decade when there were similar ‘blended’ products launched, principally in the US but also in markets including Germany. Not all of the launches succeeded, with, notably, Tyson Foods pulling a ‘blended’ burger after a year on sale in the US.
At the time, there was a view that, perhaps, it was too early for those kinds of products, both in terms of marketing and consumer acceptance but also in terms of product development.
“There have been attempts to make products like burgers and sausages with a blend of meat and plant-based ingredients like soya and pea-protein, but the products have not delivered. The partners we are working with tell us that Quorn is by far the best meat alternative for this application, because of our unique mycoprotein and its meat-like texture,” Bertacca says.
Nevertheless, reflecting on Quorn’s move on LinkedIn, Robert Lawson, managing partner at European consultancy Food Strategy Associates, said he hoped the company’s new venture would work but he was unsure whether it would.
“There have been lots of attempts at blended solutions in North America and Europe – and for good reason. They address much of the taste challenge of plant-based foods, offer some of the health benefits of plant-based foods and so what’s not to like? Fewer animals die, fewer carbon emissions, too,” Lawson wrote.
“The problem is that consumers don’t seem to understand the offer or relate to it. They blend their diets over different meals and don’t seem to be looking for a blended solution in a sausage or a burger.”
As things stand, it’s unclear whether the NHS or its providers will use the word ‘blended’ on menus. “The partners will have full control of product description and marketing,” Bertacca says.
The Quorn brand will be absent. One obvious observation when Quorn’s plans emerged was the prospect of its position as one of the better-known meat-free brands in the UK being clouded with an association with products containing meat.
“Nothing will be produced under the Quorn brand. The new products will be made by our catering customers, we will be working with them to supply our product only. Quorn branding will not go on menu or on-pack but mycoprotein will of course be referenced in the ingredients,” Bertacca explains.
“The potential is huge,” Quorn CEO says
Asked whether he was concerned consumers might become confused should they make the link with Quorn, he says the company is “still 100% committed to providing meat-free products through our Cauldron and Quorn brands” and adds: “These new products are about providing solutions for everyone. To create the change the planet needs we have to find new ways to reduce meat consumption. If we can bring new people on the meat reduction journey with us, no matter which way they join, then that is only a good thing for the health of people and the planet.
“The potential is huge for our customers. We are supporting them by providing Quorn to create lower environmental impact menus than they currently serve.”
There are, however, no plans at the moment to make a push into retail, even under private label.
“It’s very early days on these partnerships and we are supplying product only for our foodservice customers,” Bertacca says.
It is indeed very early days. Given Quorn’s mission and the need to reduce meat consumption, its efforts shouldn’t go without commendation but it feels unlikely it will have the impact the company hopes.
It’s hard to escape the idea such ‘blended’ products fall between two stools. It is proving a slog but perhaps Quorn is better served to double down on its core business and trying to convince more meat eaters to switch out slightly more often for a bona fide meat-free product.
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