You Can Now Buy OmniPork, Asia’s Most Popular Vegan Meat, At 200 US Whole Foods Stores

OmniFoods, the food tech arm of leading Asian alternative protein company and social movement Green Monday, has just made its US retail debut at 200 Whole Foods in 16 states across the country. The company announced that starting today, consumers will be able to buy the 100% vegan OmniPork Ground and OmniPork Strip in the fresh food aisles of the specialty natural foods grocer starting today (August 5).

OmniFoods announced today that its 100% plant-based pork alternatives, OmniPork Ground and OmniPork Strip, are now available to American shoppers at 200 Whole Foods stores across 16 states including California, Florida, New Jersey, Oregon, Pennsylvania, and Washington.

The retail expansion comes shortly after its US foodservice launch. In celebration of Earth Day 2021, OmniFoods debuted on US shores with 15 partner restaurants that included some of the country’s most renowned chefs such as Michelin-starred Joshua Gil of Mirame and chef Don Phan of Kensho. 

While there is no shortage of vegan meat brands in the US, and consumers have been spoiled with vegan chicken alternatives lately, vegan pork is still a wide-open space. Whole Food customers will be able to add OmniPork Ground, a minced pork analogue, and OmniPork Strip, a pork meat strip alternative, to their shopping carts from now on.

OmniPork products are prized by home cooks and professional chefs alike for their textural versatility- the products can be steamed, grilled, deep-fried, stuffed, and crumbled and applications include everything from tacos to pasta sauce to burgers and sandwiches, as well as the myriad of Asian pork dishes. These include dumplings, spring rolls, sushi, noodle bowls, banh mi, and more.

U.S. consumers hungry for healthier, plant-based foods

OmniFood’s U.S. debut comes at a time when American consumer demand for plant-based foods is at an all-time high. Retail sales for the category totaled US$7 billion in 2020 for the first time, and sales are growing twice as fast compared to animal food products.

The pandemic has driven a rise in awareness about the ills of animal agriculture. The global livestock industry is responsible for up to 18% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions and uses significant amounts of land and water. Additionally, intensive factory farms have been linked to the rise of zoonotic diseases. 

Covid has pushed shoppers to choose healthier, more nutritious, and more sustainable foods, too. Both OmniPork Ground and OmniPork Strip are made from non-GMO soy, peas, mushrooms, and rice, feature low levels of saturated fat, zero cholesterol, and no antibiotics- all net positives when compared to traditionally produced pork. The two meat substitutes also offer a far lower carbon footprint.

OmniFood’s global ambitions

OmniFoods products are now available in more than 20 markets around the world, including the UK, Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore, and mainland China. Earlier this year, it debuted on US shores with a restaurant launch at partners that included some of the country’s most renowned chefs such as Michelin-starred Joshua Gil of Mirame and chef Don Phan of Kensho. The Hong Kong-headquartered company is supported by an R&D team in Canada.

Commenting on its U.S. expansion, Green Monday and OmniFoods founder and CEO David Yeung told Green Queen that this latest launch felt almost surreal: “From the launch of OmniFoods several years ago, this is the day we have been dreaming of. In our space, everyone knows the stamp of approval from Whole Foods and their customer base carries extra meaning and clout. It is even more special given we are based in Asia! We fully expect this enormous milestone will further accelerate our momentum to be omnipresent in the U.S. and globally.”

The Asian alt protein pioneer is nothing if not ambitious. After successfully taking on pork products, alternatives—it dived into the world of seafood with the launch of its OmniSeafood range, which features everything from vegan tuna to salmon, including the world’s first non-breaded plant-based fish fillet.

Lead image courtesy of Green Monday.