ALTN: Singapore Frozen Foods Giant Tee Yih Jia Launches Plant-Based Brand

Tee Yih Jia Food Manufacturing (TYJ), the Singapore-based frozen foods giant and the world’s largest producer of spring roll wrappers, has just launched its own plant-based brand to tap into the fast-growing meat-free market. The brand, called ALTN, will offer a wide range of frozen meatless snacks, ready meals and convenience foods, including plant-based versions of iconic Asian dishes like gyoza, siu mai and Hainanese chicken rice. 

Unveiled in Singapore in December 2020, ALTN marks TYJ’s first foray into the plant-based category. The new brand will offer frozen ready-made meals, ingredients and convenience foods that are meat-free, including classic Asian products like gyoza dumplings, dimsum and Singapore’s famous Hainanese chicken rice. ALTN will also produce Western-inspired ready meals, like chicken nuggets and sausage rolls made from plant-based ingredients like peas, soy and mushrooms.  

Some of the brand’s products will be vegetarian-friendly, while others that do not contain any dairy, eggs and animal by-products will be clearly labelled as vegan. All their plant-based frozen products will have an “impressive” shelf life ranging from 24 to 36 months, which offers consumers maximum convenience while minimising food waste. 

The successful emergence and permanence of competitors like Impossible Foods and Beyond Meat gives Tee Yih Jia confidence that it too can be a player in this sector with its affordable edge and unique Asian flavour.

Tee Yih Jia

According to TYJ, its new meatless label took two years in the making, and claims to be Singapore’s “first locally-made meatless food brand produced on a large scale”. The frozen foods giant says that its decision to launch its own vegan and vegetarian line comes at a time when mainstream demand for these products has grown significantly, giving its new venture the “potential of becoming a household name”.  

“The successful emergence and permanence of competitors like Impossible Foods and Beyond Meat gives Tee Yih Jia confidence that it too can be a player in this sector with its affordable edge and unique Asian flavour,” the company told Green Queen. 

In the wake of Covid-19 and facing its challenges, the people of Hong Kong have also become aware of the benefits of healthy living habits and conscious dining.

Tee Yih Jia

While Beyond Meat is available in Singapore across specialty local specialty retailers like Everyday Vegan and the newly launched Green Common, Impossible Foods has partnered with FairPrice and the city’s largest e-commerce platform RedMart to sell its Impossible Beef across the city. 

TYJ added that ALTN, like the rest of its portfolio products, will be distributed internationally, and believes that consumers in other Asian cities will respond positively to their products, especially as the pandemic shifts the mainstream towards healthier, more sustainable and crisis-resilient alternatives. 

“In the wake of Covid-19 and facing its challenges, the people of Hong Kong have also become aware of the benefits of healthy living habits and conscious dining,” said TYJ, adding that their curated range of frozen products that are particularly suited to Asian cuisines will help the brand differentiate itself from Western players. 

Lead image courtesy of TYJ / designed by Green Queen Media.