Iceland Foods: Retail Giant’s Vegan Brand No Meat Acquired By LIVEKINDLY Collective

No Meat, a vegan meat brand developed by British food manufacturer and retail giant Iceland Foods, has been acquired by the LIVEKINDLY Collective. No Meat will join the plant-based food group’s growing portfolio of brands, which includes LikeMeat, Oumph!, the Fry Family Food Co. and the vegan lifestyle online media platform of the same name. 

On Wednesday (January 6), the LIVEKINDLY Collective, a plant-based food company formerly known as Foods United that rebranded after it bought out vegan lifestyle platform LIVEKINDLY last year, announced the expansion of its portfolio with the acquisition of No Meat. No Meat is a brand of vegan food alternatives developed by Iceland Foods, offering a range of soy-based meat products such as mince, sausages, burgers, meatballs, fish fillets and chicken analogues.

The brand also sells 100% plant-based ready-made meals like pizzas and pastas, as well as dairy-free desserts and puddings. Its line of products are currently available in the British market across multiple supermarket chains including Iceland, Asda and leading e-commerce retailer Ocado. 

LIVEKINDLY Collective, which operates as a company owning and controlling the entire value chain of both heritage and startup plant-based food brands, said that this latest transaction “underlines its ambition to spearhead the worldwide food revolution”. 

No Meat has been such an incredible success with its award winning, great value and great tasting products. This acquisition is a big step in delivering our mission of making plant-based food the new norm.

Domenico Speciale, U.K. General Manager, LIVEKINDLY Collective

It comes on the heels of its US$135 million capital raise last year, which it said would fuel its brand expansion and new market launches. The fundraising round was led by Zurich-based VC founded by Roger Lienhard, who is also the founder of the LIVEKINDLY Collective.

Commenting on its acquisition of No Meat, Domenico Speciale, general manager of LIVEKINDLY Collective in the U.K., described the move as “complementary to our current portfolio further strengthening our position in the frozen sector of the fast-growing plant-based meat category.”

“No Meat has been such an incredible success with its award winning, great value and great tasting products. This acquisition is a big step in delivering our mission of making plant-based food the new norm,” Speciale added. 

We are absolutely delighted to be partnering with LIVEKINDLY Collective both to bring the No Meat brand to new consumers globally and to significantly expand Iceland Foods’ plant-based product offering.

Andrew Staniland, Trading Director – Frozen, Iceland Foods

Kees Kruythoff, CEO and chairman of LIVEKINDLY Collective explained that bringing No Meat into its portfolio was a “natural next step” for the firm, whose strategy is to “scale rapidly and transform the current global food system.”

The acquisition also marks a new partnership between LIVEKINDLY Collective and Iceland Foods, who will begin retaining a number of the firm’s portfolio brands, including Oumph!, LikeMeat and Fry’s Family Food Co., across its stores in the U.K. and Ireland from April 2021 onwards. 

“We are absolutely delighted to be partnering with LIVEKINDLY Collective both to bring the No Meat brand to new consumers globally and to significantly expand Iceland Foods’ plant-based product offering,” said Andrew Staniland, trading director of the frozen category of Iceland Foods.

All images courtesy of No Meat.