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American employee-owned supermarket chain Publix has just expanded its plant-based range under its GreenWise brand with vegan chicken tenders. The new GreenWise Chickenless tenders will be landing in stores across the U.S. this month, adding to the private label’s existing vegan range that includes a plant-based meat burger and veggie burgers.
Publix is tapping into the vegan meat trend, expanding GreenWise’s plant-based offerings with a new GreenWise Chickenless Tenders product. Made from pea protein, the vegan chicken tenders will be launching across more than 1,200 Publix outlets across the U.S. this August. It follows the brand’s Meatless Burger launch earlier in April this year, which marked the company’s first foray into the plant-based meat segment.
GreenWise Chickenless Tenders
The new plant-based chicken tenders will be made from 100% plant ingredients including pea protein, fava bean protein, pea fibre, canola oil and natural flavourings. Each serving contains 11 grams of protein, and is completely free from soy and gluten.
It boasts a similar ingredient list to the GreenWise Meatless Burger, which also uses a base of pea protein and is flavoured with garlic powder, onion powder, vinegar, and naturally coloured using beet powder. Each burger patty, which is also soy and gluten-free, boasts 19 grams of plant protein.
Both products represent Publix’ entry into the plant-based meat market, with its previous range of vegan-friendly products under the GreenWise brand offering mainly traditional vegetarian burgers like the black bean burger and garden vegetable burger.
Responding to plant-based demand
According to Publix, the launch of its new GreenWise plant-based meat products comes amid surging demand for more vegan options from mainstream consumers. Within the U.S., retail sales of plant-based products reached an all-time high last year, topping $7 billion for the first time.
Globally, consumers have been shifting to plant-forward diets more than ever before, with many opting to go “part-time vegan”, a practice known as flexitarianism. Euromonitor estimates that as many as 42% of all consumers globally now consider themselves flexitarians.
“Customers are requesting more plant-based options to incorporate into their diets,” commented Maria Brous, communications director at Publix. “By developing these meatless products under our trusted private-label GreenWise brand, we are offering our customers high-quality options to support their lifestyle.”
Brous added that the retail chain is also making strides to cater to increasingly conscious shoppers with various sustainability initiatives such as sourcing more local produce and expanding its range of vegan alternatives with popular brands like Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods, as well as offering natural substitutes like fresh jackfruit.
Vegan chicken wars
GreenWise is setting foot into an increasingly crowded market, with startups and established food players all offering various plant-based chicken products in recent months. The latest to announce its entry into the category is food tech giant Impossible Foods, after its rival Beyond Meat rolled out Beyond Chicken Tenders across 400 restaurants in North America.
Tyson Foods’ Raised & Rooted brand recently decided to ditch eggs from its entire product line-up, making its chicken-free nuggets 100% vegan, while agribusiness major Cargill is selling vegan chicken nuggets under its PlantEver label in mainland China.
Other brands that sell plant-based chicken include Singapore-based Tindle, Spain’s Heura, Nuggs by Simulate, Daring Foods, Conagra subsidiary Gardein and Maple Leaf Foods’ Lightlife brand.
Lead image courtesy of Unsplash.
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