Veganly Deli Launches Superfood-Fuelled UK Vegan Deli Meats

Plant-based charcuterie anyone? Based in the U.K., Veganly Deli produces artisan vegan food, made by Michelin-trained chefs. It lists cured-style meats, cheeses and animal-free foie gras amongst its products. Their USP? Each meat has been made using superfood ingredients to increase protein and nutrient content.

The mission of Veganly Deli is to assist with mainstream acceptance of meat-free foods. It has focussed on luxury foodstuffs that have traditionally been difficult to replace. Everything currently sold by the company is vegan, cited as 100 percent natural, and free from refined sugar and additives.

Standing out in a crowd

As increasing numbers of vegan meat manufacturers enter the market, Veganly Deli is relying on its Michelin standards to set itself apart. In place of ‘regular’ flours, the company revealed that it favours a proprietary blend of organic hemp, rice, and pumpkin. The company says such blends make the meats suitable for a variety of diet styles, including keto, and paleo. 

In addition to unusual flours, there are added superfoods. Lucuma, ayurvedic gotu and baobab are all listed, with each offering individual benefits, namely anxiety and stress reduction. The result is a range of foods that Veganly Deli claims are the “cleanest, all-natural vegan products on the market.”

The brand is aiming for carbon neutrality by 2025 and a water monitoring system offers clear consumption data. Meats and cheeses are vacuum-sealed in biodegradable packaging for wholesale clients, with retail following in 2022. All other packaging is recyclable. 

So far, vegan meats and the ‘faux gras’ are available. Cheeses are expected later in Q1. A line of flavoured bries are slated to launch, with the company calling them as ‘real’ as dairy cheese.

Identifying a trend

Vegan meat is increasingly becoming a trend. Green Queen has just released its predictions for the year ahead and chief amongst them is a belief that most more exotic styles and cuts will be experimented with. High-end deli meats undoubtedly fall into this category. 

VFC, a fellow U.K. vegan meat brand, has just announced success in its latest fundraising round. The fried chick*n developer scooped £7.5 million to expedite U.S. expansion plans and production capacity. It comes after co-founder Matthew Glover’s other project, Veganuary, announced a record number of sign-ups for its 2022 campaign. The 600,000-strong figure was floated on social media, with numbers still climbing. 

With more choices entering the U.K. market, consumers will be able to consider a recent claim by NHS professional Dr. Shireen Kassam. She has claimed that adopting a vegan diet will save the troubled health service £30 billion, if everybody participates. She cited a Taiwanese study as proof of concept, with various costly diseases being linked to poor and meat-rich diets.

On the fast-food side of things, vegan meats have never been easier to find in the U.K. Burger King, KFC, Subway and McDonalds have all added permanent plant-based menu items, with Burger King taking the crown. The Plant-Based Whopper, Vegan Royale, and Vegan Nuggets have all proved popular and the company responded to concerns about cross-contamination by having its chicken products certified by The Vegan Society. The move came after uproar about the Plant-Based Whopper being cooked alongside meat patties.

All images courtesy of Veganly Deli.