Quorn Foods is supplying its fungi-based mycoprotein for use in products containing meat that are available in the UK.
The company, one of the most prominent meat-free businesses in the country, is working with the UK’s National Health Service, which has put the so-called ‘blended’ products on menus.
Quorn, which, according to owner Monde Nissin has seen sales come under pressure in recent quarters, is also teaming up with unnamed catering customers to develop similar products.
“Reduction in meat consumption is not happening fast enough or with enough scale to have the impact we need it to,” Quorn Foods CEO Marco Bertacca said. “This is about looking for new solutions to reach more consumers and make a meaningful difference to the fight for our planet.”
Last year, it emerged Monde Nissin had set up a division to sell the mycoprotein ingredient behind Quorn to other food manufacturers.
Bertacca told Just Food today (28 June) the company was “still in the development stages of our catering partnerships”.
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“We are working with one of the largest catering companies in the world, and the opportunity will see us feed millions of consumers every day with these options,” he said.
Asked what products are being worked on and when they would hit menus, Bertacca added: “Our partners who are making the products control the timings, but we expect to see items on menu by the end of the year. There are already blended solutions on NHS menus and we will continue to build on these.
“This project will see us support the partner as they develop their own staple menu items, such as burgers and sausages, that contain a blend of Quorn and meat.”
Quorn Foods sells its range of branded meat-free products into retailers across the UK, as well as in select markets in Europe and North America. The company also supplies foodservice customers inside and outside the UK, with some tie-ups allowing the business to market the Quorn brand on menus.
Bertacca underlined that the company’s work to develop the hybrid products was on a B2B basis.
“Nothing will be produced under the Quorn brand. The new products will be made by our catering customers, we will be working with them to supply our product only. Quorn branding will not go on menu or on pack, but mycoprotein will of course be referenced in the ingredients,” he said.
