Consumers of all ages are becoming increasingly experimental with their food choices, with a surge in those following a plant-based, meat-free, vegan, vegetarian or flexitarian diet, and those cutting out animal products from their diets for health, lifestyle and environmental reasons.
We offer a range of individual ingredients, seasonings and blends suitable for meat-free and plant-based dishes under our Lähde foodservice brand. Chefs can incorporate these into contemporary dishes such as roasted cauliflower, pulled jackfruit tacos, nachos and slaws, sweet potato katsu curry, root vegetable wellington, and squash-based dishes.
We also supply seasonings for vegan pies, pasties and sausage rolls, plant-based burgers, vegan paté or ‘faux-gras’, veggie black pudding, and stuffing for meat-free sausages. It’s key to trial and test products before you launch them, to ensure they are hitting all the key notes in terms of flavour, texture, aroma, convenience and overall satisfaction.
Vegan junk food in particular, such as pizzas, burgers, kebabs, grilled and fried foods, is becoming increasingly mainstream and widely available in meat-free formats.
Tahini is another a great ingredient we offer for vegan and vegetarian foods. It’s a natural accompaniment to falafel and Middle Eastern dishes, and also works well on loaded fries, as a dip or dressing on salads.
We put the increase in veganism down to several key factors: environmental awareness and concerns for animal welfare and sustainability, high profile vegans and influential figures, social media and bloggers, cookery books, and an increased understanding of wellness and mindfulness.
Year-round, there are consumers who follow a flexitarian diet and often choose to eat meat-free for personal health and environmental reasons. Yes, there are consumers following vegan diets and lifestyles every day of the week, but there are also groups of people cutting back on meat and animal products, and they want interesting choices on their restaurant menu or on the store shelf.
There’s no need for vegan offerings to be boring or difficult as long as you have good quality ingredients and look to international foods for inspiration. Perceptions towards plant-based foods are changing and chefs and food manufacturers should embrace this and get creative with meat-free foods.
We already supply several ingredients for meat-free meals and our herbs, spices, seasonings and blends can help chefs, retailers and brands create new plant-based and meat-free products and open up new opportunities.
All our vegan blends are available in organic and conventional format under our dedicated Lähde brand. The versatile blends are designed to add alternative flavours and textures to plant-based meals, starters and accompaniments and tap into consumers’ love of world flavours and alternative ingredients in meat-free foods.
Contact us to find out more about our ingredients for meat-free, plant-based, vegetarian and vegan foods.