In what could be touted as one of the biggest developments in the plant-based meat segment in India, New Delhi-based alternative protein company BVeg Foods has announced the launch of its sausages in over 91 outlets of convenience store chain 24Seven located across Delhi/NCR and Chandigarh.
The 100% vegetarian- and vegan-friendly products will be displayed in stores next to their conventional animal meat counterparts, in line with the global best practices for the category.
BVeg Foods aims to be a one-stop solution for plant-based meats, right from new product development, manufacturing, packaging, and labelling – all under one roof. This partnership, the company says, will push it further towards realising its goal to provide sustainable and high-quality food to consumers while contributing to reducing environmental pollution and creating a healthy food ecosystem for the future.
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“Our objective at BVeg Foods is to revolutionize the plant-based meat category. For the past one year, we have been working towards building strong in-house capabilities to offer the best products to our clients. We are delighted to launch the plant-based sausages at the 24Seven stores and are sincerely looking forward to the consumer feedback for them. Soon, we are also launching several of our other plant-based meat creations via various other channels,” Akanksha Ghai, Co-Founder, BVeg Foods said in a media release.
Samir Modi, Managing Director, 24Seven, stated, “24Seven has always kept up with the latest trends while adhering to its ideals of convenience, health and deliciousness. Continuing on this legacy, we are venturing into an all new product category. You can now find a plant-based hotdog at all 78 stores in Delhi NCR and soon we will also be serving them in the Tri-City area as well. We are confident that this category will show very rapid growth in the near future and 24Seven aims to be the first mover in this huge space. We are looking forward to a long term partnership with BVeg Foods and providing more exciting options in this category.”
Apart from being cruelty-free and environment-friendly, these plant-based sausages are a healthier alternative to animal meats as they contain zero cholesterol and zero trans-fat, while being protein-rich low-carb.
The launch timing coincides with the upcoming Navratri holiday season, when people celebrating often refrain from consuming non-vegetarian foods. However, since these sausages are made from plants, one may be able to indulge in them without any guilt.
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What are plant-based meats?
Plant-based meats are a next generation food innovation which are made entirely from plant ingredients such as pea protein and coconut oil, but which perfectly replicate the taste, smell, and sizzle of animal meat. They go far beyond the traditional soya nuggets or mock meats, and therefore offer non-vegetarians a simple switch which is far better for the environment in terms of land, water, and energy use and greenhouse gas emissions, and for public health because they do not increase the risk of antibiotic resistance and zoonotic diseases such as swine flu and avian flu.
This is particularly important in countries like India, where meat consumption is expected to rise radically over the next decades with rising incomes. The Government of India’s policy think tank NITI Aayog has identified that many Indian cities will run out of water by 2030 and climate resilience is an existential need for the country.
Globally, the plant-based sector is growing extremely rapidly, with several companies scaling to billions of dollars in size and even being listed on stock exchanges. Data from the Good Food Institute India, the leading nonprofit advancing the sector, shows that $3.1B was invested in the smart protein sector globally in 2020, up 3x from the year prior as enthusiasm and demand for sustainable and secure protein supply chains deepened during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Varun Deshpande, Managing Director at the Good Food Institute India, said, “The Indian plant-based meat sector is moving into an exciting phase of launches, and BVeg Foods’ partnership with 24Seven is an example of that progress. An expanding grocery and foodservice footprint is key to helping consumers access the meaty dishes they crave, without the guilt of impacting public and planetary health. As we build back from the pandemic, we expect several more of these launches across the country – kudos to 24Seven & BVeg Foods for leading the charge!”
In the pipeline
BVeg Foods said it is working on a variety of other product categories such as burger patties, nuggets, kebabs, amongst others.
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The company’s integrated plant-based meat processing facility will be the first-of-its-kind in India, equipped with the latest high moisture extrusion technology from Europe, capable of creating a variety of different textures such as chicken, lamb, fish, and more.
This technology can help BVeg Foods create a whole new high-protein category of products with texture and taste that is indistinguishable from animal-sourced meat, the company release stated.
