Hormel Foods is the latest meat company to grow its plant-based product offering with the launch of the Happy Little Plants range.
Going on sale in the US this week, the line’s flagship product is a ground plant-based protein alternative that contains 20g of non-GMO soy protein and is free from preservatives.
Happy Little Plants products have distribution in select retail outlets in the US, with further expansion planned in the coming months. Hormel claimed numerous retailers and foodservice operators have expressed interest based on range’s “exceptional taste, versatility and simple ingredient statement”.
“Hormel Foods has one of the most admired brand portfolios in the industry, led by our legacy of industry-leading innovation,” said Jim Splinter, group vice president of corporate strategy at Hormel Foods.
“We are continuing to build an organisation that has the agility and adaptability to create products to align with today’s dynamic marketplace.”
He added: “We understand consumers across a spectrum of lifestyles are adopting more flexible attitudes and behaviours when thinking about food, especially given the wide variety of products available in the marketplace. We intend to focus on all the ways plants can help consumers find alternatives in their food routines.”
The Happy Little Plants brand is part of Hormel’s plant-based and blended protein innovation efforts, which began in 2014 with the launch of the Hormel Fuse burger in the company’s foodservice business.
Today, retail and foodservice product offerings have expanded to include additional plant-based pizza topping items produced at the Burke Corporation subsidiary and the Applegate Blend Burger, a product that mixes organic meat with organic mushrooms.
The launch comes as Kellogg-owned MorningStar Farms this week revealed plans to release a new plant-based line, including its first ready-to-cook meat alternative burger.
© FoodBev Media Ltd 2024
