One day in the fall of 2018, Jenny Goldfarb suddenly wanted to eat corned beef and pastrami sandwiches.
Goldfarb’s family opened a kosher deli in New York, and for her, that was the taste of childhood. The problem is: She is now a vegan and cannot eat beef.
So, she tried adding beetroot to wheat gluten powder to make it appear “meat”, and then marinated it with brine and spices. A few months later, she succeeded in making a vegan alternative.
She brought her vegan corned beef and rushed from her home in the San Fernando Valley to a deli in Los Angeles. In the end, the delicatessen ordered 50 pounds of vegan corned beef. Goldfarb was sitting in the car and couldn’t help crying with joy.
These days, Goldfarb’s Unreal Deli has delivered up to 50,000 pounds of vegan corned beef and turkey to grocery stores across the country, and recently introduced a new vegan steak slice.
”We have just passed Publix’s entry audit,” Goldfarb said. “They not only sell it by themselves, but also put it on the shelves in the deli counter in the supermarket.”
With animal milk substitutes such as soy milk and oat milk , And Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods successfully developed vegan burgers, and a variety of plant-based products appeared on restaurant menus and grocery store shelves. Nowadays, from small startups to well-known big brands, everyone wants a piece of the pie.
This summer, Panda Express has added a “Tangerine Peel Chicken” made from Beyond Meat chicken to the menus of some stores in the United States. Peet’s Coffee has a vegan breakfast sandwich that uses artificial eggs made from mung beans. 16Handles soft ice cream shop in New York cooperated with Oatly to launch a series of vegan desserts in chocolate, Indian tea and ice latte flavors. In addition, the seafood chain Long John Silver’s also tried out plant crab cakes and fish steaks in 5 branches in California and Georgia.
More than a year ago, Manhattan’s Michelin restaurant Eleven Madison Park closed due to the epidemic. In June of this year, the restaurant reopened with a new plant menu.
“In the beginning there was only hamburgers. Now, plant-based foods have covered almost all types.” said Marie Molde, a nutritionist and trend analyst at Datassential Research. “Plant-based chicken will definitely be popular. ”
The consumer demand for meat is declining, and restaurants and grocery stores have adjusted accordingly. According to Nielsen IQ’s data, since 2019, sales of fresh fruits in grocery stores have increased by nearly 11%, and sales of fresh vegetables have increased by 13%.
True vegans or vegetarians in a broad sense are only a small part—a Gallup poll in 2018 showed that vegetarians make up 5% of the U.S. population—the goals of these new companies and new products are not Not here.
What they need to conquer is the taste buds of those who are interested in vegetarian food, or so-called flexible vegetarians. This group of Americans who want to reduce their meat intake are far more numerous than true vegetarians. Some people refuse to eat meat because they are worried about animal abuse, while others are worried about environmental and health issues.
This fall, New Wave Foods’ artificial shrimp made from seaweed and plant protein powder will appear on the restaurant’s menu. The company’s chief executive officer Mary McGovern said: “Our target group is not just vegans—the market is too small.”
McGovern expanded his sights to include millennials, flexible vegetarians and vegans. People who are interested in trying new plant-based foods. She said: “I have worked in the food industry for 30 years, and I have never seen a market structure change like today.”
Restaurants are also trying to catch up with this trend. Data from the NPD Group shows that compared to 2019, orders for plant-based products from large food distributors increased by 20% in June this year.
However, attracting flexible vegetarians or consumers who occasionally choose vegetarian foods is not an easy task. They know what the taste and texture of real shrimp and turkey are, and if the vegan alternative is not tasty, they will not repurchase it.
Megan Schmitt of Chicago turned from a vegetarian to a vegan about 4 years ago. She still remembered how disappointed she was with the vegan cheeses sold in the market. “It’s like eating cardboard or rubber,” she said.
Schmidt began experimenting with fermenting various nut mixtures, and later switched to soybeans. “I like to use cheese as a canvas. This is my art.” Schmidt said, “I want my products to be both good-looking and delicious.”
Reina Montenegro also encountered a similar situation. thing. There is a kind of luncheon meat that she has been eating since she was a child. For 6 years, she has always wanted to make a vegan version. She said: “The last thing I ate before becoming a vegan was luncheon meat, because I knew it would never be eaten again.” Later, she discovered that OmniFoodsr’s oval vegetable luncheon meat looks very similar to normal luncheon meat. picture. Montenegro said she spent almost a full year on the company’s executives before they agreed to import. Her Chef Reina restaurant in Brisbane, California specializes in vegan Filipino cuisine. The restaurant finally became one of 12 American restaurants using OmniFoods products in April this year.
”The ingredients are quickly used up.” Montenegro said, “OmniFoods products are only a little different from real luncheon meat-lower sodium content. The taste and texture are simply perfect.”
Goldfarb of Unreal Deli Originally Plan to promote their own vegan cooked food through restaurants. As of the beginning of last year, she has signed supply agreements with many restaurants, stadiums and universities. After the outbreak, she quickly turned her attention to the grocery store.
Now, she has opened a dialogue with many chain restaurants.
”Vegans and vegetarians will choose us. Flexible vegetarians are what we must strive for.” Goldfarb said.
