Consumers in the UK will soon be able to purchase an entirely plant-based steak from Vivera at Tesco.
Just like the way cuts of meat are traditionally sliced and sold, the plant-based 'Veggie Steak' comes in a white tray-style package that calls out the product as a rich source of protein, fiber, iron and Vitamin B12. The packaging also includes an illustration that reinterprets the classic butcher diagram for the plant-based consumer.
The meat-free product is said to be meat-like, with a "smell, taste and bite [that] can hardly be distinguished from real steak." While there are a number of imitation meat products that have been launched over the years, specifically to cater to the needs of the vegan and vegetarian community, a new wave of hyper-realistic products is emerging to capture the interests of the carnivore.
Meatless Supermarket Steaks
Vivera's Plant-Based Steak Will Be Widely Available Through Tesco
Trend Themes
1. Hyper-realistic Plant-based Products - There is an emerging trend of creating hyper-realistic plant-based products to capture the interest of carnivores, showcasing a disruptive innovation opportunity for plant-based food companies to attract a more diverse market share.
2. Meat Replacement Products - The launch of Vivera's plant-based steak creates another trend: replacing traditional meat products with meatless alternatives, presenting a disruptive innovation opportunity for food companies to cater to the increasing demand for alternative solutions to animal products.
3. Innovative Packaging Designs - With Vivera's veggie steaks packaged similar to traditional meat products, there is a trend towards innovative packaging designs for plant-based products that play on classic meat imagery and calls out its benefits, offering a disruptive innovation opportunity for packaging companies to create new design concepts that cater to the growing plant-based market.
Industry Implications
1. Plant-based Food Industry - The plant-based food industry is on the rise, and the development of hyper-realistic meat substitutes like Vivera's veggie steak presents brands with an opportunity to offer more innovative and diverse products to appeal to a wider audience.
2. Meat Industry - The launch of meatless steak products like Vivera's veggie steak presents a challenge for the traditional meat industry to adapt and offer alternative solutions to consumers who are looking for more environmentally-friendly options, opening a disruptive innovation opportunity for meat companies to explore plant-based alternatives.
3. Packaging Industry - The trend towards plant-based products packaged similarly to traditional meat products offers new opportunities for the packaging industry to create designs that cater to both traditional and plant-based markets by taking inspiration from classic meat imagery while simultaneously showcasing the benefits of plant-based foods.