Queensland food business Fenn Foods is set to launch a first-of-its-kind carbon neutral plant based meat product in the coming months.
The plant based meat manufacturer is best known for its Veef products which are widely distributed across Australia through major supermarkets and restaurant chains.
Award-winning vegan chef and owner of Fenn Foods Alejandro Cancino told Inside FMCG that the aim is to create a more sustainable plant-based product.
“With Veef our aim is to come up with great meat replacements, the focus in this case is not what we used, but how to bring a replacement that is delicious and more sustainable,” he said.
Fenn Foods partnered with carbon reduction institute Noco2 on the project.
“They then assist us on becoming carbon neutral by offsetting the Co2 emission by investing in renewable energies and other projects,” Cancino said.
Interest in plant based diets is growing, with CSIRO estimating the industry in Australia to be worth more than $6 billion by 2030.
| “I have been a chef for over 17 years and I went vegan seven years ago. I felt the better plant based products I can bring to market, the more chances to make people transition to a more sustainable diet, that is better for us, the animals and the planet,” Cancino said.
With sustainability front of mind for consumers, Cancino believes in the power of sustainability ratings. |
“I would personally rather have labels on the impact on the planet, than the health rating,” he said.
Fenn Foods is planning to open an innovation centre in the next couple of years to focus on delivering more plant based products.
Allen Zelden founder of Intrinity Global told Inside FMCG the Fenn Foods move sends a powerful message to the global food economy and other businesses to be more responsible and reduce their impact on the environment.
“With the pandemic likely to impact purchasing behaviour as consumers make more mindful and sustainable decisions around what they eat and feed their families, Fenn Foods’ commitment to show leadership around climate change issues sends an inspirational message to their Australian consumers,” Zelden said.
“Now more than ever, it’s no longer possible for a food business to only communicate their functional and nutritional benefits for their products. Only those with authentic ‘purpose’ will see more long-term engagement, while those that neglect to have this risk becoming displaced.”