Major Food Brands Embrace Vegetarian Shift

This article was last updated on March 26, 2024

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The Significant Shift

Food manufacturing has been given a new mandate: seven brand names are transforming their meal recipes so that half of them do not incorporate fish or meat. Initiated by Wakker Dier, an animal welfare organization, these changes mark a significant shift in food production and consumption patterns. The transformation concerns recipes on the packaging of diverse spice mixes, rice dishes, and fresh packets from well-recognized brands, including Conimex, Fairtrade Original, Jumbo, Knorr, Koh Tai, Patak’s, and Plus.

An Insight into the Investigation

Curious about the amount of meat or fish in food products, Wakker Dier analyzed 657 recipes on packaging in supermarkets only to find that a whopping 82 percent of them contained meat or fish. Motivated by this discovery, the aforementioned brands committed to changing the status quo.

Driving Healthier and More Conscious Choices

Esther Van Spronsen, the director of the nutrition department at Unilever (which covers Knorr and Conimex), disclosed that by next year, half of the recipes will be vegetarian. The realization that an average of 40 percent of the Dutch population consumes plant proteins pushed Van Spronsen to advance this initiative. If we aim to enhance the environment and promote healthier lifestyles, the figure has to reach 60 percent, as per Van Spronsen. Van Spronsen believes that these modifications could manipulate people’s food decisions: “One in three people literally follow the recipe given on the back of the packaging”. By introducing entirely vegetarian recipes on packaging, food manufacturers facilitate their consumers to make healthier and more conscious decisions. This adjustment aligns with the values of Wakker Dier, which sees packaging as an effective medium to inspire consumers with simple, plant-based dishes.

Leading Brands Embrace Change

Notably, it wasn’t arduous to persuade brands like Knorr and Conimex to tweak their recipes. A similar positive response was noted from the other brands too: “Achieving 50 percent of all recipes to be plant-based is already very ambitious. It would be beneficial if we eventually migrate to even more plant-based nutrition”, said Collin Molenaar, a representative from Wakker Dier. Although, not all responses were in favor. Honig announced that it would not be making any changes. Recipes from Albert Heijn, Maggi, Grand’Italia, and Lassie too were put through this scrutiny. While Albert Heijn, and Maggi expressed interest in adding plant-based tips, they did not intend to readjust their recipes. On a brighter note, Grand’Italia and Lassie were the only brands where nearly half of the recipes were already free of meat or fish.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the ongoing shift by these seven major food manufacturers marks an important step toward conscious, plant-based nutrition.