Plant-based seafood analog maker OmniFoods is seeking to gain traction in the British dining scene with a new vegan fish and chips dish using the company's signature Golden Fillet product. The company aims to introduce the product to the U.K. retail sector in June 2022.
A recent promotional giveaway of the new product at several London restaurants yielded “lots of good feedback, people were amazed by the taste and texture which is so close to the real one,” a company spokesperson told SeafoodSource.
Free servings of fish and chips were distrubuted at vegetarian restaurants Veto Meato and Hank’s Dirty, as well as at Sutton & Sons – a traditional fish and chips eatery. Servings were also offered via Deliveroo deliveries.
The Hong Kong-based company already distributes OmniPork in Britain, and aims to sell its range of seafood - aside from the Golden Fillet, it also sells OmniTuna and OmniSalmon - to 20 markets, following the example set by the OmniPork product range also developed by OmniFoods, a division of the Green Monday group. OmniFoods distributes the Golden Fillet to Starbucks outlets in Hong Kong.
“The Omni Golden Fillet is now available in our partnered restaurants only, not yet for retail,” explained the company spokesperson, adding the firm will be showing the product at the Vegan Life Live in London event in June 2022, where they plan to launch retail packs of the Golden Fillet.
Alternative protein meat and seafood is reaching price parity with traditional meat products, according to research recently published by ADM. Rising food inflation has not yet impacted sales, the OmniFoods spokesperson said, and may indeed be a driver for acceptance of plant-based meats.
“We do not see an impactful cost increase in our production yet. We think this inflation in the U.K. due to increase in food cost is a sign to restaurant operators to at least start increasing the plant-based ratio of their menu option," they said. "Plant-based meat is surely a more economical, stable supply to the restaurant and retail.”
Photo courtesy of OmniFoods
