Australian plant-based meat startup v2food will begin rolling out in more than 600 Woolworths stores from today. Based on the growing consumer appetite for plant-based alternatives, Woolworths will now make v2mince and v2burgers available to consumers in the majority of its stores.
Founded as a collaboration between CSIRO, Main Sequence Ventures and Jack Cowin’s Competitive Foods, v2food’s mission is to create great-tasting plant-based meat for Aussie consumers that will help more sustainably satisfy the planet’s demand for meat.
v2food first created the Hungry Jack’s Rebel Whopper in October 2019. Since then, the startup has created v2burgers and v2mince, which recently launched through Marley Spoon and Dinnerly as well as QSR outlets such as Soul Burger. In August 2020 the products rolled out in 61 Drakes supermarkets in South Australia and Queensland. The deal with Woolworths represents a significant step towards v2’s ambitions to make plant-based meat a regular item on Aussie dinner tables.
One of the biggest barriers facing plant-based meat has been the premium price attached to many of the products currently in the market. Understanding that there will not be mass acceptance of meat alternatives until value is comparable to their animal equivalents, v2food has launched their products with a retail price of $8.50 for 500g of v2mince and $9 for a four-pack of v2burgers.
“We’re continuing to see growth in the plant-based category, particularly in recent months as customers cook more at home and are looking for variety in their diet. We’re excited to offer v2food within our broader range, giving Aussies a great tasting and affordable plant-based option.” said Woolworths plant-based category manager Mauro Pisani.
“With the world’s population set to reach 10 billion people by 2050, demand for meat is growing exponentially. This is driving some of the greatest health, food security and sustainability challenges facing our world. But people’s habits are only going to change if they have alternatives that taste just as good as the real thing, at a fair price and which can be easily replicated in their favourite meals,” said Nick Hazell, v2food founder and CEO.
“With Woolworths ranging v2 in over 600 of their stores, we now have a real chance to show Aussies how good plant-based meat can taste, helping them make food choices that are better for the planet. I am incredibly proud of the scale that v2food has been able to achieve in such a short space of time, which is testament to the strength of our product. This is an exciting milestone for both us, and for Aussie dinners.”
Recent research from Food Frontier found that six in ten Aussies and Kiwis have tried or want to try plant-based meat (equivalent to 15 million Australians), whilst a YouGov survey, commissioned by v2food, found that 49 percent of Australians want to reduce their meat intake.
At the same time, a new study by Food Frontier and co-authored by Accredited Practising Dietitian Teri Lichtenstein shows that plant-based meat can offer consumers a healthier alternative to similar conventional meat products.