Tyson just made its Raised & Rooted range vegan.
The company, one of the world’s largest poultry, beef, and pork producers, just revealed it removed egg whites from its plant-based nuggets.
“One recent and noble change we are making is to the formula for the Raised & Rooted Nugget to eliminate egg whites,” David Ervin, the company’s VP of alternative protein, told FoodNavigator-USA.
“We expect our new product to begin shipping to retailers in December,” he continued. “Moving forward, Raised & Rooted products will not contain any animal products.”
Tyson launched the plant-based brand last year. The range includes pea protein-based nuggets in original and spicy flavors, whole-grain tenders, and meat patties blended with Angus Beef and plant protein.
However, since Tyson plans on developing only plant-based products under the Raised & Rooted range, Ervin says the blended patties will be discontinued.
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Tyson Foods Embraces Vegan Foods
This isn’t the first time Tyson has delved into the vegan market.
The company has eyed the plant-based market for years, even investing in California-based food tech brand Beyond Meat in 2016. The company divested from the vegan meat producer right before it went public earlier this year in order to focus on developing its own plant-based products.
The meat giant also sees potential in cultured meat—protein grown from animal cells. It is an investor in Berkeley-based startup, Memphis Meats. The startup’s high-profile investors include Bill Gates, Kimball Musk, and animal protein giant Cargill. In May 2018, Tyson invested $2.2 million into the Israeli cultured meat startup Future Meat Technologies.
Additionally, Tyson holds investments in MycoTechnology, a mushroom-based protein company.
In October, fast-food chain Jack in the Box debuted its very first plant-based chicken sandwich. Called the Unchicken Sandwich, the new menu item features a plant-based filet by Raised & Rooted.
In a press release, Ervin said the sandwiches were “the best tasting plant-based product in the market today.”
The sandwiches were launched for a limited time in select locations in Reno, Nevada, and Monterey and Salinas, California. They featured pea protein-based patties in two varieties: original and spicy.
Ervin says the company plans on expanding its plant-based range. “Consumers can expect to see additional new plant-based offerings from Raised & Rooted and other established Tyson brands coming to store shelves and quick-service locations in 2021,” he explained.
