Good News Notes:

“Swedish furniture giant IKEA recently added plant-based chicken nuggets to its menu in the United States. The new option is part of a kids meal (recommended for children 12 and under) that includes broccoli and is priced at $3.49. While IKEA typically develops its own plant-based meats, these nuggets are made by a foodservice partner which meets IKEA’s health and sustainability standards. 

Monica Van Fleet, Food Commercial Leader at IKEA US, says the new plant-based chicken nuggets are also part of IKEA’s larger goals to move away from animal-derived meat products in an effort to reduce its carbon footprint. 

“We want to show people that eating in a way that supports our environment and our health doesn’t mean sacrificing flavor or fun,” Van Fleet told VegNews. “We have consciously chosen to make a growing percentage of our meals plant-based as part of our commitment to sustainability. At IKEA we believe that children are the most important people in the world so it was important to include a plant-based menu that would appeal directly to them.” 

IKEA gets into plant-based chicken

The nuggets on IKEA’s kids menu in the US are not the chain’s first foray into plant-based chicken. Last week, IKEA also updated its menu in the United Kingdom to include plant-based chicken strips. Currently priced at a promotional £3.00/$4.00 (regularly £3.35/$4.50), the new Chickless Strip Meal includes three meatless chicken strips, fries, and a drink.

In addition to plant-based chicken, IKEA has also explored meatless pork on its menu. In 2020, IKEA added a plant-based katsu curry option to its menus in Japan which featured a soy-based cutlet that resembled pork or chicken. In Hong Kong, IKEA partnered with local startup OmniFoods to add a horse-shaped meatless cutlet to its menu for the month of June in 2021….”

View the whole story here: https://vegnews.com/2022/3/ikea-vegan-meatballs-plant-based-chicken