Premier Foods, the company behind household name brands such as Mr Kipling and Bisto gravy, has announced the launch of its first plant-based 'beef' flavoured vegan stock cubes as part of its Oxo brand.
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The company has not yet released details of stockist or given a launch date but has revealed that the beef-flavoured stock cubes will “start appearing on supermarket shelves soon.”
In order to create a product that adds a complex, meaty taste to meals, Premier Foods has used extra yeast and an ‘altered mix of herbs and spices.’
The vegan stock cubes will be packed in Oxo’s traditional red packaging but will be clearly labelled ‘meat-free’ to make it easier for shoppers to identify.
According to The Guardian, they will retail at at £1.59 for a pack of 12, the same prices as other non-vegan products in the Oxo range.
The move towards plant-based alternatives comes after new market research from Mintel found that almost a quarter of food products launched in the UK in 2019 was vegan.
Keen to tap into this lucrative market, Premier Foods chief executive, Alex Whitehouse, told The Guardian: “The whole plant-based eating thing is clearly very important. There was a clear role for a vegan but beef-flavoured cube.”