UK Vegan Brand Meatless Farm Expands To Australia

UK vegan brand The Meatless Farm Co. has launched its products in Australia, which is the world's third fastest-growing market for plant-based foods.

Due to increased awareness of environmental sustainability, animal welfare, and a focus on healthy lifestyles, many Australian consumers reduce their meat consumption and try plant-based and 'flexitarian' diets. It is estimated that the number of Australians who eat 'all or mostly vegetarian' went up from 1.7 million in 2012 to nearly 2.5 million in 2019.

Meatless Farm is collaborating with two distributors in different parts of the country: Bidfood Botany and Decade Foods.

Morten Toft Bech, the founder of Meatless Farm, said, "We're committed to creating plant-based meats that deliver on taste, texture and nutrition. We're thrilled to be entering Australia in partnership with Decade Foods. More and more Australians are looking to reduce the amount of meat they're eating, for both health and environmental reasons, and this shows no sign of slowing down."

The brand's meat-free products will also be served in local restaurants. Sydney burger bar Suburgia will be one of the first to feature Meatless Farm products on the menu. 

"The look, cook, taste, and quality of their plant-based meats make Meatless Farm a good fit for us. Adding their burger patties and sausages to our menu lets us expand the fun, fresh, and quality menu that we provide to our customers", said Mike Jefferies from Suburgia.

Meatless Farm spent over two years researching, developing and testing different recipes and ingredients to create their plant-based range, which today includes sausages, mince and burgers.

The range debuted in supermarkets across the UK in 2018 and expanded to the United States in August 2019

This year, the company reported a 149 per cent spike in sales during the 12 weeks leading up to January 25 2020, as compared to the same time period in 2019.

A spokesperson for Decade Foods said, "We're excited to be offering one of the world's leading plant-based meat brands to our customers. It's a challenging time for the food services sector, but the move towards plant-based eating is a long-run trend, and our customers continue to plan for the future."

"Decade's sole focus is bringing plant-based foods to Australia that consumers will embrace on taste grounds alone. We started with a global search for the tastiest plant-based meat range that was yet to arrive in Australia, and Meatless Farm was the clear winner. They'll make a strong addition to Australia's plant-based meat market."

The plant-based market in Australia is projected to grow from AUD $150 million a year currently, to as much as AUD $4.6 billion by 2030.