When the university canteen used labels like “sweet sizzlin’ green beans and crispy shallots,” “zesty ginger-turmeric sweet potatoes,” and “rich buttery roasted sweet corn,” they sold significantly more than if the same dishes were given health-promoting labels, or simply called beans or sweet potatoes.
Meanwhile, Korteweg, the Dutch producer of vegetable-based chicken and bacon, now is selling his products across Europe, and in Israel and South Korea.
In Britain and the Netherlands almost all are sold by supermarkets, which are also beginning to use them in ready-made meals and salads.
His first client was a butcher near Rotterdam. “He tasted our products and said, ‘It isn’t necessary for me to use meat. I just want to use tasty products’,” Korteweg said.
The “meats” are made from wheat, beans, peas, soya, and other plant-based proteins, which are fed into a machine that helps give them a meat-like texture. Natural flavors are added to create the taste.
“My dream is that in 20 or 30 years’ time we won’t need animals anymore, and we will feed wheat and peas not to animals but to machines that can produce very tasty meat products in a sustainable, healthy, and more intelligent way,” he said.
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