Tyson Foods is bursting into the analogue-meat space with a lineup of new products, both purely plant-based and blends of plant protein and meat.
Tyson announced June 13 the creation of Raised & Rooted, a new brand devoted to plant-based protein. Its products will include plant-based analogue chicken nuggets, made with a blend of pea protein isolate and other plant ingredients, due to launch in late summer, and burgers with a combination of pea protein isolate and Angus beef, scheduled for rollout this fall.
The products will complement Tyson’s existing line of Aidells Whole Blends fully-cooked sausage links and meatballs, made with a combination of chicken and plant ingredients including chickpeas, black beans, quinoa, lentils and barley.
“For us, this is about ‘and’ – not ‘or,’” Tyson CEO Noel White said in a statement. “We remain firmly committed to our growing traditional meat business and expect to be a market leader in alternative protein, which is experiencing double-digit growth and could someday be a billion-dollar business for our company.”
Tyson has invested in meat alternatives, including cell-based meat developers like Memphis Meats, through Tyson Ventures, its capital fund. It also had invested in Beyond Meat, a leading independent producer of plant-based analogue meat products, but pulled out just before Beyond’s IPO.
