This Veganuary, Check The Label

Right on time for the start of the year, the plant-based category courts consumers with the concept of Veganuary. Veganuary inspires and supports people to go vegan in January and beyond – around 629’000 global consumers have officially joined the movement in 2022.  Swiss FoodTech startup Planted, known for its clean-label juicy plant-based meats, is naturally joining. However, this year’s campaign doesn’t only ask consumers to put the planet first but above all also their health: This Veganuary, Check the label.   

Many companies in the plant-based category are full of good intentions.​ They claim to be good, better, and the best for ​the planet. However, this “goodness” unfortunately often stops at the ingredient list…​Methylcellulose, maltodextrin, ​sunflower lecithin, Tertiary butyl-​ 
hydroquinone, Dextrose, Calcium Hydroxide, ​Sodium Metabisulphite, ​E461 (Thickener), food starch-modified, soy leghemoglobin, mixed tocopherols (antioxidant), Acidity Regulators, Calcium Hydroxide, ​Sodium Metabisulphite… that’s just an excerpt of the used ingredients that you can find in many of the alternative protein ​products in today's shelfs. For better understanding: some of these ingredients may even be found in printer ink or shampoo.  

With the European wide “This Veganuary, Check the label” campaign, Planted aims to raise awareness of what consumers are putting in their bodies while rightfully putting the environment first. At the same time Planted sets a new standard for the plant-based meat category and has food lovers turning their backs on animal meat. A standard that rightfully also takes consumer health into account. Planted is convinced that alternative proteins will outperform animal meat in the future, but only if all aspects such as taste, sustainability, health, efficiency and price are taken into active consideration. 

“We love the awareness some companies originally created for the alternative protein space. However, we feel that a better approach is needed to convince consumers, hence we create products that are good for consumers, using only peas, sunflowers, oats and rapeseed oil as base. We go the extra mile to make great tasting products through a perfect process and high-quality ingredients, rather than using additives. This allows us to use a minimum of natural ingredients and thereby creating a new standard for the plant-based category of great tasting products with an exceptional meaty bite. The protein diversity of peas, sunflower and oats is great for consumer health and not only the environment.” Christoph Jenny, co-founder of Planted, explains.  

 Planted produces all its products in its own glasshouse production facility in Kemptthal, Switzerland - the first transparent meat production open to the public.  Over 65 employees work in the areas of science, engineering, and product development and combine extrusion technology and fermentation to manufacture all products.    All Planted meats are 100% plant-based and made only with carefully selected natural ingredients:  Peas, Sunflowers, Oats, Rapeseed Oil, Water, Vitamin B12.