Planted Unveils Plant-Based Whole-Muscle Steak

Planted, a Switzerland-based maker of fermented, plant-based meat alternatives, has introduced a plant-based steak, which is the first product in the company’s new whole-muscle meat alternative platform.

The Planted.steak product has rolled out to several restaurants in Europe, and the company plans to also make it available in retail stores soon, a spokesperson for Planted told SFA News Daily.

“Stay tuned for prompt retail launches within the next weeks to months,” said Vicky Kummer, head of corporate communications at Planted Foods AG.

She also said that although the company is currently focused on expansion in Europe, the U.S. market “is of future interest.”

The Planted.steak product is made from natural ingredients, including soya protein, rapeseed oil, bean and rice flours, and a proprietary blend of microbial cultures, the company said. It includes high protein and fiber content, along with vitamin B12 and iron, and it is low in saturated fats.

Plant-based whole-muscle meat alternatives have been described as the Holy Grail of the plant-based industry, as researchers in labs around the world seek to recreate the flavor, texture, and other properties that consumers enjoy about animal-based whole-muscle meats. Other companies that have brought plant-based, whole-muscle meat alternatives to market include Meati Foods, which uses its own MushroomRoot ingredient to create steaks and cutlets, and Juicy Marbles, which touts itself as the first maker of “plant-based ribs with edible bones” and also has steak and loin products.

In fact, “ingredient cut substitutes” are the only form of plant-based meat alternatives that showed volume sales growth in February, according to a recent report from 210 Analytics and Circana. U.S. retailers sold 147,000 pounds of these items during the month, an increase of 67.9 percent, compared with a year ago.

At Planted, the company also touts the sustainable nature of its Planted.Steak and other products. Planted said the creation of its steak alternative uses 97 percent less CO2 equivalent emissions per product weight than its animal-based counterpart and 81 percent less fresh water.

Planted’s whole-muscle platform was funded in part by a grant last year of 2 million Swiss francs (about $2.3 million USD) from the Swiss Innovation Agency, Innosuisse. Planted said it also plans to create more products through its whole-muscle platform.

The Planted.steak is currently available in several restaurants In Switzerland and Germany, including Tim Raue, a Michelin-starred restaurant in Berlin, and in burger chain Le Burger in Austria. Planted’s other products, which include a variety of chicken, duck, kebab, and pulled pork alternatives, are available in several European restaurants and supermarkets, including Tesco, Morrisons, Planet Organic, Ocado, and others.

Kummer said the Planted.steak product is competitively priced with animal meat.

“One of our most important goals is to reach price parity with animal meat,” she said. “In order to reach mass and thus generate an impact for the environment, the price point is one of the most important levers.”

Image: Planted