In a bid to help people to eat less meat, Vivera is bringing its Goodness Revolution (good taste, good for you and good for the planet) to flexitarian kitchens all around the country.
One practical objection people often raise about being able to go meat-free more often, is that it takes more time to cook plant-based or vegetarian food than meat. While it is not necessarily true, there’s no doubt that convenience plays an important part in our food choices.
Vivera has been innovating in the meat-free space since 1990, developing delicious and easy to cook plant-based products. Available in the UK since 2017, it has even started selling in the meat aisles of selected stores this year in a bid to ‘help conscious consumers make eating less meat easier‘.
The Dutch company has just relaunched its entire range with bright and colourful packaging, adding two brand new products: Vivera Plant Chicken Goujons BBQ (perfect with some stir-fried greens) and Vivera Plant Chicken Tenders (which you can enjoy grilled or add to a Thai green curry, for example). Both sit alongside other British favourites including Vivera’s Plant Shawarma Kebab and Plant Steaks. There are now as many as 14 delicious products in the range.
Vivera’s products are rich in plant-based proteins (from GMO-free soy and wheat) and contain iron plus vitamin B12 as well as vegetables, added herbs and spices. Most take no time to prepare, requiring only 5 to 10 mins of cooking, so even if you have very little time you can still enjoy a vegan meal, with a tasty and flavoursome meaty bite.
One area Vivera could improve though, as with most convenience brands, is wasteful packaging. In the Netherlands Vivera packaging is fully recyclable but not in the UK, where the British recycling system (well behind its European counterparts) is only able to recycle the carton sleeves, made from FSC certified paper. The trays are made from recycled bottles, which is compared to other brands a step in the right direction.
Vivera’s CEO Willem van Weede (who sold off its meat operation earlier this year to concentrate on plant-based products) shared his excitement to be kickstarting the Vivera Goodness Revolution in the UK and the current global shift towards flexitarian diet. “We are inviting meat reducers to join us in our mission to make the world a better place, bite by bite. Making it tastier and easier for conscious consumers to reduce their meat intake is our number one motivation. Brits are ready for change. The time is now.”
As I have mentioned before, meat substitutes were key to get me started on my flexitarian journey. They made reducing meat consumption so much more manageable for the committed carnivore I once was. While the bulk of your diet should always be made of unprocessed wholefood, meat and fish substitutes can, from time to time, be an indispensable tool when trying to eat less meat.
Vivera’s range is available from £2.50 in Sainsbury’s, Asda, Tesco, Waitrose, Morrisons, Holland & Barrett, and Ocado.
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