Plant based food is one trend that doesn’t look like its slowing anytime soon. Here in New Zealand, the number of people eating “meat-free” jumped 15 per cent between 2020 and 2021. And there’s plenty to tempt them. Each year food producers take product development up to a new level – from intriguing new milks to the development of fully vegan whole cuts of “meat”.
So whether 2022 is the year you’re going fully plant-based, flexing your flexitarian muscles, or just embracing “reducatarian-ism”, we’ve complied a list of exciting plant based food to try in 2022.
1. Vegetable Milk
Swedish brand DUG made headlines around the world when it launched the world’s first commercial potato milk. With almond, soy, oat, coconut and hemp going mainstream, low-fat and low-sugar milks made from vegies like potatoes and peas are on track to join them.
2. Homemade “Bacon”
Unofficially bacon is the hardest meat to give up. However there are a number of vegan bacon brands available (including New Zealand brand Sunfed’s Boar-Free Bacon) or you can even try making your own – recipes use anything from rice paper to tofu, tempeh and even coconut flakes as a base. When even the roast beef king Gordon Ramsey starts making a vegan BLT, it’s time to give this trend a go.
3. Animal-free jerky
Even Jerky – the traditional meat of cowboys and back country hikers everywhere – has caught the vegan buzz. New Zealand brand Off-piste has recently launched a range made from organic pea protein that promises all the chewy savoury goodness of the real deal.
4. Fish-free fish
With sustainability of fish stocks an ongoing global issue, the advent of fish-free fish is a welcome option for vegans and anyone doing their best to reduce their impact on the food chain. Check out the realistic look and texture of “Zalmon sashimi” – made from seaweed and vegetables. Other plant-based seafoods are also hitting shelves, including this award-winning plant based coconut shrimp .
5. Recycled food
Er…say that again? Yep you read it right. Recycled foods refer to new food products made from recycled ingredients or by-products from the food manufacturing process. An example is the Upcycled Grain Project, which uses the discarded malted barley used in the beer making process (brewers steep the grain to create flavour, keeping the liquid only) to make snack balls and crackers.
6. Fruit chips
Also embracing the waste-free buzz is US brand RIND, which is making the most of the nutrients found in every part of the fruit with its nutrient-dense snacks that use the peel/skin of the fruit. Oh and hey RIND…if you want to expand your chip range, we know where you can get some amazing Kiwano!
