Plant-based protein brand Gardein has announced a partnership with the Meatless Monday organization to help promote vegan dining options throughout the nation’s leading food-service operators and restaurant suppliers.
The program aims to help restaurants and cafeterias meet the growing demand for plant-based options.
“We are proud to partner with Meatless Monday and offer our customers a way to meet their patrons’ health and wellness needs, help the environment, and increase profits by adding 100%plant-based protein to their menus,” Tom Meyers, vice president of food service for Gardein’s parent company, Pinnacle Foods, said in a statement.
According to Pinnacle foods, a recent study found that nearly 80 percent of restaurant customers consume vegetarian meals more than once a week. “By adding more plant-based items to a menu, restaurants can capture additional traffic and revenue from patrons seeking vegetarian options and reduce their environmental impact because plant-based protein uses significantly less water and fossil fuel (oil, natural gas, and coal).” The company says the “meat-like texture and taste of gardein™ plant-based protein” can easily be used as substitutes for chicken, beef, or fish “in most recipes,” an option that “provides restaurants with center-of-the-plate options that are 100% plant-based.”
The partnership between Gardein and Meatless Monday “make it easy for restaurants and food operators to implement Meatless Monday programs,” said Peggy Neu, president of The Monday Campaigns. And she says the move can attract new diners and “meet existing customers’ demand for healthier options.”