Rival foods: Delicious 100% plant-based whole-cuts

According to vegan charity Viva! – There are an estimated 2.5 million vegans in the UK, which accounts for 4.7% of the adult population. The BBC Good Food website also points to a growing rise in flexitarians, now thought to be 23% of Brits, which leaves the door wide open for innovative plant-based dishes.

Rival Foods is a hot new contender, with its unique high-quality, plant-based whole-cuts range available to chefs and food professionals. The Dutch-based innovators use a cutting-edge technology called Shear Cell® to create meatlike textures from plant-based proteins, as CCO Willem Spigt explains, “This unique production method enables the creation of whole muscle cut products from plants using mild processing. Compared to the current extrusion technology, used by almost all plant-based food companies, Rival Foods creates very thick fibrous textures that mimic the sensation of eating the animal-based counterpart on all levels of the sensory spectrum, while using only a minimum amount of ingredients at a price competitive level compared to standard quality animal proteins.”

With no compromise on taste or texture, the result is a delicious, tender, succulent alternative to animal proteins, with the additional benefits of being highly sustainable and healthy. The result is a well-crafted range of plant-based products suitable for any fine dining or bistro establishment: chicken filet, pulled chicken and chicken satay and coming soon: tenderloin and fish steak.

In 2014, co-founder and CEO Birgit Dekkers firstly initiated research in the technological opportunities of plant-based proteins and secondly, how to form textures with them. After completing her Ph.D. project at Wageningen University in The Netherlands, Dr Dekkers joined forces with physicist and engineer CTO Ernst Breel to found the company in 2019.

Five years later, Rival Foods now has its headquarters in Amersfoort and production facility in the south of The Netherlands, allowing the Dutch company to scale-up distribution across the Netherlands, Germany, UK and France in foodservice and from 2025 in retail.

“Rival Foods is a B2B company, so we focus on producing for private or white label. Our technology allows our clients to bring back innovation to their product portfolios.”

One of the main reasons UK consumers are switching to plant-based meals is for a healthier lifestyle, which includes lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels amongst many other reasons. With this in mind, Rival foods uses only natural, non-GMO ingredients such as plant proteins, water, natural flavouring and a small bit of salt. What is more, the plant-based range from Rival Foods is quick and easy to cook, with the minimum of fuss and are delicious grilled, oven or pan-cooked.

If you love the taste of the Far East, try adding steamed, fluffy rice with a signature oriental sauce to the chunks of marinated Chicken Satay, with optional black-eyed beans or tofu.

Pulled meat normally requires hours of slow cooking and isn’t the most practical method for a busy food service environment. That’s where the plantbased Pulled Chicken product from Rival Foods comes in. Perfect in a casserole, stew or as a mid-week treat with leafy vegetables and mash.

The last product is a hugely versatile option: plant-based Chicken Filet, equally delicious in a Caesar salad, burger bun or as part of a nutritious main course. The sky’s the limit!

With such delicious plant-based options, we wondered where Rival Foods is going next and put the question to Willem, “Currently Rival Foods is selling a range of chicken-like products to selected restaurants in The Netherlands and Germany, offering products like our marinated chicken filet, chicken blocks for skewers and pulled chicken. Rival Foods is developing products in other categories like Red Meat and Fish, such as our Fish Filet and Tenderloin and will be launching those later in the year.”

“Rival Foods believes that just as in animal-based proteins the whole cut segment will eventually make up around 50% of the plant-based meat category. To get there, consumers want delicious tasting, affordable and healthy products and that’s exactly what Rival Foods is offering their clients.”

To find out more about these delicious plant-based options for your food service sector, please see the website below: www.rival-foods.com