A PIONEERING Scottish start-up is set to bring its range of meat-alternative products to children’s soft play venues, schools and colleges around the country.
DARING Foods’ range, which includes Cluck-Free nuggets and Moo-less burgers, is already available in more than 35 Scottish restaurants, and will soon be rolled out across educational establishments, including Dundee and Angus College.
The products were introduced to Wonder World’s soft play centre in Glasgow earlier this month and will shortly launch across the remaining four sites.
The start-up’s founder, Ross Mackay, frequently visited Wonder World’s Glasgow centre with his nephew and found meat-free options at the venue’s cafe were limited.
Mackay said: “Adopting a plant-based diet is the best thing a young person can do to mitigate the pressures of global food production. Our products use just a fraction of the water and land in production compared to animal meat.
“More and more people are making a shift towards eating less meat. We provide delicious, nutritious and sustainable food that vegans, vegetarians and meat eaters can enjoy together.
“We are very excited that families across Scotland will be able to enjoy our range before, during and after play. It’s important that children understand that switching to meat-free products can be a tasty and nutritious way to help save the planet. Feedback from parents has always that meatless eating can be challenging – we provide a way to make it easier.”
Last year, veganism became the number one food trend in the UK, with the plant-based food market growing by 700%.
Aidhan Higgins, executive chef at Wonder World Group, has been a chef for more than 15 years. Recently, he’s seen the massive change in consumers’ appetite for plant-based food for himself.
He said: “The diet of our customers, and society in general, is changing. More and more people are going meatless and exploring alternative options, whether it’s a flexitarian, vegetarian or vegan diet, and that will continue to grow. We need to react to these changing times.”
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