Consumers are getting more and more interested in meat and cheese alternatives for healthier options in the prepared meals industry. When traditional industrial meat and cheese slicers are used for real meat and cheeses, can these slicers also cut and apply meat and cheese alternatives?
This question is especially pertinent since these alternatives are becoming increasingly popular. Between healthy food trends and daring recipes, consumers are looking for plant-based options. This demand is creating a newer market niche that labels can fill, as long as they have the right technology. Here, we’ll review plant-based news and “eat plant-based” trends to provide a better idea of what these meat and cheese alternatives are. We’ll also explore what automated equipment is available for alternative sliced foods. Even though the demand for meat and cheese alternatives is relatively new, there are solutions in food manufacturing that can help your brand meet this demand.
Plant-Based News and “Eat Plant-Based” Trends
“Eat plant-based” trends focus on diets centered around foods made from non-animal products, such as vegetables, fruits, and nuts. “Eat plant-based” trends don’t exclude animal products, unlike vegan diets. Although the term “plant-based” has been around since the 1980s, plant-based diets became exceedingly popular starting around 2015. New food technology has made “eat plant-based” trends more feasible with the development of accessible meat and cheese alternatives.
Plant-based news has had exciting recent headlines, including the invention of plant-based meat. Non-dairy cheeses have also become more accessible and more popular as demand for non-dairy items has increased. Food sensitivities, animal rights activism, and plain consumer interest have all encouraged the development of these meat and cheese alternatives. As a result, companies worldwide have begun making meal products that include meat and cheese alternatives to meet this demand. Incorporating these ingredients can help your brand connect with customers who are interested in such products. Now, let’s take a look at which alternatives are popular and available to include in prepared meals.
Meat and Cheese Alternative Ingredients
Staying up to date on plant-based news is a great way to be aware of what ingredients are out there to meet plant-based demand. Here, we’ll explore plant-based meat, tofu, and non-dairy cheeses – all meat and cheese alternatives. Even though they aren’t traditional ingredients, incorporating these ingredients will help your brand reach and provide options for customers who have dietary restrictions and/or follow vegetarian and vegan diets.
Plant-Based Meat
As we mentioned earlier, plant-based meat is slowly becoming more accessible. Plant-based meat is arguably very similar in taste and texture to regular meat, only it’s made entirely from plants. This meat alternative is newer and provides a way for consumers to enjoy meat without it coming from an animal. Plant-based meats are becoming available in grocery stores as ingredients in prepared meals.
Tofu
This product is typically what people think of when meat alternatives are mentioned. Tofu is traditionally made from soy and contains protein, although not as much as actual meat. Still, labels can incorporate sliced tofu into their prepared meals to provide alternative dishes to customers who need it.
Non-Dairy Cheeses
Labels can also incorporate non-dairy cheeses into their products. These non-dairy cheeses are commonly made from ingredients such as soy, nuts, and tofu. Non-dairy cheeses can be added to pizza, sandwiches, salads, and more to create plant-based prepared meals for customers who are vegan or have restricted diets.
Plant-based meat, tofu, and non-dairy cheeses are excellent ingredients to use to make a wide range of products. But, the question still stands: Are meat and cheese alternatives sliced differently? Do food manufacturers need to invest in equipment to accommodate these ingredients? These are important questions to ask to see if your production line equipment can handle these newer ingredients. Let’s take a look at the technology available for alternative sliced foods.
Technology and Alternative Sliced Foods
The answer to the questions above is, “It depends.” Every meat and cheese slicer is different. The make and model of your slicer will determine if it can accommodate meat and cheese alternatives as sliced foods in the production line. The make and model of your meat and cheese slicers may also need to cut the alternative meat or cheese at different thicknesses compared to the real ingredients because of the consistency. When your label conducts R&D, it can find which slicer settings work for the meat and cheese alternatives.
At Quantum, we offer versatile meat slicers that can slice any stick meat and cheese, as well as meat and cheese alternatives. As long as your label can fit the stick meat or cheese alternative in the machine, it can cut and dispense the ingredient onto your pizza, prepared meal, or bakery item. Our meat slicers can also be configured to cut meat and cheeses deli-style, which can also apply to meat and cheese alternatives. Quantum automated meat slicers have a range of customizable settings such as production rate and slicing thickness. And because our automated equipment facilitates low-risk R&D, your company can figure out which settings work the best for slicing meat and cheese alternatives for your prepared meals as soon as possible and at little cost.
Our team at Quantum Technical Services offers stellar customer service, which ensures that our clients will receive the guidance they need when they’re researching new ingredients. Since plant-based alternatives are growing in popularity, it’s critical to know how to incorporate these ingredients into prepared meals to connect with more customers. At Quantum, we’re here to ensure that our clients succeed in new market niches.
Find Versatile Equipment at Quantum
At Quantum, we believe in making equipment that will help you prepare for the future of the food industry. This includes incorporating trendy ingredients to fill a new market niche. Our automated food equipment is versatile and can cut and apply a wide range of ingredients – meat and cheese alternatives included. Contact our team at Quantum Technical Services today to learn how your prepared meal label can incorporate these new ingredients into your products.