A new blended meat product line, Well Carved, will be debuting in retail stores this month. Applegate, a division of Hormel, designed the line to satisfy the needs of conscientious consumers concerned about the nutritional, ethical and environmental impacts of meat.
“People love meat and they aren’t going to simply stop eating it, nor should they have to, regardless of how many highly processed soy or pea-based burgers you put on the market,” John Ghingo, president of Applegate, said in a statement.
“Well Carved offers an easy way for consumers to enjoy the real, clean meat they crave while also reducing overall consumption. The Well Carved line shows that better meat is possible.”
The 2020 Power of Meat Report recently called blended meats an opportunity for the meat industry.
More about Well Carved
The Well Carved product portfolio is made up of organic burgers and meatballs that combine meat with vegetables, legumes and grains.
The beef burger is made with cauliflower, spinach, lentils and butternut squash, while the turkey burger includes sweet potato, great northern bean, kale and roasted onion. Each burger is four ounces.
The meatballs are available in Asian Style Pork Meatball (with brown rice, green onion, carrot and parsley) and Mediterranean Style Turkey Meatball (with lentils, feta cheese and spinach).
The product line features “a transparent ingredient list, avoiding the many questionable ingredients found in heavily processed plant-based protein alternatives, according to the release.
Applegate had originally planned to unveil the products at Natural Products Expo West before the event was cancelled due to COVID-19 concerns. Instead, Well Carved will be launched directly to retailers beginning in April.
Second foray into blended market
This is Applegate’s second foray into the blended meat market. Last year, the brand began selling the Applegate Blend Burger, made from a mixture of beef and mushrooms.
“We’ve been on a journey in regard to looking at plant-based and alternative based,” Tom Day, Hormel’s executive vice president of refrigerated foods, said at the time. “We personally believe with the journey that we’ve been on is the idea of combining or blending meat and some plant-based protein in order to find a product that works. We’re in the food business. The product has got to taste good. It has to deliver on what consumers are looking for.”
Like what you just read? Sign up now for free to receive the Poultry Future Newsletter
