‘Vegan Chicken’ with skin and bones: Nestle backs new startup

The appeal of plant-based meat alternatives appears to have reached the world’s largest food corporation as well. Nestle SA has invested in a vegan firm that is developing meat alternatives.

The ‘chicken’ will feature synthetic skin and bones to make it look as realistic as feasible. Sundial Foods, a California-based startup, has gotten $4 million in funding from Nestle, according to Bloomberg.

The funds will be used to begin production of the plant-based meat substitute food, with the food company expecting to offer “vegan chicken wings” in the San Francisco Bay Area first, followed by the rest of the state later next year.

Nestle is investing heavily in vegan products as a growing number of people turn away from animal products for health or environmental reasons. According to reports, the Swiss firm is also collaborating with Israeli cell-based startup Future Meat Technologies Ltd on the development of cultured meat.

Jessica Schwabach and Siwen Deng founded the vegan venture after meeting in 2019 while studying at the University of California Berkeley’s Alternative Meat programme.

Water, chickpeas, and sunflower oil are among the eight easy-to-recognize ingredients in the company’s growing chicken wings. They also don’t utilise artificial flavours, have the same amount of protein as chicken, and have less saturated fat.

There has been a surge in demand for plant-based alternatives to popular dishes such as sausages and burgers. Scientists recently succeeded in re-creating Japan’s famous Wagyu steak in the lab.