Thai Union’s plant-based products recognised in innovation awards
Thai Union’s OMG Meat, the Company’s plant-based brand, recently launched the world’s first plant-based shrimp dumpling.
Thai Union’s Asian-inspired plant-based shrimp dumpling is the world’s first plant-based shrimp dumpling named as one of the finalists in the prestigious Gulfood Innovation Awards.
The company’s alternative proteins business unit has created the world’s first plant-based shrimp dumpling, which was launched last year in supermarkets across Thailand to meet the growing consumer demand for healthy and environmentally friendly products.
In July 2022 Thai Union introduced plant-based shrimp dumplings as its latest innovation to its home-market Thailand to showcase the world its second plant-based innovation after plant-based tuna, marking a significant milestone for one of the world’s largest processors of shrimp, and reflecting its ambition to become a leading player in the plant-based sector.
The company’s plant-based shrimp dumplings have since sparked interest from retailers and brand owners across regions. The dumplings fit the growing appetite for easy adoption of plant-based solutions with an Asian culinary experience. Later this year, Thai Union will launch its first branded plant-based offerings in Europe, partnering with some of the largest retailers and gaining exposure to hundreds of stores.
As a steamed or microwavable product, Thai Union’s plant-based shrimp dumpling brings fresh innovation to the plant category, currently dominated by burger patties and breaded, battered products. Thai Union entered the Gulfood Innovation Awards for the first time, with its plant-based shrimp dumpling making it to the finals.
Gerben Kamps, global business development manager of Thai Union’s Alternative Proteins business unit, said having the plant-based shrimp dumpling being named a finalist in this year’s Gulfood Innovation Awards, together with the market success this product already has in Asia, is recognition of its strong efforts in the plant-based category over the past few years.
“We find great inspiration in the Asian cuisine and reinterpret them with plant-based ingredients. This has proven a successful angle for our products to find their way into everyday consumption,” Kamps added. “Thai Union is playing a leading role in seafood-inspired, plant-based proteins. We’re committed to embracing the opportunities that alternative proteins present, such as creating more seafood consumption occasions and attracting new consumers into the seafood category – especially when we can leverage our production knowledge and capabilities together with partners.”
The winners of the Gulfood Innovation Awards will be announced on Tuesday, February 21, 2023.
Thai Union Alternative Protein will be at Gulfood from February 20-24, 2023in the Power Brands Sector in Hall 7, Stand B7-30, sharing product innovations such as the award-winning plant-based shrimp dumplings and providing more insights to F&B companies from more than 120 countries on how brands can partner with them to bring plant-based products into the mainstream.
