Plant-based brand The Vegetarian Butcher has launched a new vegan battered cod product to enter the fish alternative market.
The Unilever-owned company’s Cod Almighty retails at £3.50 for 180g, and is available from supermarkets including Sainsbury’s, Co-op and Ocado.
It is an alternative to battered cod, and features a batter coating around structured rice flakes.
According to The Vegetarian Butcher, this recipe replicates the flaky texture of white fish.
Matthew Bailey, The Vegetarian Butcher brand manager at Unilever, told the Grocer: “Whilst fish is a popular dish in the UK, there are very limited plant-based fish alternatives on the market, which means many are having to go without.”
He noted that the brand’s ‘expertise and success’ in the meat-free sector means it made sense to turn its hand to recreating fish too.
He added that fish alternatives are currently the plant-based market‘s fastest-growing sector.
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The flaky vegan cod, made from high-fibre vegan rice flakes, is coated in a crisp tempura batter. Photo © The Vegetarian Butcher
Vegan battered cod
It has increased by 30 per cent in value over the past year, and the brand wanted to enter the segment to benefit from that growth.
The brand is already performing well in terms of growth, outperforming the market with 6.1 per cent value growth.
According to Matthew Bailey, the brand ‘attribute[s] this to the fact that we work tirelessly to create a product that replicates the true taste and texture of meat’.
This, he added, was what they had concentrated on when it came to the new vegan fish product.
In addition to being 100 per cent plant-based, Cod Almighty comes packaged in fully recyclable trays and sleeves
Matthew Bailey said: “We wanted to create a delicious plant-based white, battered fish alternative, making it an easy swap for those looking to reduce their fish consumption. We are confident Cod Almighty will help drive shopper interest in the plant-based fish space.”
Is your appetite whetted for some vegan fish? Try these vegan seafood recipes that taste like the real thing
Featured photo © The Vegetarian Butcher
