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Sweden-based furniture store IKEA [ee-kay-uh] announced its plans to launch a vegan hotdog.
The retailer, which also offers food services, revealed in an Instagram post last February that it has been testing a vegan hotdog product at its Malmö / ˈmɑlmˌœ / branch. IKEA disclosed that its new food offering is intended to be made from 100% plant-based ingredients. However, it admitted that it is on the fence about labelling the tested product as vegan because some of the additives used may not be purely plant-based.
Despite the disclaimer, IKEA assured that they are in the process of improving the product to make it 100% vegan by its August launch at IKEA stores in Europe.
IKEA’s newest food innovation is its next step in achieving its mission of offering plant-based food items. The development of the vegan hotdog follows the launch of the company’s vegan meatballs in 2015.
According to IKEA Food managing director Michael La Cour, over 600 million people patronize IKEA’s food products, which is why the company continues to develop healthy and planet-friendly food selections. Although sustainability is a priority when coming up with food options, La Cour assured that IKEA will not compromise the food’s taste and affordability.
On a similar note, beverage manufacturer Ripple Foods also uses plant-based ingredients in its products. The company has been using yellow peas as an alternative to dairy for its milk products. Because of this, the company is able to fulfill the mission of producing plant-based milk that can be on par with commercial products in terms of nutritional value and flavor while using minimal natural resources.