“We believe that the plant-based food trend is here to stay as people explore different ways to diversify their protein intake and become more health-conscious.”

United Arab Emirates (UAE)-based halal food giant AI Islami Foods has launched its first plant-based burger that tastes just ‘like beef’.

The latest product launch – a response to the growing demand for vegan alternatives – also comes at a time when Veganuary, the 31-day pledge to ditch animal products, is in full swing across the globe.

The new burger is made using organic non-GMO sunflower protein, fava beans, and peas, along with extracts from onion, pepper, garlic, celery root, carrot, and beet juice.

It also comes without preservatives and, according to the company, is developed to appeal especially to meat-eaters in terms of taste and texture.

‘Best-tasting vegan burgers’

Shahid N. Khan is the CEO at Al Islami Foods. He said: “We are thrilled to launch our first plant-based product at Al Islami Foods.

“It took our team eight months to research, test, and develop this product and we are proud to have created one of the healthiest and best-tasting vegan burgers in the market today.”

He added: “Al Islami Foods has a long history spanning five decades of providing premium frozen food to consumers.

“Producing a plant-based product across our supply chain was the logical next step to bringing new value to this category.”

‘Here to stay’

The vegan burger will initially be available at major co-ops in the UAE, alongside major supermarkets and hypermarkets.

The company is working on expanding its plant-based range in the coming months and is also seeking to collaborate with hotels, restaurants, and cafés as well as export its product to other Gulf Cooperation Council markets in the future.

Zubair Ahmad, Head of Marketing at Al Islami Foods said: “We believe that the plant-based food trend is here to stay as people explore different ways to diversify their protein intake and become more health-conscious.

“We look forward to expanding our plant-based range over the coming months to meet the needs of our consumers”, said.

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Mohsina Dodhiya

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