RANDERS, DENMARK – Danish Crown, the largest pork processor in Europe, recently announced it would add a line of plant-based products under the brand name Den Grønne Slagter.

The company announced there will be eight different items which will be available at Danish food retail outlets. The product line features Veggie bars, Veggie Bites, BBQ burger, Nuggets, Schnitzel and Veggie Deller along with Indian-inspired dishes Tandoori and Byriani.

“When we diversify, it is important to us that we are able to offer products that taste good and are easy for consumers to prepare,” said Jais Valeur, group chief executive officer for Danish Crown. “We now have those products, and as one of Denmark’s largest food suppliers, we wish to contribute to developing the supply of plant-based products. We foresee growing demand for alternative proteins in the years ahead, so the products we are now launching represent our first small step into that market.”

The product range consists of ready meals and meal components. Danish Crown said its meat alternative items are made with either Nordic or organic vegetable as the main ingredient and not soy. 

“We have worked intensively with these products to develop the right taste, texture and preparation, and this work showed that preparation is key to obtaining a good experience from the products,” said Mette Schacht Færch, head of marketing and innovation at Danish Crown Nordics. “Briefly said, several of the plant-based products must be fried at lower temperatures than meat, and this is one of the things we will now emphasize to consumers buying one of our products.”

Consumers surveys cited by Danish Crown concluded that one in three Danes have reduced meat consumption in the last 12 months and two out of three intend to eat more plant-based products.   In the short and medium term, Danish Crown projects a market for up to 500,000 meat-free meals per week in Denmark.