British supermarket Tesco has responded to “soaring” demand for meat alternative products with its first ever range of plant-based dishes.
Tesco has partnered with chef Derek Sarno to create Wicked Kitchen, a line which consists of vegan salads, sandwiches, wraps, ready meals and pizzas.
The supermarket said demand for vegetarian and vegan food has risen as a result of lifestyle choices such as meat-free Mondays and flexitarian diets.
In the last year alone, Tesco saw demand for chilled vegetarian ready meals and meat substitutes increase by 25%.
Chef Derek said: “When I first arrived in Britain from America I was hugely surprised at how little choice there was for vegans and those considering a lifestyle change.
“For too long, vegans have been overlooked, with many offerings that are available seemingly created to appease rather than truly please.
“Wicked Kitchen plans to change all that and I’m proud to work with Tesco and offer all its customers delicious meals to get them on board with this growing foodie revolution.”
The new range launches today in 600 stores across the UK. Variants include: sweet potato pakora wrap, rainbow curry bowl, and caponata sourdough pizza.
Last week, Tesco rival Sainsbury’s unveiled a similar line after claiming that “91% of the nation is adopting a flexitarian approach to eating”.
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