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UK hospitals are set to see hybrid meat products appearing on menus this year, made with a blend of traditional meat and mycoprotein supplied by Quorn.

Quorn, which launched to market in the UK in 1985 as a pioneer of the vegetarian meat alternatives category, said that its customer base has expanded over the past 20 years to include flexitarians – consumers who are actively trying to reduce their meat intake for both health and sustainability reasons.

The company has revealed that it is now working with partners in the foodservice sector to help them introduce products made from a blend of animal-based meat and Quorn mycoprotein, its fungi-based protein ingredient, to replace 100% meat core menu items.

One such partner is the National Health Service (NHS), the UK’s biggest employer. By working with Quorn to develop blended meat recipes for customers in its facilities, the NHS believes that multiple benefits will be delivered, including reducing the carbon footprint of its menus and helping the UK’s healthcare system to achieve its climate targets. Additionally, it aims to reduce saturated fat and cholesterol from patients’ and employees’ diets, as well as add more fibre.

The project will see Quorn support a number of partners in foodservice and catering across the UK as they develop and market their own hybrid meat products, expected to be on menus sometime before the end of 2024.

While products will contain Quorn’s mycoprotein, none will be produced under the Quorn brand and will be manufactured by Quorn’s catering partners. Quorn’s branding will not feature on menus or partners’ packaging. Mycoprotein will be referenced in the products’ ingredients list.

Plant-based food awareness organisation ProVeg International published a statement on the announcement, commenting: “ProVeg takes an open-minded, evidence-based approach to ‘blended meat’. It is not clear whether eating blended meat is enough to help mitigate the climate crisis. We support more research into blended meat until evidence has been shown that it actually leads to a reduction in conventional meat consumption among consumers.”

The organisation added that in the UK, in settings like hospitals and schools, ProVeg sees it as a positive development.

“It is estimated that UK schools serve 1.2 billion meals per year, and the NHS 200 million meals, so some blending can make very significant climate emissions savings each year,” ProVeg wrote in its statement. “Pork, whether it is in a blended product or on its own, contributes to greenhouse gas emissions, as well as other environmental issues.  So ProVeg advocates for a reduction in animal consumption and encourages companies and institutions to embrace more plant-based foods.”

Top image: © Quorn

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