Food tech pioneer Planted has unveiled its latest innovation: the planted.steak. According to a press release, this is just the first of numerous innovative products from its new whole-muscle platform. The company has therefore also announced the strategic expansion of its production capacities: a new fermentation facility at its site in Kemptthal in the canton of Zurich.
At the start of 2023, Swiss Innovation Agency Innosuisse awarded Planted 2 million Swiss francs as part of the Swiss Accelerator Program to accelerate development of its whole-muscle platform This enabled Planted to launch its fermentation-based steak on the market just one year later. The steak is now available on the menus of well-known European restaurants and an Austrian burger chain. Launches via D2C channels and in retailers across Europe are planned for this year.
As the press release explains, the fermentation technology enables Planted to “strive for clean label and healthy protein sources while doubling down on taste and naturalness, pushing the boundaries of alternative protein.” The steak is made from exclusively natural ingredients such as soya protein, rapeseed oil, bean and rice flours and a blend of microbial cultures.
“We are proud to be one of the few innovators of plant-based meat that takes on all steps in the production process, from R&D to industrial production,” says Planted co-founder Lukas Böni. “The additional and new production site allows Planted a very fast turnaround from pilot stage to industrial production”.
