IKEA Food’s vegan hotdog has secured a 95 percent customer approval rating, according to the company. The international home furnishing store announced in February that it has been working on a vegan sausage for its in-house restaurants in order to promote sustainability and offer more options to its plant-based and health-conscious patrons.
In contrast to the company’s trademark Swedish Meatballs, this vegan hot dog is entirely plant-based and contains no animal products. The sausage is made of vegetables, then stuffed in a vegan bun and topped with crunchy fried onions and pickled red cabbage. In line with the global trend of sustainability and conscious consumerism, IKEA hopes this new option will demonstrate the company’s commitment to sustainability and to its customers. The company is marking the vegan dog marketed as “a greener version of an icon.” IKEA has already made strides toward more plant-based options, debuting a vegan version of its iconic Swedish Meatballs in 2015.
IKEA is devoted to developing a product that exceeds customer’s expectations, which is why its culinary team is testing the vegan hot dog prior to its international launch. The customers of IKEA’s Malmö location in Sweden were the first to try this new product and responded with a highly encouraging 95 percent approval rating. Peter Ho, the sales leader for IKEA’s U.S. food division, told the Press Herald, “With the introduction of the veggie dog, IKEA Malmö is seeing a new customer in their bistro, whether they are vegans, vegetarians, flexitarians or meat-reducers.”
Following the success in Malmö, IKEA plans to add this new vegan menu item to its stores across Europe by August, followed by expansion into the U.S. by early next year, according to Ho.
Meat-free hot dogs are a growing market. A recent study found that customers in the UK devoured 2.5 million feet of vegan sausages last year. Further, the latest product from U.S.-based vegan meat company, Beyond Meat, has taken off across the country. The Beyond Meat Beyond Sausages debuted in December 2017, expanded to restaurant chains, sports stadiums, and independent eateries in early 2018, and are now available in Whole Foods nationwide.
Image Credit: IKEA
