Scandinavian-based startup Veg of Lund has created a new vegan beverage that provides consumers with ten percent of the recommended daily energy intake and half of the recommended daily omega-3 intake.
The drink—titled “My Foodie”—is a heat-stable vegetable emulsion that combines rapeseed oil with potatoes. The result, Veg of Lund CEO Thomas Olander told FoodNavigator, is similar to a smoothie with a taste-neutral base that allows users to customize the beverage to their preferred flavor.
“A smoothie is a thicker juice,” Olander said, “but our product is more than that—it is a healthy in-between meal snack … When you add a blueberry or raspberry, the taste is the berry. We think taste is one of our strengths.”
The inclusion of potato allows customers to feel full while the rapeseed oil is responsible for the high level of omega-3s. Furthermore, My Foodie is made without the 14 allergenic foods defined by European food regulators. The exclusion of these ingredients, Olander said, makes My Foodie a healthy, satisfying snack for all people, which is part of Veg of Lund’s goal when creating the beverage and one reason why the brand is not promoting its product as something that is for vegetarians only.
“We don’t want to (label) ourselves as a vegetarian thing,” Olander said. “We are (sic) for everyone. No matter what your intolerance is, you can have this product.”
Olander believes My Foodie can help people in hospitals and nursing homes because the drink “would suit perfectly” those who have lost their appetites or are having trouble eating. However, My Foodie’s primary target audience is young people, Olander said.
“Our primary consumer focus I would say is younger adults just about to take a step into their next phase in life (and) youthful consumers at the (sic) threshold of greater responsibilities in their personal and professional lives.”
Veg of Lund is also developing sauces and soups and hopes to create dairy-free ice creams and milk-replacement products also high in omega-3 fats. In the meantime, the company is increasing its distribution across Scandinavia and plans to export My Foodie to the United Kingdom and Germany by 2019.
