The new vegan meat has a similar taste and texture to ground beef.
(Updated January 6, 2020)
Taco Bell is set to launch vegan meat made from pulled oats and legumes just in time for Veganuary.
The plant-based meat, called Pulled Oats, is made by Helsinki-based brand Gold&Green Foods. Starting January 7, it will be available on all 53 Taco Bell UK menus.
The new vegan meat features a taste and texture that’s similar to real ground beef. According to Gold&Green, it’s made with “simple and wholesome ingredients.” These include oats, legumes, yellow peas, and seasoning.
From burritos to tacos and quesadillas, the plant-based meat can be used to substitute animal-based meat in any menu item.
Lucy Dee, Taco Bell UK’s marketing lead, said in a statement: “At Taco Bell, we pride ourselves on being a place where every lifestyle can find exactly what they’re craving. So, whether you’re a vegetarian, flexitarian, or just fancy trying something new, we can provide you with flavorsome meat-free offering you’ll love.”
She added: “We can’t wait to launch the new plant-based protein across all of our UK restaurants and offer our customers the choice to go meat-free for January and beyond.”
Taco Bell UK’s launch of the oat meat follows a successful test run in other countries. The vegan meat was first served at Finland’s first Taco Bell in November 2017.
Taco Bell trialed the oat-based meat in the UK in May 2019 during National Vegetarian Week.
The following July, the pulled oats made their way to Taco Bell Spain. The vegan meat became a permanent addition to the menu and can replace meat in any dish. While Gold&Green Foods’ oat-based protein is meat-free, Taco Bell Spain marinates the plant-based meat in a vegetarian sauce.
The oat-based meat isn’t Taco Bell’s first vegan offering.
In December 2019, Taco Bell China launched a limited-edition crunchy taco filled with OmniPork, a Hong Kong-based vegan pork brand. The vegan pork is made from shiitake mushrooms, pea protein, soy protein, and rice protein.
In June 2020, Taco Bell China also announced a new partnership with California-based vegan meat brand Beyond Meat. From June 3-10, Taco Bells in the region launched a taco made with the Beyond Burger patty at three stores in Shanghai.
This post was last modified on January 6, 2021 1:17 pm