The first one arrives on the supermarket shelves vegetable boiled egg. The vegan alternative “V-Love” The Boiled is signed Migros, a large Swiss distribution chain, already known in the sector for the first chickpea-based alternative to yoghurt. Available in a limited edition, Migros hard-boiled eggs will be sold in selected branches of the cooperatives in Zurich, Basel, Lucerne and Geneva, in packs of 4 at the price of 4.40 francs.
According to the Swiss giant, the egg was developed in-house and produced in Switzerland by its subsidiary Elsa. Contains soy protein and consists of two different masses. The result is a true hard-boiled egg that can be cut in half to reveal its distinct yellow colored “yolk” enclosed by the “albumen”.
“We are very pleased to be able to offer our customers a real alternative to boiled eggs with 'V-Love The Boiled',” commented Lucie Kendall, who was part of the Migros team that developed the egg at the subsidiary.
Represents the former vegan alternative egg of the brand, which joins the line V-Love of plant-based meat and dairy substitutes. The range boasts around 100 products in total, including what it claims is the world's first vegan yoghurt made from chickpeas. Around 90% of the V-Love range is vegan.
Migros' decision to launch a plant-based egg comes as the race to develop new alternatives to eggs accelerates. In the United States, sales last year represented one of the fastest growing categories among plant-based products, growing 168% year over year.
Apart from leading brand Eat Just, which pioneered the vegan egg with its own JUST Egg made from mung bean in 2013, other brands are entering this landscape. A recent entry is Texan Crafty Counter, which launched its vegan hard-boiled egg in August 2021, known as WunderEggs. While Singapore's OsomeFood has developed a plant-based egg created from mushroom mycoproteins.
The Swiss retailer is not only betting on the vegetable, but also on other alt-protein technologies. As evidenced by the collaboration with two other large food companies in the country, Givaudan and Bühler, to build a new cell-based meat factory. Located in Zurich, the Cultured Food Innovation Hub it will host a pilot manufacturing facility, as well as R&D facilities dedicated to the creation of new cell-based protein products.
According to MarketsandMarkets, the plant-based meat market is seeing significant growth, growing year on year. In 2020 alone, the market was worth $4,3 billion and is projected to reach $8,3 billion by 2025, with the largest market share in Europe (39%). But there is still one constraint: the price. Companies offering plant-based meat alternatives are looking to reduce prices, as their high price compared to conventional meat may curb the plant-based industry's rapid growth.
