(Bloomberg) -- Tyson Foods Inc., which produces one out of every five pounds of meat in the U.S., is betting on more non-meat proteins with new bite-sized snacks that include flavors like mint matcha and cranberry kombucha.
The maker of Jimmy Dean sausages earlier this year became one of the first major meat producers to release a line of plant-based alternatives, including vegitarian chicken nuggets and a "mixed" burger made of beef and pea protein.
On Wednesday, Tyson said it would sell a new brand of snacks called Pact. The protein will come from foods like nuts and seeds, egg whites and pea protein. Other ingredients include turmeric and live probiotic cultures. The products address new opportunities in the marketplace as consumers seek more protein in their diets, said Noelle O'Mara, group president of prepared foods.
Snacking is on the rise. The company's Hillshire snacking portfolio consists of premium meats and cheeses, O'Mara said by phone, and has been “growing substantially over the years” into a $115 million portfolio.
The Pact brand is geared toward consumers looking for added health and well-being benefits, she said. While the new products aren't an “alternative protein,” the label given a lot of plant-based meat substitutes, they're part of the company's broader strategy in that direction, O'Mara said.
Pact will launch with a campaign on Indiegogo, a crowdfunding platform.
To contact the reporter on this story: Lydia Mulvany in Chicago at lmulvany2@bloomberg.net
To contact the editors responsible for this story: James Attwood at jattwood3@bloomberg.net, Reg Gale, Joe Ryan
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