Greggs is working on vegan chicken after success of sausage roll and steak bakes
VEGAN chicken could soon be on the menu at Greggs after the boss of the bakery chain revealed that it is “evaluating more vegan products”.
Boss Roger Whiteside said: “[Vegan] chicken is a way forward. I have seen some good products out there.”
Greggs has had a "phenomenal year" since the launch of its vegan sausage roll a year ago.
The much-hyped roll has helped push up sales and extend the chain's appeal to a new audience.
The meat-free pastry snack, which is now being termed "iconic" by the company, has since been followed by a vegan doughnut and the recent launch of a vegan steak bake.
Vegan chicken holds out the prospect of meatless versions of the chain’s Mexican chicken or roast chicken and mayonnaise baguettes.
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But Mr Whiteside warned that vegan products often face challenges “technically and operationally”.
Most fail a taste test, he said – or raw materials are not available in the industrial quantities needed.
Mr Whiteside, who recently had a stab at going vegan, said that he believed most people who buy Greggs’ vegan products were actually flexitarian.
That is when someone eats more plant-based foods without eliminating meat entirely.
Today, Greggs said it was sharing a £7million bonus between workers after its good year.
Like-for-like sales, which strips out the effect of shop openings and closures, were up 9.2 per cent in 2019
While the meat-free steak bake is selling well, it has not surpassed the runaway success of the sausage roll.
Mr Whiteside jokingly called it the firm’s “second best selling vegan product”.
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