IKEA To Have Plant-Based Chicken Nuggets After Vegan Meatballs

IKEA is a Swedish furniture company that recently added a plant-based chicken nugget to its US menu. The new, healthier option is part of Kids Meal, available for $3.49. Usually, IKEA is known to develop its own plant-based meats, however, these are manufactured by particular foodservice partners, meeting IKEA’s health and sustainability standards.

IKEA is always striving to reach its sustainability goals by developing plant-based meats. Since 2015, the chain has added vegan Swedish meatballs to its menu and continues to explore new plant-based alternatives. Moreover, it helps the consumers to make environmentally friendly choices. Back in 2020, IKEA added a thicker plant-based Swedish meatball to its bistro menu.

Sharla Halvorson, Health and Sustainability Manager for the food business, said in an interview, “Converting about 20% of meatball sales to plant balls will reduce the climate footprint of IKEA’s food business by about 8%. To reduce the climate change footprint of IKEA’s food business, we need to reduce the number of traditional meatballs they sell. The new plant balls can provide meat lovers with a sustainable alternative without compromising the beloved IKEA meatball experience. It came to be.”

Plant-Based Chicken by IKEA

The launch of these new plant-based chicken nuggets is part of IKEA’s goal of moving away from animal-derived meat products. In other words, it is their way of supporting the environment and health whilst not sacrificing taste or enjoyment. Monica Van Fleet, IKEA’s food commercial leader, says, “We have consciously chosen to increase the proportion of plant-based diets as part of our commitment to sustainability. At IKEA, we believe that children are the most important people in the world. Therefore, it was important to include a plant-based menu that appeals directly to children.”

The chain offers a wide variety of plant-based products such as plant-based hot dogs, dairy-free soft-serve ice cream, plant-based meatballs, meatless pork, etc. Moreover, the company also encourages plant-based packaging of the products. By 2025, IKEA aims to shift its global menu to 50% plant-based and reduce lean meat-based dishes by 80%. The company also aims to move packaged foods to an 80% plant base within the same time frame.

Plant-based chicken is needed as more people are adopting diets in which they cut down on their meat consumption. This may be related to health, ethical, or environmental reasons. Hence, since more people are embracing plant-based alternatives, there is a greater need for these products. And on top of being tasty, plant-based meats are kinder on the environment as well.