Product Study - Quorn Vegetarian Foods Essay -- Business Analysis, Veg

Analysis of the Situation There are currently 4 million vegetarians in the UK, and this figure is increasing at a rate of 5,000 each week. The fact that the number of vegetarians in the UK has doubled in the past ten years, proves vegetarianism to be constantly gaining popularity. The UK retail market for vegetarian foods is increasing by eight per cent per year, reflecting the constant demands for meat alternatives. Quorn products are amongst the most popular vegetarian foods in the UK, which is indicated through the vast amount of people choosing Quorn products as regular mealtime alternatives to meat based meals. I have chosen Quorn chicken style nuggets as my product study, as it is a well-established meat alternative, and one of Qourn's best selling products. Quorn as a company cater for many different needs of customers from social groups including religion and faith, culture, low fat diets, and of course, vegetarians themselves. History of Micoprotein and Quorn Products In the 1960's nutritionists and health experts were concerned that the predicted growth in population would mean that by the 1980's there would be a global protein shortage. Nutritionists and food scientists started a search to find new foods, which would help to meet the predicted increase in demand. The discovery of an organism occurring naturally in the soil ultimately gave Marlow Foods the opportunity to develop such a new food; mycoprotein. Research and product development work progressed. It wasn't until the early 1980's that mycoprotein could be grown on a com... ...gether to produce the batter for the nuggets. The flour and starch are mixed together along with water, and the salt is then added for flavouring. The batter is then set allowing he breadcrumbs to stick to it Wheat flour, wheat germ, yeast, salt Ââ€" are all used to make the breadcrumbs for the nuggets. The yeast allows the crumbs to grow and mixes with the ingredients, where as the wheat starch and flour are the main ingredients forming the crumbs. The salt is again used for extra flavouring. Sunflower oil Ââ€" replaces the fat in the mixture, making it a healthier option. It allows the nuggets to be fried a lot more easily, due to its high smoke point. Packaging. www.understandingfoodadditives.org Functions of ingrediants Compare chicken with quorn nuggets Packaging Price http://www.bbc.co.uk/health/awareness_campaigns/may_vegetarian.shtml