British frozen food distributor Central Foods has extended its free-from range for foodservice operators with the introduction of a Vegan American Pancakes. The launch is in response to both the increase in demand for plant-based, vegan products and the growing appetite among consumers for eating breakfast and brunch away from home.
All-day breakfasts are also becoming more popular, particularly with Millennials. This is leading to rising demand from foodservice operators for easy-to-serve breakfast-style items that can be offered throughout the day and at various dining occasions.
“We have experienced significant increases in sales of American pancakes in recent years,” said Gordon Lauder, managing director at Collingtree, Northampton, England-based Central Foods. “We have also seen a large percentage rise in the demand for vegan and plant-based products. Now Vegan American Pancakes from Crêpe Cuisine can be offered to satisfy both demands.”
The four and a half inch product is made to a vegan recipe resulting in a fluffy American-style pancake that can be topped with either sweet or savory options to create a breakfast item or light snack. Suitable for both vegetarians and vegans, the item’s defrosted shelf life is two days.
“Surveys and statistics continue to show that more people are either giving up meat, dairy and animal-derived products or are reducing their intake and eating less meat,” said Lauder. “Over 90% of households buy some kind of free-from product, according to Kantar Worldpanel.”
Furthermore, a study released by comparethemarket.com in 2018 suggests that over 3.5 million British people now identify as being vegan, which is a big increase since 2016 when The Vegan Society revealed there were approximately 540,000 vegans over the age of 15 living in the United Kingdom. The number of “flexible vegans and vegetarians” has grown too, with many happy to eat vegan or vegetarian food occasionally and some experimenting with a fully vegan or vegetarian diet.
Lauder continued: “We also know that breakfast is the fastest growing eating out occasion in the UK. There’s been a big rise in popularity of breakfast, brunch and all-day breakfasts. According to a recent report from Travelodge, 65% of Britons are socially dining out for breakfast twice a month, with many saying it suits their modern lifestyles and is a time-effective way of meeting for business or socially. Our new Vegan American Pancakes should prove to be a convenient and versatile product to have in any professional foodservice kitchen.”
Central Foods supplies more than 400 different lines to the foodservice channel, ranging from vegetarian and free-from items, meat products, bakery items and canapés to buffet products, desserts and puddings. It currently sells to over 220 independent wholesalers, as well as larger national and regional wholesalers, and foodservice caterers across the entire foodservice sector including schools, universities, pubs, bars, restaurants, hotels, leisure centers, garden centers, cafés, care homes and other outlets.
