Local foodtech startup Switch Food will manufacture food products that are 100% free of genetically modified organisms, soy, allergies, and gluten, such as vegan and halal-certified kebab, kafta, sujuk, minced meat, and burger patties.
Abu Dhabi’s first state-of-the-art plant-based meat production facility
KEZAD, Abu Dhabi’s first state-of-the-art plant-based meat production facility, has opened. The facility will begin producing food products devoid of genetically modified organisms (GMO), soy, allergies, and gluten on May 1. Vegan and halal-certified kebab, kafta, sujuk, minced beef, and burger patties will be manufactured.
Local foodtech startup Switch Foods claims it will offer a healthier alternative to conventional meat products without sacrificing taste.
According to the corporation, the opening of the innovative facility on a 20,000-square-foot plot would increase food security, sustainability, and climate change initiatives.
Mariam bint Mohammed AlMheiri, Minister of Climate Change and Environment, was present during the facility’s inauguration. Speaking of the significance of such facilities, she said:
“The food and agriculture sector faces the critical challenge of climate change. We must ensure a healthy and reliable food supply for our people while recognising that global food systems account for over a fourth of greenhouse gas emissions.
Plant-based meat generates 30 to 90 per cent fewer greenhouse gas emissions than conventional ones and contributes to a more sustainable food supply.”
“Our track-record will speak volumes to the world as we focus on a solutions-COP that outlines realistic action for mitigation, adaptation, loss and damage, and climate finance. The Ministry of Climate Change and Environment is accelerating national efforts by identifying critical areas of action, with food production being a core pillar,” she said.
‘We are investing in a thriving ecosystem that fosters innovation and growth through partnerships and investments in sustainable food production.
This project embodies the spirit of public-private collaboration and ingenuity necessary to achieve our food security and climate action objectives.”
The IFFCO Group opened the region’s first 100% plant-based meat production in Dubai last month.
Their alternatives
According to statista.com, the value of meat substitute goods in the UAE is increasing, increasing by 27.19% year on year.
The Director General of the Abu Dhabi Agriculture and Food Safety Authority, Saeed Al Bahri Al Ameri, emphasised the necessity of growing local production to meet customers’ demand for protein by giving alternatives to animal beef.
A new plant-based meat production unit has opened in Abu Dhabi, and its products will be available in UAE shops in May.
Switch Foods’ new factory in the capital’s Khalifa Industrial Zone is 2,000 square metres in size and can manufacture 1,000kg of plant-based meat per hour, or 8,000kg per day.
Aside from the high-tech production floor, the plant also contains a scientific lab, an innovation lab, and raw material and finished product storage facilities.
Kebab, soujuk, kofta, burger patties, and minced beef are among the products that will be sold in shops across the country next month. They are all made entirely of plants, primarily peas.
Several international companies, such as the popular Beyond Meat, already have a presence in the UAE, but Switch Foods takes pleasure in being home-grown.
According to the company’s CEO, Edward Hamod, having a local production line will alleviate concerns about such products’ generally high price points. He stated that their items will be “by far the cheapest” without providing pricing information.
Aside from cost, fake meat has struggled to gain acceptance in the mainstream food scene due to texture and flavour concerns. Some have described it as having a dry mouthfeel and an earthy aftertaste.
According to Hamod, Switch Foods initially collaborated with chefs from North America throughout the development phase, but later hired regional chefs to capture the local flavour.
“We worked on different projects with different chefs and restaurants,” he continues, adding that more partnerships are on the way. In addition to its retail operations, the company intends to offer meat products to such establishments.
Dubai’s first plant-based meat factory opened earlier this year. In March, food producer Iffco established Thryve in Dubai Industrial City.
Flexitarians are on the rise
Plant-based meat producers, including well-known restaurants like Neat Burger, take a measured approach to advertising their products. They do not hope to convert all meat eaters, but they are strong supporters of flexitarianism and a semi-vegetarian lifestyle.
“We want meat eaters to eat a bit less meat. We want them to switch a meal a week, or two per month, to plant-based,” says Hamod. He adds that flexitarians are an even bigger market for them than vegans.
“We live in the largest meat-consuming region in the world. We consume, on average, about 55kg of meat per capita,” he says, noting that the Food and Agriculture Organisation’s recommendation is only 22kg.
According to a YouGov survey conducted in 2021, flexitarians account for 13% of the UK population and 12% of the US population.
These figures are expected to rise as a result of increased health and environmental awareness, as well as product innovation in the business.
Hamod believes the plant-based meat business in the region is “suffering because it is dependent on imports that do not meet its taste requirements.”
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