Why Virat Kohli, Anushka Sharma, Genelia D’Souza and other Indian A-listers are endorsing plant-based meat
- Celebrity endorsements are helping to boost the popularity of India’s plant-based protein industry
- Faux meats are especially popular with the country’s swathe of younger consumers with higher disposable incomes
With cricket star Virat Kohli and actor Anushka Sharma becoming the faces endorsing plant-based meats, their profile is getting a boost in India.
In a nation where up to 77 per cent of Indians are non-vegetarians, with nearly half of its 1.3 billion population consuming non-vegetarian meals at least once a week, celebrities are bankrolling some brands, seeing a future in shifting consumption patterns.
Despite their comparatively higher cost – often they are twice as expensive as meat, and 1.4 times higher than processed meats – brands report steady growth. Proponents credit its popularity to a few reasons: One, to avoid animal cruelty, a desire among more people to reduce their carbon footprint, and thirdly, health benefits because plant-based meats have lower antibiotic residues.
Virat and Anushka are also investors and brand ambassadors for Blue Tribe Foods, which manufactures plant-based nuggets, sausages, momos and burger patties. Other players include Imagine Meats, founded by Bollywood actor couple Riteish Deshmukh and Genelia after they discovered plant-based substitutes in the United States, which has partnered with a US company to offer plant-based versions of biryani, kebabs and curries.
Blue Tribe’s Chief Commercial Officer, Sohil Wazir said: “We’re seeing a good response from the market since we began about one and a half years ago. The category is still nascent, but is seeing demand from consumers between the ages of 21 and 44, mainly from the large metro cities. Top end hotel chains and gourmet food stores are the top channels for us currently”.
Joining the newcomers are stalwarts who have added to their faux meat to their product lines. Ahimsa Foods, founded in 2008 by Yasmin Ahmad Jadwani, an animal activist, now offers plant-based products under the brand name “Veggie Champ” in 2020, while Mumbai-based Evo Foods introduced a vegan egg made with chickpeas, green gram and peas earlier this year.