Source: Peperami

Vegerami offered ‘a tasty blend of peppery herbs and spices’, said the brand

Peperami is boosting its range of plant-based snacks with a new vegetarian version of its core meat sticks.

The new sticks are made with a blend of pea and wheat protein, and offered “a tasty blend of peppery herbs and spices”, said the brand. 

They hit Tesco this week (9 May) in packs of three, with a wider retail launch to follow (rsp: £1.50).

The sticks contain 64 calories each and are touted as being high in protein. They were “the ideal nutritionally beneficial choice for consumers to incorporate into their lunchtime or afternoon snacking occasion”, said Peperami.

It’s the second major foray into plant-based from the meat staple, which in 2021 made its meatless debut with a range of Chick’nless Bites.

Peperami head of marketing Pavan Chandra said the brand’s veggie launches would “significantly contribute to category growth, as the meat-free and meat snacking categories grow side by side”, adding they had “added variety to Peperami’s product portfolio and driven innovation within the market”.

The brand cited data that suggested 14% of UK adults were now following a meat-free diet, with an additional 8.8 million planning to go meat-free in 2022.

However, Peperami has not put the brakes on meat innovation. Earlier this year it launched its first ever chorizo sticks in a bid to lure older shoppers with spicier tastes to the meat snacking category.

It also kicked off an ad campaign promoting its Chicken Bites range, which teased a potential brand repositioning to come.