Plant-based food brand VFC has separated from parent company The Vegan Food Group and will now be led by Adam Lyons, its co-founder.
Lyons said he had returned to the business, made up of vegan chicken brand VFC and Meatless Farm, to take a “hands-on leadership position”, amid a wider restructure of the Vegan Food Group.
VFC Foods is set to become a separate entity from The Vegan Food Group as part of the shakeup, with the move expected to be completed within the next few weeks, The Grocer understands.
The separation was designed to simplify the VFC structure and enable a sharper focus on execution, supply chain stability and long-term sustainable growth, Lyons said.
VFC is now dual-funded by its original investor the Ahimza Foundation and Lyons, a situation he said, “gives us real stability and clarity”.
Lyons, a chef, first established the VFC brand in 2020, having developed a vegan chicken burger at his restaurant in York. He left the business in April 2024 but has now returned “assuming full operational and strategic control”.
“My return is centred on stabilisation across operations, finance, and commercial delivery,” said Lyons. “The business is now governed, funded, and managed independently, with clear accountability and direct leadership.
“VFC Foods Ltd continues to trade as normal and is working closely with retail and manufacturing partners to drive improved operational performance.”
According to VFC Foods’ latest accounts, the business has racked up losses of more than £18m over the course of its history. Meanwhile, former parent company The Vegan Food Group’s accounts are now overdue.
Plans for the brands
Meatless Farm, which was rescued from administration by VFC in June 2023, will continue to be stocked in the major multiples. It announced last week the reformulation of its Signature Burger and the launch of its Crispy Nuggets.
According to The Grocer’s Top Products report, Meatless Farm saw volume sales decline by 4.7% last year compared with the year before.
It comes as the VFC brand has been temporarily withdrawn from the market, which was a “difficult but deliberate decision”, Lyons said. VFC will now undergo a full reformulation programme to address concerns around ultra-processed foods.
“We do not want to be part of the UPF problem – we want to be part of the solution,” said Lyons. “VFC will be repositioned and relaunched in 2027 with this ambition at its core.”
Read more: Vegan Food Group’s founders on building ‘the vegan Unilever’
The separation of VFC comes as part of a wider restructuring of the group, with the business shutting down Clive’s Purely Plants.
The Grocer’s sister title British Baker this week reported that VFG had decided to close the bakery in Dartmouth, leading to 32 redundancies at the end of last year. It has also closed its head office in York as it shifts its focus to its plant-based factory in Germany.
Matthew Glover, director of The Vegan Food Group, has been approached for comment.
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