Nando’s joins fast foodies in taking a bite out of plant-based market

Chicken-centric Nando’s is the latest among a growing list of fast food chains including Spur Steak ranches, Steers and Burger King to jump on the plant-based food craze wagon.

The 35-year-old casual dining group in August rolled out its debut vegetarian range, dubbing it the “Great Pretender” after it experienced success with the range in Australia and the UK where it is known as the “Great Imitator”.

While other restaurateurs have focused on producing plant-based beef patties and sausages, the Great Pretender range is among the first to produce a plant-based chicken offering.

Made from pea protein, vital wheat gluten, beans, and chickpeas, the replacement looks and tastes like Nando’s original chicken meals with a slightly earthy taste in the mix.

Globally, plant-based products and menus are pricier than traditional chicken owing to the high cost of the raw materials and the new technologies used.

However, Nando’s head of food Pascale Sobiecki said the company is absorbing the additional costs, pricing the Great Pretender meal at the same levels as its traditional flame-grilled peri-peri-styled menu meals.

“We didn’t want to jeopardise the choice of a consumer and make it more expensive, so we decided to line price it so it allows people to have that choice without being penalised,” Sobiecki said.

A 2019 Euromonitor International report titled “Strategic Themes in Food and Nutrition” shows that while less than 5% of SA’s population is vegetarian, about 20% is at least trying to limit their meat intake.

The trend seems to be gaining popularity. Uber Eats reported seeing a 71% increase in healthy foods ordered in SA during the hard lockdown of 2020, a move which is continuing to gain momentum.

Sobiecki said the company knew the market would be smaller in SA but it has surprised them with double the volumes they expected.  

Sobiecki said KwaZulu-Natal, which has a large number of religious observers, had been lapping up the vegetarian alternatives.

“The range allows those people to have a tasty meal when you are fasting from meat,” said Sobiecki, who also leads the company’s SA groceries innovation division. 

She said the number of fresh green salads sold at Nando’s has incrementally grown over the years, illustrating that locals are open to adjusting their diets.

According to food awareness organisation ProVeg SA, people adjusting their diet to include less meat is a positive step in tackling climate change. The advocacy group claims that switching to a plant-based diet could reduce food-related emissions by up to 50%.

Africa contributes 4% to global emissions and SA accounts for about 50% of this, or 2% of global emissions, and has committed to a reduction of about 20%-33% from current emissions by 2030.

Since following a plant-based diet is still far more expensive, looking ahead Sobiecki warned that consumers are under immense financial pressure and would be cautious with their choices while looking for value and entry-level options they can afford.

“But then they also want to spoil themselves every now and then with a great meal, but it must be worth it,” she said. 

gumedemi@businesslive.co.za