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Sustainability is The Latest Trend of IKEA

According to Vegconomist, IKEA Canada announced that they will shift half of the food menu to plant-based by 2025, which is attracting a lot of attention and response from all over the world.

The company’s Japanese subsidiary「IKEA Japan K.K.」is also shows a positive response, such as holding a “Sustainable Food Fair for Meat Lovers”. 

[Overview of Sustainable Food Fair for Meat Lover] ■Holding Period：20th May 2021 (Thu) ~ 11th July 2021 (Sun)
■Venue：IKEA stores nationwide (Japan)
※Only some menus are sold at IKEA Harajuku and IKEA Shibuya. Not available at IKEA Shinjuku.
※Some products will be discontinued as soon as they are sold out.
※Please note that contents are subject to change.

The Venue

The venue is the food court of IKEA Tachikawa Store.

Immediately after entering the store, we saw a board about sustainability, introducing the company’s efforts regarding plant-based food and food loss.

Heading to the food court, we were surprised to see various menus come in plant-based and vegetarian (using milk and egg). Regarding the meals with eggs, ethical aspects such as using a pictogram of “cage-free eggs” are also taken into consideration (not all eggs used in the store are cage-free eggs).

Featured Menu

Not Meat Beef Curry (¥799)

A collaboration menu with NEXT Gyudon from Next Meets is presented at the event. Collaboration has become a hot topic on social media. The curry and plant-based meat go well together. The juicy meat has a nice texture with no strong soybean texture (that is peculiar to meat substitutes) that makes it delicious until the end.

For those who want to know more about Next Meets, please take a look at 「“What kind of company is” Next Meets “, which is a hot topic in commercials? Summary of the history so far”.」

Plant-based Gapao Rice (with soft-boiled egg) ¥899

8 pcs of plant balls (¥499)

We also ordered the popular Thai cuisine “Gapao Rice” and the plant-based version meatball called “Plant ball” (one of the popular menus at IKEA). The texture of the plant ball is perfect that made us think “Isn’t it really using meat?”. The visitors enjoy the meals and seem like some of them don’t notice that it’s plant-based meat.

Summary

  • The sustainability efforts of the global chain are beginning to penetrate Japan as well.
  • Plant-based menus are beginning to penetrate the general public (non-vegetarian)

Past Press Release of IKEA

IKEA holds “Sustainable Food Fair for Meat Lovers” for a limited time. Plant-based meals that are kind to both the earth and the body!
https://prtimes.jp/main/html/rd/p/000000053.000065734.html

Plant-based plant cutlet curry and plant roll cabbage! A new menu of plant-based foods is now is available at IKEA!
https://www.ikea.com/jp/ja/this-is-ikea/newsroom/20200909-plant-based-food-pubc3beef20