As the global plant-based meat industry continues to shrink, Israeli company Chunk Foods is making inroads into three of the most influential supermarket chains in the United States. The company, which produces whole-cut plant-based meat using a natural fermentation process, has entered three major U.S. grocery retailers for the first time.
Leading the list is Whole Foods Market, acquired by Amazon in 2017 for 13.7 billion dollars. The chain operates around 500 stores and is widely regarded as a pioneer in organic food retail.
Chunk Foods produces whole-cut plant-based meat using a natural fermentation process
(Photo: PR)
Chunk Foods has also entered Sprouts Farmers Market, one of the fastest-growing health-focused supermarket chains in the U.S., which targets younger, health-conscious consumers. Sprouts operates more than 480 stores across 25 states and generates annual revenue of approximately 8.8 billion dollars.
The third retailer is H-E-B, the privately owned Texas grocery giant controlled by the Butt family. H-E-B operates more than 435 stores and generates roughly 46 billion dollars in annual revenue. The chain enjoys an almost legendary status in Texas—a state where meat culture is deeply woven into the local identity.
Chunk Foods has developed a proprietary process for producing whole-cut plant-based meat through natural fermentation using soy and wheat proteins. The approach combines one of humanity's oldest food technologies, fermentation, with one of the most advanced products to emerge from the alternative protein industry.
The company's whole-cut products serve as the foundation for its entire product line, including steaks, pulled meat, cubes and other formats. Unlike most competing products, which rely on 3D printing or other highly intensive processing methods, as well as binders, stabilizers and lengthy ingredient lists, Chunk produces whole-cut plant-based meat that also offers the benefits associated with fermented foods—one of today's leading health and wellness trends.
Amos Golan, the company's founder and CEO, told ynet: "Plant-based meat shouldn't be just another burger. It should be exciting. A few years ago, we were a small Israeli team with an idea—to create a whole-cut plant-based steak that people would genuinely want to eat. Seeing our products now enter three of the most influential retail chains in the United States, after already reaching restaurants, hotels, NBA teams and thousands of points of sale across the country, is an incredibly exciting moment for our entire team. Especially at a time like this, there's something very powerful about seeing Israeli technology and an Israeli product break through on the global stage."
Golan says the disappointment surrounding alternative meat in recent years stems from consumers' growing demand for clean-label, high-protein foods. According to him, Chunk has shifted direction within the alternative protein sector itself—moving away from products that attempted to imitate meat through heavy processing and long ingredient lists, toward products with a short ingredient list that includes fermented wheat and soy protein, coconut oil, vitamin B12 and iron, without preservatives, stabilizers, binding agents or artificial additives.
Chunk Foods products are currently served at hundreds of restaurants and foodservice locations across the United States, including more than 50 traditional steakhouses. In Israel, the company's products are available at more than 100 restaurants and foodservice venues, including the Hudson Brasserie.
The company's products are also sold through major Israeli retail chains, including Victory, Rami Levy, Carrefour, Tiv Ta'am, Keshet Teamim and others.