Major pizza chain offers meaty new toppings - minus the meat

Pizza chain now offers plant-based meaty pizzas - without beef. Photo / Supplied

Animal-free, plant-based meat has made its pizza topping debut in New Zealand with US companies Domino's and Impossible Foods joining up in a new range offer.

From today pizza lovers wanting to reduce their meat consumption or mix-up their menu can choose from a range of meaty pizza pies - without beef.

Domino's, a major player in New Zealand's $3 billion a year fast food and takeaway sector, said each serving of Impossible Beef was gluten-free, halal and kosher-certified and delivered 18.8g of protein in each 113g serving.

California-based Impossible Foods makes meat and dairy products from plants. The privately-owned company was founded in 2011 and has a who's-who of investors including Bill Gates, Google Ventures, Horizons Ventures, Temasek and the Open Philanthropy Project.

US-founded, ASX-listed Domino's has more than 3400 outlets in 10 markets, including New Zealand, Australia, Europe, Japan and Taiwan.

Domino's Australia/New Zealand chief marketing officer Adam Ballesty said the meat-substitute pizzas would be available every day of the week.

"We know people are actively seeking more sustainable food options, but it is also critical that these alternatives deliver on taste and a great pizza experience.

"The Impossible Beef pizza topping ... has all the flavour and texture of juicy, authentic minced beef, but with far less environmental impact."

The Domino's initiative is another incursion by plant-based meat substitutes into the territory of New Zealand's $9b-plus red meat industry, but farmer advocate Beef + Lamb NZ was unfazed.

Nick Beeby, general manager market development, said the world's population was expected to grow to 10 billion by 2050 and demand for protein forecast to double by then.

"New Zealand's red meat sector cannot meet that demand.

"We have always been clear there's room for both alternative proteins and red meat."

Research commissioned by the organisation in 2018 found the same forces driving demand for alternatives proteins, such as concerns about industrialised intensive agriculture and the environment, were actually driving demand for the natural, grass-fed, outside year-round way New Zealand produced beef and lamb, Beeby said.

"We believe the rise of alternative proteins is an opportunity to tell our story about how grass-fed beef and lamb is produced in New Zealand and we appreciate that consumers are increasingly concerned around the sustainability and climate credentials of their food."

Through its "pasture-raised advantage" programme, Beef + Lamb was researching the health and wellbeing benefits of New Zealand's grass-fed beef versus grain-fed beef and alternative proteins, he said.

Dominio's said it was also working on a project to carbon-offset its digital media buying in New Zealand for the Impossible marketing campaign with new technology.

Impossible Foods director of international Jordan Sadowsky said Domino's had "built a fun, engaging brand with a loyal following".

The Impossible Pizza range will be available for pick up or delivery nationwide from October 25.