Agricultural and Processed Foods Export Development Authority (APEDA) has facilitated the shipment of one container of plant-based food items meat substitutes to the United States.
APEDA said about 13 tonnes of jackfruit-based products from Wakao Foods were shipped from Kochi port to the US last week, marking a significant milestone in the plant-based movement in India. The flag-off was attended by APEDA Chairman Rajesh Agarwal, APEDA General Manager Vinod Kumar Vidyarthi and Wakao Foods’ Sairaj Dound and other industry stakeholders, said a release.
Wakao Foods is a Goa-based start-up that produces plant-based meat substitutes primarily from jackfruit. Wakao’s exports to the US included various products derived from jackfruit, such as American herb sausage, raw jack, BBQ jack and teriyaki jack, among others. “This is the largest shipment of jackfruit-based products to the US,” Sairaj said. He said that the second consignment would be done in the next 10 days.
The company sources jackfruits from states like Karnataka and Kerala and processes them at its factory in Kochi. Wakao is exporting jack-based meat substitutes to Dubai, the Netherlands, Norway and Singapore.
APEDA President Rajesh Agarwal stressed on the importance of globalization of indigenous inputs like jackfruit to diversify protein supply in India and tackle protein-related malnutrition. APEDA said in a statement that highlighting the potential of jackfruit supports the plant-based movement and provides economic benefits to jackfruit growers by increasing their income.
APEDA is actively promoting plant-based meat products and intends to expand its export basket with more options in this category. The successful export of a full container load of Wakao Foods is testimony to the growing popularity of vegetarian foods in developed countries. It added that the high nutrient content, rich fiber content and absence of cholesterol in vegetarian food products have made them an attractive option globally.
Wakao Foods has worked over the past eight months to understand the taste and palate of the US market and develop specially tailored products, including ready-to-cook and ready-to-eat options. Their flagship product is jackfruit meat, which caters to the growing vegetarian trend. Wakao Food, launched in 2020, has achieved 25 percent monthly growth.