New at Walmart: This Healthier Vegan Pork Alternative

An estimated 79 million American households are regularly buying plant-based products, and the percentage of shoppers looking for vegan options continues to increase, motivating major retailers in the United States to cater to their growing plant-based customer base. Starting this fall, Walmarts nationwide will begin offering plant-based meat products from OMNI, formerly Omni Foods.

OMNI, just revealed that four of its signature products will soon be available to American shoppers at over a third of Walmart locations, as well as online. The selection features the popular OMNI Luncheon –– a plant-based pork substitute –– and OMNI Crab-Style Cake as well as two new products including the OMNI Potsticker and OMNI Spring Roll.

“After last year’s successful launch of OMNI across the U.S. through retailers, online stores, restaurants, food events, and festivals, we are incredibly excited to expand and offer these delicious products at Walmart,” David Yeung, co-founder and CEO of Green Monday Holdings and OMNI, said. “By providing our growing consumer base with a healthy, tasty, and versatile plant-based meat alternative, they can make good food at home as we continue to realize our mission to construct a multi-faceted global ecosystem of future food that helps to combat climate change, food insecurity, public health crisis, planetary devastation and the overconsumption of meat.”

OMNI previously debuted several plant-based products at Whole Foods and Sprouts Farmers Market locations last year, but now, the company aims to significantly increase its distribution range with Walmart. With this partnership, shoppers can find the OMNI Potsticker and OMNI Luncheon at over 1,900 Walmart locations and the OMNI Crab-Style Cake and the OMNI Spring Roll at over 1,300 stores.

Before last July, OMNI's signature plant-based pork could only be found in the United Kingdom and a select number of Asian countries including Hong Kong, China, and Singapore. Omni initially partnered with 25 restaurants last summer to feature its plant-based pork, aiming to showcase its food service potential.

Shortly after, the OMNI Grounds, Strips, and Luncheon products became commercially available at Sprouts and Whole Foods locations nationwide. The OMNI Luncheon is the first plant-based product of its kind on the global market, designed to be enjoyed with sandwiches, ramen, and musubi. The company also recently partnered with Dot Foods, America's larger food distributor.

“After our successful expansion throughout Asia, Australia, and the UK since 2018, we are incredibly excited to bring OmniFoods to more people and communities by being on shelves at all Sprouts Farmers Market and select Whole Foods Markets across America, bringing OmniFoods to an estimated 40,000 point of sale locations around the world,” Yeung said last August.

This January, OMNI teamed up with leading poke chain Pokeworks to provide customers with a plant-based protein option in Washington, California, and New York. The partnership tested customer response to the OMNI Luncheon before a possible national rollout.

Last November, the company first tested its plant-based seafood in partnership with Starbucks. OMNI debuted the vegan crab cakes at 170 Starbucks locations, featured in a Thai Style New Crab Cake Salad.

For more plant-based happenings, visit The Beet's News articles. 

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