Ikea, home of hygge and meatballs, is now going to shift half of its menu to plant-based items to meet customer demand. The change includes a major reduction in red meat.
Adweek reports that Ikea’s red meat production is slated to be reduced by 80% by the time 2025 rolls around, which is to say that most items including red meat will be eliminated or slimmed down. But, as I see some of you freaking out, the beloved Swedish meatballs will remain unscathed. For those of you who love the meatballs but want a plant-based version, fear not: Ikea rolled out the plant ball a few months back, made with yellow pea protein, oats, apples, onions, and potatoes. The plant ball has a drastically lower climate footprint at 4% of the flesh and blood meatball’s footprint.
This move to plant-based options will also hit the little markets inside every Ikea (will they keep the fish eggs in the toothpaste tubes? I love that stuff on flatbread crackers.). Ikea already sells a form of seaweed caviar, which we liked. While you likely think of Ikea as a huge furniture depot, you may not realize that 680 million people also bought food. That... is a lot of food. Hot dogs, cinnamon rolls, frozen meatballs, all the good stuff.
Shifting to plant-based options shouldn’t come as a shocker, since Impossible Foods and Beyond Meat are gaining more and more traction on grocery store shelves. In our little house, we’ve actually swapped out around half of our ground beef with plant-based versions and are happily satisfied with the result. (It came as a fair shock to us, as we didn’t think we’d actually like all of it.) While meatless options can be pricey, Ikea is aiming to keep their prices as affordable as you’d expect from them. Bookshelves and plant balls for everyone!