Leading pulses and grains brand Merchant Gourmet is moving into the ambient ready meals category with the launch of three microwavable ‘Meals in Minutes’ pouches.
The company stated that the launch aimed to bring “health, convenience, and global flavours” to the category, using pulses such as lentils, beans & chickpeas as a natural source of protein.
The new Merchant Gourmet range includes a Lentil & Chickpea Tagine, a 3 Bean & Lentil Chilli, and a Thai Green Lentil Curry. All the meals are naturally high in protein and fibre, are fully plant-based, and contain 1 of the 5 a day.
Richard Peake, Managing Director at Merchant Gourmet, said: “We know that consumers are looking to eat more plant-based meals, and that for many, convenience is a must as they juggle busy work, home and social lives. But so many of the ready meal options available are either meat-based, or use highly processed meat alternatives. We’ve also seen increasing distrust of ultra-processed meat substitutes as a source of protein – 54% say they avoid plant-based meat substitutes because they are ultra-processed.
“At Merchant Gourmet, we wanted to address this need for healthy, yet convenient food directly, with our high protein, plant-based Meals in Minutes pouches. Rather than adding in highly processed protein sources, our protein comes naturally from lentils and pulses, which also means our meals are high in fibre and contain 1 of your 5 a day.”
The new Meals in Minutes range is rolling out in Sainsbury’s and online via merchant-gourmet.com (RRP £2.50 / 280g).
