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Gruppo Tonazzo, one of Italy’s oldest meat producers, has announced its decision to drop meat entirely and focus on plant-based food.
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The company previously specialized in pork and beef products, and is known for using traditional Italian butchery methods. The family-owned brand, which was set up in 1888, said it took the decision to go plant-based because it feels a “deep responsibility to future generations.”
Going forward, Gruppo Tonazzo will focus on its meat-free brand Kioene, which it set up 40 years ago. “We are embarking on the third revolution in our company’s history and, we hope, in the sector as well,” Gruppo Tonazzo CEO Stefano Tonazzo said in a statement. “We are now closing all meat-related operations to focus entirely on plant-based proteins and our Kioene brand, already the leader in Italy.”
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A plant-based takeover
Kioene was set up in 1988 amid growing demand for meat-free alternatives. While not all products are vegan (some contain egg), a growing number of its burgers, cutlets, falafels, and other foods are plant-based, using legumes and vegetables as their primary ingredients. Following the decision to move away from meat, Kioene will expand its plant-based line even further.
The meat-free brand is hugely popular in Italy, consumed by an estimated 2.3 million households. Veganism is also becoming more prominent in the country, with 2.3 percent of people thought to follow an animal-free lifestyle. A growing number of Italians are also reducing meat consumption over concerns about health, animals, and the environment. Animal agriculture is devastating the planet, and studies have shown that a huge reduction in meat is essential if we are to avoid climate catastrophe.
“As early movers in this market, we feel a deep responsibility to future generations,” Albino Tonazzo, CEO of Kioene, said in a statement. “We want to contribute to environmental preservation and foster collective awareness. We are confident that the market and consumers will once again follow our lead.”
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