Pasta Brand ZENB Announces Closure

“Plant-powered” pasta brand ZENB has announced the closure of its UK branch due to difficult economic circumstances.

The Japanese company, which makes pasta using high-protein yellow peas, as well as vegan sauces and crackers, launched in the UK in 2020. A statement from ZENB said “the very challenging global economic climate” had made it “unsustainable to continue.”

ZENB began with the aim of “reimagining” a staple food with the use of a healthier, single ingredient that is also gluten-free. It used as much of the yellow pea as possible, including the skin. Yellow peas are high in protein, fiber (from the skin), iron, potassium, and phosphorous. They are also environmentally beneficial as they have a lower water and carbon footprint than durum wheat, the conventional main ingredient in pasta. As a legume, yellow peas also fix nitrogen in the soil, reducing the need for fertilizers and improving soil health.

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ZENB products were never sold in grocery stores and have only been available online. Orders can be made in the UK until 21 February.

Alternative pasta

ZENB has been part of a growing trend for making pasta from beans and pulses instead of wheat. Retailers such as Sainsbury’s and Tesco make own-brand pasta from red lentils. Swiss brand Explore Cuisine makes pastas from black bean spaghetti, chickpea fusilli, and edamame and mung bean fettucine. Each legume lends its own texture and taste to the pasta, making it a bit of trial and error to find one you prefer.

A 2020 study found that swapping wheat for chickpea flour to make pasta would provide better nutrition and reduce environmental impacts. It suggested that the higher protein content of chickpeas means that chickpea pasta could help meet protein needs in place of animal products.

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