50-Year-Old Salami Company Launches Vegan Jerky

Canadian meat company Urbani Foods launched this week NOBLE Jerky—a vegan snack the 50-year-old salami company believes will be more sustainable than meat. “I wouldn’t compare NOBLE jerky to other vegan dried meat replacements,” CEO Claudio Urbani said. “It is a product developed with years of meat expertise that has never been applied to a plant product in this way before.” Using the company’s meat-drying methods, the jerky is made from marinated and seasoned non-GMO tempeh and is available in Original, Teriyaki, Chipotle, and Sweet BBQ flavors—the latter two of which can be purchased by United States customers via Amazon.com. “Sustainable agriculture means providing healthy food to the entire population, and the inefficiencies in raising an animal for food mean that it is not feasible to meet this goal going into the future,” Urbani said. “The only way to convince the meat-eating population, and slowly reduce our dependence on meat, will be to provide alternatives that are identical in taste and texture, and we think NOBLE jerky is a step in the right direction.” A number of formerly animal products-centric businesses are diversifying their products to capitalize on the growing plant-based industry, including 70-year-old California dairy company McConnell’s, which debuted its first line of pea protein-based vegan ice cream this month.