Gardein (a ''

portmanteau A portmanteau word, or portmanteau (, ) is a blend of wordsgarden A garden is a planned space, usually outdoors, set aside for the cultivation, display, and enjoyment of plants and other forms of nature. The single feature identifying even the wildest wild garden is ''control''. The garden can incorporate bot ...

and

protein Proteins are large biomolecules and macromolecules that comprise one or more long chains of amino acid residues. Proteins perform a vast array of functions within organisms, including catalysing metabolic reactions, DNA replication, respon ...

) is a line of meat-free foods produced by

Conagra Brands Conagra Brands, Inc. (formerly ConAgra Foods) is an American consumer packaged goods holding company headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. Conagra makes and sells products under various brand names that are available in supermarkets, restaurants, ...

. In 2003, the company was founded by Yves Potvin, who remains the CEO of Gardein . In November 2014,

Pinnacle Foods Pinnacle Foods, Inc., is a packaged foods company headquartered in Parsippany, New Jersey, that specializes in shelf-stable and frozen foods. The company became a subsidiary of Conagra Brands on October 26, 2018. History The company was fo ...

purchased Gardein for $154 million. Pinnacle was acquired by Conagra in 2018. The company has production facilities in

Richmond, British Columbia Richmond is a coastal city in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia, Canada. It occupies almost the entirety of Lulu Island (excluding Queensborough), between the two estuarine distributaries of the Fraser River. Encompassing the a ...

and

Hagerstown, Maryland Hagerstown is a city in Washington County, Maryland, United States and the county seat of Washington County. The population of Hagerstown city proper at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census was 43,527, and the population of the Hagerstow ...

. All of Gardein's products are

vegan Veganism is the practice of abstaining from the use of animal product—particularly in diet—and an associated philosophy that rejects the commodity status of animals. An individual who follows the diet or philosophy is known as a vegan. ...

. The company uses a proprietary process to make its meatless products. In 2014, the company began producing

gluten free A gluten-free diet (GFD) is a nutritional plan that strictly excludes gluten, which is a mixture of proteins found in wheat (and all of its species and hybrids, such as spelt, kamut, and triticale), as well as barley, rye, and oats. The inclus ...

meatless products. Gardein Crispy Tenders at Loving Hut Restaurant (4907394193)

History

Garden Protein International was founded by former chef Yves Potvin in 2003. In 2009, the company began selling its frozen products. In 2007, Garden Protein had 85 employees and $50 million in annual sales. In 2014, it had nearly $100 million in sales at the retail level. By 2015, it had over 250 employees with distribution to more than 22,000 stores in North America. Gardein was first used in the United Kingdom in 2008, as an ingredient in Grassington's frozen meals.

Publicity

Gardein products have been featured on ''

The Oprah Winfrey Show ''The Oprah Winfrey Show'', often referred to as ''The Oprah Show'' or simply ''Oprah'', is an American daytime broadcast syndication, syndicated talk show that aired nationally for 25 seasons from September 8, 1986, to May 25, 2011, in Chicag ...

'' multiple times by chef and Gardein consultant Tal Ronnen. In 2013, Gardein partnered with the

Los Angeles City Council The Los Angeles City Council is the legislative body of the City of Los Angeles in California. The council is composed of 15 members elected from single-member districts for four-year terms. The president of the council and the president pro tem ...

to celebrate

Meatless Monday Meatless Monday is an international campaign that encourages people to not eat meat on Mondays to improve their health and the health of the planet. Meatless Monday is a non-profit initiative of The Monday Campaigns Inc. in association with the ...

Awards

In 2007, Gardein received PETA's Company of the Year Award for their

meat substitute A meat alternative or meat substitute (also called plant-based meat or fake meat, sometimes pejoratively) is a food product made from vegetarian or vegan ingredients, eaten as a replacement for meat. Meat alternatives typically approximate qua ...

products. Since 2010 Gardein has received four

Canadian Grand Prix The Canadian Grand Prix (french: Grand Prix du Canada) is an annual motor racing event held since 1961. It has been part of the Formula One World Championship since 1967. It was first staged at Mosport Park in Bowmanville, Ontario, as a sp ...

New Product awards (Frozen or Refrigerated Prepared Food & Entrees, 2013, Fishless Fillet and Crispy Chik'n with Veggies Pocket Meal, 2015). It also won a New Product award from ''Veg News Magazine'' three years in a row (2010, 2011 and 2012). Gardein's Seven Grain Crispy Tenders product won ''

Shape A shape or figure is a graphical representation of an object or its external boundary, outline, or external surface, as opposed to other properties such as color, texture, or material type. A plane shape or plane figure is constrained to lie on ...

'' magazine's Best Snack award in 2010, and Gardein then won the Good Food Award by ''Natural Health Magazine'' in 2011. Gardein received several awards in 2014, including

PETA Peta or PETA may refer to: Acronym * Pembela Tanah Air, a militia established by the occupying Japanese in Indonesia in 1943 * People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, an American animal rights organization * People Eating Tasty Animals, ...

's Product of the Year, the Libby Award for PETA's 'Best Seasonal Vegan Food,' the 'Foodie Award' by the ''

Vegetarian Times ''Vegetarian Times'' is an American publication focused on food, culture, health and lifestyle for vegetarians, vegans, and all people interested in plant-based eating. ''Vegetarian Times'' promotes an Environmentally friendly, eco-friendly life ...

,'' and the National Restaurant Association's Food and Beverage Innovations (FABI) Awards for their Fishless Fillets. Also that year, the brand received the Leadership in Sustainability award at the British Columbia Export Awards, and

Mercy for Animals Mercy For Animals (MFA) is an international nonprofit animal protection organization founded in 1999 by Milo Runkle. MFA's mission is to "prevent cruelty to farmed animals and promote compassionate food choices and policies." MFA has conducted mo ...

awarded founder Yves Potvin their Innovative Business Award. '' Better Homes and Gardens'' awarded Gardein with Best New Product in the Meatless Alternative category for their Crispy Chick'n Sliders in 2014, and 'Best New Product' in 2015. In 2015, Gardein's Gluten-Free Beefless Ground was a finalist for Best Meat Replacement in ''Delicious Living Magazine'''s third annual Best Bite Awards. In the same year, they received the ''Progressive Grocer Category Advisor Award'' (Frozen Meatless Foods category) for their Fishless Fillets.

Restaurant menu inclusion

Although Gardein is primarily sold as a frozen product in grocery stores, its products have been included on restaurant menus as well. * Many of the

faux meat A meat alternative or meat substitute (also called plant-based meat or fake meat, sometimes pejoratively) is a food product made from vegetarian or vegan ingredients, eaten as a replacement for meat. Meat alternatives typically approximate q ...

options available at Veggie Grill restaurants are made from Gardein products. * In 2017, hamburger chain Johnny Rockets added the Gardein black bean patty to its menu. *In August 2019, New Zealand based burger chain BurgerFuel added the Chick’n patties to its menu. *Starting in 2011, the Yard House restaurant chain has offered several Gardein products on its menu.

Controversies and criticisms

In February 2018, Gardein pleaded guilty in the

Provincial Court of British Columbia The Provincial Court of British Columbia (BC Provincial Court) is a trial level court in British Columbia that hears cases in criminal, civil and family matters. The Provincial Court is a creation of statute, and as such its jurisdiction is lim ...

to a 2016 offence of unlawfully dumping vegetable oil into a ditch on Gardein's property, which leads into the

Fraser River The Fraser River is the longest river within British Columbia, Canada, rising at Fraser Pass near Blackrock Mountain in the Rocky Mountains and flowing for , into the Strait of Georgia just south of the City of Vancouver. The river's annua ...

. The company was fined $285,000, ordered to improve its Richmond-based plant to prevent future spills, and added to the ''Environmental Offenders Registry''.

References

External links

* {{Vancouver Corporations Meat substitutes Food product brands Companies based in Richmond, British Columbia Canadian brands Food and drink companies of Canada