As OmniFoods Launches Omni Luncheon 2.0, We Recap the Story of the Famous Vegan SPAM – vegconomist
To celebrate OmniFoods‘ launch of a new, lighter, healthier version of its famous vegan SPAM-style product — OMNI Luncheon 2.0 — at restaurants and retail outlets across Hong Kong, we take a look at the history behind the famous product that made serious waves when it first arrived in 2020.
Compared to the original OMNI Luncheon, the new formula replaces coconut oil with canola oil, contains 90% less saturated fat, is 30% lower in total fat, and offers a reduced sodium content. It is high in protein and contains no carcinogenic nitrates, hormones, antibiotics, or MSG.
OnmiFoods also recently revealed an innovative new patented technology called OmniNano Vegan Fat.
Kind of a pig deal
Part of Green Monday Holdings, OmniFoods originally came to life as Right Treat, which gave birth to OmniPork and eventually led to OmniFoods and its range of OmniEat products, beginning with OmniPork Luncheon and OmniPork Strips.
Green Monday stated at the time its intention to meet the increased demand for plant-based foods by offering an alternative to Asia’s most consumed meat: pork. In an interview with vegconomist from 2020, OmniFoods founder David Yeung predicted that the company’s plant-based SPAM would hit “meat right where it hurts the most.”
The response was “unprecedented“. In the following years, other brands would follow and launch plant-based luncheon meat products, but Omni was the first.
OmniPork’s journey started at Mcdonald’s China and Pokeworks. Then the brand expanded through many retail locations across APAC, including in China, Thailand, and Japan, and is available across 20 countries today.
In Europe, the plant-based pork phenomenon made its long-awaited UK debut in 2021, firstly into foodservice then into retail, with OmniPork Mince listing at TheVeganKind online supermarket (previously the UK’s biggest vegan online retailer, which sadly folded to become acquired by WholeFood Earth), followed by the arrival of OMNI Luncheon.
US most popular market, NZ upcoming
Omni Luncheon launched at Sprouts Farmers Market and Whole Foods Market across 23 states in the US in 2021. And last October, OMNI listed its OMNI luncheon and OMNI Potsticker at 1,900 Walmart locations. Furthermore, a partnership with Dot Food, North America’s largest food industry redistributor, provided foodservice customers with Omni’s product portfolio.
“The US is the biggest seller and the Americans are very familiar with Luncheon,” Dorothy Ma, director, PR & communications of Green Monday, told vegconomist.
Ma also revealed that the company just signed up with Entyce, a food distributor, to expand its food services and retail networks in Australia and New Zealand in the future. Omni Luncheon arrived in Australia in 2021, rolling out at Woolworths supermarket chain nationwide.
Three years in the making
The retail packs of OMNI Luncheon 2.0 are available at all Green Common and Green Common e-shops and will be hitting the local supermarket shelves gradually, OmniFoods announced. To celebrate the launch, a limited OMNI Luncheon 2.0 menu is available at Green Common with three new dishes including Luncheon 2.0 Cheesy K-Ramen.
“OMNI Luncheon has continually received great feedback since its launch, but here at OMNI we believe in continually striving to bring even healthier, more delicious plant-based foods to all. In the past three years, we have been working on this upgraded version and I am delighted to announce the launch of OMNI Luncheon 2.0 — a lighter, healthier version that at its core retains the taste that consumers know and love, while delivering a crispier texture using better ingredients,” said David Yeung, co-founder and CEO of OmniFoods and Green Monday.
