Major Italian Food Supplier Launches Vegan Line

Italian private-label food company Selex Gruppo Commerciale recently launched its Vegetale 100% Selex line of vegan products. According to food industry outlet European Supermarket Magazine, the line includes dry ingredients such as seeds, fruit, and nuts, a range of prepared products such as soy-based ice cream, fresh and frozen soy-based burgers, tofu, and condiments. Selex was formed in 1979 as a consortium of companies with the mission to evolve its brand in line with market trends. In a statement, Selex explained that it developed its vegan line to “meet emerging consumer trends.” In the UK, plant-based brand Bute Island Foods recently gained distribution of its vegan cheese (under the FreeFrom label) across two competing supermarkets, Tesco and Sainsbury’s—which reported that its vegan cheese sales exceeded expectations by 300 percent within the first month after launching the line.