This month, vegan pepperoni made by Happy Plants—a plant-based brand owned by pork giant Hormel Foods—will debut on the menu at select locations of national fast-food chain Papa Murphy’s. Hormel launched the Happy Little Plants brand in 2019 with Uncooked Plant-Based Ground Product, a vegan meat that cooks and tastes similar to ground turkey or beef. Hormel worked closely with foodservice operators to develop the vegan pepperoni, which is made with the same spice blend as Hormel’s traditional pepperoni but without animal meat.

“Chefs and restaurateurs are very aware of today’s dynamic food landscape and consumers’ desire to add more plant-based foods to their diets, and we are very excited to bring this great-tasting, plant-based option to our partners at Papa Murphy’s,” Anthony Panichelli, Foodservice Pizza Toppings Brand Manager at Hormel Foods, said. “The new Happy Little Plants brand pepperoni style topping was developed with foodservice operators to ensure pizzeria-level taste, convenience and quality, so much so, that many people may have a hard time tasting the difference between Happy Little Plants brand pepperoni style topping and traditional pepperoni.”

The new topping will be available at Papa Murphy’s locations in Austin and Dallas, TX; Duluth, MN; Fargo, ND; and Las Vegas, NV. “We know our customers are looking for plant-based options to shake up their normal pizza routine and incorporating the benefits of plant-based foods into meals they’re familiar with,” Kim McBee, Senior Vice President of Customer Experience and Brand Marketing at Papa Murphy’s, said. “The new Happy Little Plants brand pepperoni-style topping is perfect for our Cowboy pizza or as a switch to our traditional pepperoni pizzas.” Papa Murphy’s does not currently offer vegan cheese. 

Last month, vegan company The Pizza Plant announced that its plant-based pepperoni (dubbed “Peperone”) is now available to 400 foodservice providers in California and Nevada through its distribution partner Jacmar. 

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