Hormel Foods is introducing Happy Little Plants pepperoni style topping.
"Our team worked closely with pizzerias, chefs, foodservice operators and pizza experts to develop a plant-based pepperoni style topping that cooks and tastes exactly like traditional pepperoni," said Anthony Panichelli, foodservice pizza toppings brand manager at Hormel Foods, in a statement. "Chefs and restaurateurs are very aware of today's dynamic food landscape and consumers' desire to add more plant-based foods to their diets. 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."
Over the coming weeks and months, the topping will hit pizzeria menus across the country, according to Hormel.
The news comes days after Pizza Hut announced that it’s testing Beyond Pepperoni, a plant-based version of its best-selling pizza topping. The Beyond Pepperoni Pizza is available in nearly 70 locations across five U.S. markets for a limited time.
Related: Pizza Hut Debuts Beyond Pepperoni Pizza; Plant Protein Market Expected to Exceed $162 Billion.
Image: Hormel