Virat Kohli and Anushka Sharma Collaborates With Blue Tribe Foods

Despite the fact that India is home to the world's largest number of vegetarians, we cannot imagine our biryani without mutton. In 2021, the consumption of poultry meat in India was found to be over four million metric tons. Most of us cannot even imagine living for a single week without meat.

Intriguingly, there is another side of it. According to the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) website, meat consumption is not only bad for the ecosystem but harms the environment as well. There are some facts mentioned on the website like:

• Cows, fed with 16 pounds of vegetation, convert into 1 pound of flesh.
• It takes 2,500 gallons of water to produce a pound of meat but only 25 gallons to produce a pound of wheat.
• Producing just one hamburger uses enough fossil fuel to drive a small car 20 miles. Of all raw materials and fossil fuels used in the U.S., more than one-third are devoted to raising animals for food.
• A typical pig factory generates the same amount of raw waste as a city of 12,000 people.

Seeing the problem, a start-up from Chennai named, Blue Tribe decided to do something about it. A research based strategy helped the company to find an alternative of meat which the company started providing in the market. Blue Tribe currently leads the market in the plant-based meat category, offering consumers a simple switch towards their range of plant-based Keema, Sausages, and Momos, without sacrificing the taste and indulgence of meat.

As the technology evolves, it is becoming extremely easy to provide meat from sustainable plant-based sources that not only taste as natural and delicious but gives the option to behave gently with the planet. Blue Tribe aims to build a community that is aware of the impact that the animal supply chain has on the environment and consciously chooses to replace animals from the food supply chain, once and for all. A community that makes positive changes for the health of not only itself, but of our little blue planet as a whole.

Plant based meat products can be made with a fraction of the resources (water, land, etc.) required to make the same quantity of animal meat. It keeps the wild spaces wild, the forests in bloom, the air clean and us healthy.

In a major piece of news on Tuesday, 8 Feb 2022, in the rapidly emerging ‘smart protein’ sector, homegrown plant-based meat brand Blue Tribe, founded and grown with support from Good Food Institute India, have secured celebrity power couple Anushka Sharma and Virat Kohli as investors and brand ambassadors.

These next-generation ‘smart protein’ foods go far beyond the previous generation of soya nuggets, providing consumers with a choice that has a tiny fraction of the land, water, and energy use and greenhouse gas implications of their conventional counterparts. Publications from major groups like the UN, and the EAT-Lancet Commission have highlighted over the last decade that industrial animal agriculture is one of the most significant contributors to major planetary health challenges such as deforestation, water scarcity, species and biodiversity loss, and greenhouse gas emissions.

The celebrity couple’s vision is in alignment with Blue Tribe, which is among a cohort of companies working vigorously on the mission to reinvent meat. Their products are essentially made with pea, soybean, lentils, grains, and other vegetarian ingredients that provide a mix of proteins, vitamins, and other nutrients. Research from the Good Food Institute India shows that investment in the smart protein sector globally hit over $3B in 2020 and 2021, but virtually none of this came in India indicating the major opportunity for home-grown start-ups like Blue Tribe Foods.

Speaking about the progress in the sector and this partnership, Good Food Institute India MD Varun Deshpande said, “Plant-based meats and smart protein foods are demonstrating a model to save the planet, by providing consumers with the indulgence and experience of the foods they crave, without the guilt. As this fast-growing fledgling industry continues to blossom, voices like Anushka Sharma and Virat Kohli can help the next generation of sustainable food innovation break out of just the early adopters and reach the true mass market of India, a billion plus consumers enjoying highly sustainable, nutritious foods that are great for people and planet.”

Speaking about what propelled her to take this initiative, Anushka Sharma said, “Virat and I have always been animal lovers. It’s been years since we decided to adopt a meat-free lifestyle. The collaboration with Blue Tribe is a step to tell people how they can be more conscious and leave less impact on the planet by switching to a plant-based diet. We hope that more people would like to understand the need for it and thus, help the planet and the life in it.”

“At the end of the day, I’m a foodie too. I want to enjoy the kind of food I love without leaving a huge carbon footprint. I know a lot of people feel the same way. This is why I believe, if we can have a lower dependence on meat, without short changing our taste buds, there is potential for a planet-changing impact. This is where Blue Tribe is proving to be a game changer, striking a perfect balance between food that’s really tasty and  good for the planet.” Virat Kohli added.

Commenting on the inspiration behind creating a brand that is potentially the future of food, Sandeep Singh, Co-founder, Blue Tribe said, “The real problem our environment faces today is that everyone thinks its protection is someone else’s problem! Nonetheless, our products aim at non-vegetarian eaters who want to switch to healthier, environment-friendly products without compromising the taste of their favourite dishes. Our food experts and scientists have been successful in identifying what gives meat its unique taste and texture, and so our products will taste, look, feel and cook exactly like meat.”

“In India, over 60% of the people are non-vegetarian, and most people have no idea about the negative effects it has on the planet. The good thing is that we are becoming aware of what we eat, and we are grateful to Anushka and Virat for supporting Blue Tribe and spreading this message further.” He added.