Plant-based or vegan? What’s the difference?
In our world of ever-evolving food preferences, millions of people around the globe are shunning meat products and embracing the complex concepts of plant-based and vegan diets. We know they both involve avoiding eating meat, but what’s the real difference between the two?
Plant-based and vegan are commonly believed to be interchangeable, but as one of the UK’s leading food manufacturers, we appreciate that many of our customers will be actively searching the packet for information about whether a product is vegan or plant-based. Product labelling is super important, and at Quattro HQ we understand the difference between the two.
Plant-based – the official definition
The Vegan Society describes ‘plant-based’ as “one whereby people eat foods mostly from plants and avoid animal-derived products but do not exclude animal products entirely.” This means avoiding meat and fish but eating eggs, dairy or fish.
Veganism – more of a philosophy than a diet
Veganism is a movement based on a philosophy rather than a diet, and restricts followers from all forms of exploitation of, and cruelty to, animals for food, clothing or any other purpose. So, vegans exclude milk, eggs and honey from their diet as well as any other animal-derived products.
Vegans believe that animals are exploited in the production of milk and eggs. Egg-laying chickens are kept in battery cages, but even in ‘free-range’ systems, barns are often cramped and filled with thousands of other birds.
Quattro Foods caters for vegan and plant-based diets
How do we cater for either, or both? Here’s our favourite vegan – and plant-based – sauce recipe for a classic, delicious, fresh and zesty tomato sauce. It’s versatile, full of flavour, bursting with colour and filled with healthy ingredients. And did we mention it’s completely meat-free too? Let’s talk about our plant-based, vegan-friendly tomato sauce.
Why not simply simmer some tinned tomatoes in a pan and call it a sauce, we hear you cry?
Our chefs will tell you that’s simply not enough time and love to make a really classic sauce. It needs to be the prefect consistency, it needs to be slow-cooked and it needs just the right balance of acidity
Short of time? The Quattro chefs will do the hard graft for you. We source the freshest tomatoes with great care, from local producers; we transport them to our state-of-the-art nut-free kitchen and pulp and puree them expertly, so that every ounce of flavour remains, and we simmer and season to provide the perfect sauce for your dishes. Our chefs have a finely tuned, trained palate, and they know just how to adjust the acidity with a dash of cider vinegar and how to flavour the tomatoes subtly with garlic and onion and season with black pepper to develop the taste.
Plant-based, dairy-free, gluten-free and vegan – perfect for your plant-based – and vegan – customers.