Quorn facts for kids
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A Quorn Cordon Bleu
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| Private | |
| Industry | Food |
| Founded | 1985 |
| Founder | Marlow Foods Ltd (JV between RHM & ICI) |
| Headquarters | Stokesley, North Yorkshire, |
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Area served
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Global |
| Products | Meat alternatives |
| Owner | Monde Nissin Corporation (2015–present) |
Quorn is a popular brand that makes foods that taste like meat but aren't. These foods are called meat substitutes. Quorn started in the UK and is mostly sold in Europe, but you can find it in 11 countries around the world. The company that owns Quorn is called Monde Nissin.
Quorn products can be bought as ingredients for cooking, like mince or cubes. They are also used in many ready-made meals.
All Quorn foods are good for vegetarians. This means they don't contain meat. However, not all Quorn products are good for vegans. Vegan foods don't use any animal products, like eggs or dairy.
The main ingredient in all Quorn foods is something called mycoprotein. This special ingredient comes from a type of fungus called Fusarium venenatum. In most Quorn products, this fungus is dried and mixed with egg white. The egg white helps to hold the food together. Then, the mixture is shaped to look like different kinds of meat. For vegan Quorn products, potato protein is used instead of egg white to bind the ingredients.
Contents
The Story of Quorn
Quorn was first launched in 1985. It was created by a company called Marlow Foods. This company was a partnership between two bigger companies: Rank Hovis McDougall (RHM) and Imperial Chemical Industries (ICI).
How Quorn Was Invented
Back in the 1960s, people thought there might not be enough protein-rich foods in the future. So, scientists started looking for new ways to make protein. One idea was to grow tiny living things like fungi or bacteria to create food. This is called making "single-cell protein."
In 1967, scientists found a special fungus in a soil sample. They named it Fusarium venenatum. After many years of testing, in 1985, the government allowed this mycoprotein to be sold for people to eat.
ICI, one of the companies involved, had already learned a lot about growing tiny living things for animal feed. They used this knowledge to help create Quorn. They developed a way to grow the Fusarium venenatum fungus in large tanks. This process helped make Quorn possible.
Quorn in Stores
The Quorn brand first appeared in stores in 1985. It was sold by Marlow Foods. The name "Quorn" came from a trademark that RHM owned. This name was inspired by the Quorn Hunt, which was named after a village in Leicestershire, England, called Quorn.
Quorn products became available across the UK in 1993. In the 1990s, they started selling in other parts of Europe. By 2002, Quorn was also available in North America.
How Quorn is Advertised
When Quorn first started, they used famous sports stars in their advertisements. These included footballer Ryan Giggs, rugby player Will Carling, and Olympic runner Sally Gunnell. Later, in 2013, the company asked Olympic runner Mo Farah to be their ambassador to encourage people to be fit and try Quorn.
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Quorn Products
Quorn sells many different types of products. You can buy them ready to cook, like cubes or a form that looks like minced meat. Later, the company started making chilled vegetarian meals, such as pizzas, lasagne, and products that look like sliced meat, hot dogs, and burgers.
By 2005, Quorn was very popular in the UK. It made up about 60% of all meat-replacement foods sold there. By 2006, Quorn was sold in the UK, several European countries (like Belgium, Denmark, and the Netherlands), and North America (Canada and the United States). Since 2010, it has also been available in Australia.
Quorn products are now approved by the Vegetarian Society. This happened after Quorn started using free-range eggs in their recipes.
In 2004, McDonald's in the UK even offered a Quorn burger that had the Vegetarian Society's approval. However, by 2009, Quorn burgers were no longer sold at McDonald's in the UK.
In 2011, Quorn Foods launched a vegan burger in the United States. This burger used potato protein instead of egg to make it suitable for vegans. By 2020, many Quorn items were available in the United States, and many of them were vegan. They also have options that are gluten-free.
It's interesting to know that most people who buy Quorn are actually meat eaters, not vegetarians. The market for Quorn products is growing all over the world, and the company expects to sell even more in the future.
Who Owns Quorn?
Quorn was first created in 1985 by Marlow Foods, which was a partnership between RHM and ICI. In 1990, RHM sold its part of the business to ICI.
Later, in 1993, ICI changed its structure, and Marlow Foods became part of a new group called AstraZeneca.
In 2003, AstraZeneca sold Marlow Foods, including the Quorn business, to a company called Montagu Private Equity. Montagu then sold the business to Premier Foods in 2005.
In 2011, Premier Foods sold Quorn to two other companies, Exponent Private Equity and Intermediate Capital Group.
Finally, in 2015, Quorn was sold again to Monde Nissin Corporation. This company is based in the Philippines.
| Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz) | |
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| Energy | 384 kJ (92 kcal) |
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2.3 g
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| Sugars | 0.1 g |
| Dietary fibre | 7.5 g |
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1.7 g
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| Saturated | 0.5 g |
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Protein
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13 g
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| Tryptophan | 0.18 g |
| Threonine | 0.61 g |
| Isoleucine | 0.57 g |
| Leucine | 0.95 g |
| Lysine | 0.91 g |
| Methionine | 0.23 g |
| Phenylalanine | 0.54 g |
| Valine | 0.60 g |
| Histidine | 0.39 g |
| Minerals | Quantity
%DV†
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| Sodium |
9%
140 mg |
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sources: mycoprotein.org quorn.co.uk
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| †Percentages estimated using US recommendations for adults. | |
How Quorn is Made
Quorn is made from a special kind of soil fungus called Fusarium venenatum.
The fungus is grown in large, clean tanks filled with water that has lots of oxygen. They add Glucose (a type of sugar) and other nutrients like nitrogen, vitamins, and minerals. These act as food for the fungus and help it grow.
After the fungus grows, the mycoprotein is taken out and heated. This heating step is important because it removes something called RNA. If there's too much RNA, it can cause health problems like gout in humans.
Next, the mycoprotein is dried and mixed with egg albumen, which helps it stick together. Then, it's shaped to look like different kinds of meat. It can be made into mince (like ground beef), shapes like chicken breasts, meatballs, or chunks like diced chicken.
Quorn products have a mild flavor and can be used in many dishes where you would normally use meat, like stews or casseroles.
The final Quorn product is high in protein and dietary fibre. It is also low in saturated fat. Quorn is considered safe for babies over nine months old in small amounts, but it should be introduced slowly. The high fibre content is better for adults than babies, and too much fibre can cause gas. It's also important to check the salt content, as it can vary between different Quorn products.
Making Quorn frozen mince uses much less energy and creates at least 80% less carbon footprint than making beef. This means it's better for the environment.
Quorn for the UK and Europe is made at Marlow's main office in Stokesley, North Yorkshire, and also in Billingham in Stockton-on-Tees.
Vegan Quorn Products
In late 2011, Quorn released its first vegan product, the Quorn Vegan Burger. It was first sold only in the United States. Because it sold well and people in the UK wanted vegan options, Quorn started making more vegan products for the UK market. They also started using fewer eggs overall in their products.
In October 2015, Quorn launched a line of eight vegan products in the UK.
In January 2019, Quorn created the filling for a vegan sausage roll sold by a UK bakery chain called Greggs. This product was very popular and often sold out. It helped Greggs earn more money and increased their share price. In January 2020, Greggs also released a Quorn-based vegan "steak bake."
See also
