Meat-free burger made in Cork triumphs in UK veggie festival

Irish meat-free product Dee’s Organic Omega Burgers has been inducted into VegFest UK’s Hall of Fame — alongside meat-free musicians Moby, Ozzy Osbourne, Sinéad O’Connor, and Russell Brand.

The Cork-based burger was voted as one of the top five meat-free meal options in the ‘vegan sausages and burgers’ category in a poll run by VegFest, in Bristol.

Festival-goers participated in an online poll that gauged their love of all things veggie — from their favourite vegetarian food and cosmetics brands, to musicians, actors, and sports stars. Dee’s Organic Omega Burger came fourth in its category.

Deirdre Collins, who established Dee’s Eat Well, Be Happy in 2009, said: “We’re making real progress when it comes to creating a strong market presence in the UK. Last year, UK sales and distribution agreements were negotiated with The Health Store, Whole Foods Market, and Marigold Health Foods. As a result, the Dee’s Eat Well, Be Happy brand is available in a growing number of food halls, delicatessens, and health food stores throughout England, Scotland, and Wales.”

VegFest UK was held in the Harbourside area of Bristol last weekend and attracted more than 25,000 healthy-eating enthusiasts. UK food festivals provide an opportunity for Deirdre to attain customer feedback.

Deirdre said: “In the UK and continental Europe, it’s clear that one of our main selling points is that our wholefood burgers are made from real food ingredients.

“Ours is not like a traditional fake meat product. Instead, we offer a combination of extremely tasty, premium veggie ingredients that happen to be meat-free.”