Welcome to walnut meat 

Move over, mushrooms: Meatballs, tacos and Bolognese can all be plant-based using walnut protein.

The California Walnut Commission is on a campaign from May through June to highlight the versatility of walnut meat.

Also, coinciding with National Walnut Day on May 17, the California Walnuts retail team is promoting a delicious cross-merchandising trifecta: Walnuts with Natural Delights dates and BelGioioso cheese, particularly the mascarpone and creamy gorgonzola.

The co-branded promotion will initially be featured at Hy-Vee, Marc’s, Strack & Van Til, Cub Foods and Albertsons/Vons SoCal, according to a news release. The promotion will go live on May 15.

Learn more on PMG: Walnuts

The retail partnership builds on the popularity of walnuts as a snack. Four in five — or 191 million — American consumers eat walnuts, according to a Consumer Snacking Survey by Kelton in partnership with California Walnuts in 2021. 

Walnut meat

The walnut meat campaign highlights the versatility of using walnuts this way and how easy it is to prepare at home. Ground walnuts can be added to other pantry staples with favorite spices to provide an easy boost of nutrition with flavor and a similar texture of traditional meat.

Kerry Taste Charts listed walnuts as the No. 1 ingredient for meat alternatives in 2021, according to the release.

For this campaign, California Walnuts is partnering with two popular food influencers, Yumna Jawad (@Feel Good Foodie) and Justine Doiron (@Justine_Snacks). They will showcase new plant-based recipes crafted with walnut meat. For example, Jawad will develop and share her custom recipe for stuffed shells with walnut meat on Instagram and TikTok.

"Walnuts truly mimic the texture of ground beef with just a quick pulse in the food processor — and they can be flavored with virtually any type of seasoning I like," Jawad said in the release. "It’s fast, simple and easy — and includes ingredients you already have in your pantry."

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The campaign will also be featured in advertising across social and digital platforms. The advertising content will encourage consumers to check out a wide variety of walnut meat recipes available on walnuts.org, with an educational video that will take them through how to prepare walnut meat in a taco and a burger patty in a simple, step-by-step process.

The video can be accessed at the walnuts.org site, along with other easy walnut meat recipes.

Walnut snack pairings

The retail promotion trifecta with big cheese and fruit brands has more initiatives too. California Walnuts is urging retailers to use in-store dietitians to encourage shoppers toward walnuts in several ways:

• Incorporate walnuts into their meals and snacks.
• Provide information about the broad health benefits, including walnuts as the only tree nut that provides an excellent source of plant-based omega-3 alpha-linolenic acid.
• Suggest easy and delicious ways to eat walnuts on a regular basis.