Origins

unMEAT was created by Century Pacific Food as the company’s entry into the plant-based meat alternative sector. As an established Philippine food manufacturer with extensive experience in protein-based products, Century Pacific leveraged its expertise to develop a plant-based product capable of reproducing characteristics traditionally associated with meat.[1]

The brand officially launched in 2020. At launch, Century Pacific described unMEAT as its first major move into the meat-free category, positioning it as a Filipino-developed alternative intended to make healthier and more sustainable food choices more accessible.[1]

Initially, distribution focused primarily on institutional and food-service channels. One of its earliest high-profile applications was as the patty for Goood Burger, a plant-based burger offered by Shakey’s Pizza Asia Ventures in the Philippines.[1]

Retail expansion

Following its initial food-service launch, Century Pacific expanded unMEAT into the retail market in 2021. The initial retail range consisted of four products:

• Burger Patties
• Hungarian Sausages
• Giniling
• Nuggets

These were described as 100% plant-based products designed to deliver a meat-like appearance, flavor, and texture.[2] This expansion aimed to make plant-based food available directly to Filipino consumers rather than restricting the category to restaurants and institutional buyers.

unMEAT’s original product strategy involved creating plant-based versions of familiar foods that traditionally contain meat, allowing consumers to prepare and eat them in essentially the same ways. This approach avoided positioning plant-based food as an entirely separate cuisine. Instead of requiring radical dietary changes, the brand’s proposition encourages consumers to choose plant-based versions of foods they already enjoy.

The brand describes its products as being made with non-GMO plant sources and simple ingredients. Original documentation identifies soy protein, vegetable oil, fresh onion, wheat, and natural flavors among the ingredients used.[2]

Original frozen range

Burger Patties

The unMEAT Burger Patty serves as a meat-free substitute for conventional burger patties and can be prepared in buns or incorporated into other dishes. The original Philippine product listing specifies a weight of 226 g.[2]

Hungarian Sausage

This product is a plant-based alternative to conventional Hungarian-style sausage. It is described as juicy and meat-free, designed to be grilled, air-fried, steamed, or prepared similarly to conventional sausages.[1]

Giniling

Giniling holds particular significance in the context of Filipino food culture. Rather than replicating only internationally familiar products, unMEAT created a plant-based version of ground meat for use in pasta sauces, tacos, and Filipino-style meals.[1] This illustrates the brand’s strategy of adapting plant-based protein to familiar local eating habits.

Nuggets

The Nugget product provides a plant-based alternative to conventional chicken nuggets. It is marketed as a versatile item suitable for snacking or incorporation into salads and other meals.[1]

Expansion beyond the original range

unMEAT subsequently expanded beyond its original four frozen products. In 2022, Century Pacific introduced a Filipino Breakfast Range featuring plant-based versions of local staples:

• Tocino
• Tapa
• Corned Beef

This expansion aimed to make plant-based alternatives relevant to everyday Filipino meals rather than limiting them to Western-style foods.[1]

The brand later introduced shelf-stable and canned plant-based products, including luncheon-meat-style items and fish-free tuna. Century Pacific identified shelf-stable formats as a key method for improving accessibility, as they are easier to distribute and can be offered at lower price points than some frozen alternatives.[2]

Current product listings include categories such as beef-free, chicken alternatives, fish alternatives, pork-free products, and plant-based pizza items.[3]

unMEAT emphasizes plant-based nutrition as a central selling point. According to the brand, its products are:[2]

• 100% plant-based
• Made with non-GMO ingredients
• A source of protein
• Rich in fiber
• Free from added preservatives
• Trans-fat-free
• Egg-free
• Cholesterol-free

Non-GMO soy protein is a primary component of the formulation, contributing to the products’ meat-like texture and protein content.[2] However, nutritional characteristics vary by individual product, and health claims should be evaluated against specific product nutrition information.

unMEAT is positioned as a 100% plant-based brand and states that its products are vegan-friendly.[2] However, the intended audience extends beyond strict vegans and vegetarians. From its inception, Century Pacific emphasized that unMEAT was designed to appeal to meat lovers as well as those following plant-based diets, addressing the perception that meat alternatives sacrifice taste or texture.[1]

This positioning makes the brand particularly relevant to the flexitarian market—consumers who continue to eat meat but wish to incorporate more plant-based meals into their diets.

The fundamental positioning of unMEAT is that consumers do not have to give up beloved foods to adopt a more plant-based diet. Rather than presenting plant-based eating primarily as an ethical restriction, the brand focuses on similarity and enjoyment, emphasizing three attributes:

Taste

Products are developed to replicate the flavor profile of the animal-based foods they replace.

Texture

The brand seeks to reproduce the juicy, tender, or meaty texture associated with conventional meat.

Familiarity

Consumers can cook unMEAT using familiar recipes and methods. Brand recipes include preparations such as burgers, corndogs, tacos, bibimbap, and other dishes.[2]

unMEAT’s philosophy rests on three pillars:

1. Taste: The brand aims to make plant-based food enjoyable rather than a choice made solely for health or environmental reasons. Marketing emphasizes attributes such as “tasty,” “juicy,” and “tender.”[2]
2. Health: unMEAT promotes plant-based alternatives as part of a healthier lifestyle, highlighting fiber, protein, lack of cholesterol, and absence of added preservatives.[2]
3. Sustainability: The brand connects plant-based eating with reduced environmental impact. Century Pacific notes that plant-based production can require fewer natural resources and generate fewer greenhouse gas emissions than conventional meat production, though actual footprints vary by product and system.[1]

Sustainability is integral to unMEAT’s identity. The brand describes itself as plant-based, non-GMO, and plastic-neutral, stating it is a certified net-zero plastic-waste brand through the Plastic Credit Exchange.[3] This approach extends beyond replacing animal protein to addressing packaging-related plastic footprints. Official materials describe the goal as taking steps toward a sustainable future while increasing the accessibility of plant-based food.[2]

unMEAT is a Filipino-made brand. Products are manufactured in the Philippines using non-GMO ingredients at facilities owned and operated by Century Pacific.[3] Unlike imported Western brands adapted for the local market, unMEAT was developed and manufactured as a homegrown Filipino plant-based food brand.

Although originating in the Philippines, Century Pacific has pursued international distribution for unMEAT. Following its launch, the brand expanded into markets including the United States, United Arab Emirates, China, and Singapore.[1]

Century Pacific’s 2022 reporting stated that unMEAT had expanded to more than 4,000 retail stores across ten countries, while being served through thousands of food-service locations in the Philippines.[1] The brand’s current Philippine website indicates availability through more than 200 partner stores and groceries nationwide, as well as online marketplaces.[2] These figures reflect different stages of development and definitions of distribution.

unMEAT is part of the portfolio of Century Pacific Food, Inc., one of the Philippines’ major branded food companies. CNPF’s portfolio includes well-known brands spanning canned seafood, meat, dairy, and coconut products. Its established expertise in protein-based foods provided the foundation for unMEAT’s development.[1]

For Century Pacific, unMEAT represents a strategic expansion into healthier, more sustainable, and plant-forward food categories.[1]

unMEAT targets a broad consumer base:

• Vegans and vegetarians: Consumers seeking animal meat substitutes while maintaining a plant-based diet.
• Flexitarians: People who eat meat but actively seek to reduce consumption; this is considered a strategically critical audience.
• Health-conscious consumers: Individuals interested in fiber, protein, and cholesterol-free options.
• Meat lovers: Conventional meat consumers whom the brand attempts to convince that plant-based products offer a satisfying eating experience.
• Filipino consumers: The development of giniling, tocino, tapa, and corned beef demonstrates an emphasis on familiar local food culture.[1]

The visual and verbal identity of unMEAT is deliberately playful. The brand uses the prefix “un-” to create vocabulary around conventional meat products, including terms like “unBELIEVABLY meat-free,” “unDENIABLY tasty,” and “unDOUBTEDLY NOT meat.”[2] This creates a personality that is less serious and restrictive than traditional health-food imagery, communicating that choosing plant-based food need not feel like a sacrifice.

The #unMeatMyPlate concept

The hashtag #unMeatMyPlate is associated with the brand’s marketing and community-building activities.[2] It reflects the concept of replacing some conventional meat with plant-based alternatives rather than requiring complete vegetarianism, aligning with the brand’s flexitarian positioning.

unMEAT emerged when the Philippine plant-based food category was still nascent. Century Pacific explicitly focused on making products accessible, familiar, and affordable.[2] By bringing a major locally manufactured food company into the category, unMEAT localized the concept through plant-based versions of foods deeply familiar to Filipino consumers. This localization is considered one of the brand’s defining characteristics.

unMEAT’s strategy encompasses five key elements:

1. Replicating familiar foods rather than inventing new eating categories.
2. Using local food culture to increase relevance.
3. Competing on taste and texture alongside health and environmental benefits.
4. Reaching mainstream meat consumers, particularly flexitarians.
5. Increasing accessibility through retail, food service, shelf-stable products, and international distribution.

This approach aligns with Century Pacific’s belief that adoption depends on making the transition easy for consumers.[1]

• 2020: Century Pacific launches unMEAT as its entry into the Philippine plant-based meat category.[1]
• 2020–2021: Initial exposure gained through food-service applications, including Shakey’s Goood Burger.[1]
• 2021: Retail launch with burger patties, sausages, giniling, and nuggets.[1]
• 2022: Introduction of Filipino breakfast range including tocino, tapa, and corned beef.[1]
• 2022 onward: Expansion into canned/shelf-stable formats and international markets including the US, UAE, China, and Singapore.[2]
• Current: Portfolio has expanded from a small frozen range to a broader array of plant-based meat and seafood alternatives.[3]

Today, unMEAT’s portfolio extends significantly beyond its original proposition. The international product range includes plant-based alternatives covering beef, chicken, pork, fish/seafood, luncheon meat, sausage, nuggets, burger products, Filipino-style meat products, and pizza.[3] This reflects an evolution from a specific meat alternative toward a broader plant-based food platform.

In the plant-based food industry, unMEAT competes with both international and local brands. Its differentiation is tied to its Filipino origin, Century Pacific’s manufacturing scale, local food knowledge, protein-focused development, familiar dish adaptation, mainstream positioning, and emphasis on price and accessibility. Century Pacific has stated its objective is to make plant-based options available at prices close to conventional analogues to reduce adoption barriers.[1]

From a Philippine food-industry perspective, unMEAT represents a significant example of a large domestic manufacturer entering the plant-based protein market. Its importance lies in applying the infrastructure of a mainstream Filipino food company—manufacturing, distribution, product development, and consumer familiarity—to a relatively new category. unMEAT sits at the intersection of Filipino food culture, plant-based nutrition, mainstream food manufacturing, and sustainability.

1. Unmeat – Century Pacific Food Inc.
2. #MEETunMEAT – unMEAT
3. Unmeat | Products – Unmeat