• by Todd Wasserman , October 29, 2021

Oumph! is a Swedish restaurant chain that makes a range of plant-based products out of soybeans. 

Doesn’t sound that scary? Well, in this Halloween ad from MullenLowe Group, the chain promises “the scariest plant-based food ever,” which it bills as “plant-based human meat.”

The ad then tells viewers to relax because “it’s plant-based.” Of course, that claim is compromised by the creepy imagery of slicing lettuce in the dark and a meat grinder producing (one presumes) vegan food.

Launched in 2014, Oumph! has been a success story and part of the Swedish Food for Progress initiative, which aims to help create a secure worldwide food system. In 2020, the chain was taken over by the U.S.-based LiveKindly.

Currently, Oumph! has restaurants in Scandinavia, Australia, the U.K. and South Africa. In the U.S. there aren’t any large vegan chains, but there are some smaller ones, including Los Angeles’ Burgerlords and Atlanta’s Slutty Vegan. 

Even scarier, Credit Suisse predicts the vegan food market will reach $1.4 trillion by 2050. By that time, vegan milk will hold 50% to 80% of the market.