Rustlers are a range of hamburgers and hot sandwiches made by Kepak, a company based in Dublin, Republic of Ireland. Each product in the range comes packed with a sachet of sauce appropriate for the food. Several products are now also packaged with a slice of processed cheese and/or a rasher of bacon. [1] [2]
One focus of the marketing is on the short cooking time and the use of a microwave oven to heat the food.
According to a 2008 article in The Independent , the brand's early marketing campaigns were aimed at young men who may prefer convenience food. This can be seen in marketing involving desirable young women, [3] and the original television advert involving young men taking modified microwaves to "cruise" style events.
In 2012, two online adverts for the brand were banned by the ASA because they were sexually provocative. [4]
In 2020, the brand launched a new marketing campaign claiming to be "better than you think", stating Rustlers microwaveable burgers are made of 100% British and Irish beef. [5]
Rustlers manufacture several products including cheeseburgers and chicken burgers. In 2018, Rustlers launched an all day breakfast sausage muffin. [6]
In 2019, with a target audience of 18- to 24-year-olds, Kepak launched its first Rustlers vegetarian burger, a Moroccan felafel patty, named on the packet as "Moroccan vegetarian burger, carrot & coriander falafel with mango chutney and yogurt and mint sauce". [7] [8] In November 2021 in Tesco, Tesco One Stop and Booker outlets, [8] Kepak launched the Rustlers Meatless Maverick, a meat-free burger. [9] However, although the burger is made from pea protein, a cheese slice is included in the pack, so that the package is not wholly plant-based or vegan. It was designed in 2021 to mimic the brand's Quarter Pounder SKU, and to be sold at the same price as the Rustlers original meat-based burgers. [8]
In September 2022 in Tesco, Kepak launched the Meatless Maverick Chick’un Fillet, consisting of a plant-based chicken-style fillet with vegan mayonnaise in a soft seeded roll. [10]
In 2007 the brand became associated with the "Eat Late Eat Safe" campaign. This is an effort by UK fire services to spread awareness about the dangers of cooking while under the influence of alcohol, particularly aimed at university students. The brand is particularly suitable for this purpose because of its reliance on microwave ovens, which are generally regarded as less likely to cause fires. Rustlers' involvement in the cause involves a section linking to the campaign's site on its own website, and the distribution of free samples and money-off coupons during a tour of UK universities. The campaign's awareness leaflets are given out with the samples and coupons. [11] [12]
Waitrose & Partners is a British supermarket chain, founded in 1904 as Waite, Rose & Taylor, later shortened to Waitrose. In 1937, it was acquired by the John Lewis Partnership, the UK's largest employee-owned business, which continues to operate the brand. The company's head offices are in Bracknell, Berkshire.
Tesco Ireland Limited is the Irish subsidiary of supermarket group Tesco. Tesco Ireland was formed by Tesco plc's 1997 purchase of the Irish retailing operations of Associated British Foods, namely Powers' Supermarkets Limited and its subsidiaries, trading as Quinnsworth and Crazy Prices. There are 152 Tesco stores in operation in Ireland as of August 2018. Tesco had approximately 21% of the Irish grocery market in 2021 and its main competitors are Dunnes Stores and SuperValu.
Viva! is a British animal rights group, which focuses on promoting veganism. It was founded by Juliet Gellatley in 1994. Viva! carries out undercover investigations to expose the abuse of factory farmed animals and produces information on how to go vegan, including recipes and shopping guides. It is a registered charity.
Bisto is a popular and well-known brand of gravy and other food products in the United Kingdom and Ireland, currently owned by Premier Foods.
The Toronto Vegetarian Association (TVA), also known as VegTO, is a volunteer-driven, charitable organization based in Toronto, Ontario. Founded in 1945, its mission is to inspire people to choose a healthier, greener, more compassionate lifestyle through plant-based eating.
Gardein is a line of meat-free foods produced by Conagra Brands. In 2003, the company was founded by Yves Potvin, who remained as the CEO of Gardein until 2016. In November 2014, Pinnacle Foods purchased Gardein for $154 million. Pinnacle was acquired by Conagra in 2018.
Vegetarian bacon, also referred to as veggie bacon, vegan bacon, vegan rashers, vacon, or facon, is a plant-based imitation of bacon.
Linda McCartney Foods is a British food brand specializing in vegetarian and vegan food. Available in the UK, as well as Norway, Ireland, Austria, Australia, South Africa and New Zealand, the range includes chilled and frozen meat analogues in the form of burgers, sausages, sausage rolls, meatballs, stir-fry dishes and pastas.
In the United Kingdom, it is common practice for retailers to have their own value brand in an effort to compete on price. These brands have become more popular in the UK with shoppers since the Great Recession caused food prices to rise.
Derek Sarno is an American plant-based chef, cookbook writer and co-founder of the website Wicked Kitchen.
Veganuary is an annual challenge run by a UK nonprofit organisation that promotes and educates about veganism by encouraging people to follow a vegan lifestyle for the month of January. Since the event began in 2014, participation has increased each year. 400,000 people signed up to the 2020 campaign. The campaign estimated this represented the carbon dioxide equivalent of 450,000 flights and the lives of more than a million animals. Veganuary can also refer to the event itself.
BOSH! is a duo of English vegan chefs from Sheffield consisting of Henry Firth and Ian Theasby. They rose to fame in 2016 with the launch of their YouTube channel, and have gone on to host the ITV1 television programme Living on the Veg and author a number of books. Their eponymous vegan cookbook ranked fifth in the Sunday Times Bestsellers chart in 2018, and is among the top 50 best-selling UK cookbooks of all time.
A vegan school meal or vegan school lunch or vegan school dinner or vegan hot lunch is a vegan option provided as a school meal. A small number of schools around the world serve vegan food or are vegan schools, serving exclusively vegan food.
The McPlant is a vegetarian burger sold by the fast-food chain McDonald's in several European countries. In 2021, McDonald's partnered with Beyond Meat, a Los Angeles–based producer of plant-based meat substitutes, to create the McPlant platform. It features a plant-based meat alternative burger patty made from plant ingredients such as potatoes, peas and rice.
VFC Foods is a British vegan food company that started trading in December 2020. An acronym for "Vegan Fried Chicken," it was founded by Matthew Glover and Adam Lyons in North Yorkshire, England. The company specialises in creating meat substitute products for fried chicken. Glover is the co-founder of the Veganuary movement and uses his experience in vegan activism to promote the brand.
Matthew Glover is a British businessman and animal rights activist. He is the co-founder of the Veganuary movement, which his wife Jane Land helped to create. In 2019, Glover founded Generation Vegan, a global education charity focused on veganism. In addition he is the founder of Veg Capital, which helps fund vegan food businesses. In December 2020, Glover and Adam Lyons created the vegan food brand VFC, a business that went onto become an international venture.
Squeaky Bean is a British vegan food company and began trading in 2019. It is owned by the British food manufacture company Winterbotham Darby and is based in Redhill, Surrey, United Kingdom. The company experienced rapid expansion from just three products into a multiproduct brand stocked in British supermarkets. The brand significantly expanded its distribution capabilities following the growth and receiving millions of pounds worth of investment. In 2021, it was reported that the brand had amassed a turnover of £7.5 million.
A chicken fillet roll, also known as a hot chicken roll or chicken roll, is a baguette filled with a fillet of processed chicken. It is a ubiquitous deli item in Ireland, served at a wide variety of convenience shops, newsagents, supermarkets, petrol stations, fast food restaurants, and casual eateries throughout the country. It has been declared Ireland's favourite deli food. It is often cited as a hangover cure.
Media related to Rustlers (convenience food) at Wikimedia Commons
