Vegan meat brand creates ‘world first’ plant-based ribs with edible bones

A vegan meat brand has created a new product which is a world first – plant-based ribs with edible bones.

The company, known as Juicy Marbles, is pathing the way for future meat alternatives with its new vegan tenderloin – known as its ‘Bone-In’ Ribs.

According to the brand, the product  “came from a shared sense of nostalgia for the ‘primal joys’ of eating ribs” and was also developed as a plant-based alternative that was more “food-culture-friendly” vegan option.

It’s not going to be every vegan’s cup of tea, that’s for sure, but for those who have quit meat but still miss eating it, we think it’s a pretty neat idea.

The bones in the ribs are developed from plant-based proteins, and whilst we’ve seen vegan wings contain sugarcane bones before, these edible ones are the first of their kind.

The brand explains that after you’ve eaten the plant-based ribs, you can “bake, fry or air-fry the bones into puffed, crispy snacks that sport as much protein as beef jerky”.

The ribs aren’t available for sale yet (they’re launching on August 28th via Juicy Marbles’ website), but even before they hit shelves, they’ve managed to cause some controversy online.

“I really don’t understand why vegans and vegetarians would want to eat a food that *looks* like the ribcage of a dead animal. I get that some may miss the taste, but the visceral imagery that comes with this dish? naw dog,” said one person in the comments of Juicy Marbles’ insta post.

Whilst another wrote: “This is frightening.”

“Ehhhh I dont like the looks of this,” someone else chimed in.

However, others were all over it.

“S T F U. Can’t wait,” said a supporter.

As a fellow vegan rib enthusiast said: “The future is now.”

Speaking to Vegan Food & Living, Juicy Marbles co-founder Vladimir Mićković said that no criticism was water off a duck’s back.

“To some, bones from plants may be an ideological provocation, but we shouldn’t take these things too seriously. It’s just fun from every angle,” he said. “Bones invite you to eat with your hands, to tear off succulent chunks of meat, and share that indulgence with the whole table. It was also fun developing them.

“Since we made the bones ourselves, we could actually question the concept of bones in general. We could challenge ourselves to make them useful – even edible.

“At Juicy Marbles, we don’t just aim to re-create a shape of meat, but the entire experience, as well as the macro/micro nutrient profile.”

Featured image: Juicy Marbles