You can buy Gardein Lightly Seasoned Chick’n Scallopini in some Grocery Outlet stores right now. This is probably exciting news for some people because apparently the product is being discontinued. Most of the recent reviews on the Gardein product page are along the lines of Bring them Back!, Devastated!, I miss them!, etc. But even if you don’t come across the scallopini, there are several other Gardein products currently on sale at the Grocery Outlet. I also picked up Gardein’s spicy breakfast sausage and spicy Italian sausage, this week, and have recently tried the Ultimate Falafel Burger. In short, having tried many Gardein products over the years, I feel qualified to pass judgement 😉
I’ve actually had a pretty high satisfaction rate with Gardein products – almost all of them have been enjoyable. I still tend to gravitate more towards Beyond Meat and Quorn products when I want a break from veggies and tofu, but I think Gardein is not far off. That’s why I went out on a limb and bought four packages of the scallopini – and also because they’re on sale for only $2.50 (per pack of four). I was unaware that they are so rare and coveted – otherwise I might have bought even more of them to stock up in advance of the tariff wars (Yay, such interesting times we live in!).
I’ll focus on Gardein’s scallopini for this post but I’d also recommend trying out the spicy sausage products, chick’n tenders, or falafel burger if you come across them. I’m not paid by Gardein to say this – I’m just happy if people can find plant-based products that they like, given our environmental situation. Over on the Green Stars Project I’ve been examining the biggest planetary threats and how to mitigate them (e.g., how to feed a growing population without destroying the forests). The environmental footprints of meat are so large that it’s now clear that reduction of meat consumption is the best, most reasonably achievable way for us to save the planet.
Scallopini… Can you use that in a sentence?
I tried out Gardein’s Chick’n Scallopini for dinner this week – actually I ate three of them, which technically constitutes three portions. All in the name of research, of course! I find some plant-based products a little hard to digest – especially those made from gluten. For example, Field Roast sausages are kinda heavy so I’m forced to stick to the serving size guidance (although the Field Roast deli slices, which are a mix of gluten and mushrooms, don’t have that problem). Anyway, I ate three scallopini just to see if they caused any indigestion, but they actually breezed through that stress test!
But another reason I ate three instead of two or even just one of the scallopini (the word is starting to lose meaning now) is because they actually were delicious. The seasoning is well-balanced (the full name is Lightly Seasoned Chick’n Scallopini) and they have a meaty, chicken-like texture. The clear, very specific cooking directions also deserve credit for making the scallopini work.
I like to combine these processed meat-alternatives with some healthy greens to add all more nutrients and fiber. As it happens, you can throw raw broccoli in with the frozen scallopini and they’ll cook up perfectly together. One tip – instead of using the ¼ cup of water, as per directed, I added ¼ cup of veggie stock.
Gardein Chick’n Scalopini – ingredients and nutrition facts
Ingredients: Water, Soy Protein Isolate, Vital Wheat Gluten, Canola Oil, 2% Or Less Of: Methylcellulose, Rub (Dried Vegetables [Red Bell Peppers, Garlic, Onion], Spices, Organic Cane Sugar, Salt), Sunflower Oil, Ancient Grain Flour (Khorasan Wheat), Salt, Potato Starch, Natural Flavor, Sugar, Yeast Extract, Titanium Dioxide (Color), Black Pepper, Lactic Acid.
So it’s three main ingredients: soy protein, wheat gluten, and canola oil, and then small quantities of spice, etc. Of course it’s processed and I wouldn’t want to eat products like this every day, but I think they are fine in moderation. I’ve warmed to canola oil as an ingredient, now that I know a little more about the importance of omega fatty acid ratios in our food (see this paper, for example). Canola has a more favorable ratio of omega-6 to omega-9 fatty acids compared to, say safflower or corn oil.
There’s 11 grams of protein per serving of one scallopini and very moderate levels of fat – no saturated fat and of course no cholesterol as it’s a vegan product. Not a lot else going on, nutritionally – a little iron and some sodium. It basically serves the purpose of providing a serving of seasoned protein in a chicken-like format to be served alongside some veggies – which is fine by me.
Update on Gardein and parent corp., Conagra
Gardein and another well-known vegan brand, Earth Balance, are both owned by Conagra Brands, one of the largest food corporations on the planet. Back in 2021, I reviewed a Gardein product (the Holiday Roast), Earth Balance vegan butter, and also the parent company, Conagra Brands. Here’s a summary of those reviews:
- In 2021, I rated Conagra Brands 1 out of 5 Green Stars for social and environmental impact.
- I also rated Earth Balance only 1/5 Green Stars in 2021, largely due to inadequate palm oil sourcing practices.
- I rated the Gardein Holiday Roast 3.5 Green Stars.
I did some updated research on Conagra, including reading its 2023 Citizenship Report, and my overall impression is that things are changing for the better. Back in 2021 Conagra was proud to be a partner to the U.S. Farmers and Ranchers in Action (USFRA) – an organization that serves to promote industrial farming practices such as antibiotics usage in animal feed.
USFRA Platinum-level members include Monsanto (Bayer) and McDonald’s. It’s therefore not too surprising that the USFRA works hard to convince consumers that GMOs and current usage levels of pesticides are necessary and that organic farming (regenerative agriculture, etc.) is just idealistic nonsense. – Conagra Sustainability and Ethical Rating.
However, Conagra Brands is no longer listed as a partner for USFRA, while Mc Donald’s, Bayer, and Tyson Foods still are.
Conagra’s reporting on social and environmental metrics such as greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions is fairly clear and detailed. Back in 2020, Conagra’s GHG emissions were not decreasing – GHGs per lb. of product were unchanged while total GHGs actually increased from 2019 to 2020. However, in its most recent report, Conagra reported meaningful reductions in GHGs, both in terms of absolute levels and per lb. of product.
There has also been some significant-looking effort on the regenerative agriculture front, a move that parallels Conagra’s distancing from the USFRA. Ingredient sourcing is reported with a fair degree of detail.
In fiscal 2023, 97% of our soy buy by volume was traced back to countries of origin identified as low-risk for deforestation
Palm oil sourcing has improved somewhat also, taking a step up the ladder from since 2021 and providing more detail on origin. (This is not relevant to Gardein products as they do not contain palm oil.)
Since 2022, 100% of our palm oil buy by volume has been verified by RSPO mass balance certification which includes tracing origins to the mill level for palm oil, and to the plantation level for palm kernel oil.
Overall, it looks like there have been improvements at Conagra Brands and I think it deserves an increase in ethical rating to 2/5 Green Stars.
Next, I’ll rate Gardein (taking the example of the Chick’n Scallopini) for social and environmental impact.
Ethical rating for Gardein Chick’n Scallopini
I’m scoring Gardein Chick’n Scallopini 4/5 Green Stars for social and environmental impact, considering the following:
- All Gardein products are vegan. Adopting a plant-based diet is the top thing you can do to mitigate climate change, deforestation, animal cruelty, and food scarcity.
- The main ingredients, soybeans and wheat, have significantly lower carbon, land, and water footprints compared to meat.
- The product is certified non-GMO. Genetically-modified (GM) microbes are beneficial in some cases (e.g., making insulin or rennet without having to kill animals) but when it comes to agriculture, virtually all GMO crops are combined with detrimental agrochemicals and agricultural practices such as neonics. Neonics, which are toxic to bees, are used as a seed coating for well over 90% of GM soy crops. Non-GMO seeds are less likely to be coated with neonics.
- Packaging is not too bad in that there are four servings per pack, compared to only two for similar products, saving on plastic a little.
- Gardein’s parent company, Conagra Brands, did not rate well for ethics in 2021 (1/5 Green Stars) but seems to be improving and I think it now deserves a rating of 2/5 Green Stars for social and environmental impact.
- Even if a parent corporation is mediocre in terms of ethics, there is value in supporting an ethical brand (e.g., vegan food) owned by that company.
Summary scores (out of 5) for Gardein Chick’n Scallopini:
- 4.5 gold stars for quality and value
- 4 Green Stars for social and environmental impact
Join the Green Stars Project!
Join the Green Stars Project (GSP) movement by including a Green Stars rating whenever you write a review. I believe this is one of the best ways to hold corporations accountable while sharing our knowledge on ethical issues.
Simply post a review anywhere online, as normal, but state your Green Stars rating in the title of your review and explain why you decided on that score in the body of the review. Check out other posts here on Ethical Bargains to see some more examples of Green Stars reviews or take a look at these GSP posts:
Why we need crowdsourced ethical ratings
How to decide on an ethical rating, taking the example of a café
Grocery Outlet Ethical Bargains 
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