Vegetarian Quorn ingredient to be mixed with MEAT to make sausages and burgers for the NHS that have less animal produce inside

New products for 'flexitarians' including both meat and meat-substitute will soon be on the menu.

Quorn Foods' mycoprotein ingredient is going to be available in blended products like burgers and sausages, in order to help people eat less animal products without giving them up entirely.

The maker says such products will be served within the NHS, possibly by the end of the year.

Quorn Foods CEO Marco Bertacca said: 'Once upon a time we were effectively competing with the meat industry – only making products that were alternatives to theirs, and encouraging people to switch.'

But he said the firm now wants to help flexitarians - those who eat meat occasionally - and eco-conscious diners who want to cut down on their meat consumption to help save the planet.

Microbial protein is nutritious protein-rich biomass with meat-like texture

Mycoprotein-based products on the supermarket shelves, like Quorn

Rishi Sunak looks at the production line during a visit to Quorn's headquarters

'This represents the majority of people', he told The Grocer, 'and so it is a massive opportunity to decarbonise part of the food system and improve public health'.

'There have been attempts in the past to make products like burgers and sausages with a blend of meat and plant-based ingredients like soya and pea protein, but the products have not delivered for consumers.

'The meat producers we are working with now tell us that Quorn is by far the best meat alternative to blend with meat because of our unique mycoprotein and its very meat-like texture.'

The move comes as meat-free products have faced recent struggles in the market.

'Hybrid' meat products have been available for a number of years, but the new push aims to persuade consumers of the wider benefits of the idea.

Quorn will not be involved in the manufacture of blended-meat products. Instead, it provides its mycoprotein product to manufacturers to add to their own lines.

Previous studies have found how 'eating for the planet' could slash your risk of an early grave.

Experts discovered people who stuck to what is dubbed an eco-friendly diet were almost a third less likely to die prematurely.

They also had a lower risk of every leading cause of death, including cancer, heart disease and even lung disease.

Study author Professor Walter Willett, an expert in epidemiology and nutrition at Harvard University said: 'Changing how we eat can help slow climate change, and fortunately what’s healthiest for the planet is also best for us.

'For every major cause of death we looked at, there was a lower risk in people with better adherence to the planetary health diet.'

He added: 'Shifting how we eat can help slow the process of climate change. And what's healthiest for the planet is also healthiest for humans.'

The diet is 'flexitarian' rather than solely vegetarian and recommends fruit and vegetables account for half of a person's daily food intake.

Protein mainly comes from nuts, beans and lentils, with people advised to eat less than 50g a day each of eggs, fish, meat and sugar.

By comparison, an average quarter-pound beef burger weighs 78g.

The scientists, from Harvard University, tracked more than 200,000 healthy US adults over the course of three decades.

They were scored on how closely their diets matched the planetary health one, based on how much they ate of 15 food groups.

These included vegetables, whole grains, dairy such as milk, cheese and yoghurt and chicken and other poultry.

Over a follow-up period of 34 years, researchers recorded 54,536 deaths among the study group including more than 14,600 due to cancer and just over 13,700 attributed to cardiovascular diseases.

They found the 10 per cent of participants who most closely followed the diet had almost a third lower risk of premature death than those in the bottom 10 per cent.

They also had a 14 per cent lower risk of death associated with cardiovascular diseases, 10 per cent lower chance of cancer mortality and 47 per cent lower chance of dying from respiratory diseases.