Right now, something wild is happening in the food world. Tempeh — the original tempeh superfood — is taking over.
The Guardian just ran a massive feature called “It’s actually a superfood” — about how tempeh is suddenly showing up on every restaurant menu, flying off supermarket shelves, and making people rethink everything they thought they knew about protein.
For instance, tempeh sales in the UK? Up 736% year-on-year for the biggest producer. Tofu sales? Up 15.3%. Furthermore, it’s not just a UK thing — across Southeast Asia, Europe, and now Singapore, tempeh is having its moment.
Above all, here’s the part that made us smile: we already knew.
The World Just Figured Out What Indonesia Knew for 300 Years
Tempeh isn’t a trend. On the contrary, it’s a 300-year-old Indonesian staple that the rest of the world is finally catching up to. After all, born in Java, wrapped in banana leaves, eaten daily by millions — tempeh was never waiting for permission to be relevant.
As Indonesian chef Petty Elliott told the Guardian: “People didn’t know how nutritious it was. It’s only recently that awareness has been raised. Now people have realised it’s actually a superfood.”
Indeed, superfood. Her word, not ours. (Of course, okay, we’ve been calling tempeh a superfood too. But it hits different when the Guardian agrees.)
Why Tempeh Superfood Claims Are Backed by Science
So here’s what’s in tempeh that has nutritionists losing their minds:
- 20g protein per 100g — that’s two-thirds of a chicken breast. From beans.
- More fibre than apples. Yes, really.
- Complete protein — all 9 essential amino acids. Most plant proteins can’t say that.
- Gut-friendly prebiotics created during fermentation — your microbiome sends its thanks.
- Vitamin B12 — normally only found in animal products. Tempeh just casually has it.
- Zero ultra-processing. The ingredients list? Soybeans. Water. That’s it.
Dr. Sammie Gill, a registered dietitian and British Dietetic Association spokesperson, confirmed it: “The fermentation process increases the nutritional value because it breaks down complex nutrients into simpler, more digestible and absorbable forms.”
In other words, your body actually absorbs the good stuff. Not all “superfoods” can say that.
Why Now? Because People Are Done with Fake Food.
The Guardian article nails the timing. For example, meat substitute sales dropped £30 million last year. Quorn and Linda McCartney’s lost a combined £15.7 million. Meanwhile, people aren’t going back to meat — UK meat consumption has been declining for over a decade. But they’re done with ultra-processed fake chicken nuggets pretending to be health food.
As a result, what do they want instead? Real ingredients. Actual nutrition. Food that doesn’t need a chemistry degree to understand.
Ross Longton, co-founder of UK tempeh brand Tiba Tempeh, said it best: “There’s a huge move away from ultra-processed food. People want healthy wholefood products.”
Without a doubt, that’s exactly where Rakuzel lives. In fact, that’s why we built an entire brand around this tempeh superfood.
Now Imagine This Tempeh Superfood — in a Chip.
Most importantly, everything the Guardian article celebrates about tempeh — the protein, the gut health, the clean ingredients, the zero UPF — we packed all of that into a chip. A flash-baked, bold-flavored, dangerously crunchy chip.
Furthermore, not a sad rice cake. Not a protein bar that tastes like cardboard wrapped in disappointment. A proper chip. With personality.
What’s inside every bag of Rakuzel:
- 120% of your daily Vitamin D — most Singaporeans are deficient. One bag fixes that.
- Zero trans fat. Lab-verified, not marketing fluff.
- Zero cholesterol. Same — lab-tested by SGS.
- Under 1g of sugar per 100g. As a result, your “healthy” granola bar can’t compete.
- ~5g fibre. More than most snack bars on the shelf.
- ~10g protein. About 40% more than regular potato chips.
- No preservatives. No artificial anything.
However, we didn’t set out to make a health snack. We set out to make a snack that happens to not be terrible for you. Naturally, the nutrition just comes with the territory when your base ingredient is a 300-year-old fermented superfood.
“But Tempeh Chips Sound Weird”
Furthermore, you know what else sounded weird? Oat milk. Kombucha. Likewise, putting avocado on toast. Every food trend sounds weird until it becomes the thing you can’t stop eating.
The Guardian piece highlights that tempeh brands are deliberately not leading with “vegan” on their packaging. As Longton put it: “The word ‘vegan’ can put people off; it’s polarising. Meat reducers don’t want copies of meat — they’d rather have something completely different.”
Similarly, that’s us. In short, we’re not pretending to be something else. We’re not “plant-based chicken-flavored soy crisps.” We’re tempeh chips. Proudly. Therefore, they slap.
As a matter of fact, five flavors — each one with its own personality:
- Mala Madness — for the ones who think black pepper is spicy (it’s not)
- Symphony of Salt — elegant, timeless, impossible to stop eating
- Death by Truffle — luxurious enough to wear sunglasses indoors
- Chilisa Inferno — chili lime that starts friendly and finishes fiery
- Rest in Cheese — RIP to your willpower
The Takeaway
In conclusion, tempeh isn’t a fad. It’s a centuries-old tempeh superfood that the modern world is finally recognizing. Specifically, The Guardian, nutritionists, food scientists — they’re all saying the same thing: this is the real deal.
Consequently, while everyone else is just discovering tempeh, we’ve been turning it into the best snack in Singapore.
Snack hard. Regret nothing.
New to tempeh? Read our complete guide to tempeh — what it is, where it comes from, and why it’s the smartest protein on the planet.
Sources:
- The Guardian — “It’s actually a superfood: why tempeh is suddenly on every menu”
- FoodFacts.org — “The high-protein, gut-friendly food going mainstream”
- Rakuzel nutritional data: SGS Indonesia Lab Report JKFHN260004907 (Feb 2026)
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