Our weekly column rounds up the latest sustainable food innovation news. This week, Future Food Quick Bites covers Eat Just’s vegan chicken, Beyond Meat’s Walmart expansion, and Tesco’s collab with La Vie.
New products and launches
Californian startup Eat Just has launched its plant-based Just Meat into US foodservice. The vegan chicken is being tested by Texas-based Franklin Barbecue’s Aaron Franklin.
Beyond Meat, meanwhile, has boosted its distribution significantly, rolling out its chicken pieces, Korean BBQ-style steak, and six-pack of burgers into more than 2,000 Walmart stores.
New Zealand-based rubisco protein player Leaft Foods has teamed up with Meateor Pet Foods to offer its Alfalfa Protein Concentrate to pet food producers in the US.
US molecular farming startup Alpine Bio has expanded its tech to produce lactoferrin in soybeans with over 3.5 times more iron than bovine sources, and a highly soluble non-GMO fractionated soy protein isolate with whey-like characteristics.
In the UK, Tesco has introduced a new festive wrap under its Plant Chef own-label brand, featuring La Vie’s vegan bacon.
British supplements brand Dr.Vegan has launched MenoFriend, a plant-based menopause formula in 53 Waitrose stores.
Also in the UK, frozen foods maker One Planet Pizza has released its Margherita Pizzetta and Cheezy Garlic Flatbread into Morrisons stores.
German chocolate maker Jokolade has rolled out a vegan product with Planet A Foods’s cocoa-free chocolate, ChoViva.
ChoViva is also featured in a new Salted Caramel with Hazelnut Crunch ice cream stick launched by retail giant Rewe’s Best Wahle private-label brand.
Shalom Daniel, founder of blended meat players Joyn Foods and 50/50 Foods, has released a new book, Cut the Bull, to advocate for halving meat consumption.
And oat milk giant Oatly will debut its exclusive signature drinks at the My Coffee Awards in Barcelona (November 7-9), which will also release a Coffee Michelin Guide.
Company and finance developments
Plant Futures Collective‘s Meat Free Made Easy campaign has featured in the Tesco magazine, the UK’s most-read print title.
After sparking online furore for axing several vegan menu favourites in the UK, including the Vegatsu, the CEO of Wagamama owner The Restaurant Group has defended the decision.
Austrian mycoprotein player Revo Foods has hired David Petuzzi as CEO, with founder Robin Simsa moving to the role of commercial director.
Italian vegan fast-food chain Flower Burger has kicked off a €1M equity crowdfunding campaign on CrowdFundMe to celebrate its 10-year anniversary.
In the US, vegan frozen foods maker Sunday Supper has begun a $625,000 crowd investment drive on WeFunder, after recording 300% year-on-year growth.
In similar news, HumaneCheck has launched a $25,000 Kickstarter campaign for its app, which lets grocery shoppers scan product barcodes for animal welfare grades. Its prototype, FindHumane, is a database of all animal products deemed meaningfully more humane by the ASPCA, which supports the project.
US functional wellness company Laird Superfood is the latest to quit the 100% plant-based space, announcing that it will now offer dairy and potentially other animal-based ingredients.
Research, policy and awards
The APAC Society for Cellular Agriculture has teamed up with Beyond Impact VC and Beyond Animal to accelerate capital flows into the cellular agriculture and future food sector.
Australian cultivated pork startup Magic Valley has been selected as a finalist in Bezos Earth Fund‘s Centre for Sustainable Protein Singapore‘s Startup Competition.
US animal-free collagen maker Jellatech has been named a finalist in the Sustainable Tech Innovation category for the 2025 NC Tech Awards.
UK tempeh maker Better Nature has been awarded full three stars from the Nourish Awards.
Finally, the World Economic Forum and media publisher Frontiers have named precision fermentation among the top 10 emerging technologies to accelerate planetary health solutions.
Check out last week’s Future Food Quick Bites.
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