Our weekly column rounds up the latest sustainable food innovation news. This week, Future Food Quick Bites covers Treeline Cheesemakers’ cottage cheese, Veganuary’s participation for 2026, and the world’s best vegan restaurant.
New products and launches
US dairy-free brand Treeline Cheesemakers has launched a vegan cottage cheese made from cashews, which can be found exclusively on its website for $4.99 per 6oz pack.
Alcohol company Misunderstood Brands has won Walmart’s Golden Ticket programme, earning a listing with the retailer for its Oatrageous label of non-dairy liqueurs. It will first expand distribution in Florida, with plans to grow regionally in 2026.
NBA star Chris Paul’s vegan snacking brand, Good Eat’n, has introduced White Cheddar Popcorn and Spicy Nacho Cheeze Tortilla Chips, both made from organic corn and available at Gopuff, H-E-B in Texas, and its website.
And in the UK, supermarket chain Morrisons has relaunched its vegan strawberry trifle, sold under its Plant Revolution private label, for Christmas. It can be ordered from December 20, and is priced at £7 per 600g pack.
Company and finance updates
Singapore-based food tech firm Prefer has won an S$400,000 grant from Enterprise Singapore’s Startup SG to support the development of its fermented cocoa-free chocolate, PreferChoc.
Still in Singapore, protein chocolate company Coa & Co has entered a research collaboration with Republic Polytechnic to enhance the bioavailability, sensory performance, and functional density of soybeans through advanced fermentation.
In another alt-chocolate development, cell-based cocoa maker Kokomodo has teamed up with CSM Ingredients and Nexture through the Generate Program 2025 to co-develop next-gen ingredients with global scalability.
Israeli cultivated meat startup Believer Meats, which received approval to sell its chicken in the US in October, has been sued by Gray Construction over an alleged $34M in unpaid bills for its North Carolina facility, deemed the world’s largest for such proteins. It has also laid off staff at its factory and executive level.
Global vegan discovery platform Abillion has crossed over two million active users, according to founder and CEO Vikas Garg.
Research and policy developments
A group of researchers have published guidelines for cultivated meat companies to conduct ISO-certified life-cycle assessments for their processes.
The Polish health ministry has pledged to offer at least one plant-based lunch option in schools and nurseries starting September 1, 2026, following several years of advocacy from the Green REV Institute.
In contrast, the UK’s health minister, Ashley Dalton, has said the government currently has no plans to provide plant-based milk to students as part of the Nursery Milk Scheme, which only reimburses schools for dairy milk and infant formula.
Meanwhile, a new survey by YouGov suggests that 12% of UK adults plan to participate in Veganuary in 2026, with a third expressing interest in whole foods, 23% preferring them and plant-based meat equally, and 37% likely to buy meat and dairy alternatives.
In Germany, eight out of 10 foodservice establishments expect a hike in demand for plant-based products over the coming years, according to out-of-home research by ProVeg International.
The European Alliance for Plant-Based Foods has kick-started the Partners for Plant-Based Declaration, setting out actions the EU must take to unlock investment, support farmers, ensure fair market rules, and make healthy, sustainable diets more accessible. It has already been signed by over 75 organisations.
Awards and honours
Discovery platform HappyCow, which recently changed hands, has named Barcelona’s Asante as the number-one vegan restaurant globally, based on an analysis of millions of user reviews.
Swedish oat milk giant Oatly, US plant-based milk pioneer Califia Farms, and vegan cheese leader Violife have all been named in Fast Company‘s 121-strong list of Brands That Matter in 2025.
Speaking of honours, plant-based meat giant Impossible Foods has been recognised as the only vegan company on Inc Magazine‘s 2025 Best in Business list.
Likewise, plant-based business platform Vegpreneur has revealed the results of its 2025 awards, choosing 10 products after over 500 individual tastings by dozens of judges. Brands like Oshi, Redefine Meat, and Brown Sugar 1st were among the winners.
Across the Atlantic, the Spanish Vegetarian Union has announced the winners of the V-Label Awards 2025, with dairy-free cheesemaker La Carleta and plant-based meat leader Heura among the honourees.
Veg-forward meat alternative maker Symplicity Foods won four awards at the Future of Food Competition in London, alongside a special commendation for its work with whole-food, non-UPF nutrition.
In yet more awards news, Kelly Pan, co-founder of vegan seafood brand Impact Food, has been named on Forbes’s 30 Under 30 list under the Social Impact category.
Check out last week’s Future Food Quick Bites.
The post Future Food Quick Bites: Cottage Cheese, Veganuary 2026 & A Host of Awards appeared first on Green Queen.
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