radiofree.asia

Category: Alt Protein

  • Beyond Meat Reports 30% Sales Drop and Cuts 2023 Forecast Amid Waning US Plant-Based Demand

    beyond meat sales
    5 Mins Read

    Prolonging what CEO Ethan Brown called “the most difficult period” for the plant-based giant, year-on-year sales at Beyond Meat fell by 30.5% to $102M, with a $53.5M net loss. The company has now reduced its full-year revenue forecast and walked back its earlier goal of becoming cashflow-positive in the second half of 2023. Brown ascribed the grim Q2 results to diminishing demand and problematic health perceptions of Beyond’s products.

    After entering this year on an optimistic financial note – with its Q1 2023 earnings (while down year-on-year) exceeding Wall Street projections – Beyond had expected sharper revenue growth in the second half of 2023. But it has now reduced its full-year forecast from $375-415M (predicted in Q1) to $360-380M, giving up hope of achieving positive cashflow in the second half.

    Beyond cites “greater-than-expected consumer and category headwinds and their anticipated impact on net revenues” as the reason for this. However, the company added it remained “firmly focused on achieving cash flow positive operations, including increased cost containment, and expects meaningfully reduced cash consumption for the balance of the year”.

    The alt-meat giant – which laid off 19% of its staff last year – said gross profit was $2.3M in Q2, which meant a gross margin of 2.2%. This is an improvement from the previous year – a $6.2M loss and a negative gross margin of -4.2% – which Beyond attributes to lower materials costs, lower inventory reserves and lower logistics costs per pound. This was partially offset by higher manufacturing costs and lower net revenue per pound, and it represents a decline from the Q1 gross margin of 6.7%.

    Beyond hit by fall in consumer demand for plant-based meat

    ethan brown
    Beyond Meat CEO Ethan Brown called it “the most difficult period for the business” | Courtesy: Beyond Meat

    Beyond’s Q2 results come amid a growing decline in demand for plant-based meat alternatives. A new Mintel survey of 1,400 US consumers suggests that only 20% followed a meat-reduced diet this year, with inflation causing 53% of consumers to try fewer new foods like plant-based substitutes. Participants cited taste (48%), nutrition (35%), cost (34%), texture (24%) and processing (21%) as their primary concerns against alt-meat.

    It suggests that the category suffers from negative perceptions – reflecting Beyond CEO Brown’s comments on an earnings call to investors, against whom Beyond is facing a class-action lawsuit. “There is a considerable gap between the strong health credentials of our products and a broader counternarrative that is now afoot, and this gap appears to have widened,” he said, as reported by AgFunderNews.

    “As was the case during the ascent of plant-based milk, this change in perception is not without encouragement from interest groups, who have succeeded in seeding doubt and fear around the ingredients and processes we use to create our and other plant-based meats,” he added. “Nor is it without contribution from well-meaning yet misguided comparisons of our products to kale salads, versus the animal-based meats they are intended to replace.”

    He pointed to the company’s new There’s Goodness Here ad campaign, which subtly responds to years of targeted ads by meat industry interest groups against plant-based meat. The new ads highlight alt-meat’s positive impact on the environment, water and land use, energy footprint, as well as health and farmers. They also focus on a reduced ingredient list for the Beyond Steak, which is also the first meat product – animal- or plant-based – to be certified by the American Heart Association.

    The aim is to alter consumer perceptions shaped by coordinated negative messaging against plant-based meat. It also keys into what people want: the Mintel report found that 30% of flexitarians avoid vegan meat alternatives because they are overproduced.

    “If you look at Beyond Steak,” said Brown, “it’s absolutely delicious – you have such high levels of protein and a gram of saturated fat… Those things matter when the consumer is willing to come in. But if there’s a kind of cloud over the sector, those things matter less. So our number one goal is to lift that cloud.”

    The Europe-US perception divide

    beyond steak
    With Beyond Steak, the company hopes to quell consumer concern about alt-meat’s health benefits and overprocessed ingredient lists | Courtesy: Beyond Meat

    Beyond’s international retail revenue was down by 15.6% year-on-year, while foodservice sales saw a more modest decline of 0.9%. But in the US – its home market – retail sales fell by 38.5%, while foodservice saw an even larger drop of 45.4% in the same period. Brown alluded to the differences in consumer perception between the US and Europe: “Consumers are very concerned about climate and the environment in Europe, government is concerned about it, and institutions are concerned about it.”

    But in the US, plant-based food consumption is “more driven by health”, and there’s been a decline in the health perception of this sector. He cited a Food Marketing Institute study that found 50% of Americans believed plant-based meats were healthy in 2020, compared to just 38% in 2022. This echoes a 2023 Newsweek poll that showed 40% of Americans don’t believe eating less would help lower carbon emissions, which is in contrast to research that shows a vegan diet can cut emissions by 75% compared to a meat-heavy diet. “We now have to do the heavy work as an industry to fix that.”

    He pointed to the “clear nutritional advantages” of Beyond Steak and other products compared to conventional meat. These include “no cholesterol, lower levels of saturated fats, the absence of antibiotics, hormones, and other veterinary drugs, the absence of carcinogenic compounds such as heterocyclic amines, and the absence of precursors to TMAO, a compound that researchers have associated with heart disease and certain cancers”.

    Ethan noted that “while older people aren’t necessarily wrapping their minds” around their food’s impact on the climate, younger Americans are. He referenced how 44% of US foodservice provider Aramark’s residential dining menus at 250+ colleges and universities will be plant-based, while Sodexo’s commitment to make 50% of its college campus menus plant-based by 2025. “So the trend really is here.”

    And it’s what keeps Brown optimistic. Despite Beyond Meat’s decline in year-on-year sales, quarterly revenue actually increased by 11%, ending a five-quarter streak of continuous revenue decline. Referring to the cut in its full-year revenue forecast, the CEO said: “We nevertheless expect a modest return to year-over-year top-line growth in the third and fourth quarters of 2023, and – relative to the first half of 2023 – a meaningful reduction in cash consumption and an increase in gross margin.”

    While the plant-based industry has faced a slump, cost plays a big part. Like many branded products, Beyond’s alternatives are relatively expensive. A 2023 Kantar report suggests that while plant-based food brands have seen a 10% drop in sales, private-label supermarket offerings have grown by 14% in the last year. And reaching price parity with the conventional products Beyond Meat replaces is one of its top priorities in the coming months.

    The post Beyond Meat Reports 30% Sales Drop and Cuts 2023 Forecast Amid Waning US Plant-Based Demand first appeared on Green Queen.

    The post Beyond Meat Reports 30% Sales Drop and Cuts 2023 Forecast Amid Waning US Plant-Based Demand appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • Peanut Meat Brand Haofood Unveils Vegan Pork Mince Soup Dumplings

    haofood dumplings
    3 Mins Read

    Shanghai food tech brand Haofood, known for its plant-based chicken made from peanuts, has launched soup dumplings filled with peanut-based pork mince. The first plant-based meat brand to use peanut protein as the base ingredient, this marks the company’s second type of vegan meat.

    Xiaolongbaos (or soup dumplings) traditionally contain a minced pork filling, but Haofood’s vegan version swaps them for a peanut-based alternative that mimics the original’s taste and texture. The soup itself is a black truffle flavour, and the dumplings are packed with protein and dietary fibre, and free of trans fats.

    Launched in 2020, Haofood co-founder Astrid Prajogo exhibited the peanut mince dumplings at the Berlin headquarters of ProVeg Incubator – the brand had participated in the 12-week accelerator programme in 2020. The new product comes on the heels of a report that puts China at the top of the list of countries with the greatest market potential for alt-meat.

    peanut meat
    Haofood co-founder Astrid Prajogo exhibited the new peanut-based pork dumplings in Berlin | Courtesy: Haofood/LinkedIn

    Haofood’s peanut-powered journey

    “We started with the aspiration of helping foodies reduce their meat consumption without losing the pleasure of eating the familiar dishes that they love,” Prajogo told ProVeg in 2020. “That’s why we are developing a plant-based chicken that is specifically designed to be cooked as Asian fried chicken.”

    Now, the brand has three products in its portfolio: vegan pulled chicken in naked, black pepper and Xinjiang-spiced flavours; crispy chicken patties in original and spicy variants; and a plant-based chicken chop.

    In 2021, Haofood partnered with five Shanghai restaurants to add its peanut-based chicken to their menu offerings, like mini-burgers, wraps and bowls. It also struck a distribution deal with Chinese convenience store giant Lawson last year to stock its plant-based chicken in 2,300 retail stores nationwide. This came a month after it announced a $3.5M seed funding round, which included the likes of ProVeg, Monde Nissin CEO Henry Soesanto, and Big Idea Ventures, among others.

    Plant-based dumplings on the rise

    vegan dumplings
    Courtesy: OmniPork

    Haofood’s latest offering joins a host of other companies in the budding vegan dumpling category in Asia. While its xiaolongbaos are the first of their kind to launch to market, brands like OmniPork and Plant Sifu (both Hong Kong-based brands) have debuted various ready-to-eat dumpling ranges in recent years in retail and in foodservice. Omni famously partnered with Wanchai Ferry, Hong Kong’s dumpling-famous frozen meal brand, on two OmniPork-filled SKUs in 2020.

    Plant Sifu, meanwhile, uses a proprietary fat technology to create a juicy and fragrant pork alternative ideal for dumpling fillings. The brand claims its product is cholesterol- and MSG-free, and contains less salt and fewer calories than conventional pork.

    Vegan dumplings are equally popular around the world including the US: seaweed startup Triton Algae Foods has teamed up with Too Good to Be Foods to launch vegan pork dumplings and San Francisco brand Sobo Foods has soft-launched its plant-based dumplings at select retailers in the Bay area.

    The post Peanut Meat Brand Haofood Unveils Vegan Pork Mince Soup Dumplings first appeared on Green Queen.

    The post Peanut Meat Brand Haofood Unveils Vegan Pork Mince Soup Dumplings appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • 10 Years Since THAT Burger: 10 Highlights From The Cultivated Meat Journey

    Mark Post
    10 Mins Read

    On August 5, 2013, a team of Dutch scientists from Maastricht University, led by Dr Mark Post, showcased the world’s first burger made from cultivated meat at a tasting in London. It was the result of decades of research and trials, with food critics describing this first prototype “close to meat, but not that juicy”, and Post calling it a “good start”.

    Now, 10 years on, the progress made by this industry has accelerated, with more companies and funding than ever before, as well as increased government and regulatory support, and steps towards price parity with conventional meat. Here are 10 highlights defining the meteoric rise of cultivated meat.

    Launch of the world’s first cultured meat hamburger (August 5, 2013)

    1) There are now over 150 companies working on cultivated meat around the world

    According to industry think tank the Good Food Institute’s 2023 State of the Industry Report, the total number of cultivated meat companies is at least 156 – up from 107 in 2021. These producers are based in 26 different regions internationally, and at least 70 additional brands have joined the industry via partnerships or product and service offerings.

    This total number of companies, however, is likely an underestimate, as it’s common practice for startups to begin in ‘stealth mode’ and announce their arrival after hitting their first milestone (such as a successful funding round or product prototype), but given that a decade ago, there wasn’t one incorporated company working on this technology, we’ve come a long way!

    2) There are now dozens of types of cultivated animal flesh from quail to fish to foie gras

    While that first burger tasting was for a beef burger, there are numerous kinds of cultivated meat being developed. Where Dr Mark Post’s Mosa Meat and Israeli startup Aleph Farms are focused on the cow, companies like GOOD Meat, ClearMeat, SuperMeat and Upside Foods are working on chicken (the latter has also debuted duck and beef products). Pork is another popular alternative, with brands like Meatable, Joes Future Food and Ivy Farm Technologies tackling Asia’s favorite meat.

    There’s also cell-cultured seafood, from fish fillets to raw salmon to crustaceans such as prawn and crab. Singapore’s Umami Meats and Shiok Meats, and California’s Finless Foods and Wildtype Foods are all pioneering this sector.

    Apart from these, Orbillion Bio produces Wagyu beef, in addition to working on elk, lamb and bison alternatives. French startup Gourmey is making cultivated foie gras, and Australia’s Vow want to use this tech to develop kangaroo, zebra, tortoise and yak meat – and it’s already showcased Japanese quail dumplings.

    cultivated wagyu beef
    Courtesu: Orbillion Bio

    3) Nomenclature continues to be an issue

    Cultivated meat, which is the industry’s preferred term, is has many alternative names from cultured meat to clean meat to synthetic meat to the industry’s least preferred term: lab-grown.

    Research published in Nature Portfolio found ‘lab-grown’ to be the least favourable term among consumers (alongside ‘artificial meat’) too, while ‘cell-cultured’ and ‘cell-cultivated’ were the most popular. This is echoed by a 2021 GFI survey of 44 industry CEOs, 75% of whom preferred ‘cultivated’ meat. And in 2022, APAC stakeholders signed a memorandum of understanding declaring ‘cultivated’ as the preferred English-language term for these alternatives.

    Mainstream media reporters continue to use the term lab-grown despite repeated requests from industry to stop doing so. One main reason journalists should rethink the term? It’s inaccurate. In fact, cultivated meat at commercial scale is not produced (or grown) in a lab environment. Rather, like most foods in our supermarkets, it is made in a food factory.

    In 2021, Upside Foods strongly discouraged the use of terms like ‘lab-grown’ or ‘lab-based’, ‘synthetic’ and ‘fake’. It argued that ‘lab-grown’ suggests cultivated meat would always be made in a lab – but once it scales up, it could likely be made in a food-production-like environment. “The labelling of cultivated meat and poultry products will be a crucial component of how our industry conveys the basic nature, essential characteristics, and value of these products to consumers,” the company said.

    4) Removing FBS from production is key to the industry’s long-term sustainability

    One of the biggest controversies surrounding cultivated meat is the use of fetal bovine serum, a growth medium derived from cows. The use of this serum meant cell-cultured meat produced with it wasn’t animal-free – since it relied upon genetically altering animal cells – and Mosa Meat called the ingredient “not sustainable, reliable or scalable”.

    The Dutch company ditched the serum in 2019, and last year published its formulation for developing a serum-free way to produce cultivated meat. “Using a method called RNA sequencing, we can study the changes in gene expression that the cells undergo when they differentiate into muscle,” the company said. It paved the way for companies across this sector to develop serum-free offerings.

    Japanese startup IntegriCulture also developed cultivated chicken and duck liver cells using a serum-free medium, and South Korea’s CellMEAT created a serum-free cell culture medium to drive down production costs and provide an ethical cell-cultured meat option.

    In fact, many of the more established cultivated meat companies are either phasing out or no longer using FBS in their production but the controversy remains, especially for industry detractors.

    cell cultured meat fbs
    Courtesy: CellMEAT

    5) Total funding to date for cultivated meat startups is close to $3B

    In its latest report, GFI report states that cultivated meat startups have raised a total of $2.78 billion in venture funding since 2016. In 2022, the sector reeled in $896 million – and while this was a 33% year-on-year drop, the amount still outperformed the overall global VC funding decline of 35% year-on-year.

    Europe saw higher investments in cell-cultured meat last year than in 2021, while Asia Pacific companies raised more capital in 2022 than any other year. It was also the year that saw the largest single deals for both a cultivated meat (Upside Foods) and seafood company (Wildtype Foods), while the number of unique investors also grew year-on-year by 19% to 679.

    upside foods
    Courtesy: Upside Foods

    6) Governments around the world are (slowly) starting to fund cultivated meat

    Amidst a worsening climate crisis and more frequent food supply disruptions, governments around the world are increasingly looking to future food technologies as potential solutions as part of national food security strategies.

    In 2022, Europe led the world in financing cultured meat research and development. The Netherlands announced a €60M investment – a world record – towards building a cellular agriculture ecosystem, while Norway pledged €10M for a five-year programme to develop cellular agriculture and solve cost and scalability issues. In Spain, a €750,000 grant was given to a biotech company to study cultivated meat industrialisation.

    Horizon Europe, the EU’s core innovation and research funding programme, also mentioned cultivated meat and seafood as one of its three core pillars, with around €7M set aside for this sector. Meanwhile, the UK’s Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council poured £20M into research and development for alt-proteins, which include cell-cultured meat.

    Across the Atlantic, the US Department of Agriculture awarded a $10M grant in 2021 to Tufts University to build the National Institute for Cellular Agriculture, which was the first-ever government-funded research project. And in September last year, the Biden administration introduced a biotech programme that includes finances for “foods made with cultured animal cells”. Meanwhile, California allocated $5M for alt-protein research in its state budget, becoming the first US state to invest in research for cultivated meat.

    In the Middle East, Israel leads the alt-protein wave. In 2021, it invested $18M to fund the world’s largest cultivated meat consortium, while government funding has contributed $13M to early-stage startups and infrastructure.

    Asia also saw an increase in government investments in cultivated meat. South Korea awarded a $15M million grant to cell-based meat startup Space F, while Japan provided a ¥240M ($2.2M) grant to build the country’s first bioreactor for cultured meat production. Meanwhile, Singapore and Israel collaborated to award a joint grant to Steakholder Foods and Umami Meats to develop 3D-printed cultivated grouper fish. Notably, the Singaporean government has made alternative proteins and cultivated meat a key part of its 30 by 2030 food security plan.

    7) Only 2 Countries Allow For The Commercial Sale of Cultivated Meat

    As of today, only 2 countries have given cultivated meat the regulatory green light.

    In 2020, Singapore famously became the first country in the world to approve the sale of cultivated meat after granting regulatory approval to Eat Just, the parent company of GOOD Meat. Since then, a host of companies have flocked to the island nation to pass through its regulatory process and enter the market. Earlier this year, Singapore also became the first country to grant regulatory approval for the use of serum-free media in cultivated meat (also awarded to GOOD Meat).

    In June, the US became just the second country on the list to greenlight the sale of cell-cultured meat, as GOOD Meat and Upside Foods passed the premarket regulatory review process for cultivated chicken.

    Many countries have regulatory systems in place for alt-proteins, but they are yet to grant approval to companies for sale. The Netherlands has, however, approved cultivated meat and seafood tastings. And in July, Aleph Farms submitted the first regulatory application for cell-cultured meat in Europe, filing for approval in Switzerland. Days later, it also applied for clearance in the UK. But so far, no cultured meat company has filed for regulatory approval in the EU. Israel is another locus of activity with more cultivated meat companies per capita than almost anywhere, and pundits have predicted it could be next for regulatory approval, but so far, the jury is still out.

    good meat chicken
    Courtesy: Good Meat

    8) Only a small handful of restaurants in the world have served diners cultivated meat

    Currently, only a handful of restaurants across the globe are selling cultivated meat, with Singapore’s regulatory approval paving the way for eateries to debut these alternatives. In 2020, after the approval was granted, 1880 became the world’s first restaurant to serve cultivated meat, namely GOOD Meat’s chicken. This was followed by JW Marriot’s Madame Fan restaurant, which replaced all chicken items on its menu with GOOD Meat’s product in 2021, and Huber’s Butchery and Bistro, which also introduced the company’s cultivated chicken on its menu in 2022 where it remains on the menu today.

    And in July, San Francisco’s Bar Crenn, owned by chef Dominique Crenn, became the first US restaurant to serve cultivated meat in the US – with Upside Foods’ chicken – followed a week later by chef José Andrés’s Washington DC eatery China Chilcano, also serving GOOD Meat’s cell-cultured chicken.

    9) From cultivated meat to cell-base coffee, chocolate and fur: how the industry’s tech inspired alternatives beyond food

    While the technology for cultivated meat was originally developed to make a slaughter-free alternative to animal flesh, the industry inspired entrepreneurs and scientists from all kinds of other sectors to use the science to find cell-based alternatives to other high-emission products. Several companies are producing an animal-free alternative to dairy Indo-American startup Brown Foods, Canada’s Opalia, and Israel’s Wilk, which makes yoghurt from cultivated milk fat. Meanwhile, startups like Australia’s Me& and US-based Biomilq are pioneering cultivated breast milk.

    There’s also cultivated chocolate, with startups like Israel’s Celleste Bio and California Cultured leading the pack. The latter is now also working on cell-based coffee, something researchers from Finland’s VTT Technical Research Centre say they developed in 2021 with French startup Stem working on the beanless coffee alternative too.

    As of today, there are cultivated alternatives to chicken eggs, caviar, collagen (which includes Aleph Farms), palm oil, animal fur and leather, and chicken broth for dogs. Undoubtedly, there’s more cultivated innovation to come!

    cell-based chocolate
    Courtesy: California Cultured

    10) Cultivated meat and price parity: an ongoing battle

    Alongside regulatory approval, the cost of these products is the biggest obstacle for the cultivated meat industry to overcome. But there have been major steps forward in this area. 10 years after Dr Post and his team’s showcased the first beef burger tasting in what reportedly cost over $300,000 for two patties, the cost is now closer to approximately $100 per pound (some companies have suggested a few hundred per pound, others have quoted under $100, so this is an average) thanks to continuous R&D and production scaling.

    While at Bar Crenn, Upside Foods’ chicken is part of a six-course $150 prix fixe tasting menu – on par with (or cheaper than) many fine-dining tasting menus, the company is likely losing money per serve (hence the very limited availability of the menu), and we are still a while away from cultivated meat being able to compete with conventional meat or even plant-based meat

    While GFI predicts that cultivated meat could reach cost parity with its traditional counterparts by as early as 2030 and further analysis by industry supplier Ark Biotech highlighted how cost-competitive cultivated meat could be a reality, many industry insiders are more cautious. Startups want to scale, but a lack of bioreactor facilities, a need for more funding, and the high cost of media (including FBS-free serum) mean the industry is unlikely to compete with supermarket beef chuck anytime soon.

    The post 10 Years Since THAT Burger: 10 Highlights From The Cultivated Meat Journey first appeared on Green Queen.

    The post 10 Years Since THAT Burger: 10 Highlights From The Cultivated Meat Journey appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • Beyond Meat Spotlights Farms & Growers With New Ad Campaign Tackling Meat Misinformation

    beyond meat ad
    5 Mins Read

    Beyond Meat’s first new ad campaign after a difficult year sees the plant-based meat brand go back to its roots – literally. Titled There’s Goodness Here, Beyond tackles misinformation about plant-based meat in a subtle response to the meat industry’s targeted ads over the years. Crucially, the campaign puts an oft-overlooked member of the agri-food system at the centre of the action: the farmer.

    The new ad highlights Steven, a fifth-generation fava bean farmer from North Dakota. (Fava beans are one of Beyond Meat’s key ingredients.) It is set in a rural field, where Steven takes the viewer through his rows of crops, while a voiceover explains how Beyond turns plants into meat and extols the environmental and health virtues of its products.

    “From these crops,” the narrator says, “we get protein and run it through a simple and clean process of heating, cooling, and pressure to form plant-based meats that are better for you.”

    The meat industry’s campaign against the plant-based industry

    The ad marks Beyond’s first response to years of coordinated ads by meat industry interest groups, run by the Center for Consumer Freedom (CCF) since 2019. The smear campaign involved print ads, newspaper op-eds, video features and target websites like Clean Food Facts. The CCF took a shot at the processed nature of plant-based meats, and their long, complex ingredient lists.

    One ad pit vegan meat against dog food, with a side-by-side comparison of the ingredient lists asking consumers to guess which is which. Meanwhile, a video campaign used a clip from Beyond CEO Ethan Brown’s interview with CBS, where he talked about reproducing amino acids and fats from plant-based sources to replicate meat. CCF proceeded to list a partial ingredient list from Beyond to show it takes more than just those two elements to “make fake meat”, adding that “not all ingredients these are good for you”, without explaining why.

    But perhaps the CCF’s biggest attack on plant-based meat came during the 2020 Super Bowl – an ad that featured Spelling Bee participants struggling with words like methylcellulose and propylene glycol (which it claimed were “chemicals” used for “synthetic meats”). “If you can’t spell it or pronounce it,” concluded the ad, “maybe you shouldn’t be eating it.”

    Where Beyond focuses on farm and ingredients, Impossible fights back against CCF and meat industry tactics

    Where Beyond takes a more muted approach, the response from its closest competitor Impossible Foods is more direct, explicitly calling out the meat industry.

    For example, the company parodied the CCF’s spelling bee ad, where a child is confused after being asked to spell “poop”. The judge goes on to explain how there’s “lots of poop in the places where pigs and chickens are chopped to pieces to make meat”, and a voiceover highlights research that found 300 samples of ground beef to contain “fecal bacteria”. In response to the CCF’s last line, Impossible’s ad says: “Just because a kid can spell ‘poop’, doesn’t mean you or your kids should be eating it.”

    Impossible’s newest Making Meat History campaign is a more direct retaliation than Beyond’s latest commercial. The former’s The Summer of Impossible ad – released in June – takes the form of a musical, discussing the differences and similarities between plant- and animal-based meat.

    Beyond’s ad puts the focus on its ingredient label. Its Beyond Steak, which debuted last year and which the company described as having a ‘cleaner’ and simpler ingredient list – wheat gluten, fava beans, pomegranate concentrate, spices and flavourings, sunflower lecithin, and fruit and vegetable juice colour, became the first meat product – vegan or conventional – to be certified by the American Heart Association this past May.

    Beyond uses this win to address the “unclean” and “unhealthy” rhetoric the CCF ads pursue, labelling its new product as “heart-healthy steak from the Heartland” in the ad campaign.

    After a turbulent year, Beyond readies for an uptick

    It’s no secret that the last year or so has been tough going for Beyond Meat. Retail sales for plant-based meat have seen a continuous decline, and Beyond has been hit hard. It failed to meet targets in 2022, with revenue dropping for five consecutive quarters ending April 1 this year. In May, its stock tumbled to a new low of $10.02 – far from its highs of over $239 following its July 2019 IPO.

    The meat giant was forced to lay off 19% of its staff – around 200 employees – last year, and is now facing a class-action lawsuit over claims it misled its investors about its production and growth plans. It has also entered an equity distribution agreement with Goldman Sachs to sell shares worth up to $200M.

    But Beyond entered this year on an optimistic financial note, with its Q1 2023 earnings (while down year-on-year) exceeding Wall Street projections. The company also expects sharper revenue growth in the second half of the year.

    With its new ad campaign, Beyond goes back to its roots, spotlighting the very people who form the bedrock of any food business: farmers. The tagline for its new There’s Goodness Here campaign is ‘Back to the Farm’, putting the producer at the heart of its messaging. Highlighting the story of Steven, a farmer who decided to grow fava beans for products like Beyond Meat, is a laudable step towards Beyond’s commitment to transparency and giving back.

    “Our story begins with sun, soil, water, and a seed,” the voiceover says at the beginning of the ad. “It begins in fields.” It continues by explaining the soil-positive effects of these crops, but stresses the fact that farmers also benefit: “It helps farmers keep their fields and soil healthy, naturally.”

    Keying in on the importance of farmers is crucial, especially since a common criticism of the plant-based meat industry is that it puts meat farmers out of business. In a world that is becoming more ethical and hoping to be more sustainable every day, positioning its products as planet-, health- and people-friendly could be just what Beyond needs.

    The post Beyond Meat Spotlights Farms & Growers With New Ad Campaign Tackling Meat Misinformation first appeared on Green Queen.

    The post Beyond Meat Spotlights Farms & Growers With New Ad Campaign Tackling Meat Misinformation appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • Meatable Raises $35M For Cultivated Pork Production, Eyes 2024 Singapore Launch

    meatable pork
    4 Mins Read

    Dutch startup Meatable has raised $35M in funding to scale the production and accelerate the commercial launch of its cultivated pork. Bringing the total funding received by the company to $95M, the announcement comes a month after it worked with Mosa Meat, HollandBIO and the Dutch government to create a ‘code of practice’ facilitating cultivated meat tastings in the country.

    The Series B investment round was led by Agronomics, and so Invest-NL join as a new investor, contributing $17M. Meatable aims to use the funds to scale its processes and speed up the commercial launch of its cultivated pork. The scaling and optimisation of its manufacturing processes will also help it become cost-competitive with conventional meat.

    “Our pursuit for appropriate protein alternatives that further a sustainable and circular society remains ceaseless,” said Bastiaan Gielink, senior investment manager at Invest-NL. “The breakthroughs achieved by Meatable have convinced us that they possess the know-how and team to make this potential a reality.”

    Meatable eyes 2024 Singapore launch

    cultivated sausage
    Courtesy: Meatable

    In October 2022, Meatable partnered with Singapore’s ESCO Aster, the only regulator-approved contracted cultivated meat manufacturing facility in the world, in its bid towards achieving approval from the Singapore Food Agency. And in May, it hosted its first cultivated meat tasting event in the city-state, with the goal of launching its pork sausages and dumplings in select restaurants and retailers in 2024.

    Meatable co-founder and CEO Krijn de Nood confirmed to Green Queen that the company will be looking to expand to the US after the Singapore launch, before exploring other markets, depending on the regulatory processes. The US became just the second country to approve the sale of cultivated meat products in June, granting regulatory clearance to Upside Foods and Good Meat.

    “In order to gain regulatory approval in the US, we’re working with the relevant US experts and authorities on this matter – including the US Food and Drug Administration and the United States Department of Agriculture,” said de Noord. “Our application in Singapore gives us useful points of reference as well.”

    Opti-ox technology helps avoid FBS

    cultivated meat singapore
    Courtesy: Meatable

    To produce its cultivated pork, Meatable uses a proprietary technology called Opti-ox, eschewing the need for fetal bovine serum (FBS).

    “To create Meatable’s cultivated meat, our team first isolates a single animal cell, taken harmlessly from an animal. While immortalised cell lines are more commonly found in the industry, they require an alteration of the cells to allow them to multiply indefinitely,” explained de Nood.

    The company’s patented tech instead uses pluripotent stem cells (PSCs), which “have the natural ability to keep on multiplying and to do so rapidly” – and these double in just 24 hours. “The difficulty with using PSCs is that it can be more challenging to change them from stem cells into more specialised cells, such as muscle or fat,” said de Nood. “However, by using these cells in combination with patented opti-o technology, we’re able to produce real muscle and fat cells that are fully differentiated in just [eight] days.” That’s about 30 times faster than it takes to rear a pig for pork on the farm.

    “This is coupled with a perfusion process that allows the team to work in a continuous cycle to generate very high cell densities,” he added. “This means we can grow a lot of cells in our bioreactors, and harvest cultured meat from the reactors continuously. This is a great step forward as it increases productivity and makes the process easy to scale.

    “Altogether, this means that when it comes to making real cultivated meat, we have the tools to make the process extremely efficient and one that can scale to serve customers around the world.”

    Asked about consumer perception of cultured meat – people who are vegetarian or vegan may be uneasy about the idea of eating meat grown from an animal cell – de Nood stresses that cultivated meat isn’t “like meat” – it is meat.

    “Cultivated meat addresses some of the concerns people might have about eating traditional meat. For example, there is no harm done to animals and it will in time be much more environmentally friendly to produce than industrially farmed options. In the end, cultivated meat will be a dietary choice, just like any other. We are aiming to make that choice as self-explanatory as possible.”

    A 2021 poll conducted by Israeli cultured meat producer Aleph Farms – which applied for regulatory approval in Switzerland and the UK last month – showed that 87-89% of Gen Zers, 84-85% of millennials, 76-77% of Gen Xers, and 70-74% of Boomers were at least somewhat open to trying cultivated meat.

    “These numbers are growing every day,” said de Nood. “We know that education is essential. The more people know about cultivated meat, the more they are open to it and willing to try.”

    The post Meatable Raises $35M For Cultivated Pork Production, Eyes 2024 Singapore Launch first appeared on Green Queen.

    The post Meatable Raises $35M For Cultivated Pork Production, Eyes 2024 Singapore Launch appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • Cultivated Meat Startup Aleph Farms Files for UK Regulatory Approval

    2 Mins Read

    Israeli-cultivated meat startup Aleph Farms has filed for regulatory approval to put its cell-based steak on restaurant menus in the UK, reports Bloomberg. The alt-protein producer made the application on July 21, days after applying for approval in Switzerland, which was the first such filing in Europe.

    Aleph Farms, which makes cell-based whole-cut meat, is the first cultivated meat company to apply for regulatory clearance with the UK’s Food Standards Agency. It plans to start production in the UK in the next few years and is in talks with potential commercial partners.

    “The strategy is to file in the UK and Switzerland which are interesting markets,” Aleph Farms CEO Didier Toubia said. “We believe the UK will take a couple of years, but the potential is huge.”

    Aleph Farms steak.

    The regulatory race

    Post-Brexit, the UK is reviewing novel food regulation changes that could speed up cell-based and precision fermentation approvals. However, it still relies on the European regulatory framework. No cell-based meat company has yet filed for regulatory approval in the EU, where the process can be seen as opaque and complicated.

    “The EU must develop a coherent strategy to support the sustainable protein sector and ensure regulatory processes are clear, in order to reap the benefits of cultivated meat,” Seth Roberts, policy manager at GFI Europe, told Bloomberg.

    Cultivated meat is grown via animal cells in bioreactors, and is seen as a cruelty-free and more sustainable alternative to meat. Cell-based chicken has been available in Singapore – a hotbed for cultivated meat – since December 2020, when Eat Just gained the world’s first such regulatory approval. And in June, the US too issued its first approval to Upside Foods and Eat Just’s Good Meat.

    The post Cultivated Meat Startup Aleph Farms Files for UK Regulatory Approval first appeared on Green Queen.

    The post Cultivated Meat Startup Aleph Farms Files for UK Regulatory Approval appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • Vegan Chicken Nugget Startup Nowadays Ceases Operations Amid US Plant-Based Meat Decline

    nowadays vegan chicken nuggets

    4 Mins Read

    In yet another sign of an increasingly tough market for plant-based meat companies, US vegan chicken nugget brand Nowadays has announced it is ceasing operations. The Californian startup, which launched its pea-protein-based frozen nuggets two years ago, is in “active conversations” about selling its IP and other assets, reports AgFunderNews.

    A year after closing an oversubscribed $7M seed round – taking its total funding to nearly $10M – Nowadays says the decision comes “due to an inability to raise venture funds in this market”. Co-founder Max Elder told AgFunderNews that while the nuggets were performing well in direct-to-consumer and retail channels with strong repeat purchase rates, the unit economics of distributing frozen foods were challenging for a startup of its scale.

    “The economics only work if you have the capital to really push a multi-year brand building and marketing strategy and it’s really hard to access capital now,” he was quoted as saying.

    Nowadays uses low-moisture extraction technology, which enabled it to produce vegan nuggets with fewer ingredients and scale up more easily. “We’ve been awarded patents for low-moisture extrusion of whole cuts of clean-label plant-based chicken using pea protein, and a patent on pea protein characteristics for the texturized outcomes of our platform,” Elder told AgFunderNews. “So there’s some differentiated enabling technology here that I’m excited to find a home for; we’re actively looking for opportunities to preserve the value of what we’ve built over the past three years.”

    The US plant-based meat decline

    vegan chicken nuggets
    Courtesy: Nowadays

    This news comes on the heels of a continued decline in purchases of plant-based meat in the US. According to analysis by insights firm Circana, retail sales of vegan meat alternatives fell by 12.6% to $106.8M in the five weeks to July 2, 2023, with units down by 19.8% year-on-year. And for the year to July 2, 2023, sales declined by 7.3% year-on-year, while units saw a 15.6% drop.

    Although down in all temperature states, sales in the refrigerated plant-based meat case and produce department – where retailers are cutting assortments, according to AgFunderNews – witnessed the biggest drops. Sales reached $34.4M in the five weeks ending July 2, falling by 21.9% from June 2022 levels, and 33.4% from the year before.

    And while this coincides with a decline in conventional meat purchases in the US too, the numbers there are more modest. That sector saw a 2.7% year-on-year decrease in sales in the five weeks to July 2, dollar sales were up by 1.6% in the year ending July 2.

    Nowadays isn’t the only plant-based meat company in this situation. In July, Californian brand Tattooed Chef, whose meals included vegan meat alternatives, filed for bankruptcy – a month after Boston-based Plant & Bean fell into administration. And in January, Canadian vegan butcher and cheesemonger The Very Good Food Company went into receivership. Across the Atlantic, Meatless Farm faced a similar fate in June after making its entire team redundant and preparing for bankruptcy, before its UK business was rescued by fellow British vegan plant-based meat manufacturer VFC.

    While this makes for grim reading, Elder is still positive about the alt-meat market. “I still feel like long-term, the headwinds for conventional proteins will only get stronger, and while companies are struggling to access capital, I don’t think that fundamentally, anything has changed about the potential or the need for alternative protein products,” he told AgFunderNews, echoing the findings from a recent report by the Plant Based Foods Association

    He added: “I think we just need to batten down the hatches and weather the storm, and sometimes that means some companies can’t survive because there’s limited access to capital. [In the] long term, hopefully, the value that’s created by those companies can survive.”

    Too many vegan chicken nuggets?

    plant based meat sales decline
    Courtesy: Nowadays

    Even if one overlooks the wider sales issues for plant-based meat, Nowadays was already in an overpopulated, congested and highly competitive US vegan chicken nugget market.

    Look at the sheer number of brands selling plant-based nuggets in the US. Jack & Annie’s, Simulate, The Alpha Nugget, Daring, MorningStar Farms, Yves, Rebellyous, LikeMeat and Boca all have their own versions, to name a few – and that is before we get into private-label supermarket offerings.

    And then there are Gardein, Quorn, Beyond Meat and Impossible, who all make meatless nuggets too. But they benefit from much larger distribution networks and greater brand presence. Unlike these giants, single-product startups like Nowadays don’t have another product to fall upon – it’s boom or bust, and nothing in between. The question remains: in an oversaturated retail market, how many nuggets brands do consumers really want?

    The post Vegan Chicken Nugget Startup Nowadays Ceases Operations Amid US Plant-Based Meat Decline first appeared on Green Queen.

    The post Vegan Chicken Nugget Startup Nowadays Ceases Operations Amid US Plant-Based Meat Decline appeared first on Green Queen.

  • Robert Downey Jr-Backed Chunk Foods’ Plant-Based Whole Cuts Added to Charley’s Steak House Menu

    chunk foods
    3 Mins Read

    Israeli startup Chunk Foods‘ plant-based whole-cut meat is now on the menu at Charley’s Steak House in Orlando – the first time a steakhouse chain is offering a vegan alternative. Backed by Robert Downey Jr’s VC firm FootPrint Coalition, Chunk Foods’ biomass-fermented filet mignon is priced at $69.

    Chunk Foods uses solid-state fermentation and combines plant-based ingredients with food-grade organisms to create its whole-cut beef alternative. Whole cuts have often been described as the “holy grail” of alt-meat, and this collaboration follows the appearance of Redefine Meat’s 3D-printed alternative on restaurant menus in Europe and Israel.

    Chunk Foods’ journey

    vegan steak
    Chunk Foods makes vegan whole-cut steak | Courtesy: Chunk Foods

    Founded in 2020 at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Chunk Foods raised $15m in seed funding last year – which founder Amos Golan called the biggest seed round ever for an Israeli company. Using solid-state fermentation allows the product to be “highly tunable”, and makes it cheaper than high-moisture extrusion or submerged fermentation, which calls for expensive steel vessels and downstream processing tech.

    While its vegan whole-cut beef uses cultured soy and wheat, the company says it is working on products without these ingredients for diners with allergies. After beef, it plans to develop vegan pork, lamb and poultry alternatives. As reported by TechCrunch, this will be aided by the opening of a new factory in Israel, described by Golan as “one of the largest plant-based whole-cuts factories in the world”.

    Chunk Foods’ vegan steak has already appeared on the menus of several New York City restaurants, including Coletta, Anixi and The Butcher’s Daughter. And while other plant-based whole cuts – like the aforementioned Redefine Meat and Meati‘s mycelium-based alternatives – have made it to eatery menus, Chunk Foods’ collaboration with Charley’s Steak House marks the first time a steakhouse is offering a vegan option.

    Charley’s Steak House’s inclusivity bid

    charley's steak house
    Charley’s Steak House is now serving plant-based whole-cut meat | Courtesy: Chunk Foods

    Part of the Talk of the Town Restaurant Group, Charley’s Steak House has been around since 1984. This move marks a milestone moment for the eatery and reflects its commitment to more inclusive dining.

    “At our core, we serve the finest steaks and seafood, and we have been searching for over 15 years for a plant-based option for our guests that meets our standards,” said Talk of the Town VP and COO, Seth
    Miller. “We are excited to introduce our customers to Chunk steak; this partnership provides a solution that is in line with our quality expectations that we place on every item we serve. If it’s not the best, we won’t serve it.”

    Chunk Foods says its steaks are “extremely versatile” when it comes to the cooking method – they can be “pan-seared, basted, grilled, smoked, stewed, braised, BBQ, and baked, the same way beef is prepared”. This affords a greater level of creativity and eschews the need for intensive chef training.

    “At Chunk, we’re passionate about pushing boundaries,” said Golan. “Together [with Charley’s Steak House], we’re ensuring that all guests, regardless of dietary preference, can enjoy an exceptional
    steakhouse experience.”

    More and more companies are successfully debuting their vegan whole cuts to the North American market, with New School Foods‘ salmon filet and Tender Food‘s beef steaks, pulled pork and chicken breasts being prime examples as plant-forward consumers look for texture and format variety beyond mince-based burgers, sausages and nuggets.

    The post Robert Downey Jr-Backed Chunk Foods’ Plant-Based Whole Cuts Added to Charley’s Steak House Menu first appeared on Green Queen.

    The post Robert Downey Jr-Backed Chunk Foods’ Plant-Based Whole Cuts Added to Charley’s Steak House Menu appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • With Bold Net-Zero Commitments, Governments Around the World are Developing Plant-Based Meat Products

    taiwan plant based

    5 Mins Read

    The governments of Taiwan and Saudi Arabia have joined a growing list of countries backing the vegan industry, announcing startups and funding, respectively, to create plant-based meat.

    Taiwan plans to produce whole cuts via a spin-off startup, while Saudi Arabia has signed two agreements with companies to produce vegan alternatives to meat and dairy. In a year where COP28 has confirmed it will serve mostly vegan food, these are two steps that further link the plant-based industry with governments and lawmakers. But how do these initiatives line up with these nations’ net-zero ambitions and consumption?

    Taiwan MOEA’s plant-forward push

    Taiwan’s Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) announced a special pavilion for the Technology Division at this year’s Bio Asia Taiwan exhibition (July 26-30). Among the two highlighted achievements of the pavilion was the creation of a novel texturisation technology to make whole-cut plant-based meat.

    The MOEA will launch a startup by the end of 2023 to produce this alt-meat. It argues that current options on the market are much different from conventional meat, as they are made up of ingredients that are dismantled, emulsified and recombined. The technology developed by the Department of Industrial Technology introduces a multidirectional fibre structure that can emulate the muscle structures of beef, pork, chicken and fish.

    The MOEA suggests the alt-meat is healthier than its counterparts given its simple processing. Using wheat and soy proteins eschews the need for additives and emulsifiers, while providing all the essential amino acids and a high protein content. The nutritionally complete nature of the food is what sets it apart from traditionally tenderised meat substitutes.

    The MOEA’s alt-meat was exhibited at Bio Asia Taiwan 2023 | Courtesy: Bio Asia Taiwan

    The product has been tested at scale, and is said to be eco-friendly and in line with a low-carbon economy, with samples showcased at Bio Asia Taiwan. The new startup will further develop the technology to add to Taiwan’s product portfolio as it competes in the global vegan market.

    According to Dupont, demand for plant-based meat will surge by 25% across Asia-Pacific between 2020 and 2025. Taiwan already exports 80% of all vegan meat produced in the country, and has launched initiatives promoting a plant-forward diet. Its Meat Free Monday organisation secured over 100 pledges from political candidates participating in the 2022 elections to support a Veg-Friendly campaign.

    In January, Taiwan approved a landmark climate bill mandating the government to promote low-carbon, plant-based diets. And in the country’s 2050 Net-Zero Transition plan, a low-carbon diet lands top of the pyramid of promotion strategies. This includes the consumption of “low-carbon cultivated agricultural food products”, as well as a push for zero-waste and low-carbon-diet literacy, and food agriculture education.

    However, while the climate bill earned praise for highlighting food’s role in tackling climate change – food systems are responsible for a third of all global greenhouse gas emissions – others called for a more blatant approach against animal-based meat.

    “As the world comes to grips with the importance of food systems in addressing climate change, we are delighted to see an emphasis on low-carbon diets in Taiwan’s climate legislation,” said Wu Hung, CEO of the Environment and Animal Society of Taiwan. “In light of this development, we call on the Executive Yuan to revisit its 2050 Net Zero Emissions Pathway and Strategy and take steps to address excessive meat consumption,”

    Saudi Arabia promotes healthy vegan food

    In Saudi Arabia, officials from the Saudi Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture have inked deals with the Cooperative Societies Council, Saudi Greenhouses Management & Agri Marketing Co, and Ayla Food Options Co to develop alt-protein products with locally sourced plants.

    The government body aims to encourage a healthy food culture among citizens via high-quality vegetarian substitutes and tap into advanced technology to produce these dairy and meat alternatives. The signing ceremony was accompanied by an exhibition where visitors could sample these vegan products.

    saudi arabia vegan
    Saudi Arabia has among the world’s highest meat consumption per capita ! Courtesy: Mishaal Zahed/Unsplash

    Saudi Arabia has also committed to a net-zero target, with an aim to reach the goal by 2060. But it has the biggest net-zero-busting plans for oil and gas expansion in the world, according to the Guardian. Its government also launched a sustainable agriculture challenge this year, which calls for climate-smart farming solutions to improve food production and address food security. But the country has among the highest meat consumption per capita in the world, which exacerbates the need for more programmes like these.

    Global governments go green

    With these moves, Taiwan and Saudi Arabia are the latest countries whose governments are boosting the development of the alt-protein industry. According to the Good Food Institute, plant-based meat will capture 6% of the global meat and seafood markets. It also reports that Denmark, Sweden and Switzerland have committed over $150M in research and development for plant proteins. Meanwhile, the US Congress allocated $6M to the Department of Agriculture and California promised $5M to three universities for alt-protein research and development.

    A host of other countries have been endorsing vegan foods around the world. As part of its Eat Right India campaign, the Indian Ministry of Health and Family Welfare released a poster promoting plant-based food. And in January, Germany announced it was finalising its National Nutritional Strategy, which spotlighted a shift to plant-based diets. Likewise, Scottish capital Edinburgh banned meat in all public schools, hospitals and nursing homes as part of its plant-based pact.

    Expanding from plant-based meat, even cultivated protein is seeing a massive amount of interest. The Dutch government has invested €60M into its cellular agriculture industry, while Australian-American startup Change Foods has received two government grants for its animal-free cheese. And in Israel, the world’s largest cultivated meat consortium was approved in April 2022, with $18m in funding.

    The post With Bold Net-Zero Commitments, Governments Around the World are Developing Plant-Based Meat Products first appeared on Green Queen.

    The post With Bold Net-Zero Commitments, Governments Around the World are Developing Plant-Based Meat Products appeared first on Green Queen.

  • Next Gen Foods Rebrands to TiNDLE, Expands Portfolio to Vegan Sausages, Milk & Gelato

    tindle foods
    3 Mins Read

    Singapore-headquartered Next Gen Foods is rebranding into TiNDLE Foods, its vegan chicken subsidiary, as it announces an expansion into new product categories. The move will see Mwah!, the start-up acquired by the parent company in March, merged into the TiNDLE Foods umbrella. The rebrand will see the company launch its first line of vegan sausages later this year, with a range of plant-based milk and gelato also in the pipeline.

    Led by chief technology officer John Seegers, TiNDLE Foods’ expanded platform will serve the development, production and sales of the existing line of vegan chicken, as well as the upcoming range of plant-based sausages and dairy products. The aim is to have a portfolio that covers all meals of the day, from breakfast to dinner and dessert. Its newest product, to be launched in the US later this year, will be a savoury morning breakfast sausage, a spokesperson confirmed to Green Queen Media. (TiNDLE will also roll out Bratwurst and Italian varieties later.)

    Founded in 2020, Next Gen Foods was the parent company of TiNDLE Foods, and has raised $130 million in funding through its flagship vegan chicken offering, including a record-breaking Series A round for plant-based meat. It was also named one of Fast Company‘s 10 most innovative Asia-Pacific companies for 2023.

    Vegan dairy expansion

    The company’s acquisition of London-based vegan dairy startup Mwah! earlier this year will further expand its research and development capabilities and expertise in dairy product development. Mwah!, which makes plant-based Italian-style gelatos, debuted its Madagascan Vanilla flavour in select London eateries this spring.

    Led by Mwah! co-founders Damian Piedrahita and Claudia Comini, TiNDLE is expanding its gelato collection and developing a range of plant-based milks. TiNDLE’s spokesperson told Green Queen Media that the brand won’t limit itself to single-source milks (like oat or soy milk). “Instead, our process will be focused on finding the best consistency, flavour, and overall experience – and exploring all types of plant-based ingredients – so it delivers on the same creaminess and taste of cow’s milk.” While there’s no release date yet, they confirmed that they aim to make the milks available in the US, UK and Germany.

    TiNDLE CEO Andre Menezes hinted at the company’s product expansion plans when speaking to Green Queen Media in March: “When Timo [Recker, co-founder and chairman] and I started Next Gen in 2020, we didn’t intend to only develop one core product and stick with it. We wanted to offer a diverse range of global food brands and products… We started with chicken first, of course, but we’re always looking to enter other categories – including other meats, seafood and dairy.”

    mwah gelato
    TiNDLE acquired Mwah! in March 2023 | Courtesy: TiNDLE Foods

    Multi-ingredient plant milks

    Menezes also alluded to the company’s multi-ingredient alt-milk approach: “We also see immense growth in the plant-based dairy market, which is expected to reach over $31.5B by 2028. Right now, many plant-based dairy products are focused on the source (i.e., oat milk from oats, soy milk from soy, etc.) and not necessarily on experience and flavour.”

    He was inspired by Damian and Claudia’s approach. “They aren’t limiting themselves to a dairy alternative source (e.g. cashews, dates, oats, etc.),” he explained, “but instead are focused on the right source for the right consistency and creaminess of the product being developed.”

    Multi-ingredient, ‘blended’ plant-based milks are an emerging category. These don’t necessarily fall into the biomass-fermented category, but instead use a blend of different ingredients to mimic the flavour and texture of dairy. Chilean food tech startup NotCo is a pioneer here: its NotMilk range is a blend of cabbage, chicory and pea protein.

    In the UK, Rebel Kitchen has two blends – oat and coconut, and coconut and cashew – while Alpro’s cross-European This Is Not M*lk range features oat and pea protein. Similarly, in India, Bagrrys produces an oat, cashew and almond milk, Nourish You offers one that pairs oats with finger millets, srghum, pearl millets and amaranth, and One Good makes a cashew, oat and millet milk.

    The post Next Gen Foods Rebrands to TiNDLE, Expands Portfolio to Vegan Sausages, Milk & Gelato first appeared on Green Queen.

    The post Next Gen Foods Rebrands to TiNDLE, Expands Portfolio to Vegan Sausages, Milk & Gelato appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • Plant-Based Seafood Startup Reels in $26M for Frozen Vegan Sushi & Poke Bowls

    konscious foods
    3 Mins Read

    In yet another sign of the growing popularity of plant-based seafood, Californian frozen vegan sushi brand Konscious Foods has raised $26M in a seed funding round. Founded by French chef Yves Potvin, who also launched Yves Veggie Cuisine and Gardein, the brand’s investors in the financing round included Protein Industries Canada, Zynik Capital and Walter Group.

    Launched in 2021, Konscious Foods’ frozen plant-based sushi is a world-first. The brand, which caters to both retail and foodservice, has 10 products across three ranges: sushi rolls, onigiris and poke bowls. The company aims to use the investment to grow its presence – it’s expected to be available in 4,500 stores across the US by the end of 2023 – support operations at its production facility in Vancouver, and deploy marketing initiatives for nationwide retail launches.

    “The products offered by Konscious Foods represent a significant shift in the plant-based food space,” said Pierre Somers, chairman and CEO of Walter Group. “It proves that meat alternatives do not need to be highly processed, filled with unnatural ingredients or cost more than the incumbent products. We believe the company will transform plant-based food and the seafood industry.”

    Overfishing and the demand for plant-based seafood

    “This investment validates our excitement about the demand – and critical need – for seafood made from plants,” said Potvin. “With the rising demand for fish, and subsequent overfishing crisis, we feel it is crucial to have better-for-you, better-for-the-world seafood options that don’t sacrifice taste or texture.”

    The seafood industry – much like the meat sector – is heavily industrialised and inundated with sustainability and labour issues. One of the major problems, as Potvin alludes to above, is overfishing, whose operators receive $22B in capacity-enhancing subsidies every year.

    Lily Ng, owner of Manhattan-based alt-seafood market Lily’s Vegan Pantry, previously told Green Queen Media: “​​Overfishing disrupts the food chain. And when populations are diminished, other species will overpopulate, destroying biodiversity and making changes to the entire ecosystem. In the end, our consumption of fish still destroys our planet.”

    Overfishing is a response to the growing demand for seafood, which has also exacerbated the industry’s poor climate footprint. Increased greenhouse gas emissions and fuel use by ocean fishery vessels both contribute to this. Additionally, plastic packaging, the presence of microplastics in oceans that get contaminated via toxic chemical runoff, and a history of child and slave labour make the sector an unsavoury prospect for many.

    Recent investments and growth of vegan seafood

    Konscious Foods is far from the only alt-seafood brand receiving investment this year. In June, German cultivated fish startup Bluu Seafood raised $17.5M in a Series A funding round, and also applied for scientific approval to distribute its products in the US. And last month, Swedish brand Hooked Foods raised about €644,000 via a crowdfunding campaign.

    In January, a partnership between Sweden’s Mycroena and Austrian producer Revo Foods received a €1.5M grant from Swedish innovation agency Vinnova, the Austrian Research Promotion Agency, and EU funding programme Eurostars to create 3D-printed mycoprotein to replace seafood.

    Meanwhile, eight months after securing vegan seafood brand Good Catch, plant-based giant Wicked Kitchen acquired pioneering alt-seafood startup Current Foods in May, expanding the latter’s foodservice and fine-dining operations in Europe and the US. This comes as no surprise, given the year-on-year growth potential of vegan seafood in US restaurants is 57%.

    The plant-based seafood category is relatively small, but as restaurant menus look to be more inclusive and sustainable, it’s a bright spark in the wider vegan industry and a trend that holds tremendous potential.

    “The average consumer is becoming more aware of animal welfare and sustainability,” Maarten Garaets, alt-protein managing director of seafood giant Thai Union, told Green Queen Media in May. “And this is becoming a more important part of the selection criteria when they are buying food, but this is still a very small group.”

    He added: “Alternative seafood is a new category, with limited awareness, whereas meat is more established. However, seafood is bound to catch up soon. Health is less of a concern for seafood, whereas sustainability will be more of a lever.”

    The post Plant-Based Seafood Startup Reels in $26M for Frozen Vegan Sushi & Poke Bowls first appeared on Green Queen.

    The post Plant-Based Seafood Startup Reels in $26M for Frozen Vegan Sushi & Poke Bowls appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • Alpha Foods: Frozen Vegan Meat Startup Acquired by LIVEKINDLY Collective

    alpha foods livekindly
    3 Mins Read

    The LIVEKINDLY Collective (LKC) has acquired Californian plant-based meat startup Alpha Foods, which becomes the sixth food brand under the former’s portfolio. Founded in 2015, Alpha’s lineup includes frozen burritos, burgers, nuggets and tamales, with a nationwide presence in over 11,000 retail stores.

    The strategic acquisition allows the LIVEKINDLY Collective to enter the ready-to-eat breakfast and burrito snacking categories, and consolidate its position in the saturated plant-based food market. Alpha Foods will benefit from the LIVEKINDLY Collective’s vast distribution network – which boasts over 200,000 centres across more than 40 countries – and the deal will help both expand their reach in the US.

    The LIVEKINDLY Collective – which also owns Fry’s, Oumph!, LikeMeat, No Meat, and Dutch Weed Burger – aims to ensure a reliable supply chain and pricing structure comparable to Alpha’s animal-based counterparts.

    “Joining LKC will enable Alpha to grow sustainably while propelling innovation in a category that’s often accused of creating a plethora of plant-based versions of ubiquitous products like patties and nuggets,” says Loren Wallis, co-founder and chief innovation officer of Alpha Foods.

    Alpha’s sustainability credentials

    Soy protein concentrate is one of Alpha Foods’ main ingredients. Soy’s over-cultivation has contributed to deforestation and forest fires in the Amazon.

    Speaking to Green Queen Media in 2019, Alpha’s co-founder Cole Orobetz tackled the issue: “When we were sourcing soy, we made sure to use non-GMO soy, having in our minds the practices that come with GMO soybeans. And the more we realised how educated the consumer base is – people were learning a lot about soy production – we have been proud to say that all our soybeans are ethically sourced from the US where there is no deforestation to be concerned of.”

    He added: “We have made changes before upon learning new information. For example, we were previously using palm oil in our first pot pies. But when more news and reports came out about the ethical conflicts involved in palm oil production, we removed it from our ingredient list. Every single day, we really try to push to be as sustainable as possible.”

    Alpha Foods will benefit from the LIVEKINDLY Collective’s vast distribution network | Courtesy: Alpha Foods

    New products and collaborations in the pipeline

    The LIVEKINDLY Collective says that the acquisition complements its portfolio, and the companies have a shared vision. “We will first focus on integrating Alpha’s assets into the structure of LKC. LKC is a truly global organisation backed by shared functions such as R&D, operations and others,” Shaun Richardson, the LIVEKINDLY Collective’s US general manager, told Green Queen Media. “The primary focus this will be to make sure Alpha fits into this structure to unlock efficiencies and opportunities for the brand in the US and beyond.”

    The deal holds promising potential for new product development. “Our global infrastructure, allowing for better distribution, R&D pliancy and innovation, will open up opportunities in the market and beyond,” Richardson said in a statement.

    Speaking to Green Queen Media, he added: “We have an exciting innovation pipeline and unprecedented food tech knowledge in-house, which we will make sure Alpha will benefit from.”

    Alpha Foods has existing collaborations with fellow Californian startups Just Egg and The Every Co, the Anne Hathaway-backed precision fermentation producer. Alpha incorporates the former’s vegan liquid egg and the latter’s egg white protein to elevate its offerings as part of its product renovation plans. The brand recently also announced the integration of high-moisture extrusion technology to create enhanced protein formulations.

    With the LIVEKINDLY Collective’s acquisition of Alpha, could we see a collaboration between its other brands and the likes of Just Egg and The Every Co? “We are open for any opportunities that will get us in front of consumers,” said Richardson, before adding: “The plans are currently being developed.”

    The post Alpha Foods: Frozen Vegan Meat Startup Acquired by LIVEKINDLY Collective first appeared on Green Queen.

    The post Alpha Foods: Frozen Vegan Meat Startup Acquired by LIVEKINDLY Collective appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • Mililk’s 2D-Printed Oat Milk: A Gamechanger for Carbon Emissions and Water Waste?

    mililk oat milk sheets
    3 Mins Read

    Months after patenting its technology, German food brand Veganz is gearing up to release Mililk, a line of 2D-printed oat milk sheets, tapping into three key areas for consumers and product developers alike: waste, water scarcity and carbon emissions.

    The caramel-hued, barista-friendly oat milk sheets are A4-sized and letterbox-friendly. Each leaf can make 500ml of oat milk, with the €17.99 pack containing enough to make 10 litres. The consumer can tear off as much of the sheet as needed, and blend it with water for 30 seconds to make fresh oat milk. The sheets contain oat powder, a small amount of water, coconut oil, chickpea isolate, vanillin and gellan gum – all of which combine to produce a creamy, coffee-friendly milk. (Veganz is also developing coffee creamer pads.)

    Similar to other powdered oat milks like Mighty, Overherd and Blue Farm, Veganz’s latest offering is built to have a low ecological footprint. Sustainability is a major factor affecting consumers’ buying decisions: a 2023 survey by Kearney found that 42% of respondents considered environmental impacts when making a food purchase.

    Mililk’s three-pronged benefits

    By removing most of the water involved in making oat milk (conventional varieties contain about 90% of water on average), Mililk drastically reduces the materials needed for its packaging by 90%, as well as its weight (82% less volume). This, in turn, massively cuts its transport emissions.

    With the water crisis raging – 26% of the global population does not have access to safe drinking water – passing the water usage to the consumer is a smart tactic. People at home can customise exactly how much milk – and thus water to make it – they need at a given time, which cuts down on any waste. This is also a major aspect influencing purchasing decisions, as roughly a third of all food goes to waste globally.

    Mililk
    Mililik’s 2d-printed oat milk sheets | Courtesy: Jan Bredack/LinkedIn

    Apart from sustainability, this innovation also taps into a major post-pandemic consumer need: convenience. The packaging comprises just an envelope that can be recycled, as opposed to scores of Tetra Paks (which most plant-based milks are packed in) or cardboard boxes (when buying an equivalent amount of milk) that need to be discarded. (Crucially, only 26% of Tetra Pak cartons are recycled globally.)

    Economic equity in product design

    The plug-and-play aspect of products like Mililk is a big plus-point too, especially for solo consumers who don’t go through an entire litre of milk in five days. You do require a blender for the oat milk sheets, which raises a question about the accessibility of Mililk’s offering. Not everyone has a blender or food processor – whether that’s due to affordability or living in places that don’t have enough counter space – so would they be able to use this product as directed? This includes students, which would be a key demographic for Veganzz, considering Gen Z is consuming less dairy than any other age demographic, and more plant-based milk than ever before.

    From Robijn‘s laundry detergent sheets to Mono‘s dissolvable skincare pastilles, waterless product development has been a key driver in the beauty and household landscape for some time now, but it’s a relative novelty in the food and beverage sector. But with innovations like Mililk’s oat milk sheets, the tide may finally be turning.

    The post Mililk’s 2D-Printed Oat Milk: A Gamechanger for Carbon Emissions and Water Waste? first appeared on Green Queen.

    The post Mililk’s 2D-Printed Oat Milk: A Gamechanger for Carbon Emissions and Water Waste? appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • Flora Ventures Emerges As Largest AgriFood VC Firm in Israel with $80M Fund

    Flora founders Esther Barak-Landes and Gil Horsky
    3 Mins Read

    Flora Ventures has announced the launch of its $80M fund, with its first closing securing commitments of $50M and establishing it as the largest Israeli-based AgriFood venture capital firm.

    The data from IVC confirms Flora Ventures is the largest new VC fund in Israel to complete a first closing during 2023 across all tech investment verticals.

    The firm focuses on investing in early-stage start-ups within Israel and Europe, aiming to build a more sustainable and resilient AgriFood system while supporting global expansion for these ventures.

    The fund has a partnership with the Israeli Kibbutzim, pioneers of innovative agriculture, who serve as anchor investors and partners.

    ‘the next generation of AgriFood unicorns’

    Flora co-founders, Gil Horsky, a former Mondelēz executive, and Esther Barak-Landes, a renowned VC investor, secured funding in just four months. They identified opportunities to address technology gaps in areas such as food security, digitization, sustainable agriculture, and food as medicine.

    Remilk
    Israel’s Remilk is producing dairy via precision fermentation | Courtesy

    “I’ve been fortunate in my career to lead important VC deals in the Retail-Tech, FinTech, and Digital Transformation sectors, which enables me to reapply proven technologies and business models to the AgriFood industry where it is greatly needed. I am excited to bring my skills to finding and fueling start- ups from Israel and Europe that are good for people and kind to the planet, while helping to build the next generation of AgriFood unicorns,” said Barak-Landes.

    “Working for leading food multinationals, as well as co-founding one of the industry’s most successful corporate venture capital (CVC) and incubation initiatives in Mondelēz, taught me the value of having design partners early on,” said Horsky. “That’s why we are excited that Flora can provide our start-ups proprietary access to Haifa Group, Sadot Kibbutzim and Harel Group, which are among the most innovative and agile design partners in the industry.”

    First investment

    Flora says it has already completed its first investment in Arrakis Bio, a stealth-mode Israeli startup, developing a breakthrough technology poised to revolutionize the production and utilization of human collagen and gelatin made without animal ingredients.

    test tubes
    Photo by Louis Reed at Unsplash.

    Flora Ventures successfully completed the initial raise with strategic partners, including Sadot Kibbutzim, providing the fund’s portfolio with proprietary access to agricultural land, production capabilities, and expertise. Other key anchor investors in this closing include Haifa Group, a world leader in plant nutrition and special fertilizers, and Harel Group, Israel’s largest insurance and finance group.

    The post Flora Ventures Emerges As Largest AgriFood VC Firm in Israel with $80M Fund first appeared on Green Queen.

    The post Flora Ventures Emerges As Largest AgriFood VC Firm in Israel with $80M Fund appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • Consumers Worldwide Eager to Adopt Sustainable Lifestyles, Alibaba Research Finds

    shoppers
    3 Mins Read

    Alibaba Group’s latest ESG report reveals insights into consumer attitudes toward sustainability and the role businesses can play in promoting more conscious choices.

    According to independent research commissioned by Alibaba Group, a vast majority (73%) of consumers are eager to adopt more sustainable lifestyles, especially in emerging Asian markets (87%). However, the study identifies inconvenience and high costs as the primary barriers hindering the widespread adoption of sustainable practices.

    The findings

    The research, titled “The Sustainability Trends Report 2023,” surveyed more than 14,000 consumers across 14 markets in Asia, Europe, and the Middle East. It highlights convenience (53%) and affordability (33%) as key drivers for encouraging behavioral changes toward sustainability, while businesses can simplify the process by offering more sustainable options.

    Yet, despite the growing interest in sustainability, consumers remain skeptical (38%) about the genuineness of businesses’ claims regarding “sustainable” products. Only 15% of respondents expressed complete trust in the sustainability claims of products, prompting businesses to focus on building trust, particularly among European consumers.

    Grocery shopping
    Courtesy Kevin Malik via Pexels

    Alibaba Group aims to address this “say-do” gap challenge by reducing inconvenience, increasing sustainable choices, and optimizing supply chains to maintain reasonable costs for consumers. Liu Wei, Alibaba Group ESG Strategy Lead, emphasized the significance of sustainable consumption for both the environment and businesses.

    As part of its commitment to sustainability, Alibaba published its latest Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Report, disclosing its Scope 3+ decarbonization progress, with over 180 million consumers participating in carbon emission reduction through its carbon ledger platform. The report also highlighted the availability of 1.91 million low-carbon friendly products from 409 brands on Tmall and Taobao, promoting sustainable practices to a broader consumer base.

    The research further indicates that consumers from emerging Asian markets exhibit the greatest willingness to learn about making more sustainable online purchases. Approximately three in four consumers (76%) worldwide expressed interest in receiving more information about sustainable practices, with the highest proportion in the Philippines (93%), Indonesia (91%), and the UAE (90%). APAC consumers continue to show keen interest in embracing sustainable and healthier alternatives.

    Consumers’ willingness to engage in sustainable practices varies across regions, with respondents from emerging Asian markets (88%) displaying a stronger inclination to learn about sustainable online shopping compared to those in developed Asian markets (66%) and Europe (66%). Preferences for sustainable practices, such as choosing sustainable packaging or recycling, also vary across regions.

    Recommendations

    The report highlights that convenience and affordability remain essential factors driving consumer choices. Lack of information (48%) and high prices of sustainable products (45%) emerge as the primary barriers to adopting more sustainable lifestyles. Over half of the consumers (53%) would prioritize sustainability if it were convenient, especially in Asian markets (61%). Additionally, one-third of respondents (33%) perceive sustainable living as unaffordable, with Thailand (84%) leading the trend, followed by the UAE (41%) and Spain (37%).

    shopper
    Courtesy Canva

    Businesses have the power to facilitate sustainable choices, with 61% of consumers stating that making sustainable products more affordable is crucial. Reducing single-use plastics and packaging (55%) and offering a broader selection of sustainable products and services (47%) are also impactful ways businesses can promote sustainability.

    However, businesses must address the trust deficit among consumers regarding sustainability claims. Approximately 23% of consumers “do not trust very much” the claims made by businesses about their products’ sustainability. France (31%), Spain (31%), Germany (30%), and the U.K. (30%) exhibit the highest levels of skepticism. Moreover, nearly two in five consumers (38%) view sustainable products as a marketing tactic to sell products at higher prices, particularly in Thailand (56%), France (48%), and Singapore (47%).

    The post Consumers Worldwide Eager to Adopt Sustainable Lifestyles, Alibaba Research Finds first appeared on Green Queen.

    The post Consumers Worldwide Eager to Adopt Sustainable Lifestyles, Alibaba Research Finds appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • Sunny-Side-Up Yo Eggs Come to Veggie Grill Locations Nationwide

    2 Mins Read

    Yo Egg, the creators of the world’s first plant-based sunny-side-up and poached eggs, has announced a partnership with U.S.-based vegan fast-casual chain, Veggie Grill.

    Yo Egg and Veggie Grill are launching three new limited-time offerings (LTOs). The award-winning plant-based eggs from Yo Egg will be featured in Yo Poached Egg Avocado Toast, Huevos Rancheros Bowl with Yo sunny-side-up egg, and Yo Egg Kimchi Burger.

    Reinventing eggs

    “This collaboration with Veggie Grill exemplifies our mission to reinvent eggs and how foodservice operators use eggs in their menus,” Eran Groner, CEO of Yo Egg, said in a statement. “We can’t wait for consumers to taste these innovative dishes.”

    Veggie Grill’s vegan spin on the trendy avocado toast, the Yo Poached Egg Avo Toast, combines toasted sourdough, sliced avocado, chopped tomatoes, cucumbers, and a Yo Egg poached egg encrusted in everything bagel seasoning.

    Yo Egg has debuted in LA | COurtesy

    The Huevos Rancheros Bowl, a spicy vegan take on a classic, offers a tantalizing blend of brown rice, ranchero beans, fried corn tortillas, pepper jack cheese, Yo Egg’s sunny-side-up egg, salsa roja and verde, and chopped cilantro.

    The Yo Egg Kimchi Burger features a seasoned Beyond Burger topped with sesame aioli, shredded lettuce, pickled cucumbers, kimchi, all nestled in a sesame seed bun and crowned with a sunny-side-up Yo Egg.

    ‘Compelling additions’

    While Yo Egg is not Veggie Grill’s first vegan egg alternative — the first was San Francisco’s Just Egg — it is the first to get this many iterations.

    yo egg
    Yo Egg is now on the Veggie Grill menu | Courtesy

    “We’re thrilled to be partnering with Yo Egg,” T.K. Pillan, Founder and CEO of Veggie Grill, said about the collaboration. “Yo Egg’s sunny-side-up and poached eggs create uniquely compelling additions to our 100% plant-based menu and further our goal to bring guests the best of the plant-based world.”

    Yo Egg’s plant-based egg products have garnered significant recognition, earning the company two of the National Restaurant Association’s 2023 Food and Beverage Awards for the “world’s first and only” plant-based poached egg and sunny-side-up egg.

    T

    The post Sunny-Side-Up Yo Eggs Come to Veggie Grill Locations Nationwide first appeared on Green Queen.

    The post Sunny-Side-Up Yo Eggs Come to Veggie Grill Locations Nationwide appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • Better Nature Partners with Lidl for Nationwide Tempeh Rollout

    better nature tempeh
    2 Mins Read

    Leading U.K. tempeh producer Better Nature has announced the nationwide rollout of its Organic Tempeh, Curry Tempeh Pieces, and Mediterranean Tempeh Pieces into all 966 Lidl stores across the U.K.

    Better Nature’s product expansion marks its largest product rollout at more than 50,000 units, and it coincides with Lidl’s Vegan Week.

    The launch comes as Better Nature has made significant strides in the market recently. It successfully raised £700,000 in a seed plus funding round, secured listings with major retailers including Holland & Barrett, Selfridges, Gopuff, and allplants, and launched a £3 million funding round.

    ‘Tempeh is moving into the mainstream’

    “We are so excited to be working with Lidl to promote their Vegan Week,” Christopher Kong, Co-Founder and CEO of Better Nature, said in a statement. “Not only is it great to see the U.K.’s fastest growing retailer celebrating vegan food, we’re pleased they’ve decided to promote not one but three tempeh products as part of it.”

    temeph
    Photo by cottonbro from Pexels

    “This is yet another proof point that tempeh is moving into the mainstream, catering to consumers’ growing need for more natural, nutritious meat-free options,” Kong said.

    Lidl goes plant-forward

    Lidl’s decision to promote Better Nature’s tempeh products is part of the supermarket’s plant-forward strategy, aimed at reducing animal-based products and offering more plant-based alternatives to customers.

    Courtesy

    Christof Graf, chief buyer at Lidl, emphasized the importance of living within the planet’s boundaries and reducing animal product consumption as part of achieving a more sustainable future.

    The tempeh producer also secured its first supermarket placement at Tesco, demonstrating its commitment to expanding its presence in the U.K. and mainland Europe and becoming Europe’s go-to tempeh brand.

    “[I]t’s a very exciting time for us and we can’t wait to see how people enjoy our products,” Kong said.

    The post Better Nature Partners with Lidl for Nationwide Tempeh Rollout first appeared on Green Queen.

    The post Better Nature Partners with Lidl for Nationwide Tempeh Rollout appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • Aleph Farms Takes First Step Towards Cultivated Meat in Europe with Swiss Regulatory Application

    Aleph Farms Cultivated Beef Steak
    3 Mins Read

    Israel-based cultivated meat producer Aleph Farms has officially submitted an application to the Swiss Federal Food Safety and Veterinary Office seeking regulatory approval to sell the world’s first cultivated beef steaks under its Aleph Cuts brand in Switzerland.

    Aleph’s milestone application is a collaborative effort with Migros, Switzerland’s largest food enterprise, which has been instrumental in navigating the country’s specific regulatory approval process.

    Leveraging the expertise and infrastructure of food production leaders like Migros, Aleph Farms aims to accelerate the scale-up, go-to-market activities, and commercialization of Aleph Cuts globally.

    Swiss consumers are eager to try cultivated meat

    As part of their collaboration, Aleph Farms and Migros have conducted extensive consumer research in Switzerland, revealing that 74 percent of Swiss consumers are open to trying cultivated meat due to factors like curiosity, sustainability, and animal welfare.

    Aleph Cuts Petit Steak
    Aleph Cuts Petit Steak, Courtesy Aleph Farms

    Didier Toubia, Co-Founder and CEO of Aleph Farms, emphasized the importance of collaborative efforts to ensure food security while respecting planetary boundaries. “Food systems affect everyone, and it will take a coordinated effort between regulators, innovators and incumbents to ensure food security in a way that helps humanity live within its planetary boundaries,” Toubia said in a statement.

    “At Aleph Farms, we carefully consider partnerships that reflect our core values and sustainability commitments,” Toubia said. “Together with Migros, we are establishing the cow cell as the third category of food products from cattle, alongside beef and milk. We look forward to working closely with Switzerland’s Federal Food Safety and Veterinary Office to enable access to both high-quality nutrition and world-changing innovation.”

    The two companies are working together to develop a go-to-market strategy for Aleph Cuts, including distribution and commercialization through fine dining food service channels in Switzerland. The country’s affinity for innovation and quality-conscious attitude towards food further contributes to cultivated meat’s growing momentum worldwide.

    Global cultivated meat market

    Pending regulatory approvals, Aleph Farms plans to launch Aleph Cuts in limited quantities in Singapore and Israel later this year, offering exclusive tasting experiences curated with select partners. The company’s regulatory team is currently engaging with authorities in various markets, including Switzerland, to ensure compliance with safety requirements.

    Chef José Andrés cooks Good Meat's chicken
    Chef José Andrés cooks Good Meat’s chicken | Courtest

    Demand for cultivated meat appears high in the U.S., which recently became the second country to approve cell-based protein for sale and consumption. Two California companies, Eat Just’s Good Meat and Upside Foods, have both served their cultivated chicken to diners in collaboration with esteemed chefs Dominique Crenn and José Andrés.

    Earlier this week, Good Meat announced a giveaway contest for a cultivated chicken meal at Andrés’ China Chilcano in Washington D.C. The contest was announced after the restaurant’s initial reservations to try the novel meat booked up in less than five minutes.

    The post Aleph Farms Takes First Step Towards Cultivated Meat in Europe with Swiss Regulatory Application first appeared on Green Queen.

    The post Aleph Farms Takes First Step Towards Cultivated Meat in Europe with Swiss Regulatory Application appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • $18.5M Seed Funding Propels Brevel’s Scalable Microalgae Protein

    Brevel Founder L-R Yonatan Golan CEO, Ido Golan CTO, Matan Golan, COO.jpg
    3 Mins Read

    Israel-based microalgae-focused alternative protein company Brevel has recently concluded an $18.5M Seed funding round.

    The new funding is earmarked to boost the mainstream food industry with what Brevel says is a novel, highly sustainable, affordable, and functionally adaptable protein. The fundraising round was led by NevaTeam Partners and received backing from the European Union’s EIC Fund, alongside an array of food, climate funds, and strategic food industry partners.

    Sustainable nutrition for the future

    “This substantial funding round will fuel Brevel’s journey forward and pave the way for our vision of sustainable nutrition for the future of our planet to materialize,” Yonatan Golan, CEO and Co-Founder of Brevel, said in a statement.

    Brevel’s technology integrates sugar-based fermentation of microalgae with potent light concentrations on an industrial scale. It has developed a protein that can be easily adopted by food manufacturers into plant-based products. Brevel says there’s an increasing demand for its protein from food manufacturers for use in a multitude of applications.

    brevel
    Brevel’s microalgae | Courtesy

    “Having followed Brevel’s impressive developments and achievements in recent years, we believe that Brevel will be one of the leading companies in the global alternative protein industry and we are excited to join their journey towards that goal,” said Shai Levy, Managing Partner at NevaTeam Partners. We believe that Brevel’s innovative technology enables the cost-efficient production of high-quality protein extracted from microalgae, which is crucial for the future of sustainable food production.”

    The company says it is predominantly targeting the dairy alternative sector that struggles with protein content. Brevel says it can offer a competitive edge over other plant-based protein sources, such as soy, which exhibit allergenic properties and are often associated with overwhelming flavors, making them less ideal for plant-based milk and cheese products.

    ‘An ambitious company’

    Brevel says it can achieve price parity with more traditional plant-based protein sources like soy and pea and triple profitability from microalgae over other sources.

    “We identified Brevel as an ambitious company with breakthrough technology which can provide significant impact,” said Svetoslava Georgieva, Chair of the EIC Fund Board. “After the Horizon 2020 non-dilutive grant, the EIC Fund made the decision to further support and join Brevel with an equity investment in their journey towards a sustainable future.”

    algae
    Photo by Vita Marija Murenaite on Unsplash

    Part of the company’s forecasted success is in its minimized environmental impact; microalgae are not influenced by weather fluctuations, climate change, or seasonal variations, Brevel says, and they don’t require fertile land. The company’s processes enable full water recycling, utilize on-site clean energy, and can feed the world with a fraction of the land currently employed for traditional agriculture. Currently operating a large-scale 500-liter pilot in Israel, Brevel is transitioning into its first commercial-scale factory equipped with a pioneering 5,000-liter fermentation and light system.

    “We are primed and ready for our next major leap,” said Golan, which is the global scale production of Brevel’s protein that will be integrated into “healthier, tastier, and environmentally friendly food products in every household.”

    The post $18.5M Seed Funding Propels Brevel’s Scalable Microalgae Protein first appeared on Green Queen.

    The post $18.5M Seed Funding Propels Brevel’s Scalable Microalgae Protein appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • 2 Alt-Protein Startups Receive Boost to Develop Fish-Free Salmon

    Oshi vegan salmon
    2 Mins Read

    A joint venture between Israel’s Oshi and California-based The Better Meat Co., is aimed at crafting sustainable and healthy alternatives to salmon.

    The collaboration comes on the heels of a $1 million grant to the two alternative protein startups by the Binational Industrial Research and Development (BIRD) Foundation. These grants are part of a program initiated by the Israeli and American governments to boost cooperative industrial R&D efforts that are beneficial to both countries.

    Mycoprotein salmon

    The initiative was sparked by a significant downturn in wild salmon populations, attributed to factors such as overfishing and logging. Despite these concerning declines, the demand for salmon continues to surge year by year. Oshi (formerly Plantish) and The Better Meat Co., say they plan to address this problem through the fabrication of mycoprotein-based salmon fillets.

    oshi vegan salmon
    Courtesy Oshi

    Dr. Ariel Szklanny, co-founder of Oshi, expressed the company’s gratitude for the grant. “We’re honored to be selected for this prestigious grant with The Better Meat Co. and look forward to reducing pressure on our finned friends by making alt-salmon fillets that are better than the ‘reel’ thing,” Szklanny said in a statement.

    With the implementation of Oshi’s state-of-the-art 3D technology and The Better Meat Co.’s groundbreaking mycoprotein fermentation technology, the partners aim to use the BIRD grant to produce salmon-like cuts from high-protein, minimally processed, and natural whole-food mycoprotein, without endangering fish populations or human health.

    Better alternatives

    “Humanity only stopped harpooning whales once there were better alternatives to whale oil,” said Joanna Bromley, co-founder of The Better Meat Co. “Our goal is to create better alternatives to salmon with our friends at Oshi so we can leave more fish where they belong: in the water.”

    better meat
    Courtesy The Better Meat Co.

    Oshi has raised $14.5 million in funding for its realistic salmon filets. The company has attracted a number of notable collaborators incuding Michelin-starred chefs, cookbook author Adeena Sussman, and content producer Nuseir Yassin from Nas Daily.

    In 2021, The Better Meat Co. announced the launch of a large-scale 13,000-square-foot fermentation plant for its first whole food fermentation-based mycoprotein ingredient, Rhiza.

    The post 2 Alt-Protein Startups Receive Boost to Develop Fish-Free Salmon first appeared on Green Queen.

    The post 2 Alt-Protein Startups Receive Boost to Develop Fish-Free Salmon appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • Gelatin Substitute Made From Peas Emerges From University of Alberta

    gummies
    2 Mins Read

    Researchers have developed a novel plant-based substitute for gelatin derived from pea protein.

    Dr. Lingyun Chen and her team at the University of Alberta, who created the pea protein gelatin say the new product, currently in the patent-pending stage, showcases enhanced protein content compared to other existing plant-based gelatin alternatives such as pectin.

    What sets the new product apart from other gelatin substitutes is its unique ‘thermal reversibility’ feature — the ability to transition effortlessly between liquid and gel forms and vice versa, the researchers noted.

    Accidental discovery

    The Univeristy of Alberta team says the discovery occurred by accident during an experiment when the team realized that certain conditions, like changes in pH, resulted in creating the gelatin. The team says it boasts industrial applications that mimic conventional gelatin, which is made from animal cartilage and bones.

    gelatin
    Courtesy Pexels

    The newly discovered substitute could usher in a new era in the food industry by providing a plant-based alternative to gelatin used as a thickening agent in various food products, including soups, sauces, candies, and dietary supplements.

    Dr. Chen is currently collaborating with a multinational leader specializing in plant-based ingredients, using Canadian-grown peas as the primary ingredient. With an injection of $78,430 from Natural Products Canada (NPC), they are assessing the performance of the pea protein-based gelatin substitute in real-food applications and testing its scalability.

    The global market for sustainable gelatin

    “There is a huge global market for a plant-based gelatin substitute right now,” Chen said. The demand comes not only from vegans and vegetarians looking for an alternative but also from the growing Muslim population seeking Halal options and a general interest in sustainable food systems.

    Geltor's biodientical collagen
    Geltor’s biodientical collagen | Courtesy

    A number of food tech companies have been working to create a more sustainable and ethical gelatin market. Chiefly, California’s Geltor has raised more than $116 million for its bioidentical gelatin and collagen products.

    The post Gelatin Substitute Made From Peas Emerges From University of Alberta first appeared on Green Queen.

    The post Gelatin Substitute Made From Peas Emerges From University of Alberta appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • Sustainable Dining at Starbucks Korea Finds Favor With Record-Setting Sales

    Starbucks Korea sandwich
    2 Mins Read

    South Korean Starbucks branches have seen a surge in sales of recently introduced plant-based meat dishes. The chain has reported that it sold more than 100,000 products in just two weeks.

    The plant-based meat used in the new Starbucks dishes is supplied by Shinsegae Foods’ Better Meat; some of the menu items may contain dairy or eggs, but the group says it still signals the rising popularity of plant-based alternatives across the country.

    Starbucks Korea introduced its first plant-based menu in 2021, featuring four items: a chocolate cake, potato bagels, a Mexican-style rice burrito, and a sweet chili ciabatta. The company has been offering soy milk since 2005 and began serving seasonal beverages with oat milk in 2017.

    Courtesy

    Last year saw another addition to the plant-based offerings at Starbucks Korea: a vegan chicken salad and the world’s first Starbucks beverage using plant-based yogurt, the “Pine Coco Green Yogurt Blended.”

    Shinsegae, the company behind Better Meat, recently announced the launch of a plant-based burger and indicated the development of more offerings.

    Plant-based options at Starbucks

    Starbucks has been steadily increasing its vegan options across Asia. Most recently, it partnered with Indonesian vegan food-tech startup Green Rebel. Last month, the coffee chain launched a special meatless menu featuring Green Rebel’s Beefless Rendang and Chick’n Fillet. The Philly Steak Rendang Sandwich and Black Pepper Chic-ken Sandwich are available in 364 Starbucks outlets nationwide.

    Green Rebel
    Green Rebel is now available at Starbucks Malaysia | Courtesy

    “In order to maximize the success of plant-based protein adoption in new markets, we always emphasize the importance of flavor localization,” Max Mandias, Green Rebel co-founder and Chief Innovation Officer, said in a statement. “Our partnership with Starbucks Malaysia is exciting because it is a celebration of the culinary diversity of the Asian region, where beloved local flavors take center stage.”

    The coffee chain has also removed its surcharge for dairy-free milk options in some locations, but not yet in the U.S., despite the urging from nonprofits and celebrities including James Cromwell and Alicia Silverstone, who says with significant profit margins on the coffee itself, the chain could afford to drop the added fee. “With such a high profit margin per cup of coffee, even after overhead, it is not an unreasonable request to stop charging for non-dairy milk,” Silverstone wrote on her blog, The Kind Life.

    The post Sustainable Dining at Starbucks Korea Finds Favor With Record-Setting Sales first appeared on Green Queen.

    The post Sustainable Dining at Starbucks Korea Finds Favor With Record-Setting Sales appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • Steakholder Foods Inks Landmark Agreement for Bio-Printing Technology in the Gulf

    3D-bioprinted steakholder foods
    2 Mins Read

    Israeli deep-tech cultivated meat company Steakholder Foods has announced a strategic partnership with an accredited governmental body based in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) in the first of its kind multi-million-dollar collaboration.

    Steakholder Foods, a member of the UN Global Compact, says the new partnership will help to address local food security goals across the Gulf region by leveraging its groundbreaking 3D printing technology to create hybrid fish products that are healthier and better for the planet.

    ‘A huge step forward’

    Ultimately, the company says its goal is to establish a large-scale production facility — the first of its kind in the Persian Gulf region. To facilitate this, the agreement specifies an initial down payment to Steakholder Foods for the procurement of its 3D printer technologies, followed by a milestone-based sales and procurement plan for industrial-scale output.

    “After intensive years of development, Steakholder Foods is excited to sign this first agreement with a strategic partner, generating our first income stream that represents one of the first substantial income agreements for a company in the cultivated meat industry, a huge step forward,” Arik Kaufman, CEO of Steakholder Foods, said in a statement. “We believe that we have chosen the right partner, and together, we are committed to advancing the cause of food security and creating a positive impact on the world.”

    Local Singaporean fish dish by Chef Moran Lidor. Photo by Shlomi Arbiv

    The strategic alliance aims to promote the scalability of Steakholder Foods’ 3D-printed food technology in GCC territories, including Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.

    Under this partnership, Steakholder Foods will contribute its expertise in providing mature Ready-to-Cook (RTC) 3D printer technologies and customized bio-inks, enabling the production of a diverse range of species-specific cultivated fish and meat products, as well as vegetable-based alternatives.

    This innovative technology aims to overcome the limitations of traditional fish and meat production, delivering consistent, nutritious, and safe food products that closely resemble the taste, texture, and appearance of conventional meat, fish, and vegetables.

    Looking ahead

    Yair Ayalon, VP of Business Development at Steakholder Foods, sees the strategic partnership as a pivotal moment in the company’s journey towards commercializing its 3D printing capabilities. “Looking ahead, we remain committed to pursuing additional strategic partnerships to enable us to deliver innovative solutions for the foodtech industry,” Ayalon said.

    The announcement follows Steakholder’s May debut of 3D-printed cell-based grouper fish — a world’s first made with bio-inks from grouper cells provided by Singapore-based startup Umami Meats, with which Steakholder initiated a strategic partnership last year.

    The post Steakholder Foods Inks Landmark Agreement for Bio-Printing Technology in the Gulf first appeared on Green Queen.

    The post Steakholder Foods Inks Landmark Agreement for Bio-Printing Technology in the Gulf appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • VFC Expands Its Vegan Chicken Portfolio With Chilled Food Launch

    vfc chicken
    2 Mins Read

    U.K.-based plant-based food innovator, VFC, is broadening its portfolio beyond the supermarket frozen section with its first-ever plunge into the chilled food sector.

    VFC’s new foray will be led by two novel products: a chilled interpretation of its beloved VFC Original Crispy Chickn Fillets, and a brand new entry, Piri Piri Chickn Wings, complete with a separate dipping sauce. The products are currently available at Asda supermarkets.

    This chilled food venture marks the beginning of an anticipated slew of new products targeting what the company hopes to be new customer segments. Strategically innovating within closely related categories is a significant part of VFC’s international expansion plan and its commitment to excluding animals from food production.

    VFC burger | Courtesy

    This launch comes in the wake of a dynamic year for VFC, which has included a £6M investment, extensive frozen food development, and broadening distribution through key U.K. and international retailers as well as foodservice outlets like Marston’s Community Pubs. Recently, VFC made a move into diversifying its existing plant-based chicken range across multiple channels by acquiring the Meatless Farm brand in a £12m sales deal.

    ‘Another major milestone’

    “This is yet another major milestone for VFC and our unrelenting mission to convert more people into the incredible taste of VFC and spare the lives of more animals,” VFC CEO, Dave Sparrow, said in a statement.

    Sparrow says the chilled meat-free category is worth £275M and reaches a different consumer than those shopping the frozen section, making this launch “a natural next step” in what VFC hopes will be a game-changing series of innovations.

    VFC meal | Courtesy

    VFC co-founder Matthew Glover launched the popular U.K. Veganuary campaign in 2014 that has since grown into a global movement. “We’re activists first and food producers second,” Glover told Green Queen in 2021. “‘Plant-based’ doesn’t cover how we feel or what we want to achieve as a company.”

    The company has since carved out a niche in the overcrowded vegan chicken sector, going toe-to-toe with industry heavyweights including Quorn and Gardein, as well as Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods, both of which now offer chicken products.

    Last month, VFC announced the acquisition of floundering U.K.-based vegan meat company Meatless Farm. VFC says Meatless Farm will remain intact and its product range will enrich VFC Foods’ current product offerings.

    The post VFC Expands Its Vegan Chicken Portfolio With Chilled Food Launch first appeared on Green Queen.

    The post VFC Expands Its Vegan Chicken Portfolio With Chilled Food Launch appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • Reduction in Meat Consumption Key to Climate Crisis Resolution, Study Finds

    3 Mins Read

    Shifting from high meat consumption to a plant-based diet drastically lowers the environmental harm linked to food production, according to a new climate study on diet and emissions.

    The most extensive study of its kind to date, published in the journal Nature Food, says vegan diets generate 75 percent fewer climate-warming emissions, and diminish water pollution and land usage by 75 percent compared to diets containing more than 100 grams of meat daily.

    The researchers also observed a 66 percent reduction in wildlife destruction and a 54 percent decrease in water consumption with a shift away from animal products.

    The findings

    The damaging effects of meat and dairy consumption on the planet are well-documented, and the new research further makes the case for a substantial reduction in meat intake particularly by the world’s most affluent nations.

    Earlier research into diet and emissions primarily relied on model diets and average impact values of each food category. But the new research, conducted by Oxford University, scrutinized the actual diets of 55,000 U.K. residents. The study incorporated data from 38,000 farms across 119 countries to account for varying environmental impacts of specific foods produced in different methods and regions. This methodology significantly enhances the credibility of the findings.

    mcplant
    Courtesy McDonald’s

    “Our dietary choices have a big impact on the planet,” Oxford University’s Professor Peter Scarborough, the lead author of the research published in Nature Food, said in a statement. “Cutting down the amount of meat and dairy in your diet can make a big difference to your dietary footprint.”

    The study revealed that the contents of the diet carried greater environmental weight than the location or production method. Prior research demonstrated that even the most eco-friendly meat — organic pork — inflicts eight times more climate damage than the most environmentally harmful plant, oilseed.

    The researchers suggested that the U.K. should implement policies promoting a decrease in meat consumption to achieve its climate objectives. Despite previously imposed taxes on high-sugar beverages, government officials have refrained from dictating dietary choices.

    The researchers also found that diets with low meat content (less than 50g per day) halved the environmental impact compared to high-meat diets. However, the disparities among low-meat, pescetarian, and vegetarian diets were relatively minor.

    Recommendations

    The study indicated that in order to attain sustainability in global food production, individuals in wealthier nations would need to drastically curtail their meat and dairy consumption. Technological advancements and reducing food waste alone will not sufficiently minimize the environmental impact of our food system.

    Courtesy TechNode / Jiayi Shi.

    “This is a significant set of findings,” said Professor Neil Ward from the University of East Anglia. “It scientifically reinforces the point made by the Climate Change Committee and the National Food Strategy over recent years that dietary shifts away from animal-based foods can make a major contribution to reducing the U.K.’s environmental footprint.”

    The researchers noted a significant decrease, 93 percent, in methane emissions, in vegan diets as compared to high-meat diets. Methane is produced by ruminants including cow and sheep. The gas traps 80 times more heat than CO2 in the first 20 years after it is released. Recent research has urged for drastic cuts in methane.

    “To feed a growing global population while remaining within proposed safe environmental boundaries for GHG emissions, land use, water use, water pollution, and biodiversity loss, we will need changes in diets,” the researchers wrote. “Other means to reduce the environmental impact of the food system (for example, technological advances, closing yield gaps, reducing food waste) will not be enough without major dietary change.”

    The post Reduction in Meat Consumption Key to Climate Crisis Resolution, Study Finds first appeared on Green Queen.

    The post Reduction in Meat Consumption Key to Climate Crisis Resolution, Study Finds appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • Dutch Startup Willicroft Introduces Fermented Plant-Based Butter

    Willicroft Original Better butter
    3 Mins Read

    Willicroft debuts a new vegan butter made from fermented beans.

    Dutch startup Willicroft, known for its plant-based cheese alternatives, is expanding its product range with the introduction of its first non-cheese offering: a fermented butter. The innovative product, named “The Original Better,” will hit the market in both retail stores and food service in September.

    Willicroft says it has made a “true” butter that mimics the taste, spreadability, cooking properties, and baking characteristics of conventional dairy butter — unlike margarine, which is made from fats, oils, and artificial ingredients.

    The Original Better Butter

    Willicroft says the butter was two years in development, and investments totaling €350K in order to produce the butter through a meticulous fermentation process, allowing the company to recreate the rich flavors of high-end dairy butter without the need for artificial flavorings. The company received grant support from Provincie Noord Holland.

    Willicroft vegan cheese
    Willicroft vegan cheese | Courtesy

    Staying true to its commitment to natural ingredients, Willicroft’s plant-based butter is crafted using a base ingredient of beans, along with 100 percent natural components. The product features European soybeans sourced from Austria.

    Compared with other plant-based kinds of butter, Willicroft’s Original Better contains lower levels of saturated fats while maintaining the desired taste and consistency, the company says.

    Beans make for better business

    Last year, Willicroft became the first plant-based cheese brand in Europe to obtain B-Corp certification.

    In a statement on social media, founder Brad Vanstone emphasized the importance of moving away from solely profit-driven endeavors. “The days of focusing solely on profit-making are over,” he wrote. “Simply put, business as usual will lead to the widespread destruction of a huge number of the planet’s species, potentially including our own. We certainly do not profess to be perfect, but we are on the right track.”

    willicroft cheese
    Courtesy Willicroft

    The company raised more than €2 million in Seed funding last year, led by PINC and Rockstart with Döhler and Feast Ventures participating. Its product placement has expanded rapidly across Europe.

    “Willicroft is taking plant-based dairy alternatives to the next level. Alongside making delicious products (I’ve tasted several, I recommend them!), they are helping farmers to transition to sustainable production by enabling a local supply chain without the need for monocropping or highly processed ingredients,” Mark Durno, managing partner at Rockstart., said in a statement last year following the close of the Seed round. “They have spent the last years understanding their consumers and their footprint, and the next phase will be to put those learnings to scale.”

    According to Vanstone, the use of beans as a base makes Willicroft’s cheese produce five times less CO2 than the dairy alternatives it’s replacing.

    The post Dutch Startup Willicroft Introduces Fermented Plant-Based Butter first appeared on Green Queen.

    The post Dutch Startup Willicroft Introduces Fermented Plant-Based Butter appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • Akua’s Kelp Burgers Get the SpongeBob Treatment to Support Nickelodeon’s Operation Sea Change

    akua
    3 Mins Read


    Akua, the New York-based creator of the “world’s first” kelp burger, has announced a partnership with Nickelodeon’s SpongeBob SquarePants to introduce kid-friendly Kelp Patties.

    The new slider-sized patties, available in Original and BBQ flavors, are designed to make eco-friendly eating more appealing to children. The burgers will be launching in select U.S. retailers and at vegan fast food chain PLNT Burger locations this month.

    “These kid-friendly patties are not only tasty but also contribute to improving the health of little humans,” Courtney Boyd Myers, founder of Akua, said in a statement.

    Nickelodeon’s Operation Sea Change

    The collaboration aligns with Nickelodeon’s recently launched ocean sustainability initiative, Operation Sea Change. By leveraging SpongeBob’s popularity as an ocean-based cartoon character and Akua’s commitment to regenerative ocean-farmed foods, the partnership seeks to make such products more accessible to children. Other brands in the program include Brooklyn’s Conscious Step, Australia’s Munro Footwear, and apparel companies Miami’s Waterlust and California’s Seastra Surf.

    “Since its debut almost 25 years ago, SpongeBob SquarePants has become globally beloved for its contagious optimism and irreverent humor, but at its core the series has always had an intrinsic connection to the sea leading us to launch SpongeBob SquarePants: Operation Sea Change to help protect the home of the very creatures that inspired Bikini Bottom,” Veronica Hart, Executive Vice President, Global Franchise Planning, Paramount Consumer Products, said of the initiative launch last year. “With this initiative not only are we funding change but reinventing how we do business by creating a connected global effort around sustainability, while also being afforded the opportunity to honor the legacy of the incomparable Stephen Hillenburg, Marine Biologist and SpongeBob SquarePants creator, who was so deeply committed to preserving our oceans and marine life.”

    Akua Burger
    Akua Burger | Courtesy

    Akua, which launched in 2017, specializes in meat and seafood alternatives made with kelp, a highly sustainable and nutrient-rich crop. Kelp requires no fresh water, fertilizer, feed, or arid land to grow, making it a zero-input crop. Akua sources its kelp from a network of ocean farmers along the New England seaboard.

    “Akua’s Kelp Patties offer a delicious and nutritious option for kids while staying true to Akua’s mission of creating great-tasting and planet-friendly food choices,” Myers said. “Crafted from 100 percent sustainable ocean-farmed kelp, these kid-friendly patties are not only tasty but also contribute to improving the health of little humans and the health of our vast oceans.”

    A clean food future

    In 2021, Akua secured $3.2 million in Seed funding from notable investors including inside linebackers coach for the New England Patriots, Jerod Mayo, Sir Kensington’s co-founder Brandon Child, and beauty founder Cristina Carlino. Akua is currently raising funds through a crowd equity campaign on Republic.

    Akua Burger
    Akua Burger | Coutesy

    According to Myers, kelp, among other novel ingredients and scaled-back formulations, are the new frontier in plant-based food. “The first wave of plant-based eating was the Boca Burger, beans, and tofu,” she said in 2021 following the company’s Seed raise. “The second wave is Impossible and Beyond, and the third wave is going to be the return to whole foods and clean eating.”

    The post Akua’s Kelp Burgers Get the SpongeBob Treatment to Support Nickelodeon’s Operation Sea Change first appeared on Green Queen.

    The post Akua’s Kelp Burgers Get the SpongeBob Treatment to Support Nickelodeon’s Operation Sea Change appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • Alpha Foods Partners With Just Egg, Improves Its Vegan Chicken Nutrition

    Alpha x Every
    3 Mins Read

    California-based vegan food brands Alpha Foods and Eat Just, have announced a partnership to expand Alpha’s breakfast offerings featuring Just Egg.

    Following its recent partnership with the Anne Hathaway-backed precision fermentation egg producer, The Every Co., Alpha is adding Just Egg, the market leader in the plant-based egg category. Alpha and Eat Just say they will collaborate this fall as part of Alpha’s product renovation plans.

    Alpha Foods, which is available in more than 11,000 retail locations across the U.S., has also announced the integration of new high-moisture extrusion (HME) technology. This renovation is driven by powerful consumer and retailer insights. The company says the new tech will help it produce nutritious, convenient, and accessible products.

    ‘Craveable, convenient, and accessible options’

    “These partnerships with Just Egg and Every Co., combined with our use of our new HME protein and enhanced formulations, will enable us to continue bringing innovative, craveable, and delicious products to our consumers, thus solidifying Alpha’s position as a leader that continues to create the most craveable, convenient, and accessible options in the plant-based market,” Cole Orobetz, CEO of Alpha, said in a statement.

    Alpha Foods' CEO Cole Orobetz
    Alpha Foods’ CEO Cole Orobetz | Courtesy

    According to Orobetz, these partnerships are key to Alpha’s growth and contribute to “raising awareness about the continuous innovation needed within the plant-based category.”

    He says the company is committed to empowering consumers to transition into plant-based eating while showcasing the positive impacts on their health, animal welfare, and the environment, “all without feeling restricted by food labels.”

    Improving taste, texture, nutrition

    So far, Alpha has introduced the HME technology for processing its plant-based Chik’n Strips, which the company says cook, shred, and taste just like their animal-based counterparts. The HME technology utilizes a specialized cooking and stirring method at high heat and pressure, resulting in products with fewer ingredients, higher protein content, lower carbohydrates, and fewer calories.

    alpha nuggets
    Alpha nuggets | Courtey

    The company’s Homestyle Chik’n Strips offer 18g protein, 7g carbohydrates, and 160 calories per serving. Alpha has also introduced the Chik’n & Maple Waffle Sandwich, a plant-based twist on a brunch classic, with more additions to its product portfolio scheduled for launch later this year.

    As part of Alpha’s evolution, the brand is renovating its core product portfolio with formulation changes that provide an enhanced eating experience packed with nutrition at an accessible price point. Formulation updates include Alpha’s All-Day Burritos, which will now incorporate the new HME protein and increased nutritional value.

    Alpha’s Original Chik’n Nuggets and Alpha’s Crispy Chik’n Patties, two of the company’s most popular products, will also undergo a formulation refresh that enhances the texture and flavor of the products.

    The post Alpha Foods Partners With Just Egg, Improves Its Vegan Chicken Nutrition first appeared on Green Queen.

    The post Alpha Foods Partners With Just Egg, Improves Its Vegan Chicken Nutrition appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • 79% of Dairy Consumers Will Buy Cheese Made By Microbes, Says Study: ‘A Dairy Revolution’

    formo cheese on a bagel
    3 Mins Read

    European precision-fermentation leader Formo has teamed up with the University of Saskatchewan on a landmark study, shedding light on the promising intersection of precision fermentation, the cheese market, and greenhouse gas reduction initiatives within the dairy industry.

    The new research, published in International Food and Agribusiness Management Review Journal, suggests that even with a 25 percent price premium, a sizable number of consumers will adopt animal-free cheese, accounting for an initial 22 percent market share.

    The findings

    When prices for cheese like Formo’s, which utilizes precision fermentation to generate milk from microorganisms, become equivalent to conventional cheese, the researchers forecasted that animal-free cheese will claim a 33 percent market share. As consumer adoption, industry alliances, and technological progress intensify, these figures are expected to increase accordingly.

    The findings draw on data from more than 1,200 U.K. residents.

    “The question of whether society will embrace the next generation of food has loomed over the cell-ag space for quite some time,” Associate Prof. Peter Slade of the University of Saskatchewan said in a statement. “As long as precision-fermentation dairy can achieve competitive prices, it is poised to revolutionize markets.”

    pie chart
    New research predicts precision fermentation will pull a significant market share | Courtesy

    According to Oscar Zollman Thomas, lead researcher at Formo, the observations indicate that higher cheese prices do not necessarily lead to a decrease in consumer cheese consumption. “Instead, consumers seek out alternative options,” he said. “The advent of animal-free dairy, produced through fermentation, introduces a completely new market paradigm. When presented with choices that respect their connection with cheese while addressing their existing concerns, consumers readily embrace the transition.”

    The study results are compelling; the findings imply that while the global dairy sector experiences an upsurge in demand, animal-free dairy cheese is set to replace a substantial portion of traditional dairy cheese consumption, thus greatly mitigating the environmental harm of rising dairy demand.

    The study further found that an overwhelming 79 percent of consumers seeking animal-free dairy cheese will have previously opted for conventional dairy cheese. This finding highlights the potential for a substantial new market within the global dairy industry, valued at more than $1 billion.

    ‘Precision fermentation will conquer mass markets’

    “The results demonstrate an increasing public awareness of the costs associated with industrialized dairy and a readiness for products that provide delightful experiences without the social repercussions,” Formo’s Founder and CEO, Raffael Wohlgensinger said of the study.

    “The overwhelming demand from mainstream cheese consumers confirms our hypothesis: Precision fermentation will conquer mass markets rather than catering solely to the vegan segment. With Formo on track to achieve cost parity with conventional dairy, we anticipate a paradigm shift in the supply and consumption of dairy and dairy-like products. We are witnessing nothing short of a dairy revolution,” he said.

    chart
    Precision fermentation will surpass nut-based cheese | Courtesy

    The study also measured the effectiveness of efforts including livestock emission taxes versus precision fermentation for curbing dairy consumption. According to the findings, precision fermentation has a more potent impact on reducing livestock emissions than carbon taxes.

    “These figures indicate precision fermentation dairy being 10x more effective at reducing animal-dairy consumption than carbon taxes at current levels,” Wohlgensinger said. “This highlights the superior impact of precision fermentation in curbing dairy consumption and should be a wake-up call for governments to back this groundbreaking technology.”

    The post 79% of Dairy Consumers Will Buy Cheese Made By Microbes, Says Study: ‘A Dairy Revolution’ first appeared on Green Queen.

    The post 79% of Dairy Consumers Will Buy Cheese Made By Microbes, Says Study: ‘A Dairy Revolution’ appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • AirAsia Partners with Green Rebel for Meatless Menu Options

    Green Rebel and AirAsia meals
    3 Mins Read

    Indonesia’s premier plant-based protein brand, Green Rebel, has teamed up with Malaysian budget airline, AirAsia, to provide meatless alternatives of traditional Southeast Asian delicacies for the inflight menus on regional routes.

    Beginning today, Green Rebel’s vegan Pak Nasser’s Plant-Based Nasi Lemak will be available on AirAsia’s Malaysia routes, while passengers on Philippines routes will be able to taste vegetarian Sisig. Two other plant-based dishes — Nasi Rendang with assorted vegetables and Rendang with Coconut Rice — will appear on the menus on select AirAsia’s Indonesia flights starting later this week.

    Greening up AirAsia’s in-flight menus

    Santan, AirAsia’s food service subsidiary, has replaced traditional meat ingredients with Green Rebel‘s plant-based proteins for these recipes. The substitution includes products like Beefless Rendang, Chick’n Chunks, and Plant Mince. Classic dishes like Nasi Lemak have been elevated using basmati and wild purple rice, served with Green Rebel Chick’n Chunks, eggplant curry, French beans, and potatoes. Guilt-Free Sisig, a popular Filipino dish, uses Green Rebel’s Plant Mince, seasoned with calamansi, onions, and chili peppers.

    Pak Nasser
    Pak Nasser | Courtesy

    “Green Rebel is the first plant-based alt meat brand to partner with AirAsia in Malaysia, the Philippines and Indonesia,” Green Rebel co-founder and CEO Helga Angelina Tjahjadi, said in a statement.

    Tjahjadi says Green Rebel and AirAsia have aligned values, “in particular a commitment to sustainability and flavour localisation.”

    Green Rebel says its food technology ensures the plant-based protein not only imitates the mouthfeel of meat but also absorbs deep flavours and marination, making it perfect for Asian culinary methods like braising, stewing, steaming, hotpot, grilling, and even deep frying. Made from 100 percent natural plant-based ingredients, all Green Rebel products are free from MSG, preservatives, and refined sugar. The protein base includes non-GMO soy and shiitake mushrooms, and is flavoured using Asian spices and herbs for an authentic taste experience.

    Planet-friendly food

    Green Rebel has a strong commitment to sustainable, affordable, and tasty plant-based meat alternatives. The company conducts independent Life Cycle Assessments on its products and has found its plant-based beef and chicken alternatives have significantly less global warming potential compared to their traditional counterparts.

    “We discovered that our meatless beef has 91 percent less global warming potential than local beef, and similarly our meatless chicken has 84 percent less global warming potential than local chicken,” Tjahjadi said.

    Nasi Rendang
    Nasi Rendang | Courtesy

    “We are looking at savings on carbon emissions by 90 percent, water use by 72 percent, land use by 90 percent, and overall energy use by 81 percent to produce plant-based meat in comparison to animal-based meats.”

    The new partnership supports AirAsia’s environmental commitments, which align with the Paris Agreement’s 1.5-degree Celsius policy. AirAsia has been working on measures to reduce its carbon footprint, including reducing 221 tonnes of CO₂ emissions per aircraft per year through an optimization solution implemented in 2022.

    “We’re excited at the possibilities as mindfulness about healthy and sustainable eating grows in this part of the world,” said Tjahjadi.

    The post AirAsia Partners with Green Rebel for Meatless Menu Options first appeared on Green Queen.

    The post AirAsia Partners with Green Rebel for Meatless Menu Options appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.