Plant-based meat company TiNDLE Foods is pivoting its business model to divest its US operations and focus on private-label products in Europe.
Months after rolling out its vegan chicken in hundreds of Kroger stores – marking a ninefold increase in its retail footprint stateside – TiNDLE Foods is bidding adieu to the US.
The plant-based meat company is shifting its business model away from branded offerings to exclusively focus on producing affordable private-label options for B2B customers in Europe.
“This strategic pivot follows a clear logic,” said Timo Recker, co-founder and CEO of TiNDLE Foods. “The plant-based category has become increasingly price-driven, and we’re seeing that private label products are capturing a growing share.”
The move comes amid a slowdown in momentum for plant-based meat in the US, with year-on-year sales down by 7% in 2024 and prices up by 4%. In Europe, though, double-digit growth in low-cost vegan food from supermarkets’ private-label brands led to a 1.7% rise in sales of six plant-based categories last year.
“We are well-positioned to lead this shift by producing best-in-class, innovative products, while also making the necessary adjustments to maintain value and accessibility for our customers,” said Recker.
Courtesy: TiNDLE Foods
US market challenges drive TiNDLE Foods away
Beginning its journey as Next Gen Foods, the startup rebranded to adopt the name of its flagship brand, TiNDLE Foods, in 2023, shortly before Recker took over the reins from his fellow founder Andre Menezes.
The company, which has raised over $130M to date, made its name on its plant-based chicken range, starting with the foodservice sector, before expanding into pork sausages and bratwursts, and teasing a move into plant-based milk too.
Its products have appeared in countries including the UK, Switzerland, Germany, and the US – in the latter, the brand is stocked in over 1,300 grocery stores. And in an interview with Green Queen this summer, Recker suggested that retail was TiNDLE Foods’s most profitable channel, having witnessed a steady rise in sales here.
This year alone in North America, Planetarians has ceased operations, Yves Veggie Cuisine has been discontinued, and Meati Foods has changed hands after a banking default and months of uncertainty.
Now, TiNDLE Foods is pulling out of the US too, while suggesting that it maintains a solid capital base and remains positioned for long-term growth “despite challenging market environments”.
TiNDLE Foods banks on Europe’s private-label potential
The shift to manufacturing for private-label brands is a direct nod to one of the key barriers and drivers of plant-based meat consumption: cost.
Bringing the cost of these products more in line with animal-derived meat has been shown to increase the former’s sales – in Germany, discount supermarket Lidl reported a 30% sales hike in the six months after introducing price parity for products in its own-label vegan range, Vemondo, in 2023.
In fact, innovation in private-label brands has made a vegan shopping basket 5% more affordable than the animal equivalent in Germany. With its pivot, TiNDLE Foods is hoping to capitalise on this shift, labelling these products as a “primary strategic focus” for retailers.
Source: ProVeg International | Graphic by Green Queen
Under its new model, it will sell unbranded plant-based proteins to major food manufacturers, retailers, and restaurant groups, giving them the freedom and flexibility to brand, formulate, and price the products according to the local market.
The move will help it significantly reduce marketing and distribution spend, and instead redirect capital into product development and operational efficiency. It’s in line with Recker’s comments in the summer, when he told Green Queen: “Our current priority is on capital preservation and with that, having a clear focus on the growth of our current product portfolio.”
Reflecting on the European focus, he said: “We are seeing greater growth potential in Europe, where consumer demand for plant-based innovations continues to rise – particularly among the younger generations, who have already fully adopted plant-based foods as part of their everyday lives and routines.
Californian food tech pioneer Eat Just’s vegan chicken, called Just Meat, has outperformed conventional versions, and is now available in nearly 4,000 stores across the US.
Eat Just, the maker of the vegan Just Egg and the Good Meat cultivated chicken, has expanded its portfolio with a move into plant-based meat.
This past August, the Californian company soft-launched Just Meat, a vegan chicken made from wheat and soy protein, which it says has beaten conventional chicken in taste tests.
The new products have now landed in over 3,050 Walmart stores across all 50 states and Puerto Rico, as well as being available at Sprouts, H-E-B, Giant, Hannaford, Albertsons United, Tops, and more supermarkets, with a total footprint close to 4,000.
“We are launching broadly into foodservice in December,” Josh Tetrick, co-founder and CEO of Eat Just, tells Green Queen.
Courtesy: Eat Just
Taste-testers prefer Just Meat over conventional chicken
Just Meat has been six years in the making. “The R&D was [about] building the right tools to form real fibres, to get the bite right, to layer the way animal muscle does,” explains Tetrick.
“We think plant-based chicken should simply taste better than the animal alternative, and if it does that, it wins. That was the gap we saw in the market.”
Just Meat is available in four flavours: original, Buffalo, sesame-ginger, and chilli-lime. It combines wheat protein and soy protein concentrate with sunflower and coconut oils, cornstarch, flavourings and seasonings, modified food starch, soy lecithin, and xanthan gum.
The meat alternative contains 24g of protein per 100g, over 1g of fibre, and zero cholesterol. At Walmart, it’s available in half-pound bags for $5.50 – in comparison, Tyson Foods’s grilled chicken strips are priced at $3.08 for the same size, while Foster Farms’s version costs $3.99.
“Just Meat performs like pulled chicken in every recipe where people already use chicken today,” says Tetrick. “In an independent 24-person preference test conducted by Nichols Research, Just Meat outperformed a leading frozen chicken strip.
Expanding on this, he added: “The majority of participants preferred Just Meat on flavour, texture, and overall liking, making it the first time a plant-based chicken beat the animal version in a direct consumer preference test.”
Courtesy: Eat Just
Just Egg to launch in Europe in January, as Good Meat looks to lower costs
Just Meat’s expansion comes amid a surge in purchases of Just Egg, which has capitalised on the US egg crisis. In January alone, the mung bean egg’s sales grew five times faster than in the past year, while 56% of shoppers returned to buy more (a three-point increase from 2024).
And earlier this month, Eat Just revealed that this growth has only accelerated since. “Just Egg has the highest velocity of all plant-based proteins in the US,” says Tetrick, citing SPINS data from the previous four weeks. “That gives us confidence that when you give people something that tastes good, that is highly differentiated, it will win with consumers.”
Moreover, the vegan egg has made its way into Europe this year, after Eat Just partnered with Vegan Food Group, owner of brands like Meatless Farm and VFC, on an exclusive manufacturing and distribution deal.
Just Egg’s rollout was meant to begin in the UK first (followed by Germany), but the product hasn’t made it onto shelves yet – instead, it has been showcased at events all across the UK in recent months. But Tetrick confirms that Just Egg will begin its rollout in Europe in early January.
Courtesy: Eat Just
Not only did Eat Just pioneer vegan eggs; it was the first company to begin selling cultivated meat anywhere in the world, after securing regulatory approval in Singapore in 2020 (followed by a US green light in 2023).
That brand of cultivated chicken, Good Meat, was available at several foodservice establishments in the city-state before a packaged version with a revamped recipe was rolled out into retail last year. Tetrick confirms that Huber’s Butchery is still selling the Good Meat chicken, adding that the focus here is on “long-term R&D to meaningfully bring the cost down at much larger scales”.
Just Meat is not the only new product format unveiled by the company this year. In May, it launched Just One, a range of protein powders made from the same mung bean base that powers Just Egg, which can also double as an egg substitute in baking.
Livekindly Collective, the company behind brands like Oumph, Like and Fry’s, achieved profitability in September, countering the plant-based meat slowdown.
In September, Livekindly Collective CEO David Suarez revealed that the plant-based holding company delivered high single-digit year-on-year growth in the first half of 2025, and was on course to become profitable in the autumn.
As it turns out, the firm hit the milestone that month itself, becoming one of the only privately held plant-based protein producers to reach profitability.
“September delivered around 15% revenue growth versus the same period last year,” Suarez tells Green Queen. “[It] was our second-best revenue month to date, and we expect to continue building towards surpassing our historic peak as we move into next year.”
He adds: “We are especially enthusiastic that our strongest growth is coming from key strategic areas of the business, which shows that the focus and discipline behind our plan work well.”
The owner of Like, Fry’s, Oumph!, No Meat, Dutch Weedburger, and Alpha Foods demonstrated strong retail performance in all markets it operates in, while rapidly growing its B2B business too, which posted a 48% increase in 2024 and is on course to rise by 120% this year and up to 200% in 2026.
The positive results aren’t a one-off. “October continued the strong revenue performance,” says Suarez. “However, [it was] slightly behind September due to the usual seasonal trends.”
Retail revenues have plunged in various markets, including the US, the UK, Spain and the Netherlands (although global sales saw a modest uptick in 2024). How did Livekindly Collective buck this trend?
“I’d say it’s sharp focus and consolidation supported by the three pillars of performance improvement: clear operational discipline, tight cash management, and growing margins. That’s our profitability formula,” says Suarez.
“Profitability, in turn, puts us in a favourable spot and unlocks future growth trajectory. Livekindly Collective is the only pure-play, fully integrated platform combining brands, manufacturing, products, and financial discipline, positioning us to scale efficiently and sustainably.
“Our progress comes from consistent improvement of operational performance, innovating at speed and smart market creation, including areas like B2B where we are generating new opportunities. This drives healthy gross profit, enabling reinvestment into the business guided by our Seed, Scale, Repeat model, which leverages Livekindly Collective’s global footprint in a way few others can.”
Strong sales across retail and B2B channels
Courtesy: Oumph!
Breaking down the company’s performance by sector, Suarez notes that its retail growth has been rapid as its brands steadily climb in their respective markets.
Fry’s, for instance, has an 85% market share in South Africa and is solidifying its leading position in Australia. “Oumph! is currently the only plant-based brand showing growth in the Nordics, and NoMeat continues to perform well in the UK,” he says.
Like, meanwhile, tops the chunks segment in Germany, and launched in the UK via Tesco in September to “very positive consumer feedback, with many five-star reviews highlighting texture, taste, and overall appeal”. “We’re also pleased with the rollout across Sainsbury’s and Morrisons, where the hot dogs are now available,” states Suarez.
“Our brands are present in more than 40 markets, and we continue to see growing consumer interest in alternative proteins and innovative, tasty protein solutions. Livekindly Collective’s innovation pipeline reflects that, including the new high-protein products, Protein Bites, being tested and successful in Germany, and many more that we are working on for next year,” he adds.
“Alongside our branded growth, we are heavily investing in B2B, including foodservice, private label, and ingredients, supported by our three strategically located pure-play production sites. The B2B business is growing and is roughly a 50/50 split of branded and non-branded, with both sides expected to grow in 2025 and onwards. We are on a mission to bring tasty plant-based protein mainstream.”
Livekindly Collective ‘not an exception, but an example’
Courtesy: Like
Germany continues to be Livekindly Collective’s largest market, where it has witnessed double-digit growth momentum, thanks to Like’s “breakthrough innovation” and “successful marketing”. Suarez points out that it is the most followed plant-based brand on social media in Germany.
“Australia is our fastest-growing market, with Fry’s expanding distribution. In addition, the B2B channel is driving incremental revenue across multiple markets, and here we are rapidly onboarding new customers and building scale, seeing a doubling of the business each calendar year,” he says.
“It’s exciting to see this development as we go forward. Private-label customers can take advantage of our production and food tech capabilities and R&D know-how, too. Every product we deliver is unique and tailored to their needs.”
The Blue Horizon-owned company operates three pure-play factories in Oss (Netherlands), Stora Levene (Sweden), and Pinetown (South Africa), and continues to be open to more acquisitions to bolster its portfolio and footprint.
“We are open to exploring opportunities that add capability, scale, or strategic advantage,” says Suarez. “As we enter 2026, the priority is profitable growth. Profitability gives us the confidence and stability to expand where it makes sense, whether that means new markets, channels, or products.”
Is this a sign that plant-based meat may be rebounding, or is Livekindly Collective just an outlier in a struggling sector? “Every new category, in food or otherwise, goes through stages of transformation, which creates both winners and losers, and we believe in the transformation of the global food system as our long-term goal. There is a better way to feed the world, and it’s based on protein from plants,” he says.
“The category will continue evolving, driven by companies that understand changing consumer needs and innovate accordingly. Livekindly Collective is doing exactly that across all our brands and geographies, now operating profitably. We see ourselves not as an exception, but as an example of how the category can succeed with the right model, financial discipline, and investment in product quality.”
Prosperity Organic Foods has emerged as the winning bidder for plant-based dairy company Miyoko’s Creamery. Its namesake founder is asking the new owner to rebrand in the hope of getting back the rights to her name.
Following a dramatic bidding war, Miyoko’s Creamery finally has a new owner.
The plant-based dairy company, which entered the assignment for the benefit of creditors process last month, has been acquired by Prosperity Organic Foods, the owner of vegan butter brand Melt Organic.
It beat out a rival bid by Miyoko Schinner, the namesake founder of Miyoko’s Creamery, who was ousted from the company in 2023, and garnered widespread support to return to the helm. She had raised more than $100,000 from over 1,600 crowd investors in around 48 hours to help her bid.
Schinner had admitted that it was “highly unlikely” her bid would win, as the liquidators have a responsibility to accept the highest offer. Now, it has emerged that Prosperity Organic Foods submitted the best bid.
“We are excited to have the opportunity to grow the Miyoko’s brand as it aligns perfectly with our mission to provide consumers with delicious, sustainable, and functional plant-based food options that embody innovation and high-quality craft,” said Prosperity Organic Foods CEO Scott Fischer.
The new owner said it would “continue to honour the brand roots and community of Miyoko’s Creamery, as well as its commitment to the highest standards of quality, taste, and sustainability”. However, Schinner is distancing herself from the company she founded 11 years ago, outlining that it doesn’t have the licence to use her name or image, even if it owns the trademark “Miyoko’s Creamery”.
“I’d like to ask them to rebrand it and remove my name from it entirely,” she tells Green Queen. “If it’s the product itself – the taste, quality, etc. – that they want, then the branding should be irrelevant. They can have the butter formula – I don’t need it. It’s basically the formula I published in The Homemade Vegan Pantry, anyway,” she says.
“And now, I have new formulas that don’t even contain the emulsifier, lecithin, [etc.], that are in The Vegan Creamery,” she adds, suggesting that she’ll share one of those recipes on Instagram soon, once she finds someone to film it (“I’m tech-challenged”).
Her comments came shortly after she posted screenshots of a heated conversation with one of the bidders on Instagram, whom she called a “creepy character”. And there are plenty of hints to suggest that the person in question is Fischer.
Miyoko Schinner asks new owners to rebrand Miyoko’s Creamery
Courtesy: Melt Organic
Days after announcing she didn’t win back her company, Schinner began distancing herself from the business, outlining the trademark distinction and refusing to associate her own name with the brand. “Not my company, not my brand, not my products,” she wrote.
“Regarding the association of my name, according to IP laws pertaining to name and likeness, the new owner cannot imply that I am associated with it just because they own the trademark, ‘Miyoko’s Creamery’,” she explains.
“They simply own the two words, ‘Miyoko’s Creamery’. That’s it. They cannot mention my name, ‘Miyoko’ or ‘Miyoko Schinner’, or imply any sort of reference that could lead people to think that I am somehow associated with it. Nor can they use my image in any way.
“They cannot tell the origin story or mention my name as part of it. They cannot imply that the brand stands for ethics related to me. The trademark will become an empty name.”
In one social media post, she asked the new owners to consider rebranding and give her back her naming rights. “If you do plan to keep the name Miyoko’s, do you plan to restore the original lustre to the product line?” she wrote. “Many people say that the quality has plummeted as products have been reformulated, presumably for lower COGS [cost of goods sold].”
“Will they remain the same, or will they be reformulated back to the original or better? And who will do that? And finally, do you have a visionary in place who can imagine the future of the company and inspire the public besides the usual suits in their data room?” she continued.
Speaking to Green Queen, she says: “If they believe that simply using the trademark will give the air of association to me, the person, then I think their plan will eventually fail. The name ‘Miyoko’s Creamery’ no longer holds any meaning. They should just rebrand as another formula under Melt.”
Melt Organic CEO facing backlash for comments made to Schinner
Hours before Prosperity Organic Foods’s announcement, Schinner took to Instagram to explain that “the CEO of a vegan butter brand reached out to me about being a ‘brand ambassador’” on an independent contract basis. “I’m not going to be a brand ambassador for the brand I started without control or a voice in the direction of the brand and quality of products,” she wrote on the post.
“When this person reached out to me, I wanted to hear what he had to say, so I responded. Then he ghosted me for a few days. This happened a couple of times. In the meantime, I decided I would make my own bid for the company. When he heard about it, he went berserk and sent me this lovely text, as if I were indebted to him.”
The texts in reference called Schinner “cagey” for bidding on her namesake business. “I’m unsure why I wasn’t given a heads up,” the person wrote. When she explained her reasoning, he said: “You’re a failed business person and appear not to have learned a thing […] You don’t belong with our team.”
“I have been denigrated by many businessmen, but this takes the cake,” Schinner wrote. “I have worked with some absolutely wonderful, supportive men, but the more successful I became, the more creepy characters appeared.”
She added that she hoped this person wasn’t the new owner, though it turns out they were. “It’s interesting how things play out, isn’t it? Not the first time a man has spoken to me in this manner,” she tells Green Queen.
The comments section suggests Fischer was the sender of the messages. In response to a user asking who the person was, Schinner commented: “A butter brand that begins with M.”
It sparked a major backlash against Melt Organic, with many users announcing a boycott of its products. To clarify things even further, Schinner added another comment that confirmed the name of the brand: “Melt has disabled comments.”
How Miyoko’s Creamery got here – and what’s next for Schinner
Courtesy: Megan Thompson
The acquisition of Miyoko’s Creamery ends a long saga for a pioneering plant-based dairy brand. Its products, which include cheeses and butters made from cashew or oat milk, are available in over 20,000 retail doors in the US. Its fate took a turn in June 2022, when Schinner was ousted from her role as CEO by the board, at a time when the business was worth $260M.
The news wasn’t made public until months later, when Miyoko’s Creamery sued its founder for allegedly breaching her contract, violating trade secrets, and stealing company IP. Schinner, in turn, countersued, saying she was “blindsided” and alleging that sexism led to her dismissal.
She claimed that recently hired male executives discriminated against women, accusing then-COO René Weber of having “openly denigrated women, their expertise and their contributions at Miyoko’s”, Schinner added that after raising an HR complaint about an operational consultant hired at an investor’s request, the company “swiftly retaliated against [Schinner] by demoting her and then terminating her”.
Publicly, the board claimed Schinner lacked the necessary skills to take Miyoko’s Creamery to the next level as its CEO. Two months later, there was a resolution between the company and its founder, with both withdrawing the legal claims.
The business hired former Coca-Cola and Beyond Meat executive Stuart Kronauger as its new CEO, who closed its Petaluma factory amid a shift to a co-manufacturing setup, affecting 30-40 jobs. According to Bloomberg, Miyoko’s Creamery was already aiming to raise funds and prepare for a potential sale in late 2023, after sales fell by 24% on the back of sustained deficits for years.
Schinner, a highly successful cookbook author, turned her attention to education and her animal sanctuary, Rancho Compasión, in Nicasio, California. The opportunity to return to the company she started was too good to miss, and even though it didn’t pan out in the end, she remains upbeat.
“My mission now is to make people less reliant on packaged goods, to take the ‘consumer’ out of people. I want people back in their kitchens, reclaiming them, learning to make things that they’ve relied on corporations to provide,” she says. “Hopefully, this becomes the impetus for people to start making butter in their kitchens.”
At the start of the year, the organisation unveiled the Non-UPF Verified programme, under the Food Integrity Collective group, which brands can use as an on-pack label to definitively highlight a product’s status as an unprocessed or minimally processed food.
Now, it has published the first version of the Non-UPF Verified Standard, which will enter its full implementation phase. Independent technical administrators will act as impartial evaluators separate from both the Non-GMO Project and applicant brands, and assess each product seeking the label against the core criteria developed over the previous months.
“This is about reconciling the false divide between ‘real food’ and packaged food,” said Megan Westgate, CEO and founder of the Non-GMO Project. “The Non-UPF Standard defines a middle ground where convenience and nourishment can genuinely coexist, giving brands a path to make better food and shoppers a reason to trust it.”
What are UPFs, and how does the new standard define them?
Courtesy: Springer
First, a quick primer. Ultra-processed foods (UPFs) were first defined by the Nova classification developed by researchers in Brazil in 2009, denoting products as those made with industrial formulations and techniques or containing cosmetic additives thought to be of little culinary use. Colloquially, they’re thought of as foods you can’t make in your home kitchen.
For instance, everything from that tub of ice cream in your freezer to the canned soup in your drawer is a UPF. So are the chicken nuggets you eat at McDonald’s, the Beyond Burger you buy at supermarkets, and the slice of whole-grain bread you have for breakfast.
The American Heart Association has stated that not all UPFs are equal, and several such products can actually be good for you, including plant-based meat and dairy alternatives, which have been bundled in the same category as Oreos, Lay’s and Pepsi.
That has led to a consistent drop-off in sales of these products over the last couple of years. After all, 72% of Americans are trying to avoid UPFs in their diets, and 79% feel they’re a “significant threat” to public health, according to research commissioned by Food Integrity Collective.
Courtesy: Food Integrity Collective
To its credit, the Non-GMO Project recognises the nuance. Its criteria for the Non-UPF Verified Standard nod to the “not all processing is equal” argument, distinguishing between minimal, conditional, and prohibited processing methods. In other words, products must primarily contain minimally processed ingredients and be free from “high-impact chemical, structural, thermal, and biological modification”.
Foods produced via methods deemed prohibited cannot bear the non-UPF label, but conditional methods may be used if they meet “explicitly defined conditions”. Permissible processes, meanwhile, can be used without restrictions, as long as they either preserve the food’s natural structure and integrity, or maintain its fundamental characteristics.
Further, the standard restricts ingredients either “widely recognised as harmful or characteristic of ultra-processed formulations”, especially those used to create hyperpalatable textures and flavours. This includes a prohibition on non-nutritive sweeteners (like aspartame, monkfruit extract, xylitol, or erythritol) and limits on refined added sugar.
How will plant-based alternatives be impacted?
Courtesy: Oumph
So what does this mean for plant-based food manufacturers? It’s worth noting that among the 16 brands involved in the trial, several have meat-free or vegan portfolios, such as Califia Farms, Amy’s Kitchen, Simple Mills, and Caulipower.
The Non-GMO Project has published an extensive list of processed ingredients that may be prohibited or used conditionally, many of which appear in plant-based meat and dairy products. The standard states that even some gums, thickeners and texturisers produced through conditional processing methods, including industrial fermentation and enzymatic hydrolysis processes, are prohibited ingredients.
Among these is methycellulose, a gelling and binding agent made by heating cellulose and treating it with methyl chloride. It is part of many plant-based meat products, including those from giants like Beyond Meat, Impossible Foods, Morningstar Farms, and Lightlife Foods.
Similarly, xanthan and gellan gum are part of this prohibited list. Gellan gum is widely used in non-dairy milk products, including by brands like Califia Farms (which was part of the pilot), Silk, and Ripple Foods. Xanthan gum is widely used in the food manufacturing and restaurant sectors – it’s present in everything from a Beyond Sausage to a Ben & Jerry’s non-dairy ice cream.
Courtesy: Califia Farms
That said, some gums and thickeners are still fair game, if they’re only used when functionally necessary, specifically to “suspend or stabilise added vitamins, minerals, or other essential nutrients in liquid products” where no alternative is viable. This group includes guar gum, locust bean gum, pectin and agar-agar.
Plant-based dairy products with more than 7% of added sugar by weight will also not be eligible for Non-UPF Verified status, nor will vegan protein powders with over 5% of free sugars.
Most packaged foods use ‘natural flavours’ as an umbrella term for a whole host of things, and the opaqueness of the system led the Non-GMO Project to keep compliance with its rules on this section optional.
There’s a section on the use of fats too. Hydrogenated and interestified oils, which may appear in some plant-based butters, margarine, or ghee alternatives, are prohibited. Refined and deodorised fats such as coconut oil (widely used in vegan cheese from brands like Violife and Daiya) are allowed on the condition that they don’t make up more than 30% of a product’s formulation.
Courtesy: Daiya
Other prohibited ingredients that may appear in plant-based meat and products include sugar esters of mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids (common in non-dairy creams), monosodium glutamate (MSG), and soy leghemoglobin (the signature ingredient in the Impossible Burger).
So a ton of vegan products will not pass the Non-UPF Verified Standard, and that could mean further financial misery for the industry. If this label witnesses the same success as the Non-GMO Butterfly mark, it might be wise for companies to consider reformulating their products.
“Processing itself isn’t the enemy, it’s how and why it’s done that matters,” said Westgate.
Julienne Bruno, known for its dairy-free Italian cheeses, has been rescued out of insolvency by The Compleat Food Group’s Harvey & Brockless.
In yet another instance of consolidation in the plant-based category, British non-dairy cheese maker Julienne Bruno’s brand and assets have been acquired by Harvey & Brockless, the artisan foodservice subsidiary of The Compleat Food Group.
The sale came just two days after the loss-making startup fell into administration after failing to secure sufficient investment, laying off all 14 employees.
Founder Axel Katalan declined to comment on the firm’s sale and challenges when approached by Green Queen: in a post on social media, he remarked: “This ensures the brand and products sit with a partner that can give them the scale, resources and support to realise their full potential.”
He added that he will continue to support Julienne Bruno as a consultant to Compleat, which also owns fellow vegan cheese brand Palace Culture, for the next few months.
As losses mounted, Julienne Bruno sought investors and buyers
Courtesy: Julienne Bruno/Green Queen
Katalan, a chef, founded Julienne Bruno in 2020, bringing a range of ultra-realistic vegan cheeses to the market. Its current lineup includes Crematta (a ricotta alternative), Superstraccia (stracciatella), Burrella (burrata), and Mozzafiore Pearls (mini mozzarella balls).
All the cheeses are made with soy milk and coconut oil, and naturally fermented through a bespoke method. They’ve been listed by premium retailers like Whole Foods Market, Harrods and Selfridges, online grocer Ocado, and restaurants and cafés including Gordon Ramsay’s Bread Street Kitchen, Soho House, Gauthier, and Pizza Pilgrims.
Despite raising over £6M across two funding rounds, the brand has been incurring heavy losses since the beginning. In 2022, its net losses amounted to £1.6M, more than doubling in 2023, and rising by another 34% in 2024, totalling £5.1M, according to its filing at Companies House, the UK’s public business registry.
Insolvency firm Interpath, which was appointed administrator last week, noted that the company had “grown significantly” since its formation, with a reputation for producing “market-pioneering plant-based products”.
However, to reach a scale large enough to enable profitability, Julienne Bruno needed additional funding, so it kickstarted a process to explore different sale and investment options.
“Unfortunately, despite a competitive process with a number of parties showing interest in the brand, a solvent outcome could not be found, and as a result, the company was placed into administration,” said Interpath.
“Our immediate priority is to support those employees who have been made redundant, including supporting them with claims for redundancy pay and other monies owed,” said Howard Smith, managing director at Interpath and joint administrator of Julienne Bruno.
Compleat acquisition will help Julienne Bruno ‘truly win’
Courtesy: Julienne Bruno
It only took two days for Interpath to find a new home for Julienne Bruno’s vegan cheeses, joining Compleat’s expanding portfolio of chilled foods. Formed in 2021 from the merger of Winterbotham Darby and Addo Food, it owns meat-free brand Squeaky Bean and fermented condiment maker Vadasz (among others) as well, and recorded £786M in revenue last year.
“Since its launch, Julienne Bruno had developed a great reputation for its innovative and high-quality plant-based products. Known as a pioneer within the sector, it had generated a loyal customer base both in the UK and internationally,” said Tom Swiers, head of food and drink for Interpath.
“We’re pleased to have achieved this sale, which will enable the brand to continue under new ownership and deliver to its customers.”
In his online post, Katalan wrote: “We set out to create products that could challenge the sensory quality of dairy and in many ways we did. The market has shown that to truly win, you need deep operational strength and the right long-term partner. I genuinely believe […] this new combination is the strongest in Europe to deliver that.”
Julienne Bruno is one of many alternative protein brands that have either fallen into insolvency, been acquired, or shut down, as the sector struggles with a lack of investment and sales. In the UK, sales of plant-based food fell by 4% in 2024, with vegan cheese purchases flatlining but volumes down by 2%.
Here, pea milk brand Mighty Drinks entered administration this summer, before being rescued by Cypriot firm The Mighty Kitchen, while Beastly Brews, the maker of oat milk liqueur Panther M*lk, ceased operations. Ready meal startup Allplants went bankrupt last year, before Plants and Grubby bought off its assets.
With Compleat’s purchase, Julienne Bruno’s brand lives on. “We built a factory from zero in the heart of Covid and scaled into more than one thousand locations in the UK, with listings in Switzerland and the UAE,” said Katalan.
“We learned, hired, fired, raised funds, launched new products in new markets, and built a brand now regularly cited as a leader in this space. I am incredibly proud of that work and grateful for the support we’ve received along the way.”
German discount retailer Lidl has increased the sales of healthy food in the UK by 80% since 2019, two years ahead of schedule, after becoming the first supermarket to align with the Eat-Lancet Planetary Health Diet.
Fibre, healthy food, and own-label meat and milk alternatives – Lidl GB has surpassed its sales targets on all these fronts faster than it anticipated.
The discount supermarket has released its latest sustainability report amid its bid to align with the Eat-Lancet Commission’s Planetary Health Diet, which emphasises a plant-forward eating pattern for better human and environmental health.
Sales of healthy food increased by 82% between 2019 and 2023, rising to 83% a year later, exceeding Lidl’s target of an 80% hike by 2025. Likewise, the company achieved a 22% increase in fibre sales in 2024, also two years ahead of schedule.
And as it reported in September, sales of plant-based meat, dairy and other products under its own-label brands shot up by 694% last year from a 2019 baseline, blowing past its target of a 400% growth by 2025.
All this comes three months Lidl GB introduced a new logo for use on private-label products that align with the Planetary Health Diet, becoming the first retailer to actively fit its businesses into this framework.
The Eat-Lancet Commission’s updated report, released last month, stated that the Planetary Health Diet could prevent 27% of early deaths from happening globally, reduce emissions by over a third with supportive policies, and lower the amount of money people spend on food.
“Aligning our strategy with the Planetary Health Diet is a long-term commitment to building a healthier, more sustainable food system,” said Richard Bourns, chief commercial officer at Lidl GB. “It’s delivering measurable impact – beyond the basket – by making healthy and sustainable food more accessible and affordable.”
How Lidl is supercharging plant-based sales
Courtesy: Lidl GB
Over the last year, Lidl has made several moves to lead the retail sector’s health and sustainability transition. It implemented targets based on the Planet-Based Diets methodology devised by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), aiming to grow the proportion of plant-based foods sold by 20% globally by 2030 (in the first year, it has boosted these sales by 3%).
In the UK, it plans to make 25% of all protein sales come from plant-based sources by 2030. This share has increased incrementally, from 14.4% in 2021 to 18% last year. Likewise, it plans to have dairy alternatives make 12% of all dairy sales by the end of the decade – as of 2024, that share sits at 6.3%.
Meanwhile, whole grains now account for 15.3% of all grain sales, up from 12.3% in 2023 and on track to meet the 25% target by 2030. Lidl is also looking to grow its fruit and vegetable sales by 35% between 2021 and 2026 – by last year, it had managed a 16% increase.
A key lever of Lidl’s plant-based success has been the affordability factor. Many of the products under its private-label vegan brand, Vemondo, are now priced the same as conventional meat and dairy in several markets.
And in the UK, it revitalised the brand at the end of last year with new packaging and renamed it Vemondo Plant, giving it a dedicated chiller bay for easy access in-store. The range has since been tripled in size, with 28 new products.
These changes are in line with Lidl’s net-zero ambitions for 2050 and the Planetary Health Diet. And this week, the company convened experts and leaders from across the food system, from farmers to academics, to explore practical solutions that build on the EAT-Lancet report.
Still work to do on scope 3 emissions
“The progress outlined in our report shows we’re matching growth with real sustainability progress,” said Bourns. “From sourcing materials responsibly and reducing emissions, to investing in British farming, we’re proving sustainability and value go hand-in-hand.”
Lidl has committed to reducing its scope 1 and 2 emissions by 70% by the end of the decade. Its scope 1 emissions have reduced by 11.4% in that time, but since 2021, its scope 2 output has increased by 12.4%. In any case, it is the scope 3 figure (which accounts for all supply chain emissions) that needs addressing, given it accounts for 98% of the company’s climate footprint.
The supermarket has pledged to reduce forest, land use and agriculture scope 3 emissions by 42.4% from a 2022 baseline. But in the two years since, these emissions have increased by 6.9%.
That said, Lidl GB has made several sustainability strides in this time. Nearly all (98%) of its critical raw materials are sourced from verified sustainable sources, with a target of reaching 100% by year-end. It also sells the highest volume of Fairtrade cocoa among supermarket private-labels in the UK.
The discounter uses 100% renewable energy now, and is on track to reduce its own-label plastic packaging by 40% next year, with recyclability rates already reaching 95%. Innovations like vacuum-packed mince have cut plastic use by 63%, a measure that has also halved in-store food waste. Speaking of which, Lidl donated 18.5 million meals via its food surplus and customer donation schemes in 2024.
“Our customers expect us to lead with purpose, and we’re proud to be doing just that. By embedding sustainability into the heart of our operations, we’re not only protecting the planet – we’re supporting communities, empowering suppliers, and delivering the quality and value our customers rely on every day,” said Bourns.
HappyCow, a popular discovery platform for vegan and vegetarian restaurants, has changed hands. In an exclusive interview with Green Queen, its new owner lays out the company’s strategy.
If you’re a vegan or vegetarian taking a trip, it’s highly likely you’ve come across HappyCow during your research.
For over two decades, the website has been a go-to for many travellers on the lookout for meat-free restaurants and menu options. As of this year, it has over two million members, whose word-of-mouth reviews (over two million to date, as per company stats) have helped direct attention to 260,000 eateries in more than 185 countries.
Now, the platform is being revamped through a tech reset that will broaden its directory and reach, thanks to its acquisition by Peruvian business consultant Claudia Torres, a long-time user of HappyCow. The terms of the deal remain confidential.
Under the new ownership, HappyCow will undergo a “full-scale tech reboot” and have its interface refreshed in a bid to improve the user experience and expand the platform’s global utility. It will move beyond just restaurant discovery, integrating listings for “eco hotels, organic stores and global plant-based experiences”.
“The new phase is modelled on expanding market verticals. While we recognise the success of other platforms, our strategic direction is to move beyond dining to healthy lifestyle verticals,” Torres told Green Queen.
Can HappyCow compete with Google and AI?
Courtesy: HappyCow
For many vegan and vegetarian folks, HappyCow has served as the sole food guide for their travels for the past decade. However, the way people discover food has rapidly evolved, especially in the last decade. Competitors to apps like HappyCow, including tools focused on specific dietary requirements, have expanded fast.
At the same time, social media algorithms now give people access to more personalised recommendations, and Google Maps and chatbots like Perplexity and ChatGPT have become key levers to find new options to eat out.
Artificial intelligence is likely the biggest threat to consumer-facing tech companies like HappyCow. In the US, 20% of consumers turn to large-language models for venue discovery, and this practice is particularly popular among young people – 61% of 24- to 35-year-olds have used AI for personalised food and drink recommendations.
“Google remains the dominant force in search, holding the vast majority of consumer search volume,” Torres told this publication. Indeed, 56% of Americans rely on Google Search for restaurant discovery.
“While AI provides search results, we provide authentic user reviews, user-generated content, real community feedback, and specific consumer data, which are key factors in consumer choices that AI often lacks,” Torres added, though she declined to comment on the platform’s specific technological roadmap or tool integration plans.
HappyCow confirms layoffs in favour of full-time hires
Courtesy: HappyCow
According to Similarweb, the website received over 1.1 million visitors in September 2025. Torres told Green Queen that this was not accurate; the company’s internal data shows the site is averaging two million visits per month. “Our overall traffic and engagement figures are aligned with our total user base,” noted Torres.
Happy Cow has both a website and an app, though Torres declined to share what the user base split was by device. According to the company’s FAQ section, the app has surpassed 4 million downloads since launch.
In terms of geographical split, Torres told us that 80% of the platform’s user base is concentrated in eight key markets: the US, UK, India, Germany, France, Greece, Italy, Australia, and Spain.
She declined to share the precise split between its app and its website, citing “competitive reasons”, and she did not disclose sales data or the revenue share between subscriptions and advertising.
The platform’s users have raised questions about the company’s ownership structure and future in recent weeks, with one suggesting that most of the staff had been let go. In response, Torres said, “We are expanding, our plans are ambitious, and we want full-time staff. So we let the HappyCow management team go.”
She added: “We are not disclosing specific internal staff numbers, but the new ownership structure is committed to significantly increasing development resources and expanding the team to support the new vision.”
Expanding while staying true to its roots
Courtesy: HappyCow
HappyCow is now actively seeking investors to propel its expansion, though the amount of capital Torres is seeking to raise is under wraps.
It’s a major shift for a platform that began in 1999, and the new owner wants to retain its roots. Though HappyCow’s founder, Eric Brent, hasn’t been involved in an official capacity since he sold the company in 2021, Torres is banking on his expertise.
“Eric has always been a brand ambassador, and we want him to continue,” she said. “The new ownership fully intends to continue and strengthen that partnership as we move into this exciting new era of growth and visibility.”
Green Queen reached out to Brent for a comment on the news, but did not receive a response.
HappyCow pioneered the restaurant discovery space for meat-free eaters, and aside from Abillion (which claims it has 17 million users and covers products too), competitors have been far and few between. And their engagement seems much smaller – according to Similarweb, Abillion’s website garnered 220,000 visits in September, while Picknic gets around 14,800 monthly hits.
“HappyCow’s competitive advantage lies in its community-driven data,” said Torres. “The volunteer ambassador model, alongside our community, has always been a great, valuable part of the brand. We would be honoured to expand the ambassador and community components significantly as part of our new growth phase.”
Torres hinted at expanding the verticals the platform currently serves. She noted that HappyCow is already positioned to extend beyond dining, given that it currently lists more than 13,000 organic stores. In addition, she said the company plans to cater to the lucrative hospitality industry.
“This market [organic stores], along with eco and sustainable hotels, represents a booming sector where we will leverage HappyCow’s position whilst maintaining our core vegan values,” she said. “The current market position means there has never been a better time to build a digital platform with this reach.”
After weeks of stock uncertainty, Beyond Meat has posted a 13% revenue decline in Q3 2025 and has adjusted its expectations for the next quarter, too.
In a rollercoaster Q3, Beyond Meat saw its sales shrink despite exceeding expectations, with the plant-based giant now cutting its forecast for the upcoming year.
The Californian company recorded revenues of $70M, down by 13.3% from the corresponding period in 2024, but slightly above analysts’ predictions of $69M, with company CEO Ethan Brown attributing it to “category headwinds and an accompanying softer top-line continue”.
As losses widen, Beyond Meat blames weak category demand and China suspension
Courtesy: Beyond Meat
The Beyond Burger maker’s loss from operations swelled to $112M, compared to $31M in Q3 2024. This was thanks to large non-cash impairment charges related to its long-lived assets, as well as smaller expenses from legal fees, a lease termination, and the closure of its China operations. Overall, the company’s net loss was at $111M, a 316% increase from the year-ago period.
Meanwhile, Beyond Meat’s gross profit reached $7M in Q3 2025, nearly half of its value in the July to September period in 2024. Its gross margin also narrowed from 18% in Q3 last year to 10% in 2025. These included $1.7M in expenses related to its China withdrawal.
Its decrease in revenue was primarily driven by a 10% decline in product volumes, which in turn was a result of “weak category demand”, reduced retail distribution in the US, and lower sales of burger products to international quick-service restaurant consumers.
And Beyond Meat’s 3.5% drop in net revenue per lb was primarily a result of higher trade discounts, changes in product sales mix and price decreases of certain products, partially offset by favourable changes in foreign currency exchange rates.
These challenges have prompted the firm to revise its sales forecast for Q4, which is now expected to be between $60M and $65M, compared to analysts’ estimates of $70M.
US sales a major concern for Beyond Meat
Courtesy: Beyond Meat/Green Queen
The US remains its biggest market by far and the drop-off in sales has been alarming in this quarter. In the retail channel, Beyond Meat’s year-over-year revenues slimmed by over 18% in Q3 2025, totalling just $28M, thanks to weakening demand and distribution.
Things were even worse in the foodservice segment, where sales fell by 27% to just $10.5M, with the company citing a decrease in volumes due to low demand and the lapping of sales of its vegan chicken to a QSR customer in the year-ago period.
Internationally, retail sales decreased by nearly 5% to reach $16M, thanks largely to reduced sales of its burger, dinner sausage and chicken products. In the foodservice channel outside the US, Beyond Meat’s revenues were up by 2% to 15M, with the company citing higher sales of its chicken products to a QSR customer, which were partially offset by reduced sales of the Beyond Burger to others.
So far this year, Beyond Meat’s sales are down by 14% compared to the first nine months of 2024. And if its sales forecast for Q4 comes true, it’s set to record a 14.5-16% drop in full-year revenue for 2025.
Beyond Meat CEO strikes optimistic tone about company’s future
Beyond Meat CEO Ethan Brown at the company’s IPO in May 2019 | Courtesy: Mark Lennihan/AP
“As we approach the end of 2025, we’ve achieved three important building blocks for our broader transformation efforts,” said Beyond Meat co-founder and CEO Ethan Brown.
“These are significantly reducing our overall leverage in connection with the previously announced exchange of substantially all of our 2027 convertible notes; meaningfully extending our debt maturity; and finally, adding substantial liquidity to our balance sheet.”
He added that the company was taking “equally strong measures” to accelerate its path to sustainable operations, including pursuing further and sizeable cost reductions, gross margin expansion investments, and targeted strategic growth initiatives.
“Though category headwinds and an accompanying softer top-line continue to weigh on and reverberate throughout our current performance, including our Q3 results, we are closing out the year with a much improved balance sheet, important transformation spadework underway, and genuine optimism and excitement regarding our future,” he said.
Miyoko Schinner has mobilised over $100,000 from crowd investors to help mount a winning bid for the vegan cheese firm she founded, Miyoko’s Creamery, though she calls it “highly unlikely”.
Three years after being forced out of the company she created, plant-based cheese pioneer Miyoko Schinner has spent the last week working to buy it back.
As reported by AgFunderNews, Miyoko’s Creamery entered the assignment for the benefit of creditors process last month. This allows financially distressed companies to sell their assets to third parties, serving as an alternative to formal bankruptcy.
It opened up a bidding process for interested parties, and Schinner entered the fray to reinstate her ownership of the business she founded 11 years ago. To help her cause, she kickstarted a crowdfunding campaign on GoFundMe with Rick LeBeau, co-founder of vegan energy bar maker Rickaroons.
In a sign of Schinner’s enduring popularity, the public came through. In around 48 hours, she raised more than $100,000 of her $140,000 goal from over 1,600 crowd investors.
It has all the bones of a feel-good story: a female founder taking back the reins of a company she was forced out of after raising complaints about new male executives who “mansplained” the business to her and “openly denigrated women”.
However, the effort may not be enough. “It is highly unlikely I will be the winning bidder, as the liquidator has a fiduciary responsibility to accept the highest bid. I don’t believe mine was. There simply wasn’t enough time,” Schinner said.
Miyoko Schinner promises to ‘clean up’ product line
Courtesy: Matt Lever/Miyoko’s Creamery
Bidding to win back her company wasn’t part of Schinner’s plan this year. She had just released her seventh cookbook, and had been preparing to celebrate the 10-year anniversary of her animal sanctuary, Rancho Compasión, in Nicasio, California.
But news about the company’s liquidation presented an opportunity she could not miss. “My hope is to make an impact not just for animals, but the food system – to take it back from the venture capitalists, private equity, and the multi-national corporations that are now running the food system and determining what we eat,” she wrote on the GoFundMe page.
As part of her plans, she formed a group of people who would manufacture the products and run the company, including a co-packer and executives with more than 30 years of industry experience. Schinner promised a lean, grassroots-style approach if the bid was successful.
“The idea is to form an organisation that is more lateral and collaborative than top-down,” she said. “In all transparency, we don’t have time to research and decide because all of this is coming together so quickly, but it could be a co-op, a federation, or other more lateral organisation that is more equitable.”
Outlining her strategy for Miyoko’s Creamery, Schinner wanted to marry the brand’s mission with its products. “I would re-infuse the brand with the bold activism that made it famous and hope to inspire the world to make better food choices, not just for health but for the betterment of humanity and animals,” she stated.
“In terms of product selection, I would try to clean up what’s out there right now, and add to the line by launching clean, nutrient-dense products, such as the cottage cheese that has been discussed, as well as some improved formulas for favourites such as the mozzarella. This will take time because getting product to shelf isn’t done overnight, but that is the direction we’d take.”
Why Schinner exited Miyoko’s Creamery
Courtesy: Miyoko’s Creamery
But how did we get here? Miyoko’s Creamery’s products (which include cheeses and butters made from cashew or oat milk) are available in over 20,000 retail doors in the US. But in June 2022, when the company was worth $260M, Schinner was ousted from her role as CEO by the board.
The news wasn’t made public until months later, when Miyoko’s Creamery sued its founder for an alleged breach of contract, a violation of trade secrets, and stealing company IP. Schinner, in turn, countersued, saying she was “blindsided” and alleging that sexism led to her dismissal.
She claimed that recently hired male executives discriminated against women in the company, and that multiple HR complaints about the same are what led to her being forced out. She accused then-COO René Weber of having “openly denigrated women, their expertise and their contributions at Miyoko’s”.
Schinner added that after raising an HR complaint about an operational consultant hired at an investor’s request, the company “swiftly retaliated against [Schinner] by demoting her and then terminating her”.
Publicly, the board claimed Schinner’s exit came as she lacked the necessary skills to take Miyoko’s Creamery to the next level as its CEO. However, two months later, there was a resolution between the company and its founder, with both withdrawing legal claims and settling their disputes.
The company hired former Coca-Cola and Beyond Meat executive Stuart Kronauger as its new CEO, whom Schinner later threw her weight behind. As part of her revitalisation plan, the company closed its Petaluma factory in Sonoma County, with 30-40 jobs being affected as it moved to a co-manufacturing setup.
According to Bloomberg, the company was already aiming to raise funds and prepare for a potential sale in late 2023, after sales fell by 24% on the back of sustained deficits for years.
Schinner doubtful of bid success, but ‘might start something new’
Courtesy: Eva Kolenko
Despite the outpouring of public support, Schinner’s effort to win back her namesake company may be unsuccessful.
“48 hours wasn’t enough to solidify deals, figure out the structure of a new entity, and make sure that the funds would not be a simple spin on a roulette wheel,” she wrote in a social media post, adding that she would find out on Monday (November 10) if she had won, and begin refunding the donations if her bid wasn’t accepted.
“Had the company approached me at the outset and offered to sell it back to me, this might have been a different story. Instead, I found out about the auction through word of mouth, through the public sphere. It was shock, and honestly, PTSD for me,” noted Schinner.
“But at the same time, the last few days have been the most exhilarating experience as well, one that showed me how much love there is out there. It has encouraged me to become bolder in speaking my thoughts about food, the food system, animals, and what we as humans need to do to be truthful to ourselves and others.”
In an interview with Green Queen last month, Schinner had said she did not miss running Miyoko’s Creamery. “My thinking about food systems has evolved much in the years since, and in many ways, I am grateful for this,” she said. “We have a big problem to tackle for the animals, humanity, and the planet, and I feel better situated now to do so than if I were running a company.”
True to this, the entrepreneur told AgFunderNews she didn’t plan on being CEO or running operations if she won Miyoko’s Creamery back. But in her latest social media post, she reflected on her evolving views about how best to serve the food system.
“And although I thought I wouldn’t consider it, I might yet start something anew – a different sort of food company. The kind I envision wouldn’t exist in the current consolidated food system, so I have to think deeply about how I can live my ethics within the one we currently have. Finding the right partners – to work with and to invest in me – is also key,” she said.
“You can take the product out of the person, but you can’t take the person out of the product.”
A majority of Americans agree that students should have access to plant-based meals and non-dairy milk in school lunches, aligning with a bipartisan bill in the Senate.
School students should be able to drink soy milk in their lunches if they want to, according to most Americans surveyed on the subject.
Considering the prevalence of lactose intolerance in the US and the environmental blemishes of the dairy industry, access to plant-based milk in schools should be a no-brainer. But the Big Money of Big Dairy ensures that it’s kept away from cafeterias.
It’s something politicians from across the aisle agree with, as do a majority of citizens, as a 2,200-person poll by Morning Consult and the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) revealed.
Americans are in favour of plant-based milk and meals in schools
Courtesy: PCRM/Morning Consult
Lactose malabsorption rates are especially high among people of colour in the US, with 65% of Hispanic and 75% of Black Americans suffering from the condition. That number rises to 90% for Asian Americans and 95% for Native Americans.
In absolute terms, government data shows that 30 to 50 million Americans (up to 15% of the population) suffer from lactose intolerance, and consumer awareness is dismally low. Only 13% of respondents to the PCRM poll correctly estimate this range, while 8% believe the number is over 50 million. Surprisingly, two in five Americans don’t know or have no opinion about lactose intolerance rates.
The survey reveals that men are more likely (24%) to correctly estimate that lactose intolerance affects over 30 million Americans than women (19%). People over 65 and non-Hispanic Americans are less likely to guess correctly.
Still, when asked if school students should have access to vegan meals and dairy-free milk, 67% of Americans agree, and only 14% say no.
This sentiment gets less popular with age: 72% of adults aged 18-34 say these options should be available on school lunches, though this falls to 61% for those aged 65 and above. Asian Americans are also in favour of this (84%), much more than white respondents (65%).
PCRM, whose Healthy School Food campaign provides free resources for schools to include plant-based recipes that meet USDA guidelines, highlighted the health benefits of expanded access to vegan options.
“Serving plant-based meals, which are higher in fibre and lower in fat than typical school lunches, can help students fight obesity, type 2 diabetes, and even early signs of heart disease and set them up for a lifetime of good health,” said Stephanie McBurnett, a nutrition educator at the organisation. “It also introduces children to healthier meals that they might not be seeing at home.”
Courtesy: PCRM/Morning Consult
Public opinion aligns with Senate bill and dietary guidelines
The survey shines a light on a political hot topic. Current law only guarantees students a substitute for cow’s milk if a parent submits a physician’s note documenting a disability, and prohibits schools from proactively offering soy milk on the lunch line.
Currently, the National School Lunch Act requires kids to have cow’s milk on their trays for schools to be reimbursed by the government, irrespective of whether it suits them or not. The USDA already reimburses schools for 1% and non-fat cow’s milk, providing $1B to institutions across the country.
Under the FISCAL Act – a rehash of the ADD SOY Act from 2023 – schools would be reimbursed for non-dairy milk too, and students will be able to get notes from parents and legal guardians, too, to guarantee access to these products.
Facilitated by Switch4Good, the Center for a Humane Economy, and Animal Wellness Action, the bill was passed by the House Education and Workforce Committee and the Senate Agriculture Committee. It’s now awaiting discussion in the full Senate and House of Representatives, when the ongoing government shutdown ends, before heading to the desk of President Donald Trump.
PCRM noted that the current Dietary Guidelines for Americans recognise fortified soy milk as nutritionally equivalent to dairy. And in the update coming later this year, scientists advising the government have recommended an emphasis on beans, peas, lentils and other plant proteins over meat.
With public support for the measure apparent, now is the time for the government to expand access to sustainable and healthy school lunch options. McBurnett, herself a parent to school-going children, said: “We need to raise awareness that most Americans think that school lunch lines should include healthier options, including plant-based meals and non-dairy milk alternatives that can help keep students healthy.”
A new federal bill calls on the US government to create a $10M pilot grant programme to expand voluntary access to plant-based meals in schools.
Two US House Representatives are asking the administration to walk the talk when it comes to children’s nutrition, proposing an act that would help school districts serve healthy plant-based meals and make non-dairy milks more accessible.
The Plant Powered School Meals Pilot Act, introduced by Democratic Congresswomen Nydia Velázquez and Alma Adams, would create a $10M voluntary grant programme to provide better-for-you, climate-friendly and culturally appropriate vegan entrées to school students.
It is a reintroduction of Velázquez’s Healthy Future Students and Earth Pilot Program Act from 2023, with the funds enabling training for foodservice staff, additional labour costs, and providing nutrition education to children.
The move has garnered support from physicians, dietitians, parents, and school students, as well as food security, climate and nutrition campaigners. A Senate introduction of the bill is expected too.
“Students need and deserve adequate food choices at school, given the amount of time they spend there each day. Driven by health, environmental, philosophical, religious, and other considerations, a growing number of students and their families are requesting more plant-based meal options at school,” Frances Chrzan, senior federal policy manager at Mercy For Animals, told Green Queen.
How the funds will promote access to plant-based food
Courtesy: SDI Productions/Getty Images
According to the bill’s text, the grants would run for a three-year period. Among the eligibility criteria are districts’ plans to use the funds to serve more children entitled to free or discounted meals, collaborate with community-based organisations and farmers, and incorporate experiential, culturally appropriate meals (including vegan meat alternatives) or education activities related to 100% plant-based food.
Importantly, the programme is entirely voluntary and does not restrict or eliminate animal proteins – instead, it seeks to expand choice and help schools overcome barriers like limited funding, training, and technical support.
The funds made available by the act would provide for culinary training and technical assistance for school foodservice operators and staff, as well as any extra labour costs incurred from preparing and serving plant-based options.
They would also cover the procurement costs of plant-based proteins and milk from socially disadvantaged and local producers, and enable partnerships with small businesses and producers for professional development and training.
Moreover, the grants would allow schools to conduct taste tests and provide nutrition education to students, and ensure that school districts that serve a high population of food-insecure students are prioritised.
“Improving the quality of school meals is a vital way to reduce racial health disparities, since students of colour are more likely to depend on these meals as their primary nutrition source,” said Chrzan. “Including more plant-based options would better align school meals with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, which advise increasing fibre intake and diversifying protein sources.”
Non-dairy milk in the federal spotlight
Courtesy: USDA/Flickr
The Plant Powered School Meals Pilot Act doesn’t just stop at entrées – it’s fighting for the tens of millions of Americans who suffer from lactose intolerance, or choose not to drink dairy.
Current federal law only guarantees students a substitute for cow’s milk if a parent submits a physician’s note documenting a disability, and prohibits schools from proactively offering soy milk on the lunch line. And the National School Lunch Act requires kids to have cow’s milk on their trays for schools to be reimbursed by the government.
However, this new bill would require schools to offer non-dairy milk to any student upon a written request from a parent or guardian, even if they don’t have a disability. It also authorises school districts to provide milk alternatives to any student as part of a reimbursable meal without the need for a physician’s note.
“This requirement places a financial and administrative burden on families, which disproportionately affects students of colour,” explained Chrzan. “The cost of a doctor’s visit and the time a parent must take off work are unnecessary barriers that can prevent students from getting the nourishment they need at school.”
The move is reminiscent of the Freedom in School Cafeterias and Lunches (FISCAL) Act, a bipartisan bill introduced by Democratic Senators John Fetterman and Cory Booker and Republican Senator John Kennedy earlier this year. It is awaiting discussion in the full Senate and House of Representatives, once the ongoing government shutdown ends, before heading to the desk of President Donald Trump.
“Both bills address the inequitable barriers that students face regarding dairy-free milk at school. Besides addressing foods served at school, the Plant Powered School Meals Pilot Act addresses concerns from many schools that, due to the subsidisation of dairy, plant-based milk can be more expensive to procure,” said Chrzan.
Indeed, this latest bill would assist schools by covering cost differences between dairy and nondairy milk, especially in districts with high rates of lactose intolerance. “The act authorises a pilot programme for providing resources to schools to address these funding concerns. However it’s done, Congress must make it easier for all students to access healthy dairy-free milk,” she said.
Healthy school meals are not a partisan issue
Courtesy: PCRM/Morning Consult
On a public level, there’s broad support for the reforms proposed by Representatives Velázquez and Adams. A recent survey showed that two-thirds of American adults agree that school students should have access to plant-based meals and dairy-free milk.
Many students have spoken out in support of this, too. Emily Lin, a high school student at El Monte Union High School District in California, believes vegan options would transform school nutrition and improve student health. “As a low-income high school student, I depend on school meals for my daily nutrition, yet accommodating a plant-forward diet has been a constant challenge,” she said.
“This struggle isn’t mine alone – every day, I watch friends skip lunch because of food allergies, see students unable to eat meals that conflict with their religious practices, and hear about families struggling to get a doctor’s note just to get non-dairy milk for their children.”
But will this effort succeed? Unlike the proposed FISCAL Act, this bill isn’t bipartisan – all its sponsors are Democrats, who are in the minority across the current administration.
Chrzan argued that offering healthy school meals for children shouldn’t be a partisan issue. “This administration has often stressed the importance of a healthy diet and the need to tackle chronic diet-related diseases. The Plant Powered School Meals Pilot Act gives Congress a direct way to invest in healthier kids and a stronger future,” she said.
That said, will the Trump administration be willing to fund an initiative that could hurt the livestock lobby, especially at a time when government funding is being gutted (even for causes as crucial as food stamps) and politicians are at loggerheads over how best to use federal resources?
Chrzan reiterates that children’s health is a fundamental priority: “Even when budgets are tight, this bill represents one of the most effective ways Congress can make a strategic, long-term investment in healthier kids and a healthier national future.”
Swedish oat milk pioneer Oatly delivered profitable growth for the first time in its four years as a public company in Q3 2025, thanks to its “Gen Z-driven flavour bonanza” strategy.
With a taste-forward strategy that’s already bearing fruit in Europe, Oatly has posted its first quarter of profitable growth since its Summer 2021 IPO.
The oat milk maker’s revenue for the July to September period reached $222.8M, a 7% increase from Q3 2024, and its highest quarterly total ever. After adjusting for foreign exchange impact, its constant currency revenue still expanded by 3.8%.
Its adjusted EBITDA – revenue excluding all non-operational and one-time expenses – was $3.1M, compared to a loss of $5M in the corresponding period a year ago. This was primarily driven by a near-7% rise in gross profit, and lower R&D, selling, general and administrative costs.
This success came largely on the back of consistent performance in Europe and a strong quarter in the Greater China segment, which was partially offset by weakening sales in the US.
That said, Oatly still reported a $65.3M net loss for Q3 2025, nearly doubling from the same period last year, largely due to fair value losses on convertible notes.
“To be clear, profitability is not our finish line. It’s a marker of progress, a crucial credibility milestone, and even more important, a ramp-up for future profitable growth,” said Oatly CEO Jean-Christophe Flatin, who has overseen a 20% hike in sales since joining the company three years ago.
“We see significant potential ahead of us, and we are confident that we are taking the right steps to drive durable, scalable, and profitable growth as we execute on our mission,” he said.
Why Oatly is thriving in Europe
Courtesy: Oatly
The highlight of Oatly’s Q3 success was its Europe and International segment, where revenue increased by 12% to reach $123.3M, and volumes were up by 8.4%. Much like previous quarters, most of its sales in this region (79%) came from the retail channel.
Oatly attributed the European performance to its refresh playbook, which aims to drive relevance, attack barriers to conversion, and increase distribution. “To do so, we’re partnering with our customers to make their menus and shelves much more relevant for the taste and flavour-obsessed Gen Z,” COO Daniel Ordonez told analysts in an earnings call.
He noted that the company’s 60+ barista market developers look to renovate foodservice menus by being ahead of the trend curve with drinks that use Oatly as a “default experience canvas”, not just as an alternative to cow’s milk: “As these drinks generate vast awareness, consumer engagement and trial, our growth naturally shows up first in the foodservice channel, with retail following.”
Oatly’s foodservice performance began accelerating late last year, and drove a 28% year-on-year increase in Q3. At the same time, the retail business shifted from a 4% growth in the last two quarters to 11% in the July to September period, surpassing the overall plant-based milk category.
“As consumers engage with our products in the foodservice channel, they naturally look for our products in retail,” Ordonez said. That dynamic can be seen in Germany, which was home to the launch of Oatly’s new Future of Taste trends report this month, and saw cafés introduce drinks inspired by its ‘lookbooks’ to capitalise on what he termed “the Gen Z-driven flavour bonanza”.
These actions have driven over 45% foodservice growth for five straight quarters, which, according to Ordonez, led to strong retail performance (with revenue up by 14% in the last 12 weeks). “Germany is our success story and an example of how this strategy can and will drive repeatable, consistent results,” he said.
Oatly is witnessing similar trends across its other large European markets, like the UK and Sweden, where year-on-year retail sales rose by about 4.5% in Q3. “In a nutshell, we see that our experience and taste-driven strategy hits the bull’s eye of what young and not-so-young generations are expecting,” the COO said. “Oatly is creating relevance and generating category demand again.”
Courtesy: Oatly
Oatly doubles down on taste-led approach in ‘complex’ US market
Outside Europe, Oatly enjoyed a good quarter in Greater China too, following years of struggles in the region, which led the company to kickstart a strategic review earlier this year. Here, revenues were up by 29% to $37.4M, two-thirds of which came from the foodservice sector.
“The strategic review is ongoing, and we continue to evaluate a range of options, including a potential carve-out with the goal of accelerating growth and maximising the value of this business,” Flatin said in the earnings call.
However, the oat milk giant’s trials in the US continued, reflective of trends in the overall plant-based category. Last week, Flatin blamed the decline in non-dairy milk sales in the country on consumer indifference to sustainability claims and “too much greenwashing”.
Oatly’s North America revenue decreased by 10% in Q3 225, reaching $62.1M. And its volumes were down by 12.8%, which it ascribed to a “reduction in sales to the segment’s largest foodservice customer” and the discontinuation of certain frozen products.
As Ordonez pointed out, though, there has been some underlying progress. Excluding the impact of these headwinds, the company’s revenue grew by 5% in Q3 and by 4% year-to-date in this region. Its biggest foodservice client also only represents 10% of its business now, versus 30% three years ago.
Courtesy: Oatly
“We are being thoughtful, deliberate, and disciplined in rolling out our playbook in North America. Given the success in Europe and International, we know what’s possible,” said Ordonez. “The underlying category, coffee, and consumer trends are extremely similar in both regions. However, our execution is a few steps behind.”
He added that the US market is also “more complex”, and the company doesn’t expect to grow as quickly here as it is in Europe. “Make no mistake, though: we are committed to driving the performance that we expect in these critical segments,” he said. “With sharp, locally relevant execution, our playbook can drive strong, profitable growth in North America, but step-by-step.”
Here, too, it’s betting on younger consumers like Gen Z and Alpha, who are “obsessed with flavour and taste”. “We do believe the taste-focused approach is the right approach for the US,” Ordonez said. “Of course, we’re adapting to the nuances of taste and […] formats. We are under no illusion that things are identical when it comes to the product offering in both markets.”
Reflecting on Oatly’s overall performance and profitable growth in Q3, he wrote on social media: “This milestone signals that our strategy is working while building a stronger, more focused business. A growth strategy that sees us operate in a much bigger playground, making menus in foodservice and shelves in retail more relevant and exciting. An ‘an alternative to milk’ no more, but a drinks-experience canvas that is relevant to all, not just for a few.”
In Germany, a vegan shopping basket is now 5% more affordable than one with meat, dairy and seafood, reversing a trend that has long plagued the adoption of plant-based alternatives.
Following a year when sales of plant-based food rose by 1.5% (compared to much wider losses in other markets), and consumption of meat and milk hit historic lows, Germany is now offering a further incentive for people to eat vegan.
In the era of inflation, the cost of plant-based alternatives is now lower than meat, dairy and seafood across seven of the country’s eight biggest supermarkets.
The data, compiled from 153 stores by ProVeg International, reveals that a vegan shopping basket is 5% cheaper than one containing animal products today. That’s a big shift from 2024, when the former carried a 16% price premium.
Lidl, which has pledged to increase its share of plant-based food sales by 20% by 2030, offers the best cost savings. The cheapest non-dairy and meat-free products here are 18% cheaper than their conventional counterparts. This is no surprise, given that the retailer introduced price parity for vegan products under its private-label Vemondo brand back in 2023, and the cost advantage of a plant-based basket was already 3% last year.
The only retailer where being vegan is more expensive is Netto, where meat and dairy alternatives are still 11% costlier.
“Within three years, the price ratio for plant-based shopping has reversed: what was once a 52% surcharge [in 2022] has become a 5% price advantage,” noted ProVeg market expert Virginia Cecchini Kuskow.
Graphic by Green Queen
Plant-based milk more affordable everywhere, even with higher VAT
ProVeg found that half of the 12 plant-based categories assessed are cheaper than their animal equivalents, up from just a third in 2024. That rises to seven out of 12 at Edeka, Rewe, and Lidl. Even at Netto, five product segments are more economical than animal proteins.
Consistent with the previous two years, non-dairy milk is the only plant-based category less expensive across all supermarkets analysed, offering a nine-cent advantage over cow’s milk.
That said, the cheapest milk alternatives aren’t fortified with essential micronutrients or suited to coffee drinks, making them less nutritionally and functionally complete than dairy. Fortified or barista-style plant-based milks are usually much more expensive.
There is a caveat here. Cow’s milk only carries a 7% VAT in Germany, while plant-based milk suffers from a 19% surcharge. Retailers like Rewe have been calling on the government to introduce a more equitable tax rate, and if it does, private-label non-dairy milks will become significantly cheaper than cow’s milk, while the rest will likely reach parity.
Vegan burgers are also more wallet-friendly wherever they’re available, as are cold cuts, sausages, sliced cheese and schnitzels in seven of the eight supermarkets.
Yoghurt, fish sticks and cream cheese are the only products that are more expensive than animal-derived versions in all retailers – though the latter category saw the largest average price decrease this year (€2 cheaper than 2024). In fact, vegan mince and pizzas were the only categories where prices were hiked up this year.
The overall reductions in prices can usher in a big shift towards plant-based alternatives. A study earlier this year found that price parity is no longer enough – undercutting the cost of animal proteins is crucial for greater uptake of vegan products.
“Many people only turn to plant-based alternatives more frequently when they are significantly cheaper than animal products. The fact that the plant-based basket of goods is now cheaper on average is a strong signal that a plant-based diet can also be economically attractive,” said lead author Steffen Jahn.
Graphic by Green Queen
Availability and pack sizes are key price levers
Aside from price, access to products is crucial for consumers to actually enjoy the benefits. ProVeg found that plant-based alternatives had an average availability of 75% in the survey period, indicating that many stores don’t carry a retailer’s full vegan range.
Some fare better than others. At Kaufland and Rewe, the average availability was 94%, while Aldi Süd (53%) and Aldi Nord (52%) were on the opposite end of the spectrum. In terms of products, plant-based milk (99%), cold cuts (98%) and sausages (93%) were the most readily available across Germany, which is Europe’s largest market for plant-based food.
The pricing of plant-based products is also significantly influenced by the packaging size, which is often smaller than animal proteins. For instance, vegan sausages are often available in 200g packs, but pork sausages can be found in 300-540g packs.
“The fact that the plant-based basket is, on average, cheaper is true under the condition of similar package sizes. However, if the price per kilo were considered without considering the packaging size, a different picture would emerge,” ProVeg said.
The organisation noted that the price of a plant-based basket is therefore particularly attractive for smaller households, but the benefits are less clear for more populated ones.
Courtesy: Anay Mridul/Green Queen
“Packaging sizes can significantly influence purchasing and eating habits,” said Cecchini Kuskow. “Oversized packaging should be avoided for animal products, while larger packages are perfectly acceptable for plant-based alternatives.”
ProVeg advised retailers to actively communicate the price advantages of plant-based alternatives, increase product availability, introduce larger packs and more SKUs, and optimise nutritional profiles.
It also called on the German government to reduce the VAT on dairy-free milk to 7% and work to permanently exempt vegan products from tax (aligning with the national dietary guidelines), support protein diversification and plant protein cultivation, and strengthen R&D capabilities through investment.
The ProVeg study comes weeks after research showed that climate-change-induced price hikes for meat mean plant-based analogues are now priced the same or cheaper in the UK.
While sales of meat alternatives fell by 7% in the US in 2024, MyForest Foods’s clean-label mycelium bacon grew fourfold, both in terms of sales and retail presence.
The conversation around vegan meat products revolves more around ultra-processing and meme stocks than their food tech breakthroughs or health and environmental benefits.
And when you track the sales of these products, it’s clear there’s a cause-and-effect relationship. In the US, consumer purchases of plant-based meat declined by 7% in 2024; their price tags inflated by 4%.
People are instead flocking to products with short ingredient lists and minimal processing. Many brands are losing out as the pace of innovation slows – but some are emerging victorious.
MyForest Foods, the food-focused arm of New York-based mycelium company Ecovative, is one of them. The company has made its name on its flagship MyBacon product, which is the fastest-selling vegan bacon in the natural channel, according to SPINS data. In fact, its unit sales per week are about 300% faster than the category average.
These results made 2024 – in Ecovative founder and CEO Eben Bayer’s words – a “breakout year for MyForest Foods”, when retail expansion and repeat customer purchases propelled MyForest Foods’s year-on-year growth by 300%.
“Our biggest focus in 2024 and into 2025 was becoming direct margin positive, which we achieved this past quarter, while also posting 40% quarterly growth for the past four quarters,” he tells Green Queen.
Now, the company has introduced a pulled pork product using its whole-cut mycelium platform and expanded its partnership with Whole Foods Market. Both MyBacon and MyPulledPork have been rolled out into 520 of its stores nationwide.
“We expect to cross double-digit millions in 2026 and are on track to be EBITDA-positive in the first half of 2027,” says Bayer. “We’re producing more, shipping more, and seeing steady velocity across every region.”
How MyForest Foods uses mycelium to make bacon and pulled pork
Courtesy: MyForest Foods
MyForest Foods produces mycelium using its proprietary AirMycelium tech, which grows mushrooms on an industrial scale in vertical farms. “We have our own farm at our headquarters and work directly with mushroom farmers, converting traditional white and brown button mushroom farms to grow thick, fibrous oyster mushroom mycelium slabs that develop in just 12 days,” explains Bayer.
“The process starts with wood chips and seed hulls – natural byproducts from other industries – which we blend into a nutrient-rich growing base, known in mushroom farming as substrate. We then add oyster mushroom spawn, close the farm door and allow it to grow under our controlled environmental conditions, where we tune the moisture and airflow,” he adds.
Over the 12 days, the mycelium forms a dense yet tender and fibrous structure that “cooks, chews and satisfies just like pork”. “From there, we slice and season it to create the smoky, savoury flavour profiles people love, whether that’s bacon or pulled pork,” Bayer says.
Its products pair mycelium with coconut oil, sugar, natural flavouring, and salt. “What sets MyForest Foods apart is how naturally our products form; we aren’t made in a lab and don’t use binders, extruders, or complex processing. It’s food that’s simply grown and simply seasoned, straight from the farm.”
MyForest Foods has managed to scale production 15-fold year-over-year, aided by an $11M funding round for Ecovative in March. It was then that Bayer teased a shredded mycelium product, which has now resulted in MyPulled Pork. The idea came from the brand’s sales team, which noticed a gap in the market for this product. It was also a dish its R&D team was already developing internally.
“To grow it, we take the same delicious organic oyster mushroom mycelium we use for MyBacon, shred those cuts, give them a double brine, and package them as MyPulledPork,” he says. “One of the reasons folks love this is it’s so easy to cook and prepare; a tender, flavourful, centre-of-the-plate product that is ready in only eight minutes, [and] can take on any flavour.”
MyForest Foods goes on tour amid retail expansion
Courtesy: Ecovative
In the last 12 months, MyForest Foods has more than quadrupled its retail footprint. Its products are now available in over 2,500 stores in all 50 states, spanning both natural and conventional grocery channels.
“Recent additions include Hannaford, Schnucks, Price Chopper, Giant, and Natural Grocers, with new retailers joining every month,” says Bayer. “2,500 locations are just the beginning – we’re only getting started and expect even stronger growth in 2026.”
Though grocery remains its primary focus, the brand has entered foodservice this year, and received a FABI award at the National Restaurant Association Show, which will help build momentum in this channel.
Now, MyForest Foods is taking its products on the road, tailgating in Arizona, Florida, Georgia and Texas next month. “The tasting tour is about creating that first-bite moment,” said Bayer. “It’s a chance for people to experience, not just hear about, what makes MyForest Foods’s products different, through flavour, texture, and a simple, satisfying eating experience.”
He adds: “Many of these are new markets for us, or we had only one or two independents carrying MyBacon or MyPulledPork, including Arizona. The tour is an opportunity to introduce these products, where they haven’t been as available as they were in New England or California.”
New product formats in the works, including beef and chicken
Courtesy: MyForest Foods
Bayer ascribes MyBacon’s success to the fact that it “cooks, sizzles, and smells” like pork, is made with nearly 100% organic ingredients, mainly farm-fresh gourmet oyster mushroom mycelium. It’s the “kind of food they want to eat and share” at a time when ultra-processed meat alternatives are losing favour fast.
Interestingly, the mycelium bacon only contains 1.5g of protein per cooked slice, about half as much as its conventional counterpart. Given today’s protein-hungry landscape, that would seem like a problem. However, the company’s revenue figures tell a different story.
Bayer has a simple solution for those looking to pack more protein: simply eat more of his product. “If you’re chasing a protein goal, just double your serving. You’ll hit your protein and fibre targets while getting a treat that feels indulgent and tastes incredible,” he says.
“MyBacon isn’t meant to be a centre-of-plate meal, but we definitely have customers who eat a whole pack in one sitting and email us to tell us how much they love it,” he adds. “For something heartier, MyPulledPork offers 9g of protein and 6g of fibre per serving with more ounces in a pack, making it a great fit for family dinners or post-gym recovery.”
Future products could fulfil this need. “Our R&D team is developing new whole-cut formats. We’re experimenting with beef and chicken alternatives, as well as new flavour profiles for MyBacon,” he says. “The goal for a new product is always the same: keep it simple, keep it delicious, and let mushroom mycelium do the heavy lifting.”
Plant-based companies are no longer allowed to label ground meat products as ‘mince’ in the Netherlands, according to a new ruling by the government’s food regulator.
The Dutch government’s goal to make half of the national protein intake come from plants by 2030 is already in motion, with meat consumption falling to its lowest levels since records began. But its food regulator has just made things harder.
In a new ruling, the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA) has instructed vegan protein makers to stop using the term ‘plant-based mince’ on ground meat alternatives.
The regulator is asking companies to change how they label these long-standing products, or risk facing fines. But critics argue that the decision is based on a 27-year-old law that did not mention and does not apply to plant-based products.
“This sudden enforcement contradicts earlier guidance and risks confusing – rather than protecting – consumers, who clearly understand the meaning of ‘plant-based mince’. And the worst thing? It could hinder national goals for the protein transition,” said Rutger Rozendaal, CEO of The Vegetarian Butcher, part of the JBS-owned The Vegetarian Butcher Collective with fellow plant protein leader Vivera.
NVWA decision invokes 1998 law not meant for plant-based category
Courtesy: The Vegetarian Butcher
The NVWA issued the warning in a letter to six manufacturers and retailers, who sell plant-based mince from major brands or their private labels. That includes The Vegetarian Butcher and Vivera, which have been using the term for 15 years.
The announcement is being seen as a surprise, especially since the ban exclusively impacts plant-based mince products – vegan burgers, chicken pieces, and sausages are still all fair game.
“We didn’t see this coming. We never get complaints about it from consumers,” Rozendaal told EenVandaag, which first reported the news. “So it was a shock when the letter with the warning arrived. We immediately called everyone together and said: ‘What’s going on here?’”
The NVWA’s decision is based on a Commodities Act Decree on meat products from 1998, in which ‘minced meat’ was deemed a protected designation only to be used on animal proteins. The regulator said it came across the term ‘plant-based mince’ during an investigation into the use and labelling of additives in meat alternatives.
“Checking and enforcing the designation ‘vegetarian mince’ isn’t a high priority for the NVWA. That’s why we haven’t done so in recent years,” an NVWA spokesperson told NU.nl. “But now that we’ve encountered violations during the project, we can’t ignore them.”
But industry representatives believe the NVWA is nitpicking by citing the decree. As The Vegetarian Butcher points out, the law was published at a time when plant-based alternatives were virtually non-existent, and so wasn’t intended to ban the use of the term on these products.
“At the time, there were specific issues surrounding the composition of ground meat,” said Rozendaal. “These rules are intended to ensure the food safety of meat. This doesn’t apply to the plant-based sector and therefore shouldn’t apply to this category.”
He added: “The term ‘plant-based mince’ clearly indicates a plant-based alternative and doesn’t infringe on that. [It] has become commonplace, and research shows that consumers are well aware of whether a product is vegetarian or vegan. A name change would actually create more confusion.”
Plant-based industry calls for government talks to modernise labelling laws
Courtesy: Vivera
All inspections and correspondence have been completed by NVWA, and if companies fail to make the change now, the agency can enforce it via penalties, including daily fines.
The Green Protein Alliance, a sustainability-led association representing supermarkets and meat-free producers, noted that other meat terms, like schnitzels, aren’t listed as protected designations under Dutch law. It’s why companies can continue to use them.
“We actually believe the term ‘plant-based mince’ should also be valid, as it clearly indicates it’s made from plant-based sources,” Jessie van Hattum, a protein transition specialist at the alliance, told EenVandaag.
The organisation has helped develop a Protein Tracker for supermarkets, in line with the government’s goal to bring a balance between animal and plant protein intake. Currently, 85% of retailers in the country are using the tool to drive up sales of plant-based food towards a 60% share by 2030.
“A name change will make achieving these goals more difficult, as familiar words like ‘gehakt’ [minced meat] contribute to the transition,” argued Rozendaal, calling for talks with the NVWA and the government to collaborate on clear and modern labelling regulations.
The company has been in a similar situation before. In 2012, the NVWA cited the same law to ask it to stop using the term ‘gehakt’ on its vegan mince – in response, the brand changed the label to ‘gehackt’. And in 2017, the regulator issued a warning against its use of terms like ‘fish-free tuna’ and ‘smoked bacon bits’, but withdrew the complaint after public and media outcry.
The Dutch crackdown on vegan minced meat comes weeks after the EU Parliament voted in favour of a ban on meat-like terms across a wide range of plant-based alternatives, in direct contrast with the body’s decision against the measure in 2020. The proposal will now be brought to the EU Commission and Council, and needs approval from all member states – some are already rallying against it.
A new study from France suggests that nutritious plant-based diets high in UPFs don’t lower the risk of heart disease more than minimally processed, meat-rich diets. But experts warn it is highly misleading.
Does highly processed equal bad for you?
It’s a question that has had health experts sparring with each other ever since the idea of ultra-processed foods (UPF) hit the mainstream.
According to the Nova classification, devised in 2009, UPFs are made via industrial formulations and techniques like extrusion or pre-frying, featuring cosmetic additives and substances deemed to be of little culinary use. Basically, if you can’t make it in your kitchen, there’s a good chance it’s a UPF.
That definition, however, has been criticised as too broad and arbitrary and it has spawned an entire movement against processed foods – there’s now a Non-UPF Verified label for companies to put on their products, and California has banned these products from school cafeterias. Even the Trump administration is being called upon to regulate UPFs as part of its Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) movement.
All this has stemmed from research linking UPFs with a variety of health conditions, heart disease among them. Plant-based products like meat and cheese alternatives have been caught in the crossfire too, with consumers voting with their wallets and sales dropping by 7% and 4% in the US in 2024, respectively.
Many of these studies are highly misleading and serve as a launchpad for attention-grabbing headlines that completely miss the point. For example, in a widely covered study last year, plant-based meat products accounted for only 0.2% of all UPF calories eaten; media coverage sought to blame “fake meats” instead of the real culprits.
That seems to have happened again with newly published research from France, which argues that even nutritious plant-based diets don’t pose any cardiovascular benefits if they’re high in UPFs, compared to meat-heavy diets with low intake of ultra-processed products. However, read between the lines, and the truth is somewhat skewed.
What does the study say about plant-based UPFs?
Courtesy: VegFather
The study, published in The Lancet Regional Health, was conducted by researchers at public research bodies INRAE and Inserm, and education institutes CNAM and Université Sorbonne Paris Nord. They analysed health data from nearly 64,000 adults participating in the French NutriNet-Santé cohort, and followed up with them after 9.1 years on average.
Their findings suggest that people whose diets were rich in nutritious plant-based foods – those low in sugar, salt and fat – with little to no industrial processing had a 40% lower risk of developing cardiovascular disease than those who eat high amounts of animal products and fewer plant-based ones.
That is consistent with a range of other studies, which have found that plant-rich diets – thanks to their lower saturated fat and cholesterol content – are much more beneficial for heart health than meat-based diets.
Even among people who predominantly ate plant-based foods, the French researchers found that diets that were lower in nutritional quality and ultra-processed were linked with a 40% greater risk of cardiovascular disease than diets rich in nutritious products with minimal processing.
However, diets rich in both plants and UPFs did not lower cardiovascular risk more than diets heavy on meat and low on UPFs. That, the authors argued, highlights the need to consider both the nutritional quality and degree of processing in health discourse, and can support policies that promote nutritious, non-UPF plant-based foods.
“Future research could usefully explore the impact on health of different categories of ultra-processed foods, particularly plant-based substitutes,” they wrote.
The problem is, the researchers take a singular brush to plant-based foods, bundling ready-to-eat pastas, store-bought soups, and confectionery items with meat alternatives. Without reading the fine print, it leaves the impression that all plant-based UPFs are bad, which – as multiple other studies have revealed – is decidedly not the case.
Why the research is misleading about plant-based meat
Courtesy: Physicians Association for Nutrition/GFI Europe
There are several shortcomings and misleading elements in the study, according to Amy Williams, nutrition lead at the Good Food Institute (GFI) Europe. For instance, definitions of what comprises a ‘plant-based UPF’ were not standard, since this category included cakes and pastries containing animal products.
Moreover, the matrices ‘UPF healthy plant-based diet’ and ‘UPF unhealthy plant-based diet’ were confusingly named, as a majority of the participants in the study were meat-eaters – these matrices only tell us how much healthy or unhealthy plant foods people were eating relative to the rest of the group. Plant-based meat, incidentally, veered towards the healthy side, as it was generally made of legumes.
Speaking of which, meat alternatives were more commonly eaten in diets scoring highly on the ‘unprocessed healthy plant-based diet’ metric than any other diet, so the limited associations the paper does find likely do not bear much relevance.
“This study has nothing to tell us about the nutritional benefits of plant-based meat, which made up 0.1% of the food eaten by participants. It is based on food diaries taken an average of nine years ago – long before many of today’s plant-based meat products entered the market,” Williams tells Green Queen.
“Instead, as we see in other UPF studies, processed conventional meat was eaten far more widely, and featured most heavily in the ‘unhealthy UPF diet’ compared to any of the others. This food, which plant-based meat generally replaces, is consistently associated with adverse health outcomes.
“Anyone looking for a more robust source of evidence about plant-based meat should examine the randomised controlled trials, which have found that replacing conventional meat with this food can reduce LDL (bad) cholesterol, and support weight management,” notes Williams.
Research by GFI Europe and the Physicians Association for Nutrition has contended that most studies overlook important nuances of plant-based meat, which has a very different nutritional profile from most UPFs, potentially misleading consumers about their health impact.
And in a recent scientific advisory, the American Heart Association punctuated this point, stating that not all UPFs are unhealthy, and policymakers should nudge people towards healthier UPFs, which include whole plant foods, whole-grain breads, and meat and dairy alternatives low in sugar, salt, and fat.
Plant-based company Beyond Meat’s share price has been on a rollercoaster ride over the last week – short sellers, meme stocks, and a Walmart deal are all at play.
On Thursday, October 16, Beyond Meat’s share price crashed to an all-time low of 50 cents on Nasdaq, valuing the company at just $19M. Six days later, the plant-based burger maker was worth $3.5B.
That was courtesy of a more than 1,000% climb, which sent the Californian firm’s stock soaring to a high of $7.69 on Wednesday, before finishing the day at $3.58.
The rapid and volatile shift has kept Beyond Meat’s name in the headlines all week long, amid a backdrop of a sales slowdown that has forced the company to quit certain markets, conduct layoffs, restructure its debt, and deny rumours of a bankruptcy filing.
How Beyond Meat entered meme-stock territory
Courtesy: Nasdaq
The momentum for Beyond Meat’s rally began last week on Reddit, when Dubai-based real estate developer Dimitri Seminikhin (who goes by Capybara Stocks on social media), fuelled a large volume of purchases. He told Business Insider that he bought 4% of the company’s stock and felt the company’s recent debt swap deal is a better sign than what most investors have made it out to be.
He added that he saw the company’s recent moves – which include appointing a corporate restructuring consultant as interim chief transformation officer to become EBITDA-positive within the second half of 2026 – as buying time for growth or an acquisition. Seminikhin also said he wasn’t concerned about the declining sales of plant-based meat in the US.
What ensued has been compared to previous rallies of meme stocks like GameStop – in 2021, a trader rallied a group of online traders to send its stock price skyrocketing. Meme stocks are so called because they gain popularity based on social media hype, rather than a business’s financial performance.
The gains continued on Monday after Roundhill Investments added Beyond Meat to its Meme Stock ETF (exchange-traded fund), which helped fuel a short-squeeze. This phenomenon occurs when investors who bet against the company, by selling borrowed stock in hopes of buying it back on the cheap later, are forced to rush that process to protect themselves from losing more money.
Then, on Tuesday, the company announced an expanded distribution deal with Walmart, making its chicken pieces, Korean BBQ-style steak, and burger six-packs available at over 2,000 of the retailer’s stores nationwide. That got investors excited further, with Beyond Meat’s stock price closing at $3.62, its highest in nearly three months.
Still, the firm is very much in the weeds, with demand weakening and its stock price a far cry from the high of $234.90 in 2019, its debut year on the Nasdaq stock exchange.
Beyond Meat’s recent moves exhibit ‘road to profitability’
Courtesy: Beyond Meat/Karola G/Pexels
The BYND stock’s rollercoaster journey on the capital market comes amid a testing period for plant-based meat’s poster child.
The firm recorded its lowest quarterly revenue in Q1 2025, reaching $69M and it secured $100M in debt financing from Unprocessed Foods, a subsidiary of Ahimsa Foundation, a non-profit advancing plant-based diets. In the ensuing three months, Beyond Meat’s sales fell by 20% compared to the year-ago period.
In February, it announced that it would lay off 9% of its global workforce, or 64 employees, which included all its staff in China, where it has suspended operations. And in August, it said it would let go of 44 employees in North America, though it isn’t clear if this is part of the same job cuts as above, or an additional round of layoffs.
The stock has been declining steadily, and the crash accelerated last month, when Beyond Meat proposed an exchange offer for convertible bonds to eliminate over $800M of debt. The company’s current debt amounts to $1.15B, thanks to 0% convertible notes that will mature in 2027.
Under its proposal, these would be swapped for higher-interest 7% notes that are due in 2030, plus stock shares. The firm needed 85% of its holders to agree to this by the end of October, but 97% did so by last week, which took the stock to an all-time low.
This is the action Seminikhin is bullish about. Speaking to Business Insider, he outlined his thesis of investing in the company: a “fundamentally misunderstood” conversion event, a technical setup leading to a short squeeze, and a strong balance sheet and book value post-conversion”.
Beyond Meat’s recent move to move, well, beyond meat and spotlight traditional plant proteins was also praised by the online trader. The company this week launched Beyond Test Kitchen, a marketplace where it’s selling limited-edition drops of new products, including a four-ingredient Beyond Ground and a whole-cut mycelium steak.
“For the first time in a long time for Beyond Meat, there’s a road to profitability and growth that’s being written,” said Seminikhin.
Burger King Austria has announced that all hot drinks will now be made exclusively with Oatly’s Baristamatic oat milk, phasing out cow’s milk while retaining the price.
In a move intended to encourage the uptake of sustainable options, Burger King Austria is dumping the cow for oats.
The fast-food chain is now offering Oatly’s Baristamatic oat milk as the default option for hot drinks in all stores across the country, whether it’s a cappuccino or a hot chocolate. Dairy is no longer available as a choice for these menu items.
The decision is part of Burger King’s drive to offer more climate-friendly offerings to customers without a compromise on flavour. “Following the popular plant-based burger variations, the conversion of the entire coffee offering is another milestone that demonstrates that sustainable enjoyment and great taste are not mutually exclusive,” the company said in a press release.
Burger King lauds Oatly’s climate credentials
Courtesy: Oatly
Explaining the change, Burger King noted that Oatly’s oat milk delivers on the taste frontier, with much fewer emissions than cow’s milk.
The Baristamatic version was unveiled at the Anuga Alternatives fair in Cologne this month, and is made specifically for automatic coffee machines. The product is optimised to reduce sedimentation and retain the foamability, full-bodied mouthfeel, and taste of the company’s standard barista oat milk.
Developed for the out-of-home market, Oatly Baristamatic comes in larger 1.5-litre packs, enabling efficient use for the hospitality industry and cutting down on packaging waste.
Life-cycle analysis has shown that a litre of the new product is responsible for emitting 0.53kg of CO2e, around half of the climate footprint of the average cow’s milk product in Austria.
Burger King also nodded to Oatly’s status as the world’s first climate solutions company in the food sector, which confirms that at least 90% of the oat milk maker’s revenues come from products with a 50% lower emission footprint than standard market options. It also means Oatly has a near-term emissions target and a net-zero goal covering scopes 1, 2 and 3.
By partnering with a climate-forward company and eliminating dairy – which makes up about 4% of the world’s emissions – from hot drinks, Burger King Austria is aiming to set a “strong example for conscious consumption” in the foodservice industry.
“With the Oatly Baristamatic Oat Drink, we are setting a new standard for plant-based drinks in the professional field in terms of functionality and taste,” said Roland Griesebner, managing director of Oatly DACH and Poland.
“Together with Burger King Austria, we have recognised the great potential for sustainable changes in the industry and made a decision on the direction for the food transition in the out-of-home market,” he added.
Burger King builds on plant-based legacy by removing dairy
Courtesy: Burger King/Green Queen
This isn’t the first time Burger King has put vegan options front and centre. In 2022, it conducted a trial at a store in Vienna, where customers were given plant-based options instead of conventional meat unless they specifically asked for the latter. And a year later, it made Oatly the default milk option at 10 locations in Germany for two months, at no extra cost.
In fact, the chain has turned over a dozen of its restaurants meat-free worldwide, starting with a site in Cologne, and including a highly publicised month-long experiment in London’s Leicester Square.
These exploits have led Burger King to be named the most vegan-friendly fast-food giant globally, coming out on top against McDonald’s, Subway, Pizza Hut and KFC.
Now, it’s extending that legacy with the move to remove dairy and embrace oat milk instead. Doing so at the same price is a crucial lever for consumer adoption, breaking the pattern of the dairy-free surcharge that coffee shops and foodservice companies face intense scrutiny for.
Consumer research has proven the efficacy of a ‘plant-based by default’ approach, with pricing named a priority strategy. A recent study revealed that changing the ratio of animal- and plant-based dishes in favour of the latter and listing only vegetarian or vegan options on the menu by default are effective techniques to nudge sustainable consumption.
“It’s a strong signal for the entire industry that Burger King Austria will be exclusively using Oatly Baristamatic in its coffee specialties. This step demonstrates that plant-based drinks are no longer just an option, but can become the new standard, without compromising on taste or functionality,” said Oatly’s Griesebner.
“In this way, we are strengthening our pioneering role in the German-speaking market and are pursuing our goal of making the switch to oats as easy and attractive as possible.”
Plant-based giant Beyond Meat has kicked off the Beyond Test Kitchen, releasing its clean-label Ground products and whole-cut mycelium steak to quick success.
As it works to turn around its sales and eliminate its debt, US plant-based pioneer Beyond Meat has debuted a new strategy to launch its innovations.
The company has unveiled Beyond Test Kitchen, a customer-led approach to product development, gi giving them an exclusive first taste of its new proteins before wider rollout.
Each product is produced in limited quantities and sold in fashion-industry-style ‘drops exclusively on Beyond Test Kitchen’s direct-to-consumer website.
Its first products are the much-anticipated Beyond Ground and the mycelium-based steak that has only been available in restaurants, and they’ve been selling fast.
Beyond Test Kitchen debuts Ground range and mycelium steak for home use
Courtesy: Beyond Meat/Titus Group
Beyond Ground was first announced in July, when CEO Ethan Brown announced that the company would begin dropping the word ‘Meat’ from its brand name to spotlight traditional plant proteins that go beyond replicating animal-based foods.
In its original form, the product contains just four ingredients: water, fava bean protein, potato protein, and psyllium husk. It is intended as a response to the category’s biggest criticisms, from ultra-processing and long ingredient lists.
The mince-like protein will boost the nutritional perceptions of plant proteins. Each 4oz serving of the uneasoned Beyond Ground contains 140 calories, 4g of fibre, 1.5g of fat, and 27g of protein (higher than beef). Plus, it has zero cholesterol, saturated fat, or added oils. Home cooks can add any seasonings, marinades, or sauces to build their meals around the product.
As part of the Beyond Test Kitchen, the company has also launched the Ground product in three flavours: Chipotle Pineapple, Korean BBQ Style, and Tuscan Style Tomato. These do contain more fat, saturated fat, and sodium, but don’t need further seasoning during cooking.
Meanwhile, the whole-cut Beyond Steak Filet has so far been confined to eateries like Boa Steakhouse, Ladybird, and Next Level Veggie Grill. But after feedback from its custmers, Beyond Meat is opening up the mycelium-derived protein to home cooks for the first time through this approach.
The whole-cut steak is comprised of a base of wheat gluten, fava bean protein, avocado oil and mycelium, with a small amount of brown rice powder, oat bran, malted barley flour, beet juice colour, apple extract, spices and natural flavours, starter culture, and salt. Each 127g fillet delivers 28g of protein and 3g of fibre, with just 1g of saturated fat.
Most Beyond Test Kitchen bundles sold out amid financial unrest
Courtesy: Beyond Meat/Karola G/Pexels
On the Beyond Test Kitchen, the products are available in four bundles. Three of them – comprising an eight-pack of the steak or combining it with the Beyond Ground products – have already sold out. A variety pack of the latter is still up for grabs.
The products are priced similarly to Beyond Meat’s existing range, with the eight-packs starting from $71.20. The bundle with just the Beyond Ground is $72.50, putting each product at just over $9, while the all-steak option costs $84 (or $10.50 per fillet).
Beyond Meat said information on future Test Kitchen products, including how customers can get involved with feedback on new ideas and tasting products early, will be available on its social channels. Brown has previously teased products like chickpea hot dogs and lentil sausages.
The move comes amid a media storm for the company. Its stock fell to an all-time low of 85 cents last week, after announcing the early settlement of an exchange offer for convertible bonds to eliminate over $800M of debt.
Beyond Meat is currently $1.15B in debt, thanks to 0% convertible notes that will mature in 2027. But the proposal would see them swapped for higher-interest 7% notes that are due in 2030, plus stock shares. The firm needed 85% of its holders to agree to this by the end of October, but 97% did so by last week.
The firm recorded its lowest quarterly revenue in Q1 2025, reaching $69M. It also secured $100M in debt financing from Unprocessed Foods, a subsidiary of Ahimsa Foundation, a non-profit advancing plant-based diets. In the ensuing three months, Beyond Meat’s sales fell by 20% compared to the year-ago period.
In February, it announced that it would lay off 9% of its global workforce, or 64 employees, which included all its staff in China, where it has suspended operations. And in August, it said it would let go of 44 employees in North America, though it isn’t clear if this is part of the same job cuts as above, or an additional round of layoffs.
However, Brown said the “opportunity to potentially live outside some of the confines we’ve been in recently”, with Beyond Ground and “the use of the Beyond brand and protein occasions for consumers”, makes him “very optimistic” about the future. With Beyond Test Kitchen, the company is doubling down on this approach.
Spain’s alternative protein ecosystem is thriving, with investments rising by nearly 550% in 2024. Now, experts are calling for public funding and a national plant-based action plan.
Plant-based, microbial, and cell-cultured protein startups are the main focus of Spain’s agtech sector, with 42% of startups working on these innovations.
Research by the Good Food Institute (GFI) Europe shows that Spain is the second most attractive country for alternative protein investors in Europe (behind Denmark), as the sector’s fundraising efforts became wildly successful last year.
Funding for alternative proteins reached €64.7M in 2024, a 547% jump from the year before (albeit from a small base), led by Heura’s €40M Series B round. This came as sales of plant-based food hit €491M in supermarkets, representing a 10% increase in volume.
Additionally, one in five Spanish households bought a plant-based meat product at least once last year. The data shows that the country has all the ingredients to become a regional future food leader, though it will need strong financial and policy support from the government to get there.
Spain’s R&D prowess is hampered by a lack of government support
Courtesy: GFI Europe
GFI Europe’s report reveals that 71% of Spain’s alternative protein startups are focused on plant-based ingredients, while 19% are working on fermentation and 10% on cultivated meat.
This industry is built on a strong and rapidly growing R&D ecosystem – between 2020 and 2024, Spain had the fifth-highest number of researchers in this field in Europe, and the sixth-largest number of publications.
It sits 14th on the list of researchers and publications per capita, and 11th on productivity, churning out 0.51 papers per researcher. Moreover, Spain ranks fourth in publications when adjusted for purchasing power parity.
Catalonia is highlighted as a global innovation hub, led by IRTA’s Centre d’Innovació en Proteïnes Alternatives (CiPA), Spain’s first public research centre dedicated to alternative proteins. This hub is coordinating research projects with universities, startups, and businesses. Other clusters are also being developed at Navarre, the Basque Country, the Madrid and Valencia regions, Galicia, and Andalusia.
According to GFI Europe, climate change causes annual losses of €550M to Spain’s agriculture sector, underscoring the need for alternative sources that use fewer resources and generate less pollution.
There have been some positive signs: the National Food Strategy, published earlier this year, acknowledged the role alternative proteins can play in the food system. But the government needs to go further to truly reap this industry’s economic benefits.
“Spain has the opportunity to become the benchmark for alternative proteins in Southern Europe,” said Carlos Campillos Martínez, public affairs manager for GFI Europe in Spain. “Our country has the scientific talent and business ecosystem to merge culinary tradition with agri-food innovation – but it needs the right support to consolidate itself as an economic, sustainable, and industrial innovation driver.”
How policymakers can bolster Spain’s future food sector
Courtesy: Novameat
The report reveals that alternative protein firms face significant barriers to realising their full potential, including limited access to production-scale infrastructure and a lack of R&D funding from the government.
GFI Europe has made nine recommendations for policymakers with varying complexity levels. Two of the easiest ones involve ensuring funding instruments for R&D and the commercialisation of alternative proteins. Just as with AI, the government should allocate specific research financing for these foods, like other European countries have. Further, strict requirements for existing funding instruments have become a barrier for the sector.
The other low-complexity recommendations are to provide pre-submission guidance to streamline the regulatory approval process for novel foods, and include alternative proteins in the Mediterranean diet guidelines. Plant-based alternatives can help replace processed meat intake to allow consumers to more closely adhere to the guidelines.
In terms of solutions with medium complexity, Spain should ensure that the agrifood tech sandbox focuses more specifically on regulatory challenges, like those stemming from the EU’s novel food regulations.
At the same time, some industrial facilities are currently underutilised or abandoned, so Spain should explore their potential for retrofitting to reduce costs for the sector and revitalise local communities. The government is also advised to mobilise private funding to support infrastructure development.
And as for the most complex actions, Spain should facilitate food diversification by encouraging investments from traditional Spanish industries like wineries, breweries or olive oil producers (in addition to meat and dairy companies).
Finally, GFI Europe is asking the Spanish government to develop a national action plan to boost the production and consumption of plant-based food, the way Denmark has done and is encouraging other EU members to do. Failure to do so would raise the risk of Spain being left behind in Europe’s future food race.
Italian non-dairy cheese maker Dreamfarm has expanded into supermarkets in France, bringing its suite of innovations to the Paris area.
Parisians can get a taste of classic Italian cheeses made without the cow, as Dreamfarm brings its nut-based alternatives to grocery stores in the French capital.
The startup has gained a listing with retail giant Monoprix, rolling out six of its innovations in around 70 stores across the Paris area. “We’re proud to bring our plant-based alternatives to such an iconic cheese-loving country,” says Dreamfarm CEO Giovanni Menozzi.
Dreamfarm is hoping to tap into France’s burgeoning vegan cheese market – sales of dairy-free cheese grew by 19% in 2024 (albeit from a relatively small base), making it the fastest-growing segment in the country’s plant-based food market.
Dreamfarm wants to tap into France’s ‘incredible food culture’
Courtesy: Dreamfarm
Founded in 2021 by Maddalena Zanoni and Mattia Sandei, Dreamfarm uses almonds and cashews to make clean-label dairy-free alternatives to staple Italian cheeses like mozzarella, ricotta, and stracciatella, each with a Nutri-Score A rating.
The mozzarella, its flagship product, comes as a ball-shaped piece submerged in water, reminiscent of its conventional counterpart. And earlier this year, Dreamfarm debuted vegan ciliegine, or mini mozzarella balls. The firm also makes cream-cheese-like spreads in plain and garlic-and-herb flavours.
Its cheeses have already been available in France through online retailer Official Vegan Shop, and via Végétal Food and Prevogel for foodservice. But the Monoprix launch marks the brand’s brick-and-mortar debut, and will open it up to a wider audience of “flexitarian, vegan, and food-curious consumers”.
“France has an incredible food culture, and we believe Dreamfarm can be part of it, offering the same pleasure and creativity of traditional dairy, but made from plants,” Menozzi said.
Plenty of potential and challenges for non-dairy cheese in France
Courtesy: Dreamfarm
Dreamfarm raised €5M in funding in 2023, and is actively targeting the Gen Z market. In May, it conducted a guerrilla marketing stunt in the streets of Milan, with actors posing as tourists wearing cow masks and vacation-ready attire to send cows on a break, since they’re no longer needed to produce great-tasting cheese.
Now, to celebrate its French launch, Dreamfarm and Monoprix are planning in-store tastings, local events, and collaboration with food influencers. The company will face competition from existing vegan cheese players in the country, including Jay&Joy and its now-subsidiary Les Nouveaux Affineurs, Sojami, Petit Veganne, and Tomm’Pousse.
Despite vegan cheese’s growth in France, it remains 42% more expensive than conventional cheese, and makes up just 0.1% of the overall market. But Dreamfarm’s products are highly rated – they have earned rave reviews from Miyoko Schinner, a pioneer of modern plant-based cheese, who told Green Queen she found its cheeses “voluptuous, silky, and delicious”.
The development follows Dreamfarm’s expansion in other European countries, namely Belgium, the Netherlands, and Germany. Now, it aims to continue its continental growth, with plans to enter more nations this year.
Over a dozen hotels in the Filipino province of Cebu have received an A grade for sustainability after committing to increasing plant-based options on their dining menus.
In May, Ascott Limited became the first hotel group to introduce a plant-based target in the Philippines, working with sustainability NGO Lever Foundation to commit to making 20% of its menu plant-based across its 17 properties by this year.
Since then, a wave of hospitality companies has followed suit. Cebu, a tourism and IT hotspot, is emerging as the industry’s eco leader in the country, with 14 hotels achieving an A grade for sustainability in the non-profit’s plant-based food scorecard for 2025.
These hotels have pledged to make between 30% and 50% of their menus plant-based, starting as early as the end of this year, representing the “most ambitious collective hospitality sustainability pledge” by any province in the country.
“What inspires me most is their willingness to adapt in response to the ever-pressing challenges we face,” said Marielle Lagulay, sustainability programme manager at Lever Foundation, which worked with each hotel to establish these policies.
“They clearly see why this shift is important and why action must be taken now. Cebu is setting a powerful example that will inspire not only the Philippines but the entire Southeast Asian hospitality industry,” she added.
Which Cebu hotels have made the plant-based pledge?
Courtesy: Lever Foundation
The scorecard highlights hotels that have either adopted group-wide plant-based food policies or individually set property-level targets, with timelines extending through to 2030. An A rating indicates a public commitment to switch at least 30% of meals to be vegan in a defined timeline, and that the company is taking active steps to meet the goal.
Eight hotels have set a 30% target, including Shangri-La Mactan, Radisson Blu, Belmont Hotel Mactan, Bai Hotel, Crimson Resort and Spa Mactan, Nustar Resort and Casino, and Fili Hotel Nustar. Further, Quest Hotel and Conference Center will turn 35% of its menu vegan by 2026.
Meanwhile, five other properties have been recognised for their parent group’s plant-based policies. This includes Citadines, Lyf, and Somerset (all part of Ascott), which have committed to making 30% of their menus plant-based by the end of 2025, rising to 35% by 2026 and 40% by 2027.
Additionally, Holiday Inn is implementing IHG Philippines’s 30% plant-based foods initiative (earmarked for the end of 2025), and Mövenpick Hotel on Mactan Island will align with parent company Accor’s global policy to make at least 50% of hotel menus plant-based or meat-free by 2030.
“Cebu’s hospitality has always been about caring for people and our community, and this commitment extends that care to the environment,” said Quest Hotel general manager Mia Singson-León, who is also the president of the Hotel, Resort & Restaurant Association of Cebu.
“That’s why this collective shift is more than just a tick in the box for all of us. We are serious about expanding sustainable choices that care for both our guests and the planet.”
The Philippines mirrors global sustainability trends in hospitality
A jackfruit burger at Radisson Blu | Courtesy: Lever Foundation
The shift towards plant-based menus isn’t just confined to Cebu. IHG’s pledge extends to six properties, including Crowne Plaza Manila Galleria and Holiday Inn & Suites Makati, and Eco Hotels has matched the 30% pledge for all five of its properties. In Manila, Winford Resort & Casino and Okada have also made the 30% commitment.
A quarter of Filipino consumers were looking to reduce their meat intake in 2024. And this year, a Lever Foundation poll found that 83% are looking to increase their consumption of plant-based food, with 91% aware that it is healthier and more sustainable than conventional meat.
In fact, 93% agree that hotels, restaurants and retailers have a responsibility to manage the sustainability and health of their food supply chains, and 85% believe they should sell more plant-based food to support their planetary and public health goals.
The sustainable hospitality transition in the Philippines mirrors a shift in China’s hotel sector too, where 11 companies have committed to making a significant portion of their menus plant-based.
And globally, the World Sustainable Hospitality Alliance has partnered with consultancy Vegan Hospitality to expand plant-based dining solutions and meet evolving sustainability goals across its 35 hotel chain members and their 66,000 properties.
The US will introduce vegan meals and snacks in the military in 2027, in response to requests from service members.
American troops will be able to choose vegan food as part of an upcoming update to the Meals, Ready to Eat (MREs) programme, the US government has confirmed.
MREs are dehydrated field rations for soldiers in combat or in situations where cooking isn’t possible. Each packaged meal contains an entrée, a side dish, snacks, a beverage powder, a utensil, and accessories like matches.
These have historically been meat-heavy, with vegetarian meals only appearing in 1986. The current menu of 24 dishes only contains four meatless options. Starting in 2027, vegetarian MREs will be replaced by vegan options instead.
US military will serve over six million vegan MREs annually
Courtesy: Tyler J Bolken
Each year, food scientists at the DEVCOM Soldier Center’s Combat Feeding Division work to develop new components of the MRE menu, based on feedback from service members and food trends in the commercial sector.
The next iteration of MREs is due in 2026, and will replace several unpopular beef items and add more protein-filled snacks (like freeze-dried chocolate peanut butter bites) and caffeinated products.
Items for MRE 47, due in 2027, are already in development. According to Julie Edwards, a registered dietitian and senior technologist at the Combat Feeding Division, one request from soldiers was the inclusion of more plant-based meals.
The team has developed several plant-based snacks, including animal-shaped crackers, a protein bar, a recovery bar, and a fruit-flavoured cereal. Edwards confirmed that the four vegetarian entrées will be swapped for vegan ones when this iteration of MREs is rolled out.
According to animal rights charity Mercy for Animals, the US military issues over 37 million MREs every year, so the move could result in more than six million vegan meals served to service members annually. This will cater to the 81% of service members who say the military should provide plant-based MREs, according to a 2022 survey by the animal rights group.
And while the environmental benefit would have been higher had the vegan MREs replaced meat-based dishes instead of vegetarian ones, the change will still lower a significant share of greenhouse gas emissions. Dairy alone takes up 4% of the world’s emissions, and plant-based foods have a much lower climate footprint.
A sign of the prevailing demand for plant-based food in the military
Courtesy: Julio Hernandez
The shift towards vegan MREs has been some years in the making. In July 2022, the US House of Representatives passed the 2023 National Defense Authorization Act, one of whose requirements was that the Defense Logistics Agency produce a report on the demand for plant-based MREs.
The report was not submitted by its September 2023 deadline, but internal discussions continued within the Department of Defense, according to Mercy for Animals.
As mentioned above, the organisation has previously conducted its own survey of over 200 active-duty troops to measure demand for vegan MREs. It found that 3.5% of service members are vegan, and 42% either didn’t eat meat, were flexitarian, or were trying to decrease their intake of animal products.
Moreover, 63% felt plant-based food is more sustainable, and just over half believed it’s healthier and provides more energy than meat. When asked specifically about MREs, 81% said they’d pick climate-friendly meals if given the option, and 63% would choose vegan over meat-based ready meals.
The military’s provision of vegan MREs is a big deal, especially amid a climate where animal-based foods are being championed by the Trump administration and sales of plant-based food are falling. The impending rollout of these meals showcases the demand for more sustainable eating habits among soldiers.
The move builds on previous instances of plant-based options being available at specific facilities. In 2019, one vegan soldier successfully campaigned to include a plant-based main at every meal in a US Army dining facility.
And last year, Impossible Foods began working with US Army Central to serve its meat alternatives at military cafeterias in North Africa, the Persian Gulf, the Middle East, and Southwest Asia. Months later, Korean food giant CJ CheilJedang rolled out its Bibigo plant-based dumplings to grocery stores inside US military bases in South Korea.
UK startup The Pack and Germany’s MicroHarvest have teamed up to roll out vegan dog treats featuring the latter’s microbial protein ingredient.
British dog owners can now buy microbial protein treats that are good for the planet and their pet’s gut.
The Pack has debuted Gut Bites, a vet-formulated, oven-baked hypoallergenic dog treat, in collaboration with German alternative protein firm MicroHarvest, a first for the UK market.
It’s also the first new product post-acquisition for The Pack, which became a subsidiary of premium manufacturer Prefera Pet Food earlier this year. It’s available on the brand’s website for £3.95 per pack.
“Our community of dog owners often tells us they struggle with picky eaters and pets with allergies or sensitive stomachs. Gut Bites is our answer: a delicious, functional treat that’s also allergy-friendly,” said Damien Clarkson, co-founder of The Pack and managing director of Prefera Pet Food UK.
“We’ve always been open to next-generation ingredients, and MicroHarvest’s microbial protein stood out as a game-changer. This launch demonstrates our commitment to bringing UK pet parents products that are innovative, healthy, and sustainable.”
Microbial protein stars in palatability tests with dogs
Courtesy: MicroHarvest
The hero ingredient in the vegan dog treats is MPX Care, a fermentation-derived ingredient designed by MicroHarvest for canines that can’t tolerate conventional protein sources.
It is produced by feeding microbes from the same bacteria found in kimchi, kefir and sauerkraut on agricultural waste, with the process just taking 24 hours. The resulting biomass has over 60% raw protein content, a complete amino acid profile, and an umami flavour that increases palatability.
This has been proven in market research. Palatability tests show that even selective small dogs consistently preferred food containing the microbial protein. They found that 58% of dogs chose a meal of MPX replacement formula kibble first over the reference, and ate 44% more of it too.
There’s also an environmental advantage. Recent research has shown that vegan pet food is the most effective measure to tackle the climate footprint of dogs and cats, even when accounting for the fact that most conventional pet food uses animal byproducts.
Currently, an area of land twice the size of the UK is used to produce dry food for cats and dogs. To counter that, MicroHarvest uses byproducts from the farming industry, and no additional farmland itself. Its microbial ingredient generates 1.4kg of CO2e per kg, which it says is 90% less than beef, and “significantly lower” than plant proteins.
“36% of British households own a dog, and the UK cat and dog food market is worth £3.9B annually, so entering this market is a major step in our expansion journey,” said MicroHarvest CEO Katelijne Bekers.
“But for us, this collaboration is about more than scaling; it’s about validation. By working with The Pack, we’re showing that microbial protein isn’t just a sustainable solution, but one that dogs truly enjoy. Gut Bites is a perfect example of that.”
Gut health a major focus for dog owners
The Gut Bites, sold under The Pack’s brand, pairs MPX Care with fava beans, chickpea flour, fruits and vegetables (like sweet potatoes, strawberries, and apples), yeast extract, and vegetable glycerine. It also contains mannan-oligo-saccharide (MOS) and chicory root to feed beneficial gut bacteria and promote balanced digestion, and yucca extract to reduce stool odour and improve digestive efficiency.
The product is allergy-friendly and caters to picky eaters and those with sensitive stomachs. While estimates vary, between 1% and 8% of dogs have food allergies, making hypoallergenic foods essential for these pets.
A study by MicroHarvest and Wageningen University & Research last year found that 77% of German and British dog owners would buy dog treats containing microbial protein, and 78% would consider buying complete dog food made with it.
Polling shows that nine in 10 UK dog owners say their pet’s gut health is very or extremely important to them, and almost half have changed their diet out of concern for their microbiomes. Moreover, 80% of consumers would consider changing dog food brands if proven to support gut health.
The launch comes a year after MicroHarvest partnered with Vegdog to launch Pure Bites, a microbial protein snack for dogs, in Germany. Another local player, Marsapet, rolled out a kibble product for dogs using Calysta’s gas-fermented FeedKind protein in Europe this year.
Now, the UK is the latest market to offer such proteins. Climate-smart pet food has been ascendant in the country lately. The British Veterinary Association ended its long-standing objection to plant-based dog food last year, before the UK became the first country to make cultivated meat for pets available for sale.
And London-based startup Omni saw sales shoot up by 130% with 20,000 new customers in the three months after securing an investment from Steven Bartlett and Deborah Meaden on Dragons’ Den. Shortly after, it released an Ozempic-inspired weight-loss supplement featuring a blend of amino acids and probiotics.
Sales of meat alternatives are on the rise in Thailand, as plant-based proteins get cheaper and consumers look to shift away from animal-sourced foods.
The plant-based meat market is struggling in Western markets like the US and the UK. But in Thailand, sales are booming, and the food industry senses a window of opportunity.
Between 2021 and 2024, volume sales of meat and seafood alternatives increased by nearly 30% in the Southeast Asian nation, according to Euromonitor data obtained by Madre Brava. This is only set to continue, with analysts predicting another 43% increase between now and 2029.
A driving force behind this rise is the fact that these products are becoming more affordable for locals. In 2022, the average price of vegan meat peaked, but it has fallen for two consecutive years since, contracting by 8%.
According to Madre Brava, this provides an opportunity for Thai meat and seafood producers to supply to this growing industry and ramp up exports to more mature markets like Europe, which spends more money on plant-based meat than any other region.
Courtesy: Madre Brava
Can plant proteins deliver price parity in Thailand?
In a 2024 survey by Madre Brava, two-thirds of Thai consumers said they would reduce or stop eating meat in the next two years, with 44% wishing to replace it with traditional plant proteins, and 39% with novel alternatives.
Still, sales of processed red meat and poultry are set to increase by 25% and 30%, respectively, in the next five years. While that rate is slower than plant-based alternatives in Thailand, it’s nevertheless “alarming”, given the environmental and health consequences.
Despite being excoriated for their ultra-processed nature, plant-based alternatives have largely been found to have better nutrition profiles – higher fibre, lower saturated fat and calories, and equivalent protein levels – than processed meats, which have been deemed carcinogenic by the World Health Organization.
But for plant-based meat to truly take off, price parity is paramount. Currently, these products are more expensive than fresh meat as well as traditional plant proteins like tofu, legumes and nuts.
Courtesy: Madre Brava
Madre Brava’s research found that the price of meat analogues is eight times higher than chicken, four times higher than pork, and twice as high as beef. However, the gap with processed meat is narrower, with vegan alternatives costing 40% more.
The organisation suggests that the price difference between animal and plant proteins will shrink further thanks to the economies of scale and the increasing input costs to produce conventional meat (the country’s livestock production relies heavily upon imported feed crops like maize and soy, which are getting more and more expensive).
You only need to look at developed alternative protein markets like the US, the UK and Germany, where many plant-based meat products are already at par with the price of their conventional counterparts (and some are even cheaper).
Thai meat producers could capitalise on climate targets and Europe demand
Courtesy: Absolute Plant
Speaking of which, the price reductions have been led by retailers’ private-label ranges, especially in Europe, where many supermarkets have announced ‘protein split’ goals to expand the share of sales coming from plant-based foods.
And this is where Thailand’s food industry can thrive. The country is one of the main exporters of poultry to Europe, and major Thai meat and seafood companies could use that network to enter the plant-based sector in the region.
“Given the increasing price of raw materials to produce meat, leading protein producers in Thailand should seize this opportunity to diversify their protein portfolio, and strive for price parity between meat (both fresh and processed meat) and plant-based meat alternatives,” said Madre Brava.
This would also help lower domestic greenhouse gas emissions. Agriculture is the second-largest source of emissions in Thailand, and its livestock sector alone generates 39 million tonnes of CO2e annually. As things stand, this will grow by another five million tonnes by 2050.
But the country’s second nationally determined contribution (NDC) to the Paris Agreement covers agriculture as a key focus sector, setting an unconditional emissions reduction target of 30% by 2030. Alternative proteins are a critical lever here.
Courtesy: Madre Brava
Previous research from Madre Brava found that replacing half of its meat and seafood production with plant proteins is the only way for Thailand to stay below the climate-safety threshold (zero deforestation by 2025 and a 72% cut in emissions by 2050) set by international experts.
The transition is estimated to cause the loss of 900,000 animal husbandry jobs, but create over two million new jobs in the production of food-grade soybeans and plant proteins. And investment from the government and the private sector could help yield ฿1.3T ($39.6B) in economic value by reducing the reliance on imports.
“Leading protein-producing companies can also harness Thailand’s reputation as the ‘kitchen of the world’ to produce Thai-inspired ready-to-eat products made with meat substitutes to maximise opportunities for export markets in Europe,” Madre Brava stated.
As food innovators respond to soaring egg prices with replacers ranging from yeast to pea protein, one French startup is betting on chickpea water – but in a new format.
For some years now, aquafaba has been the go-to egg white substitute for home bakers making meringues and bartenders mixing up a whiskey sour.
The ingredient – the leftover liquid from cooking beans – gave chickpeas a new purpose, birthing everything from dedicated cookbooks to startups selling the liquid by itself.
Despite its magical abilities, though, there have been questions over whether we really need companies to sell chickpea water when consumers can just buy cans of the beans for a fraction of the price at the supermarket, getting two ingredients for the price of one.
With avian flu pushing egg prices to record-highs, there’s a new market opening up for aquafaba, one that’s beyond the home kitchen. Professional bakeries and the CPG food manufacturing industry are both in dire need of egg white alternatives that offer the same emulsification, foamability, and whippability.
“When we first asked chefs how they replaced egg whites, many smiled and pointed to chickpea cans. They used the cooking water, aquafaba, because it foamed and bound just like egg whites. A clever hack, but not sustainable if we wanted to make this alternative accessible at scale,” says Arnaud Delacour, co-founder and CEO of The Very Food Co, which has turned the “kitchen trick into a clean-label, ready-to-use product with consistent functionality”.
Its liquid version is already in use in eight countries, including France, Canada, Australia and Germany. “But when we moved into bakeries and industrial manufacturing, we hit a wall: liquid didn’t fit their processes. At first, we thought it was only about size – one-litre packs were too small. But the real insight was that many professionals can only work with powders,” he explains.
That led the French startup to develop its newest solution, a Very Aquafaba Powder that is stable, lightweight, and easy to dose in industrial lines. “Together, the two formats make aquafaba truly universal, from chefs’ kitchens to large-scale production,” Delacour says.
How The Very Food Co makes its aquafaba powder
Courtesy: The Very Food Co
To make its liquid version, The Very Food Co starts by cooking dry chickpeas much like you would at home, except on an industrial scale and under controlled conditions, to ensure consistent functionality each time.
“We then concentrate it by reducing the water content, and finally dry it into a fine, soluble powder that can be rehydrated and used just like egg whites in foams, mousses, or bakery applications,” says Delacour, who founded the startup in 2022 with CSO and CTO Oscar Castellani.
“We work with European-grown chickpeas. In our process, only the cooking water – where the functional proteins and soluble fibres are released – becomes aquafaba. The chickpeas themselves don’t go to waste: they are fully valorised, most commonly into food products like hummus, flours, or purées.
“This circular approach means that nothing is discarded, and every part of the raw material is put to good use. It’s a core part of our sustainability story: creating value from what was once overlooked, while ensuring no food is wasted.”
So how does the powder differ from conventional aquafaba from a chickpea can? Delacour suggests that the powder builds on its liquid’s success by offering a different set of advantages.
“It’s much more concentrated, so chefs and manufacturers can dose it precisely depending on the recipe, and it’s shelf-stable at room temperature, even after opening. It also lets you store and transport far more ‘egg equivalent’ in a much smaller footprint. Rehydrated, it delivers the same foaming, binding, and emulsifying properties as liquid – just in a format that fits better into industrial processes,” he says.
TLDR? “Liquid aquafaba made the ingredient accessible, and powdered aquafaba makes it universal, from artisan bakers to large-scale manufacturing,” the CEO highlights.
Courtesy: The Very Food Co
A clean-label, easy-to-understand egg replacer
We’re talking aquafaba at a time when the global egg supply chain has been wrecked by bird flu. Prices have never been high in some countries, though the demand has sharply increased. At the same time, anticipated price corrections have led some producers of powdered eggs to delay purchases, exacerbating the supply gap.
“Egg whites are a commodity, one of the most optimised ingredients in the world. Decades of industrial farming have driven costs down to the bare minimum. Aquafaba, by contrast, is a specialty ingredient, and the economics are very different. We’re building a new category from the ground up, so by definition, costs are higher today,” Delacour explains.
He argues that the Very Aquafaba products go “far beyond cost per kg”, offering a clean-label, allergen-free alternative with a transparent and simplified value chain. “You don’t rely on animal farming or volatile commodity markets, and you can make products that are lower in calories, easier to label, and safer for consumers with dietary restrictions,” he says.
The company produces its aquafaba in an industrial site in Europe. “Our process is designed to scale efficiently, which means we can ramp up quickly as demand grows. From 2026 onwards, we will have the capacity to produce around 100 tonnes of powder per year, with clear potential to expand well beyond that,” notes Delacour.
The Very Food Co is among several startups that have come out with functional vegan egg replacers for B2B applications recently, including Revyve (which uses yeast protein) and Meala (pea protein), which are upgrades to first-generation egg substitutes. How does its chickpea-based alternative fare?
Courtesy: The Very Food Co
“The first point of difference is the clean-label appeal. On an ingredient list, aquafaba is simply ‘water, chickpeas’ – that’s it. Compare that with many egg replacers today, which rely on gums, starches, microalgae extracts, or protein isolates from peas or potatoes. These can work functionally, but they often look technical or artificial to the average consumer. Aquafaba, by contrast, is simple, familiar, and easy to understand,” he says.
“Functionally, it’s one of the most studied egg white alternatives in the world. Food enthusiasts already know the trick: open a can of chickpeas and use the liquid as a natural egg white replacer. It foams, binds, and emulsifies, and it has been proven in countless recipes, from meringues to mousses. Beyond foaming, it even acts as a partial whole-egg replacer thanks to its natural binding properties.”
He adds that The Very Food Co isn’t inventing a new ingredient. Instead, it’s industrialising one that people already know works: “We make it reliable, consistent, and available to manufacturers worldwide.”
Why it’s all about B2B for The Very Food Co
The liquid aquafaba made by the startup is already being used in restaurants and cocktail bars globally. “In pastry, chefs rely on the liquid version to create allergen-free desserts such as mousses, meringues, pavlova, etc. In mixology, bartenders prefer it over egg whites for cocktails like sours, where it delivers the same texture without the allergen concerns,” says Delacour.
“One of my favourite experiences so far has been at the Hôtel du Palais Royal in Paris, where chef Maxime Raab uses Very Aquafaba in desserts while the bar team incorporates it into cocktails. Seeing the same ingredient bring together both kitchen and bar for pairing dinners is exactly the kind of versatility that makes aquafaba so exciting.”
The startup’s primary target market for the aquafaba powder is France. It’s already in talks with manufacturers here – until now, many of those discussions have centred on its other innovations, like Very Tourage (a butter alternative), which Delacour believes has helped the brand build a strong, credible platform to introduce Very Aquafaba Powder.
“We will begin sampling in October, so while we don’t yet have ongoing projects with manufacturers specifically on the powder, we know the interest is there. Compared to when we started, the difference is striking: people now listen and are eager to see what we can bring,” he says.
Courtesy: The Very Food Co
Could we see the powder make it onto supermarket shelves? “It’s hard to say at this stage. We know there are initiatives in the B2C segment for egg replacers, but for us, the real opportunity is an ingredient play. Egg replacement is fundamentally about functionality, and our strength is making that functionality available to professionals and manufacturers at scale,” explains Delacour.
“Of course, there could be opportunities in retail, but rather than building our own consumer brand, we see more value in supplying retail brands or co-developing products with them. Going B2C would require heavy marketing investments and a very different focus, whereas our priority is to be the best possible ingredient partner.”
So far, the startup has raised around €1M ($1.2M) in funding. “At this stage, our priority is not fundraising but turning our products into a commercial success,” says Delacour. “We may consider raising again in 2026 to accelerate growth, but right now the focus is on execution and building the business.”
Can its Very Aquafaba whip up an alt-egg revolution?
Time Magazine has released its annual list of the world’s best inventions, recognising a range of alternative protein and future food innovations.
From fish grown in bioreactors to butter made from carbon, some of this year’s most exciting food tech innovations have made it to Time Magazine’s list of the Best Inventions of 2025.
The annual publication has been expanded to include 300 products and technologies, the biggest in its 25-year history. The magazine sought nominations from its editors and correspondents around the world, with special attention paid to growing fields like AI and healthcare.
Each innovation was evaluated on a range of factors, including originality, efficacy, ambition, and impact. The honourees span a multitude of categories, including food and drink, agriculture, sustainability, green tech, and social impact.
When it comes to food tech, the 2025 list features innovations like cultivated seafood, animal- and plant-free butter, vegan gummies, mycoprotein, and more.
Wildtype, Savor, and The Better Meat Co among 2025 honourees
The company was the first to sell cultivated seafood anywhere in the world, and has joined forces with cultivated chicken maker Upside Foods to sue Texas over its ban on these proteins.
California is, in fact, home to several food tech startups on Time’s Best Inventions list. This includes Savor, which transforms point-captured carbon dioxide, green hydrogen, and methane into agriculture-free fats that can replace dairy and palm oil.
It launched its carbon-derived butter this year, working with the patisserie of San Francisco’s Michelin-starred outpost, One65, to sell bonbons and cookies. Savor has also partnered with fellow Michelin-starred eateries SingleThread and Atelier Crenn, and beloved establishment Jane the Bakery. And it’s now raising a Series B round to build a 10,000-tonne facility.
Speaking of fundraisers, in August, West Sacramento-based The Better Meat Co secured $31M in Series A funding for its Rhiza mycoprotein, a whole-biomass ingredient offering complete protein and high digestibility. Recognised on Time’s list, it is produced by feeding microbes on sorghum and potato sidestreams, and is on course to beat commodity beef prices next year.
Courtesy: The Better Meat Co
Rhiza can be used in vegan and blended meat applications, and is already sold to Hormel Foods, Maple Leaf Foods, K12 caterer SFE, and plant-based salmon maker Oshi. The company has secured five agreements from major meat producers in North America, South America and Asia, which are set to bring $13M in annual revenue.
Meanwhile, Swedish firm Orkla Snacks’s vegan foamy gummies, called Bubs, went viral on social media last year, causing an unexpected supply shortage. Now, four new flavours have been launched in the US, made from the same proprietary recipe and manufacturing technique that earned it a spot on Time’s list.
In the experimental category of the Best Inventions list, Time namechecked a cultivated chicken that made international headlines. University of Tokyo researchers created a nugget-sized piece of meat via a hollow fibre bioreactor, opening possibilities to grow whole cuts of cultivated meat, the industry’s holy grail.
Time Magazine’s list also featured 100 special mentions, and among them is Texas-based artisanal dairy-free brand Rebel Cheese, which uses “cave ageing and proprietary cultures to better match the flavours of their dairy counterparts”.
Beyond Meat, Impossible Foods and Alpro named World’s Best Brands
Courtesy: Impossible Foods
This week, Time Magazine also released its annual list of the World’s Best Brands, which aims to guide consumers to make more informed decisions and navigate through the brands available in each category.
The publication works with Statista to identify the top brands in the US, the UK, Germany, and Mexico, based on surveys of over 90,000 consumers in each country (India and Brazil will be added in December).
A weighted overall score based on brand awareness (15%), social buzz (10%), likability (30%), usage (15%), and loyalty (30%) was calculated for each brand in the 72 categories. The top-rated entry’s overall score was set at 100, and the scores of the following brands were adjusted accordingly.
In the US, Silk was named the top plant-based milk brand, followed by Almond Breeze, Chobani, Planet Oat, and Califia Farms. Likewise, Chobani topped the overall yoghurt category (it makes both dairy and plant-based versions), and Silk’s fully dairy-free yoghurts were third.
When it came to meat alternatives, Kellanova-owned MorningStar Farms was recognised as the best brand in the US, followed closely by Beyond Meat (with a score of 98.2) and Impossible Foods (92). Field Roast and Gardein rounded out the top five.
Courtesy: Alpro
In the UK, Alpro was named as the best plant-based milk brand in 2025 by Time, with Oatly close behind. Califia Farms, Rude Health and Koko were also on the list, but the gap between the scores is sizeable. Alpro was also fifth in the overall yoghurt segment. Meanwhile, market-leading Quorn was the best meat-free brand, a list also featuring Linda McCartney, Beyond Meat, Amy’s Kitchen, and Cauldron Foods.
Alpro’s dominance of the non-dairy milk market continued in Germany, where it was trailed by Alnatura, Oatly, KoRo and Bio Primo. Rügenwalder Mühle won the honour of the best meat alternative brand, with Green Cuisine, Alnatura, Beyond Meat, and Nestlé’s Garden Gourmet also on the list.
Finally, in Mexico, local company César Soya was named the best brand of meat analogues, followed by Gardein, fellow Mexican firm Soi-yah!, Loma Linda, and Beyond Meat.
Impossible Foods’s plant-based beef and burger have earned NSF’s “gold standard” certification for sports, opening up possibilities to serve MLB and NHL clubs.
Last month, at the Major League Baseball (MLB) game between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the San Francisco Giants, competitive eater Joey Chestnut wolfed down 275 vegan nuggets in a fan challenge organised by Impossible Foods.
Soon, the company’s products may no longer be confined to the stands. Its signature plant-based burgers have received a sports nutrition certification that is a requirement for brands to sell food to MLB clubs.
Impossible Foods’s beef and burger have achieved the NSF Certified for Sport mark, validating that the product offers valuable nutrition to athletic lifestyles. The designation isn’t just a first for plant-based meat, but for fresh food products overall.
“NSF Certified for Sport is the gold standard in sports. It’s a huge deal to have Impossible Foods certified as the first plant-based meat available to athletes,” said Impossible Foods CEO Peter McGuinness.
“Americans are more aware than ever about the food they put in their bodies. It’s our responsibility to deliver on delicious, nutrient-dense, high-quality food, like our plant-based beef that’s packed with protein,” he added.
Impossible Foods can now sell to MLB athletes
Courtesy: Peter McGuinness/LinkedIn
NSF is an independent organisation dating back over 80 years, has 40,000 clients in 110 countries, and is a collaborating centre of the World Health Organization.
Its sports certification ensures dietary supplements and foods are free from over 290 substances banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency, the National Football League (NFL), MLB, and other organisations. NSF inspects manufacturing facilities and suppliers, and makes sure that all products are accurately labelled.
According to Impossible Foods, the programme helps athletes, trainers and dietitians “make more informed decisions about the products they recommend and consume”.
Clubs in the National Hockey League and MLB are only permitted to provide products that carry the certification. It’s also recommended by bodies like the NFL, the Professional Golfers’ Association, and the American Sports and Performance Dietitians Association, among others.
Impossible Foods’s beef alternatives have been recommended by many nutritionists and dietitians, and its Lite Beef carries certifications from the American Health Association and the American Diabetes Association.
They contain 19g of complete protein (on par with conventional beef), nearly twice the amount of iron, and 40% less fat and 33% less saturated fat than 80/20 beef. They also have no cholesterol or trans fat, and are a source of B vitamins and electrolytes like potassium.
“This certification is further proof that we’re holding ourselves accountable, and that athletes, dietitians and all consumers can feel good about our products,” said McGuinness.
According to Impossible Foods – whose vegan hot dogs are already available for spectators at certain MLB stadiums – the sports certification for its products was the result of “high demand from sports nutritionists who specifically wanted to serve our plant-based beef to their professional athletes”.
“All athletes need protein, but the type of protein the athlete prefers varies person to person. Providing a fresh and safe food supply for athletes who want to eat more plant-based protein can be a challenge throughout the season,” said Becci Roehl, a veteran sports dietitian and founding board member of the American Sports and Performance Dietitians Association.
“Failure to meet their protein needs can impair their ability to recover over the long season. Having a plant-based protein that is NSF Certified for Sport, like Impossible Beef, will add a new weapon to our arsenal, helping athletes to be resilient, staying available on the field for optimal performance.”
To mark the certification, Impossible Foods will showcase its beef mince and burger at the Food & Nutrition Conference & Expo in Nashville (October 11-14), where attendees will sample the products alongside its Lite Beef.
It is also hosting a Protein Bar pop-up in the style of a dive bar at the finish lines of the Chicago Marathon and the Detroit Marathon on October 12 and 19, respectively, where it will serve protein-packed bites to attendees.
Now, its NSF Certified for Sports products can enter foodservice establishments that cater to professional athletes across different sports.
“NSF is committed to protecting and improving human health worldwide. By meeting our rigorous requirements for Certified for Sport, Impossible Foods is demonstrating its commitment to clean sport as well as quality, safety and good manufacturing processes for its plant-based beef products,” said David Trosin, senior director of nutrition and wellness at NSF.
Meat and milk consumption has declined in Germany, while the production of plant-based proteins has doubled since 2019, spotlighting the flexitarian consumer base.
Germany isn’t Europe’s largest market for plant-based food for no reason.
Though many countries saw sales of vegan food contract in 2024, Germany recorded a 1.5% growth, reaching nearly €1.7B, according to Circana data released by the Good Food Institute (GFI) Europe.
Now, a data analysis from ProVeg International reveals the driving factors behind this category’s success in this market, outlining how the consumption of meat and milk has fallen to historic lows, just as production of plant-based proteins has skyrocketed.
The food awareness organisation cited government data showing that over half of Germans identify as either vegan, vegetarian, or flexitarian. And nearly two in five (39%) have now eaten plant-based meat and dairy alternatives several times, with 14% having tried them once.
Red meat and milk are driving the decline in animal protein intake
Courtesy: ProVeg International
ProVeg’s research found that women in Germany are much more likely to be flexitarian, vegetarian and or vegan (66%) than men (37%). Similarly, meat reduction is most common among Gen Z (57%), followed by those aged 60 and over (52%).
At 52.8kg per capita, annual meat consumption reached an all-time low in 2022. This marginally rose to 53.3kg in 2024, but was still 13% lower than a decade prior. The intake of red meat, like pork and beef, has particularly driven this decline.
Moreover, Germans drank less milk in 2024 than ever before, consuming just 46.2kg per person, a 15.5% decline from 2014. The consumption rates of cheese and eggs, however, were at their highest since at least 2010.
“In recent years, meat consumption in Germany has declined by around 10kg per year, but this has been offset by an increase in cheese consumption,” Achim Spiller, chair of Germany’s Scientific Advisory Board on Agricultural Policy, Nutrition and Consumer Health (WBAE), said in July.
Courtesy: ProVeg International
“As a result, total greenhouse gas emissions from food have hardly decreased. Alternative products may offer a way out of this ‘cheese paradox’, as they often have a significantly lower climate footprint,” he added.
Separate research by GFI Europe shows that half of adults in Germany want to change their diets by either reducing meat or eating more plant-based food. That being said, among the third of respondents who want to cut back on animal proteins, only 6% are influenced by the environmental impact, despite meat and dairy production taking up two-thirds of the country’s agricultural emissions and 60% of its farmland.
Instead, high costs (25%), health concerns (24%), and changing taste preferences (19%) are the primary drivers of Germans’ desire to reduce animal protein intake.
Plant-based meat production doubles in Germany
While meat and dairy consumption are on the decline, plant-based proteins are thriving in Germany. The amount of meat alternatives produced in the country has grown every year since 2019, and more than doubled by 2024, reaching 126 million tonnes.
The value of these products rose by an even greater margin, reaching €647M in 2024, a 137% increase from five years prior. Likewise, the number of companies manufacturing plant-based meat grew from 34 in 2019 to 68 in 2024.
Additionally, a third of German households (32%) bought vegan meat analogues at least once in 2024, rising to 37% for non-dairy milk.
Courtesy: ProVeg International
That said, GFI Europe polling shows that Germans find meat and dairy much more palatable and wallet-friendly than plant-based alternatives, outlining the barriers vegan food producers need to overcome. Companies including Oatly and Rewe Group have already petitioned the government with a call to lower the VAT on plant-based milk from 19% to match dairy (which is taxed at 7%).
Speaking of which, the WBAE has urged the German government to increase public support for alternative proteins, recommending over 50 policy measures as part of a “3R strategy”. This aims to “reduce” the portion sizes of meat and dairy, “remix” them with plant-based ingredients to create blended proteins, or “replace” them entirely with alternative proteins.
“The reduction in the consumption of animal-sourced foods is largely driven by people who wish to cut back for various reasons – not by those fully switching to vegetarian or vegan diets,” it noted. “Therefore, a key lever for food policy is to promote gradual change through a flexible reduction and substitution strategy.”
