Californian food tech startup Lypid has debuted its consumer brand via a partnership with Disney, serving vegan pork baos at the Moana 2 premiere in Hawai’i.
At the world premiere of Disney’s latest record-breaking film, Moana 2, Pua wasn’t the only pig that stole the show.
Stars, filmmakers, and attendees were among the first groups to taste the BBQ Pork Piggy Bao, a new retail product by Californian brand Lypid Kitchen, which centres around an innovative vegan pork fat.
It’s the retail-focused arm of food tech startup Lypid, which is known for its plant-based animal-like fats. The baos – the brand’s first product line – were on the menu at the Lanikuhonua Cultural Institute in Kapolei (situated on the Hawaiian island of O’ahu), where people gathered to celebrate the sequel to Walt Disney Animation Studio’s 2016 hit, Moana.
Courtesy: Lypid
Since the premiere in late November, Moana 2 has turned out to be a Thanksgiving record-breaker at the box office, and banked $389M globally in its first weekend – behind only fellow Disney megahit Deadpool & Wolverine.
“We are thrilled to collaborate with Disney for the Moana 2 World Premiere, a celebration of connection and harmony that aligns perfectly with our mission,” said Lypid co-founder Jen-Yu Huang.
Lypid Kitchen celebrates Asian classics
Lypid’s produces hard fats that have the taste and texture of animal fats and coconut oil, but without the environmental or health detriments. It is low in saturated fat, and contains zero trans fats or hydrogenation.
Its patented microencapsulation technology incorporates and extends flavour delivery into vegan fats, and can retain them even through the cooking process. PhytoFat is a structured fat that is low in saturated fat and has a very high melting point, making it suitable for a range of applications, including plant-based meat, dairy and baked goods.
Courtesy: Lypid
With Lypid Kitchen, the startup is focusing on Asian comfort foods with a better-for-you, plant-based approach. The BBQ Pork Piggy Bao is intended as a twist on the sweet and savoury char siu bao, a dim sum classic.
“At Lypid Kitchen, we’re reimagining favourite Asian comfort foods to offer authentic flavours that everyone can enjoy, while also caring for the planet,” said Huang.
The bao is now available for pre-order on Lypid Kitchen’s website, priced at $14.99 for a four-pack. Moreover, the brand will introduce the saturated-fat-free product on retail shelves in February 2025.
Alternative fats solve major pain points
Lypid, which has raised over $4M from investors, has several other products, which are all geared towards foodservice. These include pork belly slices in original and smoky flavours, which it debuted in March last year, braised pork belly, thick-cut bacon, and smoky BBQ crumbles.
And earlier this year, it rolled out plant-based meatballs, which it said can be used in various cuisines, including American, Italian, and Asian fusion.
Courtesy: Lypid
These products are available at over 500 locations globally. Burger patties made from PhytoFat have been served as part of several menu items at Louisa Coffee outlets in Taiwan since 2022. Its pork belly was part of a pasta dish at Ikea Taiwan for a limited time this year, and its offerings can also be found at Taiwanese airline company EVA Air.
Edinburgh’s Palm-Alt is emulsifying non-tropical oils with proteins and water to give them more ‘saturated’ properties, while London-based vegan meat maker THIS has come up with an olive-oil-based emulsion to reduce the level of saturated fat in its chicken, beef and pork analogues.
Several others are working on planet- and health-friendly hard fat alternatives, whether via a combination of plants, or through fermentation. These include NoPalm Ingredients, C16 Biosciences, PALM-ALT, Äio, and Melt&Marble, among others.
British brand H!P has designed an oat milk chocolate based on the winning submission in a festive competition run by Amazon and The King’s Trust. The kicker is a surprise ingredient.
Chocolate-covered bacon may be a modern American speciality, but it’s not often that you hear of bacon-infused chocolate.
What’s even rarer is that it’s all vegan.
But that’s just what Brazilian illustrator Louise Coutinho came up with, winning the Raising The (Chocolate) Bar competition organised by Amazon and The King’s Trust.
Her idea was brought to life by London-based oat milk chocolate maker H!P, which developed the bar labelled Figs in Blankets. It combines a 41% cocoa base, complemented with chopped dates and figs and a salty, smoky vegan bacon flavouring – and went on sale on Amazon yesterday for £3.50 per 80g bar.
“While the prospect of mixing figs with plant-based bacon flavouring raised a few eyebrows initially, it was clear after the first taste test that we’d hit the sweet spot. I can’t wait to hear people’s reactions to the flavour combo,” said H!P owner James Cadbury, a descendent of the famous chocolate family, who was on the contest’s judging panel.
Inspired by a British Christmas classic
Courtesy: James McCauley/PinPep
The King’s Trust (formerly The Prince’s Trust), supports people aged 11 to 30 with finding employment and setting up a business. Young people were invited by the charity to invent unique flavour combinations for the festive season, with entries judged by experts including Cadbury and Levi Roots, the celebrity chef behind Reggae Reggae Sauce.
“I wanted to come up with a Christmassy flavour, something fun and creative, the crazier the better,” explained Coutinho, who spent two years on the Trust’s enterprise programme. She drew inspiration from pigs in blankets, a British Christmas classic entailing cocktail sausages wrapped in bacon.
“I thought about Christmas in the UK and pigs in blankets came to mind – I was drawn to it because it has a little character. I love characters and could see the opportunity for the visual element of packaging the products,” she said.
“I am a visual artist and I am not in the food industry, so a chocolate competition was out of my comfort zone,” she continued. “I was very surprised when they went for my idea which was kind of out of the box – but they embraced it. Then they had to figure out how to bring it to reality.”
Since H!P is a plant-based brand, Coutinho wanted to challenge its team to create a savoury element with the vegan bacon flavouring. “There’s something intriguing about it,” she remarked.
Roots agreed: “As a lover of bold flavours, I was really impressed by the unique pairing of the salty bacon style flavouring with sweet, fragrant figs.”
Amazon to donate part of proceeds from vegan chocolate
Courtesy: H!P/Amazon
Coutinho said winning the competition was a “dream come true”: “Not only was my chocolate bar creation selected by the judges as the winner, but I also got to attend a design tutorial with the H!P team, who decided to include my signature smiley face design on the packaging.”
The whimsical illustration puts a smile on the figs and bacon appearing on the front of the wrapper. “My style is to create upbeat themes and visuals about the things that make us happy and bring joy, best friends, pets, little characters,” she said.
There are a total of 7,500 limited-edition bars available, with Amazon donating at least 15% of proceeds from each chocolate sold in December to The King’s Trust.
H!P (which stands for Happiness in Plants) is one of the UK’s leading vegan chocolate brands, founded in 2021 and now available at Sainsbury’s, Whole Foods Market, Ocado, and Holland & Barrett, as well as Tesco Ireland. It has a six-strong lineup of bars, but also sells buttons, truffles (à la Lindor), and dragées.
Its chocolates have a 50% lower carbon footprint, and are encased in plastic-free recyclable packaging with an inner film made from compostable wood pulp.
The chocolate industry itself has been under the microscope this year, with cocoa prices reaching all-time highs amid supply strains induced by the climate crisis, which itself is exacerbated by chocolate production. Many food tech startups have been developing cocoa-free chocolate alternatives using more planet-friendly ingredients, while some are recreating bioidentical versions using cocoa cells.
Succession’s James Cromwell put his Lifetime Achievement Award from the Humane Society of the United States exactly where it belongs—in the trash. Why? To condemn the organization’s role in propping up factory farms by sitting on the board of directors for the Global Animal Partnership—the group behind misleading “animal welfare certified” labels at Whole Foods Markets.
Read Cromwell’s powerful op-ed below—then, find out how YOU can take action.
My Humane Society Award Is Trash—Literally and Figuratively
Written by James Cromwell
In 2014, the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) awarded me a Lifetime Achievement Award during its 60th Anniversary Gala. I was honored to receive it, and until recently, I was very proud of it.
My perspective changed after I discovered that the HSUS is still “proudly supporting” the Global Animal Partnership (G.A.P.) as a member of its board. G.A.P. allows animal-exploiting companies to place grossly misleading “animal welfare certified” labels on meat, eggs, and dairy. This highly deceptive humane-washing scheme tricks consumers into believing that animals on factory farms are well cared for. Terms like “animal welfare certified,” along with images of happy animals in grassy pastures, create an illusion to mask abuse and suffering.
After learning about the HSUS’ involvement with G.A.P., I wrote to HSUS President and CEO Kitty Block, urging the organization to resign from G.A.P.’s board of directors. She defended the HSUS’ position, but I’m not buying it, and neither should anybody who considers themselves an animal advocate. An award from an organization that is supposed to protect animals means nothing if that organization betrays them. We need to demand what animals deserve, and settling for slightly less terrible cruelty is being complicit in their abuse—period. I threw my award in the trash, where it belongs.
The HSUS’ affiliation with G.A.P. provides cover for one of the cruelest industries and gives the public the green light to buy the flesh of animals who were abused in extremely violent ways before workers slaughtered them.
PETA found rampant abuse at all 12 G.A.P.-certified sites that it investigated. The group has shown the HSUS the evidence of workers kicking, stomping on, throwing, punching, and beating turkeys. One worker held a turkey up by her injured neck, mimicked masturbation, and then dropped her on the floor and left her to die. When they’re not confined and abused on filthy factory farms, these emotionally complex birds enjoy having their feathers stroked, gobbling along to music, and playing together.
I love all animals, but it was a pig who got me to think deeply about factory farming. Pigs are sensitive, intelligent animals who find joy in the simple pleasures of life, but on G.A.P.-certified farms, they can be kept indoors without sunlight or fresh air for their entire lives. They’re mutilated without any pain relief, forcibly artificially inseminated, kept in severely crowded conditions, robbed of their beloved piglets, and transported in all weather extremes to slaughterhouses, where they’re killed in front of other terrified animals.
My friends at PETA say, “Every animal is someone.” All animals can feel terror, pain, loneliness, and love, and we must push to prevent needless suffering. Going vegan is the one sure way to protect turkeys, pigs, and other animals factory-farmed for their flesh, and that’s what the HSUS should promote. And it’s why I’ve been vegan for decades.
I will continue to put pressure on the HSUS until it does the right thing by animals and those who trust it to do so. Please join me at PETA.org/GAP.
I won’t be associated with the HSUS as long as it’s affiliated with G.A.P.
James Cromwell is an Oscar-nominated actor, a star of Succession and the Fox crime drama Murder in a Small Town, and an honorary director of PETA.
Join James Cromwell—Help End the ‘Humane’ Lies
Kind consumers can take action by going vegan and by urging organizations to stop propping up the cruel animal agriculture industry. Please sign PETA’s petition telling “animal protection” groups to resign from the Global Animal Partnership’s board of directors immediately:
In our weekly column, we round up the latest news and developments in the alternative protein and sustainable food industry. This week, Future Food Quick Bites covers a vegan nugget campaign with Anushka Sharma and Virat Kohli, Japan Airlines’s plant-based sushi offering, and a precision fermentation communication guide.
New products and launches
Indian plant-based meat brand Blue Tribe Foods has revamped its vegan chicken nuggets, accompanied by a new ad campaign featuring its celebrity ambassador couple, actress Anushka Sharma and cricketer Virat Kohli.
Canadian startup Milk Depot Inc. is the latest brand in the at-home plant-based milk category, launching a non-dairy Milk Maker for $279.95 (currently on offer for $149) on its website.
Vegan fast-food chain Mr Charlie’s has opened a pop-up in Melbourne’s CoConspirators Brewpub, which will run for two months.
Korean startup Pensées has begun selling its first food-grade culture medium for cultivated meat producers, which has a similar cost to the industry standard when used on a development scale.
Courtesy: Pensées
And Japan Airlines is serving up vegan sushi in the air, thanks to a partnership with local food manufacturer Azuma Foods.
Dutch vegan ingredient company GNT has set up a VC arm called GNT Ventures, which will focus on colouring solutions across the raw material and fermentation, processing, food ingredient, and upcycling verticals.
A month after opening its Armored Grilled Cheese foodservice venture in Brooklyn’s Dekalb Market Hall, South Korean dairy-free cheese startup Armored Fresh has announced that 70% of visitors have been non-vegan. It also recorded a repeat customer rate of 24% in this period.
Courtesy: Armored Fresh
Bangkok-based agrifood giant Thai Wah Public Company has teamed up with Japan’s Fuji Nihon Corporation to advance the manufacturing, sales and distribution of tapioca-based foods.
Denver-based vegan restaurant Meta Burger – once named the world’s best burger by HappyCow – has closed its two remaining locations, leaving the city with no fully plant-based eateries.
Courtesy: Meta Burger
Speaking of the world’s best, Qatar Airways has partnered with food waste digester company Power Knot to install a biodigester on its planes, which can process and convert up to 1,500kg of food waste into greywater.
There’s change at the top at Israeli cultivated seafood startup Wanda Fish, where James Amihood is taking over as CEO from Dafna Heffetz, who will stay as a board vice-chairman.
A judge in Los Angeles has ruled in favour of the USDA on a 2022 case brought by a vegan student who argued that her school was violating the First Amendment rights by blocking her ability to raise awareness about plant-based milk. The courts decided that the student lacked standing to sue because she has already graduated.
In Sweden, the Chalmers University of Technology has established a four-year future food consortium with agrifood giants Lantmännen and Arla to advance fermentation research and develop hybrid foods.
Courtesy: University of Waterloo
At the University of Waterloo in Canada, scientists are feeding bacteria on food scraps to produce fully biodegradable bioplastics that break down in garden composts, agricultural fields, and both fresh and seawater, while causing no harmful plastic pollution or leaving any chemical residues behind.
Spanish plant-based meat leader Heura has called on the national government to take a more urgent approach to climate action and “prioritise sustainability and global health over political interests” in a new awareness campaign.
Students at the University of Reading have won the second prize in EIT Food‘s ‘Pea-Licious’ programme for their pea-based drink PeaChata and yoghurt YogiPot.
Courtesy: All G
Alternative protein think tanks the Good Food Institute APAC and Cellular Agriculture Australia have worked with several Asia-Pacific stakeholders to produce an in-depth communication guide for precision fermentation.
Also in Asia, non-profit Charity Doings Foundation is hosting the first-ever Pakistan International Animal and Environmental Rights Conference in 2025 at the Pearl Continental Hotel, Lahore (January 18-19).
Finally, the state-owned Emirates Foundation has published a food waste guide for event organisers and food businesses, which can help them lower waste by up to 60%.
Cultivated meat is real meat “developed without slaughter”, but it isn’t vegan, according to the organisation that coined the term.
As cultivated meat continues its journey of consumer and regulatory acceptance, one question looms large for the industry: is it vegan?
Vegan food and cultivated meat are both subsets of the alternative protein space, working to address the same issues – climate change, intensive animal agriculture, and human health, among others – but with vastly different approaches.
The former involves using plants or microbes to make food as close to animal-derived meat as possible, while the latter makes use of real animal cells to produce meat identical to the conventional thing, just without all the emissions and the killing that comes with it.
Since veganism means no animal inputs whatsoever, by definition, cultivated meat doesn’t fall under this umbrella. But it has been subject to discussion, with many vegans expressing interest in trying the products just as others denounce the use of animal cells to create these products.
To settle that debate, The Vegan Society – the charity that coined the term ‘vegan’ – has published a research briefing that states in no uncertain terms: “Cultured meat is not vegan. Furthermore, it may never be considered vegan.”
Why The Vegan Society opposes cultivated meat
Courtesy: Mosa Meat
The Vegan Society’s position centres around speciesism. It is “woven into the fabric of our society” and involves the systemic oppression and ill-treatment of animals based upon the perception of human superiority, and it’s a belief the charity seeks to challenge.
The research paper suggests that in the current discussion around cultivated meat, there’s a “near total absence” of the animal that had its cells extracted. Most existing literature – from academic publications to company websites – only mention the animal briefly. “What happens to the animal after their biopsy is left unclear. Presumably, they meet the same fate as most other farmed animals,” states The Vegan Society.
To think that cultivated meat companies and investors are driven mostly by ethical and environmental concerns is perhaps “naive”, according to the charity, which outlined the industry’s massive growth potential and profit-making opportunities.
It takes issue with the involvement of conventional meat giants like Cargill and Tyson, who “arguably stand to make a lot of money from its success”. While it’s true that these companies have invested in several startups in the space, proponents argue that this presents a pathway for these meat producers to drive greater consumer adoption of alternative proteins while possibly lowering their own climate footprint.
“It’s understandable that some vegans may be drawn to the possibilities of this technology. However, as our policy position makes clear, cultured meat is not vegan or a panacea for the horrors of animal use and exploitation,” the organisation notes.
It further nods to advancements in cell line development, which could potentially eliminate the need for any animal inputs whatsoever. But this, for now, remains “only theory”.
“As it currently stands, the process of cultivated meat is not enough for us to support it. There is already a myriad of vegan meat alternatives that don’t derive from cultivated or lab-grown meats – essentially there are kinder alternatives out there. Whilst these products include starter cells derived from animals, they aren’t vegan,” says The Vegan Society. “We understand that this is a fast-moving sector, and we will keep this under review.”
Advisors advocate for nuance
Courtesy: Good Meat
The policy paper featured two competing opinion pieces by members of its Research Advisory Committee. Corey Lee Wrenn, a sociology lecturer at the University of Kent, echoes the organisation’s position by saying it’s important to recognise “the symbolic violence that cultured meat sustains”, arguing that these proteins are “deeply problematic” and “reinforce speciesism”.
Chris Bryant, a social scientist and director of Bryan Research, offers a more nuanced take. “Cultivated meat is likely to decrease speciesism, not increase it, and cultivated meat companies care about animal suffering,” he notes, suggesting that some versions of these proteins are “absolutely not vegan”, but others are, even if they “may not be perfectly vegan”.
He concludes that refusing to support cultivated meat – especially on the basis of speciesism or capitalism – is “misguided” and likely to increase animal suffering.
The Vegan Society, for its part, recognises the health and environmental benefits of cultivated meat, stating that it requires far less land and water to produce, produces much fewer greenhouse gas emissions, and lowers the risks of zoonotic disease and antibiotic resistance.
It also highlights how regulators are increasingly embracing cultivated meat. This year alone, four separate products have received approval in various parts of the world, from Israel and the UK to Singapore and Hong Kong – and this is only set to accelerate next year.
To that end, the organisation recommends clear labelling for vegan products to avoid consumer confusion, notes that efforts should be taken to centre animals in the discourse around cultivated meat, advocates for further research to better understand the opinions of vegans, and urges vegan campaigners to emphasise that tech advancements alone can’t save us from the climate crisis.
“We acknowledge that lab-grown meat has the potential to reduce animal suffering and we understand that it has benefits to animal welfare, but we fight for an end to all exploitation,” it says.
Unilever is planning an auction to sell The Vegetarian Butcher, its flagship plant-based meat brand. This news has sent ripples through the industry, prompting many to ask: What does this mean for the future of plant-based meat, and how did we get here?
Back in 2018, Unilever made a daring move. Recognising the surging interest in plant-based diets, the global conglomerate acquired The Vegetarian Butcher, aiming to lead in a sector that was one of the fastest-growing in the food industry. Their ambitions were grand, with goals reportedly set to reach €1.5 billion in sales by 2025.
Leveraging its extensive retail networks and relationships, Unilever propelled The Vegetarian Butcher to impressive heights in Europe, with significant achievements that included:
Major partnerships: Striking what could be the world’s largest plant-based meat deal with Restaurant Brands International (RBI) in Europe (the result of which was the brand’s patties in Burger Kings across Europe).
Retail expansion: Establishing a strong presence across European supermarkets, thanks to Unilever’s clout.
Early on, The Vegetarian Butcher seemed poised for success. Yet, despite these strides, the brand has struggled to replicate this performance outside Europe. In the US, The Vegetarian Butcher couldn’t quite take off; in other global markets, it remained largely under the radar. It became clear that its focus was heavily European-centric, offering solutions for food services chains and a generic wide portfolio of products aiming to address the perceived opportunity for plant-based meat to simply mimic top-selling meat items. The company’s plans – like most other plant-based meat companies – rested on the premise that PTC (Price Taste Convenience) primarily drove food choice.
The reality check
Courtesy: The Vegetarian Butcher
So, what went wrong? To understand, we need to look at the broader market trends. Since 2021, the plant-based meat market has shown signs of stagnation and even contraction, especially in the US. This slowdown caught many by surprise, given the earlier optimism.
Comparisons with plant-based milk offer some insights. Plant-based milk has captured nearly 15% of retail milk sales. Walk into any urban coffee shop in a developed country, and you’ll notice that plant-based milk options might account for about half of all milk used—far surpassing the adoption rates of plant-based meat alternatives in similar settings.
Why the difference? It boils down to consumer perceptions and emotional connections.
Emotional drivers and consumer behaviour
For many, milk is a staple, but it is not necessarily an aspirational product. Additionally, lactose intolerance and milk allergies affect a significant portion of the population, making alternatives more appealing. Plant-based milks have successfully positioned themselves as not just substitutes but as trendy and varied options that cater to health, environmental concerns, and taste preferences.
Meat, on the other hand, holds a different place in people’s hearts and on their plates. It’s often the star of the meal, rich in cultural significance and positive emotional associations. Unlike milk, few people have physical adverse reactions to meat, and vegetarians and vegans still represent a tiny minority in most societies.
When asked what it would take to choose plant-based meat, consumers often mention “price, taste, and convenience.” However, these factors, while important, may not override the deep-rooted preferences and emotional connections people have with meat. Simply put, many consumers don’t feel a compelling need to replace something they enjoy and have no issues with. This is a conclusion I first had sometime around late 2022 while experiencing first-hand the challenges beyond Price, Taste and convenience. While it is a topic I have written about a few times, this article from Jacob R. Peacock dives into it with more depth.
Industry challenges and the path forward
Courtesy: The Vegetarian Butcher
The challenges faced by The Vegetarian Butcher aren’t unique. Many companies in the plant-based meat sector are grappling with similar issues:
Financial strains: With venture capital funding drying up since 2021, especially for early-stage and loss-making companies, many startups have shut down or are struggling to stay afloat.
Market saturation and consolidation: After seeing smaller companies closing down, we are entering a phase where companies with substantial revenues are becoming targets for consolidation. The Vegetarian Butcher, with estimated revenues between €50 million and €150 million, exemplifies this trend. On the bright side, this is probably where the winning companies will enter their phase of best returns on investment.
Technological innovation, once seen as the key to unlocking mass adoption, hasn’t provided the silver bullet many hoped for. While advancements have improved the taste and texture of plant-based meats—particularly in products like burgers and nuggets—they haven’t significantly shifted consumer behaviour. At the same time, negative consumer campaigns have driven negative sentiment to a very high level against plant-based meat, boosted by narratives that the products are not healthy. Price reductions, another strategy employed by well-funded players, haven’t yielded the expected boost in adoption either.
If technology and pricing strategies aren’t moving the needle, perhaps it’s time to reassess our understanding of the problem.
Rethinking the approach
The consistent hurdles suggest that the industry may have misread the consumer adoption curve. It’s not just about making plant-based meat as tasty or as affordable as animal meat. It’s about addressing the emotional and cultural significance of meat in people’s lives.
We need to ask deeper questions:
What truly motivates consumers to change long-standing dietary habits?
How can plant-based brands create products that don’t just mimic meat but offer new, exciting culinary experiences?
In what ways can the industry engage with consumers on an emotional level, beyond the usual talking points of health and sustainability?
Realistically, how long will this really take? Are the companies and shareholders prepared for a much longer journey than initially anticipated?
Unilever’s strategic considerations
The Vegetarian Butcher has been supplying its meat analogues to Burger King since 2019 | Courtesy: Burger King Germany | Composite by Green Queen
For a corporate giant like Unilever, the decision to potentially sell The Vegetarian Butcher likely comes down to strategic priorities. Managing a brand in a slow-growth, high-burn sector with an uncertain future may not align with its goals. The company’s resources invested could perhaps yield better returns elsewhere.
However, this doesn’t spell doom for The Vegetarian Butcher. On the contrary, stepping out from under Unilever’s vast umbrella might offer the brand a chance to be more agile and focused. A smaller, dedicated team could steer the company with the nimbleness required in such a dynamic market.
Looking ahead with optimism
Despite the challenges, there are reasons to be hopeful:
Significant achievements: The Vegetarian Butcher’s success in securing major contracts, like with RBI in Europe, is no small feat. It demonstrates the brand’s potential to compete on a big stage.
Solid foundation: With an impressive distribution network and a diverse product portfolio, the brand has a strong platform to build upon.
The plant-based meat industry is at a crossroads. While initial expectations may not have been met, this moment offers an opportunity to recalibrate and innovate.
The potential sale of The Vegetarian Butcher is more than just a corporate transaction; it’s a reflection of the evolving landscape of plant-based meats. It challenges industry players to look beyond conventional strategies and delve deeper into understanding the consumer psyche.
For the industry to thrive, it must embrace a more nuanced approach—one that recognizes the complex relationship people have with food. By creating products that resonate on an emotional level and by crafting narratives that align with consumers’ values and desires, plant-based brands can forge a path forward.
Change is rarely linear, and the adoption of new food paradigms takes time. The journey of The Vegetarian Butcher offers valuable lessons for future innovators. As the brand potentially moves into a new chapter, there’s hope that it will continue to push boundaries and inspire others in the quest for a more sustainable and diverse food landscape.
It’s not just Butterball: Sexual abuse of animals is widespread in the farming industry. Turkeys and pigs raised for their flesh and cows used for their milk are all sexually abused by workers. See what our undercover investigators have documented and how you can make a difference for animals.
Turkeys Sexually Abused at Butterball and Plainville Farms
When PETA’s undercover footage of workers mimicking sex acts and beating turkeys at Butterball resurfaced, the company claimed that the footage was no longer relevant since it had become accredited by American Humane—but accreditations like this are just humane-washing schemes. The true purpose of these bogus certifications is to hoodwink the public into paying more for the same cruelty. Accreditations mean nothing to the animals who still face extreme suffering.
Does this seem humane?
Plainville Farms was certified by the Global Animal Partnership when PETA’s investigator documented the following:
Workers attacked birds to instill fear, vent their frustration, or relieve their boredom.
A worker picked up a turkey with a neck injury and put her between his legs. Holding her by her injured neck, he mimicked masturbation, then dropped her on the floor, kicked her, and left her to die. A few nights later, the same worker put another hen between his legs and thrust his pelvis back and forth.
Even after PETA investigations revealed abuse on 12 “animal welfare certified” farms—leading to 141 charges of criminal cruelty to animals being filed against a dozen now-former Plainville Farms workers and numerous convictions—representatives of the Humane Society of the United States, the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), and Compassion in World Farming still sit on Global Animal Partnership’s board of directors.
Workers Sexually Assaulted and Beat Pigs at a Hormel Supplier
For more than three months, PETA went undercover on an Iowa pig factory farm, which supplied piglets who were raised and killed for Hormel products. Our investigators found rampant cruelty to animals committed by workers and supervisors.
The following are just some of the abuses that were documented:
A supervisor shoved a cane into a sow’s vagina, struck her on the back about 17 times, and then struck another sow.
A supervisor kicked a young pig in the face, abdomen, and genitals to make her move and told one of PETA’s investigators, “You gotta beat on the bitch. Make her cry.”
A worker hit a young pig in the face four times with the edge of a herding board, and investigators witnessed dozens of similar incidents involving this worker and 11 other ones.
Two men, including a supervisor, were witnessed jabbing clothespins into pigs’ faces. A supervisor also poked two animals in the eyes with his fingers.
“When I get pissed or get hurt or the fucking bitch won’t move, I grab one of those rods and I jam it in her asshole.”
All Cow’s Milk Is a Product of Sexual Assault
Female cows produce milk only when they’re pregnant or nursing. They make milk for the same reason humans do—to feed their babies. In the dairy industry, workers forcibly restrain and artificially inseminate female cows by thrusting their hands inside them so that they can create milk, cheese, and other dairy products—no matter if they’re labeled “organic,” “raw,” “antibiotic-free,” “humane,” or anything else. Cows often bellow and try to escape, but they’re held fast, sometimes with a “twitch,” a cruel means of causing pain to their nostrils in order to make them afraid to move.
The bond between mother cow and calf is strong, but baby cows are often separated from their mothers just hours after birth on dairy farms. Mother cows have been known to try hiding their babies and often frantically chase after and call for them after they’ve been taken.
Every Animal Is Someone: Go Vegan for Them
The meat, egg, and dairy industries are built on the subjugation and exploitation of female animals. Every animal is someone. We can all feel pain and fear and experience love and joy. We’re all the same in the ways that matter most.
All of us can help end abuse like what was shown in the Butterball footage by going vegan and taking action against humane-washing schemes.
At Tesco, vegetable-centric dishes take precedence over those featuring vegan meat alternatives, with the former accounting for 40% of the supermarket’s plant-based sales.
On Whole Foods Market’s annual trends report for 2024, the retailer had identified “Putting the ‘plant’ back in ‘plant-based’” as a key direction for the vegan industry.
A year on, the prophecy seems to have materialised across both brands and supermarkets, with the number of whole-food plant-based options hiking as consumers look to incorporate more fruits, vegetables, beans, nuts, and the like in their diets.
But this trend isn’t just constrained to the US – it has decidedly gone international. Take the UK’s largest retailer, Tesco, which has noticed a significant increase in shoppers’ appetite for plant-rich options that spotlight pulses, nuts, seeds and vegetable-based ingredients.
Vegetables dominate Tesco’s vegan Christmas meals
Courtesy: Tesco
Vegetable-led foods now make up 40% of all plant-based sales at Tesco now, according to data from IRI/Circana. In the 41 weeks to October 12, the supermarket sold almost an extra 600,000 veg-forward dishes, compared to the same period last year.
Building on this, Tesco commissioned a survey of over 6,300 Brits, which found that over 27% of respondents will serve or consider prioritising meat-free meals as part of their Christmas menu this year.
“There is a growing appetite from plant-based shoppers to try products that are plant-rich as well as from flexitarians now wanting to take more control over what they eat, whilst continuing to reduce their meat intake,” said Fay Hasnip, plant-based product development manager at Tesco.
“With that in mind, we’ve crafted our finest ever plant-based offering this festive season that we believe will surprise and delight all at the Christmas dinner table,” she added.
The vegan Christmas menu is heavy on the vegetables, including a vegetable and cranberry star, featuring roasted butternut squash and parsnip with cranberry and chestnuts wrapped in puff pastry, as well as a butternut squash wellington with roasted shallot and mushroom duxelles.
There’s also a roast made from a blend of chestnuts, pumpkin and sunflower seeds, alongside kale, mushroom and a port gravy; a mushroom, butternut squash and chestnut wreath with lentils, red onion and brown rice; as well as vegan No-Prawn Tempura made with king oyster mushrooms and jackfruit.
In addition, Tesco’s vegetarian Christmas offering includes a spanakopita with hot honey, and a winter vegetable and three-cheese pithivier.
Whole food focus complements ‘phase two’ of plant-based movement
Courtesy: Tesco
The whole-food-forward Christmas focus follows the launch of Tesco’s Root & Soul ready meal range in May, which is all about the veg. The labelling of the products showcases this intent, with the retailer listing out the vegetables, grains and pulses on the packaging, instead of traditional dish names.
“Everyone knows they need to eat more vegetables, and, while there’s a place for ‘meat mimics’, Root & Soul is all about delicious vegetable centrepieces,” Tesco executive chef Jamie Robinson told the Guardian in April. “We absolutely want to drive the agenda on making veg super tasty.”
The produce-centric meals also play into Tesco’s plans to increase sales of healthy products to 65% of its total by 2025 (by the end of 2023, it got to 60%). A 2,000-person survey by the retailer in December 2023 found that 46% of Brits were eating more vegetables than they did five years ago, with 47% doing so deliberately. By far, the major driving factor was health (81%).
These results were complemented by a growth in Tesco’s plant-based sales in the first three months of the year, driven in large part by whole foods. “We are seeing flexitarians now wanting to take more control over what they eat, whilst continuing to reduce their meat intake,” Tesco’s plant-based food buyer, Cate May, said in March.
“Awareness is also starting to increase around the health benefits of making some simple swaps in their diet, for example, to reduce saturated fat whilst maintaining strong levels of protein by increasing the amount of plants and plant-based foods in their diets and then supplementing with more fresh veg.”
The success of vegan food earlier this year led the retailer to dub the period as phase two of the “biggest food trend this century”. Echoing that theme, Hasnip said: “The plant-based revolution is so far the biggest food trend to have taken place this century and right now with chefs in this space creating and celebrating the diversity and deliciousness of plants, it is piquing the interest of plant-curious consumers.”
A plant-based diet low in fat can reduce hot flashes and weight in postmenopausal women much more effectively than animal proteins.
Replacing meat, dairy and eggs with plant-based foods – regardless of whether they’re classed as healthy or unhealthy – leads to better health outcomes for postmenopausal women.
Hot flashes and weight gain are among the most common symptoms of the postmenopause period, but following a vegan diet can drastically reduce these impacts, leading to greater overall health in women, according to a new study by the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM).
“Simply replacing meat and dairy products with plant-based foods can lead to weight loss and a reduction in hot flashes in postmenopausal women,” said Hana Kahleova, co-author of the study and director of clinical research at PCRM.
Over 80% of people at menopause experience vasomotor symptoms. These include hot flashes, which studies have shown to increase the risk of diabetes, osteoporosis, Alzheimer’s, and cardiovascular diseases. They can also disrupt sleep, negatively affecting women’s overall wellbeing.
Both ‘healthy’ and ‘unhealthy’ vegan diets reduce hot flashes
Courtesy: Beats3/Getty Images
The research – published in the BMC Women’s Health journal – is a secondary analysis of data from a 2023 PCRM study, where 84 postmenopausal women reporting at least two moderate to severe hot flashes dairy were either asked to follow a low-fat vegan diet featuring soybeans, or continue their usual diet for 12 weeks.
That initial research revealed that low-fat vegan diets reduced the incidence of moderate to severe hot flashes by 88%. This latest paper builds on that to explore the association of plant-based diet index (PDI) scores with changes in hot flashes.
Characterised by positive marks for plant-based foods and negative scores for animal-derived foods, PDI differentiates between the healthfulness of different approaches to plant-based eating, and has been used in many studies.
PDI measures adherence to a vegan diet in general. Meanwhile, healthful PDI (hPDI) comprises the consumption of ‘healthy’ plant-based foods, such as more vegetables, whole grains, nuts, legumes, oils, coffee and tea. On the contrary, unhealthful PDI (uPDI) includes more foods like fruit juice, sugar-sweetened beverages, refined grains, potatoes, and sweets.
The researchers found that participants eating vegan diets saw severe hot flashes reduce by 92%, while those in the control group experienced no significant changes. Similarly, plant-based eaters also lost an average of 3.6kg in body weight, compared to just 0.2kg for those who ate meat, dairy and eggs.
Crucially, all three PDI cores increased in the vegan participants, with both hPDI and uPDI associated with weight loss and a reduction in hot flashes. And these effects remained significant even after accounting for changes in body mass index.
“The main mechanisms responsible for the reduction in hot flashes in our study may include a high fibre and a low fat content of the vegan diet, weight loss, a reduction in markers of inflammation, and an increased consumption of soy isoflavones,” the authors wrote.
Important findings among the ultra-processed discourse
Courtesy: Africa Images
“The good news is that our new analysis helps clarify that even plant-based foods that are defined as ‘unhealthy’ by the plant-based index are better than animal products in terms of weight loss and reduction in hot flashes,” said Kahleova.
The research comes at a time when plant-based meat and dairy products are being bundled with items that happen to be vegan – such as breads, biscuits and cakes – to be falsely discredited as unhealthy ultra-processed foods (UPFs). In reality, the term is used to describe the level of processing, and not a food’s healthfulness.
The PCRM research notes that fruit juices, sweetened beverages, potatoes and refined grains all have higher carbohydrate and lower fat content than meat, dairy and eggs, and so are naturally lower in energy density.
Even though potatoes are viewed as ‘unhealthy’ here, the evidence between these tubers and type 2 diabetes risk is “weak and inconsistent”, and subject to variables like the use of fat during preparation and combination with meat in meals. In fact, potatoes have been found to be comparable to beans in weight loss and improvements in insulin resistance.
“If you want to lose weight, fight hot flashes, or improve other diet-related conditions like type 2 diabetes and heart disease, it’s always best to choose the plant-based option over animal products,” said Kahleova.
The findings echo the results from a 2012 clinical trial of over 17,000 women, which found that increasing whole grains, fruits, and vegetables and reducing dietary fat boosted the chances of becoming free of hot flashes at one year by 14%, regardless of weight changes.
Footage that details how workers abused turkeys in perverse ways captured in an undercover PETA investigation of a Butterball slaughterhouse in Ozark, Arkansas, is going viral —and people are shocked that Butterball workers punched and stomped on live turkeys, slammed them against walls, and sexually abused a bird. Find out what the footage shows and how you can help turkeys.
What Did The Butterball Turkey Investigation Reveal?
According to one investigator, a Butterball employee stomped on a bird’s head until her skull exploded, another swung a turkey against a metal handrail so hard that her backbone popped out, and one inserted his finger into a turkey’s vagina.
PETA’s Plainville Farms Investigation Revealed More Turkey Torment
In 2021, a PETA investigator worked for Plainville Farms, a New Oxford, Pennsylvania-based company that claims to produce “humane” turkey in a “stress-free environment.”
PETA’s investigator saw workers attack birds to instill fear, to vent their frustration, or to relieve their boredom. One worker picked up a turkey with a neck injury and put her between his legs. Holding her by her injured neck, he mimicked masturbation, then dropped her on the floor, kicked her, and left her to die. A few nights later, the same worker put another hen between his legs and thrust his pelvis back and forth.
Former workers were charged with more than 140 counts of cruelty to animals, including six felonies, following the investigation. The case involves the most charges and defendants in any case of cruelty to factory-farmed animals in U.S. history, and 10 men have been convicted so far.
Be Thankful: There Are Lots of Vegan Options to Pair with Stuffing, Not Suffering
Turkeys used for food suffer just by being bred: They are kept in dark, crowded sheds, are stressed, and are weak because they were selectively bred to gain too much weight too quickly. No matter if the birds are sold by Butterball, Plainville Farms, or elsewhere, if you see their bodies for sale in a grocery store, know that they suffered.
The best way to help turkeys, the environment, and your health is to go vegan—and thankfully, there are loads of Turkey-free Thanksgiving meals to try.
Join the many people who took to social media after viewing the Butterball footage to share they were going vegan and stop supporting turkey torment today:
In our weekly column, we round up the latest news and developments in the alternative protein and sustainable food industry. This week, Future Food Quick Bites covers Coconut Cloud’s coffee pods, Better Balance’s Crypto.com Arena link-up, and the USDA’s rejection of Iowa’s plant-based purchase restrictions.
New products and launches
US coffee chain Peet’s Coffee has introduced the Everything Plant-Based Sandwich, which features Impossible Foods‘s vegan sausage, Eat Just‘s Just Egg, and dairy-free cheese.
Courtesy: Impossible Foods/LinkedIn
Oyamel, the Washington, DC restaurant owned by José Andrés, held a cultivated meat tasting featuring Eat Just‘s Good Meat chicken and Wildtype‘s salmon in several dishes, organised by non-profit Food Solutions Action.
Foodservice distributor Performance Food Group has ventured into the blended meat space, launching a Beef & Jackfruit Burger under its FarmSmart brand in partnership with meat analogue maker The Jackfruit Company.
Californian startup Renegade Foods has added three French-Hungarian vegan salami SKUs to its lineup. Available in Salami Lorraine, Salami Provence, and Salami Budapesti flavours, they can be found on its website for $42.75 per three-pack.
Courtesy: Coconut Cloud
Also in the US, dairy-free brand Coconut Cloud has launched single-serve coffee pods made with instant coffee, coconut cream powder, coconut sugar and MCT oil powder. The Coconut Cream Latte capsules are available on its website and Amazon for $24.99 for an 18-pack.
Expanding its presence in the US market, plant-based food brand Better Balance has become an official partner with Los Angeles’s Crypto.com Arena, home to the Lakers; collaborated with PLNT Burger, owned by former Top Chef contestant Spike Mendelsohn, to put its vegan hot dog on the menu; and expanded its retail footprint to select Giant and Martin’s on the East Coast.
South Korea’s Unlimeat has launched two new vegan kimbap products in sausage and buldak variants in the US, which are available on its website for $8.99 per pack.
Courtesy: Unlimeat
British plant-based meat maker Shicken has launched its Tikka Masala, Butter Curry, and Korma Curry SKUs at Albert Heijn stores in the Netherlands.
In Canada, plant protein company Burcon NutraScience has partnered with Belgian bakery and chocolate giant Puratos to develop products using the former’s Puratein canola protein as an egg replacer.
Chilean food tech unicorn NotCo has rolled out a line of functional chocolate snacks called NotSquares, as part of its $30M investment in the snack category over the next three years. The products contain a slow-releasing carbohydrate called Palatinose.
Company and finance updates
NotCo is also facing some controversy, though. Its NotMayo, marketed as vegan, has been found to contain the amino acid L-cysteine, which a company representative reportedly confirmed was sourced from bird feathers.
Courtesy: Meatable
Ahead of its Series C round, Dutch cultivated meat startup Meatable has secured a strategic investment from Betagro Ventures, the VC arm of one of Thailand’s largest food companies. It comes weeks after the company told Green Queen about its plans to gain regulatory approval across Asia next year.
Germany’s €34M Bio Base Europe Pilot Plant is now operational, demonstrating DSM-Fonterra-owned Vivici’s precision fermentation technology for beta-lactoglobulin (a whey protein) at an industrial scale.
In the UK, the demand for vegan options at public events has grown by 280% over the last five years, according to research by Togather.
Courtesy: Pureture
New York startup Pureture, which has developed a vegan casein protein, has teamed up with South Korea’s Kangwon National University to set up an Alternative Protein Research Center.
In California, seaweed bacon producer Umaro Foods has received a $1.5M grant from the US Department of Energy to enhance the performance, production costs, and sustainability of bioplastics in collaboration with seaweed packaging startup Sway.
After appointing insolvency advisors in an attempt to rescue the business, UK vegan ready meal startup Allplants has entered administration, making 65 employees redundant.
Policy, research and awards
The US Department of Agriculture has turned down a request by the state of Iowa that sought to block residents from accessing meat and egg alternatives via federal food assistance initiatives like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP),
The UK’s Food Standards Agency has put out a call for companies to join its cultivated meat sandbox programme. The deadline is Thursday, November 28, with five to eight companies set to be chosen.
Courtesy: Food Standards Agency
Similarly, the Singapore Food Agency has issued a call for applicants to its Second Future FoodsMain Grant on Nutrition and Functionality, which is open until February 2025.
Meanwhile, the Japan Association for Cellular Agriculture has submitted a request to the country’s Consumer Affairs Agency and the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, calling on the government to develop a clearer regulatory framework for cultivated meat.
Plant-based meat has a climate impact 91% lower than beef, 88% lower than pork, and 71% lower than chicken, regardless of how these proteins are produced, according to a comprehensive life-cycle assessment published by the Good Food Institute.
Courtesy: Bene Meat Technologies
Czech cultivated meat startup Bene Meat Technologies, which is developing both pet and human food, has received the Industrie Award at the Czech Head Awards, which is accorded annually for significant contributions in the field of innovative research technology.
In Australia, the University of Queensland‘s Food and Beverage Accelerator (FaBA) has released a white paper exploring the potential of precision fermentation, with recommendations for boosting the industry’s future.
Finally, Peta India has named Ahmedabad, the capital of the state of Gujarat, as the country’s most vegan-friendly city.
Unilever is in talks with investment bank Piper Sandler to host an auction of The Vegetarian Butcher, the vegan business it bought six years ago.
As it continues to shake up its global food portfolio, Unilever has reportedly put its plant-based meat brand The Vegetarian Butcher up for sale.
The consumer goods giant has hired Piper Sandler to run an auction for the sale of the Dutch vegan business, Sky News reported last night. Industry sources speaking to the outlet suggested that “a number of potential buyers” had already been approached for the deal.
It comes just six years after Unilever first bought the vegan brand, and is the latest move in Unilever’s bid to streamline its focus on its international megabrands.
The Vegetarian Butcher records sales growth amid industry struggles
Courtesy: The Vegetarian Butcher
The Vegetarian Butcher is one of the leading plant-based businesses globally. It was established in 2007 by Jaap Korteweg – a ninth-generation livestock farmer – and politician Niko Koffeman, selling meat alternatives out of a butcher shop in The Hague.
Unilever had worked with The Vegetarian Butcher in 2016 to produce a line of vegetarian meatballs under the Unox soup brand, before purchasing the business two years later in December 2019, looking to capitalise on the boom in plant-based eating and consumers’ growing intent to cut back on meat. The terms of the deal remain undisclosed.
Today, its products are available in 55 countries and over 40,000 retail locations, alongside a host of foodservice doors, most notably at Burger King in Europe and Asia. The brand has been recording strong growth in sales volume, according to insiders cited by Sky News, but its likely valuation in a sale is so far unclear.
The development comes during a challenging period for meat alternatives in the Netherlands, whose sales shrunk by 2.5% last year, with volumes down by 7.3%. That said, the market has been showing signs of recovery this year, with data from the early part of 2024 suggesting that weekly average sales volume was 2.4% higher than in 2023.
Even across Europe’s six largest markets, retail sales of vegan meat grew by 4% from 2022-23. But the global headwinds of the last couple of years, combined with a dip in investment, have led to several businesses in the space shutting down, or coming close to it. Just last week, the UK’s largest vegan ready meal brand, Allplants, entered administration after failing to find a buyer following mounting losses.
Unilever’s move surprising, but not shocking
Courtesy: Hellmann’s/Green Queen
The decision to put The Vegetarian Butcher up for sale follows comments from Unilever CEO Hein Schumacher to the Financial Times last week, when he said he wanted to “prune” the company’s vast food portfolio, identifying businesses that generate around £1B in annual sales.
This is part of the Growth Action Plan 2030 he introduced when taking over as CEO in July 2023, described as a focus on “doing fewer things, better and with greater impact”. Schumacher wants to focus on the company’s “power brands”, which collectively represent over three-quarters of its turnover, and registered a 5.4% sales growth in the previous quarter (versus 4.5% overall).
Unilever’s food business, meanwhile, is second only to its personal care segment, and has racked up €9.9B in turnover in the first nine months of the year. The two largest brands, Knorr and Hellmann’s, account for 60% of this total.
The Vegetarian Butcher isn’t the only brand on the chopping block. Reuters reported earlier this month that Unilever was looking to sell a number of its Dutch food brands, including Unox and Conimex. The CPG behemoth has also begun demerging its ice cream units in India and Indonesia, and has been mulling a spinoff of its global ice cream division (which includes Ben & Jerry’s and Magnum) – though the latter could now be publicly listed instead of being old privately.
But it is surprising that Unilever is choosing to do away with The Vegetarian Butcher when you consider its goal to reach €1.5B in annual sales from “plant-based products in categories that would have traditionally used animal-derived ingredients” by 2025.
Then again, Unilever has scaled back a number of its key climate goals, so perhaps it isn’t altogether shocking that it’s looking to sell a plant-based company after all.
When Wicked begins, animals in Oz can speak freely and they work alongside humans, but it’s soon found that Something Bad is happening to animals. Find out three ways Wicked promotes animal rights.
1. Elphaba’s First Friend at Shiz Is Dr. Dillamond
When Elphaba starts studying at Shiz University, history professor Dr. Dillamondthe goat, is one of the few people to treat her kindly. Goats like Dr. Dillamond are herd animals, so they are happiest in the company of others and can become depressed if they’re separated or isolated from their companions. Her friendship with Dr. Dillamond sparks Elphaba’s passion for animal rights.
Unfortunately, goats’ rights are in peril in Oz and our world. A PETA Investigation found that goats scream in pain and fear as workers tear their hair out for cashmere. Later, their throats are slit in slaughterhouses, and they’re left to die in agony. Never buy clothing with cashmere, mohair, wool, or anything stolen from an animal.
2. Cubs are Exploited in Oz—and at Roadside Zoos
When a lion cub (CGI, of course!) is forced into a cage and brought to one of Elphaba’s classes at Shiz University, the not-so-Wicked witch flies to action.
Although we can’t use magic to help animals like Elphaba does, we can all make a difference. Never visit a roadside zoo, where animals are kept in barren enclosures and are deprived of everything important to them, and tell your friends and family members to avoid them, too.
3. ‘Popular’ Wicked Stars Are Vegan
The stars of Wicked, Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande, are both vegan. You can go Dancing Through Life with the many delicious vegan ice creams, cheeses, and milks to try if you go vegan, too.
Wicked makes it clear that everyone deserves to live freely, no matter the color of their skin or their species. Make a change For Good: Go vegan today.
When it comes to health, plant-based analogues to meat and dairy have similar or better nutritional profiles, an 11-country study reveals.
Vegan burgers, sausages and bacon are better for health than conventional meat, while dairy alternatives offer similar nutritional profiles to cow’s milk, according to an analysis of over 670 plant-based products.
Conducted by food awareness organisation ProVeg International, the research evaluated products available in local supermarkets in 11 countries – Belgium, Czechia, Germany, Italy, Malaysia, the Netherlands, Poland, South Africa, Spain, the UK, and the US – and used a scoring system based on internationally recognised nutrition guidelines from the WHO, the Netherlands Nutrition Centre, and the European Food Safety Authority.
“The report really highlights how much potential plant-based alternatives have to bring more diversity to people’s plates and replace vast quantities of animal-based products currently dominating the supermarket shelves,” said co-author Anna-Lena Klapp, who is ProVeg’s head of research.
“Plant-based alternatives can build bridges between people’s current eating habits and a healthy, climate-friendly eating habit. Each stakeholder can play an important role in enabling the establishment of healthy and sustainable diets,” she added.
Plant-based meat nutritionally superior
Courtesy: ProVeg International
The report found that the average nutritional quality of all plant-based meat products analysed was slightly better, with a mean score of 5.32 versus 4.50 for animal-derived meat (the maximum score being 8.0).
While the nutritional value varied by country, the average score for vegan products in each nation was still similar to or higher than conventional meat. The Netherlands has the highest score (6.67), with 22 of the 82 products achieving the maximum score. But on the flip side, in Malaysia, a lack of fortification (especially vitamin B12), high salt content, and inadequate protein and fibre levels took the average score down to 4.12.
Vegan burgers and chicken breasts scored similarly to the comparative animal proteins, while plant-based bacon, chicken nuggets, and sausages performed particularly better. Only schnitzels performed worse in almost all countries.
The analysis suggested that plant-based meats have between 11.2 and 19.6 of protein per 100g, compared to 15-19.5g for conventional products. To be classified as a protein source, at least 20% of a product’s calories should come from protein – in each country, more than 60% of vegan offerings fall under this category.
Courtesy: ProVeg International
Similarly, in all countries bar the US, over 60% of plant-based meat products had 3g or more of fibre per 100g, the threshold to be considered as a source of fibre. Only 29% of American meat analogues contain as much fibre, but even so, the average content (about 2.5g per 100g) is much higher than conventional meat (less than 0.5g).
Meanwhile, Malaysia’s use of coconut oil as a primary ingredient makes it the only country in the research where meat alternatives have an average saturated fat amount higher than the recommended level of 2.5g.
ProVeg found that depending on the market, plant-based meats are generally fortified with iron and vitamin B12, but fortification still does not appear to be a common practice. “The three main barriers for plant-based manufacturers who wish to fortify their products were identified: regulatory restrictions, consumer acceptance, and technical challenges,” the authors wrote.
But while the sugar content of 98% of the analysed vegan meat products was below the set maximum of 5%, the salt content exceeds the 1.1g per 100g limit in most countries. “Salt can be replaced with spices, herbs, and high-quality ingredients that are tasty in their own right,” the report stated. “Potassium salt (KCl) can also replace some of the added salt without altering the sensory characteristics of the product.”
Milk alternatives on par with dairy
Courtesy: ProVeg International
When it comes to non-dairy milk, their average score was 6.5 (out of a maximum of 9.0), higher than the 6.0 achieved by cow’s milk in the UK, but lower than the 7.0 score for dairy in the US (where these products tend to be fortified). In countries like the Netherlands, Italy, Belgium, the UK, and Czechia, though, plant-based milk scored between 7.0 and 7.7.
Cow’s milk also typically has a significantly higher amount of protein on average (3.5%), compared to 1-2% for vegan alternatives (although soy milk’s protein content is much closer to dairy). But, the research points out, milk is not categorised as part of the protein group, but as a source of calcium in most dietary guidelines worldwide. “Therefore, it is not necessarily a disadvantage if some plant milks contain only small amounts of protein as long as they are fortified with calcium.”
Courtesy: ProVeg International
To that end, the most common level of calcium fortification in dairy-free milks is 120mg per 100ml, which is comparable to conventional milk. Plant-based products in all countries also outscore cow’s milk on the average amount of vitamin D. The same goes for vitamin B2, except for the US, where the fortification levels are on par with dairy.
Cow’s milk also contains a much higher level of saturated fat (1.5g per 100ml) than plant-based alternatives (which range from 0.2-0.8g per 100ml). In each country, at least 89% of vegan milk products have less than 1.1g of saturated fat.
Crucially, plant-based milk is often criticised for its sugar content, but the analysis revealed that all the products examined had lower amounts of sugar (2%) than cow’s milk (4.8%). The majority of non-dairy alternatives fall within the maximum level of 2.5g of sugar per 100ml in every country except the UK. But the salt concentration was below the recommended limit in over 90% of products across all 11 nations.
Recommendations for different stakeholders
Courtesy: Kroger/PBFI/84.51°
“The report really highlights how much potential plant-based alternatives have to bring more diversity to people’s plates and replace vast quantities of animal-based products currently dominating the supermarket shelves,” report co-author Anna-Lena Klapp, who is the head of research at ProVeg.
“Plant-based alternatives can build bridges between people’s current eating habits and a healthy, climate-friendly eating habit,” she added.
Health has increasingly become the most prominent driver of plant-based food consumption. In the US, 60% of consumers are influenced by this, while 45% are cutting back on meat and dairy because of personal health concerns. Across the Atlantic, too, nearly four in 10 Brits eat plant-based meat for its health benefits. In the EU, too, half of consumers are reducing their annual meat intake, with health being the primary reason (47%).
“It is essential for nations to shift to more plant-based diets as quickly as possible. Our report highlights the current strengths and limitations of plant-based products, allowing stakeholders like industry and Governments to further improve plant-based offerings on offer in their nations’ supermarkets,” said Valentina Gallani, health and nutrition manager at ProVeg and lead author of the study.
The report calls on food producers to formulate healthier plant-based products by fortifying them where feasible and limiting saturated fat, salt and sugar. Providing transparency to consumers is crucial, as are collaborations between startups and conventional meat and dairy companies to develop higher-quality products.
Courtesy: Anay Mridul/Green Queen
Retailers should increase the visibility of vegan products by placing them in the meat and dairy aisles, ensure price parity, make their promotions more plant-focused, and commit to a protein split ratio of 60% plant-based sales by 2030 (as Lidl has done).
In terms of policy interventions, governments should include vegan alternatives in national dietary guidelines, develop regulations and plans for fortification and salt reformulation, reduce the VAT on plant-based products, and remove restrictions on the use of meat- and dairy-related terms on product labels.
ProVeg suggested that scientists and researchers should investigate the long-term health effects of plant-based meat and dairy, facilitate population-wide dietary shifts, assess the bioavailability of micronutrients and the role of fortification, as well as explore salt reduction techniques.
And for their part, consumers should prioritise a whole-food plant-based diet, reduce animal proteins to lower their climate footprint, recognise both the strengths and limitations of vegan alternatives, choose products with lower added sugars, saturated fat and salt, but not demonise ultra-processed foods.
New Zealand-based oat milk makers Otis and All Good have joined forces to form a new entity to champion local growers and expand globally.
Otis and All Good, two of New Zealand’s best-known oat milk producers, have merged under a new business called Good & Humble.
The entity, which will see the two brands continue to operate separately, aims to leverage each company’s strengths to scale up production, ramp up innovation, and support local oat growers.
“By uniting our brands, we’re building a stronger foundation to deliver on these promises, advancing our shared mission of sustainability and local impact. This union strengthens our ability to deliver on those promises,” said All Good general manager Faye MacGregor.
“We are very excited to grow Good & Humble for many years to come and see what plant-powered adventures we can have along the way.”
Otis and All Good to target the globe
Courtesy: Otis/All Good
Otis was founded in 2018 by Tim Ryan and Chris Wilkie, and sells three flavours of its oat milk: Everyday, Chocolate and Barista. While it faced several manufacturing challenges at the beginning, pushing it to produce its oat milk in Sweden (with New Zealand-grown oats).
But in June this year, the company partnered with Free Flow Manufacturing to establish the nation’s first state-of-the-art oat milk factory in East Auckland, with a capacity of producing 50 million litres of its products every year.
All Good, meanwhile, has been around since 2008, established by brothers Chris and Matt Morrison and Simon Coley (who are also the founders of Karma Drinks). The company began as a Fairtrade banana business, before pivoting into plant-based milk in 2020. Its current lineup, sold under the Good Oat brand, includes Barista and Original oat milks, as well as a Barista coconut milk.
Like Otis, All Good initially produced its milks in Sweden, but brought its operations to New Zealand earlier this year. Its sales have grown by 71% annually since 2021, and totalled NZ$8M ($4.7M) in the 12 months to November 2023.
The merger will also pair Otis’s on-farm provenance and enzyme technology with All Good’s established export sales and distribution. One of Good & Humble’s key goals is to capitalise on both brands’ networks to expand internationally, particularly in Southeast Asia.
Otis’s oat milks are available in Hong Kong, Indonesia, Singapore, Vietnam, South Korea, and Malaysia, while All Good’s products can be found in cafés in South Korea, Singapore, Hong Kong, the UAE, and Saudi Arabia.
Addressing NZ dairy’s giant footprint
Courtesy: Otis/All Good
The merger will help All Good develop a wider range of plant-based products and grow its customer value, with Otis’s premium offering continuing to focus on oat milk that promotes South Island-grown oats.
“As we come together under Good & Humble, we create a future where our shared values and capabilities work together, enabling us to set a new benchmark in oat milk quality, sustainability, and innovation and export that to the world,” said Wilkie.
“We are playing against billion-dollar multinational brands; uniting with All Good means we can play smarter and harder. Our NPD engine will be market-leading,” he added.
Aside from provenance, the two companies are tackling a significant environmental issue in New Zealand. At 102kg per year, the country has one of the highest per capita dairy consumption rates in the world. The country is also the world’s largest exporter of dairy, with the industry responsible for one in every four export dollars the nation earns, contributing $11.3B to the economy in 2022-23.
But half of New Zealand’s emissions come from agriculture, three-quarters of which are a direct result of methane from livestock. In a 2022 survey, 51% of locals agreed that plant-based alternatives are better for the environment than dairy. However, 66% of consumers find dairy to be higher in nutritional value, with 78% calling it better value for money and 70% labelling it to be better for the national economy.
That said, according to Otis, oat milk is by far the most popular plant-based milk in New Zealand, making up 41% of the local market. It’s followed by almond milk (27%), soy milk (23%) and coconut milk (5%). Other brands in the oat milk space include Boring, Vitasoy, No Ordinary Oat, and Oatly, among others.
“We are very excited to grow Good & Humble for many years to come and see what plant-powered adventures we can have along the way,” said Wilkie.
British plant-based ready meal maker Allplants has moved to appoint administrators after recording continued losses, though one potential buyer is lined up.
Allplant, the UK’s largest vegan ready meal brand, has filed a notice of intention to appoint administrators, following heavy losses over the last couple of years.
The move is typically used to give companies a chance to assess options for saving the business from liquidation, including creating a rescue plan or creating a sale.
The company is working with insolvency firm Interpath to explore “all possible options for restructuring, refinancing and ensuring the sustainability of Allplants”, founder and CEO Jonathan Petrides told the Grocer.
The trade publication reported that there’s one potential buyer lined up to rescue the firm, but a failure to reach a deal would see Allplants’s remaining stock be traded to secure funds for creditors.
Cocktail of factors led to a period of ‘choppy waters’
Courtesy: Allplants
Allplants started off as a direct-to-consumer brand in 2016, and capitalised on the meal delivery boom a few years later during the Covid-19 lockdowns.
Its lineup ranges from breakfast and mains to sides and smoothies, and it currently has a collaboration with cookbook author Melissa Hemsley. The meals include Protein Power Buddha Bowls, Queen Butter Bean Puttanesca, Okonomiyaki Rainbow Bowl, and Tiramisu Cheesecake, among others.
The brand made its retail debut in November 2022, listing its meals at Planet Organic and several independent stores, as well as online grocer Ocado. It witnessed instant success, selling six million meals within the first three months and becoming the second-most purchased frozen meal brand on the latter platform.
But behind the scenes, there were financial troubles brewing. It registered losses of £9.7M in the seven months to March 2023, with revenues declining to £4.1M, a period Petrides described as “the most intensely choppy waters we’ve ever sailed the Allplants ship through”, according to the company’s latest accounts.
He ascribed the sales performance to the rampant inflation across energy, transport, ingredients and salaries, the cost-of-living crisis that “led to the lowest consumer confidence since the 1970s”, post-Brexit supply chain disruptions, rising global interest rates, and the sudden and fundamental shift from growth stage to the pursuit of profitability.
Reflective of wider category decline, but hope persists
Courtesy: Allplants
Allplants has raised £67M ($81M) across several financing rounds from investors including Molten Ventures, Felix Capital, Octopus Ventures, The Craftery, and professional footballers Chris Smalling and Kieran Gibbs.
But during a £10M raise for a factory extension in June last year, Allplants slashed its valuation significantly, going from £54.5M to £17.5M, representing a 58% drop.
“As board directors, we recognise the gravity of the situation. Along with our senior leadership team, we are working tirelessly to explore all possible options for restructuring, refinancing and ensuring the sustainability of Allplants,” Petrides told Sifted.
“While we are navigating the best path through, our focus is on continuing to deliver the best possible service to our customers while protecting the interests of our creditors, employees, and shareholders,” he added.
Allplants’s move to appoint administrators is indicative of the distressed vegan ready meal category in the UK. It was among the categories that have witnessed a drop-off in sales recently, falling by 20% between 2022 and 2023, according to Circana data commissioned by the Good Food Institute, which attributed it to cost-of-living pressures that led shoppers to cut back on non-essential and convenience items.
It reflected a wider problem for the UK’s vegan market, where sales value was down by nearly 3%, and units decreased by 10%. The country’s largest meat-free company, Quorn, posted pre-tax losses of £63M in 2023, a fourfold increase from the £15M it lost the year before. But there have been positive signs too, with plant-based meat startup This closing a £20M Series C round in June, following a 47% hike in sales last year.
Allplants isn’t the only British plant-based business to reach this point. Meatless Farm and VBites also came close to the brink, before being rescued by VFC (now the Vegan Food Group) and owner Heather Mills, respectively. Allplants will hope for a similar fate.
Beyond Meat and Wendy’s Georgia have announced a new menu item, the Plant Burger, a marker of the vegan giant’s European focus this year.
Californian plant-based pioneer Beyond Meat has struck its latest QSR partnership with fast-food giant Wendy’s, which is launching a vegan burger in Georgia.
The Wendy’s Plant Burger will be rolled out at all 19 of the chain’s stores in the Eurasian country on Saturday (November 23). It is unclear whether the bun or mayo used are vegan-friendly, but the menu item will be available for a limited time, while supplies last.
The collaboration was facilitated by the Wissol Group, which is a Wendy’s franchisee in several markets in the region, and Gastronome, a Tbilisi-based food business that represents Beyond Meat in Georgia.
“We’re proud to be partnering with Wendy’s Georgia to introduce our plant-based meat to a new market,” said Hameed Jagani, VP of global strategic partnerships at Beyond Meat.
Wendy’s Beyond Meat burger aimed at meeting ‘local demand’
Courtesy: Beyond Meat/Wendy’s
The Plant Burger, which was unveiled in a launch ceremony yesterday, features Beyond Meat’s signature beef patty at the centre, and is topped with fresh lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, onions, ketchup and mayo.
“The Wendy’s plant-based meat burger offers the same great taste and texture customers have come to expect, no sacrifice required,” remarked Jagani. “This partnership aligns with our mission to make plant-based eating more accessible for consumers around the world.”
Wissol Group president Samson Pkhakadze added: “Wendy’s Georgia and Beyond Meat share a commitment and mutual passion for food quality and corporate social responsibility. We’re excited to deliver on Wendy’s Quality is our Recipe promise by offering customers a wider range of choices.”
He noted the partnership “will allow Wendy’s Georgia to cater to the local demand for vegetarian and flexitarian options, providing even more choices for today’s conscious consumers”. According to one survey, six in 10 university students are interested in trying new plant-based foods.
“By partnering with Beyond Meat, we can provide a plant-based meat offering that tastes great and can help make a positive impact,” Pkhakadze said.
“Georgia is the first country in the world to offer this incredible product at Wendy’s, and we are so proud to be part of this milestone,” said Lika Shalikashvili, head of imports and logistics at Gastronome. “We look forward to seeing this project succeed not only in Georgia but as a model of success that can inspire the rest of the world.”
Georgia launch a sign of Beyond Meat’s European focus
Courtesy: Samson Pkhakadze/LinkedIn
Entering the Georgian market is an extension of one of Beyond Meat’s top business priorities this year: investment into its European expansion. “We just don’t have that large of a presence out in Europe at the moment,” the company’s COO, Lubi Kutua, had told investors in its Q2 earnings call.
One of its biggest successes has come through its deal with McDonald’s. The world’s largest restaurant chain has made waves with the McPlant burger, which has been a catalyst for Beyond Meat’s European growth. The McPlant (alongside several variants) is also available as a permanent menu item in Austria, Malta, the Netherlands, Slovenia, the Baltics, the UK and Ireland.
In Germany, Europe’s largest plant-based market, the McPlant was part of the Famous Order meal promotion, featuring on menus curated by Tokio Hotel members Bill and Tom Kaulitz. Meanwhile, has boosted its retail performance here by tweaking its product formulations to satisfy local shelf-life requirements. “With a clear caution that it is very early days, we are seeing encouraging initial sell-through in this important market,” CEO Ethan Brown said in the latest earnings call.
In addition, it launched the Beyond Steak at retail in Belgium and for foodservice in the Netherlands (where it also rolled out the Beyond Smash and Beyond Burger Jalapeño), and expanded the availability of its signature burger at Coop stores in the UK.
While Beyond Meat’s chicken hasn’t performed as strongly in Europe, the company is aiming to change that with the rollout of Veggie McPlant Nuggets at McDonald’s France last month. The vegan nuggets are also a permanent menu item in Germany.
That said, Beyond Meat’s foodservice record is somewhat patchy. Its deal with Yum! Brands, for example, saw short-lived partnerships with Pizza Hut, KFC, and Taco Bell, while the McPlant famously failed to gain ground in the US. Meanwhile, international foodservice was the only channel where its revenues continued to slip last quarter, largely due to “decreased sales of burger and chicken products to a large QSR customer in the EU”.
So by entering a new market and a new fast-food partnership, Beyond Meat is looking to turn its global foodservice sales in the same direction as the rest of its business, where year-on-year revenue grew for the first time in two years in the July to September period.
After months of negotiations, Denmark’s policymakers have agreed on how to implement the livestock emissions tax they announced in June.
Denmark’s bid to tax livestock farmers and turn farmland into forest has received a broad majority in the parliament, paving the way for a greener agriculture sector.
Following negotiations between the country’s major parties, farmers, trade unions, and climate groups, Denmark will channel 43 billion Danish kroner ($6.1B) to buy land from farmers and convert it into forests, with a plan to plant a billion trees on agricultural land in the next two decades.
The stakeholders have also agreed on how the country will implement the greenhouse gas levy on meat and dairy farmers it announced in June, while amping up support for plant-based foods.
The deal is based on the Green Tripartite, an association between the government and trade groups that had been discussing the carbon tax since February and evolved into a ministry in August to introduce the green deal.
A focus on nitrogen pollution and livestock emissions
Courtesy: Kravcs/Getty Images/Green Queen
Agriculture is Denmark’s largest source of emissions, contributing to over 22% of its climate footprint. And if left unabated, the sector will account for 46% of its emissions by the end of the decade – this is why addressing agriculture is key for the country to meet its legally binding target of cutting emissions by 70% by 2030 (from a 1990 benchmark).
This is why the Green Tripartite was formed. Under the agreed deal between the government, farm industry and climate groups, Denmark is aiming to curb nitrogen pollution, which has damaged its coasts and fjords, where oxygen levels have reached alarmingly low levels due to nutrient runoff from fertilisers. The country isn’t on track to meet the targets set by the Water Framework Directive by 2027.
The green deal will give farmers with large quantities of peatland or nitrogen-leaching areas an incentive to turn from intensive land use towards afforestation, efforts that would be supported by the Green Land Fund. This will funnel 30 billion kroner ($4.3B) into reforesting 250,000 hectares of farmland by 2045 and extracting 140,000 hectares of lowland by 2030 to make at least 20% of Denmark’s nature protected.
Currently, around 60% of Denmark’s area is cultivated, making it the country with the joint-highest share of arable land (alongside Bangladesh).
“Danish nature will change in a way we have not seen since the wetlands were drained in 1864,” said Jeppe Bruus, the minister for the green transition, as quoted by AFP. He stated that a “huge, huge task” was underway now, involving the transformation of “large parts of our land from agricultural production to forestry, to natural spaces, to ensure that we can bring life back to our fjords”.
One of the other major tenets of the green deal is the agriculture tax, which made up the bulk of the headlines in June. Denmark is the first country to take such a stand against the impact of livestock agriculture on the planet. The move couldn’t have come more quickly: it is a major exporter of pork and dairy, and beef consumption alone equates to 45% of its emission reduction targets.
As part of the agreement, farmers will have to pay 300 Danish kroner ($43) per tonne of CO2e from cows and pigs starting 2030, which will rise to 750 kroner ($108) in 2035. But since farmers will receive an income tax deduction of 60%, the actual levy will be 120 kroner ($17) per tonne of CO2e initially, increasing to 300 five years later.
According to Danish think tank Concito, the average cow in the country produces six tonnes of CO2e per year, meaning livestock farmers will have to pay over $100 for their herd’s emissions in 2030, and more than $250 from 2035.
Denmark doubles down on plant-based transition
Courtesy: Naturli’
But Denmark isn’t just stopping at addressing livestock – it’s actively pushing for a transition to a plant-based food system, for which it rolled out a national action plan last year. This was part of the 2021 green agriculture plan, which set aside 675 million kroner ($96M) for the creation of a Fund for Plant-Based Foods (Plantefonden).
During the negotiation of the green deal, the Green Left and Danish Social Liberal Party advocated for the plant-based transition to be a long-term priority, according to the Vegetarian Society of Denmark. The lawmakers have agreed to add 420 million kroner ($60M) to the Plantefonden between 2025 and 2030. But the fund is now permanent (it was previously set to end in 2030), and can see the investment value jump to one billion kroner ($142M).
An additional 15 million kroner ($2M) has also been allocated to other plant-based initiatives, with specific details to be agreed upon by the negotiators. Further, Denmark has committed to advocating for an EU-wide plant-based action plan, something even farmers have been calling for.
“What we hear from scientists and NGOs in other countries – and at this year’s climate summit – is that it is of tremendous importance for Denmark to continue prioritising plant-based solutions and to take responsibility for advancing this agenda internationally,” said Rune-Christoffer Dragsdahl, the head of the Vegetarian Society of Denmark.
“Therefore, we are particularly pleased to see that the Danish government is now committed to advocating for this at the EU level. The timing is perfect, as Denmark holds the EU presidency next fall,” he added.
“There is still much work ahead, and we have not yet crossed the finish line. Agriculture must and will transition, and now there is clarity on direction and investments,” remarked climate and energy minister Lars Aagaard. “This is green action that works. The agreement is a milestone, deeply rooted both in Parliament and among stakeholders and organisations. This is Denmark at its best.”
In our weekly column, we round up the latest news and developments in the alternative protein and sustainable food industry. This week, Future Food Quick Bites covers new vegan parmesan products, an oat milk cocktail listing, and a bunch of AI developments.
New products and launches
French dairy giant Bel Group has rolled out a new iteration of its plant-based Boursin Garlic & Herbs cream cheese in the UK, swapping the plastic tub for the classic aluminium-wrapped packaging encased in a paper box. It’s priced at £2.99 for each 150g pack.
UK fast-food chain Greggs has brought back its Vegan Festive Bake in response to popular demand, which features Quorn pieces in an improved recipe. It has launched an ad with chef and cookbook author Nigella Lawson to announce its Christmas menu.
Oat milk liqueur company and Dragons Den alum Panther Milk will land on the shelves of 50 Co-op and Asda stores in the UK this Christmas.
South Korean vegan brand Unlimeat has transcended beyond meat analogues to launch a chocolate spread made from soybeans, Stevia and xylitol.
Fellow South Korean startup Armored Fresh has introduced vegan grated parmesan and kimchi parmesan SKUs. They’re available on its website and will be stocked at Walmart and on Amazon by the end of the year.
Courtesy: Armored Fresh
Advocacy group World Animal Protection has released an AI chatbot to answer questions about cultivated meat. Called The Cultivator, it was created in partnership with PubTrawlr and is constantly updated with new studies and insights.
Another virtual chatbot comes from tofu maker Nasoya, whose AI-powered assistant Tofie sits on its website to answer questions about the plant protein.
Courtesy: PKN
Pecan milk maker PKN has launched a barista edition called PKN Joy, which is certified by the Upcycled Food Association. It’s available on the company’s website and select retailers across the US.
And Californian giant Beyond Meat‘s veggie-forward Sun Sausages have expanded into Whole Foods Market stores nationwide.
Finance and business developments
Sustainability non-profit Food Systems Innovation‘s Nectar, a sensory testing initiative centred on the protein transition, has acquired the data assets of alternative protein discovery platform Taste Like.
KP Snacks, the UK’s leading peanut supplier owned by Intersnack, is foraying into nut butter with the takeover of bestselling peanut butter brand Whole Earth Foods from Ecotone.
Courtesy: Whole Earth Foods
State organisations Innovate UK and Protein Industries Canada have announced two projects as part of a bilateral R&D partnership, which involve plant-based meat ingredient solutions and nutritionally superior vegan products.
Another alliance on plant proteins comes from ingredient giant Ingredion‘s partnership with Sweden’s Lantmännen, which will focus on accelerating the development of pea protein isolates for the European market.
Courtesy: Oatly
Swedish oat milk giant Oatlyrecorded a 11% revenue growth in Q3 2024 compared to the corresponding period last year, with a positive sales performance in each of its markets (including Greater China, where it has struggled recently).
University of Potsdam‘s centre for knowledge and tech transfer, the Potsdam Trust, has won a €1.8M grant from the German economic affairs and climate protection ministry and the European Social Fund Plus to establish an impact incubator for sustainable startups.
Courtesy: Steakholder Foods
Israel’s Steakholder Foods has secured $270,000 in the second payment of its $1M Singapore-Israel Industrial R&D Foundation grant. It has so far received $490,000 as part of the funding.
Dutch bottling giant Refresco has completed its acquisition of Spanish plant-based milk company Frías Nutrición, a deal that was first announced in July.
Courtesy: Brevel
Israeli microalgae protein firm Brevel has successfully implemented a first-of-a-kind model for building a facility for industrial-scale fermenters, completing construction of its first plant and securing offtake agreements with two leading food and drink companies.
Policy, research and events
The APAC Regulatory Coordination Forum has released two white papers covering cellline development and culture media developments to help companies tackle safety assessment as part of regulatory procedures for cultivated meat.
Courtesy: Upside Foods
Cultivated chicken maker Upside Foods has appealed a Florida judge’s decision to deny a preliminary injunction in its lawsuit against the state’s ban on cultivated meat. Green Queen revealed the firm’s intention to do so last month, but it does mean a planned exhibit at next month’s Art Basel fair in Miami is likely scrapped.
Australian counterpart Vow, meanwhile, has now progressed to a second round of public consultation in its home country, after Food Standards Australia New Zealandupdated its standards to allow the sale of any cultivated meat product that passes premarket approval (rather than authorising as a novel food).
Courtesy: Vow
Scientists at the Technical University of Denmark have collaborated with Alchemist, a two-Michelin-starred eatery in Copenhagen to show how nutrient-rich mycelium can grow on discarded coffee grounds and wood, serving it to customers in the restaurant.
In response to the cow abductions in Mexico, Chilean vegan startup NotCocreated a decoy NotCow filled with its burgers as part of a marketing campaign, resulting in the fake cow being abducted.
During the Netflix fight between Mike Tyson and Jake Paul, vegan burger chain Mr Charlie’s was serving up plant-based chicken nuggets and sandwiches in partnership with TiNDLE Foods. Tyson recently invested in the restaurant company.
Nearly 2,000 students took to the streets in Taipei on Sunday to urge the Taiwanese government to introduce vegan meals at schools.
In France’s Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, Pessac has become the third town to ban foie gras from municipal events this year, joining Poitiers and Montpellier. Before 2024, 12 other cities had introduced this ban.
Courtesy: Michelle Del Cueto
Finally, speaking of bans, Berkeley has become the first US city to outlaw factory farming, with 60% of votes in favour of the move.
Swedish oat milk giant Oatly has teamed up with British rapper Giggs for a limited-edition drop of dairy-free cake and custard kits.
A ceramic plate, a steel spoon, a textile napkin, and some custard – all are on the table in a giveaway contest by the world’s largest oat milk company and the UK’s “rap landlord”.
Oatly’s latest quirky marketing campaign features Giggs, the British rapper behind Walk in da Park and Landlord, and his love for the brand’s hard-to-find vanilla custard.
Born out of “a shared inability to digest dairy”, Custard by Giggs involves 500 limited-edition dairy-free cake and custard gifts, featuring custom tableware, which will be dished out at Ayres Bakery in his hometown of Peckham in south London tomorrow. For those who miss the drop, 30 kits are available online too.
The campaign intends to raise awareness about the prevalence of lactose intolerance in the UK, and calls on retailers to embrace Oatly’s custard much more widely.
Catering to Brits’ lactose intolerance
Courtesy: Oatly
The idea for the collaboration came from Giggs, who approached Oatly after struggling to find its vanilla custard in supermarkets. “I grew up on cake and custard, but when my lactose intolerance kicked in when I was around eight years old and started making me sick, the dessert I loved had to leave my life,” he said.
Giggs is among the five million Brits who suffer from intolerance to this sugar, making up 8% of the population. And as is the case globally, its prevalence is much higher in Black, Asian and other ethnic minorities – twice more, in fact, than white groups in the UK, according to a 2,000-person survey commissioned by Oatly.
The research further revealed that two-thirds of people who have lactose intolerance miss out on their favourite desserts, and over half (52%) have to overlook key food experiences due to a lack of alternatives. “When I found out my son was lactose intolerant too, we used to go all over the place looking for dairy-free alternatives so he wouldn’t miss out,” recalled Giggs.
“There’s not a lot of options out there, but one day we found Oatly’s Vanilla Custard, and it tasted banging. Not enough people know about it, so I reached out to Oatly, and here we are a few months later,” he added.
“When Giggs messaged us at the start of the year expressing his love for our Vanilla Custard, we knew this could lead to great things,” said Bryan Carroll, general manager of Oatly UK. “With more than five million people suffering some form of lactose intolerance, it’s actually mad that the default is still so often dairy and nothing else.”
A series of films and a custard-finding tool
To mark the partnership and giveaway, a series of Custard by Giggs films will be rolled out across Oatly and Giggs’s social channel over the next month, which depict several scenes where the rapper plays a bakery owner in south London.
In one spot titled ‘The Queue’, Giggs skips the line outside his bake shop to open the giveaway, while he seems visibly perplexed that he’s served cake without custard in ‘The Doorbell’. And in ‘Cake and Custard Tasting’, viewers see the rapper struggling to decide how best to judge different cakes, before a pour of Oatly custard gets him (almost) going.
“It’s rare to see Giggs lend his face to a brand, so we wanted these films to make this drop feel exclusive and also bring out a side of Giggs the world doesn’t see,” said Kelvin Jone, who directed and co-created the shorts.
The campaign also plays on the lack of availability of certain non-dairy alternatives in the UK, despite the country’s vegan dessert market set to double by 2027 (from a 2022 baseline). Oatly’s research found that 68% of Brits encounter difficulties finding non-dairy alternatives in supermarkets, shops or restaurants.
Courtesy: Oatly
Since Oatly’s vanilla custard is found only in select retailers in the UK – “I even sent my Mum on quests trying to hunt it down,” Giggs said – the company has launched a Custard Finder tool to help locate the product. “This collaboration aims to encourage retailers to think outside the dairy box,” noted Carroll.
“Giggs has a big personality, so by combining this with the community feeling of bakeshops and the taste of Oatly Custard, we crafted films that build mouthwatering anticipation whilst calling for dairy-free foods like Oatly Custard to be much more widely available, given the prevalence of lactose intolerance in our community,” said Jones.
The Custard by Giggs marketing drive comes shortly after Oatly’s Q3 earnings report, which saw the business’s revenue grow by 11% from the corresponding period in 2023. The UK has been at the forefront of its barista milk evolution, with Oatly rolled out 1.5-litre cartons as well as a Lighter Taste edition made specifically for light-roasted coffee.
Bearing a 10-foot banner showing the suffering behind every drop of cow’s milk, a pack of PETA supporters will descend upon the Every Woman’s Marathon in Savannah, Georgia on November 16 to call out the hypocrisy of the organizing of a women’s race by the dairy industry—which only keeps female cows alive as long as they can have babies and lactate.
How can @womansmarathon stand for women while being backed by an industry that exploits mother cows It’s time to 𝘳𝘶𝘯 away from this injustice and stand up for all females of every species. pic.twitter.com/avwf0nPkxP
The animal allies will carry signs reading, “The Milk Marathon Runs on Cruelty,” to inform participants that the dairy industry runs on cruelty. We’ll also have a mobile billboard circling the event with heartbreaking footage of anguished mother cows chasing after their stolen babies. In the dairy industry, workers tear newborn calves away from their mothers so that they can take the milk meant to nourish them to sell to humans.
This action will be preceded by a pre-race Wellness Fair & Expo the day before the race, where PETA allies will urge attendees to stand in solidarity with all females—including cows in the dairy industry.
Animal Advocates and PETA Have Been Pushing Race Organizers and Sponsors for Months
In anticipation of the race, we sent public letters to National Youth Poet Laureate Amanda Gorman and members of the Every Woman’s Marathon advisory board—including paratriathlon champion Danielle McLaughlin and Olympic medalist Deena Kastor—pointing out that there’s no such thing as a pro–dairy industry feminist.
We also sent letters to other race sponsors in September urging them to reconsider their support for the race. When they didn’t respond, more than 47,000 PETA supporters took action to put the pressure on.
The @womansmarathon supports the violent cycle of forcibly impregnating female cows so the milk meant for their babies can be used for humans "Every woman" should run screaming from an industry that abuses and kills other females! pic.twitter.com/uP6zycchIO
Like human mothers, female cows produce milk only when pregnant or nursing, have deep maternal instincts, and will go to great lengths to protect their babies. Female cows are repeatedly forcibly inseminated (raped)—workers insert an arm into the cow’s rectum and a metal rod to deliver semen into her vagina to keep her pregnant. Newborn males are routinely slaughtered for veal, while female calves endure the same fate as their mothers until their bodies wear out from repeated pregnancies.
Each person who goes vegan spares nearly 200 animals every year, dramatically shrinks their food-related carbon footprint and slashes their risk of suffering from cancer, heart disease, strokes, diabetes, and obesity. PETA’s free vegan starter kit is filled with tips to help anyone looking to make the switch:
Today we’re celebrating a huge victory: The 365 by Whole Foods Market brand coconut milk supplier no longer abuses monkeys through forced labor!
Whole Foods failed to take action to eliminate the cruel monkey labor from its supply chain, but our investigators and negotiators worked tirelessly to get rid of it.
Whole Foods Didn’t Lift a Finger to Help Monkeys
In January 2024, we sent Whole Foods evidence that endangered pig-tailed macaques were being illegally kidnapped from the wild, kept chained up, and abusively trained to produce its store-brand 365 coconut milk, but it didn’t respond to any of our pleas to fix its supply chain.
In the face of Whole Foods’ callous disregard for these monkeys’ suffering, PETA launched a massive campaign—which included three damning PETA exposés, dozens of demonstrations across the U.S., creative advertising campaigns, hundreds of phone calls, a heartfelt plea from singer Morrissey, and e-mails from more than 100,000 concerned consumers.
Investigation: PETA and Entities Did Whole Foods CEO Jason Buechel’s Job for Him
Since Whole Foods remained unresponsive, PETA Asia took matters into its own hands. It identified Merit Food Products as the supplier of Whole Foods’ 365 brand coconut milk and found that this supplier sourced some of its coconuts from third-party farms in Thailand that were using monkey labor.
Video: The Thai Government Covers Up Forced Monkey Labor
Sure enough, when PETA Asia’s investigators visited the Thai third-party farm that supplied Merit Food Products, they found rampant monkey abuse.
Whole Foods once again failed to act on PETA Asia’s evidence, so PETA’s own investigators and negotiators went straight to Merit Food Products. The company was eager to help monkeys, so we worked together to remove monkey labor from its supply chain, and it committed to sourcing third-party coconuts only from countries that don’t use monkey labor.
Urge Thai Officials to End Monkey Labor!
Now that Whole Foods’ 365 brand coconut milk is free of monkey labor, we’re demanding that Thai officials take immediate action for the countless monkeys who are suffering in Thailand, including by doing the following:
Closing all “monkey-training schools”
Making it illegal to breed or sell monkeys
Investing in a law-enforcement team to end the illegal capture of monkeys from the wild
Developing a plan to retire monkeys currently used by the coconut industry
Replacing all tall-tree varieties with shorter ones and offering picking poles free of charge to coconut farmers
Please help us put an end to monkey labor by urging the Thai government to make it illegal and to shut down “monkey-training schools”:
President Joe Biden, c’mon man—protect ALL turkeys! PETA is urging the 46th president to leave a legacy of kindness by canceling the shameful White House Turkey Pardon—because, as he might say, they didn’t do a “damn thing” to be pardoned for.
Our letter points out that Biden’s time in the Oval Office is drawing to an end, which means he is free to cancel greedy factory farm lobbyists’ annual invitation to the White House and do right by our fellow animals.
As a ‘lame duck,’ you no longer need to heed the interests of factory farms and, instead, have a joyous opportunity to spare Americans and turkeys this humiliating meat-industry stunt that uses the White House as its public relations backdrop.”
As shown here, previously “pardoned” turkeys were so deeply stressed by being confined to cement-floored kennels in a university laboratory—unable to dust, bathe, roost, breathe fresh air, or feel the sun on their backs—that they pulled out their own (and each other’s) feathers.
Turkeys are sensitive, intelligent, social birds who want to spend their days taking dust baths, raising their families, and nesting. As our letter notes, the industry that raises and slaughters birds for their flesh “is a dirty business that’s unpardonably guilty of contributing to the climate catastrophe and water contamination as well as pumping birds full of antibiotics that are passed on to consumers, maximizing profits at the expense of even minimal animal welfare.”
Farms force turkeys to live in severely crowded conditions, mired in their own waste, risking the spread of zoonotic diseases like bird flu—the most recent outbreak of which has led to the slaughter of more than 100 million birds and burdened taxpayers because factory farms receive millions of dollars in compensation for the industry’s irresponsibility.
A PETA investigation into a Butterball slaughterhouse found workers bludgeoning and sexually assaulting the birds. The president of the U.S. shouldn’t be sanctioning or humane-washing this abuse, which is particularly offensive to Americans who don’t eat meat for ethical, environmental, health, religious, or other cultural reasons.
Ben Franklin may or may not have lobbied for the turkey to be our national bird, but either way, turkeys don’t deserve the slaughterhouse knife or a patronizing pardon humane-washed by the president.” – PETA President Ingrid Newkirk.
No More Meat Industry Malarkey! Go Vegan
Here’s the bottom line: Every animal is someone with feelings, interests, and a unique personality. YOU can spare turkeys and other animals exploited and killed for their flesh by going vegan. Make the compassionate switch today:
In our weekly column, we round up the latest news and developments in the alternative protein and sustainable food industry. This week, Future Food Quick Bites covers a vegan tiramisu collection in Hong Kong, Dave Chang’s cultivated meat podcast episode, and a ‘super yoghurt’.
New products and launches
Good Food Technologies, the Hong Kong company behind Plant Sifu, has partnered with famed Japanese ramen restaurant Menya Musashi. The latter’s Hong Kong menu features a Veggie Chicken Tomato Tsukemen Set and Deep-Fried Veggie Pork Cutlet Teishoku Set, as well as three sides.
Courtesy: Menya Musashi/Plant Sifu
Singaporean oat milk brand Oatbedient is hosting a pop-up at K11 Art Mall in Hong Kong (November 19 to December 2) to celebrate the launch of its Café series in the city. Visitors will get access to discounts and offers on its entire oat milk range.
In similar news, The Cakery, a plant-forward cake shop in Hong Kong, and its vegan sister bakery Maya have teamed up with Singaporean oat milk leader Oatside to introduce a tiramisu collection, which includes a cake, cupcake, overnight oats, and drinks like tiramisu chocolate and a tiramisu Biscoff latte.
Courtesy: The Cakery/Oatside
In the UK, discount retailer Aldi has rolled out an Ultimate No Beef Flank Steak, a private-label whole-cut meat alternative. The vegan beef product isn’t part of its Plant Menu range, but instead will be marketed under its Specially Selected label with a price tag of £6.99 for a two-pack.
British startup The Coconut Collab has launched two new desserts: Choc and Caramel (£1.50 per 110g) and White Choc Pots (£2.95 for four 45g packs). They’re available at Tesco, Morrisons, Sainsbury’s and/or Ocado.
Courtesy: The Coconut Collab
Carbon calculator and labelling startupMy Emissions has unveiled its second product, Company Carbon Footprints, a platform to help food companies measure their emissions more quickly and accurately. It has already been trialled by restaurant chain Wahaca and caterer Simply Lunch.
Armed with a new ambassador in Maya Jama, Swedish pea milk brand Sproud has introduced its Barista Zero SKU, debiting the product at the European Coffee Symposium in Berlin this week.
Courtesy: Sproud/Green Queen
Israeli entrepreneur Ola Baker has launchedEggless, a new company focused on innovating in the plant-based egg space.
Company and finance updates
South African cultivated meat startup Newform Foodshosted its biggest tasting event in Cape Town last week, showcasing its lamb meatballs to visitors.
Courtesy: NewForm Foods
Israeli startup Phyloton, which makes natural food colours from precision fermentation, has received funding from Rich Products Ventures, as well as additional financing from existing investors EIT Food, Arkin Holdings, and Yossi Ackerman (among others).
US-cultivated protein startup Jellatech, whose flagship product is a bioidentical collagen, has opened a 9,000 sq ft facility in Morrisville, North Carolina. It plans to obtain the FDA’s Good Laboratory Practice (GLP) certification by 2026.
Happy Plant Protein, a spinout from the VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, has secured €1.8M in a pre-seed funding round led by Nordic Foodtech VC, alongside participation from Butterfly Ventures and Business Finland, to develop and license its patented vegan protein production tech.
Research, policy and events
In India, tempeh producer Tempeh Today, the Freedom Project India and the Netherlands Enterprise have launched the Tempeh for Education project. It involves the use of micro fermentation units to produce up to 100kg of tempeh per week, and the goal is to economically empower women through training and a guaranteed buyback programme.
Courtesy: Tempeh Today
Accor Group, Europe’s largest hospitality company and parent company of hotels like Novotel, Sofitel and Ibis, has announced its goal to introduce plant-based menu options at all of its locations in the coming years. It aligns with its Good Food Feels Great push to make 50% of its menus vegan by 2030.
In Germany, retail giant Rewe Group and fermentation companies Infinite Roots and Formohosted a “political breakfast” at the parliament. The discussion, which featured MP Albert Stegemann, explored how fermentation can help boost food security and lower climate impacts, while also touching upon regulatory sandboxes and farmer collaboration.
Courtesy: Formo
Also in Germany, plant-based shopping baskets are now only 9% pricier than their animal-based counterparts, with own-label milk alternatives now cheaper than dairy, according to a ProVeg Internationalstudy. At Lidl, which has made major sustainability strides this year, buying vegan private-label products is now more wallet-friendly.
At the Technical University of Munich‘s 2024 TFoodS Conference in Singapore, global experts explored alternative proteins and their potential to help the island nation achieve its 30 by 30 food security vision.
Courtesy: TUMCREATE
As Israeli-cultivated meat startup Aleph Farms continues to host tasting events ahead of the launch of its cultivated beef, five out of six chefs say they’d serve the Aleph Cuts product in their restaurants.
Researchers at Australia’s Monash University have created a “super yoghurt” made from sweet lupin beans and oats, which they say rivals both dairy and other plant-based yoghurts on taste, texture and nutrition.
Momofuku founder Dave Changfeatured cultivated meat on his podcast, The Dave Chang Show, interviewing the Good Food Institute‘s Eric Schulze about this future food.
South Korea’s Millennial Flavor Town, a startup born out of a restaurant, has unveiled a marbled steak and shredded beef products made from traditional fermentation.
Rivalling the growing crop of whole-cut meat alternative producers, Seoul startup Millennial Flavor Town has developed two beef innovations derived from time-honoured Korean fermentation techniques.
The company will showcase its marbled Wagyu steak and shredded beef products (which come in soy sauce and truffle flavours) at the Plant Based World Europe expo at Excel London this week (November 13-14).
The event is a precursor to Millennial Flavor Town’s entry into the European and US markets, where whole-cuts have gained popularity lately thanks to their flavour and textural advantages over second-generation plant-based meat products.
Courtesy: Millennial Flavor Town
Using fermentation and marbling to take vegan beef to the next level
Millennial Flavor Town is an offshoot of Bakrin Ahn’s Millennial Dining eatery in Seocho, which has been serving up vegan versions of Korean classics since 2020.
The restaurant’s menu comprises dishes like a five-hour braised carrot dish, tteokgalbi (grilled short rib patties), and pasta with apple jam. It also serves and sells several versions of the beef analogues, from tenderloin and ribs to strip loin and sirloin steaks.
The startup uses a five-step patented fermentation process to transform a base of soybeans, button and shingled hedgehog mushrooms, red beet powder, rice koji and olive oil (among other fats) into high-protein, cholesterol-free beef alternatives.
The shredded beef products come ready to eat in jars, and the soy sauce version contains nearly 11g of protein per 100g, alongside all essential amino acids.
The whole-cut Millennial Marbles (MM) steak takes things a step further. Using red beet powder and coconut oil, it mimics the fat marbling found in conventional beef, complemented with aroma from Korean charcoal grills to entice meat-eaters who are looking for better-tasting meat analogues with a more realistic texture.
Millennial Flavor Town’s potential was recognised at the Korea-ASEAN Business Model Competition for Sustainable Development Goals in Indonesia last month, where it won a $6,000 award for its meat analogues.
Courtesy: Millennial Flavor Town
Startups magnify focus on whole-cut meat alternatives
Research has shown that consumers prefer steaks with higher-marbled textures. A survey of US consumers found that 42% of respondents are deterred from trying meat alternatives because they feel they’ll dislike their texture.
Separate polling has revealed that more than one in five (22%) of Americans have cut back their purchases of vegan food due to their texture. And in the UK, 51% of people say taste and texture are the biggest factors driving them away from meat alternatives.
This is why whole cuts and fat marbling have been described as ‘holy grail’ technologies for alternative proteins. It has prompted one Swiss researcher to create marbling tech by processing pea protein with biochemical engineering techniques, and startups like Sweden’s Melt&Marble and Australia’s Nourish Ingredients to use precision fermentation to create fats and lipids that can enhance these products. Meanwhile, German companies Planeteers and Handtmann have teamed up to help producers develop marbled meat analogues with fine fibrous structures.
Several startups have made whole-cut vegan meats their entire focus. Israel’s Redefine Meat, for example, was one of the first to debut such a product. It employs 3D printing to develop fibres that resemble animal muscle tissues and has been endorsed by the OG celebrity chef, Marco Pierre White.
Slovenia’s Juicy Marbles similarly came to the scene in 2022. It layers plant protein fibres on top of each other to mimic animal muscle fibres, with deposits of hardened sunflower oil adding a realistic fat-marbling mouthfeel to its steak.
US startup Chunk Foods also makes whole muscle steaks (using cultured soy and wheat), and recently debuted four SKUs in US retail. In Spain, Novameat raised €17.4M earlier this year for its MicroForce technology for whole cuts, while Libre Foods unveiled its whole-muscle mycelium chicken breast last year. UK-based Adamo Foods is similarly developing whole-cut mycelium meat, while Sweden’s Planted and Indonesia’s Green Rebel Foods both offer plant-based versions.
Germany’s Project Eaden and Massachusetts-based Tender Food, meanwhile, are innovating with fibre-spinning technologies inspired by the textile industry to produce marbled whole-cut meat.
It’s been six months since German retailer Rewe opened Voll Pflanzlich, a fully vegan supermarket in Berlin. Here are the company’s major learnings.
There have been a number of progress markers for Rewe, the German retail giant, and its 100% plant-based supermarket on Berlin’s Warschauer Brücke since it opened in April.
Rewe Voll Pflanzlich, or Fully Plant-Based, houses more than 2,700 products from over 300 brands in the 212 sq m space, including its own-label ranges Bio, Rewe Beste Wahl, Vivess and ja!, industry leaders like Oatly, Alpro and Beyond Meat, and challenger brands such as Not Guilty, For Foodies and Greenforce.
The company has conducted a six-month review of the store, which offers nearly twice as many animal-free products as even the most vegan-friendly Rewe locations, to find which products sell best, what consumers like most, and what the future of the concept looks like.
Here are the key takeaways:
1) The ‘fully plant-based’ marketing works
Courtesy: GFI Europe
Germany remains Europe’s largest market for vegan food, and it’s one driven largely by the growth of private-label brands. Retail sales were up by 8% in 2023, reaching €2.2B, but branded products only increased their value by 5% – the rest was thanks to a 20% rise in own-label sales.
While there have been lots of debate around the use of terms like ‘plant-based’ and ‘vegan’ in a bid to court flexitarians, Rewe suggests the ‘Fully Plant-Based’ moniker appeals to its clientele. Around 5,500 shoppers flock to the store each week, and are most heartened by the fact that they can find a full range of vegan products, from produce and baked goods to chilled products and drug store items without having to question labels.
Being able to “simply reach for all shelves” without hesitation, it seems, is a major plus point for consumers.
“In my regular [super]market, plant-based products also sell very well. But flexitarians tend to shop there, and the shopping baskets are a mixed bag,” explained store manager Dennis Henkelmann. “In the plant-based [super]market, it is more vegans who consciously only want to buy purely plant-based products.”
2) Convenience is, as always, king
Courtesy: Christoph Grosse/Pivopix
Looking at the top-selling products at Rewe Voll Pflanzlich, it’s clear that Germans hold convenience dear to their purchasing decisions. The store sold around 6,000 chocolate croissants and Franzbrötchen (a kind of cinnamon roll) in the first six months, making these baked goods the most popular options among shoppers.
Homemade snack rolls like spelt schnitzel, smoked tofu, and fresh coconut-almond-based cream cheese were also among the bestsellers, as were fruits and vegetables – Rewe Bio’s own-brand cucumbers and bananas were the most popular produce items.
It chimes with research suggesting that 72% of Germans are buyers of convenience food and drink products, a number that rises to 90% among 16- to 34-year-olds, a demographic more likely to be cutting back on animal protein.
3) The cream cheese shift is real
Courtesy: GFI Europe
The success of the non-dairy cream cheeses prompted the team to expand from its savoury spring onion and pepper varieties to offer sweet options like mango and raspberry.
This should come as no surprise – cream cheese has taken over hard cheese as the most popular type of branded vegan cheese in Germany this year, accounting for 45% of the segment’s sales in the first four months of 2024 (versus 39% in 20230). It makes good business sense for Rewe to develop its own at a cheaper cost, given that private-label plant-based cheese is 36% cheaper than branded versions in the country.
Speaking of dairy alternatives, Rewe’s creamy oat-based Sovteis (soft-serve), which is also self-serve, was among the top 10 products too.
4) Listening to shoppers will only help supermarkets
Courtesy: Christoph Grosse/Pivopix
Shortly after the store opened, the marketing team at Rewe placed a wish board at the entrance, where customers could write what kind of products they wanted. “We also receive really good suggestions via our Instagram profile, which we check out,” said product manager Isabell Kroll.
“We are all about getting new items onto the shelves as quickly as possible,” she added. Potato milk, vegan broths and tofu finishes all began appearing on-shelf in the last few months. “We also want to fulfil customer requests, which is why we added pickles, regional mustard and various types of liquid smoke,” Kroll revealed.
5) The concept is a testbed for future vegan stores
Courtesy: Christoph Grosse/Pivopix
While Rewe has made a number of gains with the new store, the company indicated that it is still only six months in and the concept remains in the test phase. “We will see in the coming year whether customers will accept a purely plant-based food range in the long term,” said Henkelmann.
Rewe CEO Peter Maly said he was satisfied with the development of the Fully Plant-Based store: “Opening a purely plant-based store in the current market environment was a bold step. But we knew that we have great expertise in the vegan range and a lot of experience from our more than 3,800 supermarkets nationwide.
“So far, the initial figures and feedback from customers have confirmed that the idea of a plant-based full-range store can work in the right location and in the right space.”
Over 90,000 people cross the bridge the store is located on every day, and with an S-Bahn station and a large number of office buildings in the immediate vicinity, there’s ample potential for greater footfall.
“We will decide at a later date whether we will open further purely plant-based supermarkets,” said Maly. “Our REWE Rewe and customers nationwide are already benefiting from the products that we are testing first at Rewe Voll Pflanzlich in Berlin and then making available to everyone in the product range.”
The UK’s Climate Change Committee is calling on the country to cut back on meat and dairy in an effort to meet its net-zero emissions goal.
Ahead of COP29, the UN’s annual climate summit, the UK’s energy secretary is facing calls to step up the country’s emissions reduction efforts and accelerate its path to net zero.
In a letter to Ed Miliband, the UK’s Climate Change Committee (CCC) said meat and dairy consumption should be slashed by up to 50% by 2050 to help meet its climate target, advocating for replacing these proteins with plant-based alternatives.
The recommendation is part of new net-zero actions proposed by the CCC, months before the UK publishes its Seventh Carbon Budget. The committee said that by 2025, the government should curb emissions by 81% (from a 1990 baseline), which would reduce emissions from the current 384 million tonnes to 200 million tonnes.
It comes after Miliband asked the CCC to set guidance on the UK’s nationally determined contribution (NDC) targets under the Paris Agreement, as part of the new Labour government’s climate plans.
The call to reduce the consumption of animal products in favour of low-carbon plant-based options, as reported by the Telegraph, would lead to a dramatic reduction in national emissions, allowing the UK to inch closer to the CCC’s recommended goal.
How the UK could embrace dietary shifts
Courtesy: Defra
The UK’s current Carbon Budget for 2035 had set a goal of cutting emissions by 78%, but the slight increase in the new recommendation reflects the escalating threat of the country’s production and consumption on the environment.
The CCC recently warned that the UK is not on track to meet its 2030 target (a 68% decrease in emissions) either, achieving only a third of the reductions required. “Setting a target is not enough. The UK must back up its international commitments through actions here at home,” the letter reads.
CCC chairman Piers Forster said encouraging dietary shifts among UK consumers would play a key role in achieving the 81% reduction by 2035, with one measure being to cut livestock numbers given their high methane output.
Forster did not specify other actions that could help Brits eat less meat. But the UK could benefit from a carbon tax on meat and dairy – as Denmark has introduced – to reflect the true planetary cost of animal proteins.
Another way to lower meat and dairy consumption is through regulating misleading adverts. The Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB), which falls under the wing of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), has been running a campaign to promote red meat and dairy, touting their supposed health and environmental credentials.
The AHDB suggested that “sustainability isn’t just about carbon”, and there are “many other things to consider”, citing data showing that transport and energy emissions are higher than livestock in the UK. But it failed to account for the livestock industry’s methane emissions, which make up nearly half (48%) of the country’s total, and have not been reduced since 2009.
Lowering the amount of methane, a gas 80 times more potent than carbon over a 20-year period, in the atmosphere is pivotal to averting global temperature rises, bolstering crop resilience, and boosting food security.
A group of British doctors have therefore called on the UK government to retract the AHDB’s campaign and stop promoting the “increased consumption of meat and dairy using misleading and un-evidenced marketing”.
Policy support for plant-based food crucial
UK Prime Minister Kier Starmer, a pescetarian, and his vegetarian wife Victoria | Courtesy: Number 10/Flickr/CC
Agriculture contributes to 10% of the UK’s total greenhouse gas emissions, but 62% of this comes from livestock farming. Meat and dairy production also uses up 85% of the UK’s farmland, despite only providing 32% of its calorie supply and 48% of its protein.
Meat and dairy analogues, meanwhile, have significantly smaller climate footprints. Last year, a landmark UK-specific study showed that vegan diets can reduce emissions, land use, and water consumption by 75% compared to diets rich in meat.
This is why activists have been urging Kier Starmer’s government to adopt policies to greenify the UK’s food system. The Plant-Based Food Alliance has called on lawmakers to develop a national action plan for vegan food, align the national Eatwell Guide with sustainability, reform public procurement to highlight climate-friendly food, and level the playing field for alternative protein companies (by removing restrictions on alt-dairy labelling and helping achieve price parity with animal proteins).
There is evidence that citizens would back such policies. Polling reveals that 63% of Brits would support policies that would help people eat healthier diets by reducing meat consumption and harmful emissions. This comes on the back of a year where the UK ate the lowest amount of meat and dairy in half a century.
Among the CCC’s other recommendations to deliver the NDC target are making low-carbon electricity cheaper, introducing plans to decarbonise public sector buildings, removing planning barriers for heat pumps, electric vehicle chargers, and onshore wind, and publishing a strategy to support skills in sectors that need to transition and communities that are adversely impacted by climate change.
“The Climate Change Committee has given ministers a useful benchmark for climate action but they may want to aim higher to show true global leadership and take full responsibility for the UK’s historic role as a major carbon polluter,” said Doug Parr, policy director at Greenpeace UK. “Actions speak louder than words, and true leadership means the government must also set out tangible plans to deliver on its 2035 target.”
In our weekly column, we round up the latest news and developments in the alternative protein and sustainable food industry. This week, Future Food Quick Bites covers Oatly’s new barista milk for light-roasted coffee, European precision fermentation developments, and the world’s best vegan chef.
New products and launches
First announced to investors in its 2023 earnings call, Swedish oat milk giant Oatly has rolled out a new version of its barista milk, formulated specifically for light-roasted coffee. The Barista Lighter Taste offering has 2.1% fat content (versus 3% for the regular barista edition) and enables the more nuanced flavour notes of specialty coffee to shine.
Courtesy: Grubby
After delivering over 100,000 dishes together, UK vegan meal kit startup Grubby has extended its partnership with plant-based chef duo Bosh! They have developed a new range of 10 dishes that can be made in under 30 minutes, including Gochujang Tofu Mac & Cheese and Peanut Butter & Tenderstem Udon Soup.
Months after acquiring Swedish mycoprotein startup Mycorena, Belgian animal protein company Veos Group‘s Naplasol has expanded the former’s Promyc line with two new ingredients at the Food Ingredients Europe event in Frankfurt (November 19-21).
Courtesy: Chosen Foods
US avocado oil startup Chosen Foods has debuted a vegan shortening made with just one ingredient: fractionated avocado oil. It’s available online and at Target for $10.99 to $12.99 per 16oz tub.
Fellow US firm the Plant-Based Seafood Co. has added Crispy, Crunchy, Fried Shrimp to its Mind Blown range of vegan seafood products. It’s available online for D2C and foodservice for a limited time.
Seattle-based vegan chicken playerRebellyous Foods has launched a Spicy Kickin’ Patty for K-12 schools, restaurants, and food service providers. It meets the USDA National School Lunch Program’s requirements for two meat/meat alternate credits and offers 1/4 grain credit as well.
Courtesy: Rebellyous Foods
And German startup Ohly, which makes yeast-based bionutrients for the food industry, has expanded its X-Seed product line with new nutrients designed to boost enzyme production.
Company and finance updates
UK vegan confectionery brand Doisy & Dam has been sold by Nurture Brands to organic cocoa company Food Thoughts. The deal will see the formation of an ethical plant-based chocolate offering for home bakery and snacking goods.
Courtesy: Doisy & Dam
Across the Atlantic, vegan baked doughnut maker Drumroll has received a $3M investment from CPG incubator 7 Mile Brands.
The Global Agri-Food Advancement Partnership (GAAP), which supports agrifood companies with funds, incubators and labs, has invested an undisclosed amount in Argentinian molecular farming startup Ergo Bioscience. GAAP will host Ergo in its Saskatoon labs in the coming months to help expand its operations to North America.
Chipotle is the top US restaurant chain when it comes to plant-based options and meat reduction policies, according to a report by World Animal Protection that ranks 23 major companies on these metrics. McDonald’s, Wendy’s and chicken chains like KFC and Popeyes received a failing grade.
In Chicago, PlantX‘s XMarket Food Hall – the largest vegan food court in the Midwest – has closed after a year of operations.
Since opening in Berlin this April, the fully plant-based Rewe store has been welcoming 5,500 visitors every week.
Speaking of Berlin, fermentation-derived dairy startup Formo has kickstarted its first out-of-home marketing campaign.
Courtesy: Formo/LinkedIn
Also in Germany, the federal food and agriculture ministry has invested €400,000 in sausage producer Metten Fleischwaren‘s project to develop a blended sausage with mycoprotein and meat.
Meanwhile, Dutch meat giant Nutreco has opened what it claims is the world’s first facility dedicated to food-grade powder production for cell feed, in an inauguration event attended by several cultivated meat companies.
Courtesy: Nutreco
New Zealand startup Daisy Lab, which makes precision-fermented dairy proteins, has partnered with two dairy processors to supply its plug-and-play technology for large-scale production of bioidentical proteins.
Speaking of precision fermentation, French player Bon Vivant has released a life-cycle assessment that shows its animal-whey protein cuts greenhouse gas emissions by 72%, reduces water use by 81%, and requires 99% less land compared to conventional dairy.
Courtesy: Bon Vivant
In further news from this industry, Belgian precision fermentation startup Paleo and Austrian 3D-printed seafood producerRevo Foods have received a €2.2M grant from the EU’s Eureka Eurostars programme to develop animal-free myoglobin for vegan salmon.
British peanut butter maker ManiLife has invested over £1M in a new 13,5000 sq ft manufacturing facility that can store up to 15 million jars of peanut butter. Raising £500,000 to fund the move, the factory is set to begin production in early 2025.
Courtesy: The Better Meat Co
Californian mycelium startup The Better Meat Co has received its patent from the US Patent and Trade Office, which covers its innovative shelf-stable mycoprotein production process, methods of sizing and separating mycelium particles, and million process to turn the dry mycleium into a powder.
Policy developments and awards
In the UK, conservation agency the National Trust will make menus at its 300 food and drink outlets at least 50% plant-based, after 75% of its 2.6 million members voted in favour of the move to speed up its path to net zero. Around 40% of its existing catering options are plant-based.
Alternative protein think tank the Good Food Institute has been recognised as one of Giving Green‘s top six climate impact charities globally for the third year running. It has recommended philanthropists to provide $2.1M in grants to the charity, contributing to its ongoing three-year raise of $125M.
Luxembourgish chef Steve Lentz has won the Best Vegan Chef title at the Global Chefs Challenge, who won over judges with a vegan foie gras and a cabbage-based dessert.
A new study shows a range of health benefits for women who follow a plant-rich “nutritarian” diet, including significantly slower biological ageing.
In yet more evidence of the positive effects of plant-based eating on human health, a new study suggests that nutrient-rich, whole-plant-forward diets can reduce inflammation and biological ageing markers in women.
Conducted by researchers from the Nutritional Research Foundation, Northern Arizona University, and epigenetics company TruDiagnostic, the study explores how such “nutritarian” diets – emphasising cruciferous vegetables, beans and legumes, onions and garlic, mushrooms, berries, nuts, and seeds – can improve women’s health.
The anti-ageing benefits of a nutritarian diet
Courtesy: Jul Po/Getty Images
The study, published in the Current Developments in Nutrition journal, contrasted 48 American women who adopted the nutritarian diet for five years or more with 49 women who followed the Standard American Diet (SAD).
According to the US dietary guidelines, the SAD is characterised as too high in red meat, high-fat dairy, processed and fast foods, refined carbohydrates, added sugars, salt and calories, and too low in fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, lean protein and healthy fats.
The nutritarian diet, on the other hand, focuses on specific foods linked with antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-tumour, anti-cancer and heart-healthy properties. These plant-based foods have high-viscous and fermentable fibre content, and are associated with healthy lipid levels and lower risks of mortality from all causes.
The research found that the plant-rich diet significantly slowers epigenetic ageing, as measured by DunedinPACE, a DNA-based clock tool that tracks the pace of biological ageing. The nutritarian diet also exhibited lower dietary inflammatory potential than the SAD, as indicated by the scores on the Empirical Dietary Inflammatory Pattern (EDIP) and the Dietary Inflammatory Index (DII).
The higher presence of T regulatory cells (which regulate your immune system) and lower levels of neutrophils (which can be detrimental to inflammation) presents better cardiovascular health benefits for women following the nutritarian diet.
Additionally, greater levels of DII – as was the case with women on the SAD – are linked to increased risk of frailty, type 2 diabetes, higher total and LDL cholesterol levels, cancers, and all-cause mortality. Similarly, a high EDIP score is also associated with greater cancer and mortality risks, alongside hip fracture and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.
Nutritarian diet followers were further found to have lower body mass indices, insulin-like growth factors, and blood glucose levels than women eating high amounts of red meat and processed food.
Growing evidence of plant-based diets and longevity
Courtesy: Netflix
“These findings suggest that the Nutritarian diet not only reduces inflammatory markers but may also slow biological processes associated with ageing,” said lead author Deana M Ferreri. “This research aligns with the growing body of evidence supporting the role of plant-rich diets in promoting long-term health.”
Indeed, the study joins mounting evidence of the anti-ageing benefits of plant-based diets. Last year, a Stanford University School of Medicine study of identical twins (which also involved TrueDiagnostic) found that vegan diets can lower LDL cholesterol, fasting insulin levels and weight while reducing telomere loss, which slows ageing in the body. That research formed the basis of the Netflix series You Are What You Eat.
Another study by Stanford University and TrueDiagnostic, published in July, focused solely on ageing, and revealed that vegan diets can lower biological age in as little as eight weeks, much faster than an omnivore diet.
It follows research from 2021 that linked plant-based diets to longer life expectancy, noting that US women aged 20 and above can live over 10 years longer with these eating patterns. Even in older populations, veganism lowers the use of medication by 58%, a separate study has found.
The nutritarian diet chimes with the philosophy of the Blue Zones, six regions across the world where people live longer than average due to regular exercise or movement and whole-food plant-based diets.
This latest study comes just as scientists advising the US government on its next dietary guidelines have drafted recommendations to reduce red meat and encourage a shift to plant proteins like beans, legumes and peas, prioritising them (along with nuts, seeds and soy products) above animal proteins in the official guidelines.
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