Plant-based meat and egg alternatives in India meet the government’s standards for ‘high-protein’ products, a new analysis has shown.
In a country where food attitudes are driven as much by health as they are by religion, and four in five citizens are protein-deficient, a new analysis is aiming to reinforce the potential of plant-based meat and eggs to meet India’s consumption needs.
Comparing over 100 meat and egg alternatives with their animal-sourced equivalents, researchers found that most vegan products have an equivalent or higher amount of protein. And those that combine two or more sources of plant proteins have a balanced amino acid composition.
The study, titled Decoding Smart Protein Nutrition, was conducted by the Good Food Institute (GFI) India, and aims to provide nutritional information to Indians while listing out recommendations for plant-based companies and the government based on its findings.
“This analysis underscores the nutritional strengths of plant-based alternatives, particularly in terms of protein and fibre content,” said Padma Ishwarya, science and technology specialist at GFI India, and the report’s author. “By offering consumers healthier, sustainable options, we can chart a path toward nutrition security and a more resilient food system.”
Plant-based meat and eggs show impressive nutritional results
Courtesy: Good Dot Foods/Green Queen
The study was conducted in two phases. The first reviewed the nutritional labels and ingredient lists of meat and egg products, both conventional and plant-based, and this was followed by a quantitative analysis of amino and fatty acid composition to determine their nutritional quality.
In total, 112 meat analogues in 11 categories and eight egg substitutes in four categories were analysed. The researchers found that in the Indian market, 30% of meat alternatives feature soy as their sole protein source, while 20% use a blend of soy and wheat gluten, and 16% feature pea protein. A quarter of the vegan egg offerings are also made from a soy and pea mix, with the rest being a combination of various other proteins.
GFI India found that the average protein content in plant-based meat ranged between 9% and 21%, with products using a combination of sources exhibiting higher levels of the nutrient. All products fall under the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India’s (FSSAI) minimum requirements for a ‘source of protein’, the average protein content in formats except nuggets, sausage, momos, and biryani are classed as ‘high-protein’ foods under the regulator’s definition.
All of the plant-based egg formats similarly fell under the high-protein classification, with levels ranging from 8-50%. These products also have lower fat and saturated fat content than chicken eggs across the four formats (scramble, egg powders, omelette pre-mix, and scramble pre-mix). The egg powder and scramble products also fulfil the requirements for sources of omega-3 fatty acids.
In meat analogues too, all formats barring samosas have a lower or comparable amount of average fat than animal-derived meat, with chunks, curry and strips showing lower mean saturated fat too.
The one metric where plant-based products outperformed conventional meat and eggs was fibre. The FSSAI considers foods with at least 3g of fibre as a source of the nutrient, with products containing over 6g classed as high-fibre foods.
None of the animal-derived products met either criteria, but 10 of the 11 plant-based meat formats (except biryani) and all the egg analogues are considered high-fibre foods. This is important considering nearly 70% of Indians consume less fibre than recommended.
What government funding efforts should focus on
Courtesy: Greenest Foods
There are still several strides plant-based meat producers can make to enhance their products’ nutritional value to India’s consumers. For example, meat analogues need improvements to fulfil the nutrient content claims on unsaturated fats (specifically, the energy derived from them), as well as omega-3 fatty acids.
Ishwarya also pointed to the need to reduce sodium and saturated fat levels, and increase micronutrient profiles. “This could be achieved by upstream strategies such as crop optimisation for enhanced nutritional content and quality, ingredient diversification, and functionalisation, besides science-based product reformulation efforts,” she said.
GFI India suggested India’s smart protein sector can develop more effective communication and marketing strategies to educate consumers, and explore more unconventional plant protein sources with better amino acid composition. Manufacturers can also tweak plant protein blends to get the best out of their products, and formulate novel fat alternatives with superior fatty acid content.
Instead of using a trial-and-error approach to reduce fat and sodium levels, product reformulation efforts should be evidence-based, the report noted.
It also left some recommendations for government investment bodies, urging them to direct funds towards new plant-based product development focused on achieving nutritional parity, and ingredient optimisation and salt reduction for healthier meat and egg alternatives.
Public sector capital should also go into R&D projects that leverage Indigenous crops to diversify the “ingredient basket” of the vegan sector, as well as those exploring novel structuring approaches like microgelation and oleogelation to reduce the dependency on texturisers and enhance the application range of current lipid offerings.
Finally, the government should also support investigations into the protein digestibility and nutrient bioavailability of plant-based analogues. The report argued that understanding the long-term benefits of vegan diets on gut health and mitigating diseases would bolster the category’s strength.
“With support from the public and private sectors, the continued development and improvement of these products has the potential to enhance nutritional benefits for individuals while also protecting public health and the environment,” said Ishwarya.
The World Wildlife Fund has launched a tool for supermarkets to align their sales with their climate goals, urging them to sell more plant-based food than animal protein.
With retailers playing a key role in the food system’s emissions and its transition towards a low-impact industry, the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) is helping them with a new methodology to enable the protein transition.
Meat and dairy take up 57% of agrifood emissions, and up to a fifth of the world’s total emissions, while also using up 80% of farmland and 30% of the global freshwater supply. But despite this disproportionate use of resources, livestock farming only supplies 17% of the world’s calories and 38% of its protein.
Experts have suggested that emissions from the food system alone will blow us past our 1.5°C budget, and maybe even the 2°C mark – there’s no way for us to meet our climate targets without addressing agriculture.
On the flip side, vegan diets have been found to reduce emissions, land use and water pollution by 75% compared to those rich in meat. And even if we replace just half of our meat consumption with plant-based alternatives, it can lower farm and land use emissions by nearly a third, while halting deforestation and reducing hunger by 3.6%.
Hence, the protein transition – i.e., the shift away from animal- to plant-based food sources. Dietary change is the most effective lever in lowering greenhouse gas emissions, and as gatekeepers of both sides of the supply chain, retailers play a crucial role in enabling this shift.
“Retailers are critical in accelerating the transition to healthy and sustainable diets, particularly in countries with high consumption-related environmental impacts,” said Brent Loken, global food lead scientist at WWF. “This transition requires a rapid transformation of food environments and for healthy and sustainable foods to be made more affordable and accessible to all.”
To help move the needle, its Planet-Based Diets Retailer Methodology aims to support supermarkets in promoting plant-based food consumption over animal-sourced foods, which the conservation organisation says is critical to “restoring nature, limiting the impacts of climate change and supporting consumer health and wellbeing”.
Retailers urged to measure by weight, not protein
Courtesy: WWF
The report breaks down food sources into seven groups: meat, plant proteins, and meat analogues; dairy and dairy alternatives; fats and oils; fruits and vegetables; grains and cereals; tubers and starchy foods; and snacks high in fat, salt and sugar.
The methodology proposes a stepwise approach to help retailers drive the shift towards a more sustainable food system. The first step of the protein transition is to measure the balance of animal and plant-based sales for whole products like sausages, chicken breasts, chickpeas and yoghurt, as well as categorise composite products (like meals, salads, and sandwiches) into meat-based, seafood-based, vegetarian, and vegan. This step covers both branded and private-label offerings.
It recommends that retailers measure foods by weight instead of protein content, and provides several reasons for it. First, ‘protein transition’ doesn’t refer just to the macronutrient, but the overall diet. Plus, focusing on protein in the analysis could then delve into complexities like bioavailability and amino acid profiles, which raises the question of where to draw the line.
Secondly, focusing on the weight also allows the analysis to capture the entire spectrum of a retailer’s offering, not just their protein content. It also aligns with the methodology of other dietary models like the Planetary Health Diet or national guidelines, which aim to find the most optimal foods to achieve specific goals like meeting nutritional requirements and lowering climate impact.
Next, sales-based measures of products offer a standardised way to compare different products and categories, as well as across food groups. And finally, WWF says measuring sales in weight is straightforward and practical for most retailers, as they often manage inventory and sales data based on volume.
“This approach aims to provide a practical, consistent and holistic methodology that helps retailers effectively manage and improve the sustainability and health of their product range, while remaining aligned with established dietary frameworks and taking a broad view of diet quality,” the report reads.
WWF calls for 74:36 sales ratio in favour of plant-based foods
Courtesy: WWF
In step two, the WWF outlines an opportunity for retailers to dive deeper into the data of their own-brand products. This involves breaking down their composite products on an ingredient level to enhance the granularity in product categorisation. Here, retailers would measure the weight of each ingredient with a product, rather than using its total weight. For example, in a vegan lasagna, the 70g plant-based mince would go in the first food group, and the 20g non-dairy cheese in the second food group.
The methodology also offers a way for supermarkets to go beyond the protein transition and promote a healthy and sustainable dietary shift by addressing foods outside meat, dairy and their alternatives. “Retailers should track the proportion of whole grain sales compared to refined grains, as well as the proportion of fats from animal-based or plant-based sources,” it explains.
WWF is now urging retailers to set clear targets to rebalance diets in favour of plant-based – or planet-based, as it likes to say – foods. It has recommended setting targets to achieve a ratio of 60% plant-based protein sales, as well as an overall sales split of 74% in favour of plant-based foods (including vegetables, grains, starches and other food groups).
Some retailers in Europe have already done so. Lidl and Ahold Delhaize have set protein ratio goals in certain markets, and are vying to be the first to establish an international target.
“Retailers must be prepared to adapt their sales strategies to achieve both their own sustainability commitments and contribute to global goals,” said Mariella Meyer, senior manager of sustainable markets at WWF Switzerland.
“We know that intensive agriculture is the number one driver of the catastrophic decline of wildlife and nature, so promoting healthy, sustainable dietary choices is key. In countries where animal-source foods are overconsumed, food retailers can lead the way by rebalancing their products.”
The report also suggested that reformulating meat analogues that are high in salt, fat or sugar and may lack essential micronutrients is key to the protein transition. This is also why dairy alternatives need to be fortified, and why WWF champions plant proteins like tofu, tempeh and seitan to replace meat consumption.
A score of health experts and climate activists are calling on the UK’s public health service to make plant-based food the default option in hospitals.
Gut health guru Tim Spector, environmentalist Chris Packham, and climate journalist George Monbiot are among a large group of experts urging the UK’s National Health Service to adopt a ‘plant-based by default’ approach in its hospitals.
In an open letter addressed to every NHS Trust and healthcare leader in the country, more than 1,200 health professionals and 22 organisations are calling for the normalisation of vegan meals in UK hospitals to lower costs and emissions while advancing inclusivity and health outcomes.
Coordinated by Plants First Healthcare, a new campaign led by senior NHS doctors, the letter highlights the success of a similar initiative in New York City’s public hospitals, which led to a 36% reduction in carbon emissions, cost savings of 59 cents per meal, and a 90% satisfaction rate while serving 1.2 million meals since March 2022.
The NYC campaign was spearheaded by non-profit Greener by Default, which is now also working with Plants First Healthcare to bring the plant-based by default approach to the UK’s public hospitals, which would cut the NHS’s food-related emissions by up to half.
“We have a long way to go to transform both staff and patient meals in hospitals. When staff and patients are made aware of the health and climate benefits of plant-based meals, they are supportive of incorporating more lower-carbon, health-promoting foods,” said Shireen Kassam, a consultant haematologist at King’s College Hospital London and co-lead of the campaign. “The aim is to advance this transformation with Plants First Healthcare.”
The open letter, launched on World Food Day, coincided with the UK Health Alliance on Climate Change’s (UKHACC) Food Systems Policy Report, which calls for the normalisation of plant-based meals in all healthcare settings.
The UKHACC is among the 22 organisations that signed the letter, which also include the British Dietetic Association’s Sustainable Diets Group, the Centre for Sustainable Healthcare, and Nuffield Health (among others). Together, they represent over one million members.
“‘Plant-Based by Default’ menus offer and incentivise plant-based meals as the primary menu option without restricting choice – meat and other animal products remain on the menu,” the letter reads.
“There is now overwhelming evidence that shifting towards a plant-predominant food system can significantly improve national health outcomes, address health inequalities and is essential for meeting our climate and nature targets,” it continues.
“By encouraging a higher consumption of fruit, vegetables, whole grains and legumes we can reduce the prevalence of heart disease, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, obesity and certain cancers.”
In 2020, 70,000 deaths in the UK were associated with insufficient consumption of nutritious plant-based foods, like produce, whole grains, legumes, nuts and seeds. “Hence showcasing the benefits of a plant-based diet within healthcare settings should be part of educational efforts to change dietary habits of the UK public,” argued Kassam.
“70% of my work as a GP is managing chronic diseases,” added Sue Kenneally, an obesity physician. “And I think if people followed a plant-based diet, I could probably put my feet up.”
Plant-based diets would ‘save struggling NHS’
Courtesy: Silvia Jansen/Getty Images
Aside from the health outcomes, the letter also makes the case for the climate and cost benefits of promoting a vegan-first approach to NHS menus. The health service has pledged to reach net-zero emissions by 2045, with food making up 6% of its carbon footprint.
Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals Trust, Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust, Hampshire Hospitals and Great Ormond Street Hospital have all signed the Cool Food Pledge to curb food emissions by 2030, while hospital trusts like Leicestershire and Rutland have committed to a ‘low carbon menu’ and Leeds Teaching Hospital NHS Trust and Queen Victoria Hospital are cutting back on polluting foods like beef and lamb.
The NHS has also partnered with Quorn to offer blended burgers and sausages to reduce its environmental footprint. But the overall pace of change is slow, the campaign says, pointing to a recent independent investigation that outlined the need for a ‘greener NHS’ that focuses on ‘the power of prevention’. Plants First Healthcare argued that the default vegan approach would help the NHS get on track with its net-zero goal.
A 2,000-person survey this year found that 35% of Brits would back a switch to a 100% vegan menu at NHS hospitals, although only 23% feel the republic would support plant-based meals as the main option, and two in five believe it would have negative impacts on patient health (versus 20% who think they would benefit).
That said, 30% say it would be more planet-friendly, and a quarter believe it would save the NHS money. And as the letter points out, this could indeed ring true. A modelling study shows that a ‘plant-based by default’ approach could save the service £74M each year, with significant household savings if patients are supported in making these dietary shifts.
Likewise, research by the Office of Health Economics found that if England were to adopt a completely plant-based diet, the NHS would witness an annual net benefit of up to £18.8B. “No other intervention can deliver such significant health benefits alongside cost savings and environmental benefits,” the letter reads.
“It would probably save the NHS in many ways, because the NHS is really, really struggling. So I think it really is the future for our country,” said Kenneally.
The letter is now being sent to the CEO, lead dietitian, sustainability director, and medical director of every NHS trust and integrated care board in the UK, with Greener by Default providing free one-on-one consultations, menu analysis, marketing collateral and other support services to hospitals.
Ahead of this year’s “ThanksVegan” celebrations, PETA has been urging people across North America to choose a compassionate holiday feast.
Each year in the U.S., approximately 46 million turkeys are killed and sold for Thanksgiving. Turkeys are playful, intelligent individuals who protect their flocks and bond with humans—some turkeys who live on farm sanctuaries have even been known to choose their favorite people.
In the meat industry, turkeys are killed when they’re only 3 to 5 months old, and during their short lives they’re denied even the simplest pleasures, such as running, building nests, and raising their young. And there’s no such thing as “humanely raised” turkeys.
We’re urging people to show turkeys, pigs, cows, and all other animals respect by leaving them off their Thanksgiving table.
Here are some of the ways PETA has helped make Thanksgiving better for all animals in 2024:
Ahead of Thanksgiving in Canada on October 14, we placed ads on 25 benches in Winnipeg, Manitoba, that read, “Turkeys Feel Pain, Too. Don’t Have a Hand in Their Suffering. Please, Go Vegan.” The ads were located near Kid City (an indoor amusement park) and several schools and daycare centers.
We also placed a version of the ad on three digital billboards in Windsor, Ontario, since Ontario is a top turkey-producing province. PETA supporters handed out free Gardein vegan Turk’y Roasts to passersby just a stone’s throw from the sky-high messages.
In Guelph, Ontario, PETA supporters set up a table outside a local grocery store and handed out 30 Tofurky roasts to encourage people to celebrate ThanksVegan with a centerpiece that nobody had to die for. Passersby were extremely grateful, and many of them even posed for a photo with their vegan roast and a sign.
As the organizer was purchasing the roasts for the giveaway, a man in line behind her at the grocery store asked why she was buying so many. When she told him that she was working with PETA to hand them out and urge people to celebrate a vegan Thanksgiving, he offered to purchase two of the roasts as a donation to support our cause.
Having a wonderful ThanksVegan at home is a compassionate and fulfilling way to embrace holiday tradition without harming anyone.
Most supermarkets stock a variety of animal-free options at wallet-friendly prices—from dairy-free butter to vegan turkey roasts—so swapping ingredients is a snap.
PETA’s free ThanksVegan guide will help you cook the meal of your life for the next holiday and many more to come. Whether you’re hosting, traveling, or hunkering down at home for a small-scale feast, we’ve got you covered:
While accused rapist and sex trafficker Sean “Diddy” Combs awaits his trial behind bars, PETA wrote to the warden asking to serve him only dairy-free meals in order to prevent him from being involved with any instances of sexual assault while in custody.
“Mr. Combs is accused of rape, sex trafficking, and similar offenses involving nonconsensual sexual acts, so please consider that the meat and dairy meals he’s given are also products of sexual violence, certainly extreme sexual violence against females in the dairy industry, whose reproductive systems are manipulated, controlled, and exploited,” the letter states.
In the dairy industry, workers forcibly restrain and artificially inseminate (i.e., rape) female cows by thrusting their hands inside them on what the industry itself calls “rape racks.”
As shown in this 60-second video, to impregnate a cow, a person jams their arm far into the cow’s rectum to locate and position the uterus and then forces a long semen-delivery syringe into her vagina. Cows often bellow and try to escape, but they are held fast, sometimes with a “twitch,” a cruel means of causing pain to their nostrils to make them afraid to move.
After a mother cow gives birth, workers tear her precious baby away from her within hours. Many mother cows cry and call out for their calves for days after they’ve been separated.
“It seems appropriate, therefore, to prevent [Mr. Combs]—and any other accused sexual offender—from contributing to the exploitation and abuse of any female while he’s in prison by serving him only dairy-free meals. And we are pleased to note that your facility already has such meals available. Serving sex offenders only dairy-free meals may also save taxpayers money by decreasing healthcare costs, since vegans have a lower risk of suffering from heart disease, obesity, cancer, diabetes, and many other common health problems than meat-eaters do.”
PETA also offered to send the prison vegan recipes.
Go Vegan
Cows are sensitive, social animals who don’t want to be abused for their milk or body parts. Like all mothers, they want to protect and nurture their young. Please show cows and all other animals exploited and killed for food empathy by going vegan. Order PETA’s free vegan starter kit to 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 Vital Meat’s cultivated chicken tasting in Singapore, Oatly’s new marketing campaign, and layoffs at The Every Company.
New products and launches
As it awaits regulatory approval in Singapore, French cultivated meat producer Vital Meatcollaborated with Hue Restaurant as part of a tasting in the city-state. The event featured three dishes using the startup’s cultivated chicken powder.
Courtesy: Carisa Lim/LinkedIn
There’s a new mushroom brand in town. California’s Thallus Foods is using the chicken of the woods mushroom to replace, well, the other chicken. It calls itself the first indoor cultivator of this fungi variety.
Speaking of new companies, in Denmark, Plantbox is curating plant-based meats and cheeses for wholesale consumers, and has gained listings at SPAR, Pico Pizza, Nemlig, Wolt, and more.
Courtesy: Oatly
Swedish oat milk giant Oatly has kicked off its new It Works in Tea campaign to target Britain’s tea-drinking tendencies. Featuring billboards in London, Manchester, and Brighton, the brand asked consumers to text a WhatsApp number if they were unconvinced. It received over 12,000 responses in the first 24 hours, who were in with a chance of winning a free tea set (with a mug and PG Tips tea).
London-based The Good Pea Co, which makes alt-milk powders, has rebranded to Kwerky, with a new five-ingredient oat and pea milk powder slated for launch next month.
Also in the UK, Tiba Tempeh has gained a listing for its tempeh block and mince at 327 Morrisons store, following a rollout in Sainsbury’s in the summer.
In more tempeh news, Mamame Foods has introduced tempeh chips made from black-eyed peas in original, hot chilli, sea salt and rosemary flavours. They’re available at Whole Foods in the UK and will come to Planet Organic this month for £4.99, alongside Erewhon and Sprouts in the US in the coming weeks.
Courtesy: Mamame Foods
Discount retailer Asda has added Dark Choc & Honeycomb Cake Pop Bites to its private-label Free From range in the UK.
Belgian bakery and chocolate giant Puratos has extended its ready-to-whip Ambiante line with a dairy-free chocolate flavour, which uses cocoa from the company’s Cacao-Trace programme and can be used as a topping or filling for cakes, pastries, and more.
Courtesy: Puratos
Swedish startup Hooked Foods has teamed up with Sodexo to distribute its seafood and chicken analogues to the caterer’s network, following a successful Green Lunch for one of its clients.
Vegan frozen food company Strong Roots has launched Air Bites, a range of products designed specifically for air fryers. It is available in Crispy Spinach & Carrot, Crispy Pea & Lemon and Crispy Veg flavour for £2.95.
Courtesy: Oatrageous/Misunderstood Whiskey
And back in the US, Misunderstood Whiskey has unveiled its Outrageous brand of cream liqueurs made from oat milk. The 14% ABV bottles come in espresso, coconut and bourbon cream flavours for $28.
Company and finance updates
US biotech startup Tiamat Sciences, which created animal-free growth factors for cultivated meat via molecular farming, has ceased operations following financial constraints.
Californian firm The Every Company, the precision fermentation startup making recombinant egg proteins, has conducted layoffs at its Daly City headquarters.
Courtesy: NotCo
Chilean food tech startup NotCo, whose products are built on its AI platform Guiseppe, has developed a generative AI model to create new flavour and fragrance formulations.
Two years after the initiative’s launch, Ferments du Futur has opened an innovation centre in the Paris-Saclay science and innovation cluster. The public-private scheme is an accelerator for fermentation startups.
Spanish vegan egg maker Uobo has secured a six-figure sum in its latest funding round, and partnered with fellow Catalan startup Cubiq Foods – which makes animal-free functional fats – to develop a new egg alternative for B2B clients.
Courtesy: Uobo
In Japan, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries has issued several grants under the Small/Startup Business Innovation Research Program. Alternative protein startups include Agro Ludens ($7.1M), Deats Food Planning ($4.5M), and Fermenstation ($3.4M).
ProVeg South Africa has been working with the Western Cape government to raise awareness about food insecurity during the National Nutrition Week (October 9 to 15), distributing 2,000 educational booklet to youngsters, hosting events for locals, and handing out 2,500 vegan nuggets from Fry Family Food in Uniondale.
Courtesy: Redefine Meat
Israeli 3D-printed meat maker Redefine Meat has won plaudits from Dutch chefs after hosting them at its new visitor centre in the production facility in Best, with the startup’s R&D team taking in the feedback to improve upon its New-Meat range.
US biotech manufacturing firm Liberation Labs, which specialises in precision fermentation, has received a further $12M from cellular agriculture investor Agronomics. It brings its total equity-linked funding to $35.5M, which will be joined by its upcoming Series A round.
Policy, events and awards
The APAC Society of Cellular Agriculture has signed an MoU with Temasek Polytechnic to create its first student chapter, which will foster a community of students across Asia-Pacific looking to shape the future of food through cultivated meat and seafood.
Courtesy: Float
FoodBev Media has announced the winners of its 2024 World Plant-Based Innovation Awards, which include Float‘s adaptogenic oat milk, Elmhurst 1925‘s sour cream, Arla‘s JÖRÐ barista oat milk, The Mushroom Meat Co, and LOVO chocolate.
Speaking of awards, Australian cultivated meat startup Vow, which has been selling its cultivated quail since receiving clearance in Singapore this April, has won the Future Ready Award in the Australian Financial Review‘s 2024 BOSS Most Innovative Companies category.
Courtesy: Vow
Finally, also in Australia, Sydney will host the next edition of the AltProteins Conference in October 2025, following a three-year stint in Melbourne.
Three years ago, Erin Primer had an idea for a new summer program for her school district: She wanted students to learn about where their food comes from. Primer, who has worked in student nutrition within California’s public school system for 10 years, applied for grant funding from the state to kick off the curriculum, and got it. Students planted cilantro in a garden tower, met a local organic farmer who grows red lentils, and learned about corn. “Many kids didn’t know that corn grew in a really tall plant,” said Primer. “They didn’t know that it had a husk.”
The curriculum, focused on bringing the farm into the school, had an effect beyond the classroom: Primer found that, after learning about and planting ingredients that they then used to make simple meals like veggie burgers, students were excited to try new foods and flavors in the lunchroom. One crowd pleaser happened to be totally vegan: a red lentil dal served with coconut rice.
“We have had students tell us that this is the best dish they’ve ever had in school food. To me, I was floored to hear this,” said Primer, who leads student nutrition for the San Luis Coastal district on California’s central coast, meaning she develops and ultimately decides on what goes on all school food menus. “It really builds respect into our food system. So not only are they more inclined to eat it, they’re also less inclined to waste it. They’re more inclined to eat all of it.”
Primer’s summer program, which the district is now considering making a permanent part of the school calendar, was not intended to inspire students to embrace plant-based cooking. But that was one of the things that happened — and it’s happening in different forms across California.
Students participate in an annual food-testing event for the Los Angeles Unified School District, with a menu that included vegan chickpea masala. Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
A recent report shows that the number of schools in California serving vegan meals has skyrocketed over the past five years. Although experts say this growth is partly a reflection of demand from students and parents, they also credit several California state programs that are helping school districts access more local produce and prepare fresh, plant-based meals on-site.
Growing meat for human consumption takes a tremendous toll on both the climate and the environment; the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization estimates that livestock production contributes 12 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions. Specifically, cattle and other ruminants are a huge source of methane. Animal agriculture is also extremely resource-intensive, using up tremendous amounts of water and land. Reducing the global demand for meat and dairy, especially in high-income countries, is an effective way to lower greenhouse gas emissions and mitigate the rate of global warming.
The climate benefits of eating less meat are one reason that school districts across the country have introduced more vegetarian — and to a lesser degree, vegan — lunch options. In 2009, Baltimore City Public Schools removed meat from its school lunch menus on Mondays, part of the Meatless Mondays campaign. A decade later, New York City Public Schools, the nation’s largest school district, did the same. In recent years, vegan initiatives have built upon the success of Meatless Mondays, like Mayor Eric Adams’ “Plant-Powered Fridays” program in New York City.
But California, the state that first put vegetarianism on the map in the early 20th century, has been leading the country on plant-based school lunch. “California is always ahead of the curve, and we’ve been eating plant-based or plant-forward for many years — this is not a new concept in our state,” said Primer. A recent report from the environmental nonprofit Friends of the Earth found that among California’s 25 largest school districts, more than half — 56 percent — of middle and high school menus now have daily vegan options, a significant jump compared to 36 percent in 2019. Meanwhile, the percentage of elementary districts offering weekly vegan options increased from 16 percent to 60 percent over the last five years.
A view of the greenhouse used for a Los Angeles magnet school’s after-school program focused on climate knowledge. Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
Student nutrition directors like Primer say the foundation that allows schools to experiment with new recipes is California’s universal free lunch program. She notes that, when school lunch is free, students are more likely to actually try and enjoy it: “Free food plus good food equals a participation meal increase every time.”
Nora Stewart, the author of the Friends of the Earth report, says the recent increase in vegan school lunch options has also been in response to a growing demand for less meat and dairy in cafeterias from climate-conscious students. “We’re seeing a lot of interest from students and parents to have more plant-based [meals] as a way to really help curb greenhouse gas emissions,” she said. A majority of Gen Zers — 79 percent — say they would eat meatless at least once or twice a week, according to research conducted by Aramark, a company provides food services to school districts and universities, among other clients. And the food-service company that recently introduced an all-vegetarian menu in the San Francisco Unified School District credits students with having “led the way” in asking for less meat in their cafeterias. The menu includes four vegan options: an edamame teriyaki bowl, a bean burrito bowl, a taco bowl with a pea-based meat alternative, and marinara pasta.
Stewart theorizes that school nutrition directors are also increasingly aware of other benefits to serving vegan meals. “A lot of school districts are recognizing that they can integrate more culturally diverse options with more plant-based meals,” said Stewart. In the last five years, the nonprofit found, California school districts have added 41 new vegan dishes to their menus, including chana masala bowls, vegan tamales, and falafel wraps. Dairy-free meals also benefit lactose-intolerant students, who are more likely to be students of color.
Still, vegan meals are hardly the default in California cafeterias, and in many places, they’re unheard of. Out of the 25 largest school districts in the state, only three elementary districts offer daily vegan options, the same number as did in 2019. According to Friends of the Earth, a fourth of the California school districts they reviewed offer no plant-based meal options; in another fourth, the only vegan option for students is a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. “I was surprised to see that,” said Stewart.
In their climate-focused after-school program, students learn about farm-to-table cooking, composting, greenhouse sciences, and more.
Making school lunches without animal products isn’t just a question of ingredients. It’s also a question of knowledge and resources — and the California legislature has created a number of programs in recent years that aim to get those tools to schools that need them.
In 2022, the state put $600 million toward its Kitchen Infrastructure and Training Funds program, which offers funding to schools to upgrade their kitchen equipment and train staff. This kind of leveling up allows kitchen staff to better incorporate “scratch cooking” — essentially, preparing meals on-site from fresh ingredients — into their operations. (The standard in school lunch sometimes is jokingly referred to as “cooking with a box cutter,” as in heating up and serving premade meals that come delivered in a box.) Another state program, the $100 million School Food Best Practices Funds, gives schools money to purchase more locally grown food. And the Farm to School incubator grant program has awarded about $86 million since 2021 to allow schools to develop programming focused on climate-smart or organic agriculture.
Although only the School Food Best Practices program explicitly incentivizes schools to choose plant-based foods, Stewart credits all of them with helping schools increase their vegan options. Primer said the Farm to School program — which provided the funding to develop her school district’s farming curriculum in its first two years — has driven new recipe development and testing.
All three state programs are set to run out of money by the end of the 2024-2025 school year. Nick Anicich is the program manager for Farm to School, which is run out of the state Office of Farm to Fork. (“That’s a real thing that exists in California,” he likes to say.) He says when state benefits expire, it’s up to schools to see how to further advance the things they’ve learned. “We’ll see how schools continue to innovate and implement these initiatives with their other resources,” said Anicich. Stewart says California has set “a powerful example” by bettering the quality and sustainability of its school lunch, “showing what’s possible nationwide.”
One takeaway Primer has had from the program is to reframe food that’s better for the planet as an expansive experience, one with more flavor and more depth, rather than a restrictive one — one without meat. Both ideas can be true, but one seems to get more students excited.
“That has been a really important focus for us. We want [to serve] food that is just so good, everybody wants to eat it,” Primer said. “Whether or not it has meat in it is almost secondary.”
Nil Zacharias, founder and CEO of Plantega, talks bodegas, BECs, New York City, plant-based struggles, and plans to expand across the US.
The first thing I did when I got to New York City was order a burrito.
It was 2pm, so naturally I was craving breakfast. Chorizo from Abbot’s Butcher, a scramble from Zero Egg, nacho cheese from WayFare, some hash browns, some spinach, some avo.
It felt like the Avengers of vegan food, if you will, born out of a truly innovative concept by Nil Zacharias. He is the founder and CEO of Plantega, a company turning bodegas – etched in the fabric of New York City – vegan-friendly.
btterPlantega partners with vegan food producers across the country – from plant-based meat makers like Beyond Meat, Konscious Foods, Umaro, and of course, Abbot’s, to non-dairy innovators such as Miyoko’s Creamery and Follow Your Heart – and uses their products to veganise bodega classics.
Instead of opening brick-and-mortar stores, it equips the city’s existing bodegas with a deli menu that turns a combination of these offerings into NYC favourites – think butter rolls, chopped cheeses, Philly cheese subs, BECs, and breakfast burritos.
Courtesy: Plantega
There are more than 13,000 bodegas in the Big Apple. With many open 24 hours or until late, Zacharias calls them a “lifeline that all New Yorkers depend on”. Mostly immigrant-owned, these independent businesses outnumber grocery stores in several neighbourhoods, and whip up deli classics with not much more than a grill, a fryer, and a deli counter.
Zacharias, a former ad exec and marketing consultant, started Plantega as a pilot programme in three bodegas in November 2020. This was the height of the pandemic, and bodegas’ status as essential businesses became ever more important as restaurants closed. The trial concept featured the hybrid foodservice and retail approach, with branded fridges that stocked the plant-based products, and a deli making use of them in a nostalgic yet novel way.
“We learned very quickly that people loved the sandwiches, and the retail products were a harder sell because of a range of factors, from the shopping habits of consumers to space constraints in the stores,” Zacharias tells Green Queen, “So we abandoned that approach fairly quickly when we officially launched the company later in 2021.”
Initial pushback from cooks gave way to customer uptake
Courtesy: Plantega
For Zacharias, making bodegas inclusive to vegans wasn’t just because there was an inherent lack of such options, but also because he wanted to show that this could retain the cultural meaning of a dish, just with a change of ingredients.
“And I think it really resonated with people because we did not try to do it in a gimmicky way that hijacked the culture,” he says. “Instead, we worked from the ground up to empower the bodega owners to buy into our brand and approach and get their customers to embrace their favourite sandwiches, just made better – with better-quality ingredients, and better health and environmental outcomes.”
How receptive were bodega owners initially? “Our first conversations with bodegas were pretty simple. We asked them if their consumers were asking for more vegan or vegetarian options. The answer was always yes,” he says. “We then followed up with a question about what the plant-based options were on their menu. And they would almost always point to one or two options that usually included a bland veggie sandwich of sorts.”
This is when the Plantega team would show bodega owners the vegan menu, asking them if they’d like to see something like that in their store. “And then it really came down to explaining to them how they would make money doing it and how Plantega functioned as the easy button to add plant-based menu items in their bodegas,” explains Zacharias.
“Once they tasted the sandwiches and grasped what the model really meant, and how Plantega made this very seamless and easy for them, our concept really just sold itself,” he adds.
That doesn’t mean there wasn’t any pushback initially. “In the first year, we really had to work hard to convince bodegas to carry our menu and partner with us,” he recalls. But this was more down to the fact that they wanted a discount on their first order so they could mitigate upfront costs and risks, rather than the fact that bodega owners doubted the concept’s value or demand.
“Because our model involves selling an entirely plant-based menu under the Plantega brand name alongside their regular deli menu, in some cases, we did receive pushback from deli cooks during the first few weeks,” says Zacharias.
“They were usually not happy about having to get trained on a whole new menu and use the plant-based ingredients we supplied for it. Plantega did add a new layer of complexity to their jobs when an order came in for a plant-based sandwich, and not every cook was excited about the extra work.”
Customers, on the contrary, ate it all up. “Most were intrigued by the attractive new menu added at the deli. And the reason we probably faced little to no pushback from them is that they still had the choice to pick anything they wanted from the regular deli menu,” he points out.
“We weren’t forcing them to make a change, but were doing our best with our branding (via posters and attractive signage, as well as strategic placement of our menu) to nudge customers to try Plantega.”
Courtesy: Plantega
The Plantega business model
To take the load of veganising bodegas’ bread and butter items (literally) off of their owners, Zacharias and his team develop the entire plant-based menu themselves, drawing inspiration from NYC deli sandwiches and creating new dishes to showcase the plant-based ingredients as best they can.
“Our in-store menu includes 14 items, and our delivery menus feature 40+ items,” says Zacharias. Plantega supplies all the products to bodegas, organises them on their counters, trains their cooks, sets up the menus and signage, performs quality checks, and markets the stores. It also processes future orders once bodegas sell out of products, and onboards them onto delivery apps like Uber Eats, DoorDash, and Grubhub.
Due to the nature of this model, “the menu has to be consistent at every touchpoint”, says Zacharias. Plantega is currently in 56 bodegas across the city’s five boroughs, and recently opened a flagship kitchen to offer direct delivery and open its model up to corporate catering and large events.
“Because we are so widespread across the city, our primary criteria now is finding a store that’s in a neighbourhood that doesn’t have a Plantega location,” says Zacharias.
Courtesy: Plantega
“We then analyse whether the store has a successful deli business, as well as other factors like storage space for our products, cooperative cooks that are willing to get trained by us, a clean and professional operation, and most importantly, a store owner who understands the nature of our partnership and is committed to working with us to make plant-based food more accessible to their customers.”
So how does the business make money? Plantega takes supply fees and distribution commissions from the bodegas, participation fees from the brands that offer their product, and revenue from delivery sales via bodegas. It will now also generate revenue from the new catering kitchen.
Of course, not everything has worked. The fridges that were part of the pilot in 2020 are now gone, and the menu has been updated to better reflect what its target consumers want.
“One of the most important lessons we learned pretty early in our journey was that trying to educate consumers about the health and environmental benefits of plant-based food as a way to convince them to choose something from our menu didn’t work,” says Zacharias, echoing a rhetoric floated by leading industry executives.
“On the other hand, creating a fun, uplifting, and approachable brand that gets people excited about our food made us a recognised and loved plant-based brand across New York City.”
What’s in it for the plant-based brands?
Courtesy: Plantega
Plant-based meat – and the vegan sector in general – has had it tough over the last two years. Sales have dropped off, as has venture capital, while consumers have expressed dissatisfaction with overprocessing, high markups, and the taste of meat analogues.
Retail sales dropped by 12% in 2023, but in foodservice, the decline was only 6%. Consumers tend to be more receptive to plant-based analogues in restaurants, where the possibility of cooking a vegan burger badly is much lower than at home.
“I think the industry has a trust and discoverability challenge that can be alleviated if we get it right in foodservice,” notes Zacharias. “Foodservice has some inherent advantages that make it more accessible to new consumers. Here, plant-based products are presented in a familiar environment and context, which reduces the barrier to trial.
“Professional cooks get to showcase the products in the way they are intended to meet the needs and specific tastes of their customers. This helps drive consumer trial in a convenient way and can go a long way in making a great first impression about new products, and can change any preconceived notions consumers have of the taste and texture, as well as the functionality of the products.”
He adds: “Working with a range of brands and showcasing them under our platform has been a big part of the Plantega model since we launched.” By partnering with Plantega, these companies open up new distribution and trial opportunities via field marketing activations.
“We’ve not only sourced our ingredients from multiple brands, but have also been intentionally brand-forward in our branding and marketing,” says Zacharias. On the menu, you’ll see the company each product is from, which is complemented by signage around the store sporting brand logos.
“We also host various sampling and community events in NYC throughout the year to showcase our menu items and specifically talk to consumers about the ingredients used and the brands we partner with. Lastly, we create content for our social media channels that feature our brand partners, along with consumer reactions and feedback on their products.”
Zacharias reveals that the bestselling dish on the menu is the chopped cheese sandwich, which pairs the Karana burger with Cultured Cheddar cheese from Stockeld Dreamery. Other popular items include a BEC with Umaro bacon, Zero Egg, and Stockeld Cheddar, turkey/ham cheese subs featuring Prime Roots’s mycelium meats, and the aforementioned spicy breakfast burrito.
Working with so many brands at once may seem challenging, but Zacharias says that hasn’t been the case, because each of the 11 companies brings something different. “They understand that Plantega is a unique platform in a key US market that features their products in a complementary way, unlike any other sales channel,” he says.
“We are driving sales, but we’re also consistently connecting with new consumers who are passionate about our iconic NYC Deli-style sandwiches and discover new and emerging brands as a result.”
Plantega embedded in New York City’s plant-based push
“Bodegas are as much an iconic symbol of New York City as our vibrant parks, subway system, or skyscrapers,” says Zacharias. “In a city where change is the only constant, bodegas have stood the test of time. They’ve witnessed neighbourhoods transform, seen trends come and go, yet they remain steadfast, with deli counters serving up comfort wrapped in wax paper.”
And despite soaring real-estate prices driving some bodegas out of business or forcing owners to pivot to other kinds of retail establishments, he believes “there is no sign that this cultural icon of the city is going extinct anytime soon”.
Veganism isn’t going anywhere either, especially in New York City. Since food makes up a fifth of its greenhouse gas emissions, the local government is working to reduce emissions by a third by 2030. All 11 public hospitals, for example, now offer plant-based meals as the default choice, a campaign that has witnessed great success. The Plant-Powered Fridays campaign at public schools, meanwhile, has led to a 28% reduction in emissions
It’s part of embattled mayor Eric Adams’s drive to green up the city. He follows a plant-forward diet himself, and celebrated his mayoral win in 2021 at a Plantega location. Across the US, 1,400 mayors have signed a resolution to promote a shift to plant-based diets, taking a leaf out of Adams’s playbook.
“It is incredible to see the NYC Mayor’s Office of Food Policy make plant-forward eating such a key pillar in their strategy to increase food security, promote access to and consumption of healthy foods, and support economic opportunity, environmental sustainability, and equity in the food system,” says Zacharias.
“I strongly believe that shifting towards a predominantly plant-based food system can have a profoundly positive impact, and I hope what’s happening in New York City encourages other local governments to take similar steps.”
Plantega to expand nationwide
Plantega’s evolution over the last few years has solidified Zacharias’s belief that consumers still want plant-based food, as long as it’s “fun, familiar, and satisfying”.
Among its major growth drivers now is the Plantega Kitchen & Catering division, which he describes as “highly tech-enabled”. It has been optimised for local D2C deliveries, as well as citywide catering clients looking for better vegan options for all meal types.
“Recognising that a significant number of meals in New York City are consumed within private institutions such as corporate offices and event venues, Plantega sees a tremendous opportunity to amplify our impact,” notes Zacharias.
Courtesy: Plantega
“This launch is timely as the return-to-office trend drives a catering boom in workplaces, and the climate crisis makes it imperative for organisations to reduce their food-based carbon emissions,” he adds. Perhaps most notably, he says the kitchen will “serve as a blueprint for our plan to scale the Plantega brand and operations outside of New York City.”
That’s part of the business’s five-year plan. “I foresee quick, comforting New York Deli-style sandwiches becoming a national phenomenon, and Plantega – with our authentic brand story having started in the deli counters of bodegas around New York City – being the brand that makes it happen,” outlines Zacharias.
“Plantega’s Chopped Cheese, Bacon, Egg & Cheese and other sandwiches will be sold in multiple cities across the US, through our own kitchens and via licencing partnerships,” he adds. “People will eat our food primarily because they love how it tastes and how the Plantega brand makes them feel. The fact that everything is plant-based will just be an attribute that makes it even better.”
Some of America’s leading vegan food companies have come together to launch the first joint marketing campaign for the plant-based industry.
Do not ingest plant-based food… if you enjoy the taste of average to mediocre food.
That is the call to action of a new, first-of-its-kind ad campaign backed by some of the leading companies in the US vegan sector.
The marketing drive is coordinated by the Plant-Based Foods Association (PBFA), and aims to highlight the benefits of plant-based eating in a quirky, deliberately contradictory way.
Devised with marketing agency AKQA Bloom, the first activation is called ‘Plant-Based May Cause’, featuring a 60-second spot with a 10,000-word leaflet that was present all over Climate Week NYC last month. The fast-paced, playful narration challenges the misconceptions and underlines the benefits – some obvious, some ‘unexpected’ – linked to a vegan diet.
It’s the first time leading brands in the industry have joined forces for a commercial campaign at this scale, with partners including The Kraft Heinz NotCo, Beyond Meat, Impossible Foods, TiNDLE Foods, Bel Brands, Daiya, Prime Roots, Mellody, Stockeld Dreamery, Armores Fresh, Milkadamia, and more.
“For years, the Big Meat and Dairy industries have been planting misinformation, so we’ve chosen to plant joy and deliciousness instead,” said AKQA Bloom co-founder and executive creative director Jean Zamprogno. “A better future for us and our planet begins with a shift in consumer behaviour, and no industry is better than ours to lead the way.”
Leaflet straddles the comical and the critical
Courtesy: PBFA/AKQA Bloom
The campaign ad comprises footage from a branded food truck the PBFA organised with chef Nina Curtis and the 15 companies at Climate Week NYC, where New Yorkers were offered free samples of plant-based dishes.
The video notes that eating plant-based may cause several effects, narrated in a way that feigns negativity. But these implications include vegan hot dogs causing you to love sausages more than your dog, non-dairy cheese making you want to only eat cheese for the rest of your life, and plant-based nuggets having no effect whatsoever – because “you’ll never realise they’re plant-based”.
The leaflet, attached to products from participating companies at Climate Week NYC as well as in grocery stores, is a seven-point guide underscoring the impact of eating vegan food. Some of these points are earnest, the others just fun.
For example, the leaflet lists “trouble sharing shareables” and “a crowded home at all times” as positive outcomes, as well as “severe urges to grill every day” and increased visits from your mother-in-law as side effects. But it also explains the true environmental and social benefits of plant-based food, from lower water consumption, land use, greenhouse gas emissions, and exposure to contaminants, to greater food access, better soil health, and a more robust local economy.
Courtesy: PBFA/AKQA Bloom
The guide also features several recipes to specifically highlight the fact that preparing vegan food is “actually very similar” to dishes with conventional meat and dairy. These include breakfast tacos, mozzarella sticks, mac and cheese, and chia pudding.
Doubling down on the tongue-in-cheek yet impactful messaging, one of the lines in a section outlining the best places to eat vegan food reads: “Try having plant-based yogurt in your apartment, which, if it’s in NYC, is already so tiny that it literally has a tiny carbon footprint. So, if you’re enjoying plant-based food in that ridiculously small kitchen/bedroom/living room/dining room, you’ll be doing double duty when it comes to reducing land usage.”
A collaboration long in the making
The Plant-Based May Cause campaign also has radio spots, while the leaflet will be handed out digitally and physically. The food truck is serving as a mobile platform to educate people about the health and climate benefits of plant-based food.
“This campaign marks a key moment for our industry. By coming together, for the very first time, as a diverse coalition of brands across 20+ plant-based food categories, we are engaging and inspiring a growing community of consumers around a singular marketing platform,” said PBFA CEO Rachel Dreskin.
“By collaborating with AKQA Bloom and our members, we’re demonstrating how strategic, unified messaging can broaden the industry’s influence and realise its potential and myriad of benefits.”
Courtesy: PBFA
Alternative protein companies have been trying to collaborate on a joint marketing drive for a while now. Last year, it was reported that vegan businesses were hoping to form a coalition in the style of Got Milk? and The Incredible Edible Egg – two of the most successful consumer campaigns in modern US history – although some marketing experts expressed doubt over whether this could actually materialise.
Impossible Foods was part of the effort, with CEO Peter McGuinness saying there’s “a collective opportunity to extol the benefits of the category”, but underlining the difficulties of coordinating the coalition at a time of upheaval in the plant-based sector.
While the PBFA’s campaign isn’t a result of this effort, it’s still a strong signal of togetherness in the industry. This is important considering that meat analogue sales dipped by 12% last year, and investments were down by 24% – in 2024, funding has become an even bigger challenge for plant-based startups.
Elsewhere, some are working on a vegan checkoff programme, a take on the meat and dairy industry approach that collects government-backed funds from livestock producers to fund promotional campaigns.
UK-based Vegan Food Group’s Matthew Glover (who is also the co-founder of Veganuary) and Indy Kaur, founder of vegan consultancy firm Plant Futures, are spearheading this initiative. “We are looking to level up with this, consolidate funding and create a campaign which can fairly compete and give consumers a reason to choose to eat plants and not animals,” Glover told Green Queen in February.
Connecticut-based Wayback Burgers’s franchisee in Asia has opened a 100% plant-based chain called Next Restaurant in Japan, with major expansion plans in sight.
Fast-casual chain Wayback Burgers is going all-in on Asia’s hunger for plant proteins, establishing an all-vegan restaurant concept championing plant-based meat in Japan.
Wayback Burgers Asia, the Japanese master franchisee of the US hamburger chain, has opened Next Restaurant in Tokyo, which it describes as a first-of-its-kind concept in the city designed to overcome the ever-changing barriers of the foodservice sector.
The chain operates mainly as a takeaway and delivery site, with only limited seating for dine-in options. The restaurant operates a shared kitchen to prepare dishes from different restaurants, with visitors able to choose items from multiple menus at the same time.
Next Restaurant’s model to expand globally
Courtesy: Wayback Burgers Asia
Wayback Burgers is a 33-year-old chain with over 170 locations in more than 20 countries using the franchise model. The chain has an extensive menu of beef burgers, chicken patties, shakes, and more, it does have a couple of meat-free options, using Impossible Foods and Gardenburger’s analogues.
The company opened its first site in Japan in 2022, but has now expanded its operations with the 100% plant-based concept of the Next Restaurant. “The traditional restaurants are now facing high procurement costs, labour shortages [and] general inflation, and consumers [continue to demand] high-quality, healthy foods while seeking better value for money,” said Wayback Burgers Asia CEO Koichi Ishizuka.
“Next Restaurant’s multi-brand restaurant model shares the same kitchen for better food preparation efficiency, and the pick-up and delivery concept allows us to operate within a small location.”
At Next Restaurant, customers can order from a range of vegan bento boxes, with options like foie gras kalbi, short ribs, pork and ginger, and a beef bowl. The eatery also keeps to its parent company’s hamburger legacy, with menu items like short rib or pork-ginger rice hamburgers, as well as a minced meat cutlet.
Moreover, Next Restaurant offers gluten-free pasta and doria (a type of rice gratin) tossed in tomato, bolognese or carbonara sauce, alongside entire menus for cheesesteaks and pizza (with flavours like tuna mayo, bulgogi, curry, and Margherita).
Wayback Burgers Asia has further created a vegan and gluten-free smoothie brand called Niseko & Smoothie, which uses fresh produce from farms in the town of Niseko, Hokkaido.
“It is franchisable and expandable to accommodate various existing restaurants’ menus,” Ishizuka said of the business model. “We are setting a new post-Covid restaurant business mode from Tokyo and expanding internationally.”
Japan’s growing appetite for alternative protein
Courtesy: Yano Research
As Ishizuka alluded to, Wayback Burgers Asia is now exploring domestic and international franchise partnerships to take Next Restaurant global. Its second franchised eatery is set to open this fall too, in Kumamoto on Japan’s Kyushu island.
It comes amid a time of growing need for plant-based and other alternative proteins in the country. Japan has a net-zero target of 2050, with a shorter-term goal of cutting emissions by 46% by the end of the decade. But its current policies have been deemed “insufficient” by the Climate Action Tracker. And last year, research suggested that 45% of the country’s protein supply needs to come from alternative sources by 2060 if it’s to decarbonise.
A 2021 poll found that 53% of its population primarily viewed plant-based meat as having “low calorie and fat values compared to regular meat”, and just over a third (37%) viewed these products as “sustainable”. Around the same time, another survey found that less than 20% of consumers in Japan were aware of plant-based foods.
But things are changing now. This May, one study showed that three in four Japanese citizens had heard about or seen plant-based meat, with 21% displaying a broad understanding of these products. It also found that one in five respondents had tried meat analogues.
Showcasing long-term trends, a survey last year suggested that the number of vegans and vegetarians had gone from 4.8% in 2017 to 6.5% in 2023. Likewise, while only 16% of Japanese consumers were consciously lowering their meat consumption in 2017, this swelled to 26% last year.
These habits are part of the reason why alternative protein think tank the Good Food Institute opened its latest office in Japan earlier this month, noting the country’s ability to cater to Asia’s “skyrocketing meat demand in a more secure and sustainable way”.
Kimiko Hong-Mitsui, interim director of the office, told Green Queen: “Just as Japan developed and exported the cutting-edge technologies that brought solar power and other renewables to the world, we now have an opportunity to pioneer the next generation of alternative proteins – the food equivalents of clean energy.”
Devising a national action strategy for alternative proteins is crucial for countries’ climate targets and global food security – a new report shows how.
In the next 25 years, the world will need 56% more food to feed its expanding population. But it has never faced a worse threat to food security than it does now, with current dietary patterns wreaking havoc on the planet, and climate change returning the favour in the worst possible ways.
Extreme weather events are decimating crop health, at a time when one in 10 people are undernourished. At the rate we’re going, the food system is simply not sustainable enough, either for a population that will be approaching 10 billion by mid-century, or for the planet it inhabits.
This is because the food system alone produces a third of all greenhouse gases, takes up 70% of the world’s freshwater, and is responsible for 80% of global deforestation. Agriculture also occupies nearly half of all habitable land – but 80% of this is attributable to livestock, which only accounts for 17% of our calorie supply, and 38% of protein consumption.
It’s why many companies are hoping to reshape the food system with future-facing, planet-friendly options, whether it’s plant-based food, cultivated meat, or fermentation-derived proteins. This industry – collectively called alternative protein – has made tremendous strides in the last decade or so, but it needs help.
Help from the public sector, that is. The meat and dairy industries are heavily subsidised by governments across the world, but alternative protein companies see a fraction of the same capital. To truly effect change, and actually make a bid to reach their 1.5°C targets (however unlikely this goal now may be), policymakers need to develop national strategies to propel this industry forward.
“Considering the vulnerabilities in today’s highly centralised global food system – where pandemics, geopolitical crises, and environmental disasters can have far-reaching impacts – a national plan that advances protein diversification helps envision a more resilient, future-ready food supply,” says Alla Voldman, VP of strategy and policy at the Good Food Institute (GFI) Israel.
The alternative protein think tank has worked with Monitor Deloitte to produce a three-step guide for governments across the world to adopt a national action plan for alternative proteins – whether that’s as a standalone approach, or a pillar within existing agrifood or bioeconomy strategies.
Voldman says such national plans help countries ensure their alternative protein progress aligns with broader national priorities and creates synergy across sectors and stakeholders. “This alignment fosters stability, especially in cases where short-term political shifts might otherwise divert resources or support away from long-term food security strategies,” she tells Green Queen.
She adds that these strategies enable greater inclusivity of countries with valuable infrastructure and resources and thus promote global cooperation: “Moreover, such action plans signal to the private sector that the government supports alternative protein development. This confidence encourages innovation, research, and investment, helping to build a robust ecosystem around alternative proteins.”
A three-step process, starting with motivation
Courtesy: Ecovative
The framework targets policy officials, food alliances and NGOs, and sustainability-focused groups that can collectively play a pivotal role in shaping national strategies.
“Given that many policymakers may lack familiarity with the alternative protein ecosystem, these organisations, which have a broader view and understanding of the sector across the value chain, can offer vital insights,” says Voldman. The local expertise of NGOs and food organisations can help tailor strategies to a country’s specific needs, which is a key goal of the report.
Explaining the three-step framework, she says: “First, it encourages viewing the issue from the government’s perspective, understanding what drives government action, and aligning the strategy with national priorities. Second, it emphasises determining the role the country could play in the global food system, leveraging regional strengths to ensure resilience.
“The final step focuses on activation – the how that is sometimes missing from the advocacy discourse—taking a bottom-up approach driven by the local ecosystem, identifying market failures, and pinpointing opportunities where government intervention can have the greatest impact.”
The first stage – the motivation behind adopting such strategies – involves a range of different factors. Countries could be compelled to do so for greater economic growth, more resilient food security, better public health, meeting growing market demand, or as a means of more progressive climate and biodiversity action.
Danish prime minister Mette Frederiksen | Courtesy: Wikimedia Commons/CC
For example, Denmark – the first country to adopt a national action plan for plant-based food – did so to speed up its green transition, becoming a trailblazer in climate-friendly food production. But for countries like the Netherlands or Singapore, the aim is to reduce reliance on food imports and boost self-sufficiency.
National motivations can range from long-term strategic plans to adapting current policies. The former would include strategies like Singapore’s digital-first Smart Nation Vision and 30 by 30 food security initiative, China’s ongoing Five-Year Plan for agriculture, or Canada’s 2030 Agenda, all of which namecheck alternative proteins.
Meanwhile, short-term policies can shape long-term ambitions. Countries could have a specific budget for food and agriculture, allocate significant funds for economic growth, and take executive action. The US is the perfect example here – it has budgets like the Farm Bill, funds such as the Inflation Reduction Act, and commitments towards biotech and biomanufacturing.
Setting up a vision and activation roadmap
The alternative protein roadmap | Courtesy: GFI Israel
When it comes to establishing a vision and assessing individual nations’ strengths and weaknesses, several factors are in play. The presence of an enabling environment determines whether there’s a foundation for economic development.
South Korea, which followed Denmark in establishing a plant-based transition plan, has focused on increasing the share of locally farmed products in its strategy. India, meanwhile is banking on its biomanufacturing capabilities to advance its smart protein sector. And nations like the UK, the US, and Singapore are host to multimillion-dollar research institutions set up by the Bezos Earth Fund.
Then there’s the market size, which provides context for the potential value alternative proteins could create domestically, and whether this fulfils the initial motivation. For instance, the US is a large market with a relatively high level of government spending available, enabling a more expansive vision for alternative proteins.
In contrast, Israel’s smaller market size means it’s better suited as an entrepreneurship and venture capital hub that can play an incubator role for research and new projects with global-scale potential. This brings us to the third dimension for establishing a vision: the innovation ecosystem. This outlines whether countries have the right blend of societal factors to help innovators who develop ideas and products, and take risks to launch new ventures.
Courtesy: GFI Israel
Israel is capitalising on its role as an innovation hub by targeting the creation of hundreds of new companies, manufacturing facilities, and significant job opportunities in the alternative protein space. “This highlights how strategic support from the government can foster innovation and stimulate economic growth,” suggests Voldman.
Finally, in the activation stage, there are two primary elements for stakeholders to consider. Countries must define a call to action by identifying critical shortcomings that could hamper its alternative protein goals, as well as the government policies that can bridge these gaps.
So if there’s limited research activity and domestic spending, state-funded grants can help remedy that. And if there’s a low rate of businesses going from pilot to commercial scale, regulatory advancements – like Brazil’s nod to using meat- and dairy-related terms on plant-based packaging and the approval of cultivated meat for sale – will go a long way in shifting that trend.
Meanwhile, developing an effective communication plan to convey the benefits of a protein transition is crucial too. Many countries are doing this by highlighting the employment potential, with studies showing alternative proteins could create 25,000 jobs in the UK, 10,000 in Israel, and 17,000 in Canada.
How to overcome the challenges of adopting alternative protein policies
Courtesy: Those Vegan Cowboys
GFI and its partners are helping several countries across the world develop strategies to support the alternative protein industry, and is offering a free workshop to help organisations kickstart their own efforts. “There’s a growing recognition of the sector’s potential to drive economic growth, enhance food security, and address environmental sustainability, and many governments are increasingly exploring how to incorporate alternative proteins into their national policies,” says Voldman.
Collaboration between stakeholders, meanwhile, is key, says Rune-Christoffer Dragsdahl, secretary-general at the Vegetarian Society of Denmark, which helped shape the country’s action plan. “Throughout the process in Denmark, we drew inspiration from actions taken in other countries, and likewise, we hope others can be inspired by what has recently happened in Denmark and beyond,” he notes.
The report is intended aa a complementary tool to ensure public investments are made in areas with the highest economic and social returns. Research suggests that if governments pump in an additional $4.4B into the R&D and $5.7B into the commercialisation of alternative proteins each year, the industry could support nearly 10 million jobs by 2050.
But several hurdles currently impeded hinder policy progress. “One key challenge is that many countries are still figuring out how to maximise their existing resources to drive investment in alternative proteins,” says Voldman. “Each country has unique strengths – whether in research and development, agricultural resources, or manufacturing capabilities – but there’s often uncertainty about how to align these assets with the growth of an alternative protein sector.”
Courtesy: GFI Israel
The lack of detailed, granular gap analyses is another significant barrier. “Policymakers need a clearer understanding of the specific gaps in their country’s alternative protein ecosystem and the potential return on investment from addressing them. Without this evaluation, it may be difficult to justify allocating public funds or prioritize investments,” she says.
“Additionally, it is sometimes assumed that every country needs to build a venture capital ecosystem or become a commercial manufacturing powerhouse to succeed in alternative proteins,” Voldman adds. In reality, each country can play a different role in the global alternative protein landscape. Some may excel in research, while others focus on sustainable agriculture or supply chain innovations.
“Accepting that there are multiple ways to benefit from the growth of alternative proteins can help countries develop more realistic and effective strategies,” she says, highlighting that these challenges can be addressed by leveraging existing national assets and adopting a more tailored approach to strategy development.
Doing so is absolutely critical to the future of the planet, its biodiversity, food security, and human health. As the report puts it: “If we’re to stay within planetary boundaries, business-as-usual food production won’t cut it.”
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 coconut-based infant formula, Marriott Hotels’s food waste driven, and a US government tool for regulatory help.
New products and launches
Los Angeles startup Before the Butcher has introduced a Cooked Plant-Based Breakfast Sausage Patty. The frozen product just needs to be reheated to an internal temperature of 165°F/74°C, and can keep in the freezer for 12 months.
Courtesy: Daring
Also in California, plant-based chicken player Daring has launched two new frozen entrée bowls in Buffalo Mac & Cheese and Queso Burrito variants. Both contain dairy cheese, so aren’t suitable for vegans, and will be available at Albertsons, Target, and Publix stores nationwide.
US grocer Trader Joe’s has brought out an unsweetened version of its Organic Non-Dairy Coconut Beverage, which is available for $2.99 per 32oz pack.
Courtesy: Trader Joe’s
Across the Atlantic, GoodMills Innovation will exhibit three new texturants, two made from peas and one from fava beans and wheat, at the Fi Europe 2024 event in Frankfurt (November 19-21).
Dutch alt-seafood producer Vegan Finest Foods has released three plant-based sushi rolls under its Vegan Zeastar brand. They come in three options: Oshi No Salmon, Spicy No Tuna, and No Salmon Asparagus.
Courtesy: Heura
Spanish plant-based meat maker Heura is opening a pop-up called The Phamacy in France to celebrate its new additive-free white ham. The setting mimics a real pharmacy with staff dressed in medical gear and a menu in the form of prescriptions.
In the UK, plant-based brand Meatless Farm has added two vegan sourdough pizzas to its lineup in Ham & Mushroom Style and Spicy Pepperoni Style flavours (available at Sainsbury’s), while updating its existing Beef Style Meatballs, Pork Style Sausages, and Quarter Pounders (which can be found at Morrisons).
Courtesy: Meatless Farm
Fellow British plant-based meat brand THIS, meanwhile, has partnered with fresh pasta maker Dell’Ugo to release two vegan ravioli products. Available in Bacon & Cheese and Chicken & Pesto flavours, they’re available on the Dell’Ugo website and at Morrisons.
In more UK news, egg alternatives brand Oggs has launched Gingerbread Cakes and Hot Chocolate & Marshmallow Cupcakes as part of its Christmas lineup. The cakes can be found at Sainsbury’s and on Ocado for £3.95, and the cupcakes are stocked at Tesco Express, Sainsbury’s, Waitrose and Ocado for £2.35.
Courtesy: Coco2
And Australia’s Coco2 has debuted what it claims is the world’s first coconut-based infant formula, which took 10 years to develop alongside the University of Queensland, parents, and healthcare professionals. It offers three products for different age groups: up to six months, six to 12 months, and 12+ months.
Company and finance updates
Marriott Hotels, the world’s largest hotel group, has enlisted AI-powered food waste startup Winnow‘s expertise in 53 of its kitchens in the UK, Ireland and Nordics, after reducing its waste by a quarter in the first six months of 2024 through the technology. The company now aims to cut food waste by 50% in 2025.
North Carolina-based cultivated seafood maker Atlantic Fish Co has won an SBIR PHASE I grant from the US Department of Agriculture, which it will use to advance R&D operations.
In the US, the Department of Agriculture, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the Food and Drug Administration have jointly released an online tool to help biotech companies – including those involved in cultivated meat, precision fermentation and molecular farming – navigate the regulatory pathway.
Courtesy: Sanrio Co.
At the 2025 Osaka-Kansai Expo, the makers of Hello Kitty will feature the cartoon in an exhibit focused on the sustainability potential of algae. The character will be turned into 32 different types of algae, from triangular microalgae to wakame, looking to promote their role in planet-friendly food, biofuels, bioplastics, etc.
The judge presiding over Upside Foods‘s lawsuit against Florida’s cultivated meat ban held a hearing lasting over two hours, and has suggested he will rule by early November, well before the Art Basel event in Miami Beach (December 6-8), where the startup is hoping to showcase its chicken.
Courtesy: Upside Foods
At the National University of Singapore, scientists have developed a scalable method for cultivating pork fat tissue using protein scaffolds made from secalin, a protein extracted from rye.
Alternative protein think tank the Good Food Institute Europe has published an updated edition of its scientific review on cell lines used in cultivated meat.
Finally, while promoting her new climate change movieThe Wild Robot, Oscar-winning actress Lupita Nyong’o has endorsed eating plant-based food as one of the ways to “do something good for the planet”.
Plant-based meat leader Impossible Foods has rolled out three new products to appeal to families looking for convenient vegan options, including Disney-themed nuggets and pre-seasoned beef mince.
Impossible Foods is channelling its inner Mufasa with a new format of its vegan chicken nuggets, which are shaped as beloved characters from Disney’s The Lion King franchise.
The nuggets, which come two months before the premiere of Mufasa: The Lion King, are part of a new line of products released by the Californian plant-based meat pioneer, as it looks to meet families’ need for convenient options.
These include the kid-friendly Corn Dogs, which encase its signature hot dogs wrapped in a cornmeal batter), and Meal Makers, a two-strong range of flavoured Impossible Beef.
They represent the company’s first new product announcements in a year, following the aforementioned hot dogs in December 2023. The development comes as Impossible Foods has taken up the second-highest share in US retail in the segment, according to IRI data, with its beef and nuggets among products that are the bestsellers in their respective categories.
Disney partnership running strong for Impossible Foods
Courtesy: Impossible Foods
The Lion King nuggets are an extension of Impossible Foods’s long-standing alliance with Disney, part of an impressive overall foodservice record for the alt-meat giant.
“We’ve been very proud to work with Disney to serve Impossible products across their properties for the past four years, so it was a natural next step to collaborate on a new offering in the grocery aisle,” said Impossible Foods CEO Peter McGuinness.
“Our new Lion King Nuggets are a fun way for kids and adults to enjoy our delicious plant-based chicken nuggets – given we all know and love the epic movie, and, of course, the timeless soundtrack.”
They join the Wild Nuggies SKU in Impossible Foods’s shaped nugget suite, and contain 13g of protein and nearly 4g of fibre per 100g, as well as 60% less saturated fat than conventional chicken nuggets. Additionally, they require, 44% less water and 49% less land to produce, while emitting 36% fewer greenhouse gases.
Meanwhile, the Impossible Corn Dogs aim to evoke carnival nostalgia, pairing the beef hot dogs with a soft golden batter lodged upon a stick. Each corn dog has 9g of protein and 40% less saturated fat than conventional beef versions.
Courtesy: Impossible Foods
Impossible Foods receives rave reviews for Meal Makers
Doubling down on the need for convenience, Impossible Foods has spiced up its flagship beef SKU (literally) with the Meal Makers range. These come in Taco and Italian-Style flavours, although the exact seasonings used are under wraps for now.
Consumer testing has shown that the Italian-Style beef, which could be used to make lasagne, ravioli, homemade meatballs, and pasta sauces like bolognese, satisfied the beef cravings of almost 60% of tasters, and met or exceeded the expectations of nearly 90%.
Likewise, 90% of people also found the Taco Beef met or surpassed their expectations, while satisfying the beefy cravings of 63%. This flavour of the Meal Makers can be used in applications from nachos and enchiladas to burritos and, of course, tacos.
Courtesy: Impossible Foods
In June, a US survey focused on plant-based foods suggested that “convenience, visibility, and brand awareness are crucial factors” influencing purchasing decisions in grocery stores.
And a poll of 3,000 Americans in March revealed that while taste, price and health are still the most important purchase drivers for food, convenience is important to 57% of people (much higher than the 31% who cite sustainability).
Impossible Foods’s new products will come to grocery shelves in the coming weeks. The product launches follow the establishment of its Quality Meats pop-up restaurant in Chicago’s XMarket Food Hall, which is running throughout the fall.
This year, the company has also partnered with competitive eating champion Joey Chestnut, settled a lawsuit over its heme ingredient – taking over Motif Foodworks‘s business – and moved a step closer to entering the EU.
Here are some of the riskiest-to-consume foods that have been recalled due to dangerous—and sometimes even fatal—outbreaks.
Avoid These Five Risky-to-Eat Foods
Chicken
As of October 16, 2024, a nationwide recall expanded to nearly 12 million pounds of ready-to-eat meat products sold at Trader Joe’s, Target, Kroger, Costco, Walmart, and other retailers due to possible listeria contamination. Some of the recalled products include prepackaged salads containing meat, chicken wraps and bowls, and frozen meals.
Meat producer BrucePac was found to be the source of the bacteria. Listeria infections can cause fever, muscle aches, nausea, vomiting, and, in some severe cases, even death.
A recall from meat producer BrucePac has grown to nearly 12 million pounds of ready-to-eat meat and poultry items due to possible listeria contamination, after the company recalled over 9 million pounds of products last week.https://t.co/ryeknPDz1u
Foster Farms recalled its chicken in 2014 after a salmonella outbreak sickened more than 600 people in 29 states.
Chicken flesh can also be infected with bird flu. In 2023 alone, at least 58 million birds confined on farms were systematically killed—often by horrific methods, such as slowly suffocating them—to limit its spread. Worldwide, more than half the people with confirmed infections of the H5N1 strain of bird flu have died, and the World Health Organization has called the risk of the virus spreading to humans “an enormous concern.”
Additionally, in 2024 dozens of tigers in zoos in south Vietnam died after a bird flu outbreak. They were likely infected with the virus after being fed contaminated chicken flesh.
The largest U.S. listeria outbreak in a decade, linked to a Boar’s Head plant in Virginia, has reportedly killed at least 10 of the 59 people hospitalized across 19 states. The outbreak led to a nationwide recall of deli meats and the indefinite closure of the facility.
Boar’s Head recalls additional seven million pounds of deli meat as federal authorities investigate a deadly outbreak of listeria food poisoning. @RhiannonAlly has more. pic.twitter.com/EcGCeg0Pxj
Eggs are a common source of salmonella—even if they come from farms labeled as “organic” or “free range.”
As of October 2024, a nationwide recall of eggs due to salmonella contamination had been escalated to Class 1—the most serious classification of recalls—meaning that they could cause serious health consequences or even death. An ongoing investigation into the salmonella outbreak linked to eggs supplied by Milo’s Poultry Farms—a company that claims to sell “cage-free” eggs—has found a total of 65 infections as of September 2024, and 24 people have reportedly been hospitalized so far.
Smoked Salmon (Lox)
Widespread and sometimes deadly listeria outbreaks have been linked to consuming cold-smoked salmon. Between August 2022 and November 2023, an outbreak tied to a Norwegian fish distributor resulted in more than 700 reports of listeria contamination.
Nearly half of all fish consumed worldwide each year are raised on land- or ocean-based aquafarms, which confine them to cramped, filthy enclosures, where disease can easily spread.
Shrimp, Crabs, Clams, and Oysters
Shellfish such as shrimp, crabs, clams, and oysters are among the most commonly consumed sea life linked to hepatitis A, which can cause liver failure and even death.
Additionally, in August 2024 oysters from two facilities in Cape Cod were linked to four cases of campylobacter illness, which results from a type of bacteria that causes diarrhea, among other symptoms.
In 2017, a woman was infected with Vibriovulnificus—a “flesh-eating” bacterium—that left her hospitalized and covered with lesions after she ate a raw crab dish.
An apple a day won’t keep the doctor away if you consume flesh, eggs, and dairy. In fact, animal-based products account for an estimated one-third of foodborne illnesses globally.
An extremely high percentage of all the flesh from the chickens, turkeys, cows, fish, and pigs slaughtered every year in the U.S. is contaminated with E. coli, campylobacter, listeria, or other dangerous bacteria that live in the intestinal tracts, flesh, and feces of animals. These illnesses can cause symptoms ranging from vomiting and diarrhea to organ failure and death. Farms—which often cram animals into filthy sheds, sometimes amid their own feces—are hotbeds of disease and bacteria. Animal agriculture even plays a role in foodborne outbreaks that are traced to produce, as these pathogens commonly originate from animal waste.
Animal agriculture increases the risk of disease and illness for everyone—even those who stick to veggies. The best thing we can do for ourselves, animals, the planet, and our fellow humans is to go vegan.
Other Foods That Put Your Health at Risk
In addition to shellfish, other fish are also risky to consume:
Lewis Hamilton has made a second investment in plant-based pet food startup Bramble to raise awareness about vegan diets’ impact on dog health.
Formula One legend Lewis Hamilton and his dog Roscoe have partnered with New York-based Bramble, which makes vegan pet food products formulated by vets.
Hamilton has invested in the brand to promote the “positive and transformative impact” of a whole-food plant-based approach to dog health. Roscoe, meanwhile, has taken up the mantle of ‘chief taste officer’ for the brand.
“As someone who’s continuously looking to improve my health and find the right food to keep my energy levels up, I think we should look to do the same for our pets, and I want to give Roscoe the best ingredients to keep him healthy and active,” said Hamilton, who is famously vegan. “Bramble ticked all the boxes for me.”
Bramble declined to comment on the investment sum, its expansion strategy, or future plans.
Lewis Hamilton’s dog saw health improvements on vegan diet
Hamilton is known for investing in future-facing food brands, having backed vegan fast-food chain Neat, plant-based food player NotCo, and vertical farming startup Bowery. Before his latest investment in Bramble, he had been part of the pet food brand’s $1.5M Series A round last year, according to Pitchbook.
“This extends beyond a traditional investment for me, as this is a space I care deeply about and am excited to support,” said the seven-time Formula One world champion. “It’s great to see how far plant-based food has come in the last five years, and I look forward to working with the passionate and dedicated team at Bramble to spread the message about how beneficial a plant-based diet can be for our dogs.”
Roscoe, a 12-year-old bulldog, was first introduced to a vegan diet in 2020. Since then, he was found to have experienced significant health improvements, including higher energy, a shinier quote, and healthier skin. This led Hamilton to Bramble, whose brand is centred around dog health and longevity, and named after a vegan border collie who lived for 25 years, one of the longest canine lifespans ever recorded.
Courtesy: Bramble
An increasing number of studies are showing the benefits of a plant-based diet for dogs. One paper found that plant-based diets had the “best health outcomes” in dogs, linked to lower medication use, fewer health disorders, and less frequent visits to the vet compared to meat-heavy diets.
The research came weeks after the British Veterinary Association reversed its long-held position on the health effects of a vegan diet for dogs, recognising that it’s possible to feed them on a fully vegan diet, as long as they’re nutritionally complete.
“As omnivores, dogs are able to get their nutrients from a plant-based diet if formulated correctly,” noted Amanda Rolat, founder and CEO of Bramble. “I’m looking forward to working with Lewis and Roscoe to raise awareness for Bramble in a genuine, creative, and fun way.”
Bramble outperformed meat-based kibble in trial
“I created Bramble because I truly believe that dogs and their caregivers deserve access to complete and balanced food that is nutritionally packed, while also being free from pesticides, antibiotics, growth hormones, carcinogens, and other harmful contaminants,” said Rolat.
She founded the startup in 2021 after being unable to find a pet food brand that delivered what she was looking for. Bramble offers two meals – The Cowbell and The Roost – and two treats, all targeted at the premium market.
The Cowbell uses a base of pea protein, sweet potatoes, lentils, carrots, peas, and apples, while the Roost pairs the pea protein with brown rice, potatoes, carrots, peas, and pumpkins. Each product has “more high-quality protein than most commercial dog food”, according to the brand, and exceeds the complete and balanced diet standards set by the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO).
In 2023, researchers at the University of Illinois conducted an independent feeding trial with Bramble’s two products and a leading chicken kibble brand, and found that the vegan formulations significantly lowered cholesterol and triglycerides, and promoted a healthier microbiome.
Courtesy: Bramble
Bramble is among a number of companies innovating in the increasingly popular vegan pet food sector, a $13.6B market. These include Wild Earth, The Pack, Hownd, Noochies!, and Omni, among others. Mars Petcare, meanwhile, is co-leading an initiative in Asia to help human food startups develop sustainable options for pets.
This is facilitated by growing awareness about the environmental impact of meat consumption. Livestock farming is responsible for twice as many emissions as plant-based foods, and up to 20% of global greenhouse gas emissions – pets alone are thought to consume 20% of all meat produced.
Vegan chicken startup Simulate, famous for its Nuggs, has been acquired by Ahimsa Companies to get the business back on track after months of (dis)quiet.
Simulate, the plant-based meat brand known for its meme-famous Nuggs, has been taken over by Ahimsa Companies, a recently formed holding company.
First reported by Axios, the deal is a combination of cash and equity (the amount was undisclosed), and will be used to help the startup return to shelves and consumer’s plates. In recent months, its products have reportedly disappeared from grocery stores, leaving many wondering whether the business was going under.
Having raised $57M already, Simulate chose to find a buyer rather than try and secure more money in an increasingly difficult funding environment for plant-based meat companies.
It comes months after Ahimsa Companies, which is affiliated with the Ahimsa Foundation, bought vegan food brand Wicked Kitchen and its subsidiaries Good Catch and Current Foods for an undisclosed sum.
Courtesy: Simulate/Green Queen
Simulate’s journey from lockdown-favourite to recent struggles
Simulate first came on the scene in 2018, with founders Ben Pasternak and Sam Terris banking on the company’s tech-forward software-like approach – which involves constantly improving its formula and publishing its updates – to win customers over.
The social-media-savvy brand became (in)famous for controversial taglines such as ‘the Tesla of chicken’ and ‘Kill you slower’, leaning it to a silly-yet-serious approach that left a lot of impressions (and memes). The startup’s investors include Reddit co-founder Alex Ohanian, hip-hop legend Jay-Z, and frozen food behemoth McCain Foods.
The brand blew up during Covid-19, with its frozen chicken nuggets reaching online consumers at a time when most other vegan alternatives were only available in retail stores. By the end of 2021, its annual revenue hit $8M.
Simulate had also introduced vegan chicken breast, tenders, strips, cutlets, and the now-discontinued discs, and was once valued at $250M. But then, at the end of 2023, Pasternak stepped down as CEO (remaining as chairman), with Terris (who was COO) taking over.
“This was a decision Ben and I made together over many months, and we ultimately aligned that this would be best for Simulate as we scale up our new technology,” Terris told Forbes at the time.
In the last few months, things have been muted. The brand’s social media – its best marketing too – had largely gone quiet, with no posts since the end of June. The previous two were related to a new product, Insta-Chicken, that the brand said it would release online (but can’t be seen on its website now).
This led many fans online to wonder if this was it for Simulate. “Are you still going to make nuggets? The stores near me(in Philly)have stopped carrying them & I read you might be getting rid of them,” wrote one Instagram user. On a Reddit thread titled ‘Has Simulate Nuggs Gone Out of Business?’, customers said the brand’s website was down at one point, and its products could no longer be found on shelves.
Now, the mystery is out, and it seems Simulate is getting back on its feet. “We’ve spent the last year searching extensively for the right mission-aligned partner to help push Simulate’s technology forward. We found our match in Ahimsa,” Terris wrote on LinkedIn. “Feeling especially grateful today for our team (past and present), the Board, our investors, and NUGGS fans everywhere.”
Ahimsa Companies’s takeover of Simulate is the latest in an increasingly lengthy list of M&A deals in the plant-based sector, and the food tech industry overall. Research has shown that M&A activity in the food business reached an eight-year-high in the first four months of this year. And in Q2, the number of deals was up by a third compared to the same period last year.
“There’s been a lot of cash deployed to develop great products, brands and technology, but not under the right economic conditions to thrive,” Ahimsa Companies CEO Matthew Tullman told Axios. “To carry forth the plant-based movement, consolidation is really required.”
He outlined why driving the industry forward is important. “It is impossible to conceive of a future (in which) we can feed seven-to-10 billion humans on an animal-based diet,” he said, noting that he still has hopes for “a plant-forward future”, but the industry doesn’t work well with the typical venture capital timeline anymore.
Tullmann confirmed that Ahimsa Companies had no operational overlap with the Ahimsa Foundation, whose head Satish Karandikar is an investor in the holding company, and which led a funding round for alternative protein startup Eat Just last year.
As part of a roll-up strategy, Ahimsa Companies is now looking at companies in the precision fermentation, cultivated meat, extruded pea protein, non-dairy alternative, and plant-based food segments – it already has two larger deals in the pipeline, according to Axios. Additionally, it has bought a 50,000 sq ft factory in Ohio to produce meat analogues.
Courtesy: Nectar
The vegan nugget category is lucrative, but also overcrowded and highly competitive. In the US alone, there are 20 brands of plant-based chicken nuggets, such as Gardein, Quorn, Beyond Meat Impossible, Jack & Annie’s, Alpha Foods, Daring, MorningStar Farms, Yves, Rebellyous, LikeMeat and Boca – and that’s before you get to private-label brands. That has made it hard for companies to stand out, and some, like Nowadays, have exited the space.
Simulate seemed to have been facing a similar squeeze. But it will be buoyed by the takeover, and the fact that people love vegan nuggets – more so than even the conventional thing. In a recent taste test, more meat-eaters liked plant-based nuggets made by a leading brand (70%) than chicken-based versions (53%), and Simulate was among four other companies identified as the leaders.
“Generally, breaded and fried plant-based meat categories receive higher ratings than non-breaded and fried categories,” explained Caroline Cotto, director of Nectar, which carried out the research. “These products stood out for their superior flavour, which was most central to overall liking.”
The European Court of Justice has rejected France’s proposed ‘veggie burger’ labelling ban, allowing plant-based food producers to continue using meat-like terms on their packaging. What happens next?
In a major win for the plant-based sector, the European Court of Justice (ECJ) has ruled that no member state can prohibit companies from using terms like ‘veggie burger’, ‘plant-based sausage’ or ‘vegan bacon’ on product labels.
The ruling is in direct response to a 2023 decree by the French government, which sought to ban the use of such words on plant-based meat packaging following a request from the livestock farming sector. The legislation was suspended by the top court in France, after receiving a complaint from the European Vegetarian Association (EVU), the Association Végétarienne de France, and industry giant Beyond Meat.
The Conseil d’Etat referred parts of the case to the ECJ, which has now also rejected the ban and returned the dispute to the French court for a final decision.
The ECJ’s direction, which makes an exception only if very specific conditions are met, has implications for governments and companies across the bloc, and will save the plant-based industry millions in packaging and marketing redesigns.
Welcoming the ruling, a spokesperson for Beyond Meat told Green Queen: “We are pleased that common sense has prevailed and that the court has recognised the ability of consumers to make their own informed decisions.”
Rafael Pinto, EU policy manager at the EVU, called it a “no-nonsense conclusion” that would guarantee accurate information to consumers and discourage member states “from attempting to enforce name bans that are ultimately counterproductive, self-damaging and creating greater consumer confusion”.
ECJ strikes down attempt to restrict inclusion levels of plant protein
Courtesy: Ale Rodriguez/Valentyna Smordova/Green Queen
France has tried to impose a labelling ban on plant-based meat twice. The first time, in June 2022, it issued a decree aiming to ban all meat-like terms except ‘burger’, but after complaints from meat-free companies and associations, the French court suspended the decree, arguing that the timeline was too short and wording too vague.
The second decree, proposed in September 2023, was nearly identical, co-signed by then Prime Minister Élisabeth, then finance minister Bruno Le Maire, and agriculture minister Marc Fesneau. This order looked to ban 21 terms like ‘steak’, ‘beef’, ‘ham’ and even ‘grilled’. Non-compliance, it stated, would result in a fine of up to €1,500 for individuals and €7,500 for companies.
But it didn’t stop there. The decree named 120 more phrases – like ‘bacon’, ‘sausage’, ‘cooked fillet’ and ‘nuggets’ – that companies could use, only if the amount of plant protein didn’t exceed a maximum limit ranging from 0.5% to 6%. This, of course, meant that no fully meat-free products could use these terms, since they are usually 100% plant proteins.
The ECJ addressed this caveat too, ruling that countries can’t adopt national measures that determine inclusion levels of plant proteins below which the use of meat-like terms isn’t allowed.
The decision notes that such bans can be implemented only if a member state legally defines meat products and descriptive terms first, and even then, such a ban would only apply to products manufactured within that country.
“On the French case specifically, now it will go back to the French courts, where it will be decided whether the decree that started this also creates definitions of meat and descriptive terms, or just bans their use for plant-based products,” Pinto told Green Queen.
“Since that was not the scope of the decree, it doesn’t seem like it is detailed enough to create the definitions, but the court might think otherwise.”
Setting a legal definition would harm the EU single market
Courtesy: Heura
The global battle over plant-based labelling has been ongoing for years now, with the major argument being that terms like ‘veggie burger’ confuse consumers. But several studies have shown this isn’t the case, with most consumers knowing the difference between plant- and animal-derived proteins. Plant-based companies like Tofurky, Miyoko’s Creamery, Planted, Oatly and NotCo have all won legal battles over product labelling.
“As France’s Conseil D’etat reviews the ruling, we will continue to argue for and support consumers’ rights to the genuine choice they demand and deserve,” Beyond Meat’s representative said.
In a statement sent to Green Queen, Nicolas Schweitzer, co-founder and CEO of Paris-based vegan pork startup La Vie (which just raised €25M), said: “We are so thrilled that, on La Vie’s third anniversary and World Animal Day [October 4], the ECJ has ruled in our favour. We can therefore continue using common names such as plant-based bacon and plant-based ham, which are the clearest for consumers.”
The ECJ’s verdict acknowledged that existing EU law offers sufficient consumer protection, so additional national regulations contradicting this aren’t allowed. As for the legal definition exception, this is a lengthy and complex process that would risk further spiralling into “EU-level harmonisation issues”, the EVU said.
To do so, member states would need to legally define what constitutes a burger or a sausage. So far, no country has an established legal definition, according to the EVU. “There are customary definitions and industry recommendations, but not nothing legal,” said Pinto.
“If this goes forward in several member states, the definitions might not match each other due to cultural and linguistic differences, creating problems for consumers and producers with products on the same market under different names, for both meat and plant-based products,” he added. “It may lead to further fragmentation of the EU single market and hinder competitiveness and consumer information.”
The ECJ’s decision comes four years after the European Parliament rejected an EU-wide ban on meaty terms for plant-based analogues, although MEPs upheld the court’s 2017 ruling that similarly restricted the use of dairy-related words on vegan products.
“The case of dairy is different since there are legacy EU regulations establishing definitions of what can be considered dairy, contrary to meat alternatives,” Pinto said when asked about efforts to reverse the alt-dairy labelling ban. “EU law would have to change in order for plant-based dairy alternatives to be able to use the same denominations the rest of the world already uses, such as soy or oat milk.”
McDonald’s France is introducing vegan nuggets made from Beyond Meat, its first plant-based option, offered at the same price as conventional chicken.
Fast-food giant McDonald’s is finally offering a plant-based option in France, its biggest market outside the US.
The chain will launch Veggie McPlant Nuggets tomorrow at all its 1,500+ outlets in the country, extending its Europe-wide partnership with US vegan leader Beyond Meat. They will be available in four-, six-, nine- and 20-piece servings and as part of various meal deals, all at the same price as conventional McNuggets.
Unlike previous veggie launches, the vegan chicken nuggets are a permanent menu addition at McDonald’s France, and are designed to attract vegans as well as flexitarians looking to diversify their protein intake.
McDonald’s looks to build on France’s changing dietary habits
Courtesy: McDonald’s France
The vegan McNuggets are a result of a “close collaboration between Beyond Meat and McDonald’s”. They’re made from a base of pea protein and coated in a blend of wheat and corn flours lightly salted with pepper and celery.
“We chose to innovate with a first offering based on plant proteins, directly inspired by one of our iconic products,” said McDonald’s France CMO Jean-Guillaume Bertola. “With the Veggie McPlant Nuggets, we are responding to the increasing desire of French consumers to diversify their protein intake while never compromising on taste.”
The national rollout was based on consumer tests conducted by McDonald’s, which “yielded very satisfactory results, particularly regarding quality and flavour”, according to Bertola.
“The response was unanimous, there was a real craze from our consumers who found a strong resemblance to the iconic nugget,” he told Le Figaro. “We are rather confident about the success of the product,” he added, noting that the meat-free nuggets have “performed very well” in Germany since their early 2023 launch there.
McDonald’s holds the largest share of France’s increasingly popular fast-food market. In fact, the country has been labelled as the chain’s biggest market after the US. So the launch of a vegan version of one of its most popular products is a marker of the country’s changing dietary habits, and McDonald’s wish to capitalise on the transition.
In 2023, an EU-wide survey revealed that nearly six in 10 consumers in France had reduced their meat intake in the preceding year. And federal data shows that French people are eating 6% less meat per capita than they did 20 years ago, though overall consumption has still risen.
Currently, its citizens eat over 700g of meat per week, more than double what’s recommended in Eat-Lancet’s Planetary Health Diet, and 100g higher than the national dietary guidelines. Health and climate experts have been calling for the national recommendations to cut weekly meat consumption by 25% to 450g in the upcoming update.
And despite the high amounts of meat the French eat, 57% of them say they’d back government policies that cut back on animal protein for human and planetary health.
Beyond Meat’s European success with McDonald’s
Courtesy: McDonald’s
The launch of the Veggie McPlant Nuggets marks an extension of the successful partnership between McDonald’s and Beyond Meat in Europe. While the McPlant burger – made using Beyond Beef – hasn’t quite worked out in the US, it has thrived across the Atlantic.
Beyond Meat has suffered a rocky couple of years in terms of sales – for example, it posted an 18% decrease in annual revenue in 2023. Despite that, international sales actually grew by the same percentage, largely thanks to the McDonald’s partnership.
The vegan meat maker’s CEO, Ethan Brown, told investors that the business had witnessed “continued traction at McDonald’s across countries such as Austria, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands, UK, Malta, Portugal, Slovenia, and Switzerland”.
With the vegan McNuggets, Beyond Meat’s link-up with McDonald’s is entering France, joining a Veggie lineup comprising burgers such as the McVeggie, Veggie Curry, and Honey Mustard Veggie, as well as the Caesar Salad Veggie. But none of these existing options are suitable for vegans, so the plant-based nuggets are a first for the fast-food chain’s French operation.
This comes amid a resurgent plant-based industry in the country. Just last week, the EU’s top court ruled against a ban on the use of meat-related words on plant-based packaging, a piece of legislation originally proposed by the French government (which was suspended by the nation’s highest administrative court).
This came at the same time France’s most popular plant-based meat export, La Vie, closed a €25M funding round, introduced vegan meatballs, and debuted its first national TV ad. And months earlier, despite all the kerfuffle, plant-based food was all the rage at the 2024 Olympics in Paris.
Parisian plant-based meat startup La Vie has raised €25M in investment amid a fourfold hike in sales, and announced the launch of vegan meatballs.
With growing popularity among retail shoppers and an extended foodservice footprint, French food tech player La Vie has attracted more investors to the tune of €25M.
The funding round involved Zintinus, Sparkfood, Michel Larroche, Arnaud Bachelier, and a crowdfunding campaign with over 3,000 investors, and takes the vegan pork startup’s total financing to €50M, following an investment of the same amount two years ago.
The funding has coincided with the announcement of La Vie’s meatball range. The company hinted at this latest product line last week, and it has now confirmed the forthcoming launch of its Italian-style and Spicy Asian meatballs. Packaged in 200g bags for €3.90, the meatballs will be available at Carrefour, Leclerc, Auchan, Intermarché, and Franprix stores from October 28.
Additionally, the startup has launched its first national TV campaign with ad agency Buzzman. The 40-second spot, titled Duel and released on World Animal Day (October 4), is “designed to ignite a nationwide conversation” about meat consumption.
Sales of La Vie products up by nearly 200%
A preview of La Vie’s meatball packaging | Courtesy: La Vie
The five-year-old startup first became famous for its vegan bacon (and viral, wacky marketing drives), and has since expanded its lineup to include ham and sandwiches too. These products have impressed consumers, foodservice operators, and critics alike, with the brand now present in over 8,200 points of sale across Europe (including Pizza Hut) and winning 24 awards for its flagship bacon.
The company’s sales have grown by 192% in the last 12 months, and it’s targeting a turnover of €19M for 2024 (up from €7.6M last year).
“We’re not making any money yet. But in a plant-based substitute market that is growing by 14%, we believe it is more relevant to keep focusing on communication and R&D,” La Vie co-founder and CEO Schweitzer said. “With our sales growing by almost 200%, we’re contributing to the development of the market.”
La Vie’s pitch – that it presents a healthier, animal-free version of France’s favourite meat – resonates with local consumers. Its sales have increased at a time when French people are eating 6% less meat per capita than two decades ago, with pork consumption reaching its lowest levels in this period.
The French Nutrition Society and the Climate Action Network penned a report in February calling for the national guidelines to suggest cutting weekly meat consumption by at least 25% – a total of 450g, versus the existing 600g recommendation – in the upcoming update. And a global climate change poll last month found that 57% of French people would back government policies to reduce meat-eating.
And in 2023, an EU-wide survey revealed that nearly six in 10 consumers in France had reduced their meat intake in the preceding year, with health being the primary reason (chosen by 38% of respondents).
La Vie targets expansion on the back of new ad and EU ruling
It has been an uncertain time for plant-based proteins, at least for investors. In Europe, plant-based startups secured €553M in 2023, but only managed to bring in €79M in the first half of this year. In the months since, that number hasn’t increased greatly.
But La Vie’s €25M raise goes against the tide. “This new round of funding is much more than financial support; it is a recognition of our ability to break through the barriers of plant-based products and shake up the codes of tomorrow’s food industry,” said Schweitzer.
“With the support of our investors, we will continue our mission and keep innovating, without compromising on taste,” he added. “At La Vie, we have always focused on pleasure, and today we are ready to take the next step by strengthening our presence in our current markets and accelerating the expansion of our product range.”
The investment will allow La Vie to enhance its existing products and create new ones, while expanding its footprint in France and the UK. This year alone, it has landed on the menus of Pizza Hut France, Parisian bakery Maison Landemaine, and retailer Monoprix’s in-store Picadeli. And it has just introduced its smoked ham SKU at Sainsbury’s stores in the UK.
The company is now investing in sampling and awareness campaigns to reach a wider audience, an effort that will be aided by the new TV ad. It features a man making a ham sandwich as a pig watches from across the table. The man eats the ham while making eye contact with the pig – with theatrical music amping up the drama – before viewers see the words “Relax, it’s plant-based”.
The development also came the same week the EU’s top court ruled against a ban on the use of meat-related words on plant-based packaging. It had been proposed by the French government, but suspended by the nation’s highest administrative court, which referred it to the European Court of Justice.
It means La Vie can continue to call its vegan products ‘bacon’, ‘ham’, and now ‘meatballs’ on its packaging, a major win in a major week for the brand.
Miyoko Schinner, a pioneer of the plant-based dairy space, is the latest instructor to teach a course at online learning platform Meet The Vegans.
Months before the launch of her seventh cookbook, Miyoko Schinner is back doing what she best loves: making dairy-free cheese.
Two years after she left the brand she founded, Miyoko’s Creamery, Schinner has joined forces with online learning platform Meet The Vegans to lead a masterclass on all things plant-based dairy.
The course is inspired by the forthcoming book The Homemade Vegan Creamery, whose recipes and techniques will form the basis of the digital cooking class, which will feature cheeses, butter, and snacks made from leftover ingredients.
Schinner has been making and selling plant-based cheese for decades, but the latest cookbook contains “new ways to make cheese, using fermentation and coagulation”, and ingredients she hasn’t publicly explored before.
“I’ve gotten back into the kitchen over the last year, back on the bench, and I have been working and innovating all these new recipes on making fresh and hard cheeses using a variety of plant milks, whether it’s watermelon seeds or sunflower seeds,” she said.
Miyoko Schinner looks to promote artisanal vegan cheese
The course, which will set you back $149 and features over 30 videos, has a range of innovative cheeses devised by Schinner. The Golden Sunshine cream and mascarpone are meant for both sweet and savoury dishes, the Reggie vegan goat’s cheese is a chèvre-style offering, joined by another French favourite, a truffle-infused vegan brie.
There’s also an Angel’s sharp Cheddar made from potatoes, and a watermelon seed mozzarella. Schinner will also be teaching participants how to make culinary butter with high-fat content for baking, cooking and spreading. And for all the pulp leftover from making the base milks and cheeses, she has devised a recipe for zero-waste crackers.
“Plant-based cheeses today, commercially, are sometimes… I would have to classify them as ultra-processed foods. A lot of the stuff that’s available today is unfortunately just made out of oil and starch. You know, usually the worst forms of oil,” Schinner told the Meet The Vegans podcast.
“And so I can’t really recommend them, which is why I really thought that it was important to try to discover a new way to make cheese, embracing whole foods,” she added, outlining how she ended up publishing her 2012 title, Artisan Vegan Cheese.
She added that vegan cheesemakers around the world are now taking a more whole-food-forward approach. “Collaborating with Meet The Vegans allows me to share my passion for artisanal vegan cheese with a global audience,” she said, outlining her aim to inspire “both new and seasoned chefs” about plant-based cuisine.
“Miyoko is truly the queen of vegan cheese, and sharing her latest groundbreaking innovations ahead of her cookbook launch means our community gets an exclusive glimpse into her unmatched expertise,” said Meet The Vegans co-founder Laura Belyea. “This course marks a milestone not only for our platform but for plant-based cuisine as a whole.”
Meet The Vegans was established in January this year, and features courses from a host of plant-based chefs around the world, including Wicked Kitchen co-founder Chad Sarno and former Unity Diner head chef Greg Hanger.
Moreover, the platform also offers an AI Chef tool to help home cooks decide what to make with the ingredients they have, in a bid to reduce food waste and promote plant-based versions of conventional meat dishes.
Celebrating plant-based milk for what it is
Courtesy: Celeste Noche
Schinner made her name through an all-vegan eatery called Now and Zen, which became popular for its plant-based turkey. After selling the restaurant, she started a namesake natural foods company business, which shut a few years later. At the time, the chef already had three cookbooks to her name, and in the years that followed, she doubled down on the vegan cheese world and created Miyoko’s Creamery (then Miyoko’s Kitchen) in 2014.
The business rapidly became a leader in the alternative dairy space, selling non-dairy cheeses, butters, and spreads. But in 2022, Schinner was ousted as CEO, following internal disputes with executives. The company sued its founder for alleged breach of contract, a violation of trade secrets, and stealing company IP, but Schinner countersued, saying she was “blindsided” and alleging that sexism led to her dismissal.
Months later, the two parties came to a resolution, with Miyoko’s Creamery installing former Beyond Meat CMO Stuart Kronauger as CEO, and Schinner going back to the bench as well as building her animal sanctuary, Rancho Compasión, in San Francisco.
“I’ll be sharing new ideas for many plant dairy foods, including new methods for making cheese and butter (no, the experimentation hasn’t stopped, and I’m at the top of my game again),” she told Green Queen in an interview last year.
While her masterclass does have analogues like Cheddar, chévre, mozzarella and brie, she posited the idea that plant-based milk should be celebrated for its own flavours. “We have cow’s milk cheese and then we have sheep’s milk and goat’s milk, and they don’t try to imitate each other. Each milk has its own characteristics and they create their different varieties of cheeses,” she said on the platform’s podcast.
“If we evolve that into the realm of plant milk, we can think about cheese in the same way. Why not let each plant milk express its own unique properties? Let’s create new cheeses. I believe the future of cheese is getting back to plant milks, rather than trying to replicate animal cheeses using oil and starch,” she added.
“Let’s explore the world of plant milk and find out what flavours and textures can we create from them. It’s an entire evolution that will continue into the future. We’ve got a couple thousand years to get it right.”
Cysts in meat? What’s next—blood, bones, and cartilage?! A video of someone squeezing pus out of a chunk of animal flesh has apparently shocked and disgusted many Instagram users. News flash: Eating someone’s hacked-up body parts is wrong, with or without the pus.
The Meat, Egg, and Dairy Industries: Oozing With Cruelty
Can’t stomach the video? Wait until you learn about the disgusting practices of the meat, egg, and dairy industries, which exploit and kill billions of sensitive animals each year. Farms that raise animals for their flesh, eggs, and secretions—including those that use “humane” or “free range” labels—cram animals into filthy sheds or mud-filled pens, sometimes amid their own waste. At slaughterhouses—where workers hang animals upside down and slit their throats—animals’ blood, guts, and feces spill onto the floor.
Just like humans, other species get abscesses, deadly illnesses, and cancerous tumors—and farmers don’t care as long as they can sell their body parts. Most butchers cut off the visible pus-filled parts, but flesh can be contaminated with dangerous pathogens you can’t see—like Listeria, Salmonella, and E. coli. That’s because when humans exploit animals like commodities, illness, pain, and suffering are rampant. Cows and other animals need you to help.
And it’s not just meat that can contain pus. Up to 50% of cows exploited for milk suffer from mastitis—a painful udder infection resulting from the grueling, abusive milking routines that dairy farms subject them to. Their infected udders ooze pus, contaminating the milk that ends up on supermarket shelves.
Call It Quits BEFORE You’re Eating Zits
Every animal is someone, from protective mother cows who nurture their young to chickens who establish highly complex social hierarchies.
These animals don’t want to be exploited and killed for a fleeting taste of flesh. Please, go vegan today:
Two pro-animal measures could raise the Mile High City to even greater heights! Next month, voters in Denver will have the chance to support two exciting initiatives that would prevent countless animals from being slaughtered for their fur and flesh.
Denver Residents: Vote YES on These Bills to Ban Fur Sales and Slaughterhouses!
Ordinance 308 would end the sale, manufacture, trade, and display of all new fur products in the city. This ban would spare countless minks, foxes, rabbits, chinchillas, and other animals who would otherwise be held captive in cramped, filthy conditions and ultimately slaughtered via the cheapest possible methods, including suffocation, electrocution, gassing, and poisoning.
Ordinance 309 would prohibit the operation of existing slaughterhouses and ban the construction of new ones in Denver. There is currently one known slaughterhouse in the city, responsible for killing at least half a million lambs each year. This initiative would spare a vast number of animals annually and allow the city to be a leader in the switch to more ethical food production.
Here’s What YOU Can Do
If you live in Denver, please support these lifesaving bills—every vote matters! If you aren’t a registered voter in the city, there are still ways you can help animals suffering on farms and in slaughterhouses. Pledge never to wear fur, leather, feathers, or any other animal-derived material, and go vegan today!
Note: PETA supports animal rights and opposes all forms of animal exploitation and educates the public on those issues. PETA does not directly or indirectly participate or intervene in any political campaign on behalf of or in opposition to any candidate for public office or any political party.
This week, California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed AB 3162—also known as “the California Oppose Cruelty to Octopuses (OCTO) Act”—into law. PETA endorsed the bill in its early stages, and groups including Social Compassion in Legislation and the Animal Legal Defense Fund worked hard to garner support for it.
The OCTO Act will make it illegal for anyone in California to engage in the aquaculture, or farming, of octopuses meant for human consumption.
It will also ban business owners and operators from knowingly selling octopuses who came from octopus farms.
Octopuses Are Intelligent, Complex, and Fascinating Animals
Octopuses feel joy and excitement but also pain and fear.
They are extremely intelligent and have been known to do the following:
They communicate with one another through complex color changes and flashes that humans still don’t fully understand.
Keeping octopuses on farms would lead to unnatural aggression, cannibalism, injuries, and death because they would fight and struggle to escape.
In addition, workers would slaughter octopuses at the end of their miserable lives, inflicting terror and pain by cutting into their brains or clubbing their heads.
You can help prevent such cruelty by never eating octopuses.
Lend Octopuses a Helping Hand
A lifesaving piece of bipartisan legislation, Senate Bill 4810, was recently introduced in Congress. The Opposing the Cultivation and Trade of Octopus Produced through Unethical Strategies (OCTOPUS) Act would ban commercial octopus farming in the U.S. and prohibit the importation of live or dead farmed octopuses (or their meat or derivatives) from outside the country.
If you’re a U.S. resident, please urge your senator to cosponsor the powerful OCTOPUS Act:
Note: PETA supports animal rights and opposes all forms of animal exploitation and educates the public on those issues. PETA does not directly or indirectly participate or intervene in any political campaign on behalf of or in opposition to any candidate for public office or any political party.
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 Sunday Supper’s plant-based mozzarella sticks, M&S’s new vegan cookies, and a cultivated meat tasting in India.
New products and launches
US vegan frozen foods maker Sunday Supper has released Mozza Fritto, a dairy-free mozzarella stick SKU. It’s available at Besties Vegan Paradise in Los Angeles and Orchard Grocer in New York City, and will be at Giant, Bristol Farms, and Good Eggs this month, selling for $9.99 for three servings.
Courtesy: Sunday Supper
As it conducts a regulatory feeding trial for cultivated meat, Further Foods, the portfolio brand of Cult Food Science, is launching a line of vegan Sprinkles toppers for pet food under its Noochies! brand. The 4oz packs will be available in six flavours (three apiece for dogs and cats), and retail for $16.99 in the US and Canada.
Cultivated meat is now officially banned in Alabama. But before it came into effect, Upside Foodstook its Freedom of Food tasting event to the state for locals to try its chicken before it became illegal.
Italian food giant Barilla is bringing its vegan pesto to the US as part of a flavour expansion, which will be available exclusively at Krogers stores starting this month.
Courtesy: Barilla
There’s a new almond milk on the block. Sól Date‘s milks are sweetened with dates and come in Original, Chocolate and Vanilla flavours, and can already be found in 400 locations, with another 250 slated for January.
In more dairy-free news, Canadian vegan cheese brand Daiya has shaken up its frozen pizza range, which has a “lighter, fluffier, and crispier gluten-free crust” and the new Oat Cream cheese.
In the Netherlands, The Vegetarian Butcher‘s Pulled Beef Strips are now featured on the menu of meal startup Mama’s Maaltijden, part of a poké bowl with sushi rice and pickled cucumbers.
Courtesy: La Vie
French plant-based meat leader La Vie has teased two new products in Apple’s trademark marketing style, showing the “advantageous curves” of the packaging. They will come out at the end of October in Italian-style and Spicy Asian flavours, and apparently won’t trigger the meat labelling lobby. We think it’s sausages – what’s your guess?
Meanwhile, La Vie has also rolled out its smoked ham at Sainsbury’s stores across the UK.
French vegan ingredient company Ingood by Olga has introduced Lengood, a fermented green lentil powder that is designed as a clean-label egg alternative for bakery and pastry products.
In the UK, pub chain Wetherspoons has added a limited-edition Korean-inspired vegan sticky fried chicken bowl using Quorn‘s mycoprotein meat. It’s served alongside chips and coconut rice.
UK supermarket M&S has released vegan speculoos and chocolate chip cookies in a light-up tin, as part of its Christmas range. It retails for £7.
Speaking of British retailers, Slovenian whole-cut plant-based meat producer Juicy Marbles is now selling its vegan steaks at Sainsbury’s, available in two-packs for £7 at 553 stores nationwide.
Courtesy: HAPPIEE!
Singaporean vegan seafood brandHAPPIEE! has expanded its UK presence, with its plant-based shrimp, squid and calamari now available at Sainsbury’s and Morissons (from next week).
A new vegan sweets brand has been set up by a former Mondelez International executive. Wild Thingz makes bug-shaped fruit gummies in Zesty Pests, Fruity Flyers and Gummy Grubs, which will be available as 25g packs for 90p and 130g bags for £2.99.
Staying with confectionery for a second, UK vegan oat milk chocolate maker H!P is getting festive with a new £12 advent calendar that features its plain, orange, salted caramel and gingerbread offerings. In addition, it’s launching a Gingerbread Cookie Bar, H!P ‘n’ Mix Festive Pouch, and a Christmas gift box.
Courtesy: H!P
In Thailand, vegan cheese brand Swees has released with what it claims are the world’s first rice-based cheese sticks, with backing from the national government.
Company and finance updates
Spain’s Pascual Innoventures has upped its investment in the first three editions of the Mylcubator programme to over $2M, with its latest infusion going to precision fermentation egg startup Onego Bio.
Courtesy: Oshi
Israeli vegan seafood player Oshi has received two million shekels ($550,000) as part of grant funding by the Israeli Innovation Authority.
In Sweden, Örebro University’s PAN Sweden research centre has been awarded 40 million kronor ($3.9M) from the state research council Formas for its work on plant proteins. Agrifood company Lantmännen is a key actor in the project.
Swedish pea milk pioneer Sproud has raised 14.4 Swedish kronor ($1.4M) in a fresh funding round, adding to the $1M it secured back in March.
Courtesy: Sproud
UK startup Fermtech has brought in £360,000 in crowdfunding (moving past its £325,000 target) for its ‘zero-carbon’ koji protein, using spent grain from breweries as feedstock.
Californian firm Triplebar is restructuring to amp up its focus on developing a generative AI genomic language model by 2026 to disrupt the food and medicine industries.
In Singapore, Temasek-owned sustainable food innovation platform Nurasa has signed an MoU with Food Harbour Hamburg to bring together companies from both regions to develop planet-friendly food solutions.
Courtesy: Steakholder Foods
Meanwhile, Israeli food tech startup Steakholder Foods has signed a deal with frozen foods manufacturer Bondor Foods to supply plant-based premises for vegan white fish and salmon patties.
Indian cultivated meat startup Biokraft Foods is hosting its first public tastings for cultivated chicken after completing an internal validation for the product. The tastings will be held in Mumbai and Pune.
Elsewhere, cell-based chocolate makerCalifornia Cultured has received an investment from Sparkalis, the corporate venture arm of Belgian B2B bakery, patisserie and chocolate leader Puratos Group.
Courtesy: California Cultured
Job platform Alt Protein Careers has expanded into Europe, and several startups – from Redefine Meat to Mewery – are already advertising roles there.
Policy developments
Over 100 organisations and academics are calling on the UN FAO to retract its Pathways Towards Lower Emissions report from COP28, which downplayed the impact of livestock and climate change. It follows a similar open letter from July, which itself came months after authors whose work the report was based on asked the FAO to retract its report. The latest letter comes after the FAO doubled down on its stance.
In California, the share of meatless meal options in school lunches increased from 7% in 2019 to 11% in 2023. The number of high schools offering veggie meals also rose from 36% to 56%.
Courtesy: Friends of the Earth
UK charity The Vegan Society and the International Rights Network have helped remove veganism from the National Health Service‘s Prevent training, a counter-terrorism programme designed to identify those at risk of radicalisation. Before the intervention, veganism was being referenced in the training.
Finally, The Vegan Society is also celebrating a major milestone: it recently crossed 70,000 product certifications with its Vegan Trademark.
German meat analogue maker The Raging Pig Company has closed a seed funding round ahead of its move into mycelium protein.
As it gears up to enter the mycelium market, vegan pork startup The Raging Pig Company has secured an undisclosed sum to accelerate its progress.
The seed funding round included Sprout & About Ventures, Livian, Solvable Syndicate, and several angel investors, and will allow the startup to develop new products and enlarge its footprint.
The Hamburg-based startup will use the fresh capital for “further expanding the distribution and sales channels in Germany” across foodservice and retail, positioning itself as the country’s leading plant-based sausage dealer, said CEO Arne Ewerbeck, who co-founded the business with Constantin Klass in 2022.
“On the product side, we are looking forward to releasing the first mycelium products into the market soon,” Ewerbeck added.
Raging Pig to roll out mycelium products early next year
Courtesy: Kynda
Raging Pig’s current lineup includes its flagship bratwurst and bacon, as well as a smoked sausage, mini-bratwurst, and currywurst. The products are made primarily from pea protein, bamboo fibre, and oyster mushrooms.
The bacon leverages a proprietary fat encapsulation tech and industry sidestreams to deliver its signature look and crunchy mouthfeel, while also reducing emissions by 90% compared to conventional bacon.
And in March, it announced plans to incorporate mycelium into its product range, teaming up with fellow German startup Kynda to roll out mycelium-based analogues. The latter utilises sidestreams like soy, oat and rice okara to produce a zero-waste mycelium ingredient for plant-based and hybrid proteins.
“Our focus has always been on taste and sustainability. With Kynda’s nutritious and allergen-free ingredients, we’re able to significantly lower our production costs and are finally able to compete with heavily subsidised meat producers,” Ewerbeck said at the time.
Raging Pig has been looking to replace the “highly processed” pea protein texturates obtained from high-moisture extrusion in its products. It showcased a burger with the myceliym at the Internorga trade fair in March, swapping 17% of the pea protein with the Kynda-Meat.
The mycelium-infused meat analogues are set to be released in early 2025, and are currently undergoing the “final steps of production scale-up and distribution”.
“The first products that we will launch with mycelium will be our plant-based sausage range, starting with our classic: the German bratwurst,” said Ewerback. “There are other products like burger patties in the pipeline and ready to roll out. We will see what makes more sense and how the market reacts as well. Since we are already selling at scale, we can take these steps one at a time and see what works best.”
Pork industry on the decline as meat analogues gain popularity
Courtesy: The Raging Pig Company
Germany is the second-largest pork producer in the EU, amounting to the slaughter of 44 million pigs last year, but the industry has been on a declining curve over the last few years, thanks in large part to the outbreak of African swine fever (ASF) in herds in 2022 and consumers shifting dietary habits.
Last year, pig populations reached their lowest since 1990, just as overall meat production dropped by 4%. In the long term, both the number of pigs slaughtered and the amount of pork eaten in Germany dropped by around 20% between 2015 and 2022.
Moreover, the post-ASF landscape has led many countries to ban pork imports from Germany, including China, its largest buyer of pork until 2020. At the same time, meat analogues have become increasingly popular, with production doubling since 2019.
In fact, Germany is the largest market for plant-based food in Europe, with meat consumption dropping by 12% from 2019 to 2023, and 55% of its population identifying as flexitarian. Three in 10 Germans say they want to eat more meat analogues over the next two years, just as the country’s latest nutrition guidelines suggest halving meat intake and eating 75% plant-based.
Meanwhile, the government set aside €38M in its 2024 federal budget to encourage the manufacturing and consumption of alternative proteins, promote a switch to plant-based agriculture, as well as open a Proteins of the Future centre.
To solidify its presence, Raging Pig began offering retail products in northern Germany this summer, with products available in select Edeka and Rewe stores (among others) in Hamburg and surrounding areas.
But its main focus is on the foodservice channel. “We are currently available nationwide in Germany through different foodservice partners,” said Ewerbeck. This includes the canteens at public broadcaster Norddeutscher Rundfunk’s offices in Hamburg, alongside snack bars, festivals, and pubs.
“Next to Germany, we are currently available in Switzerland and will take a closer look at some other European markets in the upcoming years,” he added.
Retail sales of plant-based meat have been shrinking, but they’re still higher than pre-pandemic levels. Opportunities lie in price cuts and bundling these analogues with fresh produce.
In 2023, sales of vegan meat and seafood fell by 12%, on the back of higher manufacturing costs, lower investment levels, and consumer concerns around ultra-processing. This year, it has been more of the same, with Americans spending 19% less on chilled meat analogues and 7% less on frozen products.
Despite these declines, though, people are still purchasing more plant-based meat products than they were before Covid-19 – last year’s dollar sales ended up at $1.1B, versus $856M in 2019, according to new analysis by market insights firm Circana.
The Current State of Meat Alternatives report shows that meat analogues have experienced a 2% loss annually over the last four years, compared to a 5% growth for plant-based dairy and a 7% hike for vegan seafood. Since 2019, the market share of meat-free products in the overall meat market has reduced consistently, but still remained largely the same, going from 1.39% in 2020 to 1.07% so far this year.
Frozen rules, and on-trend products make gains
Courtesy: Circana
Plant-based meats sell much better in the freezer, the report found. Sales dropped by 9% in the 52 weeks to July 14, 2024, compared to the same period a year ago. But the decrease was much larger in the refrigerated section, where dollar sales took a 17% dip to reach $309M, than in the frozen aisle (a 6% loss totalling $720M in sales).
Americans spent twice more on meat analogues in the freezer, and that can be seen via their market share too – these products were bought by 67% of Americans, compared to 37% who bought chilled plant-based meats. Only 29% of people purchased items from both sections.
Courtesy: Circana
Still, some brands are delivering growth. Beyond Meat has increased dollar sales by $10M, driven by its focus on “shifting the ultra-processed perception”, while Meati has seen a $2.7M hike year-to-date, thanks in large part to its all-natural ingredient list for whole-cut steak.
Circana’s report suggests that the way to consumers’ hearts and wallets are by “delivering quick and easy solutions along with elevated experiences”, with a focus on flavour, form and convenience. Beyond Meat’s ‘heart-healthy’ steak product has been the most successful in the last year, with sales $7.7M higher than the same period last year – this is one of the products that delivers on all three of these metrics.
Similarly, Impossible Foods’s flagship beef and Beef Lite were up by $3.6M and $3.2M, respectively, while Morningstar Farms’s vegan chicken strips and beef crumbles had sales increases of $3.3M and $3.2M.
Plugging the price gap
Courtesy: Circana
Plant-based meats continue to be more expensive. SPINS data for the Good Food Institute has shown that there was a 77% price premium on meat analogues last year. This continues to be the case today, with the price gap between conventional and vegan meat exceeding pre-pandemic levels.
In 2019, meat analogues were $4.16 costlier per lb, but this gap was narrowing in 2022. However, it has been increasing for the last two years, and is now at $4.20 per lb. Given that plant-based products currently make up only 1.07% of the meat market, progress is a tall order for manufacturers as things stand – especially since the per-pound price gap is 31 cents for alt-dairy and $1.27 for vegan seafood.
That said, chicken and turkey patties have seen prices decrease by 4.5% and 5.5%, respectively, with volume sales also up by 7% and 4% (compared to a flatlining of beer burgers). “This growth is providing value and a ‘better for you’ lean protein option,” the report states.
One way companies can increase consumer interest is through merchandising. Nearly two in five (38%) people who buy meat analogues also purchase fresh fruit and salad vegetables. “Cross-merchandise with the produce aisle to inspire healthy meals,” Circana suggests.
Who is the alt-meat shopper?
Courtesy: Circana
The report shows that the share of vegetarians and vegans in the US has been consistent at around 5-7% for the last 18 years, but the rise of keto and carnivore diets online has led to a 6% increase in meat-eaters since 2022 (making up 80% of the total). The number of flexitarians, meanwhile, is down by 4%.
When it comes to plant-based meat, the average households tend to be high-income African-American and Asian millennials and urban male Gen Xers. Nationally, plant-based meats are appearing in fewer households, a decrease of 21% between 2022 and 2023, while the number of individual buyers has also narrowed by nearly five million.
Along the same lines, meat analogues are losing shoppers faster than they’re gaining them, partly due to a 20% decline in “heavy meat alternative buyers”, who make four times more trips to the store and spend twice as much as the average American. This group is responsible for 75% of total spending on these products.
Courtesy: Circana
And worryingly, the share of frequent-purchaser households is declining faster (8%) than one-time buyers (5%). “Retention of frequent buyers is critical to category success,” the report says. “Understand frequent-buyer profiles and identify ways to keep them engaged in the category, such as highlighting trending flavours, pack sizes, and recipes.”
Companies are also encouraged to “invest in innovation”, with future offerings set to “deliver value through clean, quality products rooted in key consumer trends”. Finally, given the expanding price gap, brands need to define ‘value’ for consumers, including “taste experience, convenience, form, and nutritional profile”.
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 Upside Foods’ tasting event at a taqueria, Japan Airlines’ sweet protein partnership, and a UK state investment into climate-resilient legumes.
New products and launches
Cultivated meat leader Upside Foodsshowcased its chicken at Chicago taqueria Antique Taco, weeks before a judge will consider its preliminary injunction as part of a lawsuit against Florida’s cultivated meat ban.
Courtesy: Jessica Halper/LinkedIn
You can now eat sweet proteins on the fly, literally. Japan Airlines has partnered with Californian food tech startup Oobli to offer its chocolates on the Tokyo-San Francisco route. They’re made from Oubli Sweet Protein, a sugar alternative that has no impact on blood glucose.
Frozen meat-free brand Amy’s Kitchen has expanded its plant-based footprint, replacing eggs with tofu in its breakfast wraps and scrambles.
Next year, New York City will be host to the first Plant Powered Kids Festival, a fully vegan event that will include family-friendly activities like workshops, cooking classes and yoga sessions, alongside food from plant-based vendors. It will be held at Industry City in Brooklyn on February 2.
Courtesy: Just Salad
US fast-casual chain Just Salad has madeImpossible Foods‘s vegan chicken a permanent menu item with its fall menu launch. The plant-based Unbreaded Chicken Filet is part of a Southwest Crunch salad and a Vegan Chipotle Wrap, and also available as a protein option in Build-Your-Own orders.
Speaking of chains, Slutty Vegan is part of the Pepsi Dig In Restaurant Royalty Residency in Las Vegas. Founder Pinky Cole will be serving up its signature Fussy Hussy burger at Mandalay Bay’s Libertine Social and Luxor’s Public House for four weeks through October 18.
Courtesy: Slutty Vegan
British vegan food producer Marigold Health Foods – maker of Engevita nutritional yeast, vegan boullion cubes, and canned meat analogues – has teamed up with packaging specialist Sonoco to launch fully recyclable packaging for a range of its products. The latter’s EnviroCan is designed with a paper bottom and can be recycled by consumers kerbside.
Also in the UK, The Tofoo Co – recently acquired by Comitis Capital – has introduced a Tofoo Katsu SKU in its added value line, which will be available at Sainsbury’s for £3 per 240g pack.
Shortly after its Swiss launch, artisan vegan cheese brand Julienne Bruno has entered the Republic of Ireland via 65 stores, offering its plant-based Burrella, Crematta and Superstraccia SKUs from €5.29-5.95.
Courtesy: Julienne Bruno
Parisian meat analogue maker La Vie‘s bacon will be on the menu at Picadeli at French retailer Monoprix and in Sweden for the next two months.
German beverage manufacturer Waldemar Behn is making its vodka-based Dooley’s Creamy Liqueur brand entirely vegan. It will relaunch the range in 700ml bottles next month, swapping out the dairy with coconut and soy milk instead.
And ahead of Oktoberfest, German food tech innovator Planteneers is offering manufacturers its fiildMeat S 141501 modular system to make plant-based meats for street food classics, such as bratwrusts as well as hot dog sauces.
Company and financial news
The UK’s Department for Environment, Rural and Social Affairs (Defra) has pumped in £3M towards four research organisations to develop climate-resilient legume crops.
Hollywood star Gal Gadot‘s mac and cheese brand Goodles, which has a vegan SKU, has hired a new CFO in Chris Hall after sales tripled in 2023.
Courtesy: Flora/Warren Goldswain/Getty Images
Dutch alt-dairy leader Upfield has renamed itself to Flora Food Group to reflect its flagship butter range, and acquired a manufacturing facility located in Hugoton, Kansas to produce creams and cream cheeses for the North American market.
Speaking of factories, Thai plant-based cheese company Swees has opened a fully vegan-certified facility for co-manufacturing.
Croatian plant protein producer Nutris has been acquired by Swedish investment firm Summa Equity for an undisclosed sum.
Courtesy: Nutris
Scottish startup MiAlgae has secured $18.5M to produce omega-3 fatty acids via microalgae fermentation. It will use the capital to build an industrial-scale facility in the country.
As it awaits regulatory approval in Singapore, Dutch cultivated meat producer Meatable has received €7.6M ($8.5M) in state funding, under the Netherlands Enterprise Agency‘s Innovation Credit programme.
At Wageningen University, the Bioprocess Engineering Chair Group’s cellular agriculture team has obtained a €1.5M investment from Korean biotech firm Whoniz to work on cultivated meat and seafood.
Courtesy: Odd Burger
Canadian vegan fast-food chain Odd Burger has announced the private placement of $4M of convertible debt after reporting its highest quarterly revenues since going public.
Israel’s MNDL Bio has raised $2M to expand its AI-powered gene optimisation platform, which is said to accelerate R&D, lower costs, and bolter success rates in synthetic biology.
Impact investor Earth First Food Ventures has kickstarted a $10M Series A round to expand its financing portfolio in the alt-dairy segment and introduce a $50M precision fermentation fund.
Policy and research developments
The EU’s regulation requiring manufacturers to produce caps that stay tethered to the plastic bottles has been in place for a couple of months now, and has annoyed manydrinkers. But with the EU set to double down on its plastic waste strategy, the caps are here to stay.
Cultivated meat startups Meatable and Umami Bioworks have joined the APAC Society for Cellular Agriculture, expanding its membership to 12.
Courtesy: The Every Company
Precision fermentation egg maker The Every Company has secured a foundational patent in the US for its animal-free ovalbumin protein.
Food advocacy organisation ProVeg International has taken over the Portuguese Vegetarian Association to open an office in Portugal, joining 12 other locations globally.
Cellular Agriculture Australia has released a report calling for clearer, more verifiable impact claims and metrics from companies in the cultivated meat and cellular ag space.
Courtesy: NYC Health + Hospitals
Across the Pacific, New York University hosted the 2024 Plant-Based Food Festival, where it announced that it has signed on to the city’s Plant-Powered Carbon Challenge.
Scientists at the National University of Singapore have found a way to fortify soy whey with Bifidobacteria strain and propionic acid bacteria to increase vitamin B12 levels in plant-based products.
In an advancement for vegan seafood, researchers in China have created plant-based simulated yellow croaker meat tissues by dual-nozzle 3D printing.
Finally, a new docuseries goes behind the scenes of the plant-based culinary scene in Portland, Oregon. The V Word will be released tomorrow, September 26 on streaming network WaterBear, and explores the lifestyle through a cultural lens via the city’s vegan restaurants.
A host of brands are innovating with oat milk powders in multiple flavours to cut packaging waste and offer personalisation – here are seven of the best.
Oat milk has quickly become the darling of the plant-based milk space, which is by far the biggest money maker in the global vegan food market.
Ever since Oatly took over coffee shops in the 2010s, oat milk has been on a stellar rise. Now, virtually every plant-based milk company has an oat product, since the ingredient has taken over as the bestselling base for alt-dairy in certain markets, and is aiming for almond milk’s throne in the US.
At nearly $3B, milk alone makes up over a third (36%) of the US plant-based market. Within this, almond milk accounts for 56% of the alt-milk market, but its dollar share has fallen by 61% since 2021. Much of this has been captured by oat milk, which accounted for 24% of the segment’s sales last year.
Estimates suggest that oat milk will be a $5.6B market in 2033, with the number of brands and options proliferating all across the world. This has also necessitated diversity in offerings – consumers want cleaner-label, cheaper and versatile products, and brands are coming up with new ways to deliver these attributes.
Liquid oat milk is great, but most of this comes in Tetra Paks and requires a lot of packaging, which in turn amps up the financial and environmental cost of transportation. And since most of the world’s waste doesn’t really get recycled, the post-use cycle leaves a lot to be desired.
Enter oat milk powders. Several companies are making blitzed-up, dehydrated versions of oat milk that you can just add water to, reducing the amount of packaging and shelf space needed, while providing greater customisability. You want an oat cream? Add less water. Do you want a thinner milk that resembles skimmed? Add more.
It also solves a key pain point. Oat milk is one of the toughest plant-based milks to make at home, since the slimy texture puts many consumers off. While there are ways to remove the slime and make a milk that has the desired mouthfeel and flavour, it takes a lot more time and effort, and specialty ingredients that aren’t exactly pantry staples.
While it’s a nascent market and more research is needed to determine the true value of these products, you only have to look at the success of brands that have made oat milk powders their primary offerings, and the fact that traditional oat milk makers have also begun innovating with powdered versions, to know that the demand is there.
Here are seven of the best companies making oat milk powders.
Overherd
Headquarters: London, UK Founders/parent company: Sandy Eyre Total funding: Undisclosed
Courtesy: Overherd
Launched in 2023, Overherd is among the youngest companies in the space, and makes only one thing: powdered oat milk. The product is made up of 68% gluten-free oats, coconut MCT powder, and chicory root fibre, and fortified with calcium carbonate and vitamin B12. It can be shaken, stirred or blended, used as a barista milk, and has fewer calories, fat and sugar than market leaders like Oatly and Alpro. Plus, Overherd uses 90% less packaging and is 10 times lighter.
Mighty
Headquarters: Leeds, UK Founders/parent company: Tom and Nick Watkins Total funding: £8M
Courtesy: Mighty
Mighty originally began as a pea milk company, before expanding into oat and other milks. In early 2023, it brought out a powdered oat milk made up of 90% oats, coconut oil powder, and salt. The company says each pouch makes up to four litres of oat milk, and lasts two years on the shelf. It can be stirred straight into hot tea and coffee, used in baking as you would conventional milk powder, and blended to make liquid oat milk.
JOI
Headquarters: Miami, US Founders/parent company: Dave Korstad, Isabelle Shu and Tony Jimenez Total funding: $2M
Courtesy: JOI
One of the original new-format alt-milk brands, JOI is well-known for its nut milk pastes. But it recently unveiled an oat milk powder (to great reviews), and true to its name, this contains Just One Ingredient: oats. The JOI powder can be stirred straight into tea and coffee, or blended to make milk (a teaspoon per cup of water is the recommended amount). Each pack can make 8 quarts (7.5 litres) of milk, which lasts up to seven days in the fridge. For the baristas, it has launched a powdered oat milk creamer too.
Nimbus
Headquarters: Sydney, Australia Founders/parent company: Alexandra Mills Total funding: Undisclosed
Courtesy: Nimbus
Another 2023-launched company, Nimbus makes two oat milk powders in original and mocha flavours. The plain version contains 93% oats, and is complemented with avocado oil powder, salt, xantham gum and calcium carbonate. The mocha version additionally contains coffee and cocoa powders, and coconut sugar. Once blended, it can be used as a barista milk for frothy drinks, and each pouch makes five litres of milk. The recycled packaging weighs ten times less than cartons too.
Blue Farm
Courtesy: Blue Farm
Headquarters: Berlin, Germany Founders/parent company: Philip von Have and Katia Pott Total funding: €3M
Blue Farm is a company all about oat milk powders, and has an extensive range to show for it. The core lineup comprises a Pure Oat Base, which contains 100% fermented oats, a calcium-fortified version with red algae, a barista edition with oat beta-glucan and sodium carbonate, as well as cocoa and vanilla flavours. These can be used in a variety of applications – all you need to do is mix two spoons of powder with 200ml of water. Additionally, Blue Farm has various functional lattes like pumpkin, matcha, turmeric, Supreme Greens, and Chagaccino, among others.
EcoMil
Headquarters: Murcia, Spain Founders/parent company: Nutriops Total funding: Undisclosed
Courtesy: EcoMil
The oldest brand on this list, EcoMil pioneered this alt-milk format with its almond milk powder in 1991. Now, it’s one of Europe’s leading manufacturers of plant-based milks. Its powdered oat milk contains 56% oats, corn maltodextrin, dehydrated sunflower oil, and vanilla. It comes in 400g tins that can make five litres of milk, and can be used in hot drinks as well as cooking applications.
Oatbedient
Headquarters: Singapore Founders/parent company: Elaine and Darren Teo Total funding: Undisclosed
Courtesy: Oatbedient
Founded in 2022, Singapore-based Oatbedient began as an oat milk powder company, but has since diversified into liquid milks too. But it’s an outlier in that these ready-to-mix milks are meant to be drunk on their own, since they’re really an alternative to malted milk powders. Its core range includes a plain version (with oat milk powder, maltodextrin and sugar), a Lite unsweetened version, one with chia seeds, and a chocolate flavour. It has since also introduced latte, mocha and matcha versions. Each pack contains 12 sachets, which need to be mixed with 180ml of hot water.
New York City’s Health + Hospitals scheme for plant-based meals has received overwhelming support from patients and led to reduced food costs and emissions.
Half of all patients in New York City’s public hospitals chose to eat vegan meals since Mayor Eric Adams’s ‘plant-based by default’ scheme was launched in 2022, and almost all of them were satisfied with the food.
Based on research proving the efficacy of plant-based diets and treating, preventing, and even reversing chronic diseases, the programme has served over 1.2 million vegan meals, from black bean burgers and orange cauliflower to sloppy does and Sicilian pizzas with non-dairy mozzarella.
Carried out in partnership with catering giant Sodexo, the scheme has received overwhelming support, with 90% of patients satisfied with their choice of eating plant-based, and just 5% requesting an alternative meal, according to a study published in the American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine.
“We put patient health first by putting plant-based meals first,” says co-author Samantha Morgenstern, a dietitian with Sodexo who worked on the scheme’s implementation. “We proved that when given the choice, patients opt for and prefer nutritious and delicious plant-based meals.”
How New York City’s hospitals promote plant-based meals
Courtesy: NYC Health + Hospitals
NYC Health + Hospitals began the development of the plant-based default programme for lunches in 2021, with the aim of making vegan food the preexisting option at all its 11 hospitals. Patients and their families are provided with nutrition information aimed at encouraging them to make healthier dietary choices both in the hospital and after discharge.
The programme now includes meals at dinners as well. And in addition to the 11 hospitals, vegan entrées have been rolled out in all five post-acute care facilities.
Building on the research the programme is based on, hospital staff are educated about the health benefits of vegan diets and nutrition, while all stakeholders – like administrators, nursing staff and patients – are kept engaged to ensure a common understanding of the scheme’s goals.
Meanwhile, the culinary team was trained in “fundamental techniques” of plant-based cooking and recipe design. Today, the menu comprises over 20 plant-based dishes from a variety of cuisines, and those have evolved over time.
For example, the Garden Bolognese was first made with soy crumbles, but the team has since replaced it with mushrooms as the high-protein ingredient to “reduce reliance on processed foods”.
Regardless of a patient’s therapeutic diet order, plant-based items are available and adjusted as needed. Foodservice associates visit the patient rooms and announce the featured meals every day, placing the meal orders on an iPad.
The first meal offered is the chef’s recommendation, and is always plant-based. If this isn’t accepted, patients are presented with an alternative vegan option. If that is also rejected, many other dishes are available to patients. “While the goal is to offer the most healthful meal first, patients are not restricted in their options,” the study notes.
Plant-based saves costs, both for the wallet and the planet
Courtesy: NYC Health + Hospitals
Last year alone, New York City’s public hospitals served over 780,000 vegan meals to patients. To nudge them towards choosing plant-based, NYC Health + Hospitals is employing several on-site promotion activities.
At admission, patients receive branded educational material with information about the meals, which contains a QR code for recipes and an FAQ section. On all hospital computers and TVs, screensavers include an appealing image of vegan food with text highlighting its health benefits.
Moreover, tray carts pushed through hospital halls are wrapped in imagery that promotes plant-based meals, and foodservice staffers wear pins that read: “Ask me about plant-based menus.” When being discharged, patients also receive a vegan recipe book collected from hospital staff submissions.
A resolution signed by 1,400 US mayors last year promoted a shift to plant-based diets across the country, taking inspiration from Adams’ hospital campaign (the New York City mayor himself follows a plant-forward diet). “Patients have experienced significant improvement in their cardiometabolic health, including weight loss, improved blood sugar, and reduction of other risk factors,” the document said of the city’s plant-based by default programme.
Apart from health, gains were also made in terms of finances and sustainability. The scheme led to a 36% reduction in carbon emissions from all meals served, with plant-based entrées nearly 60 cents cheaper on average. For instance, meat-based chili costs roughly $1.38 per serving, while a vegan version is priced at around 47 cents.
These cost savings come from the fact that the programme focuses on whole foods over meat analogues, which are 38% more expensive in the foodservice channel. Overall, the programme reduced food costs by $318,000 in 2023, and these savings are expected to improve.
“The proven success of New York City Health + Hospitals’ plant-based meals programs should inspire hospitals across the country to implement similar programs,” said co-author Anna Herby. “Hospitals that offer patients plant-based meals provide a teachable moment on how to prevent or reverse obesity, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and other diet-related conditions that are so often the cause of hospitalisation.”
NYC Health + Hospitals is now also considering expanding the programme to patients not included in the initial rollout (like behavioural health patients). This would help cut emissions even further – food makes up a fifth of the city’s, which is why the local government is working to reduce emissions by a third by 2030.
(@newveganfooduk)
