UK startup Shicken has raised £4M in funds from Matthew Glover’s Veg Capital, which has tripled its investment in the plant-based meat brand. The financing will go into a manufacturing facility to scale up production of its Asian-inspired meat analogues.
A family-owned brand rooted in the founders’ Indian heritage, Shicken has secured an additional £4M in investment from Veg Capital, taking its total injection into the ready meal company to £6M.
The startup will use the capital as further capital expenditure into its manufacturing facility to increase the production capacity of vegan tikka and curry SKUs. Having recently received accreditation from the British Retail Consortium, the scale-up will make the Kent-based site one of the UK’s only dedicated plant-based, nut-free factories, and enable Shicken to produce a range of both branded and private-label products for retail and foodservice.
The investment will also fuel the expansion of its distribution both domestically and overseas, following Shicken’s launch into 380 Sprouts Farmers Market stores in the US in January, alongside a Teriyaki Kebab Skewer SKU – its first non-Indian product – at Costco in the UK, Iceland, Sweden and France. And in January 2023, the company gained a listing at Tesco, the UK’s largest supermarket, rolling out into 471 stores nationwide. This year, it expects to achieve five times its current growth.
Traditional family recipes for modern Indian food
Courtesy: Shicken
Shicken was founded as a D2C business during the Covid-19 lockdown in 2020 by husband-and-wife duo Parm and Satvinder Bains, who were already experienced campaigners in the food industry. Going back to 2003, the pair launched a vegan chicken breast under a brand called Love Foods, which was bought out by the Co-op and saw its listing cease.
However, the Bains retained the IP for the recipe as they went on other ventures. Parm worked with multinational food manufacturers to develop and launch private-label products for multiple UK retailers, while Satvinder initiated a Punjabi catering business. When they eventually started Shicken out of their family kitchen, the company was discovered by Glover, whose firm made an investment based on the product’s quality and proposition.
“It has been a phenomenal journey for Shicken so far and we’re incredibly excited to see business scale on an international level, both as a brand and as one of the UK’s few dedicated BRC-accredited specialist primary plant-based manufacturers,” said Parm.
“Veg Capital has been the perfect partner, aligning with our commitment to a more ethical and sustainable food system and backing our potential to become a global brand and major plant-based producer within the next five years,” he added.
Shicken’s plant-based chicken is made from a blend of soy, wheat and pea proteins using tech that the brand claims imparts “a succulent chargrilled chicken-like texture”. This is then used in products ranging from tikka kebab skewers and Madras curry to butter chicken and rogan josh, which are based on recipes passed down by Satvinder’s grandmother.
Navigating a tough market by meeting consumer demands
Courtesy: Shicken
“The Shicken range is simply delicious, and their curries and kebabs are flying off the shelves – it was a no-brainer for Veg Capital to reinvest,” said Veg Capital founder and director Matthew Glover. “We’re excited to play our part in helping this family business go global over the coming years.”
In fact, meat-free products were among the worst-performing grocery categories in the UK in 2023, with sales declining by £38.4M, and volumes down by 4.2%. However, one of the brands that did do well was VFC, whose sales exploded by nearly 200% year-on-year. “Whilst it’s a tough trading environment, I do feel like we’re soon to be over the worst of it,” Glover told Green Queen in February. “The signs are that the declines are reducing, and I think we’ll be cheering the news that the categories will be back in growth during this year.”
In a wide-ranging interview with Green Queen, he explained that winning back consumer trust and shifting dietary dynamics are important yet complex tasks that take time. “As we move forward, understanding and addressing these multifaceted consumer needs and concerns will be crucial for the growth and acceptance of vegan food in the broader market,” he said.
In October, a 1,000-person survey revealed that 66% of UK consumers are unhappy with the flavour of vegan meat analogues, and 62% find them too expensive. For 51%, taste and texture are the main reasons for reducing their consumption of these products. Price and health are crucial considerations, as are environmental and ethical factors. “Convenience, too, cannot be overlooked, with the demand for easy, quick-preparation vegan options rising,” said Glover.
That will be encouraging to Shicken, whose entire ethos lies in “restaurant-quality” ready meals that are cheaper than even Tesco’s own-label premium range of Indian dishes. Can Shicken help realise Glover’s prophecy for the plant-based sector this year?
New York-based plant protein brand Aloha has launched the Pa’akai Bar, the second product born out of its collaboration with Californian company Terviva, which uses its pongamia bean oil called Ponova.
A year after releasing the Kona Bar, Aloha is rolling out its second protein bar using Ponova, the pongamia bean oil developed by Terviva. The Pa’akai Bar is a special-edition product that makes use of locally sourced, sustainable ingredients, with a portion of the benefits going to empowering Hawaiian youth.
The new bar is a namesake of a term that carries cultural significance in Hawai’i. In Hawaiian, pa’akai refers to ‘solid ocean’ or ‘sea salt’, and is used as a connotation for preserving and flavouring food, as well as associated with perceived health benefits.
“Our partnership with Aloha is critical to introducing more people to our sustainable, delicious and versatile Ponova oil. We have been humbled by the response to the Kona Bar since its launch in 2023, and we are excited to see how customers respond to the rich flavour of the Pa’akai Bar made with Ponova oil,” said Terviva founder and CEO Naveen Sikka.
The launch comes just as SemCap Food and Nutrition secured a “significant” minority stake in Aloha, after buying out early-stage angel investors with a $68M investment.
Courtesy: Aloha
Pa’akai Bar extends Aloha’s climate and social cred
Aloha’s Pa’akai Bar is inspired by the North Pacific Ocean, and like its predecessor, it comprises responsibly grown ingredients. These include sea salt crystallised from the channel islands of Hawai’i, Hawaiian macadamia nuts grown using renewable energy, organic dark chocolate, an organic blend of brown rice and pumpkin seed protein, sunflower and cashew butter, and Ponova oil.
Another thing it shares with the Kona Bar is the scheme to donate 10% of proceeds from every bar sold to the environmental education non-profit Kupu, which empowers Hawaiian youth through service, education and workforce development in natural resources, climate change mitigation, and agriculture.
This plays into the sustainability strides made by Aloha. It’s certified B Corp and last year was accredited as a Carbon Neutral Certified business, the first plant protein brand to earn that badge. The company has had a tangible social impact too, having helped contribute and donate more than 173,000 meals in 2021 and 2022.
“Here at Aloha, our mission is clear: to nourish the world by sharing delicious and nutritious food made with traceable, high-quality, better-for-you ingredients,” said Aloha CEO Brad Charron. “Hawai’i is a beacon of inspiration for land stewardship and sustainable farming, initiatives that we hold dear. As a small, employee-owned company, we’re dedicated to making a difference by balancing our own scaling growth with equal parts of impact.”
Then there are the health benefits. The Pa’akai Bar, which happens to be gluten-free, is packed with 14g of protein and 10g of fibre per 56g pack. It also contains 12g of fat, 7g of which are unsaturated ‘good’ fats. It’s available on Aloha’s e-commerce website at $21.99 for a six-pack, and will be introduced to additional online retailers, including Thrive Market, in the coming months.
“Our mission is at the center of everything we do, and that includes a competitive price point,” a Terviva spokesperson told Green Queen. “As we scale up production of our sustainable Ponova oil, we expect costs to decrease while still maintaining our core principles of environmental stewardship, social responsibility, and transparent sourcing. Our goal is to offer a premium, impact-driven, and delicious oil at an accessible price point.”
“The Pa’akai Bar exemplifies our commitment to using our business as a force for good, alongside other sustainability-minded brands, farmers, and organisations,” added Charron.
Courtesy: Aloha
The environmental and health credentials of Ponova oil
The environmental credentials of the Pa’akai Bar are headlined by the use of Terviva’s Ponova oil, which is derived from pongamia bean trees. These are fast-growing evergreen trees that are native to sub-tropical regions, and have historically been used for reforestation in Asia. They can restore soil quality, sequester carbon, reduce water and fertiliser use, and withstand climate extremes.
Terviva’s Ponova oil comes from the ultra-regenerative pongamia trees in Oahu, with a supply chain based in the sub-tropical regions of the US and India. They help convert distressed farmland into sustainable, productive acreage, making for a valuable income stream for local farmers and communities.
The Ponova oil is expeller pressed and lightly refined in a process similar to olive oil, with a “golden, amber colour” and “light, nutty and green aroma and flavour” akin to very light olive oil, without any astringency, according to the Terviva representative. “Its texture is notably richer than most other vegetable oils,” they added.
It has 55% of healthy omega-9 fatty acids (which is said to help reduce cholesterol levels) and 18% of polyunsaturated fats. Functionally, it can replace ingredients high in saturated fats, like coconut oil, in prepared foods like alternative dairy products, mayonnaise, spreads, baked goods and plant-based meats. “In plant-based cream cheese, Ponova oil can replace up to 75% of the coconut oil typically used in this application, resulting in a 50% saturated fat reduction per serving,” the spokesperson said.
Moroever, Ponova oil has a high smoke point of 225°C/437oF, making it a good frying oil. This will appeal to restaurants and manufacturers ditching conventional vegetable oils that contain saturated and trans fats, and have a high carbon footprint, and looking to replace them without compromising functionality. This is why it was recognised as a World Changing Idea by Fast Company in 2023 for its potential to positively reshape the food industry as an ingredient and cooking oil.
“We don’t currently have any culinary oil products planned as we are engaging in some co-marketing opportunities with small volumes for regional and small-scale campaigns in 2025,” the representative revealed. “In the latter half of 2026, we will be adding substantial volume and are seeking early adopting partners to work with us now in preparation for scale.”
Other companies producing sustainable and good-for-you fats include Zero Acre Farms, whose sugarcane-based fermented oil has made it into the kitchens of some Shake Shack and Hopdoddy locations, and Algae Cooking Club, which has impressed chefs like Eleven Madison Park’s Daniel Humm with its microalgae-derived oil.
Diners on their way into Raising Cane’s on Beach Boulevard in Biloxi are in for an earful tomorrow, when “Hell on Wheels”—PETA’s life-size, hyper-realistic chicken transport truck covered with images of real chickens crammed into crates on their way to slaughter—will bombard them with actual recorded sounds of the birds’ cries along with a subliminal message every 10 seconds suggesting that people go vegan. The vexatious vehicle will debut outside the Biloxi eatery before moving on to confront diners at Shaggy’s Gulfport Beach in Gulfport on Saturday, delivering the horrors of the slaughterhouse straight to any patron thinking of chowing down on fried chicken during lunch.
Where: Outside Raising Cane’s, 2590 Beach Blvd., Biloxi Outside Shaggy’s Gulfport Beach, 1724 E. Beach Blvd., Gulfport
When: Thursday, March 28, 12 noon Saturday, March 30, 12 noon
“Behind every hot wing or bucket of fried chicken is a once-living, sensitive individual who was crammed onto a truck for a terrifying, miserable journey to their death,” says PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman. “PETA’s ‘Hell on Wheels’ truck is an appeal to anyone who eats chicken to remember that the meat industry is cruel to birds and the only kind meal is a vegan one.”
PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to eat”—points out that Every Animal Is Someone and offers free Empathy Kits for people who need a lesson in kindness.
German retail giant the Rewe Group is set to open its first 100% vegan supermarket in Germany, after introducing fully plant-based stores under its Billa supermarket chain in neighbouring Austria in 2022.
Rewe is on the verge of opening its first fully vegan supermarket in Germany this spring, located at the site of the former flagship store of Veganz in the Berlin-Friedrichshain area, according to a report by Supermarktblog.
While the company declined to confirm any plans for a new vegan store, and no trademark registration has been made for the same, the publication claims the name of the store is already attached to the facade. It has been covered during the construction work, but was temporarily visible.
The new concept will reportedly be called Rewe Fully Plant-Based, which ties in with the tagline ‘fully plant-based, totally good’ (this is also displayed in the entrance area that has now been covered up again).
Taking over from a fellow vegan supermarket
Courtesy: Wikimedia Commons/CC
The new Rewe plant-based store takes over from the flagship store of Veganz, which was the first fully vegan supermarket chain in Europe. The company closed this location in December, and has now turned its attention solely to product manufacturing. When announcing the decision to shutter the store, Veganz had indicated that it “successfully sold the last branch location on Warschauer Strasse in Berlin to a subsequent operator”, which has now emerged to be Rewe.
Supermarktblog claims that the establishment of a fully plant-based concept brings with it twofold benefits of familiarity and diversification. For years, people looking for vegan products in this area ended up at Veganz, but that habit will now transfer over to the new Rewe store. Additionally, this will help Rewe propel its new brand towards the mainstream, adding to its growing list of plant-based offerings.
The report also forecasts that if the Rewe Fully Plant-Based concept ends up being successful, the retailer could subsequently launch a corresponding initiative in Rewe Center stores nationwide. This would be in line with the approach it has taken with the vegan Pflanzilla brand under its Austrian subsidiary Billa. Rewe opened the first Billa Pflanzilla store in Vienna in 2022, followed by a pop-up location in Graz last November (which ended its run last month). In addition to this, it has integrated Pflanzilla World as a mini-section in 21 of its Billa Plus stores.
With over 1,400 products on offer, Billa Pflanzilla targets consumers under 30 with its branding and design, but Rewe Fully Plant-Based marks a departure from the puns (Pflanzilla refers to ‘plantilla’) after gaining in sight from the Austrian market and wider discussions about the negative connotations of the word ‘vegan’, instead placing emphasis on plant-based nutrition. Visually, too, the new Rewe store mirrors the monochrome font opted by the preceding Veganz store, but freshly painted bright green tones could dominate points of sale.
Rewe appeals to Germany’s growing plant-based footprint
Courtesy: Rewe Group
The move is the latest in Rewe’s expanding vegan footprint. It launched a plant-based meat counter in a Kaarst store after seeing a 45% hike in vegan sales in 2022, and rolled out vegan meat analogues at service counters in select stores. The company additionally has vegan private-label brands in Rewe Beste Wahl Vegan and Rewe Bio+Vegan, which are likely to lay the foundations for its Rewe Fully Plant-Based. One consumer poll showed that 58% of Rewe customers have bought vegan products previously, and 27% replace animal-derived foods with plant-based alternatives several times a week.
It mirrors Germans’ growing interest in veganism. The country represents Europe’s largest plant-based market, and is home to the most number of flexitarians in the continent, with estimates suggesting 40-55% of its population identifies as such. And a large EU-backed survey last year found that 59% of Germans ate less meat in 2022 than the year before – the joint-highest in the EU.
The government has also expressed support for alternative proteins, earmarking €38M in its 2024 its federal budget to promote the manufacturing and processing of plant-based, cultivated and fermented proteins, support a transition to plant-based farming, and open a Proteins of the Future centre.
And earlier this month, the German Society for Nutrition updated its dietary guidelines to recommend halving meat consumption, limiting dairy intake, and eating more plant-based foods. It suggested that the latter should make up at least 75% of German diets, but stopped short of a full endorsement of plant-based meat, which it said “often differs greatly from that of animal foods” in terms of nutrition. For milk alternatives, however, the organisation stated these can be used as long as they’re fortified with sufficient amounts of calcium, vitamin B12 and iodine.
Rewe, which has dropped the prices of plant-based products to either match or be cheaper than their animal-derived counterparts in Billa and Penny stores, will hope to appeal to Germany’s growing appetite for veganism with the new plant-based store in Berlin.
Vegan entrepreneur Noah Hyams shares his top 10 future of food finds at Expo West 2024, from mycelium bacon rashers to vegan poached eggs to prebiotic candy bars.
Last week, Anaheim, California again lit up with New Hope’s Natural Products Expo West- THE tradeshow for all things natural, organic, and healthy. This year’s event drew a whopping 50,000 attendees and showcased thousands of future food and sustainable brands, both familiar and novel. While the plant-based sector is facing some headwinds, Expo featured countless awesome vegan products. Below, I share my top ten picks from my tasting and discovery tour.
Lion’s Mane Mushroom Steak by OmniFoods
Photo by Noah Hyams
OmniFoods, hailing from Hong Kong, has built a reputation for its innovative plant-based pork offerings, including its renowned ground pork mince. Now, breaking new ground, they present their latest creation: the first-ever vegan steak crafted from Lion’s Mane mushrooms, now available in the US market. The flavor, texture, and smell were unreal. Be sure to try it when you get a chance!
Poached Egg by Yo Egg
Photo by Noah Hyams
Israeli startup Yo Egg creates chicken-free plant-based sunny-side-up and poached eggs. The eggs are made from a blend of soy and chickpea protein and sunflower oil. The yolks are designed to replicate the runny texture of traditional eggs- they are encased within the whites using a film made from alginate. I got to try the just-released poached eggs and I loved it. Ideal for brunch’s classic dish: Eggs Benedict.
Dumplings by Sobo Foods
Photo by Noah Hyams
Californian Sobo Foods makes frozen traditional Asian dumplings with a plant-based twist. At the Expo, Sobo was showing off three meat- and dairy-free varieties: “Pork” & Chive with a Chinese kick, Curry & Potato with a Japanese flair, and Kimchi & Mushroom with a Korean twist. I wasn’t the only fan: co-founder Eric Wu won ‘Best Pitch’ at VEGPRENEUR’s Pitch For The Planet competition, which took place during Expo.
Stuffed Chicken by TiNDLE Foods
Photo by Noah Hyams
Singapore-based TiNDLE Foods, a leading plant-based chicken startup, unveiled its newest offering: its TiNDLE Stuffed Chicken. Featuring initial options like Chicken Parmigiana, this product boasts a crispy breadcrumb coating on the outer layer, while the interior allows for customization with a variety of seasonings and sauces. The company is dedicated to crafting inventive plant-based foods that excel in taste, quality, and convenience, the company remains steadfast in its commitment. This plant-based stuffed chicken is scheduled to be available for order in Spring 2024! PS- we loved TiNDLE’s new oat-based barista milk too!
Cheese by Umyum
Photo by Noah Hyams
UmYum Foods, a Canadian plant-based food tech company, showcased its cashew-based dairy alternatives including its popular ‘Camembert’ at Expo West, marking its first appearance in the US since the company’s inception in early 2021. The brand specializes in artisan, fermented vegan cheeses crafted using traditional cheesemaking techniques. In addition to its cheese lineup, UmYum offers a variety of complementary cashew-based products including milk chocolate, butter, and puff pastry.
Nutty Candy Bar by Harken
Photo by Noah Hyams
Harken Sweets, an emerging ‘better-for-you’ candy brand, has unveiled its latest innovation: plant-based renditions of classic candy bars enriched with the nutritional goodness of dates. The Fair Trade-certified treats boast a remarkable 75% reduction in sugar content, 13 grams of prebiotic fiber, and less than 150 calories. The gluten-free and soy-free bars are slated for release in the US market as early as February. Highly recommend!
Coconut Bacon by Madly Hadley
Photo by Noah Hyams
Based out of San Diego, Chef Madly Hadley is dedicated to building a plant-based future, which led her to create a vegan bacon alternative made from nutrient-rich coconut flesh. The company is committed to sourcing only the finest ingredients for its products, which are certified organic, non-GMO, gluten-free, and soy-free. The coconut rashers are now available nationwide in the United States at Sprouts Farmers Market stores- a must-try for bacon lovers!
Better Cheddar by Eat UNrestricted
Photo by Noah Hyams
Headquartered in Atlanta, Eat UNrestricted makes clean-label vegan sauces that cater to a wide range of dietary restrictions. Founder Dianna King was raised in a traditional Southern household with a dairy allergy so she is well-versed in the challenges faced by families accommodating dietary restrictions. This led her to launch 100% plant-based Creamy Cheddar Cheese sauce and now everyone can enjoy delicious meals without compromise.
MyBacon by MyForest Foods
Photo by Noah Hyams
New York-based MyForest Foods recently unveiled its innovative mycelium-based MyBacon, which I got to taste at Expo and I can confirm that it’s awesome. The company just launched the rashers nationwide at Whole Foods, allowing them to tap a much wider audience, and they are sure to sizzle, given what I tasted!
Ice Cream Bonbons by Eclipse Foods
Photo by Noah Hyams
Based in Alameda, California, Eclipse Foods is an established name in the plant-based dairy world. The company makes ice cream and other dairy alternatives from a blend of non-GMO plants such as cassava, corn, and potato. I got to try their newest creation, Chef-created Eclipse Bonbons, dairy-free ice cream bites enrobed in a decadent chocolate coating and they did not disappoint. Indulgent and addictive!
Described as the “Fortune 500 of agrifood tech”, food tech consultancy Forward Fooding has released its 2023 FoodTech 500 list, with the highest number of companies belonging to the plant-based sector. Other alternative protein startups also had strong representation on the list.
US mycelium fermentation startup Nature’s Fynd has topped Forward Fooding’s FoodTech 500 list for 2023, with four other future food companies joining it in the top 10. These include fellow US mycelium protein company Meati, Spanish plant-based meat maker Heura, US molecular farming pioneer Nobell Foods, and German fermentation tech startup Planet A Foods.
The annual list – which began in 2019 – recognises entrepreneurs addressing challenges throughout the food value chain, highlighting the most innovative businesses at the convergence of food, technology and sustainability. This year, over 1,500 companies submitted applications to be featured on the list, representing 34 domains, including plant-based, ag biotech, protein fermentation, cellular agriculture, and vertical and indoor farming.
Of the 500 companies selected, nearly a third (32.3%) were female-founded, and just over a sixth (17.8%) had Black, Asian or minority ethnic founders. Meanwhile, 95.4% of the finalists had received investment, with two unicorn companies (having raised over $1B without going public) and four publicly traded businesses.
Despite a challenging landscape in terms of both sales and optics, the plant-based industry was the most well-represented domain, with 63 companies (12.6%) appearing on the FoodTech 500 list for 2023. This was followed by farm management and precision farming (55 companies) and vertical and indoor farming (46 companies)
Future food startups innovating with fermentation had a strong presence too, with 33 such businesses on the list, which also had 23 cellular agriculture companies (even without any of their products actually being on the market, which displays their potential).
Courtesy: Forward Fooding
Alt-protein, agtech and next-gen food companies headline FoodTech 500
The ranking combines scores from three key areas – business size, digital footprint, and sustainability. The sustainability scoring framework was based on selected Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) from the UN, with SDG 2 (Zero Hunger), SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production), and SDG 13 (Climate Action) being the most addressed.
The business size score predicts growth based on financial indicators like the number of employees, funding stage, total funds raised and number of offices, while the digital footprint ranking forecasts digital presence growth based on website traffic, social media performance and follower growth.
The companies are divided into eight macro activities: Agtech, Next-Generation Food and Drinks, Food Processing, Food Delivery, Kitchen and Restaurant Tech, Consumer Apps and Services, Food Safety and Traceability, Surplus and Waste Management. Agtech dominates the rankings, with over a third (34.6%) of companies on the FoodTech 500 list involved in this space. This is followed closely by Next-Gen Food and Drinks, making up 28.6% of the rankings.
It’s the latter category that houses the five alternative protein companies mentioned above, with Nature’s Fynd – a Bill Gates-backed startup that makes breakfast patties, cream cheeses and yoghurts using its Fy protein – leading the overall list and Heura the highest-ranking plant-based startup (at 7th). The only other alternative protein company to surpass Heura is Meati (6th), which uses mycelium to make whole-cut chicken and beef analogues.
Other companies in the future food sector that make up the top 50 include InnovoPro, Algama Foods, The Seaweed Company, BlueNalu, Koa, Arbiom, Biomilq and Voyage Foods.
“Embracing alternative protein technologies (plant-based, cell-cultured, molecularly farmed, and fermentation-derived) is crucial for food security. These can complement culinary tradition while introducing exciting new options for consumers,” said Christian Pichler, managing director of Gerber VC. “But caution is warranted against misinformation spread by traditional lobby groups with vested interests and significant PR resources.”
Forward Fooding is embarking on a global tour to celebrate the release of the list, starting with London (today), and going on to San Francisco (March 21-22), Stockholm (April 9), Berlin (May), Barcelona (June), and Dubai (September).
We spoke to Max Leveau, co-founder and chief operating officer of Forward Fooding, about the 2023 FoodTech 500 list, the plant-based dominance, the biggest surprises, and the importance of female leadership.
This interview has been edited for clarity and concision.
Green Queen: Despite the sales declines and often negative narrative around veganism, why do you think plant-based was the biggest category?
Max Leveau: This year’s FT500 accounts for 63 Plant-based companies, which represents 13% of total companies and the most represented domain within our taxonomy. Our proprietary data tells us that despite the global VC turmoil, there are over 970 plant-based companies currently operating in the global marketplace. Although 47 shut down over the last couple of years, we still see there is strong demand and new companies keep emerging.
Yet, for the first time, in 2021, more capital was cumulatively invested in fermentation and cellular agriculture than plant-based companies. This marked the beginning of a major shift in the alternative proteins sector.
Courtesy: Forward Fooding
GQ: Which plant-based, fermentation, and cell ag companies stood out to you the most, and why?
ML: Over the past couple of years, we have witnessed two major ‘forces’ driving the alternative protein sector: increased consolidations and pressing scepticism, mostly driven by media, around companies’ ability to scale up production and overcome regulation hurdles (for example, cultivated meat) and, most of all, to create great-tasting products that will determine consumers’ mass adoption in the long haul. Even though investments in alternative proteins have dropped by 62% since 2021, the sector has reached a tipping point. Despite the negative investment trend, we believe that the current ‘crisis’ will help this industry in the long term.
These factors are forcing entrepreneurs and investors to focus on turning existing companies with strong fundamentals into profitable businesses while forcing smaller and less resilient companies to get consolidated or phased out. For example, we expect to see more ‘hybridisation‘ in product development. This involves creatively combining protein sources and processes (such as plant-based proteins with fermented or cultivated fats). By blending ingredients and technologies, companies can address key product experience elements. These include taste, texture, and nutritional value, but also scalability – think mycelium for umami flavouring of plant-based meat products, serum-free growth medium for cultivated meat, companies focusing on cell cultures, etc. Companies such as Mycorena, The Seaweed Company or Multus Bio come to mind.
Finally, despite reluctance from certain countries (like Italy and France), we do expect cellular agriculture to become regulated by more countries in the next couple of years. Recent approvals from the FDA – and investments from various governments (such as the UK, Canada and the Netherlands) to support the research and growth of the sector, alongside precision fermentation – are paving the way towards more regulatory approvals in the near term.
GQ: Most of the companies on the list have only been founded in the last five to six years. What does it say about the industry?
ML: It tells us three things. As with any tech sector, when a new technology solution is on the path to becoming mature, more ventures get created because the barriers to entry are relatively low.
More entrepreneurs are building ‘enabling solutions’, such as ‘software for vertical farms’ or growth media for cultivated meat/fish for existing industries (like vertical farming or cellular agriculture).
This is also a reflection of how the global agrifood tech investment landscape has evolved in the past two years:
Global Venture Capital is going through difficult times, with AgriFoodTech being no exception to the rule. Since its peak year in 2021, investments in the sector have dropped by 74% to reach $17.1.B in 2023. Many companies have had to shut down operations in the past year. Yet, making a comparison between 2021 and 2023 makes us understand how the investment landscape has been shifting, and we believe there is room for optimism.
Courtesy: Forward Fooding
First of all, not only has the number of deals (-44% from 2021 to 2023) not dropped as much as the capital invested (-74%), but the median deal has actually increased since 2021. Mega-deals have vanished (the average deal size fell from $31.5M to $14.1M), and generalist investors are leaving the space, while specialist and impact-focused ones tend to go ‘beyond the hype’ to invest in a broader range of solutions across the supply chain (such as technologies to fight food waste). This translates into a new distribution of investments, previously dominated by food delivery and alternative proteins (part of our Next-Gen vertical), as well as a growing proportion of early-stage investments towards less mature or ‘hyped’, but nonetheless impactful solutions.
New regional dynamics are also emerging. From 23% in 2021, 36% of total investments in the sector went to European companies in 2023. Europe is becoming a true hotbed for agrifood tech innovation, while Asia-Pacific has seen a drop from 11% to 1% (mostly due to a decline in China). And finally, North America continues to lead the sector, gathering 48% of global investments in 2023.
Overall, it is safe to say that capital is no longer a ‘commodity’. Entrepreneurs have to focus on building ‘healthier’ businesses with a clear path to profitability, and ideally ‘asset-light’ models. They also seem to be able to rely more and more on public funding to support their growth, as shown by the sharp increase in the number of grants allocated to agrifood tech startups (up from 6% to 23%).
More patience and smart capital will be needed to solve the challenges of our food system. Looking at the latest investment figures, this seems to be going in the right direction at the moment.
GQ: Which domain were you most surprised by?
ML: Beyond alternative proteins, there are a few domains that are standing out.
First of all, we are quite amazed to see how ag biotech is currently growing. From 17 companies in 2022, it has almost doubled this year with 36 companies within the finalists, as the topics of soil health and microbiome, and seed genetics-focused technologies like molecular farming are gaining more traction. 2023 finalist companies include the likes of Tropic, Soilsteam and Mozza Foods.
Looking at global investments, the surplus and waste management activity went from representing 3% of global investments in 2021 to 13% in 2023. This is well represented in the FoodTech 500 with food waste tech and food sharing platforms (26 companies), and upcycled ingredients, food surplus and waste efficiency (25 companies), with players such as Winnow, Spoiler Alert, Fazla and Peelpioneers.
Finally, it’s quite impressive to see how resilient the farm management and precision farming domain has been year after year, with the growing impact of remote sensing and AI, and led by companies like CropX, Agrivi and Cropin.
GQ: Do you think there’s still some ways to go in terms of female leadership in food tech?
ML: Yes, definitely. However, we think the agrifood tech space is intrinsically more diverse than other tech industries. As a matter of fact, over the years, we’ve been reporting that the food tech space is rather diverse, and when using FoodTech 500 as a proxy of the overall space, we have witnessed an increase year-on-year of female-founded businesses among FoodTech 500 alumni. On average, we went from X in 2020 to 30%+ in 2023.
GQ: Where is the food tech sector lacking, and what are its biggest challenges going into the rest of 2024?
ML: With more transparency and self-discipline from founders, combined with more thorough due diligence from investors, we think the agrifood tech industry can capitalise on the growing interest in leveraging technology to improve our food and agriculture system to make it more resilient and sustainable for both people and our planet.
As the market is correcting and science is advancing in the right direction, we believe 2024 could be a vintage year to invest in agrifood tech. Valuations are becoming more ‘sensitive’, and entrepreneurs do have to present a clear and solid path to profitability to be in a position to raise capital.
There’s a need for patient capital too. As AgriFood is one of the most slow-moving/resistant industries to change and technology adoption, we think most investors underestimate the pace at which new solutions can be brought to the mass market. A clear example of this is the plant-based category, which has been around for almost a century now through niche products (mostly vegetarian and vegan options), and only in the last decade has started to really get a growing interest as diets are shifting towards more plant-based. Despite all of this, in the US alone – the most mature market for plant-based meat 2.0 – sales reached only 1% of total meat sales in 2022.
Another example is the vertical farming sector currently going through a ‘disillusion phase’, after a few companies went through bankruptcy, despite having raised hundreds of millions in capital. This was mostly due to a misalignment between investors’ expectations, the readiness of the technology, and the validity of the business model of some companies.
With generalist investors leaving the space, and more and more ‘educated’ agrifood-tech-focused funds emerging, we expect to see a big change in that regard. Additionally, the speed of evolution for novel foods and alternative protein regulation around the world will have a key role to play.
GQ: What is your hope for the companies who have made it onto the list?
ML: That they will keep focusing on building ‘cash-positive businesses’ capable of generating real impact at a food system level. They will be able to adapt their business financing needs, as global markets may remain very difficult in the coming years as far as funding is concerned. And they’ll keep focusing on impact and mission-driven businesses that can prove to be a force of good in making our food system more sustainable and resilient.
Check out Forward Fooding’s full 2023 FoodTech 500 list here.
One of Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies for 2024, Californian food tech startup MeliBio has teamed up with Pow.Bio to scale up production of its bee-free honey made from precision fermentation.
After a year of multiple product launches in the vegan honey space, MeliBio now has an update on its original, much-awaited innovation: precision-fermented honey. The Californian company is tapping into the AI capabilities of Berkeley-based biomanufacturing startup Pow.Bio to help scale up production for its bee-free honey.
MeliBio says it has wrapped up key in-house validation work and produced a proof of concept for its fermentation-derived protein targets, which showcases the commercial viability of its high-value bee proteins and enzymes. The startup is set to kick off scale-up projects with Pow.Bio this month, which is a crucial next step in disrupting the $9.1B global honey market.
“Working with cutting-edge science, particularly that aided by precision fermentation, has always been part of our long-term technological vision at MeliBio,” said MeliBio co-founder and chief technology officer Aaron Schaller. “Our ability to produce target bee proteins and enzymes through our experimental methods has yielded promising results, and we’re ready to take our technology to the next stage.”
Tapping into AI to advance bee-free honey
Courtesy: MeliBio
The partnership will allow MeliBio to tap into Pow.Bio’s expertise in blending traditional fermentation with a continuous approach led by AI. “Pow.Bio is helping MeliBio further understand and optimise our precision fermentation approach as we scale towards manufacturing readiness,” Schaller told Green Queen. “Pow.Bio is unique in that their fermentation platform utilises AI to maximize efficiency, which we plan to explore further in our work together.”
MeliBio says the collaboration isn’t all about scale, but also focuses on “precision, efficiency and embracing both AI-enhanced and time-honoured methods”. “This initiative will help us elevate the functionality of our products to come, and provide more of the benefits of bee-derived honey to current products, while also matching authenticity beyond taste and texture,” explained Schaller.
He confirmed that the company is pursuing regulatory filings to the FDA alongside the scale-up work, which will allow MeliBio to eventually launch its precision fermentation product to the market. “MeliBio strives to be a solution provider across multiple channels, and we will meet our customers where they are,” added co-founder and CEO Darko Mandich.
MeliBio has been working on precision-fermented honey ever since it was launched in 2020, and has raised $9.4M in total funding. It’s currently in the middle of a $10M Series A, which will help propel the company towards profitability. The company launched in the market last year with vegan honey under its CPG brand Mellody, and has raked in over $1M in profit in the first year.
The startup is tackling some big challenges facing the production of bee-derived honey. In Europe, 24% of bumblebee species are facing a threat of extinction, while in the UK, 17 species of bees have become extinct, with a further 25 endangered. Beekeepers have reported colony losses in countries like France, Belgium, Germany, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, Russia, Brazil and the US.
The primary cause behind all this is human activity, including land use change for agriculture or urbanisation, and intensive farming. Moreover, honey bees’ ability to produce the sweetener itself has declined, thanks to widespread herbicide use, conversion of flower-rich land into monocultures, a drop in soil productivity, and climate change.
Precision fermentation sets MeliBio’s honey apart
Courtesy: MeliBio
To accelerate its mission, launching into the market was key for MeliBio, which is why it launched Mellody, even as it continued to work on the precision-fermented product in the background. “We realised that our investors’ samples are becoming more sophisticated, to the point where chefs begged us to launch our plant-based honey,” Mandich told Green Queen in August. “We heard our customers loud and clear, and that’s how our pivot happened. It shortens our initial five to seven years timeline for product launch down to three years, which is great success.”
Mellody’s first product was a Golden Clover honey that was initially rolled out in foodservice across the US, and then through retail via Eleven Madison Home, the e-commerce arm of Daniel Humm’s Michelin-starred eatery Eleven Madison Park. After that partnership ended, Mellody evolved into a D2C brand, and just earlier this month, it released a Spicy Habanero flavour of its plant-based honey at Expo West.
MeliBio also struck a four-year deal worth $10M with Slovenian distributor Narayan Foods to enter the European market, which saw it launch Vegan H*ney under the Better Foodie brand in the UK, and Vegan Hanny or Ohney under Aldi’s private label, Just Veg, in the EU. The partnership’s aim is to put MeliBio’s vegan honey into 75,000 stores eventually.
“MeliBio products in Europe are at price parity with mainstream honeys and we expect to achieve the same in the US this year,” revealed Mandich. “We’ve enjoyed a fantastic market response to our plant-based honey products and will continue to serve that demand.” And it’s not just commercial success – the startup was just recognised as one of Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies in the small and mighty category for 2024.
“Mellody is our flagship product and brand, and we’re committed to its growth,” he said. “Our products are available through multiple channels including DTC, grocery and retail, food service, and restaurants from casual to fine dining, in a growing number of geographies. We plan to continue to serve existing customers and reach new markets, no matter where they are.”
But now, the precision-fermented progress represents the next step for MeliBio, which will set it apart from competitors in the vegan honey space, such as Gaffney Foods’ Nectar, Blenditup, ChocZero, Plant Based Artisan’s Honea, and Sweet Freedom. “Beyond [the vegan products], accessing levels of product performance and authenticity not possible through plant science alon – through our enhanced technology platform – opens up a variety of significant commercial opportunities,” said Mandich.
He outlined this in his chat with Green Queen in August too: “It will empower us to go beyond the type of product we have right now, and set us [up] for success in launching many new products under the vision of creating the world where humans and bees thrive.”
Max Elder, founder of former plant-based meat company Nowadays and managing director of Food System Innovations, reflects on the journey of his vegan chicken nugget startup, explains why it was forced to cease trading, talks VC funding in food tech, and reveals if he’d do it all over again.
In August, Californian startup Nowadays announced it was shutting down. The decision came “due to an inability to raise venture funds in this market”, a year after it successfully closed a $7M seed funding round. The news reflected the growing venture capital pains faced by the plant-based industry – and food tech as a whole sector.
Max Elder, who was the co-founder and CEO of the brand, had noted that the nuggets were performing well in D2C and retail channels, with many consumers returning to purchase more too. But the financials associated with frozen food distribution for a startup of Nowaday’s scale were too steep. “The economics only work if you have the capital to really push a multi-year brand building and marketing strategy and it’s really hard to access capital now,” he was quoted as saying.
A highly respected figure in the alternative protein industry – who has been featured in the New York Times, the Guardian, Forbes and Fast Company – had predicted that in the long term, “the headwinds for conventional proteins will only get stronger”, saying: “I think we just need to batten down the hatches and weather the storm, and sometimes that means some companies can’t survive because there’s limited access to capital.”
Since then, he has been working as a managing director at sustainability non-profit Food System Innovations, which supports initiatives taking animals out of the global food system. We spoke to Elder about Nowadays, why it reached the end of its tether, and what the future of this industry looks like.
This interview has been edited for clarity and concision.
Green Queen: Did you see the end coming? What finally made you decide to say that’s it?
Max Elder: Every startup goes through an existential crisis between each round of financing, so all founders see the end frequently. Running a startup is a tricky balancing act of challenges and opportunities, successes and failures, growth and setbacks. There wasn’t one event that ended Nowadays – there were a plethora of factors, many outside of our control, that made it impossible to raise additional capital. We ceased operations when we became insolvent and couldn’t sustain the business any further.
Courtesy: Nowadays
GQ: If you could do it all again, would you?
ME: Absolutely. Founding a mission-driven food company is an extraordinary privilege I don’t take for granted. Building is a formidable challenge and feeding people is insanely rewarding. Most importantly, I’ve never had such a high velocity of learning in my life. I don’t plan on doing it all over again anytime soon.
I currently see a higher impact approach for how I spend my time: I’ve transitioned to work on systems-level change and category-level innovation at a public charity called Food System Innovations, co-founded by David Meyer and Galina Hale. While Nowadays was my shot on goal, I’m most excited these days by redesigning the playing field.
GQ: Do you have any big regrets? What would you do differently?
ME: I honestly don’t have any big regrets. I think there are a few I would do differently next time. The first is being more intentional about the co-founder relationship. That relationship is mission-critical and often ends at some point in a company’s journey, like it did at Nowadays. I also would have shut down Nowadays earlier than I did. It’s an insanely hard choice to make, and it’s hard to find allies in that choice.
Winding down your business is emotionally draining (layoffs, including yourself; liquidation efforts; legal) and can take a long time and cost a lot of money. I now help founders better understand what they need to responsibly wind down their business.
GQ: What are your biggest learnings? And what are you most proud of?
ME: Nowadays accomplished a lot. We built a differentiated brand, patented whole-cut manufacturing processes, launched into retail with Whole Foods Market, secured restaurant partnerships with critically-acclaimed partners, and fed a lot of people. While those are all impressive, I think what I’m most proud of is how I managed the company. Despite some really thorny problems and tough challenges, I always made values-based decisions and communicated honestly.
My biggest learning was that you can feel proud even if you don’t achieve your desired outcome as long as you hold yourself accountable to your own values. Even when I’ve failed, my values have never failed me.
GQ: You were straddling the line of processed plant-based food and ‘clean label’ with a product that had a short ingredient list. We are constantly told that processed products turn people off the plant-based category. Is this what consumers want? What’s your take on all this? Do we need more clean-label products?
ME: Meat is a $1.4T industry globally and a $180B industry in the US. The average American eats 330 lbs of meat (including seafood) annually, and about nine out of 10 Americans eat meat everyday. The market for meat is gigantic.
There are many different consumer segments who have different pain points for different meal occasions across different channels. There is no singular value proposition that consumers want. I believe food products in the US need to taste delicious and be priced competitively. For some consumers during some meal occasions in some channels, cleaner labels matter.
That said, I’m worried about the mis- and disinformation campaigns around ultra-processing and alt-proteins we’re seeing, as I see much of these concerns as industry talking points that eaters use to post-rationalise, more so than real pain points that drive purchase decisions.
Courtesy: Nowadays
GQ: Do you think the vegan nugget market is oversaturated?
ME: Market saturation at a macro level is when the supply of a product becomes higher than its demand. Sometimes this happens because the market has too many competitors offering the same product, or when the product has already reached the entirety of its customer base. While I believe there are many plant-based nugget products competing with each other, I also believe that the product hasn’t reached the entirety of its potential market.
If you think the market for vegan nuggets is only made up of vegan consumers, the vegan nugget market is oversaturated. If you think the market for vegan nuggets is made up of flexitarians, the vegan nugget market is full of blue sky. Chicken nuggets amount to an $8B market in the US; there’s plenty of room for demand capture.
GQ: What advice would you give for existing and new plant-based brands?
ME: I feel like I should be the one taking advice from existing and new plant-based brands! One pivot I made too late at Nowadays that I’d love to see other brands make is a pivot to institutional procurement. Plant-based products offer truly impressive environmental benefits that aren’t accurately priced in the market today.
While the climate crisis hasn’t quite yet become a consumer problem, it’s increasingly becoming an ESG problem. If consumer demand signals are weakening, institutional ESG commitments are getting stronger. The downside is that institutional sales cycles can be long and opaque, distribution hard to secure, and prices relatively low, but the upside is the potential for high, consistent volumes at a better margin than retail.
GQ: There’s a lot of talk about whether VC funding is the right choice for founders/startups. What’s your take? Would you take VC money again?
ME: I think the funding model you pursue needs to depend on the business you want to build. If you want to build for impact on a short-time horizon, you need a higher-risk capital source to support growth. It’s hard to imagine other sources of capital to underwrite innovative startups trying to solve big challenges quicker than venture.
GQ: Can you describe what a day in the life of a plant-based founder was like? Take us through your mental state on the average day.
ME: I think the founder role is overly romanticised. There are a lot of fun parts of the job, but a lot of the role is administrative work and constant problem-solving and making sure things get done. My days typically rotated through a cycle of strategy, fundraising, and capacity-building. I would build a strategic vision supported by core enabling milestones we planned to achieve; sell part of the company to secure the capital required to execute on that vision; and then build capacity to hit those milestones.
Throughout those cycles, my mental states fluctuated highly based on the frequency and scale of opportunities versus the frequency and scale of challenges. Some days, my mental state was calm, confident and proud. Other days, I’d be insanely stressed and not my best self. I’m so impressed with and inspired by people who build.
Courtesy: Nowadays
GQ: Do you still believe in the category? What needs to change?
ME: The more time I spend in the food and climate worlds, the more deeply I believe in alternative proteins. The problem of industrialised animal farming is only getting worse, and the alternatives are only getting better. I see truly mind-blowing innovation at a pretty fast pace for the food industry addressing an incredibly complex problem. Farmed animals are all complex living beings, so replicating their bodies with plants is a formidable task.
The industry is nascent. I see some opportunities to accelerate the protein transition across both supply and demand. On the supply side, I’m excited by the impact of choice architecture and default shifts at institutions. I’m inspired by market shaping efforts to accelerate alt-protein value chains and the potential of offtakes and advance market commitments. I’m also seeing some big improvements in taste and texture, which I hope continues, and I’m increasingly growing bullish on blended/hybrid meats (new category-level nomenclature to come).
On the demand side, I’m eager to see more category-level demand campaigns (they need funding!) and efforts to combat mis- and dis-information campaigns. Price, taste and nutrition are all necessary but not sufficient for plant-based products to break into the mainstream; we also need to understand and engage the social, cultural and political elephants in the room. All that said, I believe the alternative protein category is not a question of if, but when.
Every year at Natural Products Expo West, companies gather to show off new and exciting vegan products that will hit store shelves soon. This year, PETA staffers had a chance to try some of these items and get a sneak peek into the future of animal-friendly foods. Here’s a recap of the products we spotted, which you can expect to see in stores later in 2024 and into 2025.
Easy Eats
From healthy packaged meals to meat-free protein options that will help make dinner easy and delicious, quick foods were everywhere at Expo West this year.
The collaboration between NotCo and The Kraft Heinz Company was the star of the show, with the launch of its animal-friendly Oscar Mayer NotHotDogs and NotSausages, which have the familiar savory, smoky taste but no animal flesh—because every animal is someone who feels love, pain, joy, and fear and deserves our respect.
The Kraft Heinz Not Company’s booth also highlighted the vegan version of the classic creamy Kraft boxed Mac & Cheese, which offers a way to experience a nostalgic taste without exploiting mother cows for their milk.
Asian-inspired eats made a huge splash, too. Some of the products included the following:
OMNI’s Plant-Based Teriyaki Bao Buns are soft and satisfying.
Rawmyun’sSavory Curry Ramen is low-oil instant ramen made with rice noodles.
Sobo Foods’ Chinese “Pork” & Chive Dumplings feature a whopping 19 grams of vegan protein.
24vegan’s Vegetable Green Curry with Organic Brown Rice microwave meals are a healthy and quick lunch option.
We also saw packaged Korean kimbap from at least four brands—Baba, Ocean’s Halo, Sunlit, and UNLIMEAT—possibly inspired by the viral success of Trader Joe’s frozen vegan version.
UNLIMEAT, a Korean brand, is also launching its products in U.S. markets, with items like Bulgogi Jumukbap and vegan Pork Mandu.
Vegan chicken is a hit every year, because choosing this delicious and crowd-pleasing option spares the lives of countless intelligent, playful birds. We spotted a few new products, including Chef Chew’s Kitchen’s Spicy Fried Chicken Fillet, Golden Platter’s Angry Birds 100% Plant-Based Chick’n Nuggets, New Breed’s Jamaican Jerk Chik’n, and TiNDLE’s Parmigiana Stuffed Chicken.
For snack time, we loved Parmela Creamery’s Snackables, a Lunchables-style kit with crackers, vegan cheddar cheese, and smoky “meat” slices, and WunderEgg’s Plant-Based Egg(less) Salad.
Finless Favorites
The fishing industry threatens all marine animals—including fish, crabs, octopuses, and whales—who simply want to live in peace. That’s why more people are turning to vegan options for a taste of the sea. Some of the exciting new animal-friendly products we saw at Expo West included Avafina Organics’ Chiaviar, vegan caviar made from chia seeds and seaweed, as well as Franklin Farms’ Plant-Based Tuna, Konscious Foods’ Plant-Based Smoked Salmon, and UNLIMEAT’s Plant-Based Tuna flakes.
Dairy is dead—at least the kind that uses milk stolen from baby cows. The future of food is animal-free, and there’s no sign that the vegan dairy industry will slow down anytime soon. Never Better Foods’ Better Than Mozzarella is melty and made with chickpea protein, Simply V’s Plant-Based Cream Cheese comes in a bar for easy measuring, and UMYUM’s dairy-free Camembert cheese and slow-churned butter are stunningly creamy.
We saw cow-free milk and creamers from several brands we know and love. Califia Farms launched a limited-edition Cookies ‘n Crème Almond Creamer, Oatly introduced vegan coffee creamers in several sweet flavors, and TiNDLE expanded from its vegan chicken roots with a new Barista Oat Milk.
Creamy “cheese” sauces were popular, too. House Party’s Cheesy Dip is perfect for a party, and Le Grand’s Mac ‘N Cheeze Sauce makes whipping up your favorite comfort dish easier than ever.
Crackers and chips were everywhere, with a healthy spin and a focus on protein. Rivalz stuffed snacks are made with pea flour and brown rice and have 8 grams of protein per serving—along with a huge flavor punch. Mamame Whole Foods Tempeh Chips transform a staple vegan protein into a crunchy, satisfying snack made with black-eyed beans.
“Cheesy” snacks were especially popular: Brutal’s Velvet Cheddar Lupini Bean Puffs, Fair & Square’s allergen- and animal-friendly Cheddar Cheeze Crackers, Mary’s Gone Cheezee Cheddar Flavor Crackers, and Vegan Rob’s Dairy-Free Cheddar Captain Booty (from the creator of Pirate’s Booty).
Sensational Sips
With all the walking and tasting we did, we stopped by the RISE Brewing Co. booth for an energy boost, where we tried its canned Nitro Cold Brew Coffee.
The herbal teas and sparkling botanicals from Rishi Tea & Botanicals are perfect for midweek relaxation, while the fruity canned cocktails from Mixed Up have us excited for summer hangouts.
Bees work hard to make honey to feed their hives, so we were happy to see some bee-free sweeteners: Mellody’s new Spicy Habanero Plant-Based Hot Honey and Bee Mindful Honee, which is made with apples and also available in a hot version.
Doughy’s Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough is a newcomer that you can enjoy raw or baked. Eclipse launched creamy plant-based ice cream bonbons covered in crunchy chocolate and available in three flavors: Coffee Almond Crunch, Hazelnut Chocolate Truffle, and Peanut Butter Pretzel. And Holi Scoops’ Discos are frozen cookie dough ice cream bites made with adaptogenic plants.
These are just some of the animal-friendly products featured at Expo West, and there are sure to be many others to look forward to in the coming years as more people go vegan for animals, the planet, and their own health. To learn more about making the transition for yourself, order our free vegan starter kit today:
Dunkin’ Donuts and Waffle House patrons might find their stomachs churning before they even sample the eateries’ meaty fare this month after they spot PETA’s striking new visual plea calling on people to stand on the right side of history by leaving pigs off their plates. The provocative message features a horde of pigs rioting in front of a burning landscape and urges viewers to “live vegan.”
Credit: PETA
“Like humans, pigs form strong bonds, enjoy listening to music, and experience a full range of emotions, yet they’re funneled endlessly into filthy warehouses and slaughtered just to satisfy fleeting cravings for their flesh,” says PETA Senior Vice President Colleen O’Brien. “PETA is calling on everyone to do right by those who can’t advocate for themselves by going vegan.”
In the meat industry, workers chop off piglets’ tails, clip their teeth with pliers, and castrate the males—all without pain relief. Then, they’re forced to spend their short lives in crowded, filthy warehouses under the constant stress of intense confinement. When the time comes for slaughter, they’re crammed onto trucks and transported hundreds of miles through all weather extremes without food, water, or rest, causing many to die from heat exhaustion. At slaughterhouses, workers shoot pigs in the head with a captive-bolt gun, hang them up by one leg, and cut their throat, often while they’re still conscious.
The World Health Organization reports that eating processed meats, including ham and bacon, can cause cancer. Each person who goes vegan spares nearly 200 animals every year and reduces their own risk of suffering from cancer, heart disease, strokes, diabetes, and obesity. PETA’s free vegan starter kit is filled with tips to help anyone looking to make the switch.
PETA’s billboard, which was designed by The Community ad agency, is located at W. Newberry Road and N.W. 75th Street, near Dunkin’ Donuts and Waffle House.
PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to eat”—points out that Every Animal Is Someone and offers free Empathy Kits for people who need a lesson in kindness. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow the group on X, Facebook, or Instagram.
Parisian plant-based whole-cut meat producer Umiami has opened a commercial-scale facility in the Alsace region, backed by financing from the French government, the Grand Est area, as well as the EU. It plans to launch its chicken fillet on supermarket shelves in France this year.
In the presence of government officials, regional representatives and local leaders, Umiami this week inaugurated its new 14,000 sq m facility to produce whole-cut meat alternatives on a commercial scale and enable its European and North American expansion.
It comes 14 months after the startup announced the takeover of the former Unilever factory near Strasbourg in France’s Alsace region, which has been rehabilitated through a €38M ($41.3M) investment. This includes €7.5M ($8.2M) in financing from the Sociétés de Projets Industriels (SPI) fund – overseen by Bpifrance for the French government as part of the France 2030 economic investment plan – as well as €1.5M ($1.6M) each from the Grand Est Region and the EU’s European Regional Development Fund.
The result of three years of development and scaling up, the factory employs 53 people and can produce 7,500 tonnes of plant-based meat annually, which is slated to increase to 20,000 tonnes eventually. It will allow Umiami to expand its presence in Europe and North America, with plans to launch its soy-protein-based whole-cut chicken into French retail this year.
“The opening of our factory in Alsace represents the culmination of years of innovation, research and dedication to transforming the food industry,” co-founders Tristan Maurel, Martin Habfast and Clémence Pedraza said in a joint statement. “We sincerely thank our partners, teams, and communities for their support as we work towards a more sustainable and ethical future in food.”
Creating local jobs with clean-label vegan chicken
Courtesy: Umiami
Umiami, which has raised €100M ($107M) in total investment to date, had been operating in an R&D pilot plant in the Paris region since 2022, which is now a “centre of innovation that allows our R&D team to innovate and work on new projects”, Maurel and Habfast told Green Queen. Having previously outlined its goal to be at the centre of the region’s reindustrialisation and creation of local jobs, the startup says the new facility is “strategically positioned in the heart of Europe”.
“The inauguration of this first factory marks a pivotal moment in Umiami’s journey, following years of development of a unique technology, and illustrates the ambitions of the SME and industrial startups plan that we are supporting,” said Nicolas Dufourcq, executive director of Bpifrance. “Over and above the challenges of reindustrialisation in the Alsace region, the company is developing innovations that will help to promote our agri-food expertise, taking into account the challenges of a low-carbon transition, and we are proud to have supported it throughout the various phases of its development.”
Franck Leroy, president of the Grand Est region, added: “The establishment of the UMIAMI factory in the Grand Est region represents a substantial uplift for our area. Beyond job creation, this initiative showcases our commitment to fostering economic growth in our communities and driving forward the ecological transition.”
Umami makes whole-cut meat and fish alternatives through its proprietary plant-based meat texturising tech, called “umisation”. The brand previously told Green Queen that this technology “perfectly mimics the taste and texture of meat and fish, with equivalent nutritional value”, with the resulting meat product containing fewer than 10 ingredients.
“Umisation is an innovative protein texturing technology that is unique and specific to Umiami. It is the world’s first-ever process to be able to create – on a large scale – plant-based fillets that resemble pieces of animal meat: both in taste and texture,” a spokesperson said in October. “This technology is the result of several years’ research and development, and uses plant matrices to produce a fibrous texture and control the size, direction and thickness of the resulting fibres.”
They added: “As well as producing better texture, umisation has the advantage of offering a minimally processed product from a very short list of ingredients. The procedure now makes it possible to produce a whole, 100% plant-based thick fillet, with fibres resembling those of meat and reproducing that unique, gourmet sensation mouthfeel.”
International expansion amid a tough climate for plant-based
Courtesy: Umiami
Umiami’s product is already available in France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Spain and Italy under a white label. And in August, it launched under its own brand name for the first time at 120 Coop stores in Switzerland. This year, it plans to move into retail in its home market, and expand into the US, which it has referred to as a “more developed market for plant-based meat alternatives”.
Whole cuts are touted as the “holy grail” of plant-based meat, delivering a more realistic texture by recreating animal muscle fibres, as well as a more rounded flavour. There are many companies creating such products, including Chunk Foods (US), Juicy Marbles (Slovenia), Redefine Meat (Israel), Libre Foods (Spain), Green Rebel (Indonesia) and Revo Foods (Austria), among others.
These products will appeal to the 57% of French consumers reducing their meat consumption, as a large EU-backed survey last year found. For these people, health is the primary motivator for cutting back on meat, and it’s also their main barrier towards eating more plant-based meat – this is a hurdle Umiami will be hoping to overcome through its texturising tech, which removes the need for any texturising agents or “controversial additives” to make a clean-label product. Shorter ingredient lists and minimal processing are important to consumers, given that 57% of Europeans avoid plant-based meats due to their ultra-processed nature.
According to alternative protein think tank the Good Food Institute Europe, France is Europe’s fifth-largest plant-based market, with sales of meat alternatives growing by 17% from 2020-22. One survey from 2022 showed that 22% more consumers included more plant proteins in their diets from 2021-22, while 41% considered vegan food the third most important protein source, after meat and eggs (but above fish). Plus, a 2021 Kantar World Panel study revealed that flexitarians had nearly doubled in France, accounting for 25% in 2015, and 49% in 2021.
Umiami’s progress also comes on the backdrop of wider challenges for the plant-based industry, where sales have declined and companies have ceased operations in the last couple of years. In fact, global funding for food tech halved in 2023 from the year before. Asked about the plant-based industry’s challenges and future, Maurel and Habfast reiterated the importance of health.
“The biggest challenge is to provide good products to consumers by understanding their needs,” they said. “We are in a new area for plant-based products and it’s very important to provide a transparent list of ingredients and clean-label products.”
With Easter just around the corner, a group of PETA pig pals will hand out free Tofurky plant-based ham slices and roasts outside the Hagaman Memorial Library, just down the road from a sky-high message reminding viewers that pigs are thinking, feeling individuals who don’t want to die for their holiday feasts.
When: Saturday, March 23, 1 p.m.
Where: 227 Main St., East Haven
“Pigs are playful, intelligent, and loving beings who value their lives and don’t deserve to have their bodies carved up for food any more than we do,” says PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman. “PETA encourages everyone to celebrate their holidays with compassion by choosing a delicious vegan roast that leaves pigs in peace, not in pieces.”
In the meat industry, workers chop off piglets’ tails, clip their teeth with pliers, and castrate the males. At slaughterhouses, workers shoot pigs in the head with a captive-bolt gun, hang them up by one leg, and cut their throat—often while they’re still conscious. Each person who goes vegan spares nearly 200 animals every year and reduces their own risk of suffering from cancer, heart disease, strokes, diabetes, and obesity. PETA’s free vegan starter kit is filled with tips to help anyone looking to make the switch.
PETA’s billboard is located at112 Frontage Rd.
PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to eat”—points out that Every Animal Is Someone and offers free Empathy Kits for people who need a lesson in kindness. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow the group on X, Facebook, or Instagram.
A troop of PETA “monkeys” in prisoner garb will dump wheelbarrows of humanely picked coconuts outside the Whole Foods store on Yonge Street on Thursday to slam the grocery giant for continuing to sell coconut milk from Thailand while knowing full well that the country’s coconut industry is driven by the forced labor of endangered pig-tailed macaques.
Where: Outside Whole Foods, 4771 Yonge St., North York
When: Thursday, March 21, 12 noon
PETA “monkeys” dump coconuts outside a Whole Foods store during a previous demonstration to blast the company’s continued sale of Thai coconut products. Credit: PETA
“Whole Foods is signing off on the abuse of an endangered species and willfully propping up an industry that kidnaps monkeys, chains them, and treats them as nothing more than coconut-picking machines,” says PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman. “PETA is calling on the company to find a moral compass and sell coconut milk only from countries where monkey labor isn’t used, such as the Dominican Republic, India, and the Philippines.”
Many monkeys used in Thailand’s coconut-picking industry are illegally snatched from their natural habitat as babies, fitted with rigid metal collars, chained, whipped, and forced to climb trees to pick heavy coconuts. Their canine teeth are sometimes pulled out in order to leave them defenseless. Because the industry and the Thai government lie about their systemic reliance on forced monkey labor, it’s impossible to guarantee that any coconut milk from Thailand is free of it. Multiple companies that produce coconut milk sold at Whole Foods were named by industry workers in a PETA Asia investigation as having used coconuts obtained by monkey labor. HelloFresh, Purple Carrot, and Performance Food Group stopped sourcing coconut milk from Thailand following PETA Asia’s exposé.
PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to abuse in any way”—points out that Every Animal Is Someone and offers free Empathy Kits for people who need a lesson in kindness.
With the Chrysler Museum of Art’s evocative photo exhibit celebrating Sir Paul McCartney coming to a close, PETA has teamed up with The Academy of Music in Norfolk to honor the musician and longtime PETA ally by giving away his all-time favorite sandwich, recreated by local eatery Yorgos Bageldashery: a bagel stuffed with hummus, vegan cheese, Marmite, pickles, mustard, and lettuce. At the event, the academy’s students will perform a song they created titled “Ma Might,” a twist on Marmite, a popular spread in McCartney’s native England and a pivotal ingredient in the sandwich.
When: Thursday, March 21, 5:30 p.m.
Where: Royster Presbyterian Church (in the AOM suite of rooms), 6901 Newport Ave., Norfolk
Credit: PETA
“A day in the life of animals used for food is almost too awful to contemplate, as it is one of filth, crowding, and, ultimately, slaughter,” says PETA President Ingrid Newkirk. “PETA encourages everyone to come together with Sir Paul by saying hello to vegan meals and goodbye to animal-unfriendly foods.”
The United Nations reports that a global shift toward vegan eating is vital in order to combat the worst effects of the climate catastrophe. Each person who goes vegan spares nearly 200 animals every year, shrinks their carbon footprint, and reduces their risk of suffering from cancer, heart disease, strokes, diabetes, and obesity. PETA offers a free vegan starter kit filled with recipes and tips that can help anyone looking to make the switch.
McCartney has a longstanding alliance with PETA, including narrating the documentary Glass Walls, which exposes the horrors animals endure in blood-soaked and offal-filled slaughterhouses and launched his memorable phrase, “If slaughterhouses had glass walls, no one would eat meat.”
PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to eat”—points out that Every Animal Is Someone and offers free Empathy Kits for people who need a lesson in kindness. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow the group on X, Facebook, or Instagram.
Diners on their way into Fatboys are in for an earful on Thursday, when “Hell on Wheels”—PETA’s life-size, hyper-realistic chicken transport truck covered with images of real chickens crammed into crates on their way to slaughter—will bombard them with actual recorded sounds of the birds’ cries along with a subliminal message every 10 seconds suggesting that people go vegan. The vexatious vehicle will debut outside the Destin eatery before moving on to confront diners at Another Broken Egg Cafe in Pensacola on Saturday, delivering horrors of the media industry straight to any patron thinking of chowing down on fried chicken over their lunch hour.
Where: Outside Fatboys, 104 Harbor Blvd., Destin Outside Another Broken Egg Café, 721 E. Gregory St., Pensacola
When: Thursday, March 21, 12 noon Saturday, March 23, 12 noon
Credit: PETA
“Behind every hot wing or bucket of fried chicken is a once-living, sensitive individual who was crammed onto a truck for a terrifying, miserable journey to their death,” says PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman. “PETA’s ‘Hell on Wheels’ truck is an appeal to anyone who eats chicken to remember that the meat industry is cruel to birds and the only kind meal is a vegan one.”
PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to eat”—points out that Every Animal Is Someone and offers free Empathy Kits for people who need a lesson in kindness.
Nearly six in 10 consumers in Germany and Austria believe meat consumption is too high, but less than half think these foods are bad for the climate and plan to reduce their intake of animal products, according to new surveys. Even fewer want to eat more plant-based alternatives in the next two years, but there are indications of support for cultivated meat.
Despite being Europe’s largest plant-based market, only 30% of Germans want to up their intake of vegan meat analogues, and just 46% want to eat fewer animal products over the next two years. This is ditto for neighbouring Austria too, despite 59% of consumers (and 58% in Germany) thinking meat consumption is too high.
This is according to two surveys by YouGov on behalf of the Good Food Institute (GFI) Europe, which covered over 1,000 Austrian and more than 2,000 German consumers. Ivo Rzegotta, senior public affairs manager for Germany at GFI Europe, argues that the results are still positive. “Overall, the market for plant-based foods in Germany has expanded by 42% since 2020, solidifying the country’s position as a leader in embracing plant-based foods in Europe,” he told Green Queen.
“The fact that 30% of respondents are keen to further increase their consumption of plant-based meat and dairy products is a promising indicator, especially considering the already significant portion of the population favouring plant-based options.”
The polls revealed that 57% of the former and 51% of the latter don’t think meat and animal products are a major problem for the climate – animal agriculture emits twice as many emissions as plant-based foods, with meat accounting for 60% of the entire food system’s carbon footprint.
“People choose alternative proteins for various reasons, including concerns about climate change. However, health and animal welfare are often cited as primary motivations for reducing meat consumption, in line with existing consumer research,” said Rzegotta. “The science is clear on the role of industrial farming in driving climate change and it’s up to policymakers to facilitate the transition to more sustainable food production.”
There is some optimism around cultivated meat too, with 42% of Austrians and 47% of Germans willing to try these novel proteins at least once – a separate in-market survey published last week showed that eating cultivated meat significantly boosts people’s acceptance of it, with a majority indicating they’d buy it again.
Germans and Austrians split on plant-based foods
Courtesy: GFI Europe
In both countries, the interest in upping plant-based meat consumption was slightly higher in men than women, and reduced proportionally with age, with 41% of Austrians and 38% of Germans aged 35 or under planning on eating more meat alternatives, versus 24% for over-55s.
The results are similar for plant-based dairy consumption too, with 28% of Austrians and 27% of Germans wanting to consume more of these foods in the next two years, and the same trend in age demographics. However, men are more interested in doing so in Austria, while the opposite is true in Germany. Overall, just under half of respondents in Austria (47%) and Germany (49%) believe that alternatives to animal products are needed.
“Germany and Austria stand out in Europe for imposing a higher tax rate on plant-based dairy compared to animal-based dairy, which undoubtedly impacts consumption patterns,” explained Rzegotta. “Establishing a level playing field in terms of taxation is crucial to facilitate consumer choice in favour of plant-based options. By addressing disparities in pricing, policymakers can encourage broader adoption of plant-based dairy products, aligning with consumer preferences and advancing sustainability goals.”
Both countries also have 53% of consumers expressing support for policies that would allow farmers to produce more plant-based foods, which is something the German government is already doing. But Austrians are evenly split on whether lawmakers should increase the range of vegan food in public canteens, while 44% believe governments should support research into foods that can replace animal-derived foods. In Germany, support for both these policy moves lies at 47%.
If deemed to be safe, cultivated meat should be a consumer choice
Courtesy: GFI Europe
Acceptance for cultivated meat is slightly more encouraging in both Austria and Germany, where 59% and 53% of consumers are familiar with these foods, respectively. In fact, 47% of Germans said they’re willing to try cultivated meat once, as did 42% of Austrians. Here, too, men expressed a greater interest in both countries, and for flexitarians, this number rose to 58% in Germany and 58% in Austria.
Interestingly, though, only about a third of consumers in the two nations said cultivated meat appealed more to them than plant-based options. “There will always be a share of consumers who don’t find plant-based meat appealing for a number of reasons. If 34% of respondents say that cultivated meat is more appealing to them than the current generation of plant-based options, this suggests that this new option could reach a significant group of people who aren’t interested in plant-based meat,” noted Rzegotta. “Overall, the fact that nearly half of consumers in both countries are willing to try cultivated meat – a novel product unfamiliar to many and not yet available in Europe – highlights a promising market demand.
Two-thirds of respondents from both countries believe if cultivated meat does come to market, it should be produced locally to benefit the economy. When it comes to public investment, 42% of Austrians and 47% of Germans think governments should advance the development of cultivated meat and help farmers capitalise on the opportunities.
This industry has been the subject of intense debate in policy circles lately. Whereas the discourse in the US has stemmed from Florida’s impending ban, in Europe, Italy already became the first country to prohibit the sale of cultivated meat, with France and Romania attempting to do so too. In January, a delegation led by Austria, Italy and France brought a note to the EU’s Agriculture and Fisheries Council meeting, raising concerns about the bloc’s cultivated meat policies and calling for an overhaul to the regulatory framework, as well as a ban of meat-related terms.
While it was eventually tabled, the note was presented by Austria’s agriculture minister, Norbert Totschnig, but the country’s health ministry – which is responsible for food safety – said the move did not reflect the government’s position. Judging from the YouGov polls, it did not reflect the public’s position either.
Courtesy: GFI Europe
Seven in 10 Austrians say only food safety and consumer protection should be decisive for the authorisation of cultivated meat, which 63% think should happen if the food safety authority deems it safe and nutritious. For 64%, the decision to clear the sale of these products should be independent of the food industry’s economic interests, and 66% feel policymakers should adhere closely to the food regulators’ recommendations when deciding to authorise cultivated meat.
Similarly, in Germany, 69% agree with that statement about food safety and consumer protection being the only decisive factors, 65% think a regulator’s assessment of safety should be enough for authorisation, and 66% believe politicians should stick to that advice. Meanwhile, 61% think the decision shouldn’t rely on the economic interests of the food sector.
In other words, if the country’s food safety authority greenlights cultivated meat, that’s the only decision the government should and must take into account. “Cultivated meat must go through one of the world’s most robust food regulatory processes before it will be available in the EU. Once it’s been approved, Germans and Austrians believe it should be up to consumers themselves to decide whether or not to eat cultivated meat,” said Seth Roberts, policy manager at GFI Europe.
“In the wake of the Italian ban, policymakers should note that people who responded to this survey – regardless of their political views – are increasingly aware of the economic opportunities offered by cultivated meat and are more interested in consumer choice than ideological debates.”
Globally, greenhouse gas emissions from livestock farming must peak next year, and be reduced by 50% by 2030 to align with our climate goals, scientists suggest in a new survey. And to do this, we need to replace meat and dairy consumption with more plant-based foods.
To meet our climate goals, we need to stop eating so much meat and dairy, and start consuming more plant-based food, bringing the livestock sector’s emissions down by 61% by 2036, according to a survey of 210 global climate scientists and agrifood experts.
Carried out by researchers from Harvard University, New York University, Leiden University and Oregon State University, the report highlights the contribution of livestock farming to climate change, and the need to shift away from it, especially in high- and middle-income nations.
The food system accounts for a third of all greenhouse gas emissions, with meat responsible for 60% of that figure, despite only delivering 18% of calories and 37% of protein globally. At the current trajectory, the livestock sector is on track to taking almost 50% of our GHG budget in line with the 1.5°C postindustrial temperature rise goal. Plus, land use represents a quarter of emissions mitigation potential between now and 2050, and this industry occupies 78% of agricultural land and 39% of all habitable land.
The full implementation of all pledges to cut emissions under the Paris Agreement for 2030 aligns with a global temperature rise of 2.5°C this century, which will exacerbate the impact of climate change across the world, some of which will be irreversible. This is perhaps why 92% of experts agree that reducing livestock emissions is key to limiting temperature rises to 2°C, and 85% state that it’s important for human diets to shift from “livestock-derived foods to livestock replacement foods”.
“The report essentially provides the first articulation of a Paris-compliant livestock sector. The reduction targets for livestock suggested by the survey results are in line with what the IPCC show is needed globally for all emissions and sectors, so it appears that the experts are suggesting a reasonable pathway for the livestock sector,” said study lead Helen Harwatt, a food and climate policy fellow at Harvard Law School.
Courtesy: Fokusiert/Getty Images
Plant-based products should be considered ‘best available foods’
Harwatt noted that this is not a one-size-fits-all approach, with different emissions reduction strategies outlined for countries with varying income levels. “High-producing and consuming countries must do the most the soonest, and have the most ability and potential to achieve this,” she said. “This doesn’t allow for high consuming nations to continue their ways by increasing imports from other countries while reducing their own farming emissions.”
The survey suggests that livestock emissions must peak in high-income (HICs) and middle-income countries (MICs) before 2025, but after 2030 in low-income nations. Over three-quarters (78%) also think global absolute livestock numbers should reach a peak by 2025. Following this peak, 89% and 75% of respondents believe these emissions should fall rapidly in HICs and MICs, respectively.
A majority (87%) of climate scientists and agrifood experts agree that all countries should have a GHG reduction target for animal agriculture in line with an overall emissions goal, with the most commonly agreed target being a 50% cut by 2030. In fact, respondents note that livestock emissions should be reduced as much as possible to reduce the risk of temperatures exceeding 1.5°C (87%) or 2°C (85%) by the end of the century.
Courtesy: Harvard University
Eating fewer livestock-derived foods (like meat and dairy) and reducing the number of farmed animals were earmarked to be by far the most effective actions for GHG reduction, with about three-quarters of experts saying they have a large or very large contribution to emissions targets. The most substantial shift needs to occur in richer countries, with diets needing to shift from current patterns to “more plant-based” in MICs, and “much more plant-based” in HICs. In LICs, too, a slight shift to more plant-based eating is required.
The majority of experts say achieving these GHG reductions should not come at the cost of animal welfare – referring to a greater number of animals occupying a given space and increasing the confinement of animals. And most agree that where plant-sourced alternatives to animal foods provide comparable or better health outcomes and lower GHGs, they should be considered a ‘best available food’ and given preference in climate (83%), agriculture (78%) and food purchasing policies (82%).
Meanwhile, 82% think it’s important to restore carbon sinks and native vegetation cover on land currently occupied by the livestock sector, which could remove the equivalent of 16 years of global carbon emissions from the atmosphere over a 30-year period. Moreover, 76% of respondents say climate finance mechanisms, where required, should include assistance for farmers to transition their practices away from livestock production.
Climate policies are lacking – here’s what governments should do
The researchers outline that while we need to significantly reduce our livestock emissions to meet the goals of the 2015 Paris Agreement, country-level commitments to do so are severely lacking. “Much of the political focus has been on the energy transition; however, a food transition is also needed – especially for highly emitting animal products,” said Harwatt.
Courtesy: Unsplash
The report makes several recommendations for national climate policies to implement a livestock sector compliant with our emissions goals:
Declare a peak livestock timeline: This would “ready the market” and enable suitable preparation by governments, businesses, investors and consumers. This time frame varies across countries with different incomes, as does the level of change required.
Revise NDCs and prepare to meet other relevant pledges: This includes multilateral processes like the relevant targets for 2030 under the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.
Use finance streams for mitigation, adaptation and biodiversity: In HICs, this can incentivise the restoration of carbon sinks on land currently used for livestock agriculture, while in LICs, it could help implement more climate-resilient, low-carbon agriculture sectors, as well as help prevent further land use change.
Align agricultural subsidies with climate goals: This involves taking a broader planetary health lens to ensure the maximum delivery of “public goods”.
Invest in a plant-based transition: Financing agricultural alternatives to livestock for a transition to more plant-based food systems is key. This includes diversifying and increasing the production of pulses, and increasing R&D efforts.
Undertake a national food system assessment: This is key to aligning policies and planning transitions to a livestock sector compliant with the Paris Agreement. It should include GHGs, land use, biodiversity and public health criteria, as well as the impacts of food and agricultural imports.
“How much and when livestock reduction should contribute to climate goals has until now been unclear – but these findings provide some clarity for policymakers grappling with these issues, and can help with the formation of plans to tackle climate change,” said Harwatt. “We’re way behind schedule on this, and technological solutions alone are inadequate. Difficult decisions are inevitable – and well-designed policy, communicated effectively, is essential.”
A leader in the European plant-based meat sector, Sweden’s Planted has launched a clean-label whole-cut steak leveraging a proprietary fermentation process, hitting flavour, health and climate touchpoints all at the same time.
Swiss vegan startup Planted has launched what it describes as a first-of-its-kind fermented steak alternative, after making a multimillion-dollar investment in a new fermentation facility in Kemptthal, Switzerland, which has created 30 technical and operational jobs.
The clean-label steak is the first product born out of the company’s whole-muscle platform, which facilitates the growth of muscle-like fibres through proprietary fermentation processes, and was the result of a CHF 2 million ($2.3M) injection by state-backed innovation agency Innosuisse, as part of the Swiss Accelerator Program.
A year on, Planted is rolling out its vegan steak in European foodservice, including in restaurants in Switzerland, Germany and Austria. The brand has plans to launch the product in retail as well as D2C channels later this year.
“In the research and development process, we have worked with over 50 gastronomy professionals to achieve a steak that is literally unreal, in taste, texture, application and overall eating experience,” said Planted co-founder Lukas Böni. “We are very proud that so many restaurants have added it to their menus already.”
Delivering on taste and health
Courtesy: Planted
The fermentation-derived steak is an extension of Planted’s range of clean-label meat alternatives, made from soy protein, rapeseed oil, bean and rice flours, and a blend of microbial cultures. However, it does mark a departure from the high-moisture extrusion process it employs to make its chicken, pork and duck analogues, instead leveraging a patent-pending solid-state fermentation process that lasts 30-40 hours.
“It’s a true game changer – not only for us, but also for the whole category,” said Böni. “No other plant-based steak on the market uses only natural ingredients, zero additives and displays features such as juiciness as well as tenderness.” Planted’s steak has 17g of protein (versus 25g for conventional steak), 182 calories (vs 271 calories), 0.9g saturated fat (vs 8g) and 5.8g dietary fibre (vs 0g), while containing 25% of the daily recommended value for iron, and 72% for vitamin B12.
This will appeal to consumers who are growing increasingly concerned about the health credentials and ultra-processing of plant-based meat products. A large pan-European survey last year found that health was the primary reason more than half of consumers were eating less meat, and the second biggest factor influencing their plant-based meat purchasing decisions, with 46% citing this consideration.
Meanwhile, meat alternatives are being linked to ill health as a result of their status as ultra-processed foods, which is also why 54% of Europeans avoid them, a separate poll has shown. It’s why brands are increasingly focusing on shorter ingredient lists and whole-food compositions in this sector.
But the health skew hasn’t taken away the limelight from taste – the most influential factor for purchasing plant-based meat – either. The fermentation process enables Planted to produce a meaty steak with “juicy tenderness”.
“Fulfilling very demanding culinary requirements, the Planted steak allows us chefs to focus on what we are best at: creating and sharing emotions,” noted Peter Schärer, executive head chef at Zürich restaurant Kronenhalle. “The Planted steak reacts beautifully to different cooking styles, already delighting and surprising our guests.”
This comment reflects why the brand is taking the foodservice-first approach, which enables it to fine-tune the product based on feedback from professional chefs before entering the retail market. “We’ve always worked this way,” Planted co-founder and CEO Pascal Bieri told AgFunderNews. “When we started, we were selling our chicken in foodservice channels and we were approached by [leading Swiss retailer] Coop. Shortly after that, Covid hit and basically all of our restaurant customers were temporarily out of business, but we were able to scale through Coop.”
Having secured $131M in total funding, the brand’s products are now in more than 8,000 foodservice and 8,700 retail locations across Europe, and it has emerged as the market leader in its home country, ranked number two in Austria, and is in the top five in Italy, and top 10 in Germany.
Planted to expand fermentation tech to other product categories
Courtesy: Planted
Planted ascribes these advances in flavour and nutrition to its fermentation technology. The company has laid out its aim to create multiple different product categories using its whole-muscle platform, and describes the steak as comparable to a full tenderloin.
Currently, it can produce 15 tons of steak per day, but is now scaling up its capabilities through the Kemptthal facility. “This investment in our expansion stems from a strategic decision to enhance our biotechnology footprint in Kemptthal – from labs to production,” said Böni. “We are proud to be one of the few innovators of plant-based meat that takes on all steps in the production process, from R&D to industrial production. The additional and new production site allows Planted a very fast turnaround from pilot stage to industrial production, significantly closing the time gap to market launch.”
He added: “Our aim is to introduce innovative products from our fermentation platform to the market fast, particularly our Planted steak, which utilises the most advanced and disruptive fermentation technology today in terms of scalability, taste and product quality.
Whole cuts have long been touted as the “holy grail” of plant-based meat, with a host of companies working on such meat alternatives around the world. This includes mycelium chicken and beef maker Meati, fermented steak company Chunk Foods (both US), alt-salmon startups Esencia Foods (Germany), Revo Foods (Austria) and New School Foods (Canada), mycelium chicken breast maker Libre Foods (Spain), and plant-based beef filet producer Juicy Marbles (Slovenia).
But even with the importance laid upon taste, texture and nutrition, Planted isn’t sidelining the sustainability aspect either. Its internal calculations show that the whole-cut steak analogue emits 97% fewer greenhouse gas emissions than a conventional steak product, while consuming 81% less freshwater as well.
Additionally, the new production site is shared by various food tech companies, and leverages ambient air as an energy source, which feeds the heat pumps to provide heating and cooling capabilities. This is estimated to save over 44,000 tonnes of CO2 over a 30-year period.
The fermentation-derived alternative protein sector outfinanced both plant-based and cultivated meat in the first half of 2023, and has breached the $4B threshold in all-time funding. With technologies like Planted’s, which can address multiple consumer pain points at the same time, the industry is poised to continue its rapid growth.
Diners on their way into Buffalo Wild Wings at Pier Park in Panama City Beach are in for an earful tomorrow, when “Hell on Wheels”—PETA’s life-size, hyper-realistic chicken transport truck covered with images of real chickens crammed into crates on their way to slaughter—will bombard them with actual recorded sounds of the birds’ cries along with a subliminal message every 10 seconds suggesting that people go vegan. The vexatious vehicle will deliver the horrors of the slaughterhouse straight to any patron thinking of chowing down on fried chicken over their lunch hour.
Where: Outside Buffalo Wild Wings, 701 S. Pier Park Dr., Panama City
When: Friday, March 15, 12 noon
Credit: PETA
“Behind every hot wing or bucket of fried chicken is a once-living, sensitive individual who was crammed onto a truck for a terrifying, miserable journey to their death,” says PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman. “PETA’s ‘Hell on Wheels’ truck is an appeal to anyone who eats chicken to remember that the meat industry is cruel to birds and the only kind meal is a vegan one.”
PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to eat”—points out that Every Animal Is Someone and offers free Empathy Kits for people who need a lesson in kindness. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow the group on X, Facebook, or Instagram.
With spring just around the corner and more people than ever ditching meat, eggs, and dairy over concerns about animals, their own health, or the environment, PETA is sharing a roundup of the most delectable vegan Easter recipes that don’t harm a hare on any animal’s head and make it a piece of vegan cake to host a holiday feast that everybunny can enjoy.
Hosts can get the party hopping with a mouthwatering vegan quiche made with a savory mix of tofu, crispy potatoes, and leeks or nosh to their heart’s content on flavor-packed deviled potatoes. They can impress dinner guests with a centerpiece-worthy sham “ham”—or skip the homemade roast and choose a scrumptious store-bought option, like Tofurky’s Plant-Based Ham Style Roast with Amber Ale Glaze. Andwe can’t forget dessert. This award-winning vegan carrot cake or Cadbury-style vegan chocolate eggs filled with rich coconut crème will satisfy any sweet tooth.
“With everything from decadent brunch options to animal-friendly Cadbury Creme Egg copycats, it’s never been easier to fill your plates and baskets with Easter treats that leave animals in peace,” says PETA Senior Vice President Colleen O’Brien. “PETA encourages everyone to celebrate the season of new beginnings by going vegan.”
Each person who goes vegan spares nearly 200 animals every year, shrinks their carbon footprint, and reduces their risk of suffering from cancer, heart disease, strokes, diabetes, and obesity. PETA offers vegan recipes for Easter brunch on its website and a free vegan starter kit filled with recipes and tips that can help anyone looking to turn over a new leaf.
PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to eat”—points out that Every Animal Is Someone and offers free Empathy Kits for people who need a lesson in kindness. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow the group on X, Facebook, or Instagram.
Traditions are important, and we can continue to enjoy them while making choices that are better for animals. This includes making all our favorite Easter dishes the vegan way—without animal flesh, eggs, dairy, honey, or anything else that was stolen from animals. Easter is a time to celebrate the renewal of life, so it makes perfect sense to choose animal-friendly foods.
Here are a few stunning vegan recipes to make this Easter.
Carrot cake is a sweet, spiced dessert that just screams springtime, so it’s a great choice for your Easter spread. This version features a decadent dairy-free buttercream frosting made with cow-friendly cream cheese and vegan butter.
Cows are loving, devoted mothers. But in the dairy industry, they’re separated from their babies so that their milk can be stolen from them. That’s why choosing vegan options is so important.
Tofu is a great base for this hen-friendly quiche, which can be made with vegan pie crust that’s homemade or store-bought. Feel free to make this recipe your own by adding your favorite veggies or even some pig-friendly vegan bacon.
Cadbury Creme Eggs may have been a staple of your childhood Easter celebrations—before you learned how painful and deadly the dairy industry is for cows who are used for milk chocolate. But luckily, these vegan crème eggs are a creamier, richer, and more delicious version.
Instead of making deviled eggs this Easter and harming chickens, try these deviled potatoes. They’re made with egg-free vegan mayo, Dijon mustard, and black salt (aka “kala namak”) for some added “egginess.”
Hens are loving mothers who cluck to their chicks while sitting on the eggs, and they chirp back to her and to each other from inside their shells. But the egg industry treats them like egg-producing objects, not individuals. In the U.S., the egg industry exploits more than 305 million hens each year, stealing their eggs, cutting off the end of their beaks with a hot blade, and killing their male chicks.
This sham “ham” is a showstopping centerpiece for your Easter celebration, with a sweet maple glaze that creates a golden-brown crust. Choosing this roast or a store-bought option like Tofurky’s Plant Based Ham Style Roast with Amber Ale Glaze spares the lives of countless pigs who are used for their flesh. Pigs are playful, intelligent, friendly animals who love many of the same things as humans, like listening to music, playing ball, and even getting massages. Keep them off your Easter table and make this delicious recipe instead:
These classic yeasted sweet buns are made without eggs taken from chickens or milk stolen from cows, so you can feel great about participating in this Easter tradition.
We love this super-innovative recipe for “rack of lamb” that no baby sheep were killed to create. Lambs leap with excitement, cuddle with their favorite toys, and love to play with their flockmates. They deserve to enjoy their full lives in peace, instead of being killed for Easter dinner when they’re less than a year old.
Plant-based meat leader Impossible Foods has unveiled a complete brand refresh, with striking red packaging putting flavour and nutrition front and centre of its products.
A greater spotlight on taste descriptors, saturated fat and sodium; larger imagery and typography; and a bright-red aesthetic headline the new packaging of Impossible Foods’ meat alternatives.
At Expo West, the Californian company is relaunching its brand identity that puts the spotlight on flavour and nutrition more than ever before, leaning into the results of countless consumer surveys about their plant-based meat preferences. The idea is to appeal to meat-eaters and flexitarians, who make up 90% of Impossible Foods’ customer base, instead of “vegans, vegetarians or those already eating sustainable diets”, as a brand spokesperson explained to Green Queen in December.
The refresh was teased by Impossible Foods CEO Peter McGuinness that month at an Adweek X conference, where he alluded to the fact that existing marketing strategies have pissed Americans off with their “elitism” and “wokeness”. “The way to get meat-eaters to actually buy your product is not to piss them off, vilify them, insult them and judge them,” he explained. “We need to go from insulting to inviting, which is a hell of a journey.”
Courtesy: Impossible Foods/Green Queen
And inviting is exactly the theme of its new packaging, which features more appetising-looking imagery, such as sausages with clearer grill marks and a single meatball showing off more of the product and less of the sauce. Through all this, Impossible Foods wants to push the message that “meat from plants is just as satisfying”.
“We want to be inclusive to anyone who enjoys great food. It doesn’t matter if you’re a vegan, a vegetarian, an animal meat-lover, or somewhere in between,” says McGuinness. “What we want to do is educate consumers that they can still enjoy meat by incorporating into their diet a version that’s made from plants instead of animals.”
If it ain’t broke…
The new brand identity is a result of a collaboration between Impossible Foods’ in-house marketing and creative teams, and global creative agency Jones Knowles Ritchie. The company says it intends to appeal to the “carnivorous cravings of meat-eaters” across the full consumer journey, from the digital experience to the brand’s first impression through packaging.
“We’re not just growing a brand, we’re growing an entire category,” said Leslie Sims, the brand’s chief marketing and creative officer. “For a long time, meat eaters didn’t see us as something for them. But our mission relies on attracting meat eaters, so we wanted to do what we could to be more inviting in our approach and messaging. We’re confident that once they try us, they’ll be in.”
Impossible Foods says it is the fastest-growing plant-based company in the US, which it ascribes to a multitude of factors, including consistently outperforming plant-based competitors on taste, being present in more than 30,000 retail and 45,000 foodservice locations, and having a broad variety of products with nutritional diversities (its portfolio includes an Indulgent Burger as well as ground Beef Lite). Its beef mince is the top-selling plant-based beef in the US across both retail and foodservice, while its meatballs and chicken nuggets are the bestsellers in their respective categories too.
Courtesy: Impossible Foods
So the question then is: why change what’s working? “Historically, this industry hasn’t spoken directly to meat-eaters, and something as simple as a green brand aesthetic visually reinforced a niche message. As a result, meat from plants has been written off as a vegetarian and vegan phenomenon,” a company spokesperson tells Green Queen.
“That’s why we’re taking this opportunity to expand the public perception and be more inclusive to flexitarian and meat-eating consumers – after all, the more people eating plant-based, the better the planet will be,” they add. “People might be surprised to know that 90% of Impossible consumers also eat meat, and more than one in two who try us for the first time intend to do so again. That means we’re already doing something right, and this evolution of our brand identity is a way for us to build on that success.”
Why Impossible Foods chose red
The company says the bold red colour is designed to “directly mirror the meatiness of our products and the fact they taste, cook and satisfy like meat from animals. It cites a recent ProVeg International study that found 54% of Americans and 56% of Brits associate red packaging for plant-based meat with superior taste.
Alongside green and purple, the research noted that red conveys “delicious flavours and culinary satisfaction”, and showcases “mouthwatering dishes, flavourful ingredients, or chefs’ endorsements”. But while there was a strong association of the colour green with plant-based meat (72% in the UK, 62% in the US), this was down to just 6% and 13%, respectively, for red.
Moreover, green outperformed red in almost all aspects, including health, nutrition and naturalness – crucially, red was the top colour linked with the perception that plant-based meats are tasty in both the UK and the US. However, ProVeg concluded that while packaging influences 65% of consumers’ willingness to buy meat alternatives at least some of the time, red was among the colours that didn’t excite them as much when thinking positively about these products.
Courtesy: Impossible Foods
But that could exactly be Impossible Foods’ point here. As one of the leaders in the plant-based sector, its brand identity is strong enough that a person in a supermarket sees the word ‘Impossible’, and knows it’s plant-based. As the brand has consistently said, though, it wants that person to be a meat-eater. And if they don’t associate red with plant-based meat, that’s a good way to sidestep any preconceptions they may have about the product.
McGuiness expands on this thinking, noting that “it’s a good time to evolve from a position of strength”. “We wanted packaging that lived up to and reflected the deliciousness of our products while really popping on the shelf,” he says.
Taste and nutrition top of mind for Impossible Foods
The new packaging doubles down on the flavour and health credentials of Impossible Foods. As a company that has always been steeped in the environmental benefits of meat alternatives – which is still a huge part of its brand – this reflects its willingness to adapt to consumer trends.
According to a Mintel survey from last year, the top two attributes discouraging Americans from trying plant-based meat are flavour (48%) and nutrition (35%). “Taste is the #1 reason why consumers will decide to purchase a product again or not,” the company told Green Queen in December. That said, health is becoming increasingly crucial, being the main reason six in 10 Americans adopt a meatless diet.
“Our intent with the new packaging – and the overall design of our new brand identity – is to lean into the craveability of meat,” reiterates the spokesperson. “Taste is, of course, a big part of this. Between the bold red aesthetic and new food photography highlighted on the front of each product, we’re deliberately putting the deliciousness of our meat from plants front and centre.”
Courtesy: Impossible Foods
They added that it’s equally important to Impossible Foods that meat-eaters understand its products are nutritionally competitive with animal-derived meat. “That’s why you’ll see we proudly display on the front of our packaging that Impossible products contain high-quality protein, 0mg cholesterol, and most have at least 25% less saturated fat than their animal counterparts,” they point out.
However, this doesn’t mean the brand is backing away from the sustainability message. “This is and always will be our reason for being, and it’s still featured on our packaging and across various touchpoints of the consumer journey,” the company explains. “However, we realised we can get even more consumers in the door by leading with our incredible taste and nutritional quality – then, we can seal the deal with the environmental benefits. With every converted consumer, we’re able to maximise our positive impact on the planet.”
New packaging aims to be inclusive
The new packaging will hit retail shelves across the US in the coming weeks, before expanding overseas later this year. The first new product to feature the updated red aesthetic will be the soon-to-launch Beef Hot Dog. Asked if this will be accompanied by a marketing campaign, the representative said: “Today is a big step for us, but the work is just beginning.”
The company has been in talks about a Got Milk?-style coalition of plant-based brands to amp up messaging and respond to criticism and negative coverage. Originally slated to launch this year, the plan has suffered setbacks. While there are no updates yet, McGuinness did recently say in a podcast that he believes “there is a collective opportunity to extol the benefits of the category”.
Courtesy: Impossible Foods
Impossible Foods’ immediate focus will continue to be on luring in new consumers and increasing brand awareness. Currently, only 15% of American households know about the company and its products. “The more welcoming we can be to consumers, the more we and the category stand to grow. That’s where this new brand approach comes into play, and our investment in marketing and advertising more broadly,” the spokesperson explains.
“With every move we make, we want to set the tone that we’re an inclusive brand. We don’t want people to feel judged for loving meat, and we need to show them they don’t have to change their lifestyle in order to help the planet or their health.”
One of 2024’s biggest plant-based trends continues to blossom, with Lightlife Foods launching Tempeh Protein Crumbles to rival its own vegan mince range amid a larger shift towards cleaner labels.
Long-standing plant protein maker Lightlife Foods has expanded its tempeh range with a crumble product as it seeks to take a slice of the red-hot whole-food plant-based meat market.
The new tempeh crumbles will complement Lightlife’s current lineup of tempeh strips and chunks, as well as its alternatives to sausages, hot dogs, bacon, deli slices, chicken tenders and ground beef. They’ll be available in two flavours: original and smoked chipotle.
“We’re excited to introduce more consumers to tempeh with our new Tempeh Protein Crumbles, a convenient and familiar form that can be used as a clean, vegan alternative to ground meat in any meal,” said Casey Richards, president of Lightlife’s parent company, meat giant Maple Leaf Foods USA.
Lightlife’s tempeh crumbles have more protein than its Smart Ground
Courtesy: Lightlife
Lightlife has been selling tempeh since 1979, and claims to be the top-selling tempeh brand in North America. This latest launch is in direct response to the ballooning demand for cleaner-label plant-based products, which is born out of consumer concerns about ultra-processed foods (which many plant-based meats are) and more nutritious meat alternatives.
“More and more consumers are seeking nutritionally dense, protein-rich foods that don’t rely on meat mimicry to delight them,” Richards said, and he’s not wrong. A poll by Mintel last year revealed that nutrition is the second-biggest reason (35%) for Americans’ unwillingness to eat plant-based meat (behind taste).
Likewise, a 1,022-person survey by the International Food Information Council (IFIC) found that health is the main reason Americans are vegan or vegetarian, with six in 10 choosing it. When it comes to alt-meat products, ‘healthy’ is the most appealing labelling description. Further research by ingredients giant Ingredion found that 78% of consumers are willing to spend more money on products with ‘natural’ or ‘all-natural’ packaging claims.
This is what Lightlife is banking on. Its own plant-based beef mince is made from soy protein, so with the new tempeh crumbles, it will hope to lure in consumers who are wary of the former’s ingredient list. The brand has previously attracted controversy over a marketing campaign called Clean Break, where it attacked Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods’ long ingredient lists to promote its own 11-ingredient burger – it was a move considered by many as unwise, given that this rhetoric was reminiscent of the narrative pushed by the conventional meat industry, which is where Lightlife’s parent company lies.
Its plain Smart Ground beef analogue, meanwhile, has 14 ingredients, but the original tempeh crumbles only have four: soybeans, water, lactic acid and brown rice. The latter also has more protein (16g per serving vs 11g) and fibre (6g vs 3g), which is sure to appeal to consumers – although how this affects Lightlife’s existing beef mince analogue range will be interesting to see.
Lightlife plays into exploding whole-food trend
Courtesy: OMNI
Tempeh was one of the ingredients mentioned in Whole Foods’ top food trends for 2024, alongside walnuts and legumes in a section titled Put the ‘Plant’ Back in ‘Plant-Based. Lightlife’s Tempeh Protein Crumbles are certainly on trend.
That IFIC poll mentioned above found that among different protein sources, those from whole-plant sources saw the biggest hike in consumption, with 28% of Americans eating them ‘somewhat’ or ‘much more’. Moreover, these foods had the second-lowest decrease (11%) in intake, behind plant-based meat and seafood analogues (10%).
It has led to a surge in whole-food plant-based product launches. Beyond Meat itself revamped its vegan beef recipe to include fava beans and red lentils in a recipe accredited by the Clean Label Project (though that initiative is more focused on screening products for environmental toxins and ingredient quality).
Last month, fast-casual restaurant chain Smashburger teamed up with jackfruit meat startup Jack & Annie’s to launch a new whole-food plant-based burger. Chipotle’s braised tofu (Sofritas) and Shake Shack’s veggie burger are other examples of popular restaurants embracing whole foods. The menu of Chipotle founder Steve Ells’ new vegan chain Kernel is also focused on whole foods.
And for Veganuary, Dave’s Hot Chicken released its first meatless options in the form of cauliflower sliders and bites, while Hard Rock Cafe in Broadway rolled out a menu with cauliflower wings and a mushroom primavera pasta. Even across the Atlantic, Veganuary brought about the return of Burger King’s black bean burger, while Leon launched a gut-healthy bhaji wrap with courgettes, peas and broad beans.
Pizza Express, meanwhile, introduced a new calzone packed with vegetables, and fellow pizzeria Zizzi focused on Fable Foods’ pulled shiitake mushroom meat for its Rustic pizza. Pret A Manger spotlit mushrooms too, with a VLT featuring mushroom bacon rashers and a bánh mì championing sticky BBQ roasted mushrooms as the meat, just as Wagamama released a lion’s mane steak. In all these cases, whole-food options were their only new offerings for Veganuary.
And just this week, Hong Kong-based OmniFoods kickstarted the launch of its own whole-food plant-based OMNI Garden line, starting with a lion’s mane mushroom steak. With an increasing number of innovations in this space, can Lighlife’s tempeh crumble the negative sentiment towards plant proteins?
With Easter just around the corner, PETA has launched a sky-high appeal along the bustling Route 441—down the road from Publix and several other grocery stores—reminding viewers that pigs are thinking, feeling individuals who don’t want to die for their holiday roasts. PETA is encouraging everyone to choose delicious vegan feasts—including a recipe for crowd-pleasing sham ham—this Easter and beyond.
“Pigs are playful, intelligent, and loving beings who value their lives and don’t deserve to have their bodies carved up for food any more than we do,” says PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman. “PETA encourages everyone to celebrate their holidays with compassion by choosing a delicious vegan roast that leaves pigs in peace, not in pieces.”
In the meat industry, workers chop off piglets’ tails, clip their teeth with pliers, and castrate the males. At the slaughterhouse, workers shoot pigs in the head with a captive-bolt gun, hang them up by one leg, and cut their throat—often while they’re still conscious. Each person who goes vegan spares nearly 200 animals every year and reduces their own risk of suffering from cancer, heart disease, strokes, diabetes, and obesity. PETA’s free vegan starter kit is filled with tips to help anyone looking to make the switch.
PETA’s billboard is located at 10018 Spanish Isles Blvd. near Publix, Doris Italian Market & Bakery, and The Fresh Market.
PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to eat”—points out that Every Animal Is Someone and offers free Empathy Kits for people who need a lesson in kindness. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow the group on X, Facebook, or Instagram.
With tens of thousands of people flocking to the Anaheim Convention Center this week for Natural Products Expo West, we look at some of the standout plant-based and future food products being unveiled at the trade show.
Tuesday marked the start of Expo West, one of the world’s largest trade events for the food industry. Over five days, thousands of companies will exhibit new innovations and offerings to attendees in Anaheim, California, with the event serving as a launchpad for many products’ routes to market.
Last year, over 3,000 brands participated in the show, with more than 65,000 visitors. Needless to say, it’s a big deal for companies hoping to gauge consumer sentiment about upcoming launches. With that in mind, here are some of the most exciting plant-based and future food products on display at Expo West 2024.
Plant-based milk and cheese go big
Courtesy: Armored Fresh
Non-dairy products have an expansive presence at Expo West 2024. At booth #3994 in Hall D, vegan cheese giant Violife is exhibiting what it says is the ‘first-ever’ bakeable non-dairy cream cheese as part of a build-your-own bagel stall and cheesecake offering, while booth #3899 will see Armored Fresh sample its oat-milk-based Cheddar and Pepper Jack slices in grilled cheese sandwiches. In the North Hall, meanwhile, olive oil cheese producer Good Planet Foods will be showcasing new vegan sharp Cheddar and smoked Gouda slices at booth #507.
Plant-based milk brand MALK Organics is launching a cashew milk and shelf-stable oat and almond milk SKUs this quarter, which will be previewed at booth #335 in the North Hall as well. Another milk launch comes from TiNDLE Foods, marking its alt-dairy debut with a barista oat milk at booth #4905 in Hall E.
Likewise, Milkadamia (booth #691 in Hall A) and THIS PKN (#100 in the North Hall) will showcase their launch macadamia- and pecan-based creamers, respectively.
In the precision fermentation dairy sector, Bored Cow (#1249 in the North Hall) will unveil a new product made using Perfect Day’s animal-free whey protein, while Vivici (booth #4495 in Hall D) will be promoting its beta-lactoglobulin protein.
Breakfast in the spotlight with vegan eggs and meat alternatives
Courtesy: Yo Egg
This year, breakfast foods are in. Fresh from announcing its retail launch, Yo Egg will be exhibiting its vegan sunny-side-up and poached eggs at booth #609 in the North Hall. In the same area, AcreMade will showcase its plant-based scrambled eggs made from pea protein at booth #1336.
It’s a big year for vegan bacon too. Expo West attendees will be able to taste the seaweed bacon from Umaro Foods, which just closed a $3.8M funding round and will present its bacon bits and a bacon, egg and cheese sandwich at booth #211 near the entrance arena. Likewise, MyForest Foods will be sampling its bacon (made from oyster mushroom mycelium) at #1123 in the North Hall, and Prime Roots will offer its koji mycelium bacon at #4695 in Hall D.
Dinner favourites shine with mushrooms
Courtesy: Konscious Foods
Apart from its brand-new oat milk, TiNDLE Foods is also launching its vegan stuffed chicken at its Expo West stall. And Hong Kong-based OMNI is unveiling the US’s first lion’s mane mushroom steak product to kickstart its new whole-food OMNI Garden range at booth #2101 in the North Hall.
Mycelium meat maker Meati, meanwhile, is showcasing its carne asada and chicken analogues at #4981 in Hall E. Shroomeats will be doing the same with its mushroom-based burgers and meatballs at #4199A in Hall D, and Pan’s will exhibit its mushroom jerky at North Hall booth #333.
If you’re looking for sushi, by the way, Konscious Foods is launching three new products at Expo West: a salmon avocado roll, a kimbap, and smoked salmon (a Nexty Award Finalist at the event). You can find the brand in Hall E at booth #5679.
Sweet treats and future foods show promise
Courtesy: MeliBio
In the dessert realm, OMNI is introducing a new line of dessert-themed baos in four flavours at its booth. Voyage Foods, meanwhile, has partnered with Rudi’s Rocky Mountain Bakery to offer allergen-free PB&J sandwiches with its peanut-free peanut butter at both #2338 in the North Hall.
Mid-Day Squares will demo its newest functional plant-protein-powered chocolate in the form of a crunchy peanut bar, which visitors can taste at booth #5783 in Hall E. While you’re there, check out Minus‘s beanless coffee cans in cold brew and vanilla oat milk latte flavours at LA Libations’ booth #5535.
Finally, MeliBio is launching a new flavour of its plant-based Mellody honey, keying into the ultra-popular hot honey trend with a Spicy Habanero variant at its North Hallbooth #445.
These are just a handful of plant-based and future food innovations being spotlit at Expo West – check out the full list of exhibitors here.
Natural Products Expo West 2024 is running from March 12-16 at the Anaheim Convention Center in California.
Starbucks’ virtual shareholder meeting on Wednesday, a PETA representative and a longtime shareholder will each hammer executives with a request that the company avoid “potential costs” and “reputational damage” by moving to end its egregious, longstanding upcharge on the vegan milks that it has acknowledged are better for the planet. A PETA representative will also be speaking in support of the group’s proposed shareholder resolution calling for a report into whether Starbucks is actually losing sales—along with damaging its image and its self-branding as an environmentally conscientious company—with the upcharge.
PETA supporters call on Starbucks to end its vegan milk upcharge. Credit: PETA
“Every nondairy milk fee at the register shows Starbucks for what it currently is: a greedy corporation putting profits over animals, the planet, and customers’ health,” says PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman. “PETA is demanding that Starbucks put its money where its mouth is by ending this shameful upcharge, which would be no tall order.”
PETA’s campaign has netted the support of SirPaul McCartney as well as Succession actor James Cromwell and celebrity chef Babette Davis, who both superglued their hands to café counters at Starbucks stores in protest of the upcharge. Cromwell also starred in an inventive ad spot in which he portrays a greedy, fictional Starbucks executive who exploits eco-conscious customers by charging them up to 90 cents more for vegan milk. PETA is using geofencing technology to push the spot into the web browsers of Starbucks executives at the company’s headquarters and customers at its Reserve Roastery in Seattle.
On Friday, a 13-year-old PETA supporter named Evan was arrested at a Starbucks in Winter Garden, Florida, during a peaceful sit-in as part of the campaign to end the vegan upcharge. Evan and his family were joining other PETA members at the protest when police asked them to leave—and dramatic video showsthat he was complying when officers grabbed him, shoved him face-down onto a table, and handcuffed him.
PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to abuse in any way”—points out that Every Animal Is Someone and offers free Empathy Kits for people who need a lesson in kindness. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow the group on X, Facebook, or Instagram.
The full shareholder questions follow.
PETA Question:
I have a question on behalf of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.
There was a time when lawsuits against coffee retailers were limited to hot-coffee spills, but those days are long gone. Shareholders may not realize it, but more and more complaints and lawsuits are being filed against coffee retailers—including Starbucks—for reasons that include customer exploitation, humane washing, and discrimination.
Dunkin’ is being sued for $5 million over claims that the coffee chain discriminates against lactose-intolerant customers and violates the Americans with Disabilities Act by charging extra for nondairy milk. The lawsuit also includes claims under state disability discrimination laws in California, Colorado, Hawaii, Massachusetts, New York, and Texas—the states where the plaintiffs are located.
The global plant-milk market is anticipated to grow from $20 billion to $51.87 billion by 2032. Some of the main factors for growth cited are shifting dietary habits, rising rates of lactose intolerance, and environmental issues caused by dairy farming.
Given the projected growth in vegan milk consumption as well as the litigious climate in which coffee retailers increasingly find themselves, why does Starbucks insist on continuing to impose an upcharge on nondairy milks in lieu of avoiding potential costs and reputational damage by simply dropping it?
Donor Question:
I have been a longtime customer and shareholder of Starbucks. I remember when Starbucks was one of the first coffeehouses to offer plant-based milks. This was decades ago. Access to and consumer demand for plant milk have never been stronger. Plant milk is much healthier for us than cow’s milk, and there are no cruelty-to-animals concerns with plant milk. Furthermore, climate scientists around the world recommend that people drop dairy to cut pollution and stave off global warming. It’s time that Starbucks rewarded people, not penalized them, for opting out of dairy. I would like to ask this: Why won’t Starbucks U.S. charge people extra for dairy instead of vegan milks?
