With Easter just around the corner, PETA has launched a sky-high appeal on busy U.S. Route 290—close to Golden Corral, IHOP, and other meat-centric restaurants—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 12340 Northwest Fwy., near Golden Corral, IHOP, Pappas Bar-B-Q, Gordon Food Service Store, Food Town, and Target.
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.
Few things can wipe a smile from someone’s face faster than the thought of animal suffering, so why do adults still ask kids to say “cheese” before snapping a photo? As children across the country line up for school picture day this spring, PETA is calling on the compassionate members of Gen Alpha—who are increasingly ditching dairy in favor of vegan options—to replace the outdated, anti-animal prompt with one that is inclusive and doesn’t trivialize cruelty to animals. The group is launching a thought-provoking new video appeal that reminds viewers what “cheese” really means: “calf-cow separation,” “repeated forced impregnation,” and “dehorning and tail docking.”
In a letter sent to several school photo companies, PETA urges them to stop imposing the problematic phrase on kids and instead focus on using animal-friendly wording that truly makes young people smile, including “please,” “bees,” and “nutritional yeast” (an ingredient used to make delicious vegan cheeses).
“No one would feel like smiling if you asked them to say, ‘Babies slaughtered for veal,’ but that’s precisely what happens in the dairy industry, which routinely snatches newborn calves away from the anguished mother cows it exploits as milk machines,” says PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman. “PETA is encouraging this empathetic generation and people of all ages to call the shots by using animal-friendly language we can all smile about.”
Gen Alpha is sending the demand for vegan food skyrocketing. One study finds that 31% of them are consuming oat milk and other animal-free foods several times a week. Even studies funded by the dairy industry, including one that shows that up to 34% of kids are asking their parents to buy them vegan foods, noted that the generation is fueling a massive surge in the popularity of dairy-free products.
PETA’s investigations into dairy facilities have found workers electroshocking cows in the face, hitting them with poles and a cane, and abusing them in other ways. Once cows’ bodies wear out after repeated pregnancies, they’re sent to slaughter. Each person who goes vegan saves nearly 200 animals each year and improves their own health, since vegans are less prone to heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and strokes.
PETA points out that words matter, and as our understanding of social justice evolves, our language evolves along with it. Just as it became unacceptable to use racist, homophobic, or ableist language, phrases that trivialize cruelty to animals will vanish as more people begin to appreciate animals for who they are and start removing speciesist language from their vocabulary.
PETA’s previous work to replace other outdated, speciesist phrases include encouraging the baseball world to swap the term “bullpen” for the bovine-friendly “arm barn” and for everyone to adopt new animal-friendly idioms such as “feed two birds with one scone” and “bring home the bagels.”
The new video—which was codirected by Christian Carl and Jon Walley with Philadelphia-based production company Format—already has nearly 700,000 views online and counting.
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.
Hong Kong-based OMNI is exhibiting two new products at this week’s Natural Products Expo West in Anaheim, California (March 12-16): a lion’s mane mushroom steak that’s part of its new whole-food OMNI Garden range, and a line of dessert-themed baos.
OMNI is the latest brand to lean into the thriving whole-food plant-based trend, with the company ready to showcase its new OMNI Garden range. It will be part of its participation at Expo West, which starts today and features a large plant-based presence.
At the trade fair, it will unveil a vegan steak made from lion’s mane mushrooms as the first OMNI Garden offering, marking the first new product launched by OMNI since the debut of its Luncheon 2.0 SKU in Hong Kong. In the US, this will be its first new offering since it introduced savoury baos in early 2023. Following that theme, OMNI will also exhibit a range of dessert baos in four flavours alongside the new steak.
“OMNI is dedicated to pushing the boundaries of plant-based food and delivering remarkable culinary experiences,” said OMNI co-founder and CEO David Yeung. “We are thrilled to unveil the Lion Mane’s Mushroom Steak at Expo West, and we believe it will become the new generation of fungi innovation and revolutionise the way people perceive plant-based alternatives.”
Expo West gets a taste of OMNI’s lion’s mane steak and sweet baos
Courtesy: OMNI
The OMNI Garden series celebrates vegetables through a range of bowls, patties and other products, with the brand hoping to provide “an exceptional gastronomic experience” that boasts natural flavours and nutritional benefits.
While Big Mountain Foods makes lion’s mane burgers and crumbles, OMNI’s offering would mark the first vegan steak product made from these mushrooms in the US. It follows the launch of Wagamama’s limited-edition lion’s mane steak in the UK for Veganuary this year.
“The OMNI Garden series is a testament to our commitment to innovation and our mission to create exceptional plant-based products,” said Yeung.
OMNI’s sweet bao series, meanwhile, features four flavours: molten chocolate, matcha, red bean, and black sesame. And the company will hope this launch can build on the success of its savoury Teriyaki and Korean BBQ baos, which are now available at over 1,200 Albertsons banner stores.
Apart from the new products, the plant-based startup is collaborating with chefs from vegan eatery MANEATINGPLANT Los Angeles, who will take over its tasting booth to showcase dishes using OMNI’s products.
It caps off a year where the Hong Kong-headquartered company strengthened its market foothold, most notably with a partnership with Neat for its vegan fish, which won a gold award for Best Vegan Fish in Vegan Food & Living’s Product Awards 2023. OMNI also revamped its packaging design and received two Best In Class honours from PAC Global Awards in New York.
OMNI leans into growing whole-food plant-based trend
Courtesy: Burger King
This year has seen a magnified focus on whole foods in the plant-based sector. Last year, a survey showed that, among different protein sources, those originating from whole plants experienced the sharpest rise in consumption among Americans between 2022 and 2023, with 28% eating them ‘somewhat’ or ‘much more’. Additionally, these foods had the second-lowest drop (11%) in intake, behind plant-based meat and seafood analogues (10%).
Just earlier this year, fast-casual chain Smashburger partnered with jackfruit meat producer Jack & Annie’s to debut a new burger, while for Veganuary, Dave’s Hot Chicken released its first meat-free options with cauliflower sliders and bites, and Hard Rock Cafe in Broadway introduced a menu with cauliflower wings and a mushroom primavera pasta.
Chipotle’s braised tofu (Sofritas) and Shake Shack’s veggie burger are further examples of popular restaurants embracing whole foods, as is Chipotle founder Steve Ells’ new vegan chain Kernel, whose menu is focused on whole foods too. Meanwhile, Beyond Meat has revamped its recipe to include fava beans and red lentils.
In the UK, too, Veganuary was all about whole foods. Burger King relaunched its black bean burger, Leon went for a gut-healthy bhaji wrap with courgettes, peas and broad beans, Pizza Express presented a new calzone packed with vegetables, and Marugamu Udon unveiled a pumpkin katsu curry option to its menu.
Additionally, as mentioned above, Wagamama highlighted lion’s mane mushrooms – but it was far from the only company doing so. Pret A Manger rolled out a VLT with vegan bacon rashers made from roasted shiitake and chestnut mushrooms, as well as a bánh mì featuring sticky BBQ roasted mushrooms as the meat. Also taking to the mushroom meat trend was Zizzi, whose new Rustic pizza featured Fable Foods’ pulled shiitake mushrooms.
Hot dawg—victory! Following years of PETA campaigns, Oscar Mayer will be releasing vegan wieners and vegan sausages. NotHotDogs and Italian- and bratwurst-style NotSausages—from a collab between TheNotCompany (NotCo) and Oscar Mayer—will be available nationwide in grocery stores this spring. The products consist of ingredients like pea protein, bamboo fiber, and mushrooms. PETA relishes applauding this major mark of progress after persistently urging the company—behind the scenes and publicly—to make vegan versions of its products.
Chasing Wienermobiles: Urging Oscar Mayer to Make Vegan Hot Dogs
PETA’s campaign pushing Oscar Mayer to offer vegan products has included chasing the company’s Wienermobiles for years. Animal advocates in pig masks have caused them to pack up and dash off from events early, but after the catalytic converter was stolen from one of the vehicles, we offered to replace it—if the company would offer vegan wieners.
The Wienermobiles traverse the country, enticing people to try Oscar Mayer meats, which can set them on the road to developing life-threatening health problems. Long before the flesh-carrying conveyance nearly brought about its own demise by crashing into a suburban home, we trailed it around the country as it conducted a talent search for children to sing the Oscar Mayer theme song. At one stop, our “pig” even managed to clamber aboard the mobile meat mover, and he was poised to take the fiberglass frank for a spin when he was apprehended by the authorities.
We also own stock in Oscar Mayer’s parent company (Kraft Heinz) and have spoken up at its annual shareholder meetings, urging it to shut down its dirty, cruel slaughterhouses and convert to producing vegan foods. Nearly 70,000 people signed our action alert urging the company to make vegan hot dogs.
The compassionate collab between NotCo and Oscar Mayer is, frankly, a definitive victory: Our constant campaigning for Oscar Mayer to make this move paid off.
Why Oscar Mayer Must Keep Offering Vegan Choices
Every year, Oscar Mayer sells countless hot dogs made from the flesh of cows and pigs raised in horrific conditions and violently killed in slaughterhouses.
Every living, feeling cow or pig is someone, not something. Cows are intelligent, have good memories, and develop close friendships. They mourn the deaths of their loved ones, sometimes shedding tears over their loss. The bond between mother cows and their calves is particularly strong, and there are countless reports of mother cows who continue to call and search frantically for their babies after workers take them away.
Pigs are clever, friendly, loyal, and intelligent. They’re clean individuals who avoid soiling their living areas, and, given the opportunity, they love playing for hours, lying in the sun, and exploring their surroundings with their powerful sense of smell. But when pigs and cows are exploited in the meat industry, they’re robbed of everything that’s natural and meaningful to them.
What You Can Do
It’s easy to make kind choices, including buying vegan hot dogs and vegan sausages. Try PETA’s free vegan starter kit:
Diners on their way into Brick City Southern Kitchen & Whiskey Bar 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 Brick City Southern Kitchen & Whiskey Bar, 10 S. Magnolia Ave., Ocala
When: Tuesday, March 12, 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.
Ahead of the annual White House Easter Egg Roll, PETA sent a letter to Dr. Jill Biden today asking the first lady to modernize the celebration by replacing eggs with dyed Easter potatoes. PETA notes that an annual “White House Potato Roll” would please everyone who doesn’t eat these cholesterol bombs for health, cultural, religious, or environmental reasons or because they don’t want to support filthy factory farms, where hundreds of millions of hens are confined to cages smaller than a letter-size sheet of paper, unable to stretch even one wing. In starch contrast, potatoes are cheaper and healthier than eggs and leave birds in peace.
Photo Credit: Simplistically Living
“Children love animals and would be sad to learn that the eggs used for fun and games at the White House come from tormented hens whose lives are spent in cages that afford them less space than a standard sheet of typing paper,” says PETA President Ingrid Newkirk. “Easter should be a time of renewal and joy for all sentient beings—and that means hens, too.”
PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to eat or abuse in any other 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.
PETA’s letter to Dr. Biden follows.
March 11, 2024
Jill Biden, Ed.D.
The White House
Dear Dr. Biden:
I’m writing on behalf of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), the world’s largest animal rights organization, with more than 5 million members and supporters in the U.S., to respectfully suggest an appeeling way to modernize the White House Easter Egg Roll—one that would be truly inclusive and welcomed by every tot who doesn’t eat eggs for religious, cultural, or environmental reasons or because they object to the way animals, including hens whose reproductive systems are exploited for eggs, are raised and killed these days. Instead of promoting the deleterious factory farming and slaughter industries, will you please initiate the annual White House Potato Roll?
Easter is not a time of renewal or joy for chickens on egg factory farms. It can take up to 36 hours in typically hellish conditions for a hen—who spends her entire life in a cage smaller than a letter-sized sheet of paper—to produce just one of the thousands of eggs slated to be used at the White House Easter Egg Roll. In starch contrast, a potato roll wouldn’t exploit any sentient beings and would encourage empathy and kindness to animals while supporting potato farmers in the U.S. Potatoes are the most popular vegetable in the country and can be safely dyed, allowing for spudtacular traditional activities, such as rolling them, seeking for them, and decorating them. You could even hold potato sack races and games of hot potato!
Amid the worst avian flu outbreak in history, in which almost 82 million birds—most of them egg-laying chickens—have been slaughtered, and during a period of rising egg prices, we’re rooting for you to leave a legacy of kindness by starting this new Easter tradition.
We wish you and your family a very happy Easter and look forward to hearing from you.
With Easter Sunday on the horizon, PETA’s hopping all the way to Capitol Hill with a presidential request. We’re calling on first lady Jill Biden to shake things up at the White House’s annual Easter event by rolling in a new starchy ceremony.
Artist Rendering
Nip Tired Traditions in the Spud
The White House Easter Egg Roll is a tired tradition, and there’s a way to make it far more appeeling for everyone: by using potatoes instead of eggs. Beloved in all their wonderful forms, potatoes are an American staple that make for the perfect spudstitute for the thousands of eggs used in the event—plus, these plentiful plants aren’t stolen from exploited hens.
Artist Rendering
Easter should be a time of renewal and joy for everyone, including chickens. But chickens suffer in the cruel, environmentally destructive meat and egg industries, which raise and kill millions of sensitive birds each year. Farms that use “free-range” or “cage-free” labels confine chickens to cramped, filthy sheds, where they can’t even stretch their wings, root in the soil, or breathe fresh air. Farmers often cut off the tips of chicks’ sensitive beaks with a hot blade to prevent anguished, frustrated birds from pecking at each other.
In starch contrast, a potato roll would support U.S. potato farmers and teach tots that our fellow animals are sensitive, feeling beings who deserve respect. Chickens form complex social hierarchies and can recognize more than 100 individuals of their own species. They feel pain and fear, just as humans do.
Rooting for Change
Potatoes, the most popular vegetable in the country, can be dyed, decorated, rolled, and used for a festive treasure hunt. They can even be used to welcome other new traditions, such as games of hot potato and potato sack races.
Promoting healthy, nutritious animal-free foods would also speak volumes about Dr. Biden’s efforts to improve research into women’s health. Studies have shown that going vegan can reduce the risk of developing breast and ovarian cancer.
Take Action for Chickens This Easter—Go Vegan Now
Did you know that you can spare nearly 200 animals (including chickens) per year just by going vegan? That’s right—going vegan saves lives. The best part? PETA will help you do it:
Earlier today, a 13-year-old PETA supporter named Evan was arrested for peacefully protesting Starbucks for charging extra for the vegan milks that it agrees are better for the planet. Evan and his family were joining other PETA members in a sit-in at the Starbucks at New Independence and Hamlin when police asked them to leave—and dramatic video showsthat Evan was complying by gathering up “Starbucks: Stop Vegan Upcharge” signs when officers grabbed him, shoved him face-down onto a table, and handcuffed him while his pregnant mother, Shannon Blair, pleaded, “Don’t touch my child! What are you doing to my child?”
Credit: PETA
Evan is still in police custody. His stepfather was also arrested and is being held at an adult facility. Blair is trying to secure her son’s release.
“Watching as my son was torn away from me, restrained, and hauled away gave me a glimpse into the horrors of the dairy industry, which takes calves from their crying mothers so that it can sell off their milk,” says Blair. “My family was simply asking Starbucks to stop penalizing customers for choosing a kinder option. There was no reason for violence.”
Cows used for dairy are repeatedly artificially inseminated—workers insert an arm into the animals’ rectum and a metal rod to deliver semen into their vagina—and then sent to slaughter when their bodies give out. Despite publicly admitting that dairy is the biggest contributor to its carbon footprint and acknowledging the positive impact that dairy-free milk options have in furthering its environmental goals, Starbucks continues to charge as much as 90 cents more for them, lagging far behind its many competitors that offer vegan milk at no additional charge. Charging extra for vegan options also perpetuates dietary racism, given that 80% of Black and Indigenous Americans and more than 90% of Asian Americans are lactose intolerant.
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.
On International Women’s Day (March 8), 74-year-old grandmother and renowned chef Babette Davis made headlines by supergluing her hand to the counter of a Starbucks store in Inglewood, California in support of PETA’s campaign against the chain. But why such a dramatic gesture?
The issue at hand—pun intended—is that the coffee giant continues to charge extra for the vegan milks it agrees are better for the planet and that don’t rely on the exploitation of mother cows and their calves. Davis, along with PETA and supporters including James Cromwell and Sir Paul McCartney, is urging Starbucks to align its actions with its stated environmental goals by ending its upcharge policy.
In the U.S., cows are the primary source of emissions of the greenhouse gas methane, which is 80 times more potent than carbon dioxide in warming the atmosphere. In addition to driving the climate catastrophe, the dairy industry tears calves away from their beloved mothers so that the milk meant to nourish them can be sold to humans. Once the cows’ bodies wear out after repeated pregnancies, they’re sent to slaughter.
“By incentivizing dairy, Starbucks is helping to prop up an industry that is built on the subjugation of females, is environmentally destructive, and penalizes the millions of Americans who are lactose intolerant, most of whom are people of color like me. My friends at PETA and I are calling on Starbucks to take its social responsibilities seriously and stop prioritizing profits over the health of the planet and our communities.” – Chef Babette Davis
Despite publicly admitting that dairy is the biggest contributor to its carbon footprint and acknowledging the positive impact that dairy-free milk options have on furthering its stated environmental goals, Starbucks continues to charge as much as 90 cents more for these products, lagging far behind its many competitors that offer vegan milk at no additional charge. In the Czech Republic, Germany, Poland, and the U.K. as well as at the majority of its stores in France, Starbucks has already dropped the vegan milk upcharge, and its stores in China, India, and elsewhere offer at least one vegan milk option at no additional cost.
As a prominent figure in Inglewood, California, where she operates her popular restaurant, Stuff I Eat, Davis is deeply invested in promoting health and wellness, particularly among Black communities. She sees Starbucks’ pricing policy as a barrier to access for those seeking healthier, animal-free alternatives, especially considering that 80% of Black and Indigenous Americans and more than 90% of Asian Americans are lactose intolerant.
Join Chef Babette in Stirring the Pot!
As the world celebrates women’s achievements, let’s rally behind those like Davis, whose actions speak volumes for a more just and sustainable future for all species. Please join us in demanding change at Starbucks. After all, a better world begins with each of us taking a stand.
Celebrity chef and 74-year-old grandmother Babette Davis has superglued her hand to the café counter at the Starbucks store on W. Century Boulevard in Inglewood on International Women’s Day in support of PETA’s campaign calling out the coffee giant for charging extra for the vegan milks that it agrees are better for the planet—and which don’t rely on the exploitation of female cows. It’s being livestreamed on Facebook here.
“By incentivizing dairy, Starbucks is helping to prop up an industry that is built on the subjugation of females, is environmentally destructive, and penalizes the millions of Americans who are lactose intolerant, most of whom are people of color like me,” says Davis. “My friends at PETA and I are calling on Starbucks to take its social responsibilities seriously and stop prioritizing profits over the health of the planet and our communities.”
The dairy industry tears calves away from their beloved mothers so that the milk meant to nourish them can be sold to humans. Once their bodies wear out from repeated pregnancies, they’re sent to slaughter. In addition, the dairy industry is driving the climate catastrophe. In the U.S., emissions from cows are the primary source of the greenhouse gas methane, which is 80 times more potent in warming the atmosphere than carbon dioxide.
Despite publicly admitting that dairy is the biggest contributor to its carbon footprint and acknowledging the positive impact that dairy-free milk options have in furthering its environmental goals, Starbucks continues to charge as much as 90 cents more for them, lagging far behind its many competitors that offer vegan milk at no additional charge. Charging extra for vegan options also perpetuates dietary racism, given that 80% of Black and Indigenous Americans and more than 90% of Asian Americans are lactose intolerant. PETA supporters—including Succession star James Cromwell—have held “glue-ins” at the Starbucks café at the company’s Seattle headquarters and at the Starbucks store in New York’s Times Square to protest the upcharge. Sir Paul McCartney has also written to former and current Starbucks CEOs asking them to end the pro-dairy policy.
Davis—who’s also the visionary restaurateur behind the Inglewood hotspot Stuff I Eat—has frequently shared how a healthy vegan lifestyle has kept her fit and active well into her 70s and has been featured on national television shows, including The Doctors, Inside Edition, The Chew, and The Steve Harvey Show.
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.
The German Society for Nutrition has updated its dietary guidelines to recommend halving meat consumption, limiting dairy intake, and eating more plant-based foods – the latter should make up at least 75% of your diet.
Months after committing funds in its 2024 budget for a plant-based transition, Germany’s new dietary guidelines reflect the country’s attitude towards the future of food. Echoing the EAT-Lancet Commission’s Planetary Health Diet, the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Ernährung (DGE) has outlined the importance of plant-forward eating habits.
The new dietary guidelines recommend that Germans eat less meat, less dairy, fewer eggs, and more plant-based foods – both for their own health, as well as the planet’s. It’s based on a new mathematical optimisation model, based on the idea that the larger a food group is, the more you can eat from it.
The DGE suggests that a “health-promoting and ecologically sustainable diet” comprises more than 75% of plant-based foods, and less than a quarter of animal-derived ones. “If we want to eat a healthy diet and at the same time protect the environment, we have to change our diet now,” said DGE president Bernhard Watzl, who is also the head of the Food-Related Nutrition Recommendations working group.
A new wheel emphasising plant-based foods
Courtesy: Deutsche Gesellschaft für Ernährung
The new dietary guidelines are based on a model the DGE developed with experts from multiple disciplines, which calculates the quantities for specific food groups and generates an optimal consumption solution. The recommendations are aimed at adults aged 18-65 who eat both plant-based and animal foods, and have no special dietary needs.
A nutrition wheel illustrates what a healthy and sustainable diet looks like, according to the DGE’s revised guidelines. Drinks represent the largest food group – this essentially means water and unsweetened tea. This is followed by fruits and vegetables; legumes, nuts and seeds; and grains and potatoes. Animal-derived foods like milk and dairy products, fish, meat and eggs make up the rest of the wheel, representing less than a quarter of the total.
The guidelines suggest eating at least five fruits and vegetables daily, with an emphasis on seasonality, colours and variation. Essentially, the idea is that Germans eat more of these every day – and those who don’t eat meat are recommended to up their intake of plant-based whole foods. What they should be eating less, though, are animal-derived foods. The daily recommended value for milk has been reduced from three portions to two. This computes to 500g of dairy in total, which could mean two glasses of milk, a two slices of cheese, or two 150g pots of yoghurts.
As for meat and seafood, the guidelines have cut weekly values from a 300-500g range to a maximum of 300g, with an additional 30g set aside for sausages. The DGE points out how eating “too much beef, pork, lamb and goat meat – and especially sausages made from them – increase the risk of cardiovascular disease and colon cancer”.
Meanwhile, legumes and nuts have their own section for the first time, with Germans recommended to eat 125g of the former weekly, and 25g of the latter daily. The guidelines also suggest eating whole grains over processed, and vegetable oils over animal fats like butter. Moreover, processed foods high in sugar, fat and salt have been removed from the wheel, owing to their links to obesity, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease.
This is all consistent with a 2023 review of 37 health studies by researchers in Germany, which revealed that switching from processed animal products to whole-foods plant-based diets can significantly reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes and death. Replacing 50g of processed meat with 28-50g of nuts daily can lower the risk of death by 21% from any cause, while the likelihood of cardiovascular disease – by far the leading cause of death globally (responsible for a third of all deaths) – can be reduced by 25% if 50g of processed meat is replaced by nuts or legumes per day.
A lack of focus on plant-based alternatives
Courtesy: Veganz
While the new recommendations have been welcomed by many, questions have also been raised about certain aspects of the guidelines. Anna-Lena Klapp, senior nutrition and health specialist at ProVeg International, noted that the food-based dietary guidelines classes beans, legumes and nuts as a separate, but very small, food group.
“This does not recognise the important role that beans and legumes have to play in transforming our food system,” she wrote on LinkedIn. “Legumes are an inexpensive source of protein, vitamins, complex carbohydrates, and fibre, and are also highly beneficial for sustainable agricultural practices. We really need to increase the role of legumes in our diets.”
And while the updated guidelines mark a departure from Germany’s previous stance of advising against veganism, Klapp called the exclusion of plant-based alternatives to meat and dairy “a missed opportunity”. A 2022 study revealed that 40% of dietary guidelines assessed from 100 countries contain data and recommendations on vegetarian and vegan diets, and 45% mention meat and dairy analogues in the guidelines.
“Crucially, plant-based alternatives to popular animal products play an essential role for people transitioning to a more plant-based diet as these products often closely resemble the foods people are used to and like,” she explained, adding that these guidelines should help identify which vegan alternatives can and can’t be part of a sustainable and healthy diet.
“They should differentiate between plant-based alternatives that can be consumed frequently, and those that should be eaten in moderation or seen as merely for enjoyment,” she noted, pointing out that there are similar recommendations in most guidelines for animal-based products, with Dutch and Swedish recommendations the standouts here.
The DGE doesn’t completely overlook these products, however. It mentions plant-based milk, noting that these can be used as long as they’re fortified with sufficient amounts of calcium, vitamin B2 and iodine (which most major offerings in the category are). In an FAQ section on its website, the German Society for Nutrition explains that the nutrient profile of plant-based meat, seafood and dairy “often differs greatly from that of animal foods”, adding: “Based on the usual consumption habits in Germany, the complete or partial replacement – especially of milk and fish – with plant-based alternatives without appropriate substitution can lead to nutrient deficiencies.”
However, it does note that animal-derived foods have a higher climate footprint than plant-based products, contain cholesterol, and usually have more saturated fatty acids. “Therefore, they should complement the selection of plant-based foods in a balanced diet,” the DGE notes.
Germans are already eating less meat
Courtesy: Getty Images via Canva
The German dietary guidelines cater to what is regarded as Europe’s largest group of flexitarians (estimated to be between 40-55% of the total population). A large EU-backed survey last year revealed that 59% of Germans were already eating less meat in 2022 than the year before – the joint-highest reduction in the EU.
Meanwhile, health was the biggest reason for buying plant-based meat and dairy (with 47% citing it), and given the country’s status as Europe’s largest plant-based market, it’s why Klapp called the non-inclusion of vegan alternatives odd. But the DGE explains that its mathematical optimisation model accounts for the average diet in Germany, stating that the reason animal-origin foods are included is because they’re already frequently consumed.
“The new optimisation model can simultaneously take into account several dimensions of the environment, such as greenhouse gas emissions and land use, when calculating the amounts of food consumed,” explained Anne Carolin Schäfer, a nutritionist in the DGE Science Department.
In any case, the consumption of plant-based foods will continue to grow in Germany, with retailers like Lidl, Kaufland, Aldi and the Rewe Group all making vegan analogues of meat and dairy the same price as or cheaper than their conventional counterparts. Last week, Burger King announced a similar move, with all its plant-based menu items now cheaper than meat. Meanwhile, the German government has earmarked €38M in its 2024 Budget to promote alternative protein consumption and a switch to plant-based agriculture, as well as open a Proteins of the Future centre.
“Eating mainly fruit and vegetables, whole grain cereals, legumes, nuts and vegetable oils does not only protect your health,” said Watzl. “The production of animal foods such as meat and dairy products, on the other hand, pollutes the environment more strongly, and a high level of meat consumption is associated with a higher risk of the development of certain diseases.”
Other countries that have recently realigned their nutritional guidelines to better focus on plant-based foods include the Nordic nations, Taiwan, and Canada. France, meanwhile, is facing calls to do the same.
Today is International Women’s Day, a day all about raising visibility and awareness of women’s rights, and celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. Even though the climate crisis seems too tall a mountain to climb sometimes, so many women are using their voices and pushing for change through food, the most powerful tool of action. Today, we celebrate these women, and what their plant-based companies are doing to change the world.
Hannah Carter and Polly Trollope founded OGGS, a UK-based vegan egg and baked goods company, in 2019 – since then, it has saved the equivalent of five million chicken eggs.
Kimberlie Le is the co-founder of Prime Roots, a mycelium meat company that makes deli meats, charcuterie and bacon from koji, and was named one of Forbes’ 30 Under 30 for social impact in 2021.
Aleah Rae Montague is the co-founder of Meat the Mushroom, which makes Shroomacon, a clean-label vegan bacon from king oyster mushrooms, and shot to fame on Shark Tank earlier this year.
Another Shark Tank company that’s making vegan bacon is Umaro Foods, whose co-founders Beth Zotter and Amanda Stiles are using seaweed to make plant-based proteins.
Based in Indonesia, Helga Angelina Tjahjadi is the co-founder of the country’s first plant-based meat company, Green Rebel Foods, and vegan restaurant chain Burgreens.
Vinita Choolani is founder of Singapore’s Float Foods, the maker of Asia’s first plant-based whole egg, OnlyEg. It recently secured a food safety certification for its Halal-certified facility to offer its tech to other manufacturers looking to ditch eggs.
Astrid Prajogo is the founder and CEO of China’s HaoFood, which makes meat alternatives using peanut protein. Its latest innovation is vegan xiaolongbaos (soup dumplings), with the peanut meat replacing the traditional minced pork filling.
Liron Nimrodi is the co-founder and CEO of Zero Egg, an Israel-based plant-based egg company that is available in multiple countries now, including the US.
Deniz Ficicioglu is the co-founder of Berlin-based BettaF!sh, which makes vegan tuna using European seaweed.
Tanja Bogumil is the co-founder of fellow German startup Perfeggt, which is making pea-protein-based liquid vegan eggs that you can use in scrambles, carbonara and pancakes.
Oyebola Adeyanju is the co-founder of Nigeria’s first plant-based food tech company, Veggie Victory, a Black-owned business rooted in its gender-balanced and social fairness values.
Christie Lagally founded Rebellyous Foods in 2017, and has shaped the company into a leader in the vegan chicken sector.
Courtney Boyd Myers is the co-founder of Akua, a New York-based startup that makes seaweed burgers from sustainable ocean-farmed kelp and has previously been named one of Fast Company’s World Changing Ideas for Food.
Hailey Swartz is co-founder of Actual Veggies, a fellow New York company that makes chef-crafted, whole-food plant-based burgers, made from sustainably sourced crops from regional farmers.
Canadian scientist Sujala Balaji is the founder of Rainfed Foods, a food tech company making plant-based milks from millets.
Monica Talbert is the co-founder of The Plant Based Seafood Co, an all-female, family-owned brand making fish- and crustacean-free crab cakes, scallops and shrimps.
Kerry Song is the founder of US plant-based meat brand Abbot’s Butcher, whose product range includes ground beef, chopped chicken, chorizo, and a burger.
Michelle Lee is co-founder at Lypid, a vegan fat company whose first innovation, PhytoFat, was used in a vegan pork belly, and is now part of plant-based meatballs suitable for multiple cuisines.
Hema Reddy is the founder of US company Crafty Counter, which makes WunderEgg, a range of plant-based boiled and deviled eggs, and egg patties.
And Marissa Cuevas Flores and Fanny Villiers are co-founders of MicroTERRA, a Mexican startup leveraging the power of duckweed to make plant-based proteins and ingredients, with its latest innovation aimed at sugar reduction.
This is by no means an exhaustive list – just a snapshot of all the female-founded companies doing incredible work for their communities, human health, and the climate crisis. Here’s to all the women in the world. More power to you and everything you do. Happy International Women’s Day!
A recent trial revealed that serving plant-based options by default in college and university campuses can present significant benefits for the environment – the people behind the study explain why.
Last year, catering giant Sodexo revealed the results of an intervention study at three college campuses in the US. Led by behavioural science non-profit Food for Climate League (FCL) and dietary change think tank the Better Food Foundation, the trial explored what would happen if cafeterias offered plant-based dishes as a default option over meat-centric ones.
The researchers found that, when only vegan dishes were presented to college students – with a separate sign informing them that they could order a meat-based one instead – there was a significant uptick in the adoption of plant-based foods, a decrease in meat consumption, and an improved climate footprint.
With an estimated 235 million students eating around 148 billion meals each academic year, the greenhouse gas emissions add up. But if you serve them vegan food by default, it can result in as many as 81.5% more students eating plant-based meals in cafeterias, which in turn can reduce 23.6% of GHG emissions.
This is because meat’s emissions are twice as high as plant-based foods, with research suggesting that the latter can reduce emissions, water pollution and land use by 75% compared to meat-rich diets. “Having plant-based foods isn’t a buzz or a trend, it’s a need and a demand that we deliver with creativity and flavour,” Sodexo’s US Campus CEO, Brett Ladd, said at the time.
“We also recognise that reducing our animal-based food purchases is a key part of our carbon reduction strategy,” he added. “Having the plant entrée as the default demonstrated that people are open to trying and enjoying plant-based options with the added benefit of helping the planet.” The caterer has committed to making 50% of its campus menus plant-based by 2025, as part of a wider net-zero strategy for 2040, which it says is running ahead of schedule.
How default plant-based options change eating habits
Courtesy: Food for Climate League
The trial was carried out in three universities: Tulane University in New Orleans, Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York. The researchers assessed one dining hall station, that contained eight pairs of dishes (one plant- and meat-based each): the control day saw both options being presented side-by-side, while on the intervention day, only the plant-based dishes were put out, with students needing to request the meat version if they wanted.
During the design phase of the intervention, Foor for Climate League collaborated with Sodexo and the Better Food Foundation to identify test sites with a range of demographics, develop a recipe rotation specifically for the test, and keep the testing timeline to under one semester. “We also opted to test defaults at dining hall stations that already serve entrées containing meat in order to reach the widest number of students,” explains FCL design researcher Stephanie Szemetylo.
The research was the latest in a host of choice architecture studies, but was described as the first of its kind, given it covered multiple universities in an all-you-can-eat setting. In absolute terms, there was a 58.3% combined increase in the number of plant-based dishes served across the three campuses. On average, the take rate of vegan dishes jumped from 26.9% to 57.6% on days when they were the default option, but at Tulane and Lehigh, the change was even more pronounced, with the figure climbing up to 81.5%.
The researchers took into account a spillover effect, which indicates that students who would have visited an intervention station on a control day avoided it on the plant-based default day in search of meat options elsewhere in the dining hall. But even if all of them got a meat-based meal, there would still be around a 21% reduction in meat dishes served overall as a result of the intervention.
Why default plant-based options in cafeterias work
Courtesy: Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
So why does this work? “There are many aspects to our environments that impact our decisions, whether we are aware of them or not. Editing the choices you present to people, and how they are presented, can impact the choices they make,” explains FCL founder Eve Turow-Paul.
Reflecting on the study, she notes: “We showed that a very slight change in the way menu options are offered can have a major impact on food choices, ultimately leading to selections that are better for the planet. In addition, this change was, for the most part, celebrated by both patrons and the serving staff.”
Szemetylo adds: “Most importantly, the success of defaults relies heavily on the proper implementation of the intervention by dining hall operators, line cooks, and servers. With incorrect implementation, the impact of the default on dish choice vanishes.” At Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, for example, there were inconsistencies in implementation, which meant that there was barely any improvement in plant-based intake (it went from 26.3% to 27.2%).
There has also been a lot of discourse around using the term ‘plant-based’ versus ‘vegan’. In 2018, research revealed that for the 2,201 Americans surveyed, ‘vegan’ is the most unappealing descriptor for groceries, chosen by 35%. A year later, analysis showed that terms like ‘plant-based protein’ (56%) and plant-based (both 53%) are much more appealing than descriptors such as ‘vegan’ (35%).
“The goal with any food label is to be as inclusive as possible,” explains Szemetylo. “A very small percentage of the global population is vegan. A larger portion of the population will eat foods that are plant-based. And an even larger population will eat foods considered to be healthy, sustainable, or just plain delicious.”
She continues: “It’s important to consider your audience when labelling foods. At a college campus, ‘plant-based’ may perform well, while in other settings, it may ostracise many… Generally speaking, we recommend focusing on flavour over all else. ‘Vegan’ speaks mostly to those who hold that identity and seek visual cues on menus and food products to identify what is animal-free. Unfortunately, that term may turn off those who are not vegan, as it can signal that the menu option is not intended for them.”
‘Underseasoned tofu’ a thing of the past
Courtesy: Tulane University
Turow-Paul suggested that foodservice and campus chefs are very interested in decarbonising their menus, but there are a few key hurdles. “Often, sustainability advocates – from corporate offices to government agencies – are siloed in their work. We need all staff to see sustainability as their responsibility, whether it’s in their titles or not,” she says.
“Second, while there are many how-to resources on ways to make these changes, the motivation and emotional engagement are often missing, which is a challenge that FCL’s work aims to tackle. Third, the resources are limited, especially on-site staff, so any support we can provide to make this easy for them will help.”
But despite openness from staff and students alike to shift towards plant-forward choices, the study found that eating and serving meat continues to be the social norm in campus dining, signalling an untapped opportunity for interventions – like defaults – to change consumption behaviour. Szemetylo believes that “the myth that sustainable meals don’t taste good” is holding decarbonisation efforts back.
“Often, we speak with chefs who think that in order for their food to be climate-friendly, it has to be less flavorful, and that ultimately, people won’t want to eat it. Nothing could be further from the truth,” she states. “Eating more sustainably means greater diversity in ingredients that are full of flavour. We need to move past this idea that we’re asking everyone to serve under-seasoned kale and tofu.”
Embrace cultures, understand audiences, and educate staff
Courtesy: Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
FCL has developed a follow-up pilot to its research, which comprises motivational training for front-line staff and an implementation toolkit for foodservice operators. “We have already secured some initial funding, but are looking for an additional $80,000 to get this work off the ground, and another $120,000 to run the pilot, analyse the results, and widely disseminate our findings and tools,” says Turow-Paul. “Beyond that, we are always looking for implementation partners, be they foodservice operators, city leaders, consumer packaged goods companies, retailers, and more.”
Szemetylo explains that leaders across business, public policy, and institutions must begin to understand and leverage the role of food in mitigating emissions and improving human health. “We need all kinds of people to understand the success of this simple yet effective behaviour change strategy – from eaters, to plant-based advocates, behaviour change researchers, food industry decision-makers, and anyone who is interested in encouraging sustainable food choices.”
The study identified key opportunities for foodservice operators. Adopting a plant-based default serving approach even at just one station can improve the sustainability credentials of their sites, but engaging staff early to facilitate more accurate implementation, and leveraging their relationship with diners is key. The researchers also confirmed that gender plays a role in meat consumption norms, with women more open to adopting plant-based options – so understanding audiences is key.
Plus, caterers can increase satisfaction with vegan dishes by leveraging local food culture and maximising verbal and visual dish appeal. For example, the meals used in the trial include lentil patties with mushroom Valencia casserole, tofu bulgogi rice bowls, sesame-ginger tofu tikka masala, veggie burritos, and lentil, olive and mushroom spaghetti.
Sodexo has begun implementing a shift to plant-based defaults in its universities, having built the Plants-by-Default model into its core station’s pre-selected menus from the fall 2023 semester, which are provided to over 400 university dining operations. “We undertook this study to help nudge Sodexo’s own operations to adopt plant-based defaults more widely across our operations, and we are already seeing the direct large-scale impact on institutional dining that we set out to achieve,” said Lisa Feldman, director of culinary services at Sodexo.
“Foodservice leaders need to integrate defaults as part of their climate action plans and decarbonisation targets,” says Szemetylo. “To do so – and I cannot stress this enough – we need to support on-site staff in the implementation. Every site has its unique culture and constraints that influence how defaults can translate.
It’s critical to engage with on-site staff to share the purpose of defaults, co-create solutions with them to implement defaults in ways that provide the least amount of disruption to day-to-day operations, and build intrinsic motivation so that onsite staff can become sustained stewards of these strategies.”
Chicago-based meat company Oscar Mayer, a subsidiary of Kraft Heinz, is launching a line of plant-based hot dogs, as part of an ongoing collaboration with NotCo. They will debut at Expo West next week.
The two-year-old joint venture between Kraft Heinz and Chilean food tech company NotCo is launching its first plant-based meat product range: a vegan hot dog under the former’s Oscar Mayer brand.
The NotHotDogs and NotSausages, which will be previewed at the Natural Products Expo West in Anaheim (March 12-16), mark Oscar Mayer’s first foray into plant-based meat, and the fourth innovation born out of the Kraft Heinz Not Company venture.
“We know people are hungry for plant-based meat options from brands they know and trust,” said The Kraft Heinz Company CEO Lucho Lopez-May. “In launching the joint venture’s first product in the plant-based meat category, we saw an opportunity to satisfy these consumer cravings, leveraging NotCo’s revolutionary AI technology and the power, equity, and legacy of the Oscar Mayer brand.”
Oscar Mayer’s vegan sausages put flavour over everything
Courtesy: The Kraft Heinz Not Company
The plant-based wieners will come in original, Bratwurst, and Italian sausage flavours, and hit US supermarkets in Q2 this year. They’re said to replicate the ‘snap’ of the outer casing and the savoury, smoky taste experience associated with Oscar Mayer’s conventional products.
It’s big news for three reasons: Kraft Heinz is the third-largest food company in North America, Oscar Mayer has been making meat products for over 140 years, and the release of a product in a category that has struggled of late is a sign of confidence in the plant-based industry.
Retail sales of meat analogues dipped by 11% to just over $1B in the year ending January 28, 2024, with volume down by 16.5%. It has coincided with plant-based giants like Quorn and Beyond Meat losing sales (though the latter is doing better than expected), startups like New Wave Foods, Ordinary Seafood and Nowadays being forced to shut, and innovators like Meati and Impossible Foods enforcing staff cutbacks.
Many companies have rejigged their product formulations and lineups to better serve consumer needs, but The Kraft Heinz Not Company said vegan hot dogs and sausage links remain underdeveloped and under-consumed, pointing to a gap in taste and texture expectations for consumers. This is why the Oscar Mayer vegan wieners – made from bamboo fibre, mushroom, pea protein and acerola cherry – are all about a taste-first approach.
Multiple studies have shown that flavour continues to be the main factor drawing consumers to plant-based meat, as well as pushing them away. One global poll from 2022 found that the taste and texture of meat alternatives are as important as conventional meat products for more than 75% of consumers. Last year, a Mintel survey found that taste is the biggest reason putting off Americans from trying meat analogues.
Yet another study revealed that taste is the top consideration for Americans when making grocery decisions, and the top barrier for trying plant-based meat (or purchasing it again, for that matter). And an earlier poll by food giant Kerry found that 73% of consumers feel vegan alternatives should mimic the taste of conventional meat.
This is what Oscar Mayer is honing in on with its new vegan sausages. “What the consumer is expecting is a product replica, a product that looks and performs like the animal-based item,” Lopez-May told Axios, noting that the products will be the “first ones in the bun-length space”.
Speaking to Bloomberg, he added: “Being able to borrow the flavour note, the flavouring systems, and incorporate those into a completely different matrix — it’s a massive technological accomplishment.” It’s a nod to NotCo’s tech platform, which leverages artificial intelligence and machine learning to find the right combinations between thousands of different plant-based ingredients to replace animal-derived foods.
Can consumers shake off the price tag?
Courtesy: The Kraft Heinz Not Company
Oscar Mayer’s announcement comes three months after Impossible Foods said it would roll out a plant-based beef hot dog later this year as well. That product was very much skewed towards the health aspect, and for good reason: hot dogs are the epitome of processed food, with such processed meats categorised as a Class 1 carcinogen by the World Health Organization. Impossible’s product contained 50% less fat, twice the protein and zero cholesterol compared to an animal-derived hot dog.
However, there has been a lot of clamour around plant-based meats, ultra-processed foods and their links to ill health. The overprocessed nature of vegan analogues can be off-putting to many consumers, especially at a time when health is the main reason six in 10 Americans eat meatless diets. But a survey of 2,000 Americans in October found that 82% of consumers eat UPFs, and 43% don’t believe they’re bad for health.
Additionally, nearly two-thirds (65%) would be open to incorporating UPFs in their diets if additional health or nutritional benefits were listed on-pack, which rises to 85% for parents with children under 18. And in any case, Oscar Mayer’s plant-based hot dogs will likely be geared towards flexitarians who are looking to cut down on their meat consumption.
So how do they compare to the company’s own beef franks? The NotHotDogs have 17% fewer calories, 44% less total fat, and 67% more protein, although their sodium content is 40% higher. The Kraft Heinz Not Company stresses that flavour is still the main focus – given they serve as an entry point to the plant-based category – and the sodium can eventually be lowered. “We wanted to make something that tastes great,” Kraft Heinz R&D president Robert Scott told Bloomberg.
The vegan products will also be slightly more expensive, with the NotHotDogs priced at $5.99 for a four-pack, and NotSausage at ($7.99). In contrast, its bun-length franks cost $4 for an eight-pack. But there’s evidence that consumers could shell out: 67% of Americans say they’d willing to pay more for UPFs with more nutritious ingredients that deliver better health benefits, irrespective of their household income.
The new Oscar Mayer plant-based hot dogs and sausages join a crowded category that already includes Field Roast, Tofurky, Lightlife, Upton’s Naturals and MorningStar Farms, and was estimated to be an $828M market last year. But the company will hope that its taste credentials help it stand apart. “At The Kraft Heinz Not Company, our goal is to create mouthwatering, plant-based foods that are delicious and accessible for everyone – from the devoted vegan to the plant-based curious,” said Lopez-May.
The vegan wieners follow the launch of NotCheese Slices, NotMayo and NotMac&Cheese – a plant-based version of the famous Kraft dinner – which leverage the market expertise and distribution channels of Kraft Heinz and the AI-led technology and innovation of NotCo.
Having already entered a new sector in plant-based meat, The Kraft Heinz Not Company now plans to expand into further categories, and has already begun expanding internationally.
Beyond Meat enjoyed a bit of a small rally recently, especially after its latest earnings call. However, there has been a lot of negative discussion about Beyond Meat and its stock price over the past year, which indeed continues to struggle.
Is the negativity justified? Is it accurate? Is the product to blame? Is it CEO Ethan Brown? Below, I share the ten reasons investors of all culinary persuasions might be wrong about BYND.
1. Ceci N’est Pas Un ‘Consumer Staple’
Beyond Meat’s IPO valuation was more aligned with tech companies during the dot-com bubble than with consumer staples/food companies, per the image below. This proved to be a real Achille’s heel for the stock, as tech companies trade at higher multiples and have faster growth trends. Food products are not SaaS, and these companies tend to have much slower growth than their tech counterparts. The markets eventually corrected for this, bringing the company’s stock price way down.
2. Path to Profitability: No P/E, No Love‘
The media loves a founder with a ‘save-the-world’ dream. From Steve Jobs to Sergey Brin, Silicon Valley has trained us to love a visionary. Beyond’s CEO Ethan Brown may indeed make his vision a reality of shifting the global food system away from livestock meat eventually, but Wall Street analysts don’t want to hear about a future dream. They want to see consumer demand, revolutionary IP, and, more than anything else, a realistic path to profitability.
Financial analysts usually rely on a P/E ratio (share price per earnings) to evaluate a company’s performance and in the case of Beyond Meat, which has not achieved profitability yet, the ratio is negative, leaving analysts flummoxed. Additionally, analysts want to see revenue growth, not revenue declines, as is the case for Beyond Meat. Add to this that most Street analysts may not see the need to shift away from an animal meat food system, and it’s not hard to see why the stock has been battered by downgrade ratings.
3. Consistency For The Win. Confidence For The Bigger Win.
If analysts aren’t interested in the plant-based dream and are deprived of their crucial revenue growth and P/E metrics, how exactly can they analyze a company accurately and provide fair stock ratings? The answer is earning calls. Wall Street analysts tend to look to the CEO to accurately guide for financial expectations: Will the company be profitable? And if so, by how much? And when? They expect the CEO to be able to know their business well enough to accurately predict growth (or loss) from three months to a year out.
Much of Wall Street is about managing expectations. Consistently hitting quarterly expectations in earnings calls gives analysts confidence that the CEO is in control of the business. Consistently missing quarterly expectations and not being able to right the ship quarter after quarter will do the exact opposite. This is what happened to Beyond Meat for too many quarters in a row.
4. ‘I Have a Dream’ vs. ‘Show Me The Money
Dreams are great but profitability is the holy grail. Beyond Meat IPOed during the exuberant 2019 bull market. The stock rose 163% in one day of trading, the largest bump for an IPO stock since the 2008 crash. While institutional investors make up 85% of the market, it’s the retail investors that got really excited about BYND, and this resulted in the stock’s price being driven way up. Irrationally so, some might say. Ever since, the company has struggled to show analysts a convincing path to profitability.
As of the last earnings call, the Street seems to have regained some confidence in Brown as a CEO and the stock in general. While U.S. sales were down, the company still beat expectations and sales were down less than expected ($73.7 million rather than $66.8 million in the fourth quarter of 2023). This is 10% better than expected for the US. Further, international sales were up 22% in retail and 34% in foodservice.
The stock was rewarded for this, but losing less sales than expected is hardly revenue growth. Even in forecasting out for 2024, the best the company could do was state that it would hold steady at around $345M, and lose no more. Not exactly growth. The company hasn’t been able to hold on to all of its gains, but there was a moment when it rallied for the company. So why did The Street react positively?
5. It’s The Spending, Stupid
What was so different about the Feb 27th earnings call? Well, Brown shared that in 2023 the company brought operating expenses down to $107.8 million for the year, compared with $320.2 million in 2022, a two-thirds reduction in spending!
It appears The Street had been waiting to see this kind of leadership from the company since its IPO. Could Beyond Meat run a fiscally responsible company?
BYND was up 31% the day after the earnings call (Feb 28th, 2024), trading at $9.83, up from $7.52. It then surged 106% in after-hours trading. As of writing ten days later, it is $8.07.
Less interested in big visions around the future of protein, analysts had been hoping for a solid balance sheet and a realistic path to profitability, or at least stopping the bleeding, controlled spending and management focused on the numbers, not the dream- all of which Beyond delivered.
6. What’s Up with Consumer Demand? Inflation.
While some vegans claim that Beyond Meat’s cleaner labels are the reason why the company is having trouble, the more likely explanation for declining domestic sales is inflation. The average grocery shopper is facing skyrocketing food prices.
The Beyond Meat brand is intended for meat eaters looking to make a smarter choice for themselves and the planet. With the cost of its plant-based patty up to double that of a heavily subsidized livestock meat burger, it’s no secret why mainstream consumers can’t afford them on a regular basis.
The company appears to be working hard on price parity, but it’s key not to ignore food inflation’s role when looking at the whole financial picture. According to the industry think tank the Good Food Institute, what matters most to alternative protein consumers is taste, price, and convenience. I have come to believe it is price, price, and price.
7. Covid, (Supply) Chains and China, Oh My!
Often missing from Beyond Meat analysis is the bigger contextual picture. Since going public in mid-2019, the company has faced Covid-related complications (including restaurant closures), supply chain disruptions due to wars and pandemics, China’s economic crash, global inflation, and general societal angst. Even one of these externalities would challenge a healthy company- and yet Beyond has weathered all of these simultaneously. To still be standing and on the way to profitability is a testament to the young public company’s staying power. Can it continue to weather the storm?
8. Big Meat vs. Beyond Meat
In the past 18 months, the mainstream media has been relentless in its attacks on the plant-based meat sector. While many see the negative narratives as directed against the entire industry, in reality, as the only public company in the space, Beyond Meat bears the brunt of the hits and it’s undoubtedly had an outsized impact on the stock performance.
Lately, a slew of reports and investigations have detailed how Big Meat lobbyists are behind the attacks. Will analysts start to price in the cost of this misinformation? Most likely not. It is not their problem. The sector and the company are going to have to continue to deliver against misinformation by lowering prices and critical innovation.
9. Innovate or Die
All is not lost. Given the choice between innovating and dying, Beyond Meat has chosen to innovate. Despite expenses decreasing by two-thirds in 2023, the company released new ‘clean label’ products: AMA-certified cholesterol-free plant-based steak tips and a new burger patty made with avocado oil and fava beans that offers its consumers the same taste at a fraction of the saturated fat content.
The company is making it clear that it is hyper-focused on what works (healthier versions of its star products) and unattached to what doesn’t (Beyond Jerky, ending a distribution agreement with PepsiCo that didn’t perform well) as it journeys to profitability. This is what Wall Street wants to see.
10. So What Now?
A few things are transpiring. Firstly, coming off of COP28 and the push for financing food system change fast, the Street is beginning to process what many in the plant-based industry have known for years: food tech IS climate tech. Society won’t achieve its collective global net zero goals without investing in meat reduction, given the livestock sector’s emissions footprint. Beyond Meat’s future trajectory is inextricably linked to this reality.
Secondly, if Ethan Brown can continue to manage earnings call expectations, then analysts may welcome the CEO they want to see: an Ethan Brown dialed into the priorities of The Street; marching towards profitability, fiscal control, a commitment to products at price parity with meat and innovation-led R&D.
No doubt, the company has a long way to go to get a justified stock price rally that can last, but with operational spending cuts and potential profitability on the horizon amidst the environmental messaging finally taking hold in the financial community, it may be a step closer to turning a corner.
Burger King has made all plant-based products and meals cheaper than meat across its German operations to encourage increased vegan consumption. It will develop a new flower-shaped patty with The Vegetarian Butcher to differentiate beef burgers.
Burger King Germany has made a groundbreaking move to make veganism more accessible to customers, with all plant-based dishes now cheaper than those containing meat.
It has unveiled a new motto, ‘Plant-Based for Everyone’, to coincide with the announcement, which will see the markup for its vegan items like the Whopper, chicken nuggets and Long Chicken sandwich be reduced by 10 cents.
It’s a landmark decision: the fast-food chain says it has the largest vegan range in German QSR, with a meat-free (sometimes vegetarian) alternative to almost every menu option. The price cuts play into consumer trends in the country, with a large EU-backed survey last year revealing that 39% of Germans find plant-based alternatives too expensive, making price the biggest purchase barrier.
“Since the mid-1990s, we have been investing in vegetarian alternatives and have shown that fast food doesn’t always have to mean meat. As a pioneer, we offer by far the largest plant-based range in the German foodservice industry – and now even with a price advantage,” said Burger King Germany CEO Jörg Ehmer. “We are thus providing a strong impetus to try out plant-based options. Our goal: to offer guests freedom of choice – without compromising on taste.”
A new flower-shaped vegan beef patty
Courtesy: Burger King Germany
Alongside the price reductions, Burger King is working with Unilever-owned plant-based meat brand The Vegetarian Butcher on a new flower-shaped patty for its vegan beef burgers, which will be rolled out in the coming weeks. This is meant to help distinguish between the conventional beef and plant-based options, and follows the development of a breading with parsley sprinkles to differentiate between its chicken patties and nuggets.
The Vegetarian Butcher has supplied plant-based beef and chicken analogues to Burger King since 2019. Their partnership exists in multiple markets, including the UK, Indonesia, China, the UAE, Mexico and Costa Rica (in the US, the fast-food chain works with Impossible Foods).
For Veganuary, it launched the Veggie King Deluxe, which the company says was “very successful”, and now, it plans to develop more plant-based products for its menu. It cements Burger King’s vegan leadership in the European fast-food space, with a report last year noting that it has the highest number of plant-based mains across the leading chains in Europe.
“We are the first choice in terms of plant-based options in the foodservice industry, and continue to drive the growing trend towards alternative protein sources in Germany,” added Ehmer. “For this, we are not only developing our products and processes further, but also focusing on greater product variety and easier access.”
The company has established a credo for all its plant-based products: ‘0% meat. 100% flavour.’ This focus on taste is smart, given that flavour is the top motivating factor for choosing plant-based alternatives in Germany, with 55% citing it.
Burger King follows consumer trends in Germany
Courtesy: Burger King Germany | Composite by Green Queen
Burger King Germany’s price cuts for plant-based meat represent a shrewd move, considering that it is the largest vegan market in Europe, and with a growing willingness to cut back on meat consumption. In fact, 59% of Germans reported eating less meat in 2022 than the year before – the joint-highest in the EU.
This makes sense when you realise that Germany has the largest flexitarian population in Europe, with the EU survey putting that figure at 40%. An earlier USDA report, however, says as many as 55% of Germans follow a flexitarian diet. Burger King Germany’s marketing head Klaus Schmäing has previously said that flexitarians are the company’s main target.
“The large group we want to address are flexitarians,” he said. “But beyond that, of course, also vegetarians and vegans.” (The EU poll found that Germany had the second-largest vegan population in the region too, at 4% of the population.) And last year, Burger King Germany revealed that one in every five Whoppers it sells are plant-based, and likewise for nearly one in four Long Chickens.
So the demand is clearly there – and it’s something the government has identified too, having earmarked €38M in the 2024 federal budget to promote alternative protein consumption and a switch to plant-based agriculture, as well as open a Proteins of the Future centre.
“With this decision on the protein transition, the coalition is taking a big step towards the transition to a sustainable food system laid out in the coalition agreement,” said Ivo Rzegotta, senior public affairs manager for Germany at the Good Food Institute Europe, an alternative protein think tank. “The agreed funding measures for research and transformation will put Germany on the path to becoming a leader in this emerging field.”
Burger King isn’t the only company to reduce prices and make plant-based food more accessible in Germany. In October, discount retailer Lidl announced that most of its own-label products from the Vemondo plant-based range would be at price parity with or cheaper than conventional meat and dairy products, explaining that “conscious and sustainable consumption” is only possible if these foods are “affordable and more easily accessible for everyone”.
Lidl’s announcement was swiftly followed by Kaufland, which dropped the prices of 90 vegan products to make them competitive or more affordable than their animal-based counterparts. Rewe Group’s BILLA and Penny have made identical moves, as has Aldi Süd.
With its whopping decision, Burger King Germany has added itself to that list.
UK supermarket Tesco is witnessing a rise in demand for plant-based food, following a slight dip in sales last year. The retailer says the plant-based industry is now in its “second phase”, with whole cuts a key growth point.
It’s no secret that the plant-based industry endured a challenging 2023, with sales of meat-free products in the UK (which include Quorn’s vegetarian SKUs too) falling by £38.4M. It was among the worst-performing grocery categories, with plenty of factors affecting the market, not least the cost-of-living crisis, concerns around ultra-processing, and dissatisfaction with the taste and texture of the products.
The UK’s biggest retailer, Tesco, also witnessed a decline (albeit a small one), which it ascribed to a drop-off in interest from “dabblers and the merely curious” for the “biggest food trend this century”. But things are turning around, with the retailer noting that the plant-based revolution is moving into its second phase now, as demand rises for meat-free ingredients and whole cuts.
The retailer’s plant-based food buyer Cate May said the “initial level of interest was inevitably going to drop off slightly”, but in this phase two, “we are seeing flexitarians now wanting to take more control over what they eat, whilst continuing to reduce their meat intake”.
Whole cuts and whole foods drive Tesco’s vegan growth
Courtesy: Tesco
In the last three months, sales for plant-based fish products at Tesco are up by 100% compared to the same period last year. Similarly, vegan steak and chicken breasts have seen a 20% hike, while meatless burger purchases have increased by 10%. Even traditional plant proteins like tofu and tempeh grew by 20%.
Long touted as the “holy grail” of plant-based meat, whole cuts have slowly begun creeping into supermarkets across the world, and the steaks from Slovenia’s Juicy Marbles were one of the most notable successes for vegan food at Tesco. In fact, in the lead-up to Valentine’s Day, Tesco sold 100,000 vegan steaks, which it called “an unprecedented number for that occasion”.
“Customers are starting to understand the versatility of plant-based ingredients and whole cuts, and are creating a wide variety of meals such as tofu stir-fries, meat-free curries using chicken alternatives or beans and pulses, and classic steak and chips using plant-based steaks,” said May.
“Awareness is also starting to increase around the health benefits of making some simple swaps in their diet, for example, to reduce saturated fat whilst maintaining strong levels of protein by increasing the amount of plants and plant-based foods in their diets and then supplementing with more fresh veg.”
To highlight the increased consumption of whole foods, Tesco commissioned a survey of 2,000 UK adults in December, and found that 46% of Brits are eating more vegetables than they were five years ago. For 47%, introducing more vegetables to their plates was a deliberate decision, with the main reasons being health (82%), environmental impact (25%), and cost savings (22%). Even Sunday roasts – or the equivalent family meals – have seen an uptick, with 48% of respondents saying their roast dinners involve more vegetables now. For 60%, this meant three or more different types of vegetables.
This speaks to the prominence of whole-food plant-based mains on restaurant menus this Veganuary too: Burger King brought back its black bean burger; Wagamama, Pret A Manger and Zizzi highlighted mushrooms; Leon went all-in on gut health with a bhaji wrap; and Pizza Express introduced a veggie-packed calzone.
Vegetable and meat consumption trends in the UK
Courtesy: Tesco
To May’s point about flexitarianism, there has been a drop in meat-eating in the UK. Government data from 2023 showed that meat consumption was at its lowest since records began almost half a century ago. So it perhaps may come as a surprise that fresh meat was actually one of the fastest-growing sectors in terms of retail sales, which were up by £352.5M.
However, inflation is key here: for example, the rise in sales for chicken (the top-performing food) was largely driven by a 13.4% price hike. This is why it wasn’t just meat intake that saw record lows among Brits – dairy went through the same thing. Those government figures also showed that Brits were eating 6% fewer fruits and vegetables than pre-pandemic levels.
But the renewed optimism for vegetables – at least according to Tesco’s data – can be explained by inflation too. A 1,000-person survey in October found that 62% of Brits feel plant-based meats cost much more than their conventional counterparts, with a fifth citing costs as the biggest reason for reducing their intake of these alternatives. Whole foods like vegetables will always be cheaper than meat analogues, so are naturally an appealing option for consumers with squeezed wallets.
This survey can explain the growing interest in whole cuts as well. For 66% of consumers, plant-based meat products taste much worse than their conventional counterparts, while 51% cite taste/texture as the biggest reason for reducing their consumption of meat alternatives. With whole cuts, which mimic the texture of muscle fibres in meat, consumers get the same mouthfeel and an elevated flavour experience.
These products are thus effective gateways into plant-based eating for meat-eaters looking to become flexitarians. There’s some way to go, though. A 2,003-person YouGov survey published in January shows that only 13% of Brits consider themselves flexitarian, which is a three-point drop from two years ago. Conversely, 73% call themselves meat-eaters, a three-point rise from January 2022. The poll revealed that only 2% of Brits are vegans, and 5% vegetarians. In contrast, research by Finder – published in January as well – estimated that 4.7% of UK adults follow a plant-based diet.
Either way, what’s clear is that food prices and associated health aspects are increasingly important for Brits, and vegetables will go a long way in alleviating those concerns. Tesco’s own-label Plant Chef range, which has over 180 items, features products like Vegetable Fingers, Spicy Bean Burgers and Katsu Style Veggie Crispbakes, alongside meat analogues too, in a bid to appeal to a wide range of consumers.
Even after cutting its private-label SKUs by over 500, the grocer managed to grow value sales by 10% with an innovation focus on “fast-growing categories such as plant-based”, with the five new frozen Plant Chef ranges rolled out this Veganuary. It was also the retailer that introduced Wicked Kitchen to the world. With a strong plant-based pedigree, Tesco will be hopeful of turning the category’s fortunes around in the UK this year.
Israeli food tech company Yo Egg is launching its vegan sunny-side-ups and poached eggs in US retail, starting with stores in Los Angeles, before a nationwide move next year.
A year after making its foodservice debut in Los Angeles, Yo Egg is moving into retail with its vegan fried and poached eggs, starting with the west coast.
Headquartered in Los Angeles, the startup will introduce its plant-based eggs in the city through a distribution deal with Whitestone Natural Foods. This will mean its products – which are priced at $6.99 for a four-pack – will be available in the freezers of Hanks Organic, Besties Vegan Paradise, Rainbow Acres Natural Foods, Follow Your Heart Market and PlantX (XMarket Venice), among others.
The company then plans to expand into California, New York and eventually nationwide next year. “We’re starting small with individual operators in the better-for-you natural foods category,” Yo Egg CEO Eran Groner told AgFunderNews. “Then we’re targeting regional players such as Bristol Farms, before going after accounts such as Sprouts and Whole Foods.”
Pondering co-manufacturing to scale up vegan egg production
Courtesy: Yo Egg
Founded in 2021 by Groner and chef Yosefa Ben Cohen – who had developed the eggs with both restaurants and home cooks in mind – Yo Egg is the world’s first startup creating vegan fried and poached eggs, complete with runny yolks.
Unlike other plant-based egg companies, which either produce a powdered version or liquid eggs to make omelettes and scrambles, Yo Egg focuses on pre-prepped frozen sunny-side-up and poached eggs that can be boiled or fried. Made from a base of sunflower oil and chickpea and soy protein, the eggs leverage the startup’s patent-pending tech for whites and yolks (which are sealed using alginate, a seaweed extract).
The egg white system enables Yo Egg to produce the ideal structure for each format, and can be fried, poached or boiled. “It’s all about the phasing, timing and temperatures, not just the recipe, so it would be very hard to reverse-engineer it,” Groner explained.
Meanwhile, the company can make 50,000 yolks each day with a single piece of equipment. “In a room that’s 200 square feet, we can have four such machines, so that’s 200,000 yolks per day, which – if you do the math – is already a scaled egg farm in the United States if you have 200,000 birds laying eggs,” he noted.
Yo Egg currently has a pilot facility in North Hollywood, with which it can already compete with the prices of market leader Just Egg, whose scale is way higher (it recently announced the sale of the equivalent of 500 million eggs). But Groner, who said the company is hoping to bring retail prices down to $5.99 per pack, floated the idea of using a co-manufacturer too. “We would make the egg whites and the yolks and the co-manufacturer would form the egg, and we provide the plug-and-play equipment for that process. They form the egg and then they cook it, freeze it and package it,” he said.
“This way, we maintain the IP, the recipe and the protocol of mixing, and the yolk manufacturing using our specialised equipment,” he added, stating that after line testing with “a fairly big manufacturer”, the eggs came out better than what Yo Egg’s own equipment can deliver.
Yo Egg’s foodservice-first strategy
Courtesy: Yo Egg
Yo Egg, which has raised over $5M in funding, made its debut in US foodservice last February, targeting brunch spots in Los Angeles, including Real Food Daily, Flore Vegan, Swingers Diner, Coyote Grill, and Loma Linda’s Vegan District Asian Eatery.
This was followed by a nationwide launch in April, with Yo Egg appearing on the menu at restaurants like Coletta and Beyond Sushi, and even the offices of Google. Its poached and sunny-side-up offerings are also part of menu options at fast-casual chain Veggie Grill (now owned by Next Level Burger).
This foodservice-first approach is a tried-and-tested strategy in the plant-based sector. Oatly, for example, debuted in the US through specialty coffee shops, with word of mouth and barista approval stamps propelling it to widespread popularity before its retail launch. A similar route to market was taken by plant-based meat giant Impossible Foods, which has an outstanding foodservice record and was specified by Groner as a reference point for Yo Egg.
“There are definitely advantages in launching a brand in foodservice before you go into retail. It’s easier to iterate quickly in foodservice, get rapid feedback, and iterate again. It doesn’t work like that in retail,” he explained. “What people like is that we’re going after every format of eggs. We’re starting with fried and poached eggs and we’re planning to launch a patty next quarter, where we already have major accounts signed up. This will be followed by hard-boiled eggs later this year, and a liquid yolk product next year.”
Yo Egg will hope these innovations allow it to take a large slice of the vegan egg market, which is currently dominated by Just Egg (it represents 99% of all sales in the sector). Other retail players include Follow Your Heart, Hodo, Simply Eggless, WunderEggs and Neat Egg, alongside private-label offerings from Target and Kroger – but succeeding in this space is tough. Plant-based eggs make up just 0.5% of the total US egg market, as of 2022. In terms of units, while plant-based eggs grew by sevenfold between 2019-22 to reach 10 million sales, animal-based egg sales were around 2.3 billion.
Additionally, the number of American households buying plant-based eggs was just 2% in 2022 – but the sector has outpaced dollar sales growth for animal-derived eggs, growing by 348% versus 67% for the latter from 2019-22, albeit with a much smaller base. So there has definitely been progress, but there’s room for a lot of progress too, given the scale of the conventional egg industry.
“Consumers like the fact that animals are not involved and it’s better for the environment, but what really drives consumption is you have a third of the saturated fat, zero cholesterol, and less sodium [compared to chicken eggs],” explained Groner. “And foodservice operators love the fact that finally, they have a plant-based option on their menu that they can be proud of. It’s a surprising, innovative, versatile product.”
If a photographer asked you to say “cruelty” before snapping your photo, would you flash a toothy smile? In PETA’s new thought-provoking public service announcement, codirected by Christian Carl and Jon Walley with Philadelphia-based production company Format, we’re reminding everyone what “Say ‘cheese’” really means for cows who suffer and die in the abusive dairy industry:
“Calf-cow separation” and “repeated forced impregnation” are nothing to smile about—so why do we keep saying “cheese”? Mother cows are fiercely protective of their precious babies, but the dairy industry denies them this important bond, stealing their calves from them shortly after birth. Dairy farms repeatedly impregnate female cows in order to exploit them like milking machines until they’re no longer able to produce milk. Then, these sensitive, gentle mothers are sent to slaughter so that humans can eat their flesh.
Say ‘Compassion!’ Instead
Today’s young people understand that the language we use should reflect our shifting values. Studies suggest that going vegan is growing in popularity among younger generations, as it’s better for our fellow animals, the environment, and our own health. Reportedly, 79% of the Gen Z population goes meatless one day a week and 65% say they want a more plant-forward diet. Another study shows that 19% of Gen Alphas ask their parents to buy plant-based foods.
Replacing tired, outdated phrases with more conscientious ones is a piece of vegan cake. Instead of saying “cheese,” opt for an animal-friendly phrase with that long “e” sound that helps you smile, like “trees,” “bees,” or “nutritional yeast.” There are endless ways to get creative while being kind to our fellow animals.
Go Vegan!
By going vegan, you can spare nearly 200 animals a year, reduce your environmental footprint, and improve your health—now that’s something to smile about. The best part? We’ll help you do it. Order a free vegan starter kit to make the compassionate switch today:
Next time someone says, “But bacon …,” show them this cartoon. A beaming father and his young daughters are about to tuck into a meaty breakfast when the curious girls ask about their father’s job. He launches into a catchy tune about his work as a pig farmer—but things quickly take a sinister turn. It’s all singing and dancing until the video reveals the horrific reality of what’s involved in turning gentle pigs into sausages, bacon, and ham.
We’ll say no more—just watch for yourself:
PETA U.K. released this video, which features rubber hose animation reminiscent of beloved cartoons such as The Ren & Stimpy Show, in collaboration with top London advertising agency Grey.
Pigs Enjoy Music
Pigs are sensitive, intelligent individuals who, like humans, enjoy games and music. Mother pigs even sing to their babies.
They value their lives, just as we do, and they don’t want to be turned into bacon.
‘Happy’ Pig Farms? A Big Fat Lie
Most of the 121 million pigs killed for their flesh in the U.S. every year are crammed into barren concrete pens and deprived of fresh air and sunshine.
Farmers routinely subject pigs to painful mutilations, such as cutting off their tails and grinding down their sensitive teeth, usually without painkillers.
At slaughterhouses, the animals are hoisted upside down by their back legs and their throats are cut—often without effective stunning.
Eating Sausages Is Linked to Health Issues
Studies show that even moderate consumption of processed meat increases the risk of bowel cancer. Conversely, vegans are less likely to suffer from heart disease, certain types of cancer, diabetes, and strokes.
Meat Production Costs the Earth
The United Nations Environment Programme has called meat production the world’s “most urgent problem” on account of the huge quantities of greenhouse gases the industry produces, which contribute to the climate catastrophe.
On the flipside, vegan diets generate 75% less climate-heating emissions than diets containing more than 100 grams of meat a day.
Continuing its flexitarian-targeting marketing drive, Canadian vegan cheesemaker Daiya might be ruffling a few feathers with its latest campaign, which features a cheeseburger with conventional beef and plant-based cheese.
“Enough controversy – let’s eat.”
That’s the message portrayed by a new ad by Daiya, the vegan cheese giant that recently overhauled its recipes and packaging to introduce a better-tasting product that would appeal to flexitarians, with a tagline reading: “100% plant-based. Even if you’re not.”
The company is doubling down on that shift away from an “all or nothing” approach to eating vegan. With the ‘Not So Controversial’ campaign, it is accepting that the idea of combining a beef burger might be blasphemous to both meat-eaters and vegans, but that’s exactly the point.
If manufacturers and consumers can take to blended meat – a combination of animal-derived meat with plant-based ingredients – what’s stopping them from mixing beef with vegan cheese? The no-judgement sentiment aims to counter what Daiya says is the “bougie sentiment” and “elitist attitude” of the plant-based industry, and appeal to the mainstream.
“Our aim is not to convert, but to invite everyone to discover and enjoy the benefits of plant-based eating, showing how our products can add delicious variety to their meals, enhancing the culinary experience for all, regardless of dietary choices,” Daiya chief marketing officer John Kelly told Adweek.
Appealing to flexitarians in a heavy cheese-eating country
Courtesy: Daiya
The ad campaign celebrates Daiya’s reformulated cheese, which was the result of a months-long, multi-million-dollar project that replaced chickpea protein with a fermented oat cream base. This also meant a new direction for packaging and branding for the company, which described the new cheeses as “creamier” than their predecessors, and “tastier, meltier, and stretchier than any other on the market”.
The 30-second spot is centred on a backyard barbecue with burgers sizzling on the grill, topped with its vegan cheese slices that melt as they cook. Daiya says its goal is to be inclusive and appeal to American flexitarians, a cohort that is growing in numbers. While one survey revealed that a US-wide survey by the International Food Information Council revealed that only 6% of Americans followed a flexitarian diet in 2022, Numerator data suggests that 72 million US households contain flexitarians – that’s over half of the total.
Meanwhile, US cheese consumption hit an all-time high in 2022, but vegan cheese lags behind. The latter represents just 1.1% of the country’s cheese sector in retail sales, with only 5% of households buying plant-based cheese (compared to 96% for conventional cheese). That’s essentially where Daiya’s argument lies: its target consumer is the American who eats animal products, and it’s banking on the pedigree of its products to change their mind and boost the vegan cheese category.
“We should’ve had this conversation two years ago, and we’ve had our heads down a little bit,” said Jonathan Schoenberg, executive creative director and partner at TDA Boulder, the ad agency that worked with Daiya. “It’s a safe bet to talk to the loyalists, so let’s start talking to that larger audience. If we don’t, we’re fringe companies.”
On average, Americans eat about three hamburgers a week – Daiya’s use of burgers as a pricing staple in a familiar barbecuing backdrop could therefore go a long way in reshaping consumer opinions about vegan cheese. “This appeal to tradition is used to dissuade consumers from seeing the product as an ‘alternative’,” Vegan Women Summit founder Jennifer Stojkovic told Adweek.
She added that the “melt and stretch” of Daiya’s cheese in the video will likely be the USP, breaking away from the mould of ‘rubbery’ vegan cheeses of the past. A study leveraging Kroger data from 60 million American households revealed that nearly three-quarters (73%) of Americans are unhappy with the flavour (which they describe as “plastic” or “unnatural”) and texture (“grainy”) of vegan cheese. They want cheeses that taste better, melt well and have a creamy texture.
Daiya’s new oat cream cheeses boast these very characteristics, with the brand claiming fermentation helps its products reach “dairy parity”, especially in terms of meltability. “We expect this advancement to not only rejuvenate consumer confidence in the category, but revitalise the category’s market potential, finally offering retailers a product that truly bridges the gap between consumer expectations and dairy-free offerings,” its chief commercial officer Melanie Domer had said during the launch.
Response to Daiya ad seems mixed – but meat reduction remains crucial
Courtesy: Daiya
“Many brands make the mistake of overwhelming consumers with information that is irrelevant to a food purchasing decision – Daiya has done the exact opposite,” added Stojkovic. “We taste with our eyes, and they surely know it.”
Having said that, there’s an argument to be made that commercials like Daiya’s could inadvertently encourage even greater meat consumption, which is the opposite of what scientists have been calling for. Americans consume six times more red meat than the amount outlined by the Eat-Lancet Commission‘s planetary health diet recommendations. In fact, just 12% of Americans are responsible for half of the country’s meat consumption.
But 74% of these consumers don’t believe eating meat is linked to climate change, and that rises to 78% for dairy. This is despite one study revealing that the country needs to cut its meat intake by 82% if it wants to avoid further climate disasters. Daiya’s mix-and-match approach has market potential, but equally, the potential impact of eating more beef – which has the worst emissions of any food – on the climate cannot be understated.
The vegan cheese company has said it is ready to face backlash from vegetarian or vegan customers. And it seems like it already is. “As a vegan, I’ll have some faux meats, but cheese kind of sucks. Someone who eats meat likely has an even lower amount of patience for analogs, this is not going to net them sales,” one Reddit user wrote.
Another added: “Putting veggie cheese on [an] animal flesh product? I am confused. Why would that appeal in any way to a meat eater?”
But – to Daiya’s point – many agreed with the campaign’s potential efficacy. “As long as they literally aren’t selling a product made with meat, I recognize they need to appeal to those who just don’t eat dairy,” said one Reddit user. “Honestly, I get it. Lots of [omnivores] are willing to drop meat, but won’t drop cheese. Maybe starting with showing how good the [plant-based] dairy can be people will give up the meat too,” wrote another.
Daiya would argue that if this could help Americans eat less dairy – and subsequently less meat – it’s a win for the planet and the plant-based sector. This is also crucial in an election year where climate is high on the agenda, and fears persist that a reelection of Donald Trump (who is edging Joe Biden in the polls at the time of writing) could spell disaster for environmental policy. The importance becomes even more apparent when you realise that 15% of Americans don’t believe climate change is real.
“The more people eating this food, the better—better for the environment, better for human health, better for animal welfare,” said Schoenberg. “We’re thinking about how we can have a long-term impact. These companies matter, and we need to make them relevant to more buyers.”
Californian cultivated meat producer Eat Just has paused its Singapore operations, three months after Huber’s Bistro stopped selling its Good Meat chicken. The production facility set to open in Q3 last year has also been shut, as the company says it’s reevaluating its strategy in Asia.
2024 will mark the four-year anniversary of Eat Just’s historic regulatory approval for the sale of cultivated meat in Singapore. Since then, the Californian startup received clearance in the US too, and restaurants began selling its Good Meat chicken in both countries.
However, you can’t find Eat Just’s chicken – or any cultivated meat, for that matter – in restaurants anymore. In Singapore, its product is no longer available at Huber’s Bistro, which was the only restaurant offering the chicken last year.
And now, it has emerged that Eat Just has pressed pause on its operations in the island nation, with the company telling the Straits Times it’s reassessing its Asia strategy. “We’re evaluating various processing conditions, the unit economics, and a larger strategic approach to producing in Asia,” a spokesperson said.
The Singapore newspaper has revealed that Eat Just is no longer producing in Singapore, with the $61M Good Meat manufacturing plant in Bedok – which was slated for a Q3 2023 launch – seemingly not in operation anymore, while the $120M factory for Just Egg in the city’s Pioneer area also cancelled.
Manufacturing facilities shuttered, but products to return ‘very soon’
Courtesy: Eat Just
The Strait Times visited Bedok Food City, the site of Good Meat’s 30,000 sq ft facility – last week, but employees from other companies in the building said Eat Just’s two units on the ground floor were closed. They added that these had rarely opened for about six months. One of the closed units had boxes full of air-purifying equipment sitting outside, and the other had benches piled up.
The newspaper said a separate commercial plant that previously manufactured Good Meat’s chicken is not producing for the company anymore either. Eat Just said there was “no firm timeline” on when the Bedok facility would be operational, noting that the startup had “produced and paused and produced and paused” since it began selling the chicken.
However, they added: “We’re planning to produce at least twice as much in Singapore this year than any year before.”
Eat Just had announced that it had broken ground on a plant protein facility for its vegan Just Egg product in March 2022, stating that it would take about two years to complete. But when asked about progress on this, the spokesperson said: “We are not building a facility in Pioneer.”
Meanwhile, the company indicated that Good Meat will soon be back at Huber’s Bistro, which offered the chicken as part of skewers and salads. The spokesperson said the products will return to the eatery “very soon”, once the supply is ready.
The foodservice pause isn’t just in Singapore – Good Meat used to be available at the José Andrés-owned Washington, DC restaurant China Chilcano, but the eatery passed reservations for its tasting menu featuring the cultivated chicken back in September. “The most important activities for GOOD Meat are related to process development and lowering costs long-term. We are focusing our efforts and resources on those tasks at this time,” Eat Just’s global communications director, Carrie Kabat, told Green Queen last month.
Eat Just looks to overcome challenges for a profitable 2024
Courtesy: Eat Just
This is the latest in a growing list of challenges faced by Eat Just over the last year. As the company – which has raised over $850M to date – aims for profitability in 2024, it is in the middle of multiple legal battles with suppliers and manufacturers over non-payment.
Eat Just has been involved in at least seven lawsuits since 2019 – and while it has settled some of them, its case with bioreactor manufacturer ABEC is still ongoing. The latter sued the alternative protein startup for $100M, which included payments for changes to the scope of the work, alongside unpaid invoices. But last month, Eat Just filed a counterclaim alleging that it was ABEC that breached contractual terms.
The Californian startup also shut down production on the facility that was going to house the ABEC bioreactors, which was announced in May 2022. Speaking to Green Queen in September, Eat Just CEO Josh Tetrick said: “In the past few years we have invested a lot of capital in the design and engineering for a large-scale cultivated meat facility, knowing we would have to raise additional capital to complete the rest of the facility.”
He added: “Because of market conditions, we found ourselves in a position where it became very challenging to raise that additional capital. At this point, we’re re-assessing how we think about a large-scale facility in a more realistic way – which will still be very challenging.”
But conversely, the company has made several strides to ensure it can break even this year. The news about its Singapore operations comes a week after Eat Just announced it had sold the equivalent of 500 million eggs since Just Egg’s launch in 2019. And in January, it relaunched its cult-favourite Just Mayo and Ranch lines.
“Challenges, doubts, and unforeseen hurdles have not stopped Eat Just from continuing to drive innovation in plant-based foods to give consumers better choices and more ways to change the food system for the better every time they sit down to a meal,” the brand told Green Queen during the launch.
Cultivated meat is still progressing in Singapore and elsewhere
Courtesy: Eat Just
It shows how it’s not all doom and gloom for cultivated meat. Kabat confirmed that Good Meat planned to resume tastings in the US this year, as did Upside Foods, the only other company to have the regulatory greenlight for cultivated meat in the US.
And as for Singapore, the country still remains a hotbed for alternative protein in Asia – it was the world’s first to approve these novel proteins for sale, and it’s now expected to grant the next clearance in the sector, with Dutch company Meatable anticipating the go-ahead by Q2. This would make it the first European startup – and first cultivated pork producer – to be allowed to sell cultivated meat anywhere in the world. France’s Vital Meat and Israel’s Aleph Farms (which is already approved in its home country) have also filed dossiers in Singapore for their products.
Additionally, last month, the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore ruled that cultivated meat can be halal under specific circumstances. It was followed by South Korea inviting applications for safety assessments of cultivated meat for regulatory approval. Meanwhile, Australia’s Vow Food has advanced into a public consultation process for its cultivated quail in Australia and New Zealand, before it will enter a 60-day review period for ministers.
“Transforming the global food system is a relay race, not a sprint,” said Mirte Gosker, managing director of alternative protein think tank the Good Food Institute APAC. “With more than 150 companies operating in the cultivated meat sector worldwide, progress is bound to come in fits and starts, as has been the case in clean energy, electric vehicles, and other emerging technologies.
“What matters most is that cultivated meat as a category succeeds, because there is no path to limiting global warming to 1.5°C without reimagining the way meat gets to our plates.”
By Laura Marchese, PhD Student at the Institute for Physical Activity and Nutrition, Deakin University; and Katherine Livingstone, Senior Research Fellow at the Institute for Physical Activity and Nutrition, Deakin University
If you’re thinking about buying plant-based foods, a trip to the supermarket can leave you bewildered.
There are plant-based burgers, sausages and mince. The fridges are loaded with non-dairy milk, cheese and yoghurt. Then there are the tins of beans and packets of tofu.
But how much is actually healthy?
Our nutritional audit of more than 700 plant-based foods for sale in Australian supermarkets has just been published. We found some products are so high in salt or saturated fat, we’d struggle to call them “healthy”.
We took (several) trips to the supermarket
In 2022, we visited two of each of four major supermarket retailers across Melbourne to collect information on the available range of plant-based alternatives to meat and dairy products.
We took pictures of the products and their nutrition labels.
We then analysed the nutrition information on the packaging of more than 700 of these products. This included 236 meat substitutes, 169 legumes and pulses, 50 baked beans, 157 dairy milk substitutes, 52 cheese substitutes and 40 non-dairy yoghurts.
Plant-based meats were surprisingly salty
We found a wide range of plant-based meats for sale. So, it’s not surprising we found large variations in their nutrition content.
Sodium, found in added salt and which contributes to high blood pressure, was our greatest concern.
The sodium content varied from 1 milligram per 100 grams in products such as tofu, to 2,000mg per 100g in items such as plant-based mince products.
An audit of 66 plant-based meat products in Australian supermarkets conducted in 2014 found sodium ranged from 316mg in legume-based products to 640mg in tofu products, per 100g. In a 2019 audit of 137 products, the range was up to 1,200mg per 100g.
In other words, the results of our audit seems to show a consistent trend of plant-based meats getting saltier.
Courtesy: v2food
What about plant-based milks?
Some 70% of the plant-based milks we audited were fortified with calcium, a nutrient important for bone health.
This is good news as a 2019-2020 audit of 115 plant-based milks from Melbourne and Sydney found only 43% of plant-based milks were fortified with calcium.
Of the fortified milks in our audit, almost three-quarters (73%) contained the recommended amount of calcium – at least 100mg per 100mL.
We also looked at the saturated fat content of plant-based milks.
Coconut-based milks had on average up to six times higher saturated fat content than almond, oat or soy milks.
Previous audits also found coconut-based milks were much higher in saturated fat than all other categories of milks.
A first look at cheese and yoghurt alternatives
Our audit is the first study to identify the range of cheese and yoghurt alternatives available in Australian supermarkets.
Calcium was only labelled on a third of plant-based yoghurts, and only 20% of supermarket options met the recommended 100mg of calcium per 100g.
For plant-based cheeses, most (92%) were not fortified with calcium. Their sodium content varied from 390mg to 1,400mg per 100g, and saturated fat ranged from 0g to 28g per 100g.
Courtesy: Vitasoy
So, what should we consider when shopping?
As a general principle, try to choose whole plant foods, such as unprocessed legumes, beans or tofu. These foods are packed with vitamins and minerals. They’re also high in dietary fibre, which is good for your gut health and keeps you fuller for longer.
If opting for a processed plant-based food, here are five tips for choosing a healthier option.
1. Watch the sodium
Plant-based meat alternatives can be high in sodium, so look for products that have around 150-250mg sodium per 100g.
2. Pick canned beans and legumes
Canned chickpeas, lentils and beans can be healthy and low-cost additions to many meals. Where you can, choose canned varieties with no added salt, especially when buying baked beans.
3. Add herbs and spices to your tofu
Tofu can be a great alternative to meat. Check the label and pick the option with the highest calcium content. We found flavoured tofu was higher in salt and sugar content than minimally processed tofu. So it’s best to pick an unflavoured option and add your own flavours with spices and herbs.
4. Check the calcium
When choosing a non-dairy alternative to milk, such as those made from soy, oat, or rice, check it is fortified with calcium. A good alternative to traditional dairy will have at least 100mg of calcium per 100g.
5. Watch for saturated fat
If looking for a lower saturated fat option, almond, soy, rice and oat varieties of milk and yoghurt alternatives have much lower saturated fat content than coconut options. Pick those with less than 3g per 100g.
Welcome, fellow travelers of Arrakis! In a universe filled with sandworms, spice, and intrigue, one might wonder, Can one still uphold compassionate values amid the tumultuous sands of Dune? Fear not, for we shall embark on a journey through the desert, armed with stillsuits and spice, to uncover the secrets of being vegan in the Dune universe.
The Vegan Path in a Desert World
Arrakis, or Dune, is a planet where water is more precious than gold and the flora and fauna have adapted in fascinating ways to the harsh environment. For a vegan traveler in this universe, the key to sustenance lies in understanding and respecting these adaptations.
The first step to vegan survival on Dune is to embrace the local plant life. Despite the scarcity of water, some resilient plants have carved out a niche in this harsh world. Xerophytic plants, which have adapted to conserve water, can provide nourishment. These might include the fictional “Arrakeen cacti,” capable of storing moisture in their thick leaves, or the “spice melange” plants, which, in moderation, offer unique flavors and nutrition without harming the ecosystem.
Kangaroo Mice: The Clever Foragers
It’s no wonder that a powerful warrior, Paul Atreides, would choose his Fremen name Muad’Dib after the strong and resourceful kangaroo mouse. Observing their ingenious survival tactics, such as using their big ears to collect water to drink, can teach us much about sustainable foraging and living in harmony with the land. Eating the kangaroo mouse diet of seeds and desert plants can guide you to nutritious sources that require minimal environmental impact.
In Dune: Part Two, stealing sandworm bile, the bright blue liquid called “the Water of Life,” is fraught with danger. Not only is it a violation of the sacred bond between the Fremen and the sandworms, it also unleashes untold chaos upon the desert. Let us heed the lessons of the past and refrain from such folly. Instead, let us honor the sandworms as guardians of the spice and stewards of the desert, ensuring that their bodies remain undisturbed beneath the sands.
In the annals of Arrakis, riding sandworms not only disrupts the delicate balance of the desert ecosystem but also risks angering the mysterious forces that govern the sands. Instead, let us marvel at the sandworms from afar, honoring their role as guardians of the desert.
Using Our Language to Respect Our Fellow Animals—Including Humans
In Dune: Part Two, the Harkonnens call the Fremen “rats”—well, we think there is no greater compliment! The Harkonnens’ derogatory use of the term is a call to action for us to challenge our perceptions of and biases against other beings, no matter the species. The Harkonnen mislabeling of the Fremen as another animal species inadvertently highlights a fundamental truth: All of us share a common bond. By recognizing that every animal is someone and living in a way that honors everyone’s rights, we move closer to a world in which labels of division give way to bridges of empathy and understanding.
In the first Dune reboot, Gaius Helen Mohiam says to Paul, “An animal caught in a trap will gnaw off its own leg to escape,” a testament to their survival skills. Here on Earth, we can help animals whom hunters trap and kill by never buying fur or any other animal-derived material. In Dune: Part Two, Paul Atreides references the Bene Gesserit’s comment, saying, “Die like an animal,” when he kills [spoiler] at the end. It’s a device to show he’s not a perfect leader. But we can all learn from our mistakes. Whether a kangaroo mouse, a sandworm, or a human, all animals deserve respect and freedom from exploitation.
Being vegan on Dune is about more than just food—it’s a holistic approach to minimizing one’s impact on the planet’s delicate ecosystem. Conserving water, adopting renewable energy sources like wind or solar (harnessing the power of the relentless desert sun), and supporting local, sustainable spice production can contribute to a harmonious existence on Arrakis.
So let us tread lightly on the sands of Arrakis, extending our kindness to all beings, from the smallest desert mouse to the great Shai-Hulud, as we navigate the stars guided by universal compassion. Let’s bring that compassion back to Earth, where most of us live on terrain much kinder than the stormy, turbulent desert. Unlock humanity’s fullest potential by respecting all of our fellow animals by not eating them, riding them, or stealing their body parts.
Catalan plant-based meat company Heura has announced its year-on-year sales grew by 22% last year, thanks to increased distribution deals across Europe. The business now aims to be profitable by 2025.
Weeks after closing a €40M ($43M) Series B fundraiser, Heura has revealed that it posted €38.3M ($41.4M) in turnover last year, marking a 22% increase in annual sales. The positive figures were bolstered by both international growth, where its sales rose by 63% from the year before – particularly in France (88%) and the UK (81%).
The plant-based meat company also cemented its leadership in its home market, capturing what it says is a record 26% market share and boasting the highest repeat rates in the category (50% above the average). Meanwhile, Heura’s portfolio accounts for four of the top five most-sold products in this sector in Spain.
“In a pivotal year of transformation for the plant-based sector, we emerged as a category developer leader, enabling other companies to accelerate the protein transition by introducing a licensing B2B division aimed at extending its impact to a global scale via breakthrough technologies,” said CEO Marc Coloma, who co-founded Heura with Bernat Añaños in 2017.
Expanding distribution and new B2B model fuel Heura’s growth
Courtesy: Heura
The announcement caps off a year of successes for Heura, which makes plant-based alternatives to chicken, beef, pork and fish in multiple formats. The company ranked 10 on the UK’s Forward Fooding FoodTech 500 list (described as “the Fortune 500 of agrifood tech”), won the Pyme del Año 2023 (which recognises the contribution of Spanish SMEs to the UK economy), and secured the EU’s Marie Curie Grant.
Outside of accolades, individual products experienced commercial triumphs too. The latest iteration of its signature beef patty, the 3.0 Burger, is the best-selling vegan burger in southern Europe, and has triple the rotation of the second-best brand in Spain. Meanwhile, the York-style ham slices launched in October became the top-selling plant-based deli product in its home market within three months, accounting for 52% of the category’s growth in Q4.
Heura also inked several new distribution deals across Europe, including with Vueling, Hilton and Royal Caribbean in foodservice, and Intermarche (France), Auchan (Portugal), Pam (Italy), Colruyt (Belgium) and Waitrose (UK) in retail. Plus, it boosted its presence in Spanish schools via a collaboration with catering company Serunion.
The other major development in Heura’s 2023 was the launch of its B2B licensing division, powered by its patent-pending Good Rebel Tech system, which was unveiled in April. The proprietary process involves a novel thermomechanical processing technique, which relies upon mathematical models similar to AI.
“We are basing our approach and models on new scientific understanding of plant proteins that we generate in the tech lab,” Coloma told Green Queen in October. “We can improve [the] accuracy of our predictions, limit biases and, most importantly, develop breakthrough technological solutions which are based on new scientific knowledge; rather than optimising technologies that already exist based on published existing data.”
The tech can create additive-free, affordable plant-based foods with superior sensory and nutritional values and fewer ingredients, using only protein, water and oil to structure the product. This is how its 11-ingredient clean-label ham slices were created, and it opens up a new business model for Heura, allowing the manufacturers to leverage the tech in multiple food categories. Just earlier this month, it entered a partnership with plant-based CPG giant Upfield (which is an investor in the company) to license its tech.
The clean-label, nutrition-forward aspects will speak to a European population that is eating less meat, and primarily due to health, a reason cited by 47% of respondents in a 7,500-person survey last year. The poll further revealed that nutritional inadequacies of plant-based food were a concern for 24% of consumers. Globally, too, an Ingredion survey found that 78% would spend more money on products with ‘natural’ or ‘all-natural’ packaging claims.
Heura finds success in a year of challenges for the sector
Courtesy: Heura
It’s not all about health for Heura, of course. The climate is just as important, and an ISO-compliant life-cycle assessment has revealed that its products have a 70-98% lower environmental impact than their conventional counterparts. Last year’s sales represented water savings equivalent to 6,600 swimming pools, carbon savings of 36.5 million kg (which could power 4,600 homes for one year), and the sparing of 1.3 million animals.
Heura’s €40M Series B financing was the second-largest publicly announced funding round for a vegan company in 2023, and took total investment in the business to €88M ($95M). The plant-based meat player had said it would use the funding to “boost its impact in the food industry”, accelerate international expansion, introduce new products, and explore more collaborative models beyond its own meat alternatives.
Most notably, Heura said the investment would help drive the company towards profitability – and now, it has confirmed its aim to become profitable by 2025. To do so, the business has “transitioned from a hypergrowth approach to a sustainable growth strategy”, which has involved changes to “improve efficiency and focus on the milestones nearing profitability”.
The financial results come just a week after plant-based meat giant Beyond Meat published its own Q4 earnings, which revealed an 18% decrease in annual revenue (which reached $343M), but a 2.5% reduction in net losses ($338M) from 2022 too. Its performance in the last quarter was better than analysts predicted, signalling a shift in fortunes for the company as well as the sector as a whole.
While VC activity has largely slowed down and sales have been disappointing over the last year, some feel that the sector’s slump will turn around this year. Matthew Glover, co-founder of the Vegan Food Group, told Green Queen this week: “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.”
While he acknowledged that double-digit growth won’t be a reality just yet for most plant-based meat companies – Heura has turned out to be an exception here – he added: “The economic climate generally seems to be improving, and there are some powerful advocacy programmes, which should help reengage consumers to the category.
“Whilst it’s a tough trading environment, I do feel like we’re soon to be over the worst of it. The planet and the animals need us to be successful, and I’m confident we will be.”
To memorialize the more than 12 cows who were killed when the truck carrying them overturned on I-380 and fell into Lime Creek on Friday morning, PETA plans to place a sky-high message near the site, reminding everyone that the crash victims were thinking, feeling individuals.
“At least a dozen cows died in terror and agony because of this crash, and the survivors were hauled off, presumably for workers to slit their throats and carve up their bodies for meat and leather,” says PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman. “PETA urges everyone to help keep cows out of trucks and slaughterhouses in the first place by going vegan.”
In 2023 alone, there were at least 74 documented animal-transport accidents. Each year, millions of cows are trucked to slaughterhouses, where workers shoot them 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, dramatically shrinks their carbon footprint, and reduces their risk of suffering from cancer, heart disease, strokes, diabetes, and obesity. PETA’s free vegan starter kit can help those looking to make the switch.
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.
