Our weekly column rounds up the latest sustainable food innovation news. This week, Future Food Quick Bites covers Beyond Meat’s Steak Filet debut, Quorn’s £18M injection, and Chocolat Stella’s apricot kernel milk bar.
New products and launches
Beyond Meat has debuted its new Steak Filet as part of the All-American Vegan menu at Next Level Burger and Veggie Grill, which has 28g of protein and is paired with potatoes, broccoli, and either melted blue cheese, a peppercorn sauce, or chimichurri. The menu also features Oshi‘s whole-cut salmon.
Courtesy: Next Level Burger
US plant-based company Better Balance Foods has partnered with Papa Johns to supply vegan protein products for the chain’s Green Ranch and Green BBQ pizzas and vegetable fingers in Spain and Portugal
Plant-based milk leader Califia Farms has expanded its barista oat milk range in the UK with pistachio and hazelnut, which are available at Ocado now and at Sainsbury’s next month.
Courtesy: Califia Farms
Still in the UK, Juice Plus has become the latest brand to jump on the 30-plants-a-week movement, launching a Superfood Powder drink mix with 30 different fruits, vegetables and berries, as well as plant-based vitamins. They’re available on its website starting at £104 for 30 single-serve sticks.
Austrian startup Kern Tec has teamed up with Swiss confectioner Chocolat Stella to introduce a limited-edition vegan chocolate bar using the former’s upcycled apricot kernel milk. Titled ApriCoa, it’s available on Stella’s website for 2.80 Swiss francs ($3.50) per 80g bar.
Courtesy: Chocolat Stella
And in Tokyo, the restaurant 8go has introduced new menu items using local startup Umami United‘s vegan eggs: Spanish omelette, financiers (in plain, matcha and chocolate flavours), and canelé.
Company and finance updates
Israel’s AlgoCell has raised $2.8M in pre-seed funding to build its AI-powered digital twin platform for bioprocess development and optimisation, targeting cultivated meat and fermentation companies.
Marlow Foods, which includes mycoprotein giant Quorn and tofu brand Cauldron, was injected with £18M in fresh capital by its Filipino parent company, Monde Nissin. It used the money to further pay down its debt as part of a turnaround strategy following a difficult few years for the business.
Courtesy: Finneato Fysh Foods
Speaking of mycelium meat, German firm Kynda has been named Startup of the Week by business magazine WirtschaftsWoche.
Finnish oat milk cheese maker Mö has witnessed a 135% increase in revenue this year after quick growth in the Nordic region.
Courtesy: Mö
Lallemand Bio-Ingredients has acquiredSolyve, a French producer of enzymes specialising in solid-state fermentation, from its parent company, InVivo Group.
In Canada, state-funded agency Alberta Innovates has committed $500,000 to support the Cellular Agriculture Prairie Ecosystem (CAPE) project, a $2.4 million programme led by New Harvest Canada.
Xanterra Travel Collection, the main foodservice provider of some of the US’s most popular national parks – including the Grand Canyon, Yellowstone and Mount Rushmore – has committed to making 50% of all menu items plant-based by 2026.
Courtesy: Plant Based Treaty
El Masnou, a municipality in Catalonia, has become Spain’s second city to formally endorse the Plant Based Treaty, after the city council passed a motion to do so with 17 votes in favour (versus two against).
New research by NielsenIQsuggests that 37% of Indians are looking to add more plant-based proteins to their diets in the next 12 months.
Danone-owned plant-based dairy leader Alpro has introduced a new range for kids in the UK, starting with low-sugar milk and yoghurt alternatives.
Alpro is looking to expand its customer base with a new range dedicated to children, at a time when kids’ nutrition is under the microscope in the UK.
The new Alpro Kids range comprises a chocolate oat milk, a strawberry soy milk, and vanilla and strawberry soy yoghurts, which contain 30% less sugar than the market average for similar products, according to the brand.
“We are proud to be offering healthy and nutritious options for every member of the family,” said Tom Kerr, head of the plant-based category at Danone. “With ‘flexitarian’ diets continuing to be popular across households, the new product range is a tasty way to help parents introduce their children to new foods. It’s a deliciously smart way to start the day.”
The move comes a week after the UK government and supermarkets established a new healthy food standard to make the average shopping basket more healthful and contribute to developing “the healthiest generation of children ever”.
Alpro hits on key nutrients with kids’ range
Courtesy: Alpro
The launch is a direct response to parental concerns around healthy eating, according to Alpro, which cited research from Quant that showed ‘less sugar’ and ‘no added sugars’ are important nutritional benefits in products for 71% of parents. Government data shows that 91% of children exceed the daily recommended intake of added sugar, with the average calorie share twice as high as advised.
The Quant survey found that 77% see taste as the top priority for kids’ snacks. Leveraging that insight, Alpro taste-tested all its recipes for the new milks and yoghurts to ensure appeal.
“Parents face the challenge of finding foods that are both nutritious and appealing to their children on a daily basis,” said Kerr. “Our new Alpro Kids range addresses this dilemma by offering genuinely delicious plant-based options that kids love, providing a source of essential nutrients for healthy growth – all with less sugar than comparable products.”
The new lineup is fortified with calcium, iodine, and vitamins B2, B12 and D2. They’re also low in fat and saturated fat (which 85% of British children overconsume), and contain no artificial flavourings, preservatives or colourings.
Plus, the yoghurts represent Danone’s focus on fibre and gut health, two increasingly popular health topics in the UK’s food discourse. Over 60% of the company’s dairy and plant-based sales come from products in functional segments like immunity, gut health, indulgence and performance. It will look to expand this in a country where 86% of children fail to meet their daily recommended fibre intake.
The launch comes shortly after a recent review of 27 studies found that vegan diets can support healthy growth in children when planned well and supplemented with the right nutrients.
Danone expands plant-based portfolio for kids
Courtesy: Kate Farms
Around one in 10 Brits suffer from lactose intolerance, while 2-3% are allergic to dairy. And as of 2021, 8% of children in the country followed a plant-based diet, underscoring the opportunity for products like Alpro’s new milks and yoghurts.
The non-dairy milks are available in 200ml cartons for £0.90 (or £1.50 for two), while the vegan yoghurts come in four-packs of 115g pots for £2.25. This is on par with other health-forward kids’ products in the UK, and will appeal to the 84% of parents who say good nutrition is a top factor in deciding what to feed their children, as well as the 56% who cite price and affordability.
The Alpro Kids range is available at Asda now and will roll out at Tesco on July 23, followed by an expansion into Sainsbury’s, Waitrose and other major supermarkets in September.
In the UK, sales of plant-based milk fell by 2.3% in 2024, but non-dairy yoghurts witnessed a 6.7% hike. And unlike most of Europe, branded products were more resilient than private-label options: sales of the former declined by 3%, compared to a 12% decline for the latter, so new launches like Alpro’s do have room to succeed.
This range complements Alpro’s portfolio for the next generation, which includes oat and soy milks under the Growing Up label. It’s part of a wider trend of plant-based launches for babies and children over the last year.
Potina, founded by a former Alpro employee, introduced banana oat milks for kids in the UK last year, while Grow with Iris released a free-from plant-based milk for toddlers. Across the Atlantic, Califia Farms brought out its Complete Kids Plantmilk, Koia launched three oat milkshakes for kids, and Silk (owned by Danone) rolled out an oat and pea milk blend for children.
Danone has also made moves in the plant-based infant nutrition sector. In 2023, Danone signed a letter of intent to license Canadian firm Else Nutrition’s vegan formula under its own branding, though there has been no public update since. And this month, it completed its acquisition of plant-based infant formula maker Kate Farms.
A new survey shows that a majority of US consumers believe vegan diets are more costly than the Standard American Diet, despite meat being the highest source of spending for 70% of them.
Talk about veganism in a social setting, and complaints about cost are never far away.
And there’s some justification in that – plant-based meat alternatives carry an 82% premium on conventional meat in the US. That’s no surprise, considering the latter is a legacy industry with gigantic scale and government support (both via subsidies and policies).
But veganism is more than just about meat analogues, so by using them as a yardstick for the plant-based diet, they’re missing a trick. Meals built around whole foods are usually far more affordable than those centred on animal proteins, according to Xavier Toledo, a registered dietitian with the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM).
The health advocacy group polled 2,200 Americans with Morning Consult to find that 77% of adults say grocery prices are too high at the moment. And when asked what they spend the most money on, 70% of respondents said meat, and another 12% said dairy.
Courtesy: PCRM/Morning Consult
Americans blame meat alternatives for plant-based diet costs
PCRM suggests that Americans are misinformed about the cost of eating a plant-based diet, since 61% of them believe buying groceries for this way of eating is more expensive than the Standard American Diet.
The latter is characterised by the US dietary guidelines as too high in red meat, high-fat dairy, processed and fast foods, refined carbohydrates, added sugars, salt and calories, and too low in fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, lean protein and healthy fats.
The perception of plant-based diets as more expensive rises with age, with baby boomers most likely to think so (67%). The sentiment is more popular among white and rural demographics, too. Surprisingly, though, the lowest-earning Americans in the poll (earning under $50,000 annually) were least likely to think that vegan diets are costlier, with 58% saying so.
When asked which groceries cause plant-based eating to be more expensive, a majority of the participants (60%) pointed to meat alternatives. The aforementioned price gap with conventional meat helps to explain this. It’s also why sales of plant-based meat and seafood have continued to decline in the US, falling by 7% last year.
Courtesy: PCRM/Morning Consult
Separate research shows that if meat-free alternatives are more expensive, Americans’ preference for them falls below 20%, and if they’re priced equally, this increases to 21%. Whereas if vegan alternatives cost about half of a conventional burger, the number of people choosing the former would double. And lowering the price of the plant-based burger by even 10% would result in a 14% increase in sales.
Three in 10 consumers told the pollsters that fruits and vegetables make vegan diets expensive, highlighting the “knowledge gaps about plant-based eating”.
“Centring a plant-based diet on whole, minimally processed foods is one of the most effective ways to not only nourish your body, but also cut grocery costs,” said Toledo. “Simple shifts – like buying produce in season, choosing frozen or canned when it’s more affordable, cooking in batches, and leaning on budget-friendly staples like potatoes, beans, and brown rice – can make a big difference.”
Is veganism really that expensive?
Inflation has hiked grocery prices across the board, whether it’s a Beyond Burger or Perdue chicken. Now, nine in 10 Americans say healthy food has become more expensive, and 62% suggest that prices are now a high priority in their food purchasing decisions.
Moreover, some foods have been hit harder by inflation than others. According to the Pew Research Centre, prices of meat, poultry, fish and eggs saw the fastest hikes of any food category since January 2020, up by more than 36%. The category least affected by inflation? Fruits and vegetables, which are 16% more expensive today.
The egg crisis has been well-documented, with prices breaking records consecutively in the first three months of 2025, and set to rise by another 40% throughout the year. In addition, the cost of fresh chicken rose to levels never seen before this year, crossing $2.06 per lb in March. And milk has remained above the $4 per gallon rate since August 2024, and was up by 5% this April compared to 12 months earlier.
Meanwhile, ground beef prices hit 5.80 per lb in cities in April, the highest since records began 40 years ago. Likewise, the cost of uncooked beef steaks reached an all-time high of $11.12 per lb.
Courtesy: PBFA
SPINS data crunched by the Plant-Based Foods Association found that average retail costs grew across all animal-based food categories in 2024, with eggs registering the largest hike (6%), followed by butter (3%), creamer (3%), and cheese (2%).
Plant-based yoghurt and meat were among the only categories whose price hikes outpaced their animal counterparts. Vegan butter and ice cream were 3% cheaper in 2024 than the year before, while the cost of non-dairy creamers and cheese fell by 1%. And while milk alternatives were 1% more expensive, their price hike was lower than the 2% experienced by cow’s milk.
Meat and dairy are the categories Americans spend their most money on, the PCRM survey showed, while plant-based alternatives only rank in the top two spending categories for 6% of Americans.
Courtesy: PCRM/Morning Consult
Veganism isn’t expensive. Meat and dairy, however, are getting pricier. Replacing them with fruits, vegetables and whole foods can bring major wins for Americans’ wallets.
This was proven by a PCRM study last year, which revealed that a low-fat vegan diet can cut food costs by 19% to $1.80 per day, when compared to the Standard American Diet. These savings were largely attributed to meat and dairy, outweighing the increase spend on vegetables, grains, and even meat alternatives.
Zus Coffee, now Malaysia’s largest coffee chain, has launched a vegan menu with Southeast Asian plant-based meat startup Green Rebel Foods at over 200 locations.
With a fifth of Malaysians looking to cut back on meat, its largest coffee chain is leaning into that wish with a collaboration with Green Rebel Foods.
Zus Coffee has introduced a vegan ready-to-eat menu using the Indonesian startup’s meat alternatives at over 200 locations in the states of Terengganu, Kelantan and Pahang.
It’s a marriage of two tech-driven startups in Southeast Asia, blending local flavours with food innovation to help Malaysians meet their health goals while lowering their impact on the environment.
Green Rebel bets on Zus Coffee’s growing popularity
Courtesy: Green Rebel Foods
The menu comprises ready-to-eat products that consumers can eat in-store or take home. It spotlights Green Rebel’s mushroom and soy protein, which is the star of all three dishes: a nasi rendang padang, a rendang spaghetti, and a creamy mushroom and truffle pasta, with the latter featuring the brand’s dairy-free cheese.
Its signature meat-free protein solutions are made from the proprietary Rebel Emulsion Technology, which helps recreate the mouthfeel of animal protein via an emulsion of coconut oil, water, and natural plant-based seasonings. The mushroom and soy are mixed with cassava flour, rice flour,r and whole oats.
“We’re proud to partner with a forward-thinking brand like Zus Coffee,” said Max Mandias, co-founder and chief innovation officer of Green Rebel. “Together, we’re not just serving great food, but we’re redefining how Southeast Asians enjoy our cultural dishes while caring for the planet.”
Zus Coffee was founded in 2019 and has grown exponentially with its tech-led approach to specialty coffee. It has highly digitalised operations and had a companion app at launch to facilitate online ordering, takeaway and delivery.
The company collects data on consumers’ tastes and preferences too, using the insights to create new products and improve existing ones. While the uptake of its cashless payment and online ordering approach was slow at first, Covid-19 popularised these soon after.
Zus Coffee has since gone from strength to strength, on the back of an aggressive expansion strategy that has seen its locations jump past 3,300, surpassing even Starbucks. The company has been keen to lower its climate footprint, using biodegradable rice straws, and now with the plant-based menu.
Courtesy: Green Rebel Foods
Malaysia is hungry for plant proteins
The partnership comes as awareness about plant-based food grows in Malaysia. A survey by the Good Food Institute (GFI) APAC last year found that 89% of locals have heard of meat alternatives. That said, less than a fifth (19%) eat it regularly or once a month.
At the same time, 21% of Malaysians said they were looking to limit their meat intake in the upcoming year, with beef (24%) and lamb, pork and mutton (27%) overindexing. For these consumers – as is the case in other Asian countries – health is the biggest driver of this consumption trend, with the top three reasons cited as better cardiovascular health, weight loss, and improved digestion.
This is confirmed by a separate poll by GlobalData from December 2023, where 59% of Malaysians said plant-based meat alternatives are healthier than their conventional counterparts.
The GFI APAC survey also revealed that 66% of Malaysians who had never tried plant-based meat intended to do so in the coming year, while 43% of those who had wanted to increase their intake. And for 40% of consumers, restaurants were the most common way to be introduced to these products, a finding Green Rebel’s partnership with Zus Coffee aligns with well.
Courtesy: Green Rebel Foods
The plant-based meat maker, which has worked with Starbucks in Malaysia before, has been expanding its presence across the region. It recently entered 7-Eleven Philippines as part of in-store dishes and with on-shelf products.
Further, it has commercial partnerships with AirAsia, Tous Le Jours, NTUC FairPrice and Annam Gourmet, with its products available in over 1,200 foodservice locations and more than 300 retail stores across Indonesia, Singapore, Vietnam, the Philippines, and Malaysia.
In other plant-based news from Malaysia, Pure Mylk has opened the region’s first dedicated innovation centre for non-dairy milk, featuring R&D labs, sensory testing rooms, a showroom, a training centre, and a full-scale pilot plant for manufacturers.
Our weekly column rounds up the latest sustainable food innovation news. This week, Future Food Quick Bites covers Chike Nutrition’s plant protein coffees, a sunflower seed meat alternative, and US physicians’ letter to the government.
New products and launches
US protein beverage powder maker Chike Nutrition has introduced plant-based Toasted Coconut Mocha and Salted Caramel Latte. The two drinks contain 20g of pea and pumpkin seed protein, two shots of espresso and 3g of sugar per 34g serving; they will roll out on its website on July 15 and at Whole Foods Market in September.
Courtesy: Chike Nutrition/Nadiya Senko
US plant-based company Before the Butcher has debuted VegBurg, a line of whole-food veggie burgers designed for foodservice and at-home cooking enthusiasts, combining lentils, zucchini, carrots, quinoa, mushrooms, and more.
Californian frozen food startup Hey!Hunger has unveiled Indian-inspired Tikka Patties made from whole foods and free from isolates, gums and preservatives. The clean-label plant-based product is available at Good Earth, Berkeley Bowl, Rainbow Market, Woodlands, and over 30 independent stores in the state.
Meanwhile, Beyond Meat has become the official Plant-Based Protein Partner of the Premier Lacrosse League, with its products being integrated into team meals and player nutrition programmes across all eight clubs.
Vegan cheese pioneer Miyoko’s Creamery has launched a meltable Oat Milk Taco Blend Seasoned Shreds SKU. It’s available at Erewhon, Nugget Market, Hy-Vee and National Co+op Grocers stores nationwide for $6.99 per 7oz bag.
Courtesy: Daiya/Gulnar/Green Queen
Elsewhere in the plant-based cheese world, Canadian firm Daiya has added Chipotle Cheddar Shreds and Pepper Jack Slices to its oat milk cheese lineup, which can be found at retailers across the US.
Meanwhile, Canadian vegan fast-food chain Odd Burger has teamed up with retailer Vegan Supply to expand the distribution of its CPG line. These products will now be available at all Vegan Supply stores across British Columbia.
Courtesy: Odd Burger
Certification body V-Label LATAM has released Todo Vegan, an iOS and Android app to help users in Latin America search for vegan-certified products more easily and conveniently.
In the UK, Papa Johns has introduced a new vegan pizza with French plant-based pork brand La Vie. It features vegan ham, jackfruit pepperoni, and non-dairy cheese from Scotland’s Sheese, and costs £12 for a large option.
Courtesy: Papa Johns
Irish brand The Happy Pear has gained a listing at UK online grocer Ocado, which will now stock both chilled and ambient offerings, like hummus, tapenade, dip and snack pots, pesto and granola.
Indian online grocer Country Delight has expanded into the plant-based realm with an oat milk targeted at health-conscious Indians. It’s available in 400ml packs for ₹40 ($0.47).
Courtesy: Jacked Nutrition
In Pakistan, Jacked Nutrition has introduced a vegan brown rice protein powder with 24g of protein and 2g of fibre per 30g scoop. It’s available in chocolate and vanilla flavours.
Company and finance updates
Protein Industries Canada, in collaboration with NRGene Canada, Pulse Genetics, Hensall Co-op, and Yumasoy Foods Ltd, has committed $4.3M to bolster the national specialty soybean market and support the development of plant-based foods.
In Germany, Planet A Foods, the company behind ChoViva cocoa-free chocolate, has been named as a finalist for the prestigious entrepreneurial award, Deutscher Gründerpreis 2025.
Courtesy: Planet A Foods
Planet A Foods has also been recognised as a Rising Star at Manager Magazin and Bain & Company’s Game Changer Award 2025.
In Portugal, four major Lisbon hospitals have committed to offering more plant-based options under ProVeg Portugal‘s Sustainable Meals programme.
Luxembourg-based molecular farming firmMoolec Science has secured a US patent for its Piggy Sooy technology, which produces pork protein directly within soy seeds.
Policy and research developments
Over 130 physicians have penned an open letter to the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Department of Agriculture (USDA), urging the government to prioritise the consumption of legumes as a protein source in the upcoming national dietary guidelines.
Courtesy: Bold Bean Co
The UK’s Food Standards Agency has created a Business Support Service to help companies looking to file regulatory applications for cultivated meat, in its latest move to advance novel food regulation.
Over 60% of Hong Kong’s leading restaurant groups have committed to ending the use of caged eggs across all global operations, according to analysis by non-profit the Lever Foundation.
Courtesy: Luc Vietanh Soto/10 Billion Solutions
The International Institute of Refrigeration has urged all countries to establish National Refrigeration Committees to tackle food security, public health, energy use, and sustainability challenges.
Researchers from Brazil’s Institute of Food Technology and the University of Campinas have worked with Germany’s Fraunhofer IVV Institute to develop a sunflower-seed-based meat alternative.
Courtesy: Unicamp
In a redux of the conversation sparked by The Game Changers documentary, a new study has found that whole-food plant-based diets could lower the risk of erectile dysfunction, compared to animal-based and processed diets.
Finally, another study has revealed that healthy plant-based foods are linked to better heart health, but unhealthy ones are not.
Germany’s Veganz Group has established Mililk FoodTech to unlock hidden business value following a 34% drop in sales last year, and will sell its OrbiFarm subsidiary for €30M ($35M).
Following three years of revenue decline, German plant-based pioneer Veganz Group is eyeing a turnaround with strategic investment and a restructuring of its operations.
The holding company has set up Mililk FoodTech as a new subsidiary to “leverage hidden reserves” within the business, building on its Mililk brand of 2D-printed oat milk. In addition, it has agreed to sell 100% of OrbiFarm GmbH – a private limited company it formed in April, stemming from its indoor farming vertical – to a third party for €30M ($35M) plus an earnout.
These moves have been made in preparation for strategic investments in Q3, with the total volume expected to be between €10-20M ($12-24M), based on a pre-money valuation of €80M ($94M). Following the financing, Veganz will continue to hold a majority stake in Mililk.
Veganz goes global with Mililk expansion
Courtesy: Veganz
Veganz’s 2D-printed milk technology was licensed from US startup Vitiprints in 2022. It prints the oat mass directly after fermentation via a screen printing process on an industrial printer. Drying out the oat base into compact discs requires 94% fewer materials for packaging (compared to the Tetra Paks used for standard oat milks), which is 85% lighter in weight and lowers emissions by 90%.
It has been selling the shelf-stable oat milk sheets since October 2023 under the Mililk brand, and given the technology’s potential to optimise a broad range of foods and beverages, Veganz has decided to diversify its business with the new venture.
Mililk FoodTech will deal with R&D, patents, production, distribution and tech licensing for food manufacturing. Its current focus is centred on plant-based milk, though projects for juices, smoothies and functional drinks are already underway.
Veganz partnered with Döhler Group last year to develop a new process that reduces the number of manufacturing steps and the energy requirements, making production more efficient and cost-effective.
And earlier this year, it signed a deal with Jindilli Beverages (the maker of Milkadamia) to bring its products to North America, Australia and New Zealand. This includes the production of Mililk’s oat and almond milks and its coffee creamer drops, as well as the export and distribution of one-litre Tetra Pak formats for retail and five-litre packs foodservice.
“In view of the enormous market potential for our Mililk technology platform, we are currently only scratching the surface,” said Anja Brachmüller, COO of Veganz and CEO of Mililk FoodTech.
The company predicts the demand for Mililk will reach 30 million litres over the next year, equating to €30M ($35M) in sales, suggesting that this volume is possible due to the significant cost savings its products present.
“In the US, we have already identified a production site that has all the necessary permits and offers enough space to produce more than 60 million litres of our plant-based milk alternatives per year,” noted Brachmüller. This plant is set to be opened in early 2026, with Mililk producing under a licensing model.
Veganz COO and Mililk FoodTech CEO Anja Brachmüller | Courtesy: Veganz
Can OrbiFarm sale and strategic investments help Veganz bounce back?
Veganz’s current facility in Ludwigsfelde only has an annual capacity of three million litres; it’s now being expanded to 11.5 million litres with €1M ($1.2M) of capital expenditure. “In Europe, we also want to establish six new production sites,” Brachmüller said. Once online, these would generate triple-digit revenue growth for the Mililk brand alone.
The expansion will be helped by the upcoming strategic investors and the sale of OrbiFarm, developed over several years with indoor farming tech licensed from the Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology. The entity was officially launched just over two months ago, with Veganz initially planning to sell a 25% stake for €10M ($12M) – but now, it has agreed to part with the whole business.
Veganz said the transaction enables strategic partners who are prohibited from investing in subsidiaries of listed companies to become involved, with the proceeds from the sale boosting its liquidity and creating new scope for growth.
“The initial order forecast from North America makes it imperative for long-term investors to come on board so that we can build up production capacity as quickly as possible to meet the high demand,” said Brachmüller.
The firm has raised $24M to date, including an $11M equity round for Mililk’s expansion last year. And earlier this month, it issued a capital increase that would net the business a further $7.5M in gross proceeds.
Graphic by Green Queen
All this comes on the back of several years of decreasing sales, which peaked at €30.4M in 2021. Then, year-on-year sales fell by 22.4% in 2022, 30.5% in 2023, and 34.2% last year, when they totalled €10.8M. The company blamed difficult market conditions, portfolio adjustments, and production delays due to unfinalised financing.
That said, experts expect the company to bounce back this year with €13.2M in sales (representing a 22.5% growth). “In a challenging year 2024, we continued to successfully drive forward the reorganisation of Veganz Group AG and see a further increase in own production sales and an improvement in EBITDA,” Veganz co-founder and CEO Jan Bredack said earlier this year.
“With our five new business units [Veganz, Mililk, Happy Cheeze, Peas on Earth, and OrbiFarm], we are clearly positioned for the future and, assuming financing, will be able to meet the high market demand in 2025,” he added.
Atlantic Natural Foods, the company behind Loma Linda and Tuno, has signed an asset purchase agreement with Philippines-based Century Pacific Food.
Two months after declaring bankruptcy, US legacy plant-based meat player Atlantic Natural Foods has entered into an asset purchase agreement with Filipino food processor Century Pacific Food.
It will allow Atlantic Natural Foods, whose roots date back 135 years, to continue operating after an extended period of uncertainty.
Inflation and tariffs get costs spiralling
Courtesy: Atlantic Natural Foods
While Atlantic Natural Foods was founded in 2008, its portfolio brand Loma Linda has been around since 1890, when it was established by John Harvey Kellogg, the creator of corn flakes and brother of Kellanova founder WK Kellogg.
The New Orleans-based firm bought Loma Linda from what was then known as Kellogg’s in 2014, and has since expanded its brands’ presence to over 25,000 stores in the US, plus 30 other countries.
The company has manufacturing plants in both Nashville, North Carolina, and Bangkok, Thailand; in January 2024, it began transitioning its supply chain to other locations. That effort was accelerated in December, after it withdrew from an acquisition deal with Above Food, which had been in the works for three years.
“This decision reflects a strategic realignment following a comprehensive evaluation of the evolving business landscape,” Atlantic Natural Foods said at the time. “Factors such as the global impact of Covid-19, supply chain disruptions and rising food inflation played a key role.”
Months later, the firm filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, listing $10-50M in assets and $1-10M in liabilities, with 100 to 199 creditors.
“During this period, Atlantic Natural Foods experienced rapid cost escalation with material impact directly related to tariffs on steel (from which our cans are made), grains, spices, along with egg whites and more,” said chairman Doug Hines.
“The restructuring of government tariffs, inflation, price pressures from government and others, labour, insurance – coupled with cybersecurity attacks which have created IT cost to increase three times – showed no relief on the near horizon,” he added.
Atlantic Natural Foods doubles down on Adventist church customer community
Courtesy: Atlantic Natural Foods
The aforementioned challenges forced Atlantic Natural Foods to shutter its US manufacturing site in March and begin shifting production to Century Pacific. It positioned the Philippines as the primary supply location for Loma Linda’s shelf-stable products, targeting Seventh-day Adventists in the country.
The company has a long history with the church. Kellogg was brought up in the Seventh-day Adventist Church, and was the owner of the Loma Linda brand until 1990. Its products are considered a staple for those transitioning to a meat-free diet when joining the church.
Atlantic Natural Foods cited supply chain hurdles and a tough business landscape as the driving factors behind its move to restructure operations. “There is simply too much uncertainty right now,” said Hines.
The shift to Century Pacific has been planned for over a year and will allow supply continuity “well into the next generation” under its oversight, infrastructure, production capacities and capital.
Owned by the Po family, Century Pacific was first founded as a food canning company in 1978, and is now a global processor of meat, seafood, dairy, pet food, and plant-based products. Its CEO, Teodoro Po, said the business is already facing the impacts of the tariff war, but it plans to invest in capacity expansion.
“As far as acquisitions are concerned, there are a few bolt-ons, so those are of smaller sizes that we can just bolt on to our existing platforms. So watch this space,” he told the Philippine Star this week.
“The past months have been the most painful business experience in my 50 years in the food industry,” said Hines. “However, our mission to ensure a continuing food source for the Adventist consumer has remained our number one priority, and in that, we can take great pride in being able to ensure a successful future.”
A new review suggests that well-planned plant-based diets are safe and healthy for kids, if they’re carefully planned and supplemented to prevent nutrient deficiencies.
Can kids be vegan and healthy?
According to a major review of 27 studies, when planned well and supplemented with the right nutrients, the answer is yes.
“When carefully planned, vegan diets can support healthy growth in children, but supplementation is essential to prevent nutrient deficiencies. Nutritional counselling and ongoing pediatric monitoring are fundamental,” the authors write in the Nutrition Reviews journal.
They embarked upon the study after finding limited research on the effects of plant-based diets on children. Most existing papers focus on vegetarian diets or the risks of poorly planned vegan diets, which they suggest lead to inconsistent dietary recommendations for children.
That can cause confusion among parents and doctors. “Healthcare professionals should be equipped to support families choosing vegan diets for their children,” the study states. “Understanding both the benefits and shortcomings of vegan diets is necessary to formulate research-based recommendations.”
The effects of a vegan diet on children
Courtesy: Crystal Sing/Corelens
The findings suggest that children could be at risk of certain nutrient deficiencies if their vegan diets are not planned or supplemented properly.
While Vitamin B12 is a major deficiency concern that can cause serious neurological effects, it can be easily prevented in plant-based children via supplementation. Similarly, low intake of vitamin D2 in kids consuming a vegan diet often calls for supplementation for normal growth and development.
Vegan diets typically have a higher iron intake but lower bioavailability, requiring co-consumption of foods rich in vitamin C to improve absorption or iron supplementation to prevent anaemia. Children on an animal-free diet also have a low calcium intake, which impacts bone health.
Meanwhile, excessive fibre can lower calorie density and hinder growth; carefully planned diets can prevent that risk. And iodised salt can lower the risk of iodine deficiency, which is common in children eating a vegan diet.
Further, the review found that these kids show normal growth and development, with no significant differences in height, weight, or body mass index. They have lower total HDL and LDL cholesterol levels, indicating a reduced cardiovascular risk and a more favourable lipid profile than children consuming vegetarian or omnivore diets.
Vegan children are additionally less likely to be obese or overweight, with healthier body compositions than those who eat meat, dairy, and eggs.
“Well-planned vegan diets can meet energy and nutrient needs, including protein, fibre, omega-3 fatty acids, iron, zinc, iodine, calcium, and vitamin D,” the authors wrote, adding that regular assessment and supplementation with vitamin B12 are essential.
Vitamin B12 deficiency in focus
Courtesy: Grow with Iris
One of the standout recommendations from the research surrounded vitamin B12, with the authors arguing that public health campaigns should stress the nutrient’s importance for neurodevelopmental health in children eating plant-based diets.
“Mothers on a vegan diet need nutritional counselling and vitamin B12 supplements before conception and during breastfeeding,” they write. “Infants with unexplained neurological symptoms should be tested for deficiency.”
Preventing B12 deficiencies requires fortified foods or supplements – most plant-based milk products for kids come fortified with the nutrient, while foods like nutritional yeast are a good source too.
Another critical nutrient is vitamin D, which is vital for bone health during pregnancy, lactation, and the first 1,000 days of life to prevent rickets. The study emphasises the need for paediatrician-supervised supplementation, as well as the intake of calcium-rich foods like dark greens, tofu, almonds and fortified plant milks for optimal bone health.
Iron-rich foods like beans, soy, nuts, seeds, and fortified cereals – along with vitamin-C-rich foods – are crucial too, as is the inclusion of omega-3 fatty acids via chia seeds, flax seeds, walnuts, seaweed, and more.
“Paediatricians and dietitians should educate families on the benefits and risks of vegan diets, provide age-specific guidelines and ensure ongoing support, with professional guidance essential for safe implementation,” the study suggests. “Expert organisations should provide tailored dietary guidelines for children on a vegan diet, considering age and regional and cultural factors.”
The need for healthcare training to help eco-minded Gen Alpha
Courtesy: Impossible Foods
Dr Shireen Kassam, a consultant haematologist and founding director of the medical association Plant-Based Health Professionals UK, has previously highlighted why there’s a lack of education on children and vegan diets among healthcare professionals.
“The teaching and training of healthcare professionals in general is still based around omnivorous diets when it comes to nutrition. Nutrition training in most non-nutrition healthcare courses is still lacking,” she told Green Queen last month.
“We don’t have sufficient studies on vegan diets and pregnancy at present,” she added. “In addition, the current media narrative around plant-based diets centres around them being restrictive and nutrient-deficient, and this tends to shape the views and attitudes of healthcare professionals.”
As the researchers point out, people are not just turning to plant-based foods for their health benefits, they are also motivated by ethical reasons and environmental sustainability. No generation is more susceptible – and therefore concerned – about climate change than Gen Alpha.
Research shows that saving the planet will be the main career mission for two-thirds of these children, and 80% of their parents have already been influenced to lead more eco-friendly lives. This has led to greater interest in alternative proteins: nearly 80% are willing to try plant-based meat, while 74% say the same for cultivated meat.
It underscores the need for better nutrition education for kids on a plant-based diet. “Emphasise a well-planned vegan diet with vitamin B12, vitamin D, calcium, iron, zinc, iodine and omega-3 supplements during pregnancy, lactation and breastfeeding, as well as throughout the rest of the child’s life span to ensure adequate nutrient intake for normal growth and development,” says the study.
Mumbai-based Prot has released Prot Block, a shelf-stable ingredient offering health-conscious Indians a new format of plant-based protein.
Walk into metropolitan India right now, and you might begin wondering whether you have a protein deficiency.
Protein is everywhere right now, from chocolates and coffee to kulfi and even water. It has given a boost to functional health startups and forced dairy giants like Amul and Mother Dairy to innovate and introduce protein-rich offerings.
Swathes of studies suggest that India has a protein problem—according to one survey, 73% of the country has a deficiency. That said, a separate analysis of household food intakes reveals that the risk of protein deficiency, when adjusted for digestible quality, is low in adults and non-existent in young Indians.
Either way, the protein trend isn’t going anywhere. And in a country with the world’s largest vegetarian population, it’s an opportunity for plant-based companies.
The challenge? Meat alternatives are still ultra-niche, and tofu (often marketed as ‘soy paneer’) is only just emerging into tier 2 cities. The industry’s USP, however, is health and nutrition.
Polling shows that protein and health benefits are the most influential purchase drivers of plant-based meat and dairy in India, even more so than affordability. It’s what spurred the 18% growth of the vegan market between 2021 and 2024.
According to market research firm Ipsos, this value is expected to expand 18-fold in the next decade, with plant proteins “set to be woven into everyday meals and snacks, attracting a wider audience beyond vegans”.
It leaves room for new, innovative products that pack a punch with protein and fibre, all while satisfying the taste buds of a food-loving population.
Not an alternative to tofu or paneer
Courtesy: Prot
Prot, a Mumbai-based startup formerly known as Seaspire, is tapping into the opportunity. It has released Prot Block, a novel format of plant-based protein that isn’t quite a meat alternative or tofu, and holds its own on the culinary and nutrition fronts.
“The motivation for us in developing this product actually came from an unintended blind test, where we just had some test consumers give insights on how they feel about the texture and early iterations of this product without any positioning… [except only] if they were given the option to eat plant protein,” co-founder Varun Gadodia tells Green Queen.
“And this got us a strongly positive early feedback that vegetarian consumers in India and some Western markets are looking for a protein texture that can be incorporated easily in their daily food habits without sounding like any alternative or plant-based meat positioning.”
Indeed, we’re already seeing this shift in Europe, where whole-food options and new formats are taking over the plant-based space. In the UK, Oh So Wholesome’s Veg’chop and This’s Super Superfood both offer protein blocks made from legumes and vegetables. Meanwhile, Austria’s Revo Foods uses mycoprotein to deliver The Prime Cut, which doesn’t mimic meat and is designed for functional nutrition instead.
Prot Block – available in plain and tandoori flavours – contains 15g of protein (on par with tofu) and 10g of fibre per 100g, as well as 7g of fat sourced from coconuts and sunflower. In fact, both the overall and saturated fat content are over three times lower than paneer.
“In the short to medium term, we don’t intend to raise this as a rival of traditional paneer or tofu, but more of an option in the vegetarian protein textures, as consumers don’t really have much to look at and they are looking for options more actively,” suggests Gadodia.
“The commoditisation of soy and paneer in India within a very complex yet mature supply chain has left consumers with a choice paralysis with a cluttered marketplace of paneer, tofu and other soy derivatives,” he adds.
“In order to meet the differentiated positioning, we took the road to break out of that clutter,” he continues. “An allergen-free offering is just another value-added category [in which] we aim to position this product as a counter.”
Prot Block spotlights peas over soy
Courtesy: Prot
Peas are the star ingredient, with the Prot Block comprising textured pea protein and pea protein isolate. Wheat fibre and spices close out the ingredient list.
Using pea protein was a strategic choice to reduce the Asian market’s reliance on soy. “Reinventing the wheel with any soy-derived texture doesn’t compel consumers enough to look over the likes of tofu and tempeh, and soy granules, chunks or chaap (heavily consumed in many parts of India as a vegetarian protein),” Gadodia says.
“The opportunity here is to establish bench standards for wider adoption of pea protein, which unfortunately has remained restricted to the supplement space,” he adds, contends that this will ultimately help lead to improved standards of protein processing and commercialisation.
Prot describes the product as a versatile option suited to both local and international cooking styles, as well as a range of applications, from curries and rice to wraps and barbecue. “But this is just the beginning,” he says.
“We are in the process of some process tweaks in the product, which can get us to position it as an on-the-go snack that can be consumed directly. The hint lies in packed halloumi sticks and cheese sticks,” Gadodia adds. “While the product is pre-cooked during the course of processing and can be consumed raw, we are not positioning this as a use case.”
By offering a shelf-stable format, Prot is tackling a key bottleneck for India’s plant protein sector—the cold supply chain—while offering a long shelf life and potentially mitigating food waste.
Government support is critical to tackling India’s protein deficiency
Courtesy: Prot
The release of the product follows a closed-group pilot with more than 500 fitness enthusiasts, home cooks, and health-conscious, food-savvy early adopters. According to Prot, the feedback on taste, texture, nutrition and usability was “overwhelmingly positive”, underscoring the need for functional, high-protein options in the country.
“India is largely protein-deficient, despite heavy dairy consumption,” says Gadodia. “The environment around plant-based protein as a healthier choice is offering a great stage. However, the motivators are high-protein, allergen-free, affordable, low-cholesterol, in contrast to slow or underperforming categories like plant-based meat alternatives.”
“The low-hanging fruit, even for us, is the audience seeking high-protein offerings and willing to try more value-added products, [whether] out of need or simply boredom,” he says.
“The fact that plant protein products are still a niche is [reflective of] the consumer behaviour in India, which varies between a wide spectrum of cultural differences. While consumption in many regional markets is getting an upgrade with more disposable incomes, when it comes to food, consumers have a taste for traditional offerings,” the Prot co-founder explains.
“Many of these traditional foods already include a good chunk of plant protein derived from lentils, etc., but clean and additive-free packaged foods that solve for convenience are still a white space.”
The government, he believes, has a crucial role to play. Gadodia likens it to the promotion of the millet-based trade: “More formative policies can support the growth of plant-based foods, which need a robust supply chain and processing support to overcome scaling challenges.”
This chimes with calls from other experts, who have urged the government to launch a national plant protein mission to scale the sector and build a dedicated policy framework for plant-based foods.
Prot attracts pre-seed investment
Courtesy: Prot
Prot’s protein block is priced at ₹199 ($2.3) per 200g product. That’s several degrees higher than what Indians pay for paneer and, in many cities, tofu.
Gadodia admits that there’s an initial premium, though he insists that it is “well-gauged to a number that consumers are willing to pay for a value-added and differentiated protein offering that not only serves their need, but also hooks an aspiration to include a new product in their lifestyles”.
“The current pricing is slightly higher than good-quality paneer offerings, yet it’s in a ballpark of what an early consumer is actively looking to spend to find a valuable offering. We have our early consumers who have found the product reasonable,” he says.
“Our pricing strategy has been gauged carefully by understanding the value creation, early customers, unit economics and supply chain costs,” he adds. “Yet we have plans to improve pricing further with greater traction and quick turnaround times that could enable us to improve operational margins.”
Prot Block is currently selling the ingredient on its website and via foodservice. “We have great foodservice partnerships in place with curated menus, kitchen takeovers, etc. taking place to raise consumer awareness, and driving it all to the B2C channel,” says Gadodia.
To boost the startup’s plans, Gadodia and co-founder Shantanu Dhangar are now fundraising. “We have just closed a pre-seed funding round to support our growth plans with Prot Block and our growing presence in the retail and CPG space,” Gadodia says, hinting at an investor announcement in the coming weeks.
In another example of the effort to diversify India’s plant protein sources, plant-based meat brand Blue Tribe Foods – backed by Indian actress Anushka Sharma and cricketer Virat Kohli – has just unveiled Klaw, a brand of protein puffs derived from “supergrains”.
Our weekly column rounds up the latest sustainable food innovation news. This week, Future Food Quick Bites covers Violife’s protein-packed Cheddar alternative, Petaluma’s plant-based dehydrated dog food, and the EU’s vegan labelling war.
New products and launches
Vegan cheese giant Violife has launched Supreme Cheddarton in the UK. It’s a Cheddar alternative with at least 30% less fat and over 9g of plant protein (a rarity for coconut-oil-based cheeses), and is available at all major supermarkets for £2.95 per 200g block.
Courtesy: Violife
British frozen vegan pizza startup One Planet Pizza has revamped its recipe to add a bigger sourdough base, hand-stretched cheese, and more toppings.
Still in the UK, the ongoing heatwave has led to plant-based meat firm Thiswitnessing a 21% hike in sales of its vegan burgers and sausages over the past two weeks.
German ingredient producer Raps has introduced Compound Vegan Roast, a functional solution to enhance the flavour of plant-based roast meat analogues.
Courtesy: Raps
Likewise, French plant-based ingredient supplier Roquette has expanded its Nutralys line with two new textured solutions from wheat and pea protein.
Following its success in the Netherlands, discount retailer Lidl has launched blended burger and mince SKUs with 60% beef and 40% plants in Belgium.
In the UK, meanwhile, Lidl has unveiled high-protein vegan pudding pots in chocolate, caramel and hazelnut flavours under its Vemondo brand. They’re priced at £1.29 per 200g pack, each of which contains 20g of protein.
Courtesy: Unlimeat/Green Queen
South Korean plant-based brand Unlimeat has launched two desserts in the US. The Oat Cream Buns and Hotteok will be sold under the new Bbang label.
Speaking of the US, plant-based chicken makerRebellyous Foods has expanded its offerings with Spicy Kickin’ Nuggets, Tenders and Kickin’ Popcorn, which are now being served in over 390 school districts.
Californian vegan pet food firm Petaluma has introduced the Whole Food Mixer, a dehydrated dog food topper with organic kale, spinach, and antioxidant-rich fruits.
Courtesy: Petaluma
And Indian vegan startup Plant Yum has released a millet-based, protein-packed mango shake premix as part of a new suite of instant drink powders aimed at the health-forward consumer segment.
Company and finance updates
Greek functional dairy-free ice cream maker Plan(e)t Foods has scooped up €1.05M to fuel its product development and expand into other European countries.
Univer Solutions Belgium has expanded the distribution deal between its Foodology division and ingredient giant Ingredion to introduce plant proteins, functional native starches, and a range of stevia sweeteners to the Benelux region.
Courtesy: Proeon
Dutch startup Proeon Foods is scaling up the production of its mung and peanut protein isolates in Pune, India, through funding from Invest International and national government agencies.
Canada’s Burcon NutraScience Corporation, meanwhile, has signed a multi-year deal worth $6.8M to supply a leading provider of clean-label plant-based ingredients from its facility in Galesburg, Illinois. The first year is set to generate at least $1.4M in revenue for the manufacturer, which is set to increase every year.
Swiss giant Nestlé will let go of 80 employees at its Krupka factory in Czechia, representing a fifth of the workforce. The move is in response to slowing demand for plant-based meat products in Europe.
Courtesy: Edinburgh Innovations
The University of Edinburgh is leading the £14M state-backed Carbon-Loop Sustainable Biomanufacturing Hub, which aims to turn carbon-based waste into next-gen pharmaceuticals and cosmetics via microbial fermentation.
Singaporean deep tech startup KosmodeHealth has shut its pilot plant for the production of its upcycled, high-protein W0W Noodle range, and shrunk its team by 80% as it is “trimming to grow”, its founder has announced.
Belgian early-stage investor Biotope Ventures has announced the first close of €5M for its Biotope Ventures 2 fund, with an additional €4M set to be raised over the next 12 months to allow the fir to invest in up to 30 early-stage biotech startups.
Research and policy developments
The ‘veggie burger’ debate has cropped up again in the EU, with a group of ministers looking to introduce new rules to ban the use of meaty terms on plant-based products. It comes just months after the EU’s top court rejected a similar effort by France.
Belgium has released its new food-based dietary guidelines, advising citizens to limit unprocessed red meat intake to 300g a week and promoting plant proteins, but there’s a lack of focus on dairy alternatives and sustainability-based recommendations.
Researchers from South Korea have developed a scaffolding technology that can achieve precise marbling textures in cultivated meat. They used self-healing hydrogens that achieve robust, reversible bonding at a neutral pH.
A report by tech forecasting firm GetFocussuggests that cultivated meat technologies are advancing faster than livestock farming, potentially accelerating the path to price parity.
Courtesy: GetFocus
Food awareness organisation ProVeg International has rolled out Future Plates, a catering guide to help large-scale event organisers offer plant-based meals to attendees.
Events and awards
Dutch cultivated pork startup Meatable is continuing its outreach efforts by participating in the Blue Earth Forum at the ongoing London Climate Action Week 2025 (June 21-29).
On International Picnic Day, animal rights charity PETAunveiled a 23-metre-long vegan ham and butter sandwich at Place de la Bastille in partnership with La Vie, to symbolise the 23 million pigs killed for meat each year in France.
Courtesy: Pam Méliee/PETA
World Animal Protection, meanwhile, has launched the first Dine Vegan Nashville event. Running from June 22-28, it will promote vegan dining across the Music City via partnerships with local restaurants.
In Hong Kong, animal welfare organisation Planet for All partnered with cruelty-free beauty pioneer Lush to promote Cage-Free Hong Kong, the city’s first welfare campaign for laying hens.
In the US, organic plant milk brand Mooala‘s Simple Almond Milk has been named the Best Almond Milk in Good Housekeeping’s 2025 Snack Awards and Self Magazine’s 2025 Pantry Awards.
Finally, ClimateCats Studios, the film studio run by the influencer duo Root the Future, has won the Best TV Series 2025 for its upcoming docuseries, Culturally Plant-Based, at the Milan Independent Awards.
Diner-style chain Denny’s has rolled out a Plant-Based Breakfast Slam at all its locations in the US, bucking the trend of the wider restaurant industry.
Denny’s has reiterated its commitment to plant-based food with a new dairy- and egg-free pancake breakfast option.
The 24-hour diner-style chain has unveiled the Plant-Based Breakfast Slam at all its 1,311 locations across the US, swapping out the eggs for flax seeds. It comprises two multigrain pancakes featuring cinnamon and brown sugar served with maple syrup, vegan hash browns, and seasonal fruit. The dish starts at $11.99
It comes during a time when many US restaurant chains are shying away from plant-based options, citing unsatisfactory flavour and texture, and falling demand.
Denny’s breakfast move reignites the plant-based vs vegan debate
Courtesy: Instagram
While the dish should appear to plant-based customers, Denny’s has distanced itself from the ‘vegan’ tag.
“The Plant-Based Pancake Slam is not vegan because it is prepared in the same facility with non-vegan items,” the company wrote on an Instagram post by animal rights group PETA.
The debate around plant-based products being cooked with the same equipment as meat isn’t new. The cross-contamination question was brought into wider focus when Burger King first launched its Impossible Whopper in 2019, which was cooked on the same grill as beef but marketed as vegan. That led to a lawsuit that was later dismissed by a judge.
For what it’s worth, PETA has long held the stance that vegans shouldn’t demand that chains use separate equipment. “We urge vegans not to insist that their food be cooked on equipment separate from that used to cook meat; doing so doesn’t help any additional animals, and it only makes restaurants less inclined to offer vegan choices (which, again, hurts animals),” it tweeted in 2020.
That’s consistent with its response to Denny’s comment, which read: “The Plant-Based Pancake Slam is still vegan – no animal products are used. Being made in the same facility doesn’t change that, as it doesn’t involve harming animals.”
Denny’s decision is a win amid slowing foodservice sales for plant-based food
This isn’t the first plant-based item at Denny’s, but given that it’s an animal-free version of a core offering, it’s a big move for the chain’s favorability with plant-based and flexitarian audiences.
Some sides and breakfast items – such as the English muffins, sautéed zucchini and squash, and red-skinned potatoes – are automatically vegan, while others can be modified (the grits, for example, can be cooked in water instead of milk).
For mains, customers can create their own burger with a veggie patty and customised toppings. Denny’s previously teamed up with Beyond Meat for the plant-based burger before switching to Dr. Praeger’s California Veggie Patty.
By adding a vegan pancake offering, Denny’s is going against the industry trend– many of its peers have withdrawn plant-based menu options over the last few years. McDonald’s infamously doesn’t serve the McPlant (featuring the Beyond Burger) in the US anymore, while Carl’s Jr and Del Taco have both removed Beyond Meat from their menus too.
Snack giant Doritos has teamed up with food tech startup NotCo to launch co-branded vegan products with the iconic Flamin’ Hot flavour in Chile.
Known for its groundbreaking partnerships with food industry giants, Chilean food tech unicorn NotCo has unveiled its latest plant-based products that incorporate a renowned snack flavour.
The startup has collaborated with PepsiCo-owned tortilla chip behemoth Doritos to launch Flamin’ Hot Not Chicken Nuggets, as well as the nacho-cheese-infused NotMayo Doritos.
The result of an eight-month effort, the two products are available in NotCo’s home market of Chile, priced at $4.20 each. “Doritos, to me, is one of those things that you don’t need to be hungry to want one,” said NotCo co-founder and CEO Matias Muchnick.
“The conversation began with a random connection. That quickly led us to a ‘what if?’ (which is the same as a ‘why not’, but reimagined),” he explained. “There were no infinite decks or eternal presentations. There was just a desire to do it. There were guts and common sense to move forward.”
How NotCo and Doritos created the new products
Courtesy: NotCo/Doritos
While the ingredients of either of the new products have not yet been revealed, they bear a resemblance to NotCo’s core products. Its Not Chicken Nuggets are made from a base of flour, sunflower oil, pea and bean protein, wheat gluten, while the original NotMayo contains soybean and sunflower oils, modified starch, spirit vinegar, chickpea flour, and more.
The collaboration blends these innovations with the signature seasonings created by Frito-Lay, the PepsiCo subsidiary that owns Doritos, Cheetos, Lay’s and other snack brands. Flamin’ Hot originally contains a range of spices, cheese, MSG and food dyes, and the classic Doritos cheese flavour combines Cheddar and Romano cheeses with buttermilk, whey concentrate, and a host of spices.
NotCo is known for turning CPG classics vegan, using Giuseppe, its artificial intelligence platform. It sifts through an almost infinite number of combinations to find the most suitable ingredients to replace animal-derived ones, complementing the work of food scientists, chefs, and product developers, from concept creation all the way to the final version of the formula.
“When we sat down with the PepsiCo team, everything moved fast. The first thing was to try something out, and that was our bet – go big or go home,” said Muchnick. “Step one from Giuseppe? A Doritos ice cream sandwich covered in chocolate with Doritos-flavoured ice cream.
“There were several of us at the table, and being a somewhat perceptive person, I noticed the immediate faces of: ‘What the hell did we get ourselves into?’ And rightfully so,” he recalled.
But it was Benjamin Herrera, the marketing director for PepsiCo’s South Cone division, who stepped up and cracked the code. “I stared at him and saw the look on his face that screamed: ‘Holy shit,’ but he didn’t say it,” said Muchnick. “Instead, he smiled provocatively… and said: ‘Let’s go all in.’”
Creating a Doritos-flavoured NotMayo “was too obvious not to do”, argued Muchnick, outlining how it made Doritos “even more Doritos-y”.
“Then we jumped into the Flamin’ Hot craze and, with our collective obsession over Shaq’s reaction on one of YouTube’s most-watched shows, Hot Ones, we said: Not Chicken Nuggets Flamin’ Hot? Why (the fuck) not?” he added.
Courtesy: NotCo/Doritos
NotCo bets on AI tech to recreate more classics
Herrera called the two products “intense, unexpected, daring and built with the best of both worlds: the power of Doritos’ intense and iconic flavour and NotCo’s food technology”.
“This positions us at PepsiCo Southern Cone as a centre of talent and innovation. Because we are a global company, but we think locally in all the markets where we operate,” he said. “Thinking glocal is what allows us to continue surprising and growing.”
The new nuggets and mayo will be produced by NotCo and sold by both brands, and other co-developed products will follow soon.
PepsiCo is far from the only food and beverage leader working with NotCo, either on co-branded items or on tailored product development. Mars, Mondelēz International and Nestlé are all leveraging its AI platform to speed up their R&D and improve products.
“Usually, they need better nutritional labels, [and] more cost-efficient formulations. Regulations are changing all the time. Governments are pushing towards having better products from many aspects,” Karim Pichara, co-founder and CTO of NotCo, told Green Queen in March. “Now, we have several projects with all these companies that are related to reformulation and end-to-end product creation.”
Courtesy: NotCo/Doritos
Most notably, NotCo has formed a joint venture with The Kraft Heinz Company, which sells plant-based versions of classics like the blue-box mac and cheese and Oscar Mayer hot dogs in North America. This month, they released mac and cheese cups and chipotle-flavoured mayo to the market.
The company recently unveiled a new GLP Booster powder for people who have weaned off Ozempic and other weight-loss drugs, or those who can’t or don’t want to use them.
It’s already the largest alternative protein player in Latin America, and has teased more launches over the coming months. “We have a few products with some companies in Latin America, and also in the US and in Europe, where we are building entirely new concepts for them,” said Pichara.
“There are several products – very iconic and famous products – that are going to be rolled out this year with a newer version, and we were the ones that reformulated those,” he added.
British plant-based milk firm Mighty Drinks has entered administration amid rising costs and fundraising challenges, with its future now hanging on a rescue deal.
Mighty Drinks, the brand that introduced pea milk to the British mainstream, has gone into administration after seven years of operation.
The company appointed Interpath as administrator earlier this week, which said Mighty suffered from rising costs and “fragile consumer confidence” that impeded its scalability and path to profitability. While it looked to explore investment, a lack of options led the company to file for insolvency.
“The plant-based category has shifted dramatically over the last few years. Despite our best efforts to adapt, streamline, and secure new investment, we couldn’t raise what was needed to take the next step,” said Tom Watkins, co-founder and co-CEO of Mighty, who established and ran the startup with his brother Nick.
The decision came on the back of mounting losses for the business, which has raised £8M over the years. Government filings show it lost £12M at the end of 2023, £3.4M more than the year before.
Mighty Drinks a victim of dire investment landscape
Courtesy: Mighty Drinks
While it began as a pea milk company (it was formerly known as Mighty Pea), the firm has since diversified into other ingredient bases too. This included a line of oat milks, a pea protein and oat blend, oat milk powders, and fermentation-derived oat milks that sought to more closely resemble dairy.
Mighty banked on the UK’s growing appetite for non-dairy milk, which is as close to mainstream as any plant-based category has gotten. Last year, 32% of British households bought a non-dairy milk at least once, and 11% did so at least once a month.
However, the category hasn’t been immune to the wider headwinds faced by alternative protein sector. “The Mighty team has created a great product, with an exciting kids milk range set to launch with retailers given the allergen-free benefits of pea protein, and a path to profitability from improved margins and increased volumes,” noted Tom Swiers, food and drink lead at Interpath.
“Unfortunately, however, this has come at a point in the company’s cycle where it required further investment, which was not forthcoming from typical investors in this space, nor was it attractive to typical ‘special situations’ investors given the relatively early stage of the company’s development.”
Indeed, after the 2020-21 boom in alternative protein, investor interest has shrunk more and more every year. Plant-based companies raised only $309M in 2024, a sharp 64% fall from the year before.
“Alternative protein funding has slowed amid this increased investor focus on AI, while elevated interest rates, high production costs, and topline sales declines have also weighed on investment activity,” Daniel Gertner, lead economic and industry analyst at the Good Food Institute, told Green Queen recently.
Interpath’s Swiers added: “There has been an increasing focus on profitability within all aspects of the ‘alt’ category, following the investment boom of a few years ago. It is no longer simply a case of ‘growth as number one priority’.”
Plant-based milk on a rollercoaster ride in the UK
Courtesy: GFI Europe
Mighty’s insolvency comes at a curious time for plant-based dairy in the UK. On paper, retail sales of milk alternatives fell by 2.3% last year, with volumes dropping by 2.6% too. And despite matching the price deductions of cow’s milk (reducing by 3%), plant-based milk is still 69% more expensive on average.
However, it remains a category with broad appeal, especially with product formats like barista milks, which saw a 10.4% growth in volume sales in the UK last year. Oat milk is especially popular, accounting for over half of milk alternative sales in 2024, and witnessing steady volumes compared to the previous year. The overall plant-based segment, meanwhile, made up 11% of all milk sales.
Still, a number of underperforming products have been pulled from British supermarkets. Nestlé \withdrew its Wunda brand of pea milks (a direct competitor to Mighty) two years after launch, while Innocent Drinks made the same decision with its milk alternative range.
Courtesy: Mighty Drinks
Oat milk products weren’t spared either. Oatly took its entire range of ice creams and its Plain Oatgurt off shelves, while Arla discontinued its Jörd line of oat milks earlier this year. And Alpro, meanwhile, pulled its oat-based This Is Not M!lk – which aimed to mimic dairy, much like Mighty’s M.lkology range – from the UK in 2024.
“While ‘This Is Not M!lk’ was designed to create a more familiar dairy milk taste, our UK shopper research showed us that many of our consumers enjoy the taste of oat just as much, if not more so,” Tom Kerr, head of plant-based at Danone UK & Ireland, told Green Queen in March. Still, it is doubling down on its core oat milk lineup, making a multimillion-pound investment to expand the production of the range using British oats.
Meanwhile, other plant-based milk brands have secured investment and successful exits too. British clean-label producer Rude Health was acquired by Finland’s fellow plant-based milk firm Oddlygood, and Swedish pea milk maker Sproud, which counts the UK as a key market, gained investment from Love Island host Maya Jama and pea protein giant Lantmännen.
M&As continue to grab plant-based headlines
Courtesy: Mighty Drinks
“We fought through Brexit, a pandemic, inflation, massive global instability – not to mention the perpetual challenge to go up against some of the biggest FMCG brands in the world who all wanted a slice of the alternative milk category,” noted Watkins.
Mighty is far from the only plant-based startup that has suffered this fate. Since 2024, several firms globally have been forced to cease operations or declare bankruptcy before being rescued, including Akua, Sunfed Meats, Willicroft, Allplants, Wild Earth, and Atlantic Natural Foods.
“Becoming a founder of a VC-backed food and drink business isn’t so much a rollercoaster – it’s strapping yourself to a rocket and hoping you won’t disintegrate on the way to orbit,” said Watkins. “I want to thank every member of staff, investor, customer, and retailer who believed in us and supported the mission over the years.”
Mighty will hope it ends up the same way as businesses like Allplants, Wild Earth, Meatless Farm, VBites and Plant & Bean, which were rescued from the brink.
“We will now work with the company’s stakeholders to explore the options available, including seeking offers for the business and its assets, including the Mighty brand and related intellectual property,” said James Clark, managing director at Interpath and joint administrator of Mighty.
Dutch food tech firm Rival Foods has secured €10M ($11.5M) in funding to scale up its suite of whole-cut plant-based meats, which contain minimal ingredients and high amounts of protein.
If there are three things consumers want from their plant-based meat today, it’s fewer ingredients, lower prices, and better taste and texture.
Dutch startup Rival Foods is attempting to do it all. Using shear-cell technology to replicate animal muscle fibres with plants, its meat alternatives undergo minimal processing while maximising texture and protein.
To expand its technology, the firm has raised €10M ($11.5M) in a Series B funding round led by Dutch pension fund ABP, with participation from Pymwymic and ROM Utrecht Region and follow-on investment from PeakBridge.
“This investment marks a major milestone in our mission to make high-quality plant-based meat mainstream,” said Birgit Dekkers, founder and CEO of Rival Foods. “With the backing of world-class investors, we’re ready to scale fast and reshape the future of protein. We’re called Rival for a reason –we’re here to be one.”
Courtesy: Rival Foods
Rival Foods looks to meet anti-UPF demand
Founded in 2019 as a spinoff from Wageningen University & Research, Rival Foods is among several startups specialising in whole-cut meat alternatives. These products aim to mimic the fibrous texture loved by meat-eaters, addressing a key pain point for plant-based meat.
Sensory testing shows a 38-point gap in texture preference between the average animal and plant-based meat product, with the latter being liked by less than three in 10 omnivores in the US. Another survey found that 22% of Americans are reducing their intake of vegan alternatives due to poor texture.
Elsewhere, 26% of Germans say they’d pay more for a plant-based product if it has the same taste and texture as the food it’s hoping to replace. In the UK, too, 51% of people say taste/texture is the biggest factor driving them away from meat alternatives.
Courtesy: Rival Foods
Whole cuts offer a solution. Rival Foods uses patented shear-cell technology to recreate meat’s fibrous textures. “The process can simply be explained as a pressure cooker with a rotating part, using temperature and rotation to enable deformation and alignment of proteins for fibrous texture creation,” it says on its website.
Its current portfolio includes chicken and beef, which contain a blend of plant proteins alongside water, natural aromas, herbs and spices, and salt. The chicken contains 28g of protein and 0.6g of fibre per 100g, and is available in fillets, blocks and pulled formats. The beef, meanwhile, boasts 26g of protein and 2.5g of fibre per 100g, and comes in chunks and pulled variants.
The additive-free products are specifically designed to address consumer concerns about ultra-processed foods (UPFs). Viewing plant-based meat as overly processed has led many to perceive it as unhealthy, even though experts have warned that the level of processing doesn’t define how nutritious a product is.
“Rival Foods have built something special: a scalable process to turn standard plant proteins into exciting fibrous, meat-like structures. Rival Foods’ products offer a satisfying bite with high protein content and a clean label,” said Lodewijk Meens, senior portfolio manager at ABP Netherlands’s Energy Transition & Biodiversity fund.
Courtesy: Rival Foods
Cost reductions are key for plant-based meat
In the Netherlands, sales of meat analogues fell by 7% in retail, as consumers cooled on centre-of-plate formats like burgers and fillets. Instead, products like mince and strips worked better, possibly because they’re now 6% cheaper per kg.
Part of the reason why Rival Foods raised funds is to double its production capacity at its Geldrop facility, which will help the startup optimise its production costs and reach price parity with conventional meat.
Research shows that if plant-based alternatives are more expensive than meat, their preference falls below 20%, and if they’re priced equally, this increases to 21%. Whereas if vegan alternatives cost about half of a conventional burger, the number of people choosing the former would double. And lowering the price of the plant-based burger by even 10% would result in a 14% increase in sales.
In an interview with Green Queen, PeakBridge founding general partner Nadav Berger said if he had a magic wand to revitalise the plant-based meat sector, he’d make the products “20% cheaper than real meat”. “If it’s a really magic wand? 40% cheaper,” he added. “Texture and flavour are the other keys, but that’s already well on its way. The technology is there.”
Courtesy: Rival Foods
Reacting to Rival Foods’s Series B round, PeakBridge partner and COO Martina Pace echoed the sentiment. “Real success in the alternative protein space demands three tough things to achieve: great taste, texture, and competitive prices. We’re proud to see Rival Foods achieving all three, she said.
The company employs a B2B approach, working with chefs, retailers and brands across Europe to bring plant-based whole cuts to consumers. The new capital will help fuel its international growth, establish new partnerships with major clients, and expand its team.
Whole-cut meat alternatives stand to win
Expansion beyond Europe will only help the brand. In the US, while the overall category saw a 10% decline in annualised sales between 2022 and 2024, whole cuts like steaks, fillets and cutlets experienced a 16% increase.
Conventional whole cuts are also the most popular meat category stateside, regularly consumed by 68% of Americans. For plant-based versions, this drops to 30%, though 44% would consider eating them if these products improve.
Courtesy: GFI
Rival Foods’ successful round is proof that investor appetite for plant-based startups exists, particularly for scalable models that address consumer needs. While this sector saw VC funding fall by 60% last year, investors have continued to back innovative startups in 2025, such as Ecovative ($11M) and Project Eaden ($15.6M).
Regional government leaders, activists and stakeholders have signed a declaration calling on UN member states to create national plans to promote healthy and sustainable diets.
With the spotlight shining brightly on COP30 host Brazil’s beef sector ahead of the UN climate summit in November, countries are being urged to accelerate the protein transition through comprehensive national strategies.
At the ongoing Bonn Climate Change Conference, where negotiators from UN member states are discussing the agenda for COP30, food awareness organisation ProVeg International has launched the Belém Declaration on Plant-Rich Diets.
Signatories, including city and regional government leaders, NGOs, and other stakeholders, have called on national governments to draft and implement action plans for plant-based foods to promote a healthy and sustainable dietary transition.
Doing so would help boost food security and public health, mitigate climate change, protect and restore biodiversity, provide economic benefits, and ensure policy coherence, the group argues.
“Action plans should introduce concrete measures to encourage the production and consumption of plant-based foods through initiatives supported by national governments and involving cities and regional governments,” the declaration reads.
Why we need countries to take action on plant-based diets
Courtesy: NYC Health + Hospitals
The signatories argue that the benefits of transitioning to a plant-rich food system are manifold. Climate change is at the top of the list. Meat and dairy production accounts for up to a fifth of global emissions – and some suggest it is the leading cause of the crisis – while taking up 80% of Earth’s farmland, despite only providing 17% of calories.
Research shows that turning vegan can reduce emissions, land use and water consumption by 75%, compared to a meat-heavy diet. And the world’s top climate scientists believe that plant-based alternatives to animal proteins are the ‘best available food’ and should be given preference in climate (83%), agriculture (78%) and food purchasing policies (82%).
As the declaration points out, nearly all countries identify agrifood systems as a priority for climate adaptation (94%) and mitigation (91%) in their nationally determined contributions (NDCs), whose latest update is due this year. Meanwhile, over 150 nations signed the COP28 declaration on sustainable agrifood systems, committing to shift high-carbon practices to more sustainable production and consumption approaches.
The document nods to a UNEP report that identifies a plant-based transition as one of three key levers for reducing land use pressure and biodiversity loss. And in high-income countries, the shift could produce a “double dividend”, reducing emissions by 61% and sequestering carbon equivalent to 14 years of global agricultural emissions.
On the other hand, countries in the Global South have “plant-rich dietary traditions” that need to be preserved to maintain food security, cultural heritage, and Indigenous knowledge. In small island developing states – among those hit hardest by the climate crisis – a transition to plant-based diets can restore healthy and sustainable food systems.
The declaration also alludes to the health gains from plant-based food, citing studies that show it’s associated with a lower risk of premature death and a host of non-communicable diseases. Plus, there’s the economic benefit, as growing plants via sustainable farming methods can generate new employment opportunities, particularly for smallholders and small family farms.
COP’s chequered history with food systems transformation
Courtesy: Viva
Ahead of COP30 in Belém, the declaration is asking UN member states to commit to a deadline for the publication of national plant-based action plans, in time for them to be tabled for discussion at 2027’s COP32, which will be held in an African country.
In addition, national governments are being urged to pledge financial support for the implementation of these strategies from their food and agriculture promotion budgets.
COP29, in Baku, was worse by several levels, with dietary change virtually non-existent from the discussion, and the UN was slammed for a lack of plant-based food.
It puts COP30 in sharp focus. Research shows that Brazil’s beef industry has been emitting over twice the greenhouse gas limit outlined in the Paris Agreement, even though it updated its NDC last November to target a 59-67% emission reduction by 2035.
Additionally, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) is set to unveil its finalised 2050 Roadmap to reduce food system emissions at COP30, though experts have “grave concerns” about whether it plans to use analysis from its controversial COP28 report to guide the plan.
The call for a national plant-based plan comes after some countries have shown that these policies are viable. Denmark was the first to introduce such a strategy in 2023 (before rolling out a wider green transition plan that includes a carbon tax on meat). It was followed by South Korea shortly after, and late last year, Portugal committed to developing a plant-based strategy too.
Like ProVeg International and the other signatories, experts have been calling on other countries to follow suit, producing a three-step guide outlining how countries can feasibly implement dietary transition plans.
Our weekly column rounds up the latest sustainable food innovation news. This week, Future Food Quick Bites covers a host of protein lattes, Better Nature’s tempeh rollouts, and Meatable’s presentation at a Wall Street Journal forum.
New products and launches
New York-based Laird Superfood has released an instant protein latte powder with 10g of plant protein per serving. It combines pea, hemp and pumpkin seed protein with mushroom extracts, coconut MCTs and Aquamin. It retails for $19 per six servings and is available on its website and at Sprouts Farmers Market nationwide.
Likewise, plant-based milk brand Califia Farms has introduced a ready-to-drink protein vanilla almond latte, offering 10g of pea protein per serving. It can be found at Target stores for $5.29 per 40z bottle.
In similar news, Indian fitness and lifestyle brand HRX – co-owned by Bollywood actor Hrithik Roshan – has unveiled a line of oat milk protein shakes, starting with a chocolate flavour (with 25g of plant protein per 100ml), ahead of introducing vanilla, cold coffee and lighter chocolate variants.
Courtesy: HRX
Still in India, Néktar Bakerymakes vegan desserts and viennoiseries, and will open a cloud location this month in the city of Pune.
Back in the US, the owners of Salt Lake City’s Vertical Diner have inaugurated a new plant-based deli, with a menu featuring sandwiches, burgers, bowls, pastries, and more.
Courtesy: Better Nature
Elsewhere, British tempeh brandBetter Nature has rolled out its organic tempeh into around 150 additional Asda stores, and added a new Mediterranean-flavoured block to its lineup, which is available on Ocado for £3 per 220g pack.
Beyond Meat, meanwhile, has introduced its jalapeño-flavoured burger to 317 Asda stores in the UK, in addition to bringing its original burger to 350 of the retailer’s sites.
Courtesy: Beyond Meat
And Danish mycelium meat maker Tempty Foods has brought its Spicy Korean Sticks to 7-Eleven Denmark stores. The product was created through 7-Eleven’s Innovation Corner competition last year.
Company and finance updates
Dutch cultivated meat producer Meatable was present at the Wall Street Journal’s Global Food Forum event in Chicago (June 16), where CEO Jeff Tripician spoke on how cultivated meat can complement conventional agriculture and boost global food security.
Fresh from hosting a cultivated meat tasting in the New South Wales parliament, Australia’s Magic Valley is raising A$3M ($1.9M) to build its first manufacturing facility (which is expected to cost A$5M, or $3.3M) and produce 500 tonnes of product per year.
Planted, the Swiss plant-based meat maker, has opened its new production facility in Bavaria, Germany, featuring “state-of-the-art fermentation technology”, which the company says will double its manufacturing capacity.
Courtesy: Magic Valley
Agriculture giant the Groan Group has signed a strategic partnership with plant-based ingredient maker Aminola to accelerate and expand the use of sustainable ingredients in the human food, pet food and aquafeed sectors.
British plant-based ingredient maker Novo Farina has ceased trading, with its former managing director citing “market factors and ever-increasing cost challenges”.
AgFunder News reports that Yasir Abdul, the executive behind InvenTel, the company known for ‘As Seen on TV’ infomercials, has surfaced as the unexpected potential buyer of Meati, a fungi-based alternative meat company. The acquisition is being pursued through an entity named Meati Holdings, with Ryan Bethencourt, CEO of Wild Earth and an early-stage alt-protein investor, providing support during the transition.
Courtesy: Little Island
In New Zealand, plant-based dairy and ice cream firm Little Island has entered liquidation after 15 years in operation.
Luxembourg-based Moulins de Kleinbettingen has installed its second production line for plant proteins with a total investment of nearly €20M in its plant-based business, doubling its initial capacity and making co-manufacturing deals more flexible.
In Sweden, Stockeld Dreamery and Jävligt Gott have openedLabbet, a food tech hub equipped with a kitchen, lab spaces and offices for small and growing businesses.
Courtesy: Jävligt Gott
Similarly, Malaysia’s Pure Mylk has opened The Mylky Way in Kuala Lumpur, which is Southeast Asia’s first end-to-end innovation hub for plant-based milk and beverages. It aims to support companies small and big with product formulation, testing, and scaleable production.
Research, policy and awards
A Canadian-American study shows that a low-fat vegan diet can reduce moderate to severe hot flashes by 92% after women hit menopause, while also losing 16 times more weight than the control group.
UK coalition Plant-Based Universities is convening over 200 students for a Plant-Based Universities Europe Camp in August.
Bruce Friedrich, founder and president of alternative protein think tank the Good Food Institute,has been appointed to the Board of Advisors of EAT, the global food systems transformation non-profit.
Strategic consultancy Mission Plant has compiled a list of job boards and resources for folks looking for positions in the alternative protein industry.
Courtesy: Institute for Organic Farming
Research by the Institute for Organic Farming (commissioned by the WWF) has revealed that a vegan diet is the cheapest expensive for a family of four in Austria, saving €225 per month compared to an omnivore diet.
Finally, Hélène Briand, co-founder of French precision fermentation startup Verley (formerly Bon Vivant), won the Female Founder Challenge at Vivatech in Paris.
Israeli 3D-printed meat maker Redefine Meat has introduced a new product line with dramatic reductions in saturated fat and methylcellulose use.
To capture Europeans’ interest in the category, Redefine Meat has unveiled a new class of plant-based meat products centred on enhanced nutrition and flavour.
Among the first of its next-generation products are a reformulated burger and beef mince, which feature improvements in saturated fat content, protein levels, and taste and texture.
The move aims to address evolving consumer preferences in terms of nutrition and sensory appeal, and dissatisfaction with the current crop of meat analogues, which have suffered from poor sales as ultra-processing concerns come to the fore.
“With our next-generation products, we’re now able to offer the premium-quality taste our customers enjoy, while delivering the nutritional values sought after by health-conscious audiences,” said Eshchar Ben-Shitrit, co-founder and CEO of Redefine Meat.
New products outperform previous iterations on taste and nutrition
One of the best-known plant-based companies, Redefine Meat markets its 3D-printed products as New Meat, with a diverse range of beef, pork and lamb alternatives in formats like pulled, mince, sausages, burgers, and whole cuts. Endorsed by Michelin-starred chefs like Marco Pierre White, they can be found at over 4,000 foodservice locations in 10 countries, plus retailers in several European markets.
The new burger and mince products build on this existing portfolio, and now fulfil the nutritional requirements for a Nutri-Score rating of A, the highest possible score. They join its beef flank, pulled pork and pulled beef SKUs in meeting that standard.
Courtesy: Redefine Meat
Redefine Meat achieved this through an 80-90% decrease in saturated fats compared to the previous iteration of the 3D-printed burger and beef mince, an increase in protein per 100g (from 11g to 14-16g), and a reduction in methylcellulose content to less than 2%.
Additionally, the company says it has unlocked a “new quality benchmark” for taste and texture with an even meatier profile, a conclusion derived from collaboration and sensory tasting with meat experts, chefs, and consumers.
Redefine Meat’s products undergo a patented additive manufacturing process – more commonly known as 3D printing – which helps it better replicate the taste of meat and texture of animal muscle fibres. The process disintegrates textured vegetable protein into fibres and blends them with a dough made from soy or pea protein isolates.
Plus, it uses AI and machine learning to optimise its products, allowing it to prototype, test and commercialise new products significantly faster than existing production processes, the company explained.
Redefine Meat hopes to allay taste and UPF doubts
“Our unique taste-first approach is at the heart of all product development, understanding that taste continues to be the biggest barrier to repeat buying for many flexitarians and meat lovers,” said Ben-Shitrit.
“While many other plant-based products continue to fall short in this area, our next-generation products build upon our premium-quality legacy to deliver an even meatier taste approved by our chef partners and rigorous consumer testing.”
Courtesy: GFI Europe
Indeed, polling shows that while some consumers in Germany and the UK are reducing their meat intake due to shifting taste preferences, animal proteins are still much higher on the flavour scale. Hitting the right tasting notes is critical: a survey of 7,800 Europeans last year revealed that taste is the most important factor when it comes to their daily food choices, cited by 87% of respondents.
The new products are being rolled out at retailers in the Netherlands, Germany and France, continuing Redefine Meat’s efforts to expand across Europe. For Veganuary this year, it signed deals with more than 30 companies in the UK, where its foodservice sales nearly doubled in 2024.
While plant-based meat enjoyed an increase in sales in Germany and France last year, the same couldn’t be said of the UK and Netherlands, where consumers have flocked to whole-food proteins and are choosing mince and strips over burgers, respectively.
Retail sales of plant-based food in the UK in 2024 | Courtesy: GFI Europe
Many consumers perceive plant-based meat as overly processed and as a result, unhealthy, though experts have warned that the level of processing doesn’t define how nutritious a product is, and studies have shown that these products match animal-derived meat on protein, while providing far more fibre and less saturated fat.
Touching upon this discourse, Ben-Shitrit said: “While misinformation around ultra-processed foods (UPFs) continues to spread, it’s important to understand the difference between good and bad UPFs. It’s clear that crisps or chocolate bars are not the same as our products, which deliver high levels of protein, vitamins and fibre, without cholesterol.”
He added: “We recognise that nutrition is playing an increasingly important role in consumer buying habits. With our next-generation products, we’re now able to offer the premium-quality taste our customers enjoy, while delivering the nutritional values sought after by health-conscious audiences.”
When it comes to plant-based diets, the V-March campaign says Chinese consumers are motivated primarily by health and food trends.
With China’s protein consumption surpassing that of the US, and a majority of it coming from plants, the potential for a Veganuary-style campaign has never been riper. With its inaugural drive done in March of this year, the China Vegan Society talks to Green Queen about the potential for a plant-based diet shift in its home country.
It’s what spurred the folks at China Vegan Society (CVS) to launch Mangchun Sanyue (Vegan Spring March, or V-March), a 31-day challenge to get people to eat exclusively plant-based. The initiative chose March because the Lunar New Year falls between late January and early February, making it an unsuitable period to ask people to initiate lifestyle changes.
Over 70 restaurants and brands participated, including Oatly, Island Resorts Hotel, and Impact Hub Chongqing. It reached seven million people on social media, with over 70,000 engaging with related content and hundreds joining its official chat groups.
China Vegan Society founder and CEO Jian Yi | Courtesy: China Vegan Society
A small survey by the organisation found that a majority of the participants (77%) were women, and 58% maintained their diet throughout the month. Over half said they intend to stay vegan after V-March, while 22% planned to reduce their intake of animal products.
At the end of the month, CVS collaborated with plant-based organisation Veg Planet to announce the annual China Vegan Day, which will be inaugurated in 2026 and take place on the Spring Equinox each year (usually sometime during March).
“V-March attracted participants from across the country who were motivated to shift towards a plant-based diet for health, ethical, and environmental reasons,” Jian Yi, founder and CEO of CVS, tells Green Queen. “Overall, within our V-March participant groups, we saw people joining and completing the challenge with a very positive attitude.”
We spoke to him about the motivations behind the campaign, the plant-based landscape in China, and what’s next for V-March.
This interview has been edited for clarity and concision.
Green Queen: Why did you decide to launch V-March, and how was it received?
Jian Yi: While there is a successful Veganuary campaign in the west, we noticed a lack of large-scale public initiatives in Mainland China to help people transition to a vegan lifestyle. There was no campaign that offered practical guidance, education, simple recipes, or community support – all of which are crucial for making sustainable lifestyle changes.
That’s exactly why we launched V-March – a campaign inspired by Veganuary and designed to motivate and support people in shifting to a plant-based diet and learning more about veganism. The aim is not only to raise awareness but also to help participants implement vegan principles in their everyday lives.
In its very first year, V-March reached approximately seven million people across China, sparking widespread awareness of conscious food choices and inspiring action toward a more sustainable lifestyle.
Out of those seven million people exposed to V-March content, more than 70,000 actively engaged through comments, shares, and online discussions – expressing interest, support, and enthusiasm for the month-long vegan challenge.
During the campaign, 330 participants joined the official V-March WeChat and RedNote groups, engaging in daily conversations and sharing their meals, personal reflections, and victories in adopting a plant-based lifestyle. In addition, 287 users checked in daily using the China Vegan Society WeChat Mini Program to document their journey.
Courtesy: China Vegan Society
GQ: What is the word for vegan in Chinese? Who chose it?
JY: Like many other languages, the Chinese language did not have a native word to match the English words ‘vegan’ or ‘veganism’. In Chinese, the term most commonly used for ‘plant-based’ is 素 (sù), but it is traditionally limited to food and doesn’t fully reflect the broader vegan lifestyle. It can also refer to vegetarianism or other plant-forward diets, and sometimes carries connotations of blandness or dullness.
To avoid these stereotypes and create a more inclusive and meaningful identity, the Good Food Fund, a Chinese food systems transformation non-profit I founded, launched a national contest inviting people to recommend one native Chinese character to represent ‘vegan’ or ‘veganism’.
More than 10,000 people participated in the contest, and the winning entry was the obsolete traditional character 茻 (mǎng). This character, made up of four grass radicals, symbolises lush growth, thriving nature, and abundance of life, perfectly aligning with the values of a vegan, sustainable lifestyle.
When CVS was founded in 2021, we used 茻 in our official name and started to promote its use nationally. We also conducted a survey, which showed that the top associations with 茻 were sustainable lifestyle, healthy living, and plant-based diet.
GQ: How big is the awareness around vegan diets in China? Do most people know the term?
JY: Awareness of vegan diets in China is growing, especially in first- and second-tier cities and among younger generations. However, it remains relatively niche compared to Western countries.
The terms 纯植物饮食 (plant-based diet) or 严格素食 (strictly vegetarian) are not widely recognized by the general public. Most people are more familiar with 素食 (sùshí), often linked with Buddhism and vegetarianism.
In cities like Shanghai, Beijing and Shenzhen, awareness is increasing rapidly thanks to influencers promoting the plant-based lifestyle, the rise of plant-based restaurants and cafés, international trends entering the Chinese market, and health and environmental concerns among Gen Z and millennials.
China’s 2016 dietary guidelines recommending a 50% reduction in meat consumption helped spark national conversations. However, challenges remain, such as limited vegan labelling, a lack of understanding about what veganism entails, and confusion in restaurants.
In summary, while veganism is still a niche movement in China, it’s growing steadily in urban, educated, and youth-driven communities.
Courtesy: China Vegan Society
GQ: How many vegans are there in China, and how many vegetarians? Has there been any change in the last few years?
JY: Precise data on vegans is scarce, but a Statista report suggests that about 4% of the population follows a vegetarian diet. That translates to approximately 56 to 70 million people in China.
While it’s unclear how many are strictly vegan, there’s a clear upward trend when it comes to interest in plant-based eating, particularly among urban consumers.
GQ: What are the demographics of vegans in China?
JY: According to the first China vegan lifestyle market survey by CVS, 55% are female and 45% are male. Of these, 41% are from first-tier cities, 41% from second-tier, and 18% from third-tier cities.
People living in first and second-tier cities tend to have better access to plant-based options, higher education, and more awareness about health and environmental issues.
Among V-March participants, 77% were female, 19% male, 2% non-binary, and 2% preferred not to disclose their gender. Plus, 77% had a Bachelor’s degree, 15% a college diploma, and 9% a Master’s degree.
GQ: What are the most popular vegan brands and products in China?
JY: China has a long-standing tradition of plant-based eating. Products like tofu, soy milk, and mock meats are widely consumed, even if not explicitly labelled as vegan.
Popular vegan brands include Oatly, a top advocate for vegan lifestyles, widely available and enjoyed by both vegans and non-vegans; Vitasoy, a familiar plant milk brand; and local vegan restaurants like QingChun Perma, Vege Tiger, and Su Man Xiang, known for affordable and delicious plant-based meals.
However, many packaged snacks or imported foods aren’t recognised as vegan due to a lack of clear labelling or consumer awareness.
Courtesy: China Vegan Society
GQ: It seems like plant-based meat startups have not been very successful in China. Can you share your thoughts on this?
JY: There are several reasons [why this is the case].
Health concerns: Traditional Chinese mock meats and tofu are made from simple ingredients like soy, without the added oils or salt often found in western-style plant meats. Many consumers prefer these cleaner, more natural options.
Pricing: Tofu and traditional alternatives are cheap, widely available, and sold in bulk. Plant-based meats are often significantly more expensive.
Cultural fit and marketing: Plant-based meats are usually presented in Western formats (for example, patties and meatballs), which don’t align with Chinese cooking habits. Meanwhile, traditional alternatives integrate seamlessly into local cuisine.
Surveys suggest that most Chinese consumers choose plant-based diets for health reasons, but many perceive plant-based meats as less healthy than animal products or traditional tofu-based alternatives. Plant-based meat brands need better cultural adaptation, pricing strategies, and public education.
GQ: What are people’s biggest motivators towards reducing animal proteins/eating more plant-based?
JY: Our market survey shows that 36% of consumers chose plant-based diets for health reasons, 22% were influenced by trendiness, and 21% followed religious beliefs.
The V-March survey, meanwhile, found that 23.5% participated for health reasons, 18% for ethical reasons, and 17% for environmental reasons.
Courtesy: China Vegan Society
GQ: Is there strong awareness about reducing meat consumption to reduce greenhouse gas emissions?
JY: While specific data is limited, there’s a visible rise in environmental awareness, especially among the younger generation. We’re seeing more content on social media about sustainable living, often including plant-based themes.
In our V-March campaign survey, 17% of participants said they tried plant-based eating for the environment, and 13% said they learned more about food’s environmental impact during the campaign.
GQ: How is Veganuary involved (if at all)? Are you working with any other organisations too?
JY: Veganuary was a major inspiration for V-March. The Veganuary team generously shared resources with us, including starter tips and recipes, and promoted our campaign launch on their Instagram page, helping us gain international exposure.
We didn’t collaborate with international organisations this time, but we worked with several local brands and groups, who supported us by sponsoring gifts for participants.
GQ: What celebrities and influencers are linked to vegan diets in China? Are you working with any of them?
JY: For this year’s V-March, we invited actor Huang Junpeng, who kindly shared our poster and quote on his platform.
Other known vegan celebrities in China include actress Zhang Jingchu, actress Pan Shiqi, actress Tian Yuan, and singer Long Kuan. We hope to collaborate with more public figures in future campaigns.
Courtesy: China Vegan Society
GQ: What is your hope for next year’s campaign?
JY: We aim to professionalise the campaign further, offering participants an even better experience with more practical tips, easy recipes, and accessible guidance.
We also want to simplify the process of joining the challenge by making it sound less intimidating, while still encouraging commitment and rewarding progress.
Most importantly, we want to reach more people, grow our impact, and help make V-March a new post-CNY tradition in China. It’s the perfect time for people to try a lighter diet, explore the benefits of plant-based living, and connect with a like-minded community. We hope to create a strong, supportive movement rooted in compassion, health, and sustainability.
Retail sales of plant-based food in Europe grew by 2% in 2024, thanks in large part to inexpensive private-label offerings from supermarkets.
Over the last year, a wave of retailers in Europe has pledged to increase the share of plant proteins sold in their stores. To do so, some have fine-tuned their lineups to meet consumer preferences, some have put meat alternatives in the meat section, and some have slashed prices to make them cheaper than animal proteins.
The impact has been tangible. The double-digit growth in low-cost vegan food from supermarkets’ private labels has spurred the category’s rise in several key European markets, Circana data released by the Good Food Institute (GFI) Europe shows.
Value sales of six categories reached €4.7B in the region’s six largest markets in 2024, up slightly by 1.7% from 2023. Meanwhile, volumes rose by 4.5% and units by 4.3% year-on-year.
Own-label products drove volume growth in Germany, Italy, France and Spain between 2022 and 2024. That said, people in the UK still exhibited an affinity for branded products, and their counterparts in the Netherlands embraced meat alternatives that could be added to existing recipes, despite a drop in volumes.
“It’s great to see that Europe’s plant-based retail market remains resilient, with increasing sales volumes across four major countries last year. These foods are becoming ever more mainstream as retailers invest in more affordable products,” said Helen Breewood, senior market and consumer insights manager at GFI Europe. “However, the ongoing success of more expensive products in some categories shows that price is not the only factor.”
Here’s a country-by-country breakdown of plant-based sales in European retail.
Germany benefits from price parity
Courtesy: GFI Europe
In Europe’s largest market, value sales of plant-based food grew by 1.5% in 2024, reaching €1.68B. This levelling off reflects falling prices, given that sales volume was up by 7% during the same period. Germany also had the highest per capita spend (€19.92) in 2024.
The country saw sales rise across meat analogues (4%), plant-based milk (3.5%), and non-dairy cream (3.5%), though seafood (-24%) and cheese (-16%) suffered from major declines.
The overall performance was a result of the lower prices of plant-based alternatives, with many dairy-free milks now on par with cow’s milk, and vegan cream 5% cheaper than the conventional version.
This itself is driven by private-label offerings: Lidl spearheaded the shift by achieving price parity for its Vemondo line. While sales of branded products fell by 0.4% in 2024, private-label offerings witnessed a 5.5% hike.
Further, 37% of German households bought plant-based milk at least once last year, and 32% purchased a meat alternative, in line with the previous two years.
UK embraces tofu over veggie burgers
Courtesy: GFI Europe
Despite a 4% drop in sales and a 3% dip in volumes, the UK held its position as the second-largest plant-based market in Europe with a value of €1.07B.
Even though they’re more expensive, branded products were more resilient than private-label options: sales of the former declined by 3%, compared to a 12% decline for the latter. Several innovative companies bucked the trend with significant growth. This suggests that Brits value taste and quality more than price (which is still critical), and may point to the need for better own-label vegan products.
The sales value of meat alternatives fell hard (-10%), with household penetration dropping by four percentage points (reaching 31.5%). Still, their volumes were five times higher than that of veggie burgers, showing the “continued importance to consumers of alternatives that look, taste and cook like meat”, GFI Europe said.
Separately, the volume of tofu sold was 10% higher in January 2025 than 12 months prior, possibly due to its affordability and tempeh and seitan also enjoyed an 85% hike (albeit from a tiny base). In the ensuing months, products like Oh So Wholesome’s Veg’chop and This’s Super Superfood have rolled out in a bid to rival both meat analogues and tofu.
“The relative performance of these foods in percentage terms may be a response to widespread media concern over ultra-processed foods in the UK, although the absolute increase in uptake of tofu, tempeh and seitan was far smaller than the corresponding drop in plant-based meat sales,” the report noted.
Italy goes big on vegan cheese
Courtesy: GFI Europe
In the home of mozzarella and parmesan, sales of plant-based cheese doubled between 2022 and 2024, thanks to a rise in branded products.
It wasn’t just cheese that witnessed growth. Three other categories performed better in 2024 than the year before: meat analogues (a 15% growth), milk (3%), and yoghurt (2%). The overall market was valued at €639M, with only plant-based cream suffering a drop in sales.
That being said, vegan cheese was an outlier, as high inflation in Italy’s food sector led to a strong growth of affordable private-label plant-based products, whose sales were up by 16% last year. In comparison, sales of branded offerings grew more modestly, at 3.5%.
France happy to spend on better-tasting brands
Courtesy: GFI Europe
The country that lost its attempt to restrict the use of terms like ‘veggie burger’ saw growth in all five plant-based categories analysed by GFI Europe, led by cheese (19%) and chilled meat (15.5%). The overall market recorded €537M in sales, a 9% increase from 2023.
Private-label products dominated the growth with an 11% hike in sales value, compared to an 8% rise for branded offerings. Supermarket ranges were particularly important for plant-based milk, the largest segment in the country.
Own-label brands were particularly important in the plant-based milk and drinks category, overtaking the sales of branded options and undercutting their price by 30% on average.
At the same time, the relatively expensive branded products gained market share in the vegan meat and yoghurt segments, and made up the majority of sales for plant-based cheese. This suggests that consumers are strongly driven by the taste and quality of animal-free products, not just their cost.
Spain increased adoption of plant-based milk
Courtesy: GFI Europe
Plant-based meat was the only category that underperformed in Spain last year, where overall sales of vegan food grew by 6.5% to reach €491M. Still, meat analogues only fell by 1.5%. On the other hand, plant-based yoghurt enjoyed a 21% increase in value sales, cheese grew by 8%, and milk by 5%.
Plant-based milk, in particular, has made major strides, making up nearly 10% of all milk sold in Spain in 2024. Household penetration climbed from 42% to 46% between 2022 and 2024. The success is down to the cost reductions achieved by milk alternatives, thanks in large part to cheaper private-label options.
When looking at sales value alone, the gulf between the sales growth in own-label (5%) and branded products (8%) isn’t that high, but volume sales show a different picture. In terms of weight, plant-based items sold 3% more in Spanish supermarkets last year and private-label products shot up by 13%.
Netherlands chooses pieces over whole cuts
Courtesy: GFI Europe
The Netherlands was the only other market apart from the UK that suffered a decline in overall sales of plant-based food in 2024, which plunged by 6% to reach €288M.
This was punctuated by a decline in value sales across all categories analysed, with meat analogues hit hardest (-7%), followed by cheese (6%) and milk (5.5%). Still, the Dutch spent more per person (€15.78) than all countries bar Germany.
According to GFI Europe, the 6% fall in volume sales of plant-based milk stemmed from significantly lower sales of chilled options – sales of ambient versions were stable. This is due to a rise in prices of chilled milk alternatives, against a levelling off of shelf-stable product prices.
Centre-of-plate meat alternatives like burgers and fillets suffered from a decline, but products more likely to be used as part of home-cooked recipes (like mince or strips) remained relatively resilient.
“There is a huge potential market for sustainable and healthy plant-based foods, and companies have a real opportunity to reach more people by developing tastier, nutritious and affordable products that can fit into their lifestyles,” said Breewood.
Our weekly column rounds up the latest sustainable food innovation news. This week, Future Food Quick Bites covers Oatly’s recipe lookbook, Villareal CF’s tofu seminar, and People Magazine’s plant-based awards.
New products and launches
Swedish oat milk giant Oatly has unveiled a lookbook for the Spring/Summer 2025 season, featuring a range of recipes using its products. Think a maple miso latte, a lacto-fermented blueberry matcha, and a salty banana split.
Courtesy: Oatly
Dutch alternative protein producer Schouten has launched three Taste of the World veggie burgers inspired by Mexican, Italian and Thai cuisines.
McDonald’s Netherlands has re-released the Meatless McKroket two years after it was first launched, with a jackfruit filling made from Fiber Foods‘s PrimeJack ingredient.
Swiss plant-based meat giant Planted has introduced ready-to-eat steak bites in select Coop stores across the nation.
Courtesy: Yellow Sunshine
Yellow Sunshine is a new Swiss brand established by the founders of vegan creamery New Roots, Alice Fauconnet and Freddy Hunziker. It makes lupin protein blocks in plain, garlic and herbs, and pepper-paprika flavours.
While Ferrero has just launched its vegan Nutella in the UK, a new competitor has already emerged. Pip & Nut has released a chocolate-hazelnut spread with a sixth of the sugar content. It retails at Sainsbury’s for £3.50 per 165g hat and £7.65 per 400g tub, before rolling out at Whole Foods Market, Ocado and Amazon.
Spanish football club Villareal CF and the Embassy of Japan in Spain partnered to host a tofu seminar with Somenoya Co, a 163-year-old tofu company from Tokyo.
Courtesy: Yellow Sunshine
In response to the high prices and market volatility of cocoa, German food giant Dr. Oetker has released a carob flour for consumers in Turkey to replace cocoa powder at home.
In more alt-cocoa news, US flour giant Ardent Mills has launched a wheat-based Cocoa Replace product. It can substitute 25% of cocoa powder in baking applications.
Kraft Heinz Not Company has unveiled the latest innovations in its US lineup: a NotMayo Chipotle Squeeze and Kraft NotMac & Cheese Cups.
Courtesy: Kraft Heinz Not Company/Green Queen
US breakfast foods company Purely Elizabeth has rolled out a Protein Oatmeal range in Apple Harvest Crumble, Chocolate Chip Banana Bread and Maple Cinnamon Roll. The vegan products have 10g of protein per serving and retail for $6.49 per 235g pack in supermarkets nationwide,
Also in the US, the Plant-Based Seafood Co‘s Mind Blown brand has reignited its partnership with PLNT Burger to offer its Maryland-style crab cake in a limited-edition Happy Crabby Sandwich for the third year in a row.
Häagen-Dazs Shops, meanwhile, has launched a summer blueberry collection featuring the brand’s first oat milk offering in the US. The Blueberry Lemon Non-Dairy Freeze drink combines its blueberry and lemon sorbet with oat milk and blueberry preserve.
Courtesy: Häagen-Dazs Shops
Plant-based ingredients maker Planteneers has introduced a methylcellulose-free texturiser blend with functional yeast protein for clean-label plant-based meat.
And Israeli startup Alfred’s Foodtech has released dairy-free Gouda slices with 18% protein under its new Alfred’s Deli brand. They come in original and pesto flavours.
Company and finance updates
Danish ingredients firm Feast Foods has ceased operations after failing to secure funding for its yeast extract replacer.
Also in the Nordics, Swedish dairy giant Valio has announced that it will close the Kauhava factory it took over from Raisio by the end of this year, relocating operations to its Joensuu site instead.
Courtesy: Valio
Online grocer Vegan Essentials has been acquired by Fake Meats owners Steven and Kim Skaff, who bought it from fellow retailer PlantX.
British cultivated meat firm Ivy Farm Technologies has appointed Rebecca Wright as chief legal officer, as part of its effort to work with regulators globally to bring its Wagyu beef to market.
US vegan fast-food chain Slutty Vegan has hired entrepreneur, investor and marketer Lauren Maillian as brand president.
Courtesy: Slutty Vegan/LinkedIn
The new owners of the Merit Functional Foods plant in Winnipeg, which went into receivership in March 2023, are not planning to restart it as a plant protein business.
But fellow Canadian company Burcon NutraScience has completed the first production run of its Peazazz C pea protein at its facility in Galesburg, Illinois.
Edinburgh’s Industrial Biotechnology Innovation Centre’s FlexBio facility is home to Scotland’s first open-access 300-litre fermenter, which was supported by an £847,000 grant from national agency Scottish Enterprise.
Courtesy: Blue Tribe Foods
As part of its 2025 sustainability initiative, Indian plant-based meat startup Blue Tribe Foods recycled 1,475 kg of plastic in the first quarter of 2025, building on the 2,333 kg it recycled last year.
A bankruptcy judge in Delaware has given vegan sushi chain Planta final approval to secure nearly $5M in financing after resolving comments from its debtor-in-possession.
Venture firm Nordic Foodtech VC has hit its first close of €40M as part of an €80M fund to invest in new technologies for the food and agriculture industry.
Policy, research and awards
Californian precision fermentation leader Perfect Day has asked a District of Columbia court to throw out a lawsuit alleging that it had misled consumers about its animal-free whey products.
Courtesy: Perfect Day
Scotland’s biotechnology sector is celebrating the launch of the country’s first open-access 300-litre fermenter, which has been installed thanks to an £847,000 grant from the national economic development agency, Scottish Enterprise.
Also in Scotland, the University of Stirling has developed the Clean Food Consumerism scale to help manufacturers meet evolving consumer preferences for clean-label foods.
Ahead of its Singapore approval, French cultivated foie gras maker Gourmey has joined the APAC Society for Cellular Agriculture.
Researchers at the University of Tokyo have found a way to control the key amino acids responsible for flavour in a bid to get cultivated meat to taste closer to its conventional counterpart.
A study by the Federal University of São Paulo has revealed that 80% of these plant-based meat products in Brazil have good nutritional quality, based on the Nutri-Score indicator. Meanwhile, 73% of vegan alternatives were classed as ultra-processed, much lower than animal-derived meats (92%).
UPFs have become public enemy number one, and the plant-based meat sector has been caught in the media crossfire. Here’s everything CPG brands and founders need to know.
There are many explanations for why plant-based meat isn’t selling as well as it used to; among the chief reasons is the growing public concern surrounding ultra-processed foods (UPFs).
Part of the Nova classification developed by a Brazilian research team led by Prof Carlos Monteiro, UPFs are defined as products comprising industrial formulations and techniques like extrusion or pre-frying, and cosmetic substances such as high-fructose corn syrup and hydrogenated oils.
So everything from that tub of ice cream in your freezer to the canned soup in your drawer is a UPF. So are the chicken nuggets you eat at McDonald’s, and yes, the Beyond Burger you buy at supermarkets.
Courtesy: Springer
The discourse is shrouded in misleading information, and plant-based meat products have unfairly been categorised in the same group as Coca-Cola, Oreos, Corn Flakes, and Lay’s.
It has ushered in a new era for meat alternatives, as consumers become wary of their perceived negative health impacts simply because they’re UPFs. But as with most things in the food industry, there’s way more than meets the eye.
Here’s what plant-based brands and founders need to know to help navigate this new landscape.
1. Many UPFs are linked to over 32 health conditions and diseases
One study has linked UPFs to 32 harmful health conditions, including cancer, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, poor mental health, and early death. It linked high UPF consumption to a 50% higher risk of death from cardiovascular disease.
2. …and too many people eat too many of them
Another review found that death rates are highest in countries where the population gets the largest percentage of energy calories from UPFs. In the US and the UK, where they make up around 60% of all calories consumed, the research linked 14% of all deaths to these foods.
Graphic by Green Queen
3. But not all UPFs are created equal
A 2023 study argued that some UPFs – like breads and cereals – can be good for you because of their fibre content. Plant-based meats typically contain a high amount of dietary fibre, are free of cholesterol, and are low in saturated fat, sugar and calories, and so are “not associated with risk of multimorbidity” (when someone has two life-threatening diseases at the same time).
4. Media coverage about UPFs vilifies plant-based meat
A widely cited and controversial study based on the UK Biobank linked UPFs to heart disease and early death, and headlines squarely blamed “fake meats” instead of the real culprits – cakes, sugary drinks, and processed meats. In reality, plant-based meat accounted for only 0.2% of all calories eaten in the study.
5. UPF research is misleading consumers about meat alternatives
One review of UPF research suggests that most studies overlook important nuances when it comes to plant-based meat, potentially misleading consumers about the health impact of the latter. “Plant-based meat has a very different nutritional profile from most UPFs, and these metrics do not generally apply to [it],” it said, calling on public health professionals to “challenge misconceptions on processing and plant-based meat”.
Courtesy: Physicians Association for Nutrition/GFI Europe
6. RFK Jr and the MAHA movement are deeply anti-UPF
As part of its Make America Healthy Again crusade, health secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr has been highly critical of UPFs and what he calls “fake meat”. In 2022, he retweeted a story titled ‘The Fake Meat Scam’, which read: “Using strategies to position it as a healthy alternative for natural meat, the industry’s fake meat is just another name for ultra-processed food, full of GE and pesticide-laden ingredients designed to look as much like meat as possible.”
He had vowed to remove UPFs from school lunches if he became health secretary, though later said he wouldn’t call for a ban on these products.
7. Casey Means could spell trouble for UPFs
Wellness influencer and Levels co-founder Casey Means could become the next Surgeon General of the US. Many of her views are aligned with and championed by RFK Jr, including her stance on UPFs. She has advocated putting a warning label on UPFs, and called plant-based meat “toxic sludge”.
8. UPFs are a non-partisan issue in the US
It’s not just the right that has an issue with UPFs. California Governor Gavin Newsom has signed an executive order to crack down on these foods, looking into potential actions that can limit the harms associated with them, which could include the use of warning labels on packaging.
9. There are now certification labels for products free from UPFs and seed oils
The folks at the Non-GMO Project have launched an on-pack Non-UPF Verified label to “address the pervasive dominance of ultra-processed food”. The organisation is conducting a pilot with over 20 brands, working on an initial draft of the label.
In a similar vein, the Seed Oil Free Alliance has rolled out a certification label for products that eschew these fats, just as beef tallow becomes resurgent, thanks to multiple endorsements by RFK Jr.
10. Consumers are wary of UPFs, and they’re voting with their wallets
In Europe, 65% of consumers believe UPFs are unhealthy, and that deters 54% of them from buying plant-based meat. And in the UK, ultra-processing is the second most pressing food concern (after inflation), with 77% of people saying so. Meanwhile, 85% of Americans wanted to avoid UPFs last year, but felt overwhelmed or unsupported in their desire to do so.
This has directly impacted the sales of plant-based meat, which fell by 7% in the US and 9% in the UK in 2024. Industry giant Beyond Meat suffered a blow in the first quarter of this year, with the firm blaming misinformation (among other things) on its 9% decline in revenue.
11. This has led to whole-food plant-based brands gaining market share in the US…
The UPF backlash has breathed life into the whole-food plant-based category. One of the biggest benefactors is Actual Veggies, the New York-based maker of veggie burgers. It raised $7M in a dire fundraising landscape for meat-free firms, doubled its distribution, and saw annual revenues grow by 125% in 2024. Then, it displaced a legacy meatless burger brand at the caterer for some of the biggest companies in the US.
Courtesy: Oh So Wholesome
12. ..and in the UK, where CPGs are creating entirely new product formats
The renewed enthusiasm for whole foods has led to the creation of a new kind of plant-based product, blending plants in block-like formats to be used as an alternative to meat alternatives themselves. In the UK, this movement is led by Oh So Wholesome’s Veg’chop and THIS’s Super Superfood, which are taking on both animal proteins and tofu.
13. Plant-based meat brands are pushing back with online health hubs (Impossible Foods)…
To counter the anti-UPF narrative, Impossible Foods launched an online health hub to battle “misleading claims that are reductive, overly simplistic, and oftentimes just plain wrong”, highlighting detailed nutritional information about every ingredient used in its products, alongside side-by-side comparisons with conventional meat and an endorsement by the American Heart Association.
14. …and documentary shorts (Beyond Meat)
Beyond Meat, meanwhile, hit back at the livestock industry with a nine-minute documentary featuring leading medical and nutrition experts”, including Stanford professor Dr Christopher Gardner and renowned dietitian Joy Bauer. One section involved CEO Ethan Brown explaining how its products are made, directly responding to critics of UPFs.
15. Big Food is being sued by a teenager claiming UPFs are addictive
Bryce Martinez, an 18-year-old from Pennsylvania, has sued 11 food corporations – including Nestlé, Coca-Cola and Kraft Heinz – for engineering ultra-processed foods (UPFs) to be as addictive as cigarettes. Martinez was diagnosed with fatty liver disease and type 2 diabetes when he was 16, allegedly after consuming “harmful levels” of UPFs from these companies.
16. And it’s fighting back with its own content platform…
The Consumer Brands Association, which represents over 2,000 brands and over 60 CPG companies – including Nestlé, Danone, Coca-Cola, Danone, Ferrero, Pepsico, and Mondelēz International – has launched Food Processing Facts, a website designed to serve as a resource for “fact-based information and dispelling myths on food processing and safety”.
17. …and government lobbying
In the UK, the Food and Drink Federation has successfully lobbied against the government’s push to offer discounts on minimally processed and nutritious foods. The body represents Nestlé, Unilever, Mars, Mondelēz International, Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, and Danone, among others.
Courtesy: Wageningen University & Research
18. The maker of Ozempic is swinging big in the UPF fight
Novo Nordisk Foundation, the controlling shareholder in the eponymous pharmaceutical giant, most famous for diabetes and obesity medications like Ozempic, Wegovy, and NovoRapid, has funded a research effort to develop the “next generation” of the Nova classification. Experts have strongly criticised the move, raising concerns about a conflict of interest.
At the same time, Novo Nordisk Foundation has provided a grant worth 50 million kroner ($7.6M) to the University of Copenhagen to develop less processed plant-based proteins.
19. Plant-based meat is healthier, according to multiple studies and research reviews…
A health analysis of the nutritional differences between conventional meat and plant-based versions in four European countries found that meat alternatives have lower calories and saturated fat, higher fibre, and largely an equivalent amount of protein.
Similarly, an 11-country study based on internationally recognised nutrition guidelines found that the average nutritional quality of all plant-based meat products analysed was slightly better than animal-derived meat.
20. …and many consumers know it.
Industry leaders like Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods have been doubling down on the health aspect of their products because they know that, despite all the misinformation, consumers are aware that plant-based food is healthy. It’s something that 50% of Americans believe, according to one survey.
Another recent poll found that 48% of US consumers feel vegan food is healthier, and 36% wanted to eat fewer animal proteins due to personal health concerns.
Amid all the furore over UPFs, there are clear opportunities for brands to showcase their nutritional and health attributes, especially if they deal with products using whole foods and fewer ingredients.
In the US, 24% of consumers are cutting back on meat this year, but enthusiasm for plant-based alternatives remains low – here’s why.
Americans may have spent more on meat last year than ever before, but nearly a quarter (24%) of them are limiting their intake this year.
While this share is lower than the 29% who were cutting out meat in 2022, it still represents a two-point increase from 2024. The shift is being led by women, baby boomers, and low-income Americans, according to a survey of over 1,500 consumers.
In a report published in collaboration with the Culinary Institute of America, Food for Climate League, and the Menus of Change University Research Collaborative, research firm Dataessential found that men, Gen Zers and millennials are among the demographics least likely to put less beef on their plates.
Courtesy: Dataessential
While interest in plant-based eating remains, it has largely dipped from 2023 levels. Only 19% will intentionally choose animal-free dishes when dining out this year (versus 27% in 2023), for example. Instead, the focus is more on reduction over complete replacement – 37% of Americans plan to order meat dishes mixed with plants from restaurants (think a burger made from beef and mushrooms).
People are also much more likely to order meals with whole ingredients like beans and legumes (28%) than those with vegan meat alternatives (17%), though both these options are less appealing than they were two years ago.
“Consumers overwhelmingly trust whole foods – nuts, legumes, and grains – over processed plant-based meat alternatives,” the 2025 edition of the Plant-Forward Opportunity report reads. And while red meat is losing ground, animal protein sources are still rated by most Americans as “the highest-quality sources of protein”.
Plant proteins low on Americans’ priority list
Courtesy: Dataessential
The research shows that Americans are enamoured by protein, especially poultry, which is consumed by 90% of the population. Dairy and eggs aren’t far behind, while red meat intake is also high at 86%. In contrast, the most consumed plant-based protein sources are nuts and seeds (77%), followed by whole grains (62%) and legumes (57%).
Plant-based meat is way down the list, with only 23% of Americans eating products like the Impossible Burger. Even fewer (21%) eat tofu and tempeh, and seitan is at the bottom of the list, appearing on the table of only one in eight Americans.
Men are significantly more likely to be eating red meat and protein supplements, but also vegan meat alternatives and tofu. Plant proteins are most appealing to millennials, but Gen Z is the least likely generation to regularly consume poultry, seafood, legumes, nuts, or meat analogues.
Interestingly, those who limit meat are really only cutting back on red meat. And here, too, plant-based foods are much less popular than animal protein. Around 60% of meat reducers eat tofu, tempeh and meat alternatives at least weekly, compared to 86% who say the same for poultry.
There’s one simple reason for this: Americans think animal proteins are the best way to pump up their macros. Between 85% and 90% rate beef, eggs and chicken as high-quality protein sources, much higher than tofu (41%) and plant-based meat (36%).
The data highlights a gap in consumer education here, given that many Americans have a “misguided” perception that vegetables contain more protein than whole grains, legumes, soy, and meat analogues.
Familiarity and taste the biggest plant-based opportunities for restaurants
Courtesy: Dataessential
According to Dataessential, many consumers still hesitate to order plant-forward meals at restaurants. And while there are a number of roadblocks, by far, how they taste is at the top of the list, with 45% of Americans dissatisfied with the flavour of such dishes.
Satiety is also high on the list, as 28% report feeling hungry just two to three hours later. A similar share of diners (27%) don’t think vegetables and plant-based ingredients are worth the money they pay. For a quarter of consumers, not getting enough protein was a major concern too.
Meanwhile, around one in five feel plant-based foods are too processed and that restaurants don’t have enough exciting meat-free options.
“Among consumers who do express some level of concern about plant-based restaurant dining, boomers are held back primarily on the taste of plant-based offerings, while Gen Z and millennials are more likely to express a wider variety of concerns, from protein content and energy provision to cost and visual appeal,” the report states. That said, younger consumers are also the most open to being swayed, as there are many strategies to do so.
Courtesy: Dataessential
Restaurants that highlight familiar flavours or offer samples of plant-forward dishes stand to gain the most ground, as these would sway 44% and 38% of consumers, respectively. Likewise, 30% of Americans would try these options if they were in dishes they know or love, or in a familiar format (like pizzas, sandwiches or burritos).
If they knew all the ingredients, or if the ingredients used were simple, a quarter would find plant-based dishes on the menu appealing. Cost is another factor, especially relative to animal proteins – 21% of Americans would choose plant-forward meals if they’re cheaper or offered at a discount to meat-based dishes. However, its importance is down by five points compared to 2023.
“While craveable, well-loved flavours remain the most effective way to drive plant-forward ordering, consumers in 2025 are increasingly motivated by value and service-driven strategies – and less by sustainability or local sourcing messages compared to 2023,” the report suggests.
“Operators should instead highlight what diners gain from choosing plant-forward options – whether it’s added value through combos and meal deals, familiar and satisfying formats like pizza or burritos, or trusted cues like chef and server recommendations. The key is to make plant-forward feel like the better, more exciting choice, not just the cheapest one,” it adds.
Munich-based vegan pet food startup Vegdog has raised €9M ($10.2M) in Series A funding to expand its European presence, after seeing sales hike by 66% in 2024.
While startups working on alternative proteins for humans continue to face fundraising hurdles, those targeting our furry friends are enjoying more success.
Vegdog, known for its wide range of vegan dog food and supplements, has secured €9M ($10.2M) in a Series A round led by the European Circular Bioeconomy Fund (ECBF VC) and existing investor the Green Generation Fund.
Angel investors Dominique Locher, Attollo SA, and Andrea Skersies, financing platform Select Alternative Investments, and existing shareholder SFO also participated in the round, which took the decade-old company’s total raised to $13.7M.
The investment will be used to expand Vegdog’s footprint across Europe, and comes on the back of a highly successful year for the business, where it reached €10M ($11.4M) in sales in 2024 (a 66% rise from the previous year). Now, it is aiming to achieve a growth rate of up to 80% in the coming years.
Vegdog looks to conquer Europe with the fresh capital
Courtesy: Vegdog
Founded by Tessa Zaune-Figlar and Valerie Henssen, Vegdog’s lineup includes both dry and wet food, snacks, and dietary supplements, which use ingredients like pea protein, lentils, and vegetables. They’re developed in collaboration with veterinarians to ensure high nutritional quality.
Last year, it teamed up with fellow German food tech startup MicroHarvest to roll out Pure Bites, a line of dog treats made from the latter’s biomass-fermented microbial protein.
Its products are available via its website and Amazon in Germany and Austria, as well as Futterhaus, Zoo&Co, and DM Drogerie stores. During Veganuary, they were listed in Aldi Suisse and Hofer in Austria too.
This year, Vegdog is planning to double its workforce, as part of its planned expansion into the entire German, Austrian and Swiss region, as well as the Netherlands. It has a wider European rollout earmarked for 2026.
“Our vision is a world in which healthy dog nutrition is no longer at the expense of other animals or the environment. This financing round enables us to accelerate innovation and growth,” said Henssen, who is co-CEO of the company alongside Zaune-Figlar. “The bigger Vegdog is, the greater our impact on dog health and animal welfare.”
Vegdog says it will use the capital to refine its production process, scale its operations across Europe, and explore new blends that address diverse dietary needs across different canine breeds and life stages.
“As consumer demand for ethical and environmentally friendly products rises, VEGDOG is well-positioned to challenge the status quo for the European pet food industry,” said Mathias Brink Lorenz, investment director at ECBF.
Pet food bucks the alternative protein trend
Courtesy: Vegdog
The investment in Vegdog contrasts with what has otherwise been a tough landscape for plant-based food companies, which raised 64% less money in 2024 than the year before.
That said, alternative pet food has enjoyed a fruitful 12 months. The British Veterinary Association has ended its long-standing objection to plant-based dog food, while studies have shown that vegan food is the most effective measure to cut the climate footprint of cats and dogs.
Meanwhile, the UK became the first country where consumers could buy cultivated meat for their cats and dogs off the shelves, while Germany’s Marsapet rolled out a kibble product for dogs using Calysta’s gas-fermented FeedKind protein in Europe.
British vegan pet food maker The Pack was acquired by Prefera Petfood, and fellow London-based startup Omni saw sales shoot up by 130% with 20,000 new customers in the three months after securing an investment from Steven Bartlett and Deborah Meaden on Dragons’ Den.
Elsewhere, one US startup has conducted feeding trials in pursuit of regulatory approval in the US, and California’s Friends & Family Pet Food Co has inked two deals to launch stateside and in Singapore.
And last month, Meatly made several breakthroughs to dramatically lower the costs of its cultivated chicken for pets, and BioCraft Pet Food revealed that its mouse meat generates 92% fewer emissions than conventional beef.
French dairy giant Bel Group has announced that it will discontinue its Nurishh brand of vegan cheese by the end of the year after failing to capture enough consumers.
Despite its efforts to expand its plant-based cheese offering, French dairy leader Bel Group has decided to shutter its only fully vegan business, Nurishh.
The company will withdraw the brand’s dairy-free mozzarella, feta and other cheeses from the market by the end of 2025, citing a failure to attract new consumers and become profitable.
As a direct consequence of the Nurishh decision, Bel is also closing its production factory in Saint-Nazaire, which is expected to impact around 30 employees, who reportedly began a strike following the announcement.
Why Bel Group is discontinuing Nurishh
Courtesy: Bel Group
Nurishh was introduced in 2021, a year after Bel acquired local startup All in Foods and its Nature & Moi brand. The deal involved the Saint-Nezaire facility, and was part of the dairy giant’s ambition to diversify its plant-based business.
Sold in 14 countries across Europe, North America, and the Middle East, Nurishh’s cheeses include alternatives to Cheddar, mozzarella, Camembert and feta. They’re made from either coconut or sunflower oil, and are free from soy and gluten.
In 2022, Bel teamed up with precision fermentation pioneer Perfect Day to use its animal-free whey protein in a line of Nurishh cream cheeses in the US. Social media posts suggest the products were no longer on shelves by 2023 ,but there has been no official annoucement from the company.
But the company admitted that it has failed to capture the attention of enough customers over the years. Nurishh only represents 1% of the retail market for vegan cheese, compared to the 22% share of its biggest competitor, Violife.
“By arriving second in the market, we have not succeeded in differentiating ourselves enough to secure our clients’ listing and attract new consumers,” the dairy group told Just Food.
The company had attempted to turn around Nurishh’s fortunes with a brand refresh that painted its cheeses as desirable and a source of pleasure, in contrast with the usual criticisms of plant-based alternatives as bland and unappealing.
That still failed to move the needle, forcing Bel’s hand. “Despite the commitment and the hard work of all teams over the past five years, and despite the numerous investments made with All in Foods, Nurishh has not succeeded in establishing a profitable and sustainable business,” the company said.
Bel continues to invest in vegan cheese amid M&As
Courtesy: Bel Group
The discontinuation of Nurishh means Bel will now focus on its three core brands: The Laughing Cow, Babybel, and Boursin. Each of these brands has dairy-free offerings, which the company plans to expand over the coming months, signalling that its commitment to plant-based cheese hasn’t ended.
In November, the company linked up with agrifood producer Avril, probiotic manufacturer Lallemand, and foodservice consultant Protial on a three-year project to develop better vegan cheese. The effort is backed by a €9M investment, in part by the French government.
The entities will work on creating minimally processed vegan cheese through advanced fermentation and ageing techniques, with an added focus on nutrition. “Our research focuses on alternative ingredients, including plant-based proteins from crops like peas, chickpeas, and fava beans and some others, as well as fermentation-derived proteins, which offer nutritional quality comparable to dairy,” Bel told Green Queen after the announcement.
The resulting products will be rolled out under Bel’s existing brands, as it works towards its goal of generating 50% of sales from plant-based alternatives and fruit-based offerings by 2050.
Courtesy: Bel Group
Non-dairy cheese now makes up 3.6% of Europe’s plant-based market, and was the fastest-growing vegan category in France, where its sales grew by 34% in 2023. That said, consumers remain unsatisfied with the taste and texture of these alternatives. According to a survey of over 7,800 Europeans, more than one in five who have tasted fermented vegan cheese don’t consume it regularly.
It has led many brands to rethink their business or close it altogether. Before Bel decided to do the latter with Nurishh, Dutch startup Willicroft wound down after failing to secure enough investment. Others have looked towards exits and acquisitions.
France’s Jay&Joy bought fellow vegan artisanal cheese maker Les Nouveaux Affineurs earlier this year, while US dairy-free cheese startup Vertage Foods was snapped up by plant-based firm Misha’s Inc. And in late 2023, UK-based The Compleat Food Group (formerly Winterbotham Darby) took over vegan cheesemaker Palace Culture.
Plukon Food Group, a Dutch poultry producer, has snapped up local meat-free startup Vega Insiders to strengthen its alternative protein portfolio.
Netherlands-based poultry giant Plukon Food Group has acquired Vega Insiders, a producer of meat-free kebabs, bacon and falafels.
The terms of the deal were undisclosed, but Plukon confirmed that Vega Insiders will continue to operate under its own name and retain all its employees.
The move is part of Plukon’s growth strategy in alternative proteins, and will allow it to accelerate the integration of plant-based product development knowledge and expertise within the business.
Courtesy: Vega Insiders
Why Plukon decided to buy Vega Insiders
Founded in 2020 by the Zilverwerf Group, Vega Insiders makes a range of vegan and vegetarian products for foodservice and retail channels. It makes plant-based bacon from fava beans and rice starch, which is sold under its Grunchy brand as slices, strips, and pre-cooked streaky bacon.
In addition, it makes plant-based versions of mince, kebabs and falafel, combining a range of protein sources. Plus, it has a line of vegetarian meat alternatives, such as meatballs, chicken pieces, and ham pieces, which use egg and/or dairy.
The company has a production facility in Udenhout, as well as an Experience Center to give potential clients a taste of its offerings and to help other brands with their own meat-free product development.
Courtesy: Vega Insiders
“After years of building Vega Insiders, I was looking for a sustainable future for the company,” said Mart Beniers, founder of Vega Insiders and owner of Zilverwerf Group. “In Plukon, I found a partner with the same mindset: entrepreneurial, pragmatic, and knowledgeable about the market. We had an immediate connection, which gives me full confidence that Vega Insiders is in good hands.”
Plukon’s sells poultry products, meals and salads, as well as alternative proteins in Europe. It is present in six countries and has over 10,000 employees, and posted a turnover of €3.1B in 2023.
“This acquisition fits perfectly within our strategy. Plukon has been working on alternative protein concepts for years. This strengthens both our product diversity and our innovation capacity in the field of complementary proteins,” said Plukon CEO Kees Kraijenoord.
“For some time, Plukon has aspired to have a dedicated vegetarian/vegan production site. With this acquisition, that ambition becomes reality, and we can now scale up in a fully plant-based environment.”
Courtesy: Oscar Timmers
Meat giants continue to invest in plant-based market
Although sales of meat alternatives fell by 2.5% in 2023, these products still account for the largest slice of the plant-based pie in Dutch retail. Globally, meanwhile, sales of vegan meat analogues rose by 4% in 2024.
Meat giants have therefore continued to invest in and acquire alternative protein brands to diversify their protein portfolio while lowering their overall climate impact. In Germany, meat processor Tönnies Group invested in Nosh.bio to co-create a single-ingredient mycelium product, and poultry giant PHW Group participated in a funding round for mycoprotein startup Kynda.
In Italy, meanwhile, Gruppo Tonazzo shuttered its meat business after 136 years to focus solely on plant-based food. And earlier this year, Unilever agreed to sell Dutch meat-free leader The Vegetarian Butcher to Vivera, which is owned by JBS, the world’s largest meat producer.
These deals come during a time of rampant M&A activity in the rapidly-consolidating animal-free food sector. In the US, dairy-free formula maker Kate Farms was acquired by Danone and frozen ready meal maker Daily Harvest was snapped up by yoghurt leader Chobani last month. Wicked Kitchen, Nuggs, and Blackbird Foods were all taken over by Ahimsa Companies last year, while vegan cheesemaker Vertage was purchased by Misha’s Inc this January.
Our weekly column rounds up the latest sustainable food innovation news. This week, Future Food Quick Bites covers Kellanova’s plant-based RXBars, Vivera’s pre-frozen tofu, and a cultivated seafood tasting event.
New products and launches
Kellanova (formerly Kellogg’s) has launchedRXBar High Protein, a plant-based line of its famous clean-label bars. The peanut butter bars come in strawberry and vanilla flavours, and are packed with 18g of protein and only six ingredients.
Courtesy: Kellanova/Valerii Evlakhov/Getty Images
US wellness startup Happy Aging has launched a plant protein powder called Lean Muscle Formula. It contains 20g of pea and pumpkin seed protein and 5g of creatine monohydrate per 100g, and comes in vanilla and chocolate flavours. The product is available on its website for $55 per 725g pouch.
Israeli food tech startup Meala has partnered with DSM-Firmenich to launch a texturising pea protein called Vertis PB Pea. The ingredient is designed to replace modified binders like hydrocolloids to make cleaner-label meat alternatives, and is available in Europe.
Also in Israel, Efishient Protein has introduced a plant-based grouper fillet. It is working on a cultivated tilapia in the background.
Courtesy: Oshi
Speaking of alternative seafood, plant-based firm Oshi has begun direct-to-consumer sales of its vegan salmon, expanding from its foodservice-only model.
In more seafood news, Austrian mycoprotein startup Revo Foods has unveiled a BBQ flavour of its flagship product, The FIlet – Inspired by Salmon.
Chilean food tech firm NotCo has released the newest iteration of its AI-powered NotMilk, with a focus on a clean-label formulation. The NotMilk Avena SKU contains just oats, coconut butter, chicory fibre, and water, and is available in Chile and Brazil. It will soon roll out in Mexico too.
Courtesy: NotCo
French dairy-free brand Atelier Dessy has introduced a plant-based alternative to Icelandic skyr in raspberry and mango-passionfruit flavours.
Dutch vegan giant Vivera has introduced a pre-frozen firm tofu that absorbs marinades more quickly, responding to a TikTok trend of freezing the protein to make it spongier. It will be available in UK supermarkets from June 9 for £2.75 per 200g pack.
British food tech firm Myco, known for its oyster-mushroom-based burgers, has signed a deal to provide its Hooba ingredient to Teesside University as part of a blended meat range.
Courtesy: Treets/Candy Kittens
Planet A Foods‘s cocoa-free ChoViva chocolate is part of Candy Kittens and Treets‘s Crunchy Corn, Crispy, and Salted Peanuts dragées in the UK. They’re available online and at retailers including Boots.
South Korean food giant Pulmuone has revamped its dairy-free ice cream brand Planto with new packaging and label descriptors like ‘reduced sugar’ and ‘high dietary fibre’. The new products come in 90ml strawberry-raspberry and chocolate brownie packs, and will primarily be available online and through B2B channels, including Kurly, Coupang, and Shop Pulmuone.
Company and finance updates
Singaporean cultivated meat firm Umami Bioworksheld a public tasting for its white fish (served in a fish-and-chips format) and caviar (served plain and in canapé-style) at London’s Underground Cookery School.
Likewise, plant-based firm Simply Better Brands – which makes vegan protein powders and bars – has rebranded to Trubar.
Dutch fermentation startup The Protein Brewery has appointed former Cousin executive Thijs Bosch as its new CEO. He succeeds Sue Garfitt, who will transition into a non-executive role.
Courtesy: cReal
Swedish food tech firm cReal Food has opened a zero-waste oat milk powder facility in Bjuv, backed by a 300 million kronor ($31.3M) investment by Lindéngruppen and other investors.
Finnish startup Enifer has partnered with Brazilian ethanol producer FS to produce its Pekilo mycoprotein in Latin America, using thin stillage derived from corn ethanol as feedstock.
Research and policy developments
The Spanish city of Parla has become the country’s first city (and the world’s 40th) to sign the call for an international Plant-Based Treaty.
Vegans and vegetarians should receive special rations if the UK is hit with a major disaster, according to Prof Tim Lang, an emeritus professor of food policy at the University of London and an adviser to the National Preparedness Commission.
Courtesy: Beyond Meat
With BBQ season upon us, a survey by Beyond Meat has found that 42% of Brits eat less meat during the week now than two years ago, and 47% say having plant-based options on the menu is important to them.
Two new studies show that the plant-based Portfolio Diet can lower the risk of cardiovascular disease and mortality, and improve heart health across diverse demographics.
A landmark study by the European Alliance for Regenerative Agriculture has revealed that the region can produce significantly more food with less money and fewer resources with regenerative agriculture systems.
For people with type 1 diabetes, switching from animal products to plant-based foods is an effective strategy for weight loss.
While vegan alternatives to animal products are often labelled as unhealthy due to their classification as ultra-processed, many plant-based foods can be a lever for a range of positive health outcomes.
For instance, in March 2024, a Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) study found that vegan diets significantly decreased insulin doses and increased insulin sensitivity, and improved cholesterol levels and kidney function in type 1 diabetics.
Now, a secondary analysis of that research has revealed that swapping meat and dairy – even those deemed ‘unhealthy’ – can have positive outcomes for weight loss in this group.
“Whether you have an orange and oatmeal for breakfast or orange juice and toasted white bread, either option is a better choice for weight loss than eggs and cottage cheese,” explained Hana Kahleova, director of clinical research at PCRM and lead author of the study.
Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune condition where the body attacks and destroys insulin-producing cells, leading to a complete lack of insulin. It is much rarer than type 2 diabetes, representing around 5-10% of the total cases of diabetes, and has no known cause or cure so far.
Vegan diets help type 1 diabetics lose weight significantly
Courtesy: David Pereiras
The original 12-week randomised clinical trial assessed the diets of 58 people with type 1 diabetes, who were randomly assigned to either a low-fat vegan group with no calorie or carb limits, or a portion-controlled group that reduced daily calorie intake for overweight participants and kept carb consumption stable over time.
In the secondary analysis – published in the Frontiers in Nutrition journal – PCRM researchers analysed the dietary records to assess the relationship of a plant-based diet index (PDI), healthful PDI (hPDI), and unhealthful PDI (uPDI) with weight loss.
PDI measures adherence to a vegan diet in general. The hPDI group comprises the consumption of ‘healthy’ plant-based foods like fruits and vegetables, whole grains, nuts, legumes, oils, coffee and tea. On the contrary, uPDI includes more foods like fruit juice, sugar-sweetened beverages, refined grains, potatoes, and sweets. A higher score indicates greater consumption of the plant-based foods in each category.
“Our research shows that replacing animal products with plant-based foods – even so-called ‘unhealthy’ ones, as defined by the plant-based diet index – benefits people with type 1 diabetes who are looking to lose weight,” says Kahleova.
Participants following the vegan diet ate a much higher amount of legumes, whole grains and fruits, while cutting back on vegetable oils and nuts. On the portion-controlled diets, consumption of unhealthful foods didn’t change significantly on either diet, except for a lower intake of refined grains.
The researchers found that people who followed a plant-based diet lost 5.2kg (or 11 lbs) on average as a result of changes in the PDI and hPDI scores. In fact, each 1kg loss of weight was associated with a 6.1-point increase in hPDI. On the other hand, there was no weight change for participants on the portion-controlled diet.
Opportunities for plant-based companies amid weight-loss discourse
Courtesy: Food Quality and Preference
The results chime with a separate PCRM study from March, in which participants following a vegan diet shed an average of 5.9kg compared to the control group, outlining how replacing meat and dairy with plant-based foods was associated with “clinically significant weight loss”.
In that study, each 50g reduction of processed animal-derived foods per day resulted in a loss of 1kg, as did a 63g decrease in unprocessed animal proteins and a 120g reduction in animal-based UPFs.
This comes on the back of the rise of obesity and Ozempic, which are making Americans rethink the way they eat. GLP-1 drug users are cutting back on processed foods, refined grains, beef, and dairy, and eating more greens and fruits.
In fact, plant-based meat, whole foods and are amongst the foods witnessing the lowest consumption declines. Foods like beef suffer from what’s known as the ‘Ozempic tongue’, a mechanism where people’s taste receptors react differently to foods than they did before GLP-1 use.
But the demand for meat is still there – even if the taste isn’t. And that represents a major opportunity for vegan food producers, whose products are less affected by the aversion to processed foods than the animal industry.
Meanwhile, this latest study is further proof of the weight-loss benefits of a plant-based diet, and the first of its kind for people with type 1 diabetes. Companies can fine-tune their offerings to meet the demand of this consumer segment too.
Indonesian plant-based meat pioneer Green Rebel Foods has rolled out two products at 7-Eleven Philippines, both as retail offerings and as part of in-store meals.
Several supermarkets in Europe – including Lidl, Ahold Delhaize and Rewe Group – are answering that call with ‘protein split’ sales targets and price parity for vegan alternatives. That momentum is now shifting to Asia too.
In the Philippines, convenience store chain 7-Eleven is now offering products and meals featuring plant-based meat and fish from Indonesia’s Green Rebel Foods.
While the partnership started as a promotion for the Catholic fasting Lenten season, it has now been expanded to over 2,000 stores across the country, keying into Filipinos’ openness to plant-based meat. A 2024 survey by alternative protein think tank the Good Food Institute (GFI) APAC, found that these consumers held the most positive perceptions of plant-based meat in the region (alongside Indonesians).
7-Eleven continues to champion meat-free eating
Courtesy: 7-Eleven Philippines
7-Eleven first announced the partnership in late March, adding two Green Rebel products on dishes for its Lenten Specials menu.
The first, a Chick’n Salad with Green Rebel’s vegan fried chicken, is made from soy and wheat protein and contains lettuce, walnuts, mandarins, and an Oriental-style dressing.
The second dish, a Beefless Tapsilog, was part of the retailer’s Rice Meal Express series, putting a spin on a local breakfast favourite. Traditionally, the dish combines sweet and salty peppery beef with crunchy garlic fried rice and a fried egg.
7-Eleven’s version made use of Green Rebel’s beef mince, made primarily from soy flour, and paired it with garlic rice and an omelette.
The success of the activation has led to an extension of the partnership, with the meals available at over 2,000 7-Eleven stores across the Philippines following the end of the Lenten Season.
In addition, the retailer is offering packaged versions of the plant-based fried chicken and mince for consumers to cook at home, delivering a win for Green Rebel, which only entered the Philippines a year ago via a deal with local condiment manufacturer and distributor NutriAsia.
This isn’t the first time 7-Eleven has championed plant proteins. It has a history of offering vegan products at its convenience stores globally, whether they’re private-label meals or branded products. The retailer was a gateway for Impossible Foods in Singapore, and has previously partnered with OmniPork and Unlimeat to offer plant-based meals at its Hong Kong locations.
Next month, it will begin stocking Odd Burger’s crispy chicken, burgers, and breakfast sausages at over 500 of its locations in Canada. It comes four years after it teamed up with Lightlife to offer its meat-free chicken tenders at more than 600 stores in the country.
Green Rebel bet on Philippines’ appetite for plants
Courtesy: Green Rebel
Founded in Indonesia in 2020, Green Rebel offers a range of plant-based meats (including whole cuts), cheeses and meals. They leverage its proprietary Rebel Emulsion Technology, which helps recreate the mouthfeel of animal protein via an emulsion of coconut oil, water and natural plant-based seasonings.
They’re available in over 1,200 foodservice locations and more than 300 retail stores across Indonesia, Singapore, Vietnam, Malaysia and the Philippines. The 7-Eleven partnership is part of a growing list of landmark partnerships for the brand, which include deals with Starbucks, AirAsia, Tous Le Jours, NTUC FairPrice and Annam Gourmet.
The company says its products need 80% less energy and 67% less water than animal-derived meat, and reduced 48,000 tons of greenhouse gas emissions between 2022 and 2024.
It linked up with NutriAsia last year to enter a country with high potential for plant-based eating. The GFI APAC survey found that 24% of Filipinos were looking to reduce their meat consumption in 2024, and 55% aimed to increase their intake of plant-based meat, with health being the primary driver.
Three-quarters of consumers think vegan meat analogues are healthier, and 49% say more nutritious offerings would encourage them to increase their consumption of these products. In fact, health is by far the top factor that would influence Filipinos to choose plant-based meats over their conventional counterparts, with 66% citing this.
Green Rebel’s products are high in protein and fibre, and contain up to 50% less saturated fat, 30% fewer calories, and zero cholesterol, compared to conventional meats. This will appeal to people in the Philippines, 75% of whom hadn’t tried plant-based meat but said they’d likely do so last year.
“NutriAsia is the leading sauce and condiment manufacturer in the Philippines, while Green Rebel focuses on Asian-flavoured plant-based meat and dairy-free cheeses. This also opens a product collaboration opportunity, targeted for Filipino consumers,” Green Rebel co-founder and CEO Helga Angelina told Green Queen last year.
“Crafting delicious, sustainable food isn’t just our passion; it’s our commitment to redefining the future of dining,” she added. “Every dish we create at Green Rebel is a testament to our belief that flavour, and sustainability go hand in hand, offering a tantalizing glimpse into a world where every meal nourishes both body and planet.”
Italian plant-based cheese startup Dreamfarm flooded the streets of Milan with tourists featuring cow masks as part of a new marketing campaign.
The Milanese were amused last Wednesday.
A group of tourists sporting cow masks and vacation-ready attire took to the streets between Piazza Cordusio and Castello Sforzesco, causing confusion in Italy’s fashion capital.
In reality, these were actors participating in a guerrilla marketing stunt as part of a new campaign by dairy-free cheese firm Dreamfarm. The idea, it says, is to “finally” send cows on a well-deserved break this summer, since they’re no longer needed to produce great-tasting cheese.
The idea behind Dreamfarm’s marketing drive
Courtesy: Dreamfarm
Dreamfarm’s The Cows Go on Vacation drive was dreamt up by Al.ta Agency, a food-focused communications firm launched last year by the media company Al.ta Cucina.
The integrated campaign features what Dreamfarm and AI.ta Agency call “an ironic and unexpected tone”. “Our choice was to tell the story of plant-based living without divisive tones or shocking imagery,” the companies said in a joint statement.
“Instead, we opted for a sunny, symbolic, and light-hearted provocation – one that sparks reflection with a smile, about the positive change Dreamfarm aims to create.”
In Milan, the actors wore Hawaiian shirts, Bermuda shorts, fanny packs and sandals to exude the vacation vibes, paired with cameras and the cow masks. The group of ‘tourists’ was led by a guide holding a branded sign with the words “Dreamfarm Vacation Group”.
The stunt caught the attention of passersby – whether local residents or actual tourists – who pulled out their phones to take images and videos, driving user-generated content to promote Dreamfarm.
Before the Milan march, plant-based influencers and creators were sent a kit to amplify the activation. And in the days since, Dreamfarm will post short videos on its online channels, documenting the cows’ departure for holiday, from train stations and packed trunks to selfies near monuments.
Courtesy: Dreamfarm
Young Italians driving the plant-based shift
The company’s use of influencer marketing and a campaign made for social media is a shrewd move, as it will likely capture the attention of young Italians, a key demographic for plant-based brands.
According to a 2024 report by the retailer Coop, 82% of 17- to 35-year-olds are driving the adoption of plant-based diets out of health and climate concerns. This group, titled the Explorers, is leading the shift towards flexitarianism in the country.
Another key opportunity in Italy’s vegan market lies with challenger brands reinventing classics with a sustainable and health-forward twist. “This movement spans across the plant-based dairy, meat, and dessert sectors, blending modern innovation with culinary excellence,” Felippe Fontanelli, founder of the Virtuous Food Revolution Alliance, wrote last year.
This is where Dreamfarm comes in. The company uses almonds and cashews to make clean-label dairy-free alternatives to classics like mozzarella, ricotta, and stracciatella, each with a Nutri-Score A rating. Last month, it debuted vegan Ciliegine (or mini mozzarella balls) at the TuttoFood fair in Milan.
The company raised €5M in funding in 2023, and its products are available in Esselunga, Coop, and Conad in Italy, as well as retailers in the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany.
Other plant-based dairy brands challenging the status quo in Italy include Heaven and SQUP. “For companies with vision and commitment, Italy represents one of the most dynamic opportunities in Europe’s plant-based landscape – a market with incredible growth potential for those ready to invest in its future,” said Fontanelli.
Tackling monoculture and deforestation in the Amazon, Cuíca is using Brazilian chestnuts to make a plant-based milk that spotlights Indigenous communities.
Based in São Paulo, food tech startup Cuíca has introduced a whole chestnut milk that puts the Amazon rainforest and its communities at the heart of its existence.
The Amazon, one of the world’s most heavily deforested areas, is quickly approaching a tipping point – research suggests that up to half of the biome could pass that threshold by 2050, thanks to excessive water distress, land clearance and climate disruption.
In its bid to preserve the rainforest and reduce cattle farming, the main cause of deforestation, Cuíca is betting on what has been termed a “saviour seed” for the Amazon. Commonly known as the Brazil nut, the tree is amongst the most powerful species in the forest, and channels more than 260 gallons of water into the air daily.
While it is a vital source of income for Indigenous communities, rampant deforestation has led the International Union for the Conservation of Nature to classify the tree as a vulnerable species.
Cuíca says its Brazil nuts cone from extractive culture, which means there’s no tree-felling, soil destruction, burning, or other forms of exploitation. This also allows an equitable and supportive distribution of income for people who live off the forest.
Having launched in 2024 and unveiled the milk alternative at Expo West in California this March, the company has now commercialised the product in Brazilian stores through a partnership with Tetra Pak.
Cuíca aim to preserve the Amazon and its communities
Courtesy: Cuíca
The Amazon rainforest is home to half of the world’s tropical forests and over three million species of plants and animals. However, continued deforestation – both legal and illegal – has put 10-47% of its forests at risk of collapse by 2050. The Brazilian part of the Amazon accounts for the majority of the rainforest’s deforestation, as well as 40% of global tropical deforestation.
Once known as the “lungs of the Earth”, it lost 13% of its first cover between 1985 and 2023, mainly for mining and farming. That is equivalent to an area the size of Germany and France combined, and has converted the rainforest from a carbon sink to a carbon source.
According to Cuíca, large-scale monoculture and a lack of oversight are among the primary causes of this deforestation. The trees it sources its chestnuts from are centuries old and grown without monocultures.
More than 90% of the nut is produced via extractivism, a practice rooted in local communities – essentially, they’re collected from wild trees instead of being cultivated on farms and using up more land. Indigenous people manually pick the fruits from the ground in the summer months, breaking them into seeds that are transported to a warehouse for further distribution.
Cuíca purchases its raw materials from these local communities and cooperatives, ensuring that producers use practices that respect the environment and follow the Sustainable Development Goals.
“The collection and processing are carried out by indigenous and riverside communities, and in this way, Cuíca helps to keep the forest standing,” said Bianca Oglouyan, who co-founded the startup wth Critina Frange.
Tetra Pak helps keep labels clean
Courtesy: Cuíca
Cuíca’s link-up with Tetra Pak was crucial for market entry. The Swedish packaging giant provided the structure of its pilot plant at its Customer Innovation Center in São Paulo to help the startup test its product formulation before its retail rollout. It also helped Cuíca find co-packers for the nut milk.
“Tetra Pak was super important throughout the development, from the test we carried out at the pilot plant to choosing the most suitable packaging for our product based on its characteristics,” explained Oglouyan.
“In addition to all the infrastructure that made it possible to bring the product to life, the partnership with Tetra Pak offers us something very important: packaging that does not require the use of preservatives, since its technology allows us to have a clean-label product, with only four ingredients, something that is in line with our strategy of having a sustainable product,” she added.
The original version of the milk contains just chestnuts, water, sugar, and salt, with Cuíca also offering a barista edition. It has 1.6g of protein per 100ml, with 4.6g of fat from the nuts, and is rich in selenium, potassium, magnesium and vitamin E.
Oglouyan hinted at the company’s international ambitions. “The one-year shelf life provided by the box is a great advantage, since our focus is export,” she said.
“This project with Cuíca is one of many examples of how we support the industry in its challenges not only through our packaging, which eliminates the use of preservatives and protects food for safe consumption,” said Tetra Pak, sales and business development director at Tetra Pak Brazil.
“We also add value in other areas – from infrastructure for product formulation and testing, [and] market analysis, to processing equipment and technical services.”
Research shows that by 2023, only 43% of Brazilians had tried a plant-based milk product, but 95% were willing to give it a go. And among those who had never tasted one, the most preferred base ingredient was the Brazil nut (90%). Meanwhile, sales of plant-based milk grew by 10% in 2023, reaching R$673M ($135M), outlining locals’ interest in the category.
