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.
After a decline in alternative protein investments in 2024, funding further fell by 28% in Q1 2025 compared to the same period a year ago. Analysts blame AI, high costs, and low sales.
There’s no other way to put it: 2024 was a bleak year for food tech. Post-Covid geopolitical tensions and higher living costs continued to threaten both shoppers’ wallets and investor sentiment, and startups aiming to futureproof the food system bore the brunt of the impact.
It hasn’t gotten any easier, with 2025 bringing its own set of headwinds. President Donald Trump’s tariff war, Robert F Kennedy Jr’s attack on ultra-processed food and regulatory pathways, more bans on cultivated meat, a resurgence of beef and dairy both stateside and in Europe, and continued sales declines in several markets have all contributed to the storm engulfing the alternative protein industry.
Graphic by Green Queen
After a 44% drop in 2023, VC investments in plant-based food, fermentation-derived ingredients, and cultivated meat fell by a further 27% in 2024, according to Net Zero Insights data crunched by the Good Food Institute (GFI)
Q1 2025 investments in the sector declined by 28% YoY, falling to $235M. Fermentation startups capture the bulk of this, attracting $146M, while plant-based ($54M) and cultivated protein firms ($35M) continued to falter.
So who – or what – is to blame? And are there any bright spots for alternative protein?
Fermentation continues to thrive
Looking at the figures for both 2024 and early 2025, one segment sticks out: fermentation. It was the only alternative protein pillar to witness an increase in investment last year (by 43%), against decreases for both plant-based food (-64%) and cultivated meat (-40%).
In Q1 2025, fermentation startups attracted half of all funding flowing into the sector, with precision fermentation particularly piquing investor interest. This tech vertical was responsible for the three largest rounds of the quarter: Formo’s $36M venture debt loan from the European Investment Bank, Vivici’s $33.8M Series A round, and Liberation Labs’s $31.5M investment.
The only other investment round above $25M in this period was for Israeli cultivated meat startup Aleph Farms, which secured $29M as part of a larger fundraise in the coming months.
Courtesy: GFI
“Many of the fermentation companies that received large investments are focused on leveraging agricultural and food industry sidestreams as a sustainable feed source, helping produce food more efficiently and affordably – both of which are attractive propositions for investors,” Helene Grosshans, infrastructure investment manager at GFI Europe, wrote last year about the success of fermentation.
Still, fermentation investment totals fell year-over-year in Q1 2025, according to Daniel Gertner, lead economic and industry analyst for the organisation, yet ranked in the top half of the 10 most recent quarters.
So while alternative protein funding remained subdued in the first quarter of this year, he warns that “few meaningful trends can be identified in a single quarter”.
Can Europe keep up its momentum?
Alongside fermentation, European startups showed promising signs, collectively raising $509M in 2024 (a 23% annual increase). This included a record year for Germany, where alternative protein firms attracted $145M (although $61M of that came from Formo’s Series B round).
Here, too, fermentation shone. Biomass fermentation startups saw a 10% hike in investment in 2024, while those working on precision fermentation bagged more than thrice the funding totals of 2023. As mentioned above, that trend has continued this year, thanks to Vivici and Formo’s latest rounds.
Courtesy: GFI Europe
While at first glance it may seem that plant-based and cultivated meat startups performed miserably, context is crucial. As GFI Europe’s Grosshans points out, the decline for the former category is due to Oatly’s large $425M raise over two deals; if you discount publicly traded companies, privately held plant-based firms in Europe actually saw investment grow by 37% last year.
Similarly, two relatively large deals for Mosa Meat and Meatable, totalling $53.3M, skewed the data for cultivated meat, too, where funding dipped by 59%. These two Dutch startups are preparing to enter the market soon, so they’re not reflective of where most of the sector is.
AI has wrecked the investment landscape for everyone else
In 2024, there was a 38% dip in climate tech venture funding, thanks to a shift in investor interest towards artificial intelligence (AI), where financing crossed $100B.
In the first 12 weeks of this year, AI propelled global venture financing to its highest quarterly levels in nearly three years. OpenAI, the maker of ChatGPT, raised $40B – that’s with a ‘B’ – which led AI to account for 58% of VC deal value in Q1 2025.
Non-AI sectors, however, experienced their weakest deal activity in a decade, notes Gertner. “Recent growth in overall venture funding has largely been driven by surges in AI investments, which have likely redirected capital flows from other industries,” he tells Green Queen.
“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,” he adds. “Alternative proteins are not alone in this trend: adjacent industries like climate tech and consumer packaged goods have experienced similar investment slowdowns.”
Courtesy: DigitalFoodLab
Indeed, the wider food tech sector’s $2.2B funding in Q1 2025 was the worst quarterly performance in years. Matthieu Vincent, co-founder of strategy consultancy firm DigitalFoodLab, ascribes this to contextual reasons, as opposed to structural factors like the VC ecosystem being unsuited to long-term innovation.
The Q1 decline is linked to “the current economic uncertainties, notably on tariffs and their impact on the overall agrifood industries”, he explained in his newsletter.
Trump’s tariffs have already had investors worried, with Grey Silo Ventures’s investment manager, Matteo Leonardi, telling Green Queen last month: “As we are dealing with an industry that is already fighting to survive on the slightest of margins – and at industrial scale, let alone at pilot scale – US tariffs could result in a complete erosion of those already-thin margins.”
Adam Bergman, managing director of EcoTech Capital, predicted the downturn to continue in 2026. “I expect that over 70% of agtech and food tech companies will either go bankrupt, cease operations, or be liquidated in a fire sale. It is likely that a similar percentage of the capital invested in these companies will never be recouped,” he wrote.
The way forward for alternative protein
“As AI dominates investor attention, alternative protein companies are either developing novel applications of AI for alternative proteins or choosing to compete for a smaller slice of non-AI capital,” Gertner wrote in a recent newsletter, signalling the pivots this sector may need to make to survive.
Leading companies also need to turn their sales around, and fast. Addressing misinformation about meat, dairy, and plant-based alternatives is a crucial step.
“Instead of creating more noise, we have been systematically engaging with registered and renowned dietitians, nutritionists and key opinion leaders, arming them with science-based facts about our category and our products, so they can be advocates for the truth,” said Daniel Ordonez, COO of Oatly, which recorded a 0.8% year-on-year decline in revenue in Q1 2025, but cut its losses by 73%.
Courtesy: Oatly
Beyond Meat’s fortunes worsened in Q1 after two quarters of revenue hikes, with sales dipping by 9% in the first three months of this year, with its founder and CEO Ethan Brown suggesting misinformation played a big part. Like Oatly, he added that the “truth is starting to come out” now, and that the meat alternative maker has “made it through that really intense pressure cooker”.
Despite its disappointing sales, it did receive $100M in debt financing from Unprocessed Foods, a wholly owned subsidiary of Ahimsa Foundation, proving that investors still have an appetite for plant-based burgers. “The overall macro environment is challenging for alt-protein, but we are confident of the leadership and the outlook,” Ahimsa Foundation president Shaleen Shah told Bloomberg News.
The volatility of the market was highlighted by Meati’s $4M sale this month. Once valued at $650M, its $100M Series C round was the largest alternative protein investment of 2024, but a technical default led its lender to unexpectedly sweep two-thirds of its cash reserves, leading to the sale at the paltry valuation.
One of the issues in alternative protein is that there aren’t enough exits for startups, though there has been a rapid wave of M&A in the sector of late, from Danone and Chobani’s acquistions of Kate Farms and Daily Harvest, respectively, this month, to Ahimsa Foundation’s takeover of Wicked Kitchen, Simulate and Blackbird Foods in the last year. But exits like Meati’s don’t fill venture capitalists with confidence.
It’s worth noting that despite the VC decline, public sector investment was still strong in 2024, reaching $510M, in line with the year before.
Courtesy: GFI
“Going forward, the companies demonstrating clear competitive advantages, unique value propositions, and strong business models will have the best chance of securing funding,” Gertner tells Green Queen.
“However, venture capital is only one piece of the investment puzzle,” he adds, outlining the importance of additional avenues for companies pursuing investment, like equipment leasing, strategic partnerships, sovereign wealth funds, blended finance, and government programmes.
“Alternative protein companies and founders should continue exploring these creative and multipronged funding strategies to support growth,” he says.
At all 600 Novotel hotels, Accor Group has pledged to ban 350 endangered fish species as part of its responsible seafood policy, and set a goal to make menus more plant-forward.
One of the world’s largest hotel chains has made two major climate commitments that will clean up its food supply and help lower its guests’ dietary footprints.
Novotel, part of the Accor Group, has unveiled a Plant-Forward goal across its 600 hotels worldwide. Under this ambition, it will make at least a quarter of the dishes on all menus meat-free by 2026. Currently, nearly two in five of its hotels dedicate 25% or more of their menus to plant-forward options.
In addition, the company has committed to removing 350 endangered seafood species from its menus and promoting responsible fishing by 2027, in collaboration with WWF France.
Novotel takes on seafood sustainability
Novotel Cairns Oasis Resort
“We’re committed to making it easier to make choices that have a positive impact on the longevity of the planet, on marine life, and on future generations,” said Jean-Yves Minet, global brand president for Novotel. “From responsible sourcing to a Plant-Forward approach, our ocean impact strategy is designed to drive real change.”
Minet called WWF France the “driving force” behind the seafood commitment. It has been working with the conservation organisation since June 2024, taking measures to champion sustainable seafood sourcing and ocean restoration projects via science-based action and investment.
The new Sustainable Seafood Principles include the species ban, serving only Marine Stewardship Council-certified wild-caught or responsibly sourced local fish, and using only organic or Aquaculture Stewardship Council-certified farmed salmon and shrimp.
WWF France’s fishery experts have created a gibel training programme for Novotel chefs, food and procurement teams, and are working with Accor Group to improve traceability. Further, the hotel group has created two games to educate visiting families about ocean conservation and the threats faced during turtle migration.
Faced with the growing threats of overfishing, pollution and loss of biodiversity, economic players have a key role to play,” said WWF France’s ocean programme manager, Ludovic Frère Escoffier. “By collaborating with influential companies in the tourism sector, together we are accelerating the transition to more sustainable, responsible practices that are compatible with ocean resilience.”
The seafood industry is marred by overfishing, microplastic pollution, and disease outbreaks. It’s a major contributor to climate change, which in turn has a highly negative impact on the sector. Nearly 90% of the world’s fish stocks are now 80% of the planet’s fisheries have been fully exploited, over-exploited or depleted, according to the UN FAO.
One study suggests that we could be heading towards a complete collapse of ocean life by 2048, driven primarily by overfishing for human consumption, as well as marine pollution and climate change.
Consumers are taking note. A 2024 survey by the Marine Stewardship Council found that 30% of people had been eating less seafood in the last two years, with 48% concerned about overfishing and 35% worried about climate change impacts. At the same time, over 80% of people had changed their dietary habits in this period, and 43% are doing so for sustainability reasons.
Plant-based policies are a critical lever of dietary shifts
Courtesy: Our World in Data
Novotel’s ‘protein split’ commitment ties well into these consumption trends. The company pointed to the growing global flexitarian population and the sheer difference in climate impact between meat and plants as the reasons behind the move.
Meat emits 50 times more carbon than vegetables, and producing a kg of meat needs up to 50 times more water too, the company noted. Novotel is working with its chef network and plant-based experts to develop innovative meat-free dishes, including Instagram influencer Alfie Steiner.
“People don’t always choose the most sustainable option – and that’s simply part of human nature,” said Minet. “Our mission is to make the better choice the easy one, by serving food that’s not only more sustainable, but also irresistibly delicious, nourishing, and deeply satisfying.”
That hits the nail on the head: bringing along dietary shifts has been tough work for stakeholders, despite everything at stake. The food system is at risk of collapse as things stand. It is simply not sustainable to produce food the way we do right now when the world population approaches 10 billion in 2050.
Initiatives that make more plant-based options available and accessible make it easier for consumers to adopt meat-free eating. It is one of the most effective ways for foodservice operators to promote dietary shifts, according to the World Resources Institute.
Courtesy: Oshi
One of the organisation’s recommendations is to introduce more plant-based alternatives to dining menus. While Novotel’s commitment doesn’t mention seafood analogues, it could follow the lead of fellow hotel giant Four Seasons, which put Oshi’s vegan whole-cut salmon on the menu at MKT Restaurant and Bar in San Francisco.
It could help bring about a much-needed sea change for the alternative seafood category, which only makes up 1% of the overall seafood market, and a similar share of the plant-based alternatives industry.
Novotel’s plant-forward move mirrors a wider shift in the hospitality industry. Accor Group itself has pledged to have 50% meat-free menus by the end of the decade at all its hotels, as part of its Good Food Feels Great policy.
It’s also one of 11 hotel groups that received an A+ rating for plant-based policy commitments in China, alongside IHG, Marriott, Dossen Group, Langham Hospitality, and more. There has been a broader trend of sustainable sourcing in Asia’s hospitality industry, where over 175 businesses have committed to improving their sourcing policies in light of sustainability and animal welfare since 2022.
Our weekly column rounds up the latest sustainable food innovation news. This week, Future Food Quick Bites covers Impossible Foods’ new vegan chicken, Quorn’s Mission: Impossible collab, and a new kind of tempeh.
New products and launches
Mycoprotein pioneer Quorn has launched a summer marketing campaign with Paramount Pictures to align with the launch of Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning. The brand hired a Tom Cruise lookalike to sign autographs in London’s West End while eating its Cocktail Sausages, and also has a Mission Snack Swap ad campaign featuring its farm animal puppets.
Courtesy: Quorn
British oat milk brand Minor Figures has teamed up with Nigo‘s lifestyle label Human Made on a clothing and accessory collection, featuring a sweatshirt, apron, milk bottle, milk sleeve, an art toy, and more. It will be featured at a pop-up at StandBy in Harajuku, Tokyo this weekend (May 31 to June 1).
Also in the UK, vegan meal kit maker Grubby has launched an eight-recipe menu featuring Symplicity Foods‘s plant-based meat alternatives. It includes a BBQ Smash Burger with Carrot Slaw, Hoi Sin Garlic Chilli Noodles, and Symplicity Schnitzel with Curried Potato Salad.
Courtesy: Impossible Foods
Plant-based meat leader Impossible Foodsteased its new Crispy Chicken Fillets at the National Restaurant Association Show in Chicago. It has 17g of protein and half as much saturated fat compared to conventional fillets, and will roll out at restaurants soon.
US startup LiveComplete will soon launch a new protein powder made using its NutriMatch technology, which blends plant proteins in a way that mirrors human muscles.
Courtesy: Upside Foods
To protest Indiana’s upcoming ban on cultivated meat (which comes into effect on July 1), Upside Foodsserved cultured chicken sandwiches at the Indianapolis 500 race on Memorial Day weekend.
Canadian vegan fast-food chain Odd Burger has earned an exclusive listing at 7-Eleven for four of its retail products. The Crispy ChickUn Fillet, Chickpea Burger, Smash Burger and Breakfast Sausage will be available at over 500 locations, with select stores stocking them from next month.
Courtesy: Daiya
Fellow Canadian plant-based company Daiya has introduced a single-serve cream cheese featuring its fermented oat cream. The 1oz packs are aimed at foodservice operators. It will soon also launch a dairy-free cheese sauce.
Danish biosolutions giant Novonesis has rolled out Vertera Velvet, an ingredient aimed at tackling weak foam and curdling in plant-based barista milks, with a specific focus on oat, pea and blended milks.
Courtesy: Umami Bioworks
And Singaporean food tech startup Umami Bioworks has partnered with Japanese seafood firm Maruha Nichiro to co-develop and commercialise cultivated tuna.
Company and finance updates
German retailer Rewe Group has joined Food Fermentation Europe, a trade association representing the fermentation-derived food sector.
Courtesy: Kind Kones
Singaporean vegan ice cream maker Kind Kones has secured an undisclosed sum of funding from female-led firm Epic Angels. It will use the capital to expand its presence in Southeast Asia and the Middle East, specifically Dubai.
Australian precision fermentation firm All G has filed a patent application for an infant formula innovation that includes all five major human breast milk proteins.
Courtesy: Solar Foods
Finnish gas protein firm Solar Foods has verified its pilot production parameters at an industrial scale at its first facility, confirming that the company’s upcoming Factory 02 will be profitable and enabling the production of its Solein protein in the US.
Fellow Nordic fermentation startup Norwegian Mycelium (or NoMy) has received €1.25M in a funding round led by Nippon Beet Sugar Manufacturing Co (Nitten), listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange. It comes months after the company set up a subsidiary in Japan.
Courtesy: NoMy
In the three months since its appearance on Dragons’ Den, where it earned €75,000 from investors Deborah Madden and Steven Bartlett, UK vegan dog food maker Omni has added 20,000 new customers with a 130% growth in sales. It is now approaching £10M in annualised revenue.
Research, policy and events
Drive-thru coffee chain 7 Brew has scrapped the dairy-free milk surcharge at all its 360 locations across the US.
Dutch cultivated pork startup Meatable will join the Alternative Proteins mission at the Dutch Pavilion at World Expo 2025 in Osaka, Japan, next month to outline its optimisations in cell feed, which have helped reduce its preparation time from several days to just 30 minutes.
Courtesy: Meatable
Yet more research has come out proving the environmental superiority of plant-based eating. Focused on Iceland, the study found that vegan diets generate just half the emissions of an omnivore diet, and are overall more compliant with macronutrient recommendations.
At the University of Massachusetts Amherst, one researcher is looking to develop a new kind of tempeh with peas and chickpeas. Backed by a four-year, $387,000 USDA Pulse Crop Health Initiative grant, the protein could help counteract health risks associated with the Western diet, like obesity, fatty liver, and diabetes.
Courtesy: Vivici
Finally, biotech startups Agrobiomics and Vivici have won the Feike Sijbesma Sustainable Innovation Award 2025 for their work in climate-resilient farming and precision-fermented protein production at the F&A Next conference in Wageningen. Each received a $12,500 prize.
Californian food tech startup MeliBio, known for its plant-based Mellody honey, has been acquired by Swiss innovation hub FoodYoung Labs.
US bee-free honey startup MeliBio has been snapped up by FoodYoung Labs, a Swiss venture studio and innovation hub.
The deal includes MeliBio’s consumer brand Mellody, which sells plant-based honey, its Generation 1 technology and related IP. It doesn’t involve the Generation 2 precision fermentation technology, which would have enabled the firm to produce bioidentical honey without the bees.
It comes months after the Californian startup bagged an undisclosed sum in a pre-Series A round, taking its total raised to around $10M. The financing was a pivot from a planned Series A round that would have netted the business another $10M, but the funding challenges of the food tech market meant this never materialised.
Co-founder and CEO Darko Mandich told Green Queen in October that the firm would open the Series A again this year. However, the company’s assets have now been acquired to expand the reach of its plant-based honey.
“For food. tech to thrive, it needs the kind of deep roots that only experienced food companies can offer,” said Mandich about the sale. “With FoodYoung’s longstanding heritage and expertise, I’m confident this is the right environment for MeliBio’s mission to grow and flourish.”
From Michelin-starred eateries to discount retailers
Courtesy: MeliBio
Mandich established MeliBio with CTO Aaron Schaller in 2020 to commercialise a precision-fermented honey, before adding the plant-based version to its portfolio with the launch of Mellody.
Unlike other vegan honey products, which make use of apples and lemons, elderflower, carob, or other ingredients, Mellody replicates honey through a combination of fructose and glucose, complemented by a range of plant extracts (red clover, jasmine, passionflower, chamomile, and seaberry), gluconic acid and natural flavours.
The brand made a big splash by securing New York City’s three-Michelin-starred eatery, Eleven Madison Park, as its first customer. It later debuted the product in the D2C channel via a partnership with the restaurant’s online store.
Mellody has since been expanded across the US (alongside a new hot honey variety), and is available at independent retailers and a growing list of restaurants, such as Palmetto Superfoods and Joyride Pizza in California and Moto Pizza in Seattle. Moreover, it has expanded its distribution through KeHE, UNFI, Greco and Sons, and ACE Natural.
MeliBio has also launched vegan honey in Europe through a $10M, four-year partnership with Slovenia’s Narayan Foods. In the UK, this is in the form of Vegan H*ney under the Better Foodie brand, while in Austria and Switzerland, it sells as Vegan Hanny or Ohney under Aldi’s private label, Just Veg. The distribution deal aims to put MeliBio’s plant-based honey into 75,000 stores eventually.
“It has been a pleasure taking the concept of real honey made without bees to a reality… into 400+ locations worldwide and countless palates,” Schaller wrote on social media. “It is amazing what can be achieved when pairing innovative science with time-tested business strategy and operations.”
Courtesy: MeliBio
What’s next for precision-fermented honey?
FoodYoung Labs operates an innovation facility in Balerna, Switzerland, with a focus on confectionery, baked goods, snacks and bars. Its portfolio of brands includes ZAZ, Kakoo, Bonnap, Frÿze, Man, and CimaNorma.
“With our Swiss full-stack innovation lab and US commercial powerhouse, we’re taking MeliBio’s bee-free innovation to the next level – making Mellody truly clean-label and unrefined,” said FoodYoung Labs founder and CEO Abouzar Rahmani.
The fate of MeliBio’s precision fermentation tech is not known for now, though the firm has made several tech advancements on this front in the last year. It has taken at least three of its protein and enzyme targets from ideation to proof-of-concept to bioreactors, and increased the titer – the amount of product per unit volume at the end of the fermentation process – of its main enzyme target by 1,300%.
Courtesy: MeliBio
This was a result of its collaboration with AI-led biomanufacturing startup Pow.Bio; Melibio had been engaging in scale-up efforts with the latter since March 2024. As of October, MeliBio was evaluating further biomanufacturing partners for the next phase of its precision-fermented honey, though the future of this partnership is currently unknown.
MeliBio’s sale comes amid a dire investment landscape for food and climate tech. Global agrifoodtech funding fell by 51% in 2023, and another 4% last year. The wider climate tech sector, meanwhile, suffered a 38% dip in venture funding in 2024.
This new reality has forced several future food companies to either cease operations or seek acquisition deals. This year alone, vegan pet food company Wild Earth has filed for bankruptcy, while mycelium cheese maker Bolder Foods recently shut down too.
And this month, dairy giant Danone bought dairy-free kids nutrition brand Kate Farms, while yoghurt leader Chobani snapped up frozen ready meal maker Daily Harvest.
The co-founder of French plant-based chicken startup Swap (ex-Umiami) has been forced to step down as CEO amid weak sales, with the firm reportedly needing $10M by the end of this year.
Swap, the Parisian vegan chicken firm formerly known as Umiami, is reportedly in financial trouble amid the wider slowdown of the plant-based meat category.
According to French financial news outlet L’Informé, the startup is looking to renegotiate its debts with its creditors after recording a turnover of just €1M ($1.1M) in 2024 and running into issues scaling up production and delayed commercial development.
The troubles have led to co-founder Tristan Maurel stepping down as CEO, moving to the role of board chairman. He has been replaced by former Mondelēz and Pierre Martinet executive Hervé Salomon.
Swap, which has raised $107M since being founded in 2019, is reportedly in need of immediate funding to stay afloat. According to L’Informé, the company requires €9M ($10.2M) by year-end, and nearly €30M ($34.1M) by the end of 2026.
Swap’s bet on international expansion
Courtesy: Swap
Maurel, Clémence Pedraza and Martin Habfast founded the startup as Umiami, built on its ‘Umisation’ texturising platform for producing whole-muscle replicas of conventional fillets like chicken and fish.
This involves a technique that transforms plant proteins into structured fibres without high heat or pressure. The tech was touted as a key reason why the company was able to produce plant-based meat with a handful of ingredients; Swap’s chicken features eight ingredients and no artificial flavours, colourants or texturisers.
The firm opened a 14,000 sq m facility in the Alsace region last year, backed by a €38M ($41.3M) investment with support from local and federal governments. It says it can produce 7,500 tonnes of plant-based meat annually, eventually rising to 20,000 tonnes.
In October, the company rebranded to Swap and launched into the US foodservice sector, targeting flexitarians via Chicago restaurants like Spirit Elephant, Soul Veg City, Majani, and Clucker’s Charcoal Chicken.
The brand refresh was positioned as a call to action to encourage “consumers to make a positive choice for themselves and for the planet”, and allowed Swap to expand beyond chicken fillets to all kinds of meat and fish analogues, broadening its future product development plans.
In April, Swap teamed up with Spain’s Heura Foods to launch a whole-cut chicken breast in over 3,000 stores in France, Spain and Portugal, with each firm labelling it a “turning point” for its European ambitions.
Plant-based meat’s struggles continue
Graphic by Green Queen
Despite these moves, Swap has not been immune to the larger headwinds of the alternative protein sector, especially in the US. Retail sales of plant-based meat fell by 7% in 2024, while in foodservice, these products have suffered a 10% annualised decline since 2022.
That has come amid a renewed appetite for meat, whose sales reached record highs in the US last year, compounded by growing consumer concerns about ultra-processed food. As a result, investors have remained cautious with their money, with financing in alternative protein startups falling by 27% in 2024. Plant-based startups were hit hardest, raising only $309M, a sharp 64% fall from the year before.
Swap’s troubles come despite its chicken being the recipient of a Tasty Award by sensory-based research firm Nectar, signalling that more than half of taste-testing omnivores found it to taste the same or better than conventional chicken.
Courtesy: Swap
It’s not alone, though. Beyond Meat, which also received a Tasty Award, posted a 9% decline in revenues in Q1 2025, with founder and CEO Ethan Brown labelling it a “disappointing” quarter reflecting “broader macroeconomic concerns and reduced consumer confidence”. The company received a $100M loan boost as it continues to evaluate further deals to address its $1.1M debt.
Swap’s troubles echo those of US-based clean-label mycelium meat startup Meati, which filed documents earlier this month that suggest it’s set to be sold for $4M two months after a bank unexpectedly swept most of its cash reserves due to a technical default. The firm has raised $450M to date and was valued at $650M in 2022.
Others have been acquired by larger companies and investment firms: Wicked Kitchen, Nuggs, and Blackbird Foods were all taken over by Ahimsa Companies last year. In recent weeks, dairy giant Danone bought dairy-free kids nutrition brand Kate Farms, and yoghurt leader Chobani snapped up frozen ready meal maker Daily Harvest.
Back in Swap’s homeland, consumers are now more focused on whole foods like beans and grains, with their dietary habits driven by a health-first approach. The government has sought to ban meat-related terms on vegan packaging labels too, although top courts in the country and the EU rejected that attempt.
A new review suggests that pets have a significant climate footprint, and the best way to lower their impact is to feed them nutritionally sound plant-based food.
Globally, a tenth of all meat is consumed by cats and dogs, a share that rises to 20% in some high-income countries, like the UK and the US. In the latter, in fact, up to 30% of the environmental impact of livestock production has been attributed to pet diets.
Shifting our furry friends towards plant-based meals formulated to be nutritionally sound is the “most effective” way to mitigate their climate impact, a new review has found.
The research was carried out by Bryant Research’s Billy Nicholles and University of Winchester’s Prof Andrew Knight (who has led a number of studies exploring veganism, pet health, and climate change).
The two researchers included 21 studies in their review, assessing the meat- and plant-based ingredients in commercial pet food, the role of animal byproducts, and emerging innovations like cultivated meat and microbial proteins for cats and dogs.
“Given the very significant and comparatively neglected environmental impacts of the pet food industry, measures to reduce the dietary ‘paw prints’ of our companion animals warrant urgent adoption,” the authors write in the Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems journal.
Where do pet food emissions come from?
Courtesy: Sergeeva/Getty Images
The review found that a diet solely comprising wet pet food is linked to nearly eight times more emissions than dry food.
Studies have found that manufacturing and energy costs are among the most carbon-intensive processes in pet food production, while packaging and distribution are among the least impactful factors.
Food waste was identified as an exacerbating factor, particularly due to overconsumption. Consumer demand and perceptions of pet health have led to some pet foods having much more protein than required, which can contribute to overfeeding by their guardians. The study points out that pet obesity is a major problem, with around half of cats and dogs in various geographies overweight or obese.
Impacts from animal urine and faeces have a significant contribution to absolute emissions, especially via freshwater eutrophication and disposal via landfill.
However, ingredient selection has the largest impact on pet food’s climate footprint. One life-cycle assessment (LCA) from Brazil found that these make up at least 70% of the industry’s impact.
The problem with animal byproducts in pet food
Courtesy: Humonia/Getty Images
Knight’s previous research has found that 53% of ingredients used in pet food are animal-derived, including both those that can and cannot be consumed by humans. The latter group (think byproducts like bones, meat meal, or intestinal linings) comprises 75% of all animal-based ingredients in the sector.
“There is a widespread and commonly accepted misunderstanding that animal byproducts are associated with reduced environmental impacts due to their status as waste products from human meat production, that would otherwise be discarded,” the authors say, even noting some studies that suggest pet food offsets the impact of the human food industry.
However, only around a quarter of animal byproducts produced in wealthy nations go towards the pet food industry, which competes for these ingredients with the likes of the livestock, energy and pharma sectors.
To that end, some studies have contended that byproducts actually have a worse environmental impact because of their poor nutritional content.
“For dog food, using animal byproducts rather than human-grade meat requires 1.4 times more livestock carcasses, and for cat food, 1.9 times more,” the authors added. This is because the industry needs more livestock carcasses on average to produce the same amount of ingredients it would with human-grade meat.
“Hence, animal byproducts are less efficient to produce, than human-grade meat. Their production requires significantly more livestock carcasses. This has the potential to increase the number of livestock animals required, and the associated environmental impacts,” the study explains.
How vegan pet food can mitigate these impacts
Courtesy: Sergeeva/Getty Images
According to Nicholles and Knight, plant-based pet food has been controversial in the past because of nutritional concerns. But over the last few years, various studies (including some by Knight) have proven that vegan food can be safe for both cats and dogs, and can have better health outcomes than meat in some cases.
It’s not just pet wellbeing that can benefit from animal-free food – it’s the planet’s health too. A global transition towards vegan diets for cats and dogs could save an area of land larger than Mexico and Germany combined, and emissions higher than the yearly collective total of the UK and New Zealand.
These findings are based on conservative estimates of dog and cat numbers and energy requirements. “In reality, the environmental impact reductions associated with a transition to vegan companion animal diets can be expected to be even larger,” the researchers note.
Microbial proteins and cultivated meat, meanwhile, “offer significant, and in some cases extremely large, reductions in environmental impacts”. One LCA found that cultivated meat for pet food can generate 84-95% fewer emissions than beef, and 47% fewer than chicken.
“There is no longer any sound reason not to support such a dietary transition, particularly given the strong and growing body of evidence demonstrating equivalent or superior health outcomes when nutritionally sound vegan pet diets are used,” the study noted. Even the British Veterinary Association has ended its objection to plant-based dog food.
The study calls for several policy measures to help decarbonise food for our furry friends. This includes informational campaigns for pet owners to prevent overfeeding and food waste, and communicating to them the substantial climate footprint of pet diets and the best way to mitigate them (which is a transition to animal-free proteins).
It also urges investors and government funds to ramp up their activity in alternative protein production for pets. “These responses – in particular, a rapid transition away from animal-based ingredients to sustainable alternatives – represent an opportunity to substantially mitigate the environmental impacts of the large and increasing global pet food industry,” it states.
Another idea is to encourage gradual transition, feeding them 50% vegan and 50% meat-based diets first. “Even a 50% reduction in meat-based pet food consumption would still significantly mitigate the environmental impacts of pet food production,” the authors said.
US sales of plant-based food fell by 4% and 5% in retail and foodservice last year, respectively, but they held steady above the $8B mark for the third year in a row.
Despite widespread sales declines across the plant-based category, more Americans now like the taste of these foods, while health concerns continue to drive many away from animal proteins.
The slowdown of the vegan food sector has been well-documented over the last couple of years, though there are several caveats to it: some segments are more popular than others, household penetration remains strong (59%, with a 79% repeat rate), and the industry is better off now than it was in 2020 (at least in term of sales).
For instance, Americans spent 4% less on these foods in supermarkets last year, while foodservice sales were down by 5%. At $8.1B, retail purchases were still up by 14% compared to the beginning of the pandemic, with foodservice seeing a 19% increase ($289M).
“Given the enormous diversity of the plant ingredients that make up its products, the unique and compelling opportunities to foster customer loyalty and generate substantial incremental sales are essentially boundless,” notes the Plant-Based Foods Association (PBFA) in its 2024 State of the Marketplace report.
Here are the key takeaways from the research:
While health is a critical lever, taste is gaining ground
Courtesy: PBFA
According to PBFA’s analysis of Kroger shopper data with the retailer’s insights firm, 84.51°, two in five Americans are reducing milk intake in favour of plant-based alternatives, and a quarter are doing the same for fresh meat.
Asked why they’re making the switch, nearly half (48%) said they felt vegan foods are healthier, and 36% wanted to eat fewer animal proteins due to personal health concerns.
Interestingly, though, the share of consumers motivated by health remained the same at the end of 2024 as it did six months prior, but rose across a number of other factors. Only 23% said they were shifting from animal- to plant-based foods because they liked the latter’s taste in May, and this grew to 36% in December.
Similarly, 36% agreed they’re better for the climate (versus 30% earlier in the year), and 29% were doing so out of animal welfare concerns (compared to 23% in May 2024).
When assessing how companies can attract more consumers, there was a clear winning factor: price promotions. Discounts and coupon offers would make it easier for 63% of Americans to buy plant-based foods, followed by more recipe ideas (34%) and greater education about these products (31%).
2024 saw the resurgence of coconut milk
Courtesy: PBFA
While sales of plant-based milk fell by 4% in 2024, at $2.8B, this is comfortably the largest segment in the sector, accounting for 35% of all sales.
Almond milk remains the dominant alternative (capturing 54% of the market), though Americans spent 7.5% less on it last year. Oat milk flatlined (-1%) and rice milk was down too (-9%). Soy milk, however, saw a minor increase (2%), and coconut milk enjoyed a growth of 14% (reaching $149M).
Despite the spate of new plant-based milks – from pistachios and pecans to sunflower seeds and bananas – these emerging products saw a 14% decrease in sales, as did products that blend multiple ingredients for their base (-7%).
However, plant-based milk did see a significant increase in dollar and unit sales in foodservice last year, outpacing the growth of conventional dairy.
Whole cuts represent a major opening for plant-based meat
Courtesy: PBFA
Meat and seafood analogues suffered from a 10% annualised decline between 2022 and 2024, reflecting the challenges facing the category’s poster-child segment.
That has come amid a renewed appetite for meat, which saw record sales in the US last year, as the manosphere and political shift changes the way Americans eat now. Vegan meat has also been plagued by the ultra-processed food tag, exacerbated by health secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr. PBFA’s research shows that people who believe plant-based foods “contain excessive artificial ingredients” rose from 20% to 25% in the past year.
Vegan alternatives to meat and seafood only reached 13% of US households last year, though retained a strong repeat purchase rate of 63%. And not all products fell out of favour: shreds, chunks and strips saw sales grow by 8%.
Whole-cut analogues such as steaks, filets and cutlets – 60% of which are either chicken or seafood analogues – experienced an even larger increase (16%), outlining the opportunity for companies in this space.
Tofu takes over the US market
Courtesy: PBFA
The report mentions a “growing consumer preference for plant-forward foods that highlight plants and their application potential as distinct and limitless, rather than an industry confined to solely mimicking animal products”.
Indeed, as meat analogues falter, traditional plant proteins like tofu, tempeh and seitan are gaining ground. These products racked up $221M in dollar sales last year, a 7% increase from 2023 and unit sales were up 6.5%.
Unseasoned tofu performed “exceptionally well”, recording a 10% growth in dollar sales and capturing 78% of the tofu market. That said, these age-old products still only ended up in 7% of homes in 2024, although 59% returned to the store for more.
Other categories that experienced a significant retail boost in 2024 included protein powders and liquids (+11%), and baked goods (13%).
Further, tofu emerged as a star ingredient in foodservice, witnessing the largest (and in some cases, only) increases in this segment last year. Government catering services spent nearly 60% more on tofu in 2024, with business and industry operators coming close.
Courtesy: PBFA
Animal protein prices are on the rise – plants are not
One of the most common complaints about plant-based food is its still-significant price gap with meat, dairy and eggs. However, PBFA’s report shows that the supply chain volatilities of 2024 hit animal proteins harder.
The average retail price grew across all animal-based food categories, with eggs unsurprisingly registering the largest hike (6%), followed by butter (3%), creamer (3%), and cheese (2%).
At the same time, prices for four plant-based categories actually declined. 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.
Vegan yoghurt and plant-based meat were among the only categories whose prices rose faster than their conventional counterparts. While eggs were also shown to have an increase, previous research shows that data on unit sales and price changes here is somewhat skewed as the market-leading product shifted to a larger pack size and thus a comparably higher price point.
Courtesy: PBFA
“While interest in plant-based remains strong across categories, we’ve entered a new stage of the adoption curve: today’s consumers are motivated by different factors than before,” said Hunter White, plant-based category manager at KeHe Distributors. “Across our network, we see clear opportunities for clean-label products that align with broader food trends like high protein content, innovative global flavours, and gut health.”
He added: “The next wave of success will belong to those who evolve their products and sets with intention, tapping into these emerging consumer shifts.”
Oat milk continues to rise in popularity globally, thanks to its flavour and climate benefits – but it is so much more than simply another non-dairy alternative now.
Despite what was perceived as a bad year for the category, oat milk, with its taste neutrality and climate credentials, remains a firm favourite for baristas and shoppers alike.
The PR crisis for oat milk came as a group of influencers and media outlets questioned whether it is good for you, blaming it for blood glucose spikes, calling out its low protein content, bemoaning the inclusion of ultra-processed additives like emulsifiers and acidity regulators, and bashing its purported effects on bloating.
A slew of new launches attest to the fact that oat milk is going nowhere. Beyond lining grocery shelves the world over, oats are the chosen hero ingredient in a range of new, trendy non-dairy products that showcase the grain’s popularity, versatility and omnipresence.
Product innovators and market makers are creating new oat milk-based formats to serve new customer niches, making oat milk hot property in the plant-based dairy world yet again.
Below, we deep dive into what coult be oat milk’s new era.
Oat milk in numbers
Courtesy: GFI
Globally, plant-based milk sales were up by 5% in 2024, reaching $22.4B. It is most popular in Asia-Pacific, followed by Europe and North America.
While almond milk still accounts for a majority of the US non-dairy market, its share fell from 58% in 2022 to 54% last year. It was oat milk that capitalised, going from a 22% dollar share in 2022 to 25% in 2024.
Dollar sales of oat milk were around $700M in the US last year – down by 1% – but the number of units sold increased by 1%.
In 2024, the average retail price of oat milk reduced by 2% stateside.
According to Oatly, oat milk’s household penetration is still under 30%, though its leaders did not say which markets this data is for.
Courtesy: GFI Europe
In the UK, oat milk is the best-selling dairy-free alternative, and it’s only becoming more popular, with its market share growing from 46% in 2022 to 52% in 2023 and 53% in the first half of 2024.
Sales volumes of plant-based milk jumped by 2.1% in the year to February 2025 in the UK, with oat milk accelerating by 7.2%. In fact, Brits purchase half a million litres of oat milk every day.
Annual sales of oat milk totalled £275M in the country in this period, up by 77% from five years ago.This year, analysts predict that oat will make up 40% of the market on a volume basis, with half a million litres sold each day in the UK.
Blind taste tests have found that four times as many Brits prefer oat milk in their coffee than currently purchase it.
The global market for oat milk is expected to triple between 2024 and 2032, reaching $10.8B, according to one market research firm.
As of 2023, the Asia-Pacific region was the leading consumer of oat milk, responsible for half the market.
Courtesy: Oatly
In the 24 weeks to the end of March 2025, retail sales of oat milk grew by 3%, according to Nielsen data cited by Oatly, the world’s largest oat milk company.
Oatly itself recorded its second-best quarter since its IPO in summer 2021 in Q1 2025, cutting losses by 73% and reaffirming its outlook for its first full year of profitable growth since going public.
The problem: Why dairy and other plant-based milks can fall short
The climate question: Simply put, dairy is terrible for the environment, producing twice as many emissions as the entire aviation sector. Compared to oat, cow’s milk uses 11 times more land and 13 times more water, while producing 3.5 times more emissions. Plus, oat milk is one of the most water- and emissions-efficient than most plant-based counterparts.
Courtesy: Our World in Data
Non-dairy milks fall short on taste and texture: While Americans love the flavour of almond milk, baristas don’t as much, since it tends to change the flavour of the coffee significantly, while at the same time being harder to steam. Soy can be too beany, and coconut too overpowering. Oat milk is relatively neutral and performs ideally in coffee and cooking applications.
Anti-allergen wins: Oat milk offers an alternative for people with allergies to nuts and soy. And while it has its own allergen concerns with gluten, many brands now offer gluten-free oat milk to meet a wider consumer base – this ability is unique to oat milk, as you won’t find a nut-free almond milk, for example.
Opportunities for oat milk: The category has its own issues, too, such as the aforementioned concerns around ultra-processing and sugar content. There are opportunities for brands to clean up their labels and clarify how much sugar comes from the natural processing of oats, and how much is added sugar.
What are oat milk brands trying to solve?
Nutrition and functionality
Courtesy: Minor Figures
Many new oat milk products are targeting the ultra-processed argument with cleaner-label formulations that do away with emulsifiers and other additives. Oatly’s Super Basic milk in the US is in direct response to this, containing just a base of oats, water and sea salt, plus citrus fibre. Meanwhile, its recently launched organic barista oat milk cleans up the ingredient list, with only rapeseed oil and an acidity regulator added to the oat milk base.
In addition, Oatly is aiming to bat away concerns around the sugar content by introducing unsweetened or No Sugars versions of its milk, just as Alpro has done in the UK too. While this could raise concerns around overprocessing, it will help them avoid being taxed under the extended soft drinks industry levy.
A growing number of oat milks are now skewing functional, and the UK is leading the charge here. Minor Figures recently unveiled its Hyper Oat range, featuring adaptogens and nootropics in berry, turmeric, matcha and mango flavours.
Plenish is claiming to be making the country’s “only clean-label fortified” oat milk with no oils or additives. Its Enriched Oat Milk contains water oats, chicory root and citrus fibres, and is fortified with calcium, vitamins and iodine. Plus, it’s gluten-free.
Another British brand adding adaptogens to oat milk is Floatmilk, whose additive-free oat milk won the Dairy Alternative Innovation category at the 2024 World Dairy Innovation Awards.
All in on coffee
Courtesy: Oatly/Green Queen
Given baristas and their customers’ affinity for oat milk over other non-dairy alternatives, oat milk brands are making a big play in the coffee space.
Oatly, for instance, launched its Lighter Taste barista milk last year, designed to pair better with light-roasted coffees. Its ingredient list is identical to the flagship barista milk, but the proportions vary – this version has less fat and a more neutral flavour.
In Asia, Singapore-based Noomoo has also been working on two barista oat milks for different functions. The one titled ‘Barista’ is crafted from Australian oats and high-oleic canola oil, and geared towards medium to dark roasts, while the ‘Artisan’ version (still under development) preserves the pleasant acidity of light-roasted coffees with Mongolian oats and low-sodium lake salt.
Oatly is experimenting with packaging formats too; the company is expanding the reach of its barista line through strategic partnerships using its 20ml Jigger, including one with British Airways. Further, it collaborated with Nestlé to co-launch a Nespresso capsule “for use with oat milk only”.
Heightened sustainability
Courtesy: Blue Farm
While oat milk is already very climate-friendly, some brands are pushing the envelope further through innovative formats and packaging solutions. Some, for example, sell oat milk in bottles, like Oato and Float in the UK, or OatMlk and Alterati in India.
A range of firms are making powdered oat milks, which aim to cut packaging waste, transport emissions, and water use. These include Overherd and Mighty in the UK, Blue Farm in Germany, Oatbedient in Singapore, JOI in the US, and Nimbus in Australia. In a similar concept, Germany’s Veganz offers 2D-printed oat milk sheets that can be blended with water.
Meanwhile, in the UK, MYOM makes an oat milk paste, with each 65g pouch making 500ml of milk (it comes with a reusable glass bottle).
Convenience and accessibility
Courtesy: Potina
‘Tis the damn season of flavoured plant-based milks. Alpro recently introduced a caramel barista milk made from soy and oats, while Oatly released vanilla and caramel barista milks at Nordic coffee chain Espresso House. Oddlygood and Califia Farms sell vanilla-flavoured barista oat milks too.
These milks lean into the demand for ease of use and convenience. Via Nature is a new British brand retailing Oat Shaker, a line of gut-friendly smoothies that blend oat milk with fruits – the three flavours are banana-coconut, blueberry-acai, and matcha-pineapple. They’re made for on-the-go snacking.
Still in the UK, YouTubers James Marriott and Will Lenney, meanwhile, have launched a ready-to-drink coffee brand called Rodd’s. The dairy-free line comprises an oat latte, a waffle oat latte, and a vanilla matcha oat latte.
And fellow British firm Potina is targeting gut health too, with a range of banana oat milks for kids. Minor Figures is leaning into this trend with the aforementioned Hyper Oat line too. Elsewhere, in Germany, Blue Farm’s oat milk powders come in a range of flavours.
Novel taste experiences
Courtesy: Koatji
Oat milk is already loved for its largely neutral flavour, and some firms are banking on this to offer elevated flavour experiences in different formats.
US company Koatji, for example, blends oat milk with koji, the mould that forms the base of fermented products like miso, shoyu and soju. Designed by Michelin-starred chefs, its Oat & Koji Milk is being positioned as “the plant milk of the future”, with the fermentation process imparting an umami flavour to make dishes more complex and appealing to the palate, while complementing coffee and matcha’s tasting notes.
Speaking of fermentation, oat milk is being used to enhance alcoholic drinks. In the US, Misunderstood Whiskey makes oat milk cream liqueurs under its Oatrageous brand, which come in espresso, coconut and bourbon cream with 14% ABV.
Courtesy: Diageo
More famously, Diageo recently released two oat milk versions of its popular Baileys cream liqueur, which are available across the US in Coffee Toffee and Cookies & Creamy variants. (The company’s previous dairy-free Baileys iteration, made from almond milk, has since been discontinued.)
Shrewed brands are noticing the potential of boozy oat milk. Oatly teamed up with Pernod Ricard’s coconut rum brand Malibu on a marketing drive in the UK last year, hosting a series of music, wellness, entertainment and lifestyle pop-ups to accompany the Piña Oatlada, a dairy-free soft serve featuring the brands’ oat milk and rum.
As oat milk continued to encroach upon its fellow plant-based rivals’ share, there are opportunities for brands across health, sustainability, and new formats to sow their wild oats. The question is: will consumers flock towards the grain?
Our weekly column rounds up the latest sustainable food innovation news. This week, Future Food Quick Bites covers Nutella Plant-Based’s UK launch, Oatly’s collab with Chris Parnell, and Nestlé’s new biotech centre.
New products and launches
Ferrero has announced that it will launch Nutella Plant-Based in the UK on May 25. It will be available at Sainsbury’s for £3.99 per 350g jar, before rolling out to other retailers next year. For context, the classic Nutella is 30p cheaper for the same size.
Courtesy: Ferrero
US startup Nature’s Bakery has released two new products: a gluten-free strawberry flavour of its flagship Fig Bar, and a raspberry and lemon oatmeal crumble bar. The plant-based treats are available at Target and on its website for $7 per six-pack.
Vegan snack brand Hippeas has rolled out Cheezy Cheddar Pops made from yellow peas and chickpeas. They contain 3g of protein and 2g of fibre per 1oz serving, and are available at Target, Walmart, and on Amazon and its website in various sizes.
Courtesy: Hippeas
French plant-based startup Hari&Co has launched Moroccan-inspired keftas, made from wheat and pea protein. They contain 20g of protein per 100g, have an A rating on the Nutri-Score scale, plus a 90/100 score on product-scanning app Yuka.I
Slovenia’s Juicy Marbles is bringing its plant-based whole cuts to Spain via a distribution deal with Zyrcular Foods.
Courtesy: Juicy Marbles
Germany’s Veganz Group has signed a deal with Jindilli Beverages to export its Mililk line of oat and almond milks in Tetra Pak formats to North America, Australia and New Zealand. The agreement also includes a new non-dairy creamer called Mililk Drops.
Also in North America, Canadian vegan fast-food chainOdd Burger has secured its own distribution agreement with Dot Foods, which will see its retail and foodservice products expand their national grocery and restaurant chain footprint.
Courtesy: Odd Burger
Vegan pizza maker Blackbird Foods has rolled out its frozen products at 88 Hy-Vee supermarket locations across the Midwest. They’re available in Margherita, Supreme, and Pepperoni flavours (the latetr features Beyond Meat).
And Indian startup Cosmix has launched No-Nonsense Plant Protein PRO, a yeast protein powder with the maximum protein digestibility score (akin to whey)
Company and finance updates
Speaking of India, New Delhi-based vegan egg startup Plantmade has ceased operations after four years.
As part of its Blind Love campaign, Oatly has launched a spoof ad with comedian and Saturday Night Live alum Chris Parnell to spread the word about what it has termed Dormant Oatmilk Condition: five times more Americans prefer oat milk in their coffee over dairy, but they don’t know it yet.
In Switzerland, Nestlé has opened a biotech centre to advance its nutritional solutions across a range of verticals, including early life, women’s health, and weight management. Among the hub’s credentials are enhanced capabilities in precision fermentation.
Meanwhile, Beyond Meat has amended its lease on its headquarters, giving up 61,000 sq ft of its office space back to HC Hornet Way for a one-time termination fee of $1M. It continues to rent 220,000 sq ft of space, but expects to incur $600,000 in modification costs. This comes after a disappointing Q1 for the plant-based meat maker.
Courtesy: Beyond Meat
Food tech startup High Time Foods, which makes ambient plant protein products, has raised $1.2M in a new funding round. Following the deal, it has relocated from the US to India, and is gearing up its product development and international expansion efforts.
Aussie firm Levur, which is working on a precision-fermentated alternative to palm oil, has also secured $1.2M in pre-seed funding.
Courtesy: Daniel Hine/Fable Foods
Fellow Sydney-based startup Fable Food has posted a 50% year-on-year revenue growth, and projects an even better performance this year, thanks to its shiitake-mushroom-based products (which have taken the blended meat world by storm).
In New Zealand, Opo Bio – a B2B supplier of livestock cells for cultivated meat production – has secured investment from Epic Angels to expand its R&D efforts and patent portfolio.
Courtesy: EatKinda
Forbes has named Mrinali Kumar, co-founder and CEO of cauliflower ice cream brandEatKinda, and Emily McIsaac, co-founder and COO of precision fermentation firmDaisy Lab, on its 30 Under 30 list, under the Arts and Industry, Manufacturing & Energy categories, respectively.
Canada’s Lovingly Made Flour Mills and Botaneco are working with British firm Stars UK R&D and the University of Leeds to develop Canadian-grown legumes and sunflower ingredients to improve the juiciness of plant-based burgers.
Courtesy: Eat Just
California’s Eat Just has hired Kristie Middleton as its VP of foodservice sales. She was most recently the chief relationship officer at vegan chicken maker Rebellyous Foods.
Also in California, cultivated meat startup Omeat has appointed Eric Schulze as its CTO. He is a former regulator at the FDA who later spent seven years at Upside Foods.
Research, policy and events
In the UK, The Vegan Society will celebrate its 80th year with the Veganism: Past, Present and Future exhibition at the Library of Birmingham from May 17 to August 24.
Cellulaire Agricultuur Nederland and the Dutch Research Council (NWO) are preparing to open a €4M research call focused on scaling up the production and reducing costs of foods produced via precision fermentation and cell culture.
Retail sales of plant-based meat in the US fell by 7.5% to $1.13B in the year ending April 20, 2025, according to SPINS. Refrigerated burgers bore the burnt of the fall, with sales dipping by 26%.
The number one reason deterring people from plant-based milk is taste. At the Technical University of Denmark, researchers suggest the solution lies in the same microbes found in kimchi: lactic acid bacteria.
Courtesy: HackSummit
Finally, Argentinian gut health startup Future Biome has won this year’s FoodTech World Cup at the HackSummit for its new class of fungi-based prebiotic solutions.
More than 50 brands, organisations, and restaurants have come together for a first-of-its-kind Meat Free Made Easy campaign.
In the UK, half of adults want to change the way they eat, either by adding more plants to their diet, or cutting back on meat and dairy.
In fact, two in five of them are already doing this, identifying as either flexitarian, pescetarian, vegetarian or vegan. But their belief in the nutritional attributes of plant-based food – and their ability to cook them – remains low.
In response to these findings, British consultancy Plant Futures Collective has convened 53 companies and organisations to launch a collaborative campaign called Meat Free Made Easy. The coalition involves three dozen alternative protein brands, including Beyond Meat, THIS, Linda McCartney Foods, La Vie, Planted, VFC and Quorn.
It also encompasses foodservice and restaurant operators like Compass Group, Mildreds, and Alexis Gauthier’s 123V, suppliers such as Compleat Food Group and Vegan Food Group, and organisations like Plant Based Health Professionals, Veg Capital, and Meat Free Monday.
The campaign is being endorsed by Henry Dimbleby, co-founder of Leon and author of the UK’s National Food Strategy. “We need fewer rules, and more real-world solutions,” he said. “This is the kind of collaborative leadership that moves consumers – and the category – forward.”
It’s all about ease and convenience
Courtesy: Plant Futures Collective
Plant Futures teased the campaign in January, when founder and CEO Indy Kaur spoke to Green Queen about the firm’s research on Meat Free Monday. It had found that participants were “forming healthier eating habits throughout the week, such as eating more fruits and vegetables, trying new plant-based foods, and opting for more meat-free meals when eating out”.
It’s what inspired the new campaign, which will run across social media and press channels, with a larger rollout set for Q4. This will include in-store activation, promotions to push trial, and a wider cultural push to “build new norms around meat-free eating”.
“This is the first time the plant-based sector has come together at scale to actively drive category penetration through the power of collective action and coordination,” explained Kaur. “This campaign is built around real insights, design thinking and a systems change approach to inspire millions of people to shop the category.”
She added that behavioural research shows ease is the “most powerful lever” of adoption: “Consumers aren’t necessarily resistant, they are uncertain, lacking in confidence, capability and know-how.”
Courtesy: GFI Europe
The aforementioned research, conducted by Plant Futures, Good Food Institute (GFI) Europe, and HarrisX, found that among the people who want to change their diets, a third want to reduce their meat intake, and 38% want to eat more plant-based food. Only 45% feel comfortable cooking a plant-based dish, versus 83% who say the same for meals with animal products.
“Behaviour change isn’t just about awareness, it’s about ease,” noted Richard Shotton, a behavioural scientist and author. “Remove the friction, and you unlock mass behaviour.”
Meat Free Made Easy will see participating brands showcase simple ways to swap meat for plants in everyday meals – think lentils in a lasagna or a veggie burger instead of beef. “Meat-free doesn’t have to be all or nothing, it just needs to feel doable and fun,” said Kaur.
Meat Free Made Easy must build cultural momentum
Courtesy: Indy Kaur
The campaign’s initial phase will focus on helping consumers imagine themselves trying something new and view meat-free eating as “normal, flexible and worth a go”. It marks a shift from siloed marketing by plant-based brands to collective action.
It’s reminiscent of the ‘checkoff’ programmes in the US, which operate as centralised marketing and research funds to promote industries like beef and dairy. Marketing drives like Got Milk? are a result of these efforts. “The plant-based sector, however, doesn’t yet have this kind of infrastructure, which would be incredibly valuable,” Kaur told Green Queen earlier this year.
Meat Free Made Easy’s strategy focuses on the three audience segments uncovered by its consumer research. Among those looking for dietary change, 13% are classed as Meat & Dairy Reducers; they want to eat fewer animal products without increasing plant-based food intake. These are mainly older people looking to lose weight.
Over a sixth (18%) are Plant-Based Increasers. These Brits want to eat more vegan food without decreasing animal protein intake, and are likely to be younger and higher-earning, and often men, seeking protein and fibre with fitness goals like muscle-building.
The third and largest group are Balanced Lifestyle Seekers (20%). These are midlife consumers aiming for health and variety, looking to both increase their uptake of plant-based foods and lower their meat and dairy consumption.
Courtesy: GFI Europe
There are several key messages that the participating companies must focus on. Only half of Brits believe plant-based foods are important for nutritional balance, and just a quarter have friends or family who eat vegan food. Meanwhile, a mere 27% of adults choose meat-free meals out of habit, compared to 64% for dairy.
Building cultural momentum and new habits (through repetition and nudges) is essential, as is outlining the health benefits of these foods. “Helping the nation eat less meat will only be possible if we provide solutions that make it easy, affordable and enjoyable,” said Dimbleby. “That’s exactly what Meat Free Made Easy sets out to do.”
Will collective action turn the tide for plant-based, and the planet? This campaign hinges on that premise.
Our weekly column rounds up the latest sustainable food innovation news. This week, Future Food Quick Bites covers Massive Attack’s vegan concert, Beleaf’s plant-based meat price freeze, and the FDA’s labelling guidelines.
New products and launches
Lindt has released its oat-milk-based Lindor Vegan Truffles in Canada, with both the milk and dark chocolate versions available in 120g packs for C$12.99.
Courtesy: Ombar
British vegan chocolate brand Ombar has re-released its Blonde Caramelised White Chocolate bar, a Nestlé Caramac copycat, on a permanent basis thanks to popular demand. The 70g bars are available for £2.75 at Tesco.
In more chocolate news, fellow UK dairy-free brand Nomo has introduced Salted Popcorn, Birthday Cake and snackable Cookie Dough bars.
UK plant-based meat brand THIS has rolled out two new SKUs at Sainsbury’s, Waitrose, and Ocado stores. The THIS Isn’t Chicken Deli Pieces contain 28g of protein per serving and are priced at £3.95 per 120g pack, and THIS Isn’t Pork Cocktail Sausages have 20g of protein and cost £2.95 per 140g.
Courtesy: THIS
Vegan food producer Gosh!, meanwhile, has launched Mexican- and Italian-inspired snack packs called Veg Bites, which are high in ‘plant points‘ and available at Morrisons for £1.30 per 50g pack, or as part of a meal deal.
Also in the UK, Compleat Food Group’s Wall’s Pastry has expanded its meat-free range with Vegan Peppered Steak and Vegan Chicken & Mushroom slices, available for £2 per 180g pack at Tesco.
At London Coffee Festival, Califia Farms will introduce hazelnut- and pistachio-flavoured versions of its barista milk, tapping into a global trend for non-dairy milk.
Courtesy: Beleaf Foods
In the US, Beleaf Foods has initiated a price freeze until 2027 for its plant-based meat range to address consumer complaints about the price gap with meat, which will likely be exacerbated amid the tariff war.
Flavour giant T. Hasegawa has introduced PlantReact, a “science-driven” natural flavour technology that leverages Maillard reactions, enzymolysis, and fermentation to make better-tasting vegan chicken, beef, pork, and milk analogues.
Speaking of fermentation, ingredient manufacturer DMC Biotechnologies has launched a fermented myo-inositol for food, beverage, and supplement applications. The compound is naturally present in both plants and animals and used in nutrition products, but suffers from sustainability, traceability and supply issues.
Courtesy: Beyond Meat
In the Netherlands, Beyond Meat has rolled out its jalapeño burger at 750 Albert Heijn stores, 75 Plus locations, and online retailer PicNic, and expanded its availability at Jumbo to 150 doors.
Austrian plant protein player Revo Foods, known for its 3D-printed seafood analogues, has kickstarted a crowdfunding campaign and has already raised €1.2M of its €2M goal.
Courtesy: Revo Foods
And Spanish biotech firm MOA Foodtech has unveiled Albatros, an AI-driven microbiology platform to help manufacturers identify agricultural sidestreams to turn into valuable products through fermentation.
Company and finance updates
Popular vegan seafood chain Planta has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, citing a need to cut costs as consumers cut back on dining out. The move will provide it with a “strategic opportunity to streamline our cost structure and strengthen our balance sheet”.
Shoofly, a vegan wholesale bakery in Portland, Oregon, has shuttered after its staff walked out over alleged late payments and dissatisfaction with its new owner. Now, one supervisor has started a GoFundMe page to help compensate employees for lost wages, and either buy the bakery or start their own.
Courtesy: Shoofly
US startup Sennos (formerly Precision Fermentation) has secured $15M to expand its AI-powered fermentation platform for biofuels, biopharma, and alternative proteins.
Cultivated meat firm Upside Foods has appointed John Mitchell as its new VP of sales. He was previously the chief product officer at alt-seafood startup Konscious Foods.
Finnish food tech firm Foodiq has raised $11.1M to scale up its multi-layer cooker technology for clean-label dairy and alternative proteins, and expand internationally.
Precision fermentation firm Better Dairy has diversified its portfolio with the successful production of osteopontin, a functional bioactive protein found in mammalian milk, bones, and tissue.
British fermented food brand The Cultured Collective has brought in James Robinson as chair and non-executive director. He holds a similar position at The Bold Bean Company.
Courtesy: Turion Labs
South Korea’s S&S LAB and Indonesia’s Future Lestari have joined forces to launch Turion Labs, a new biotech platform in Singapore that plans to build a regional network of facilities to support early-stage biotech ventures.
Vegan cheesemaker Violifesays it is now the leading plant-based cheese brand in Canada, capturing a third of all sales in the market.
New Zealand’s Life Health Foods has decided to withdraw its Bean Supreme line of meat-free sausages, burgers and mince from the market, citing “tough market conditions” and changing consumer behaviours.
Research and policy developments
In the US, Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt has signed HB 1126 into law, a false advertising bill that requires producers to disclose clearly that cultivated and plant-based meat products are not meat. Violators could face misdemeanour charges.
The US Food and Drug Administration has extended the public consultation for its front-of-package labelling update by another 90 days, with the deadline now set for July 15.
Courtesy: FDA
In a study co-funded by New Zealand’s Ministry for Primary Industries, the Cawthron Institute and Nutrition from Water have identified 14 microalgae strains with a naturally high protein concentration of over 40%, which the latter will use to create affordable nutrition prototypes under its Marine Whey series.
Finally, a scientist at the Malaysian Agro-Biotechnology Institute’s Food Biotechnology Department has developed a vegan burger patty from grey oyster mushrooms, a widely cultivated but underused variety of fungi in the country.
Backed by the likes of Mike Tyson and Future, vegan fast-food chain Mr Charlie’s is opening 18 locations in Arizona, despite widespread restaurant closures in the US. Here’s why.
It’s never been easy to own a hospitality business; for today’s F&B operators though, it can feel like the deck is stacked against them.
The traditionally thin margins of the restaurant industry are being met with rising ingredient, utility, rental and labour costs, thanks to the climate crisis, geopolitical tensions, and the tariff war. Concurrently, consumers are spending less on dining out or takeaway, and the Ozempic boom has also played a part.
It wasn’t just supermarket shoppers buying fewer meat analogues last year – in the foodservice sector, sales of plant-based proteins fell by 5% too.
This landscape has led to the demise of several restaurants and chains around the country, including Matthew Kenney’s VEG’D, Kevin Hart’s Hart House, and Baia in California, Plum Bistro in Seattle, and Organic Village in New York. Just this week, popular vegan sushi chain Planta filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. And Canada’s Odd Burger recently thwarted its US expansion plans due to the tariff war.
Others have added meat to the menu in the hopes of winning more customers, such as Hot Tongue Pizza, Elf Cafe, Burgerlords, Margo’s, and Sage Regenerative Kitchen – the latter wound down earlier this year.
So it’s hardly an exaggeration that plant-based restaurants are in dire straits right now.
One chain – dubbed as a ‘vegan McDonald’s’ – believes it can be an outlier. With three locations in California and Sydney, Australia, Mr Charlie’s Told Me So (known as Mr Charlie’s) has signed a deal to open 18 new stores in Arizona.
The first outlets will be opened in Scottsdale later this year. “We’ve identified our target sites and are currently finalising the details. We’re excited to bring Mr. Charlie’s to a vibrant community that aligns with our ethos and demand for plant-based innovation,” Mr Charlie’s co-founder Taylor McKinnon tells Green Queen.
Courtesy: Mr Charlie’s Told Me So
Why Mr Charlie’s chose Arizona
McKinnon founded Mr Charlie’s with Aaron Haxton in 2020, and the restaurant quickly found TikTok-fame thanks to its McDonald’s-spoofing branding: menu items include Not A Cheeseburger, Mr Muffin, and a Frowny Meal, while its packaging features red boxes with a yellow sad face, a wink-wink ‘unhappy’ brand aesthetic.
The chain teased its expansion last October, developing a franchise model targeting area developers and master franchisees in large US territories, and leveraging data from Uber Eats and Postmates to pinpoint the most well-suited locations and enable faster rollouts.
In Arizona, area developer Patrick Lam, president of Access Capital Group, has become Mr Charlie’s first franchisee. “These restaurants will be hubs of community, second chances, and delicious food,” he said, a nod to Mr Charlie’s commitment to providing opportunities to employees from underprivileged backgrounds, including those overcoming addiction or homelessness.
But what makes Arizona more attractive than other states, like New York or Massachusetts? For McKinnon, the Grand Canyon State “represents a unique intersection of economic growth, [a] favourable business climate, and a rapidly evolving food scene”.
“Scottsdale, in particular, has become a hub for innovation and lifestyle-driven concepts, making it a natural fit for Mr Charlie’s mission,” he says. “Compared to states like Massachusetts, Arizona offers a consumer base eager for fresh, health-conscious alternatives – especially in fast casual. It’s the right energy, the right time, and the right audience.”
Courtesy: Mr Charlie’s Told Me So
That said, the restaurant chain now has a licence to franchise in 38 states and territories (pending final approval of its disclosure document in California and New York). To help manage this model, it has hired Adam Wilks as president.
Wilks is the former CEO of Carma HoldCo, the parent company of the sports and wellness brands of Mike Tyson, Ric Flair, and Future. Carma HoldCo made an investment in Mr Charlie’s in October as part of a strategic round that “significantly contributed” to its expansion plans.
“The Scottsdale launch and several franchise support initiatives are fully funded by our previous round,” says McKinnon, adding: “While we remain open to future capital infusions, current plans are adequately resourced through existing funds and ongoing operational revenue.”
Expansion ‘not a risk, but a response to demand’
Courtesy: Mr Charlie’s Told Me So
The decision to expand came on the back of a “strong year [of] strategic growth” for Mr Charlie’s. “In the US, our flagship locations saw continued year-over-year increases, bolstered by brand loyalty and an uptick in foot traffic across core markets,” explains McKinnon.
“In Australia, our Sydney location exceeded projections and served as a powerful proof of concept for global scalability. Overall, revenue was up across both regions, and margins improved due to refined supply chains and better unit economics.”
He feels the decline in plant-based sales is less about a lack of demand, and more about a desire for better quality and clearer value. “The category grew too fast, and many products didn’t meet consumer expectations,” he suggests.
“At Mr Charlie’s, we focus on taste, experience, and familiarity, not just on being ‘plant-based’. We offer indulgent, comforting food that just happens to be vegan. That positioning resonates beyond diet choices and speaks to a broader cultural movement around conscious consumption.”
This is where some of Mr Charlie’s peers faltered. “Many vegan concepts failed by targeting too narrow an audience or failing to differentiate themselves. Mr Charlie’s has always positioned itself as a lifestyle brand, not just a vegan food spot.
“Our confidence is rooted in real consumer engagement and data, our foot traffic, return customers, and online buzz prove that our model connects. Expansion isn’t a risk, it’s a response to demand.”
The UPF question and importance of customer loyalty
Courtesy: Mr Charlie’s Told Me So
One of the main talking points around plant-based food – particularly meat and dairy alternatives – is their health impact. Nearly four in five Americans would like to eat healthier this year, and half of them feel plant-based foods are better for them than animal proteins. At the same time, 45% want to eat less meat and dairy due to personal health concerns.
However, these products also suffer from a negative perception due to their links with ultra-processing and their long ingredient lists, and vast misinformation campaigns funded by the meat industry don’t help their cause. Leaders like Beyond Meat have repeatedly stated how confusion about the category has affected their bottom lines.
Mr Charlie’s uses plant-based burgers from Impossible Foods, chicken nuggets and patties from TiNDLE Foods, and vegan cheese from Stockeld Dreamery, which McKinnon says helps “deliver the taste and texture our customers love”.
In a recent taste test of meat-eaters in the US, 20 plant-based meat products performed better than their animal-derived counterparts, and six of these belonged to Impossible Foods. This bodes well for Mr Charlie’s appeal to omnivores and flexitarians, a key part of its expansion strategy.
“We’re always exploring new collaborations and innovative products that align with our flavour profile, sustainability goals, and vibe,” says McKinnon. “2025 will see exciting menu additions and potential partnerships that keep us ahead of the curve without compromising who we are.”
As for the UPF debate, he points out that Mr Charlie’s isn’t trying to be a health food chain. “We’re creating a new kind of fast food that’s fun, nostalgic, and kinder. Our model works because we bridge the gap between cultural familiarity and modern values,” he says.
“We’re upfront about what we serve, and our customers come for the experience as much as the food. People don’t just eat Mr Charlie’s, they connect with it emotionally. That loyalty goes deeper than trends.”
More than two in five consumers in Europe’s two largest plant-based markets want to eat less meat or are already doing so, a new poll has found.
Half of adults in the UK and Germany want to change their diets by either reducing meat or eating more plant-based food, with interest in whole foods higher than vegan alternatives to meat, according to a survey of over 4,800 consumers.
The research, conducted by the Good Food Institute (GFI) Europe, Plant Futures Collective, and HarrisX, reveals that while flexitarianism remains popular in the region’s two largest markets for plant-based food, consumers need more support to overcome dietary change barriers.
“Factors such as taste, familiarity and convenience are blocking large groups of people from choosing plant-based foods, so companies need to develop tastier products, communicate nutritional benefits more clearly, and help consumers overcome their lack of familiarity with simple recipe suggestions,” says Helen Breewood, senior market and consumer insights manager at GFI Europe.
Less than 8% of respondents in both countries described themselves as vegans or vegetarians, while 31% in the UK and 39% in Germany identified as flexitarians who ate small amounts of meat or reduced their meat consumption.
In each country, a third of consumers want to cut back on meat and dairy, and 38% want to increase their plant-based consumption.
Which plant-based foods are most popular?
Courtesy: GFI Europe
The research revealed that around two-thirds of consumers in both countries had consumed plant-based products from one of eight categories – spanning alternatives to animal foods to vegetable-based dishes and traditional plant proteins – in the previous year.
The high penetration belongs to meals made from beans and legumes, with 46% of Brits and Germans consuming these in the last 12 months. This was followed by plant-based milk (around 40%) and meat (34-37%).
Germans are more likely to have eaten tofu, tempeh or seitan in this period (24%) compared to Brits (18%), and in both nations, vegan egg alternatives were the least consumed plant-based products (10% in the UK and 14% in Germany). This is partly due to a lack of options, though Eat Just’s European arrival, beginning with these two countries, would hope to change that.
Courtesy: GFI Europe
There’s an interesting trend around whole-food intake in the UK. Meals made from vegetables, beans and legumes have seen the highest net increase (26%) among the entire category in the last 12 months, but tofu, seitan and tempeh have witnessed the smallest net gain (17%). It underscores the opportunity for products like Veg’chop and THIS’s Super Superfood, which pack legumes and vegetables in compact plant protein blocks.
In Germany, however, non-dairy milk has seen the biggest net hike (16%), followed by other plant-based dairy items and meat alternatives (both 13%). Traditional plant proteins also score low here (a 6% increase), behind only fish-free seafood.
Consumers want to cut out meat, but plant-based barriers remain
Courtesy: GFI Europe
So what’s driving this shift away from meat and dairy? In the UK, high costs (cited by 25%) and health concerns (24%) are the primary factors, followed closely by changing taste preferences (19%), which would explain why oat, almond and other milks have reached 35% of households in the country.
Shifting taste preferences are the primary factor pushing Germans away from meat and dairy (26%), with cost (23%) and health (19%) further down the pecking order. Meanwhile, only 6% and 7% of respondents in the UK and Germany, respectively, are doing so for environmental reasons, highlighting a wider trend in Europe.
Courtesy: GFI Europe
Despite these cost concerns, people in both countries think meat and dairy are much more cost-friendly than plant-based alternatives. Animal proteins score much higher on the taste scale, too, and respondents tend to have much greater knowledge about them.
However, this is outlined by some major perception differences between flexitarians and omnivores – the former group is much more likely to enjoy the taste of products like Beyond Meat and Oatly, feel good after eating them, and be influenced by animal welfare or climate change.
The three types of dietary change consumers
Courtesy: GFI Europe
The researchers divided the respondents into four profiles based on their motivations and demographics, including one set of consumers who don’t plan to change their diets (making up nearly half of both populations).
Among the others, one of the groups, Meat & Dairy Reducers, involved those who want to eat less of these foods without increasing plant-based food intake. This is characterised mainly by older people looking to lose weight, and comprises 13% of consumers in both countries.
Meanwhile, a sixth of the respondents were identified as Plant-Based Increasers, who want to eat more vegan food without cutting back on animal proteins. These consumers tend to be younger and higher-earning, and often men, seeking protein and fibre with fitness goals like muscle-building.
Courtesy: GFI Europe
Finally, the largest dietary change cohort was the More Plants, Less Meat & Dairy subset. This includes people looking for healthier lifestyles, often with weight-loss goals. They account for a fifth of the respondents in each country.
“Applying this model to behaviour change has brought much-needed clarity and direction to the plant-based food sector. For the first time, we can clearly see the gaps in capability and opportunity that exist for people who are interested in eating more plant-based food or reducing their meat and dairy intake,” says Indy Kaur, founder of Plant Futures.
“This deeper, more nuanced understanding of what’s holding people back is essential if we want to support healthier and more sustainable dietary choices at scale.”
How the plant-based industry can adapt
Courtesy: THIS
The researchers put the onus on retailers and food producers to normalise plant-based eating as an everyday habit, and help consumers overcome a lack of familiarity with supportive tools (like providing recipe suggestions).
Plant-based food stakeholders must collaborate and use the right platform to educate consumers about the nutritional benefits of their products and how they contribute to a balanced diet. And as younger generations – especially men – opt for red meat over plants, the industry must shift its positioning to stay relevant with this demographic.
As for brands, they need to understand what drives their target audiences, whether that’s protein for muscle gain, weight loss, sustainability, or a combination of factors. Tailoring their product messaging to highlight these properties will attract like-minded consumers.
To tackle food tech neophobia and bridge the gap with familiarity, brands should consider developing new products and marketing existing ones via recognisable ingredients, cuisines, formats, and packaging. They should also be easy to prepare.
Finally, they should use regular consumer feedback and track repeat purchase rates to fine-tune the flavour of their products and ensure they’re satisfying, delicious, and seen as high-quality.
“This report reveals a potential market for these products extending far beyond vegans or vegetarians,” says Breewood. “But to enable people to act on their intentions and adopt healthier, more sustainable diets, the industry must understand what motivates different types of consumers.”
Spanish food tech startup Heura Foods has received a €20M ($22.2M) loan from the European Investment Bank to move beyond plant-based meat, and expects to become profitable by the end of this year.
Sustained sales and product innovation are helping Barcelona-based Heura Foods inch closer to its goal of turning a profit this year, and attract yet more investment to expand its business.
The Spanish startup is known for its vegan chicken, burgers and sausages, which netted €38M in sales in 2024 (matching the 2023 total), thanks to a 35% growth in Southern Europe. Heura has simultaneously cut its losses in half, and now expects to become profitable in Q4 2025 and continue that momentum for a first full year of profitability in 2026.
“This leadership is built on constant innovation and the boldness to transform the category with offerings that reconnect us with the flavours that move us inside, blending nutritional excellence and sensory pleasure to help us live longer and better,” said Heura co-founder and CEO Marc Coloma.
To that end, the firm is now diversifying into “nutrient-dense” plant-based cold cuts, non-dairy cheese, and protein-rich pasta, an effort for which it has received a €20M ($22.2M) loan from the European Investment Bank (EIB), the EU’s lending arm.
It comes a year after the company’s €40M Series B round, and takes its total raised to €108M ($120M). In addition to supporting R&D on the new products, the financing will also help Heura scale up production by buying equipment for both its own lab and co-manufacturers’ facilities in Spain.
Courtesy: Heura
Heura doubles down on Southern Europe
Since being founded in 2017, Heura has emerged as a leader in Europe’s plant-based meat category, with its products available in more than 20,000 stores in 20 countries.
But the company hasn’t been immune to the alternative protein sector’s challenges, with several startups and restaurants closing down and even more being acquired by other businesses. The consolidation phase has led Heura to fine-tune its approach to profitability, dialling down its footprint in the UK, Switzerland, and Austria.
At the same time, it has magnified its focus on Southern Europe, while retaining all its staff in the midst of implementing an “ambitious efficiency plan”. This is because the company’s sales grew by 35% in Italy, France and Portugal, and stabilised in Spain.
But the company says it’s already the leading plant-based meat maker in its home country, with a market share twice as high as its nearest competitor, and the highest brand loyalty. Seven of the 10 best-selling meat alternatives in Spain come from Heura, while its York-style ham has driven a 60% growth in the segment.
This year, it has launched chicken chunks, a whole-cut fillet (in collaboration with France’s Swap), and a chicken burger, and has “two more game-changing products” earmarked for the summer, head of content Laurent Gubbels told Green Queen last month.
The company is also expanding its foodservice presence via key partnerships with cruise line Royal Caribbean, airline company Vueling, and fast-food chain Rodilla, and has appeared at “high-visibility” events like Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour shows in Madrid.
How Heura plans to battle the UPF debate with new products
In October, Heura announced its intention to tackle a wider range of categories and battle the ultra-processed tag that has plagued the plant-based sector. A survey of nearly 20,000 Europeans has shown that among those who want to change their diets, 51% want to eat healthier food.
Heura’s strategy involves offering meat and dairy alternatives and pantry staples that eschew additives, modified starches, and saturated fats, with a focus on new technology instead of just new ingredients.
At Future Food-Tech London, the company served up spaghetti made from wheat semolina and soy protein isolate, amping up its protein concentration from under 20% all the way to 60%, and lowering the carbohydrate content by 74%.
It also exhibited dairy-free versions of feta, parmesan, mozzarella, and melty cheese that contained 20% protein and low saturated fat. Plus, Heura gave a glimpse of its nutrient-forward cold cuts, describing them as the only vegan deli meats “with high protein, low saturated fat, and no additives while having an unparalleled sensory experience”.
Courtesy: Heura
“Who wouldn’t want to replace excess saturated fats, simple carbohydrates, and unnecessary additives with nutrient-dense products made from plant proteins and healthy lipids? And we can do this by leveraging readily available, consumer-friendly ingredients that require no regulatory approval,” said Coloma.
Gubbels confirmed last month that these products are “currently in development”, and suggested that they have already undergone some taste tests.
They could be crucial for Heura to sustain in what is a volatile environment for plant-based meat and dairy. Europe was the leading market for these products in 2024, recording $9.7B in sales. This followed a 5% increase in the region’s six largest markets the year before. But UPF concerns have shifted public perception, turning many away from meat alternatives and towards whole foods.
At the same time, the funding landscape has been dire for alternative proteins. Plant-based startups took the biggest hit, raising only $309M in 2024, a sharp 64% fall from the year before. In the first quarter of this year, they only raised $54M.
Heura, however, has bucked the trend, its €40M Series B the largest funding round for a plant-based company last year. And now, the €20M loan from EIB serves as further proof of investors’ confidence in its business model.
Courtesy: Heura
EU loan part of food security and sustainability push
“With this agreement, we are boosting the dynamism of the startup ecosystem in Spain and Europe and responding to new consumer needs by developing new sustainable food products,” said EIB Group president Nadia Calviño.
Heura’s loan is guaranteed by InvestEU, the bloc’s flagship programme that aims to unlock €372B in public and private capital to support its policy goals between 2021 and 2027.
“This can help the EU to unlock new economic opportunities, create high-value jobs and solidify its position as a leader in the evolving global food landscape,” explained Lucas González Ojeda, acting director of the EU Commission representation in Spain. “This operation is a good example of what InvestEU can do to empower businesses to grow, innovate and build a sustainable future.”
Courtesy: Heura
Alessandro Izzo, the EIB’s director of equity, growth capital and project finance, added: “By investing in the development of new plant-based food products, the EIB is also contributing to a healthier, more sustainable food system in Europe and to the overall food security of the European Union.”
This is a key point. Farmers and climate groups had implored the Commission to form a plant-based action plan in its agrifood vision, but it failed to do so. But following calls from policymakers, agricultural commissioner Christophe Hansen finally committed to developing a protein diversification strategy.
“It will focus on fostering the domestic production to improve self-sufficiency to reduce the long-standing dependency on imported plant-based protein and on diversifying imports of plant-based protein to increase the EU food security,” he said.
