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Category: Vegan

  • Plant-Based Seafood Has A ‘Comms Problem’, Says Revo Foods CEO

    revo foods
    5 Mins Read

    Austrian 3D-printed seafood startup Revo Foods has witnessed rapid growth since opening its mycoprotein facility in September, and its CEO believes vegan seafood has a communication issue.

    There is no inherent desire for most consumers to switch to fish-free seafood or think they “really need an alternative” to salmon, tuna, and the like, highlighting the industry’s communication problem, according to the CEO of one innovative startup.

    “The plant-based industry had a dogma that if you replicate meat 100%, consumers will come, and I don’t think this is true anymore,” says Robin Simsa. He heads up Austria’s Revo Foods, which uses 3D printing and mycoprotein to make seafood analogues.

    “I believe people care less about a one-to-one replica, but rather [they care about] a good protein source (like mycoprotein), prepared in an engaging and attractive way,” he says.

    “There needs to be something desirable about our products, and this can be either nutritionally or based on ‘fun’ or ‘cool’ concepts, from longevity to crazy products where people think: ‘Why does this exist?’”

    This is why Revo Foods has labelled its vegan seafood differently – it stopped selling a ‘Salmon Filet’ long ago. “Now, we sell a fermented fungi protein, which is ‘Inspired by Salmon’. A small change in wording, but it shifts the focus to a completely different highlight.”

    The change in positioning has worked and then some. “We only opened our new production facility in September 2024, and since then, sales have been increasing 250% compared to the previous year,” Simsa says. “March was one of the best months in terms of sales since our beginning.”

    In the US, vegan alternatives make up just 1% of the overall seafood market. They account for a similar share in the wider plant-based market too. In Germany and the UK, meanwhile, the sales value of alternative seafood grew by 10% from 2022-23, with units up by 6%.

    Revo Foods is now “moving forward quite nicely”, thanks to new product releases, including the marinated filets it launched last month, and its latest product, a mycelium-fuelled take on black cod.

    Titled ‘El Blanco – Inspired by Black Cod’ (in keeping with its communication strategy), the whitefish alternative will be available in Austrian and German supermarkets this month.

    New tech helps Revo Foods speed up product development

    vegan seafood
    Courtesy: Revo Foods

    Revo Foods’s latest seafood analogue has been produced with a new 3D extrusion technology at its production site, dubbed The Taste Factory, with an output of several tonnes per month.

    Its computer-guided models transform unstructured proteins (like mycoprotein) into products with aligned, heterogeneous fibres. The integration of fat into the protein matrix is key, leading to a ‘flaky’ texture reminiscent of black cod.

    The startup says it uses mycoprotein because it has a neutral taste and highly desirable nutritional profile. It contains all essential amino acids, has a high protein digestibility score, and is rich in fibre and low in carbs and saturated fat.

    Mycoprotein can also double in biomass every five hours, making it one of the most efficient sources of protein on the planet. “Our salmon filet took us four years to develop. This new product took us three months,” Simsa says, outlining the proficiency of its continuous production system.

    “We have built a foundation where we can test new product iterations quickly, and El Blanco is a prime example of this. We had four new products developed in this direction, and El Blanco was most desirable to many people in taste tests,” he adds.

    “Our new 3D extrusion process really allows us to be super quick with product development and testing, which is exciting because the food industry is not normally known to be fast, and this gives us some new opportunities with more ‘obscure’ concepts in the future that might work amazingly, or might flop big time. We will announce some of these developments soon.”

    revo foods el blanco
    Courtesy: Revo Foods

    A vegan alternative cheaper than ‘the real thing’

    Aside from mycoprotein, El Blanco contains microalgae oil, which is rich in omega-3 fatty acids. The high fat content is a “source of pleasure”, says Simsa, which makes it taste like “fresh whitefish”. “We also add a marination to make it easier for people to just fry it in their kitchen without too much preparation,” he notes.

    Encouragingly, the mycoprotein alternative is 25-30% cheaper than conventional black cod, which he calls a “rather expensive fish species” – a 110g unit in Austria and Germany retails for €3.99 ($4.30). This is important considering that cost has become the top purchase driver of seafood for 55% of Europeans, whose at-home consumption declined by six percentage points between spring 2021 and autumn 2024.

    “We upscaled our production capacities in recent months and implemented a new extruder system, which could increase the output at our production site, which greatly benefits us in terms of production costs,” Simsa explains when asked how Revo Foods manages to undercut the cost of black cod. “We now run with two production shifts.”

    The startup has raised over €10M ($10.8M) so far, and closed a €1.2M ($1.3M) investment round in January with existing and new investors. It will now extend this in a crowdfunding campaign on FunderNation to reach €1.5M ($1.6M).

    In addition to El Blanco, it will release another new “ambitious” product in two weeks, which will follow its strategy of spotlighting mycoprotein instead of solely trying to mimic seafood. It won’t make “any comparisons with animal-based products”, but rather target a “performance/fitness group with a designer product optimised for nutrients”, says Simsa.

    “We already sell in France, Denmark, Sweden, Italy, Spain, Portugal, the UK and other markets together with local distributors,” he adds. “In 2025, we will also start some exciting new partnership projects to bring our products forward in different geographies.”

    The post Plant-Based Seafood Has A ‘Comms Problem’, Says Revo Foods CEO appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • Future Food Quick Bites: CO2 Ice Cream, Cocoa-Free Chocolate & A Tri

    solein ice cream
    5 Mins Read

    Our weekly column rounds up the latest sustainable food innovation news. This week, Future Food Quick Bites covers Ajinomoto and Solar Foods’s latest product launch, Unity Diner’s return, and a new meat-free omakase experience in Hong Kong.

    New products and launches

    Japanese food giant Ajinomoto‘s Atlr.72 brand has released its latest product range featuring Solar Foods‘s Solein gas protein in Singapore. The Flowering Ice Creams come in vanilla and mochi (which contains dairy), chocolate and lemon peel, and salted caramel and nuts (both non-dairy) flavours, and can be found at the brand’s food truck.

    ajinomoto solein
    Courtesy: Atlr.72

    Nurasa, the sustainable food innovation platform owned by Temasek, will unveil NuFood Concept Studio, an innovation platform designed to speed up the commercialisation of healthier products, at the FHA-Food & Beverage 2025 event in Singapore (April 8-11). Here, it will showcase a blended meat product made with Quality Meat‘s Q Protein, featuring lower cholesterol and higher fibre.

    In the UK, Earthling Ed-owned Unity Diner is returning to London just two months after shutting down. The vegan restaurant had successful negotiations with its landlords, allowing it to open doors again later this week (April 4). It will also open a carvery on April 20.

    Meanwhile, plant-based leaders Beyond Meat and La Vie have collaborated on a joint marketing campaign with a new ad, with the brands offering a BBQ burger recipe and directing consumers to Honest Burger to try the Bacon Plant 2.0.

    San Diego-based CV Sciences Inc has expanded its plant-based portfolio with Lunar Fox Food Co, a new brand that sells animal-free alternatives to meat, cheese, and eggs. It’s also the owner of vegan egg and cheese maker Cultured Foods.

    lunar fox food co
    Courtesy: Lunar Fox Food Co

    Seafood chain Wintzell’s Oyster House has introduced Plant Based Seafood Co‘s Mind Blown range to its menu. It will offer vegan oysters, crispy fried shrimp, and crab cakes as salad toppings, entrées, and sandwich fillings.

    Brooklyn-based upcycled snack brand B-Sides has launched vegan Crunch Puffs made from the leftover pulp from oat milk production. They’re available in Cheddar, ranch and jalapeño flavours, and can be found on its website, Amazon, or independent retailers in New York City.

    choviva
    Courtesy: Planet A Foods

    German cocoa-free chocolate player Planet A Foods has expanded in three markets ahead of Easter: it’s co-launching eight products featuring ChoViva with chocolate maker Abtey in France, two innovations with retailers Lidl and Penny in Germany, and a new offering in the UK in collaboration with Wawi Schokoladen.

    Fellow cocoa-free chocolate maker Foreverland has released a 240g Easter egg featuring its carob-based Choruba alternative, in collaboration with chocolate giant Dulciar.

    foreverland
    Courtesy: Foreverland

    Israeli 3D-printed meat producer Redefine Meat has gained a listing at Rami Levy Hashikma Marketing, the country’s third-largest retail chain. Its New-Meat lineup of steaks, sausages, kebabs, and shawramas are available at all 57 branches.

    Hong Kong restaurant Niwa has introduced a Vegetarian Omakase Menu, featuring 14 items – from a tofu-pickle wafer and balsamic vinegar tomato to black truffle somen and mushroom sushi – for HK$780 ($100).

    vegan restaurants hong kong
    Courtesy: Niwa

    And in more good news for vegans in Hong Kong, famed meat-free dim sum restaurant Veggie Kingdom has opened its second site at Causeway Bay for perfect plant-based yum cha.

    Company and finance developments

    In a sign of the cultivated meat industry’s scalability potential, Australia’s Vow claims to have broken a world record by harvesting 20,000 litres of cell culture through its Andromeda bioreactor.

    differential bio
    Courtesy: Differential Bio

    Fellow Munich-based startup Differential Bio has emerged from stealth with €2M ($2.2M) in pre-seed funding to advance its Virtual Scale-up Platform for biomanufacturing firms, which combines advanced microbiology, lab automation, and artificial intelligence.

    French vegan seafood brand Olala! has ceased operations after three years, citing a lack of sufficient turnover. The company said it hadn’t found its market, and its industrial model needed a market dynamic.

    After completing its purchase of a 26-acre piece of land in Jefferson, Wisconsin for $777,000, Finnish precision fermentation firm Onego Bio is expected to spend $250-300M to build its new facility for animal-free egg proteins, set to be operational in 2028.

    vegan marbled steak
    Courtesy: Melt&Marble

    Swedish precision-fermented fat producer Melt&Marble has hired veteran pharma leader Tue Hodal as its first CTO, and Paulo Teixeira (formerly at Mycorena) as product manager.

    Californian biotech startup Triplebar has announced Shawn Manchester as its new CEO, who has been promoted from his role as COO. He takes over from outgoing chief Maria Cho.

    British vegan meal startup Planty, meanwhile, has appointed Samuel Rodriguez as head chef and Mimi Phillip as a freelance development chef – both used to work at rival firm Allplants, whose assets are now split between Plants (by Deliciously Ella‘s founders) and Grubby.

    UK vegan charity Viva! has hit its £400,000 crowdfunding target and secured screenings in 300 cinemas for its 62-second Dairy is Scary ad.

    Policy and awards

    Speaking of British non-profits, The Vegan Society has announced Libby Peppiatt as its new CEO. She will take over from interim chief Abbey Mann on May 14.

    Also in the UK, the Department of Science, Innovation and Technology has awarded £1.4M to the Food Standards Agency to support a new innovation hub for foods made via precision fermentation, another step towards novel food leadership for the country.

    new york city hospitals vegan
    Courtesy: NYC Health + Hospitals

    New York City’s Health + Hospitals programme has now served over two million plant-based meals to patients since it began in 2023, with 900,000 dishes served in 2024 alone. The initiative has a 90% satisfaction rate, and has reduced emissions by 36% and costs by 59 cents per meal.

    Finally, mycelium protein maker 50Cut (formerly Mush Foods), which is focused on blended meat, has been named the 2025 FABI Favorites Award Winner at the National Restaurant Association Show.

    Check out last week’s Future Food Quick Bites.

    The post Future Food Quick Bites: CO2 Ice Cream, Cocoa-Free Chocolate & A Tri appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • The New Pink Drink: Are Flavoured Milks the Next Big Thing in Plant-Based?

    califia farms refreshers
    4 Mins Read

    Califia Farms has launched a line of summer-coded fruity drinks using coconut cream, tapping into the growing trend for flavoured plant-based milk.

    Los Angeles-based Califia Farms is going back to its juice roots with its latest product range. The plant-based milk company has introduced Creamy Refreshers, which combine fruit juice with coconut cream, for a summery take on non-dairy coolers.

    First debuted at Natural Products Expo West this month, the four-strong lineup is available nationwide at Target, Albertsons and Kroger, with each 48oz bottle priced at $6. They will also appear during Weekend 1 at Coachella, courtesy of The 818 Outpost hosted by Kendall Jenner’s tequila brand.

    “Over the last 15 years, Califia Farms has loved experimenting with the endless possibilities of plants. Creamy Refreshers is a perfect example of how that innovation unlocked something new, delicious, and fresh,” said Califia Farms CMO Suzanne Ginestro.

    Califia Farms targets thirst for lower-sugar juice

    califia farms creamy refreshers
    Courtesy: Califia Farms

    The dairy-free refreshers are said to have less sugar than leading competitors, and are targeting Gen Z and millennial cohorts, who drink more juice than other Americans, according to Califia Farms. This was “evidenced by the cascades of social media moments showing influencers’ fun beverages treats throughout the day”, the brand said.

    In the past year, nearly two-thirds of US consumers consumed juice weekly, and concerns around ingredient use are prominent. GlobalData research shows that sugar reduction claims are the most popular benefit in the non-alcoholic beverage space.

    Each of Califia Farms’s refreshers mixes coconut milk with real fruit juice, cane sugar, coconut water, stevia leaf sweetener, natural flavours, and more. The Key Lime Colada contains 8g of sugar per 8oz serving, the Strawberry Creme and Piña Colada refreshers have 9g each, and the Orange Creme version has 10g of sugar.

    “Today’s consumer embraces mindful indulgences, and we’re proud to bring a new little sweet treat to retail shelves,” said Ginestro. The refreshers will help Americans beat the heat while mitigating the reason why that heat exists in the first place – dairy’s impact on the planet is much higher than plant-based alternatives.

    These are the latest in a host of new products launched by the company in recent weeks. In December, it launched single-serve matcha and chai lattes (made from a base of almonds), which contain 40% less sugar than average coffee and tea blends on the market.

    Last month, it expanded its clean-label range in the UK with a three-ingredient Simple & Organic lineup, starting with almond and oat milk. And to celebrate its 15th anniversary, it introduced a limited-edition Birthday Cake almond creamer this month, alongside a pistachio-almond creamer, organic cashew milk, and espresso-blend cold brew.

    Flavoured plant-based milks are all the rage

    vegan baileys
    Courtesy: Diageo

    Califia Farms’s refreshers come at a time when innovation is ripe in the plant-based milk sector – and it likely needs to be, considering that a third of Americans still haven’t found a non-dairy product that meets all of their needs.

    Sales of milk alternatives were down by 5% last year, but sales of multi-ingredient milks and coconut milk were up by 10% and 28%, respectively. And while nearly half of American households buy plant-based milk, companies are looking to further encroach upon that share with innovative new products.

    Flavoured alt-milk products are a good opportunity here, and Califia Farms has recognised that with the new fruity refreshers. For example, Diageo this month released two non-dairy versions of its popular Baileys cream liqueur. Made with oat milk, they’re available across the US in Coffee Toffee and Cookies & Creamy variants.

    Kate Farms, meanwhile, deep-dived into flavoured products with its Kids Nutrition pea protein shakes, which come in chocolate, strawberry, and vanilla variants, and contain 27 vitamins and minerals. Similarly, Elmhurst 1925 has come out with vanilla-flavoured pistachio and cashew milks in recent weeks.

    This trend transcends the US. In the UK, Continental Wine & Food has launched Lacey’s Vodkashake, a line of dairy-free cream liqueurs available in strawberry and banana flavours. Alpro, meanwhile, introduced a caramel barista milk made from soy and oats.

    And this month, Oatly released vanilla and caramel oat milks at Nordic coffee chain Espresso House. They’re part of its iKaffe range (the regional name for its barista edition) and available in both hot and cold drinks.

    The post The New Pink Drink: Are Flavoured Milks the Next Big Thing in Plant-Based? appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • Choose Ultra-Processed Free: Deliciously Ella Takes on Plant-Based Meat with Whole-Food Push

    deliciously ella ultra processed
    5 Mins Read

    British vegan food brand Deliciously Ella’s latest campaign attacks ultra-processing, which is now among plant-based meat’s biggest pain points.

    “Consumers en masse aren’t just asking: ‘Is it plant-based?’ but: ‘What’s actually in it?’”

    These may have been the words of Jason Rosenbaum, co-CEO of US startup Actual Veggies, but they speak to a wider shift in the meat-free ecosystem.

    Ultra-processed foods (UPFs) have been the talk of the food industry in recent months, with consumers largely attempting to shift away from such products out of health and nutrition concerns. One segment that has deeply felt the impact is plant-based meat.

    While attacks from the meat industry are expected, brands making these analogues are in the crosshairs of other vegan producers too.

    In the UK, Deliciously Ella is leading this shift. A pioneer of healthy plant-based eating, founders Ella and Matthew Mills recently sold the firm to Switzerland’s Hero Group (though they remain at the company). And as it looks to expand its footprint, the company has kickstarted a new marketing drive targeting UPFs.

    Deliciously Ella looks to clear the hurdles for Brits’ UPF shift

    deliciously ella cookbook
    Courtesy: Deliciously Ella

    This month, Deliciously Ella launched ‘Choose Ultra-Processed Free’, a bus campaign aimed at helping people “make healthier food choices by swapping UPFs for whole, natural foods that are both accessible and incredibly delicious”.

    Across 40 London buses, in retailers across the city, and on social media, the company is encouraging Brits to shift away from UPFs. As part of the drive, it gave away 50,000 of its “UPF-free oat bars” across the capital and has launched a free e-book full of recipes and tips, called Less Processed, More Delicious.

    “Ever picked up something in a shop, thinking it was a healthy choice, only to turn it over and find a list of ingredients you don’t recognise? You’re not alone,” the company writes in the book.

    UPFs make up 57% of the average British diet, and up to 80% when it comes to children or people with lower incomes. Likewise, around two-thirds of calories consumed by adolescents in the country come from these foods.

    “The result? A national diet made up mostly of products far removed from simple, whole food ingredients – often packed with emulsifiers, preservatives, and industrial additives. And for many of us, that means feeling increasingly disconnected from our food and how it makes us feel,” said Deliciously Ella.

    eit food consumer observatory
    Courtesy: EIT Food/The Grocer

    A government survey in June 2024 found that ultra-processing is the second biggest food concern in the UK (after inflation), with 77% of people saying so. A separate survey found that 53% of them are in favour of a tax on UPF producers, if the revenues are directed to funding fresh produce for low-income families.

    However, over half of Brits find UPFs cheaper and more convenient than whole foods, and only 48% of them go out of their way to buy unprocessed foods that require preparation.

    In a nod to this obstacle, Deliciously Ella notes that “easy swaps, flavour-packed meals, and small sustainable changes” can collectively make a big difference: “Eating well shouldn’t mean spending hours in the kitchen or giving up the foods you love.”

    UPF concerns have directly impacted plant-based meat

    choose ultra processed free
    Courtesy: Deliciously Ella

    The e-book outlines that UPFs are “often designed to be irresistibly moreish, making us crave more”, and tend to be lower in fibre, vitamins and essential nutrients, and higher in sugar, salt, and trans fats. It cites research linking these foods to chronic conditions like obesity, type 2 diabetes, and heart disease.

    While it’s true that many products considered UPFs – like sugary sodas, salty snacks, or packaged cakes – don’t exactly carry a health halo, other UPFs aren’t actually bad for you.

    This is a distinction many experts have been keen to make: the level of processing doesn’t have anything to do with how nutritious a product is. What matters is the actual nutritional content, such as sodium, unsaturated fat, sugar, and so on. Products designated as UPFs can still rank high on the Nutri-Score scale, or the traffic light system adopted in the UK.

    But the backlash against UPFs has had a spillover effect on plant-based meat too. Retail sales for these products were down by 6% in the UK in 2023, with volumes plunging further by 13%. The country’s largest meat-free company, Quorn, posted pre-tax losses of £63M that year, and this continued in 2024 too. Meanwhile, more youngsters are increasing their meat intake (19%) than reducing it (16%) in the UK.

    allplants deliciously ella
    Courtesy: Allplants

    Whole foods like beans, tofu (now in 8% of British households), and tempeh are gaining market share, while sales of vegan ready-meals – considered a UPF – plunged by 20%. That said, the Millses’ revamped Plants label offers a range of ready-to-eat meals, and recently acquired the brand name and assets of plant-based meal startup Allplants.

    Ella built her wellness empire on healthy eating, and has been looking to capitalise on the anti-UPF push. “The plant-based category should be synonymous with real, nourishing food, yet for too long it has been dominated by ultra-processed meat alternatives, a trend now in steep decline,” she said after the Allplants deal. “We’re here to try and change that, and to reimagine the plant-based fixture with delicious, natural, quick wins for clever cooks.”

    Deliciously Ella’s new marketing campaign is the latest example of vegan brands themselves attacking plant-based meat for being ultra-processed. Phil Graves, CEO of US mycelium meat startup Meati, recently told Green Queen that people shouldn’t have to choose between factory-farmed meat or “ultra-processed plant-based options that have a long list of ingredients you can’t pronounce”.

    The post Choose Ultra-Processed Free: Deliciously Ella Takes on Plant-Based Meat with Whole-Food Push appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • Future Food Quick Bites: Impossible Sliders, Major League Baseball & Cat Jewellery

    impossible beef sliders
    5 Mins Read

    Our weekly column rounds up the latest sustainable food innovation news. This week, Future Food Quick Bites covers Impossible Foods’s beef slider rollout, the New York Mets’s new vegan sandwich, and Grubby’s vegan meal kits for B Corp Month.

    New products and launches

    Impossible Foods has introduced its latest product, Beef Sliders, exclusively at Walmart stores. The mini vegan patties are available as a six-pack for $7.48.

    impossible sliders
    Courtesy: Impossible Foods

    Plant-based startup Daily Harvest has launched a USDA-certified Organic Pea Protein Powder with 24g of protein per 120-calorie serving, which would cost roughly $2.

    Tex-Mex chain Pancheros Mexican Grill has rolled out a Tofurizo on its menu, which includes sautéed peppers and onions, paprika, cumin, cayenne, and chilli powder. It’s available at all locations nationwide.

    With the Major League Baseball season underway, catering giant Aramark‘s Sport + Entertainment division has introduced a vegan pulled BBQ jackfruit sandwich (with a plant-based pretzel bun and coleslaw) at Citi Field, home of the New York Mets.

    mlb vegan
    Courtesy: Aramark

    In the UK, meal kit startup Grubby has partnered with leading plant-based players Oatly and This, nut butter maker ManiLife, and ingredient brand Belazu on a special range of recipes for B Corp Month. These include Creamy White Sausage Ragù Linguine, Greek Mushroom Pastitsio with Cucumber Salad, and Pesto Courgette Tarts with Tomato & Basil Salad.

    Speaking of Oatly, the oat milk giant has released two new flavours of its iKaffe range (as its barista edition is known in the Nordics) at coffee chain Espresso House. The vanilla and caramel barista milks are available in both hot and cold drinks at stores in Sweden, Norway, Denmark, and Finland.

    oatly ikaffe
    Courtesy: Oatly/Espresso House

    Scottish nutrition brand Vybey has expanded into the snacking category with plant-based Complete Nutrition bars in chocolate brownie, raspberry white chocolate, and mint chocolate flavours. Each 80g bar contains 20g of plant protein.

    And French supermarket E.Leclerc has launched a Végé line under its own-label brand, Marque Repère, which comprises 45 animal-free alternatives priced similarly to their conventional counterparts.

    Company and finance updates

    Indian plant-based nutrition startup Nourish You has raised ₹16 crores ($1.8M) in a Series A funding round led by SIDBI Venture Capital. The parent company of alt-dairy brand One Good, the firm will use the funds to scale operations, launch new products, and expand into new markets, including Australia, Europe, and the US.

    nourish you
    Courtesy: Nourish You

    Israeli cultivated meat pioneer Aleph Farms has raised $29M in new funding, as part of a larger tranche of financing it expects to close in the coming months. The firm reportedly slashed its valuation in the latest round.

    Further Foods, a subsidiary of Canadian cellular agriculture firm Cult Food Science, has signed an R&D supply agreement with a cultivated meat company to develop its Noochies! line of pet food treats, which it will showcase at the Global Pet Expo this week (March 26-28).

    noochies pet food
    Courtesy: Veronika Dvorakova

    Also in the cultivated meat space, Californian pioneer Upside Foods has conducted a fresh round of layoffs as it restructures to focus on commercialisation and scale. It is currently awaiting regulatory approval for its second cultivated chicken product in the US.

    Catering company Sodexo has announced that it is on track to halve its food waste in the UK and Ireland this year (compared to 2017 levels), five years ahead of schedule.

    sodexo plant based
    Courtesy: Sodexo

    Belgian food group Vandemoortele has agreed to acquire the European spreads and margarine business of US producer Bunge for an undisclosed sum, which includes several plant-based brands.

    The Plant Based Foods Institute has appointed Sanah Baig, former senior policy advisor for agriculture and nutrition at the White House, as its new executive director. She will join the organisation in June.

    Policy and awards

    The Plant-Based Treaty is working with the Red Cross to provide plant-based food options to people during emergencies and disasters in Los Angeles.

    British startup Potina, which makes banana oat milk for kids, has won IFE Manufacturing‘s Clean Label honour, awarded in partnership with the Institute of Food Science & Technology.

    Discount retailer Lidl and the ProVeg Incubator have kickstarted a Cheese Alternative Innovation Competition, where participants will pitch their plant-based products to Lidl. Winners will get a listing under the retailer’s vegan private-label brand, Vemondo, in Germany.

    Indian cultivated meat startup ClearMeat has struck a partnership with the National Institute of Food Technology Entrepreneurship and Management (NIFTEM), to scale biotech and food tech innovations and leverage their combined expertise and resources to drive the sector forward.

    vegan jewellery
    Courtesy: Catastrophy

    Finally, Singaporean jewellery brand Catastrophy, which makes ethical jewellery for cat lovers and donates 10% of all proceeds to animal welfare organisations, has received The Vegan Society’s Vegan Trademark, a world-first for a jewellery line.

    Check out last week’s Future Food Quick Bites.

    The post Future Food Quick Bites: Impossible Sliders, Major League Baseball & Cat Jewellery appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • EatKinda Takes Its Cauliflower Ice Cream to the US Amid Scaling Struggles in New Zealand

    eatkinda
    5 Mins Read

    New Zealand-based cauliflower ice cream startup EatKinda is moving operations away from its home country to focus on the US amid scaling challenges.

    EatKinda, the New Zealand startup making dairy-free ice cream from cauliflower, is withdrawing from its home market and shifting focus across the Pacific.

    The firm’s products sold out at Hell Pizza locations four weeks after being launched, and are currently available at 120 Woolworths stores. But it has faced challenges in scaling up its operations domestically, which has impeded its growth plans.

    “Right now, we’re producing manually, hand-filling each tub, which results in high wastage and inefficiencies. It’s simply not a sustainable model for scaling,” explains co-founder and CEO Mrinali Kumar.

    “New Zealand, with a population of just five million, has limited manufacturing options for a niche product like ours, making it difficult to produce at the volume and cost needed to grow further.”

    This compelled Kumar EatKinda to look outwards, landing on the US as its next destination. Here, “viral social media content” has helped the brand attract significant interest, according to Kumar. “Following this momentum, we built an email sign-up list, where thousands of US consumers have expressed a strong demand for our products, particularly in the natural retail channel,” she says.

    “EatKinda was always meant to be a global brand, and this decision to step back from New Zealand retail and foodservice is the best short-term move to ensure we can have a much bigger long-term impact,” she adds.

    cauliflower ice cream
    Courtesy: EatKinda

    US manufacturing ‘more sophisticated’ than New Zealand

    EatKinda was founded in 2020 after Kumar and her co-founder Jenni Matheson at a Startup Weekend event as strangers and worked on the cauliflower ice cream concept, which came third in the competition.

    This was followed by two years of R&D, after which they landed on a recipe featuring a base of cauliflower, glucose, sugar, coconut oil, and pea protein. The ice creams are available in chocolate, strawberry, and mint chocolate flavours.

    But despite experiencing “incredible growth” in New Zealand, as Kumar puts it, it’s a “small market with limited manufacturing options”, which has resulted in an “inability to scale”. Activity in the country’s manufacturing sector suffered from its longest contraction since 2009 over the last two years, and only just reversed the trend this month.

    Kumar says EatKinda’s social media reach – it has 37,000 followers on Instagram and TikTok, with some videos receiving more than a million views (and one surpassing five million) – has proven demand for its cauliflower ice cream globally. “We funnelled this traction into direct consumer engagement, and the response has been incredible,” says Kumar.

    “At Expo West, we saw firsthand how excited people are about a truly unique, sustainable, and allergen-friendly ice cream. Buyers, investors, and industry leaders loved the taste and were eager to see it enter the US market,” she adds. “Interestingly, we originally thought we’d need to reformulate for American tastes, but the feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, our flavours and level of sweetness are already a hit.”

    Plus, the US has “more sophisticated manufacturing facilities and openness to innovation”, paving the way for its market entry here.

    eatkinda ice cream
    Courtesy: EatKinda

    EatKinda gears up for fundraise to support US move

    EatKinda has high hopes for the US, given the demand it says it has witnessed. But this comes with its own challenges. Sales of dairy-free ice creams have kept falling in recent years, reaching $351M in 2023 (a 14% drop from 2021), according to SPINS data crunched by the Good Food Institute. The volume of vegan ice creams shifted has plunged even faster in this period (-22%).

    But for Kumar, the market for allergen-friendly, plant-based options in the US is “undeniable”, with a quarter of Americans having a food allergy. “And that doesn’t even include those who are vegan or plant-based,” she says.

    That said, she acknowledges the reality that “consumers still won’t settle for anything less than great taste”. Research shows that a third of Americans have been buying fewer plant-based products because they don’t like how they taste, highlighting a key hurdle for manufacturers in the space.

    “The plant-based category is still evolving, and while we’re making strides, there’s work to be done in perfecting the balance between flavour and price. That said, we’re not backing down from the challenge,” says Kumar.

    eatkinda cauliflower ice cream
    Courtesy: EatKinda

    EatKinda is kickstarting a seed funding round to support the US launch, and is in talks with potential partners. “The US market is already familiar with cauliflower as an ingredient, thanks to the success of cauliflower pizza bases and snacks. That openness to innovation makes it the perfect place to scale EatKinda,” she notes.

    This doesn’t mean EatKinda is out of New Zealand for good; its home country remains part of the long-term strategy. “New Zealand is home for both Jenni and me. We’ve built an incredible community of loyal EatKinda lovers, and we would love to bring our ice cream back in the future,” says Kumar. “This short-term pivot allows us to build toward that bigger goal in a way that’s sustainable and scalable.”

    She adds: “Over the past few days, we’ve received so many messages of support – as well as requests from customers as our ice cream starts disappearing from shelves. That response means the world to us, and it reinforces why we started this journey in the first place.”

    The post EatKinda Takes Its Cauliflower Ice Cream to the US Amid Scaling Struggles in New Zealand appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • Why Alpro UK Is Spending Millions to Switch to 100% British Oats for Plant-Based Milk

    alpro british oats
    4 Mins Read

    Danone-owned plant-based dairy giant Alpro has announced that it is moving to a 100% local supply for its oat milk lineup in the UK, powered by a multimillion-pound investment to expand its capacity.

    The UK’s leading plant-based milk company, Alpro, is switching to 100% British oats for its oat milk range, as part of a drive to support local farmers, lower emissions, and boost its plant-based offering.

    The company is working with Navara oat mill in Kettering, less than 10 miles away from its own factory, and sourcing from farmers within an 80-mile radius of the mill.

    “We know that people like to buy from brands that support local businesses. Moving to 100% British Oats at Alpro in the UK means we can invest more in local businesses – like our farmers and our local oat mills – bringing a new quality recipe to our customers that tastes great,” Tom Kerr, head of plant-based at Danone UK & Ireland, told Green Queen.

    Danone has made a “multimillion-pound investment” to support the shift and expand its existing footprint at the Kettering facility to make way for new tech to enable its British oat production, explained Kerr.

    “This includes upgrades to utilities and new production equipment. Some 58 million litres of the British Oat Drink are planned to be produced annually in Kettering, equating to a quarter of the site’s production of plant-based drinks,” he said.

    Alpro’s new 100% British Oats line is now available in the original and no-sugars versions, which feature a new recipe high in fibre and enriched with calcium, iodine, and vitamins D2 and B2. Other oat milk products will be updated by the end of the year.

    Local sourcing will cut food miles, won’t affect prices

    alpro oat milk
    Courtesy: Alpro/Green Queen

    Unlike other countries where almond and soy milk captures consumer interest more, oat milk is the most popular non-dairy alternative in the UK. Sales have jumped by 77% in the last five years, reaching £275M as of January, according to Circana data cited by Alpro.

    Today, oat milk makes up 39% of all plant-based milk sold in the UK (up from a quarter in 2020). It means Brits purchase half a million litres of oat milk every day. But only 1% of this is guaranteed to come from 100% British oats.

    It’s part of the reason why Alpro is investing in the localised supply chain, which will “significantly increase the percentage of British oats” in the growing oat milk market, and give consumers a greater opportunity to buy local.

    “Previously, we were sourcing our oats from Europe. Our move to local sourcing will significantly cut our food miles,” said Kerr. “We will be looking into the exact impact of this on our emissions in the coming months.”

    While he did not disclose whether the move impacted its costs, and on-shelve prices are independently set by retailers, he confirmed that its recommended price “will not be more than our previous recipe”.

    The new recipe was formulated after a 2024 Kantar survey cited by Alpro found that half of UK plant-based shoppers are driven by health considerations. “Health is at the heart of everything we do, and we work to offer healthier nutrition to consumers in the most sustainable way possible,” said Danone UK & Ireland president James Mayer.

    “As a pioneer and global leader in plant-based nutrition, plant-based drinks are a key part of our strategy to boost growth by focusing on developing products that deliver on both health and taste,” he added.

    Kerr said Alpro’s barista oat milk will be switched to the 100% British recipe later this year, but the move won’t affect its oat yoghurt. Oats also form the base of Alpro’s This Is Not Milk range, which more closely mimics conventional dairy, but he revealed this “has been discontinued in the UK”.

    British oat farmers stand to benefit from Alpro’s move

    alpro kettering factory
    Courtesy: Alpro

    Danone’s latest investment followed a £41M injection by Alpro in the Kettering facility, which saw the installation of new equipment to reduce energy consumption, emissions, and water usage.

    This factory has now rolled out a new production method for its oat milk, which sees the oat grains ground into flour before being blended with water and other ingredients, including fibre and vitamins.

    “The investment will boost capacity and production at the Navara Mill, bringing substantial benefits to the local community both in Kettering, and further afield,” said James Skidmore, managing director of Navara Oat Milling.

    Alpro argues that the switch to local sourcing will benefit farmers through a new revenue stream for their oats, which are traditionally used for porridge, cereals, flapjacks, and other foods.

    “The rise in the use of plant-based food ingredients has certainly brought changes to the farming industry – however, this exciting new investment by Danone has opened up more opportunities for oat farmers to broaden the products they produce and markets that they grow for,” noted Skidmore.

    “When businesses back British agriculture, farmers have more options for their crops, leading to increased resilience and potential for growth,” he added.

    While plant-based milk sales have fluctuated in the UK, they grew by 1% in January, against declines in semi-skimmed and skimmed milk. Alpro, meanwhile, recorded a 2% hike in sales in 2024, with its £160.3M turnover making it the second-largest brand in the overall UK milk sector.

    The post Why Alpro UK Is Spending Millions to Switch to 100% British Oats for Plant-Based Milk appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • Diet Offsets: Why Going Vegan Isn’t the Only Way to Fight Factory Farming

    diet offsets
    8 Mins Read

    Thom Norman, co-founder of NGO FarmKind, believes people going vegan may not be the best way to fight factory farming. His solution? Diet offsetting.

    Here’s a radical proposition: the best way to fight factory farming isn’t to go vegan.

    Is this some Joe Rogan-inspired bunk about how, actually, vegans kill more animals than meat-eaters? No, sorry Joe, you’re still wrong.

    Factory farming – how we produce 99% of the animals we raise in the US – is unarguably wrong: it’s destroying the planet, inflicting industrial-scale cruelty on animals, and risking human health through antibiotic resistance and zoonotic diseases. But for those of us who want to do something about it, we’re invariably told that step one is to stop eating animal products.

    Listen, I’m a vegan. I’ll be the first one to say: I wholeheartedly agree. Reducing or eliminating your meat consumption is an important way to fight factory farming. Being vegan is an important part of who I am and how I try to live out my compassion for animals. However, as a former meat-eater and a current proponent of the animal welfare movement, I will say that promoting veganism as the only way forward is actually hurting our cause. 

    That’s because changing your diet isn’t the only way to fight factory farming – and it might not even be the best way.

    Instead of beating themselves up for not quite being able to give up cheese (and then doing nothing about it), what if any omnivore could do just as much good to fight the factory farming system for about the same cost as a streaming service subscription?

    This isn’t theoretical. It costs the average omnivore just $23 a month to do as much good for animals as going entirely vegan. How? Because the most effective charities fighting factory farming have figured out how to create massive change for pennies on the dollar. Think of it as carbon offsets, but for animal welfare (let’s call it ‘diet offsetting’) – which is far more impactful than most people realise.

    What is diet offsetting?

    compassion in world farming
    Courtesy: Compassion in World Farming

    Diet offsetting is less complicated than it sounds: anyone can make a rough inventory of the animal products they eat and which animals those products come from. Then find charities working to improve those specific animals’ lives by tackling factory farming. Animal Charity Evaluators can help you identify the most effective charities that won’t waste your donations. Or, for an even simpler approach, you can use FarmKind’s offset calculator that handles the math and charity selection automatically, and lets you make a direct donation (100% of which goes directly to the chosen charities).

    In fact, I’d go as far as to say that for most people (and animals), diet offsetting is a better option than going vegan. Despite decades of campaigns like Meatless Mondays and Veganuary, only about 5% of US adults identify as vegetarian or vegan – a number that hasn’t budged since 2012. Underneath that headline number lies a revealing pattern: 84% of people who’ve tried a plant-based diet report having given up, most commonly within the first year.

    It would be an exaggeration to say that it’s impossible to persuade people to make dietary changes. Interventions based on appeals to preventing animal suffering have, at least a self-reported, impact on how much people eat animal products. Despite the fact that most of the discourse around animal agriculture focuses on environmental issues, it seems that, at least in the UK, the most prominent reason people go and stay vegan is animal welfare.

    The big problem is that, overall, trends are definitely in the wrong direction. Per capita meat consumption in the US, with a few blips along the way, climbed from about 113 kgs per person in 1971 to about 126 kgs by 2021. While the global average is tiny by comparison, 43 kgs per person, it has risen much more sharply over the same 50-year period (from 27 kgs).

    While some climate consolation can be taken from the fact that beef is no longer the most commonly eaten meat in the US, this has been a welfare disaster.

    This is because cheaper poultry has replaced beef. Relatively speaking, beef cows have far fewer bad lives than chickens, which are almost exclusively farmed in highly concentrated operations. It also takes far more individual chickens to feed people the same amount as a cow. So, we’ve swapped raising a smaller number of cows with higher welfare for raising billions of chickens in some of the worst conditions experienced by land animals on the planet.

    The evidence is clear: individual diet change is not delivering the kind of transformation we need to end the moral atrocity that is factory farming. On the contrary, things are getting worse.

    Stressing individual action holds movements back

    eu caged farming ban
    Courtesy: Getty Images via Canva

    But here’s the good news: while the strategy of individual dietary change has failed to deliver, a different approach has been quietly revolutionising how animals are treated in our food system. Strategic advocacy organisations have made huge gains here.

    Take The Humane League’s cage-free campaign as an example of what strategic advocacy can achieve. In just 15 years, it has convinced more than 2,400 companies – including corporate giants like Walmart, KFC, and Taco Bell – to commit to cage-free eggs. The result? The percentage of US hens living cage-free has skyrocketed from 4% to around 40%.

    Let that sink in: billions of chickens will no longer spend their lives confined in wire cages so small they can’t even spread their wings – spaces literally smaller than a sheet of printer paper. And here’s the kicker: achieving this transformation costs just 85 cents per chicken. This is what effective systemic change looks like.

    This is where the real opportunity lies: instead of the uphill battle trying to get people to cut back on their meat or go plant-based, we could channel that energy into supporting the organisations that are already transforming the system.

    Of course, some animal advocates bristle at this suggestion. I’ll admit, when my co-founder and I first had this idea, I had a moment of pause. There’s something that feels wrong about being able to simply write a check to absolve ourselves of responsibility. Shouldn’t we be asking people to engage more deeply with the ethics of their food choices, not less? After all, many activists believe that changing individual diets is the gateway to deeper engagement with animal welfare.

    But, historically, emphasis on individual action has often held movements back, not helped them.

    Consider this revealing parallel: in the early 2000s, one of the biggest promoters of the ‘carbon footprint’ – the idea that we should all obsessively measure and reduce our personal impact on global warming – was none other than oil giant BP. By shifting the conversation from corporate responsibility to consumer choice, BP masterfully deflected attention from the real drivers of climate change.

    The meat industry is playing from the same playbook. While we debate the ethics of holiday dinners, they’re spending millions lobbying against basic animal welfare laws, pushing through “ag-gag” legislation to criminalise whistleblowers, and running sophisticated PR campaigns that paint factory farms as idyllic family operations. They’ve even tried to make it illegal to call plant-based products “milk” or “meat” – not because consumers are confused, but to maintain their monopoly on how we think about food itself.

    This is why we need to shift our focus to systemic change. Instead of letting the industry keep us arguing about personal food choices, we should be supporting the organisations that are pushing for better regulations, fighting harmful agricultural subsidies, and holding these companies accountable for their practices.

    The best part about offsetting? People will actually do it

    amazon deforestation cattle
    Courtesy: Paralaxis/Shutterstock

    Some critics argue that pushing for incremental welfare improvements, like cage-free eggs, actually entrenches factory farming by making it seem more acceptable. They say we need to push for complete abolition, not small changes that might make people feel better about eating meat.

    This strategy inevitably draws criticism from abolitionists within the animal rights movement. They argue that pushing for incremental welfare improvements – like cage-free eggs – actually entrenches factory farming by making it more palatable to consumers. Better conditions, they say, just ease people’s consciences while leaving the fundamental system intact. We should be pushing for complete abolition, not compromises that might make people feel better about eating meat.

    But this argument ignores how successful social movements actually work. Take child labour: it wasn’t eliminated in the US overnight. The path to abolition began with seemingly modest reforms – limiting working hours, requiring breaks, and restricting the most dangerous jobs. Each small victory built momentum for bigger changes.

    Moreover, while we work towards evolving the food system away from cruel and destructive practices like factory farming, incremental changes make an immediate and meaningful difference for animals suffering right now. A hen who can spread her wings, scratch in the dirt, and dust bathe isn’t living in ideal conditions – but she’s significantly better off than one confined in a tiny cage. To dismiss these improvements as mere window dressing is to ignore the very real suffering we can prevent today.

    But, the strongest argument for offsetting is also the most simple: people will actually do it.

    For most of us, writing a check is a much easier ask than changing your entire diet – which means more people will actually help. The numbers bear this out: about 14% of Americans already donate to animal causes each year – almost three times as many people as identify as vegetarian or vegan. Imagine what organizations like The Humane League could achieve if we channelled more of our energy into funding their successful campaigns instead of arguing about personal food choices.

    Right now, billions of animals are suffering in factory farms while we debate what’s on our plates. The fastest path to ending their suffering isn’t waiting for everyone to go vegan – it’s empowering everyone who cares about animals to make a difference, whether they eat meat or not. The system won’t change because we all become perfect ethical consumers. It will change because we organised, funded, and fought for that change.

    Whether you’re reading this as a vegan, vegetarian, pescatarian, omnivore, or total carnivore – remember, you don’t have to change your diet to make a difference in the systemic fight against factory farming (which hurts us all). Just make sure you’re putting your money where your mouth is.

    The post Diet Offsets: Why Going Vegan Isn’t the Only Way to Fight Factory Farming appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • Diet Offsets: Why Going Vegan Isn’t the Only Way to Fight Factory Farming

    diet offsets
    8 Mins Read

    Thom Norman, co-founder of NGO FarmKind, believes people going vegan may not be the best way to fight factory farming. His solution? Diet offsetting.

    Here’s a radical proposition: the best way to fight factory farming isn’t to go vegan.

    Is this some Joe Rogan-inspired bunk about how, actually, vegans kill more animals than meat-eaters? No, sorry Joe, you’re still wrong.

    Factory farming – how we produce 99% of the animals we raise in the US – is unarguably wrong: it’s destroying the planet, inflicting industrial-scale cruelty on animals, and risking human health through antibiotic resistance and zoonotic diseases. But for those of us who want to do something about it, we’re invariably told that step one is to stop eating animal products.

    Listen, I’m a vegan. I’ll be the first one to say: I wholeheartedly agree. Reducing or eliminating your meat consumption is an important way to fight factory farming. Being vegan is an important part of who I am and how I try to live out my compassion for animals. However, as a former meat-eater and a current proponent of the animal welfare movement, I will say that promoting veganism as the only way forward is actually hurting our cause. 

    That’s because changing your diet isn’t the only way to fight factory farming – and it might not even be the best way.

    Instead of beating themselves up for not quite being able to give up cheese (and then doing nothing about it), what if any omnivore could do just as much good to fight the factory farming system for about the same cost as a streaming service subscription?

    This isn’t theoretical. It costs the average omnivore just $23 a month to do as much good for animals as going entirely vegan. How? Because the most effective charities fighting factory farming have figured out how to create massive change for pennies on the dollar. Think of it as carbon offsets, but for animal welfare (let’s call it ‘diet offsetting’) – which is far more impactful than most people realise.

    What is diet offsetting?

    compassion in world farming
    Courtesy: Compassion in World Farming

    Diet offsetting is less complicated than it sounds: anyone can make a rough inventory of the animal products they eat and which animals those products come from. Then find charities working to improve those specific animals’ lives by tackling factory farming. Animal Charity Evaluators can help you identify the most effective charities that won’t waste your donations. Or, for an even simpler approach, you can use FarmKind’s offset calculator that handles the math and charity selection automatically, and lets you make a direct donation (100% of which goes directly to the chosen charities).

    In fact, I’d go as far as to say that for most people (and animals), diet offsetting is a better option than going vegan. Despite decades of campaigns like Meatless Mondays and Veganuary, only about 5% of US adults identify as vegetarian or vegan – a number that hasn’t budged since 2012. Underneath that headline number lies a revealing pattern: 84% of people who’ve tried a plant-based diet report having given up, most commonly within the first year.

    It would be an exaggeration to say that it’s impossible to persuade people to make dietary changes. Interventions based on appeals to preventing animal suffering have, at least a self-reported, impact on how much people eat animal products. Despite the fact that most of the discourse around animal agriculture focuses on environmental issues, it seems that, at least in the UK, the most prominent reason people go and stay vegan is animal welfare.

    The big problem is that, overall, trends are definitely in the wrong direction. Per capita meat consumption in the US, with a few blips along the way, climbed from about 113 kgs per person in 1971 to about 126 kgs by 2021. While the global average is tiny by comparison, 43 kgs per person, it has risen much more sharply over the same 50-year period (from 27 kgs).

    While some climate consolation can be taken from the fact that beef is no longer the most commonly eaten meat in the US, this has been a welfare disaster.

    This is because cheaper poultry has replaced beef. Relatively speaking, beef cows have far fewer bad lives than chickens, which are almost exclusively farmed in highly concentrated operations. It also takes far more individual chickens to feed people the same amount as a cow. So, we’ve swapped raising a smaller number of cows with higher welfare for raising billions of chickens in some of the worst conditions experienced by land animals on the planet.

    The evidence is clear: individual diet change is not delivering the kind of transformation we need to end the moral atrocity that is factory farming. On the contrary, things are getting worse.

    Stressing individual action holds movements back

    eu caged farming ban
    Courtesy: Getty Images via Canva

    But here’s the good news: while the strategy of individual dietary change has failed to deliver, a different approach has been quietly revolutionising how animals are treated in our food system. Strategic advocacy organisations have made huge gains here.

    Take The Humane League’s cage-free campaign as an example of what strategic advocacy can achieve. In just 15 years, it has convinced more than 2,400 companies – including corporate giants like Walmart, KFC, and Taco Bell – to commit to cage-free eggs. The result? The percentage of US hens living cage-free has skyrocketed from 4% to around 40%.

    Let that sink in: billions of chickens will no longer spend their lives confined in wire cages so small they can’t even spread their wings – spaces literally smaller than a sheet of printer paper. And here’s the kicker: achieving this transformation costs just 85 cents per chicken. This is what effective systemic change looks like.

    This is where the real opportunity lies: instead of the uphill battle trying to get people to cut back on their meat or go plant-based, we could channel that energy into supporting the organisations that are already transforming the system.

    Of course, some animal advocates bristle at this suggestion. I’ll admit, when my co-founder and I first had this idea, I had a moment of pause. There’s something that feels wrong about being able to simply write a check to absolve ourselves of responsibility. Shouldn’t we be asking people to engage more deeply with the ethics of their food choices, not less? After all, many activists believe that changing individual diets is the gateway to deeper engagement with animal welfare.

    But, historically, emphasis on individual action has often held movements back, not helped them.

    Consider this revealing parallel: in the early 2000s, one of the biggest promoters of the ‘carbon footprint’ – the idea that we should all obsessively measure and reduce our personal impact on global warming – was none other than oil giant BP. By shifting the conversation from corporate responsibility to consumer choice, BP masterfully deflected attention from the real drivers of climate change.

    The meat industry is playing from the same playbook. While we debate the ethics of holiday dinners, they’re spending millions lobbying against basic animal welfare laws, pushing through “ag-gag” legislation to criminalise whistleblowers, and running sophisticated PR campaigns that paint factory farms as idyllic family operations. They’ve even tried to make it illegal to call plant-based products “milk” or “meat” – not because consumers are confused, but to maintain their monopoly on how we think about food itself.

    This is why we need to shift our focus to systemic change. Instead of letting the industry keep us arguing about personal food choices, we should be supporting the organisations that are pushing for better regulations, fighting harmful agricultural subsidies, and holding these companies accountable for their practices.

    The best part about offsetting? People will actually do it

    amazon deforestation cattle
    Courtesy: Paralaxis/Shutterstock

    Some critics argue that pushing for incremental welfare improvements, like cage-free eggs, actually entrenches factory farming by making it seem more acceptable. They say we need to push for complete abolition, not small changes that might make people feel better about eating meat.

    This strategy inevitably draws criticism from abolitionists within the animal rights movement. They argue that pushing for incremental welfare improvements – like cage-free eggs – actually entrenches factory farming by making it more palatable to consumers. Better conditions, they say, just ease people’s consciences while leaving the fundamental system intact. We should be pushing for complete abolition, not compromises that might make people feel better about eating meat.

    But this argument ignores how successful social movements actually work. Take child labour: it wasn’t eliminated in the US overnight. The path to abolition began with seemingly modest reforms – limiting working hours, requiring breaks, and restricting the most dangerous jobs. Each small victory built momentum for bigger changes.

    Moreover, while we work towards evolving the food system away from cruel and destructive practices like factory farming, incremental changes make an immediate and meaningful difference for animals suffering right now. A hen who can spread her wings, scratch in the dirt, and dust bathe isn’t living in ideal conditions – but she’s significantly better off than one confined in a tiny cage. To dismiss these improvements as mere window dressing is to ignore the very real suffering we can prevent today.

    But, the strongest argument for offsetting is also the most simple: people will actually do it.

    For most of us, writing a check is a much easier ask than changing your entire diet – which means more people will actually help. The numbers bear this out: about 14% of Americans already donate to animal causes each year – almost three times as many people as identify as vegetarian or vegan. Imagine what organizations like The Humane League could achieve if we channelled more of our energy into funding their successful campaigns instead of arguing about personal food choices.

    Right now, billions of animals are suffering in factory farms while we debate what’s on our plates. The fastest path to ending their suffering isn’t waiting for everyone to go vegan – it’s empowering everyone who cares about animals to make a difference, whether they eat meat or not. The system won’t change because we all become perfect ethical consumers. It will change because we organised, funded, and fought for that change.

    Whether you’re reading this as a vegan, vegetarian, pescatarian, omnivore, or total carnivore – remember, you don’t have to change your diet to make a difference in the systemic fight against factory farming (which hurts us all). Just make sure you’re putting your money where your mouth is.

    The post Diet Offsets: Why Going Vegan Isn’t the Only Way to Fight Factory Farming appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • Unilever to Sell Plant-Based Meat Brand The Vegetarian Butcher to JBS-Owned Vivera

    the vegetarian butcher
    6 Mins Read

    Unilever has agreed to sell The Vegetarian Butcher to fellow plant-based meat business Vivera, with the deal expected to be completed by Q3 2025.

    Four months after it first emerged that Unilever was planning to offload The Vegetarian Butcher as part of its portfolio shakeup, it has accepted a non-binding offer to sell the business to fellow Dutch meat-free company Vivera.

    The latter – itself owned by the world’s largest meat company, JBS – submitted a binding offer for an undisclosed sum to acquire The Vegetarian Butcher. The deal is subject to the usual closing conditions, regulatory requirements, and consultation processes, and expected to be completed by Q3 this year.

    Unilever, which bought The Vegetarian Butcher in 2018, said the brand no longer aligned with the requirements of its wider portfolio, and the divergence made a sale the best option. It enlisted Piper Sandler to handle the transaction.

    The wider picture, though, is that this is part of the CPG giant’s Growth Action Plan 2030 (GAP2030). It intends to clear out brands collectively worth around £1B in annual sales, sharpening its focus on its 30 ‘power brands’ – like Hellmann’s, Dove, Knorr, and Surf – which represent over three-quarters of its turnover.

    “I believe that The Vegetarian Butcher is poised for even greater success in the next phase of its journey under new ownership that is dedicated to plant-based meat replacements,” said Unilever Foods president Heiko Schipper. “This focused expertise will support the brand in its ambitious goal to become the ‘Biggest Butcher of the World’.”

    Unique supply chain and tech needs necessitated sale

    the vegetarian butcher unilever
    Courtesy: The Vegetarian Butcher

    One of the world’s leading plant-based meat makers, The Vegetarian Butcher was established in 2007 by Jaap Korteweg – a ninth-generation livestock farmer – and politician Niko Koffeman. In 2016, it co-produced a line of vegetarian meatballs with Unilever under the Unox soup brand, and was purchased by the CPG behemoth two years later as it looked to capitalise on the boom in meat-free eating.

    The Vegetarian Butcher’s products are available in 55 countries and over 40,000 retail locations, as well as restaurants and chains like Burger King and Subway. According to Unilever – which spent over £8M on a marketing push for the brand in 2019 – the plant-based meat maker has delivered “strong double-digit growth on average” since the acquisition, although Reuters reported that it only records around €50M in annual sales and is loss-making.

    The Vegetarian Butcher’s chilled and frozen products require a “distinct supply chain and sourcing model”, which made it “less scalable” within Unilever’s broader portfolio, the group said. It added that the plant-based business’s innovations were driven by a “unique set of technological and R&D capabilities” that differed significantly from the needs of its broader product range.

    “We are very excited for The Vegetarian Butcher to be joining forces with Vivera, as it will bring the opportunity to combine our strengths and deliver even greater value to our partners and our consumers,” said The Vegetarian Butcher CEO Rutger Rozendaal.

    the vegetarian butcher vivera
    Courtesy: Vivera

    Vivera is one of Europe’s oldest and largest vegan meat producers, having been around since 1990. It was initially part of the Enkco Foodgroup, whose flagship brand was a namesake meat maker. But the group sold the Enkco business to focus solely on the plant-based enterprise in 2017, paving the way for strong growth. This led JBS to acquire Vivera in 2021.

    Today, Vivera’s products are available in over 27,000 supermarket stores across 25 European countries. Its retail and private-label portfolio and in-house technologies are “complementary” to The Vegetarian Butcher, the firm said.

    “We join forces to create a great purpose-driven company with many talented and highly motivated people. Acceleration of the protein transition is more important than ever and we look forward to inspiring more people to eat more plant-based,” said Vivera CEO Willem van Weede.

    The Vegetarian Butcher eyes success as Unilever shakeup continues

    the vegetarian butcher unilever
    Courtesy: The Vegetarian Butcher

    Change has been fast afoot at Unilever in recent months. The group has also begun demerging its ice cream units in India and Indonesia, and will list global brands like Magnum and Ben & Jerry’s on public markets this year. The latter is in a spat with its parent company over the ouster of CEO David Stever last month, with Unilever accused of removing the executive over his political activism.

    The CPG company is also looking to sell a number of its Dutch food brands, including Unox and Conimex. And speculation about the future of brands like Colman’s, Marmite, and Pot Noodle has been rampant since the departure of CEO Hein Schumacher, who only took over in July 2023 and masterminded the GAP2030 strategy focused on “doing fewer things, better and with greater impact”.

    Schumacher, who has been replaced by CFO Fernando Fernandez, said the board was keen to “step up the pace of our strategy execution and realise swift value creation underscored by a change in leadership”.

    Unilever has additionally scaled back a number of its key climate goals, a break from its reputation as one of the world’s ESG leaders. The company recorded a 1.9% hike in turnover in 2024, reaching €60.8B. Its power brands led the way with sales growth of 5.3%. Meanwhile, the group’s food business made up 22% of its 2024 revenue. At €13.4B, this was second only to the personal care segment.

    “Market growth, which slowed throughout 2024, is expected to remain soft in the first half of 2025,” Schumacher said last month. “The steps we have taken in 2024, including the launch of our refreshed GAP2030 strategy, further reinvestment in our brands and strong innovation pipelines leave us better positioned to deliver on our ambitions in the years ahead.”

    unilever plant based
    Courtesy: The Vegetarian Butcher

    There had been scepticism about Unilever’s ability to find buyers for The Vegetarian Butcher at the right price, and some had (correctly) suggested it could appeal to trade buyers like meat producers looking to diversify into plant-based alternatives.

    “This marks a significant step towards becoming one of the largest and most influential companies in the plant-based industry, making us uniquely positioned towards further accelerating the global shift to tasty and healthy plant-based solutions,” said Rozendaal.

    The deal comes amid a downturn in investment in plant-based food (by 75% in 2024) and faltering sales, resulting in a number of mergers and acquisitions in the past year, including Ahimsa Companies’s takeover of Wicked Kitchen, Simulate, and Blackbird Foods, the separate deals for ready meal brand Allplants by Deliciously Ella’s founders and Grubby, and Misha’s Inc’s purchase of vegan cheese producer Vertage, among others.

    The post Unilever to Sell Plant-Based Meat Brand The Vegetarian Butcher to JBS-Owned Vivera appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • McDonald’s New Meat-Free Burger in Canada Is All About the Veggies

    mcveggie canada
    4 Mins Read

    McDonald’s Canada is trialling the McVeggie, featuring a patty that ditches plant-based meat for vegetables.

    After the Beyond Burger failure in Canada, McDonald’s is banking on vegetables for its latest meat-free main.

    The Golden Arches is testing the McVeggie at 37 locations in British Columbia, Ontario and New Brunswick until April 14, gathering feedback from diners to inform a potential national launch.

    It comes six years after the fast-food chain introduced the P.L.T. (Plant, Lettuce, Tomato) sandwich in Canada, featuring a Beyond Burger. The patty was tested in September 2019, before a wider 12-week trial in early 2020 – but it failed to break through and was eventually discontinued.

    Now, McDonald’s is hoping that a vegetable-forward burger will capture consumers who don’t eat meat or are looking to cut back – two in five (39%) of Canadians say they’re eating less red meat, and another quarter would be willing to do so.

    McDonald’s ‘uniquely Canadian’ meat-free burger

    mcdonald's mcveggie burger
    Courtesy: McDonald’s Canada/Green Queen

    If you’ve ever been to a McDonald’s store in India, Brazil, Australia or New Zealand (among other places), you probably know that the McVeggie has been around for a long time.

    Each is distinctly unique to its local market, and the Canadian McVeggie is no different. The breaded, deep-fried patty includes a blend of vegetables like soybeans, carrots, green beans, zucchini, peas, broccoli and corn, mixed with seasonings and topped with lettuce and a mayo-style sauce.

    The latter contains eggs, so the McVeggie isn’t vegan – this was the case with the P.L.T. too, which came with mayo and cheese.

    The McVeggie is available in a spicy habanero variant, which swaps the mayo-based sauce for a creamy habanero spread currently used in the Spicy McCrispy burger (this also contains egg).

    “While our guests may have tried similar sandwiches at McDonald’s globally, our McVeggie is uniquely Canadian,” said Jeff Anderson, senior manager of culinary innovation at McDonald’s Canada. “We’re always looking for new opportunities to innovate and build on our menu, and the McVeggie will give even more guests the opportunity to enjoy that delicious McDonald’s flavour Canadians know and love.”

    McDonald’s Canada CMO Francesca Cardarelli added: “We know more people in Canada than ever before are looking for new flavours and for variety on our menus. Our goal is to continue to offer new and exciting choices to meet these needs. And the McVeggie does just that.”

    Can the McVeggie help McDonald’s attract meat reducers?

    mcplant canada
    Courtesy: McDonald’s Canada

    The launch of the McVeggie stemmed from McDonald’s internal research, which revealed that around 35% of Canadians have food limitations – whether due to an allergy or personal preference – and about half of the time, it’s these consumers who decide where the group they’re dining with go to eat.

    “The market is evolving and we’re listening to what guests are telling us,” Anderson told the Toronto Star. “So you’ll see this is a veggie-first patty. It’s one of the things we’re getting to learn. What we found from the McDonald’s consumer is that they might not be able to come to us for religious reasons or cultural reasons, and we’re looking at something that fits within that.”

    Cardarelli told The Canadian Press that the Beyond Meat burger “wasn’t quite what consumers are looking for”, echoing comments from McDonald’s US president Joe Erlinger last summer.

    The American executive had said the McPlant – as the Beyond Meat sandwich is known outside Canada – was “not successful” in the markets it was tested in, and that there were no plans on bringing it back. Experts, however, have called it an issue of “marketing malpractice”, rather than a lack of consumer demand.

    This can be evidenced in Europe, where the McPlant has shone. When it was launched in the UK and Ireland in 2022, it was so popular, that McDonald’s introduced a Double McPlant months later. Successful trials in Germany and the Netherlands also led to a nationwide rollout, with the latter adding four new vegan products in 2023 (including a McPlant variant).

    That said, meat alternatives are still low on the priority list for Canadians, 60% of whom don’t consume these products; though with more consumers looking to reduce red meat, and McDonald’s Canada receiving an F grade in a ranking of vegan-friendly restaurant chain menus, veggie burgers may be a shrewd move.

    “As this is our first test of the McVeggie, we’re using this opportunity to gather insights and guests’ feedback so we can continue delivering on our commitment to serving great tasting, quality food we know Canadians will love and enjoy,” said Cardarelli.

    The post McDonald’s New Meat-Free Burger in Canada Is All About the Veggies appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • Future Food Quick Bites: Chia Seed Milk, Healthy Ham & Vegan Calcium

    chia seed milk
    5 Mins Read

    Our weekly column rounds up the latest sustainable food innovation news. This week, Future Food Quick Bites covers Benexia’s new chia seed milk, Violife’s campaign with Chrishell Stause, and Holy Carrot’s upcoming restaurant in London.

    New products and launches

    Chilean company Benexia has launched what it says is the first milk alternative made from whole chia seeds. Launched under its Seeds of Wellness brand, the Chia Milk is available at Costco and on Amazon in the US for $27.99 for a six-pack.

    chia milk
    Courtesy: Benexia

    Speaking of the US, Kate Farms‘s Kids Nutrition shakes are making their national retail debut at Target. The pea-milk-based products come in chocolate, strawberry, and vanilla flavours, and contain 27 vitamins and minerals.

    Alt-dairy giant Violife has launched a Creamy Confessions campaign to support the launch of its lentil-based Supreme Coffee Creamers, featuring celebrities like Chrishell Stause (Selling Sunset, The Traitors), Bozoma Saint John (The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills), Sasha Farber (Dancing with the Stars), and more.

    chrishell stause
    Courtesy: Violife

    The Plant Based Seafood Co. – known for its Mind Blown label – has launched two new brands. Hills Bay Classics focuses on crab cakes and a ‘seafood extender’, while Smash It is centred around health and GLP-1 support.

    Speaking of marine products, New Zealand-based Nutrition from Water has released Marine Whey Golden 35, a clean-label algae protein designed for bakery and dairy applications.

    vegan minerals
    Courtesy: Vegan Minerals

    Likewise, Los Angeles-based Vegan Minerals has introduced Calcea, a plant-based calcium ingredient sourced from red algae. Apart from the bioavailable calcium, it provides magnesium, over 70 essential trace minerals, and 16 amino acids, while offering superior absorption thanks to a natural honeycomb structure.

    France’s HappyVore has released a vegan ham with a Nutri-Score A rating, and a score of 84 out of 100 on nutrition product scanning app Yuka. A Saveur de l’Année (Taste of the Year) 2025 recipient, it contains 20g of protein per 100g from peas and beans and is available at Carrefour.

    the raging pig company
    Courtesy: The Raging Pig Company

    In Germany, The Raging Pig Company is leaning into the smash burger trend with a new plant-based patty for restaurants. It’s made from peas and mushrooms and is available via select foodservice distributors.

    In a bid to revitalise plant-based meat and seafood, Dutch family business Schouten Europe has rolled out Power Bites and Sea Bites as its latest product innovations.

    better nature tempeh
    Courtesy: Better Nature Tempeh

    Meanwhile, UK-based Better Nature has enhanced its tempeh recipe to boost the protein content from 19g to 22g per 100g serving, which is the same as three eggs, up to 400g of butter beans, or two-thirds of a chicken breast.

    Chinese vegan protein brand Starfield is showcasing its diverse range of products, including the Poki Salad Bar, vegan bacon strips, and dairy-free cheese at the 2025 International Food & Drink Event (IFE) in London.

    holy carrot london
    Courtesy: Holy Carrot

    And London-based vegan restaurant Holy Carrot is bringing its Michelin Guide-approved vegetable-forward concept to the East End with a new location in Old Spitalfields Market, which is set to open by the end of the year.

    Company and finance updates

    Solar Foods, the Finnish company known for its gas-based Solein protein, has signed two MoUs with international customers to supply 6,000 tonnes of the ingredient per year. Additionally, it has announced a factory investment plan that could be Europe’s largest emission reduction project.

    solein protein
    Courtesy: Solar Foods

    Finnish precision fermentation firm Onego Bio has completed the purchase of a 25.9-acre piece of land in Jefferson, Wisconsin for $777,000. Located at the Food and Beverage Innovation Campus, it will build a facility that will produce animal-free egg proteins equivalent to six million hens, and be operational in 2028.

    Germany’s Formo, a fellow precision fermentation player working on dairy and egg proteins, has received a €1M ($1.1M) bioeconomy grant from the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), and partnered with Brain Biotech to advance strain development and bioprocess optimisation.

    formo frischhain
    Courtesy: Formo

    In Portugal, cultivated seafood maker Cell4Food has partnered with agrifood R&D specialist CoLab4Food to co-develop products and enhance their safety and nutritional values.

    Meanwhile, Swedish cultivated meat startup Cellevate has appointed biopharma veteran Christel Fenge at CTO to turbo-charge its effort to commercialise its Cellevat3d nanofibre cell culture solutions.

    meatable lab grown meat
    Courtesy: Meatable

    Another cultivated meat company, Meatable, has hired two more meat industry veterans. Former Tyson Foods executive Maiko van der Meer has joined as the director of commerce, and Cargill and McCormick alum will join Eugene Leong as its Asia head in May.

    AI protein discovery platform Shiru and plant biotech platform GreenLab have teamed up to commercialise novel food proteins for CPG applications using the latter’s corn expression system.

    Policy developments

    Peet’s Coffee has become the latest coffee chain to remove the surcharge on non-dairy milk, joining the likes of Starbucks, Dunkin’, Tim Hortons and others after campaigning from Sir Paul McCartney and charities like Peta.

    Californian alternative protein pioneer Eat Just and its cultivated meat subsidiary, Good Meat, has agreed to pay $4.4M as part of its legal settlement with bioreactor supplier ABEC.

    eat just facility
    Courtesy: Eat Just

    UK supermarket Morrisons has switched suppliers for its own-label coconut milk after a Peta Asia investigation exposed forced monkey labour in Thailand’s coconut industry. The product will now be sourced from Peta-verified Merit Food Products.

    EIT Food and Mars Petcare have selected BioscienZ and Cremer Sustainable Nutrition as the winners of their Fiber Valorisation for Pet Food Challenge. They will now develop proof-of-concept studies to drive sustainable ingredient innovations, with the potential to develop long-term collaborations.

    Check out last week’s Future Food Quick Bites.

    The post Future Food Quick Bites: Chia Seed Milk, Healthy Ham & Vegan Calcium appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • ‘Rivalling Tofu’? Plant-Based Innovator Juicy Marbles Rolls Out Whole-Cut Pork with Nutri-Score A

    juicy marbles pork
    4 Mins Read

    Slovenian whole-cut meat analogue maker Juicy Marbles has released Pork-ish, the second product in its Meaty Meat lineup, its cheapest offering ever.

    Building on its new Meaty Meat range, Juicy Marbles has released a whole-cut pork analogue that boasts a Nutri-Score A rating and high protein and fibre content.

    Available on the company’s website, it’s said to be the “first whole cut of pork in the plant-based category”, and is a follow-up to Lamb-ish, which was launched last month as the first offering in the Meaty Meat lineup. They are precursors to the brand’s retail launch in the US.

    Both products are 26% cheaper than Juicy Marbles’s most accessible cut of plant-based meat yet, priced at $10 per 180g pack. While the whole-cut aspect would speak to consumers looking for better-tasting meat alternatives, it’s also keying into demand for more nutritious products, with 36g of protein per serving.

    ‘Deliberately ambiguous’ product to take on tofu

    juicy marbles meaty meat
    Courtesy: Juicy Marbles

    Founded in 2019 by Luka Sinček, Maj Hrovat, Tilen Travnik and Vladimir Mićković, Juicy Marbles began with whole-cut beef steaks made using patent-pending ‘reverse grinder’ tech that mimics the muscle texture and marbling of conventional steak.

    It layers plant protein fibres on top of each other to replicate animal tissue, helped by deposits of hardened sunflower oil. The effort aims to solve two of plant-based meat’s biggest pain points: taste and texture. A recent survey saw meat-eaters describe vegan alternatives as juicy 62% less often than conventional meat, while only 30% like the average meat-free product.

    Notably, that research did not include whole cuts like the ones offered by Juicy Marbles. With the Meaty Meat range, it is hoping to build on the hype created by its initial products (such as a whole-cut lion, a thick-cut filet, and bone-in ribs).

    The range is positioned as a “new kind of kitchen staple” to rival tofu as a go-to option for home cooks. The company suggests that, like tofu, the products have a “deliberately ambiguous shape”. The Meaty Meat lineup can be sliced, chunked, shredded or cooked whole to add juiciness and up to 2.5 times more protein than tofu to any dish.

    “Mimicking real cuts too closely can limit their perceived versatility in the kitchen. That’s why we went deliberately ambiguous with Meaty Meat’s shape. We wanted to give our customers more freedom while shifting the perception of plant-based whole cuts in general,” said Sinček.

    “By focusing only on what people love most about Marbles: meaty texture and flavour, and nothing else – we hope we can give people permission to experiment with whole cuts in all kinds of recipes.”

    Juicy Marbles looks for a cleaner label

    vegan pork
    Courtesy: Juicy Marbles

    The new range is also reflective of Juicy Marbles’s commitment to shifting its portfolio to a cleaner-label recipe, called Marble 3.0.

    Pork-ish has a base of water and soy protein, natural flavours, and sunflower oil, with small amounts of pea protein isolate, red beet juice, yeast extract, salt, apple extract, and vitamins and minerals. It has a complete amino acid profile, 11g of fibre (nearly 40% of the daily recommended value) per slab, and is fortified with iron, zinc, selenium, and B vitamins.

    “We’ve always been frustrated by how light plant-based ‘alternatives’ can be on essential nutrients, like protein, iron, and B12. Beyond taste and texture, people want nutritionally sensible food that helps them reach their daily nutrition goals and that they can cook for their families with confidence,” said Maj Hrovat, who is the R&D chief.

    “If we want plant-based meats to be a viable alternative, they have to get close to matching the nutritional profile of meat – with a sensible ingredients list. Marble 3.0 is our cleanest, most nutritious recipe yet, and will be our standard going forward.”

    According to the company, the Lamb-ish product was sold out in 24 hours in the US, and the newest innovation is “quickly flying off the shelves”. It now plans a retail release in the EU and the UK too, alongside a supermarket rollout stateside.

    Juicy Marbles is one of several companies working on whole-cut meat analogues, which experts say offer a more attractive gateway into plant-based eating for omnivores. These firms include Chunk Foods, Prime Roots, Redefine Meat, Project Eaden, Meati Foods, and Planted.

    The post ‘Rivalling Tofu’? Plant-Based Innovator Juicy Marbles Rolls Out Whole-Cut Pork with Nutri-Score A appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • No Meat, No Fuel: Massive Attack’s Bristol Concert Breaks Record as Lowest-Carbon Live Music Event

    massive attack bristol
    7 Mins Read

    British trip-hop band Massive Attack’s music festival in Bristol last summer produced the lowest emissions of any concert ever, according to a new report.

    Nearly seven months after Massive Attack hosted 32,000 people at a music festival it hoped would serve as a playbook for low-carbon live music, a new report suggests it succeeded in doing so.

    The concert was named Act 1.5 after the 2015 Paris Agreement, where world leaders pledged to keep post-industrial temperature rises below 1.5°C, and featured an electric-powered stage, 100% plant-based catering, and no car park.

    All this helped Massive Attack cut energy emissions by 98% compared to a standard outdoor live music event (lowering on-site electricity emissions by 81% versus a show running on diesel generators), and food emissions by 89%. In fact, in absolute numbers, offering exclusively vegan dishes rendered the largest reduction in emissions (26,800 kg of CO2e).

    massive attack emissions
    Courtesy: Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research

    “This show proved to be the cleanest, greenest festival event ever staged – but in terms of popular take-up of clean practices, it feels like we and others working on this stuff are attempting to create smart productions within dumb regulation,” said Mark Donne, lead producer of the Act 1.5 show.

    Carly McLachlan, associate director at the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research, which published the report, added: “A willingness to do things differently was demonstrated by the audience and crew members alike.”

    How Massive Attack cut out carbon

    massive attack climate change
    Courtesy: Horace Downs

    The music festival was Massive Attack’s first home concert in five years, and took place at Clifton Downs in its home city of Bristol. The trip-hop band created the concept based on a separate Tyndall Centre report it commissioned in 2021, adopting a number of measures to make it the most climate-friendly live music event, and lay out a blueprint for other acts to follow.

    To reduce transport-related emissions, local residents were prioritised with presale access to tickets, and encouraged to walk, cycle or take public transport. For those travelling, Massive Attack incentivised them to use trains, offering access to a VIP bar and separate toilets.

    The band organised free electric shuttles to and from the two main train stations in Bristol, as well as five special trains from rail operator GWR for people to travel back home after the concert. In fact, the gig venue had no car park.

    Further, Massive Attack reduced the number of trucks it used to carry equipment to the venue and between the festival stages, going from six to two – and these were electric-powered. The entire site was powered by renewable energy through Ecotricity’s electric batteries.

    Meanwhile, all the food served at Act 1.5 was plant-based, a key focus for the organisers since food and drink represent the second-largest source of emissions at festivals, making up over a third (35%) of the carbon footprint.

    The festival also had a food waste prevention plan in place, including the redistribution of surplus food and the composting of food waste. Bars encouraged people to bring their own reusable containers, while all serveware was compostable. And no single-use plastics were allowed on site, either from traders or audience members.

    Taking the low-waste strategy further, Massive Attack banned glitter and disposable vapes too, and installed compostable toilets, with some of the event’s waste sent to a firm that extracts phosphorus from urine.

    Aviation emissions in focus as plant-based demand surprises promoters

    massive attack low carbon
    Courtesy: Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research

    These measures allowed the band to massively attack the event’s emissions, with the electricity supply highlighted as a key lever of success. “Avoiding post-combustion products by not having diesel or HVO generators is likely to have improved on-site air quality,” the report said.

    While the full impact of transportation is difficult to calculate since the organisers didn’t have data on how every audience member travelled, a sample survey of 7% of the concertgoers was used to make estimates. Only 5% of people took a flight to or from Bristol for the gig, while about 35% used a car or van, and about a third were locals.

    “As is common, air travel is the highest single contributor to the overall emissions impact of the show,” the report revealed. To showcase just how much it impacts an event’s footprint, the 5% of concert visitors who flew in were responsible for 64% of the transportation emissions. Conversely, locals only accounted for 1% of this share.

    It’s why the artists travelled to Bristol via coach or ferry (from Paris, Dublin and Glasgow), lowering travel emissions by 73% compared to a standard live music event.

    “If fans are encouraged to tour the world to see their favourite artists, this sector can simply forget about hitting any emissions reduction targets, let alone Paris 1.5°C compatibility. There’s a huge question now for tour planning, but also for media and promoter marketing campaigns high on the glitz of epic summer tours that normalise leisure aviation,” said Massive Attack frontman Robert del Naja.

    vegan concerts
    Courtesy: Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research

    The food situation caused some controversy because demand far outstripped supply, leading to long queues and hour-long wait times for some attendees. The report explained that this was because the local promoters didn’t realise the audience’s greater interest in food over drink (atypical for such festivals), and assumed that vegan options may not appeal, and therefore incorrectly assumed that demand would be low.

    Massive Attack apologised for this after the show and the Tyndall Centre pointed to a silver lining here: “This helped to demonstrate that demand for plant-based food could be relied upon and so any initial concerns about making the switch from meat-free to plant-based were unfounded.”

    Comparative assessments found that its food emissions were 89% lower than a regular concert where 30% of dishes contain red meat, another 30% feature white meat and only 10% are plant-based.

    Governments need to step up to decarbonise live music

    massive attack act 1.5
    Courtesy: Robert Del Naja/Instagram

    Massive Attack had set out to create a playbook for other artists and bands to follow around the world, and the success of the concert is now there for everyone to see.

    “This proof-of-concept show could change the landscape for outdoor festivals. It demonstrated that there are real opportunities for promoters, providers, local authorities and central government to create the conditions for the UK to lead the world in super-low carbon events,” said McLachlan.

    More and more artists are trying to limit the environmental impact of their shows. Coldplay published a 12-point plan to halve their tour’s carbon footprint and successfully reduced its Music Of The Spheres Tour’s emissions by 59%, a figure it noted had been verified by the MIT Environmental Solutions Initiative. Crucially, however, this did not take into account audience travel, the largest source of emissions for these type of events.

    coldplay climate change
    Courtesy: Coldplay

    Billie Eilish, who is famously vegan, directed London’s O2 Arena to serve only plant-based food during her 2022 residency, and last year worked with LA Metro to increase subway services to her album launch venue (although fans still would have needed to drive to get to a station). For her ongoing Hit Me Hard and Soft tour, the singer set up Eco Villages as part of a raft of sustainability efforts.

    Even Taylor Swift has served plant-based meat at some of her Eras Tour shows. While it’s a welcome measure, it does very little to move the needle – especially when you consider her emissions from the record-breaking world tour.

    Donne, Act 1.5’s producer, explained where things can improve. “Music fans showed quite categorically that they are up for taking the train if there are reliable services available and they can get to the station post-show – but those arrangements are unnecessarily bureaucratic, with dysfunctional timings that must be made simpler,” he said.

    “High-polluting power sources like diesel that dominate the festival world, creating huge amounts of greenhouse gas and toxic air pollution for those that live near festival sites, or work on them, are cheap and abundant.”

    He continued: “Central and local government must address this urgently, either via regulation or a deterrent tax. Clean technology is ready – it just needs to be facilitated; fans want clean shows, that’s very clear. The challenge for promoters and government now is to meet that need.”

    The post No Meat, No Fuel: Massive Attack’s Bristol Concert Breaks Record as Lowest-Carbon Live Music Event appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • Taste Still A Barrier for Plant-Based Meat, But Top Brands Show the Way Forward

    plant based meat brands
    5 Mins Read

    Meat-eaters find most plant-based alternatives inferior to animal protein in taste and texture, but some industry-leading products show how to bridge the gap.

    Vegan meat alternatives have a taste and texture problem, and it is what’s keeping omnivores and flexitarians away, according to sensory testing by Nectar, a non-profit initiative focused on accelerating alternative protein transition through taste.

    In its second annual Taste of the Industry report, the organisation conducted a blind test of 144 plant-based analogues with over 2,600 meat-eaters. Only 30% of participants liked the average meat-free product, compared to the 68% who liked conventional meat. Across all 14 categories, 46% said they ‘liked’ or ‘liked very much’ the leading vegan products.

    best meat alternatives
    Courtesy: Nectar

    Off-flavours, a weird aftertaste, mushiness, and off-colours were some of the biggest weaknesses identified in the tested products. On the plus side, 20 of the plant-based leaders were rated the same or better than their animal-derived counterparts by at least half the taste-testers, providing an R&D roadmap for the rest of the industry.

    Investment in R&D offers strong returns – Nectar’s research found that the leading products in each category capture a 28% market share, versus just 18% for other offerings. In fact, for every 5% increase in the share of consumers rating plant-based meat as the same or better than conventional meat, sales of the former grew by $1.5M.

    Plant-based burgers, nuggets and fillets most appealing to meat-eaters

    best vegan meat
    Courtesy: Nectar

    The analysis revealed that meat-eaters tend to find vegan burgers, nuggets and meatballs more appealing than bacon or hot dog analogues – the better-performing categories have five to 15 times higher market penetration.

    “These leader products are outperforming average products primarily in flavour,” says Nectar director Caroline Cotto. “Also, plant-based chicken as a category is winning in R&D over pork and beef, with no chicken products showing a big gap in liking between the average plant-based product and the leader product.”

    “Our research shows that the biggest opportunity for plant-based products to catch up to their animal counterparts is on texture. For some categories, like nuggets, burgers, turkey, etc, mimicking texture is significantly easier than for other categories, like bacon, bratwurst, and whole-cut steak,” she says.

    “The balance of fattiness and chewiness in bacon, the snap of a bratwurst casing, and the tender but firm chew of whole-cut steak are all textural elements that require further R&D if plant-based products want to meet omnivore consumers’ expectations in these categories,” adds Cotto.

    best meat substitutes
    Courtesy: Nectar

    While the analysis didn’t look at chopped steak products like the ones offered by Beyond Meat (and recently Impossible Foods), for whole cuts, reducing the off-flavour and aftertaste, mushy texture, and dryness and toughness are the biggest opportunities.

    At the same time, the research suggested that people prefer unbreaded chicken fillets over strips or chunks. “One of the biggest R&D opportunities across all categories was juiciness [or] tenderness,” explains Cotto. “That played out in this category clearly where perhaps the smaller pieces have more problems retaining their moisture.” FIllets were rated as juicy or tender about 1.5 times more.

    Further, strips and chunks were found to have weird aftertastes or off-flavours more frequently than fillets, which Cotto says could be because Nectar tested some of the lower-performing brands instead of industry leaders here.

    The best plant-based meat brands, according to meat-eaters

    vegan meat awards
    Courtesy: Nectar

    Nectar is also launching the Tasty Awards to celebrate innovation in the category, with the winners announced at a ceremony in San Francisco today. They honour brands that were found to be the most-liked in its tests, with products that over half of omnivores say taste the same or better than animal protein.

    A total of 13 companies won an award across the categories, with Impossible Foods the biggest winner (with wins in six categories). Brands seem to be performing the best with burgers and unbreaded chicken fillets, categories where five companies won an award each.

    This includes Heura, Meati Foods, and Swap – a sign that consumers are perhaps more inclined towards ‘clean’ labels and short ingredient lists. However, Cotto clarifies that the actual base ingredients don’t have a large impact on purchase intent.

    “Our research found that coconut oil had the best consumer perception, over seed oils like canola or sunflower, but relatively no impact on taste,” she explains. “Mushrooms and mycelium were conceptually appealing ingredients to consumers, leading to a positive change in purchase intent, but products with these ingredients actually had lower overall liking ratings.”

    nectar taste of the industry
    Courtesy: Nectar

    Cotto suggests that “taste parity is on the horizon”, but “no plant-based products in this year’s study” achieved parity with or outperformed an animal product. She reiterates that texture innovation is the most important lever for plant-based leaders to catch up with animal proteins.

    “Plant-based products were described as juicy 62% less often than the animal, leading to decreases in liking of 1.1 points – increasing tenderness and reducing mushiness are meaningful secondary priorities,” she says.

    Meat-free offerings were found to be savoury 35% less often and have a weird aftertaste or off-flavour five to six times more often than animal proteins. “These differences were associated with a 1.5- to two-point liking gap between animal and plant-based products,” says Cotto, noting that flavour is the “biggest opportunity for plant-based as a whole to improve”.

    “We think it’s important for the industry to raise the standard of the average plant-based product because the average product was generally disliked,” she says.

    The post Taste Still A Barrier for Plant-Based Meat, But Top Brands Show the Way Forward appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • Future Food Quick Bites: Oat Milk Baileys, Beyond Steak Fillet & An Impossible Burger Challenge

    baileys oat milk
    7 Mins Read

    Our weekly column rounds up the latest sustainable food innovation news. This week, Future Food Quick Bites covers Diageo’s newest non-dairy Baileys, Beyond Meat’s mycelium steak, and Minor Figures’s ‘Hyper’ oat milk.

    New products and launches

    Beverage giant Diageo has released two non-dairy versions of its popular cream liqueur Baileys. Made with oat milk, they’re available across the US in Coffee Toffee and Cookies & Creamy flavours for $24.99 per 700ml bottle.

    vegan baileys
    Courtesy: Diageo

    Also in the US, Malk Organics, known for its clean-label milk alternatives, has introduced organic coconut and soy milks, which will be available for $6.99 and $5.99 per 28oz bottle at Whole Foods Market and Sprouts Farmers Market.

    Elmhurst 1925 is getting in on the clean-label alt-milk action too, rolling out a suite of unsweetened options – from plain and vanilla pistachio to coconut barista and vanilla cashew – as well as a barista cashew milk. They will retail for $7.99-8.99 per pack starting June, and were debuted at Natural Products Expo West in Anaheim, California last week.

    To celebrate its 15th anniversary, plant-based dairy leader Califia Farms has introduced a limited-edition Birthday Cake almond creamer, retailing at Kroger, Wegmans and Wakefern for $5.79. This is in addition to its new pistachio-almond creamer, organic cashew milk, and espresso-blend cold brew (available for $5.49-6.99 at various supermarkets).

    califia farms creamer
    Courtesy: Califia Farms

    US ice-cream giant Häagen-Dazs has released the new non-dairy sorbets: Summer Blueberry & Lemon, Passion Fruit & Sweet Pear, and Sweet Lemon Coconut. They’re available nationwide for $6.99 per pint.

    At the trade show, British oat milk brand Minor Figures also unveiled the newest additions to its US lineup: mocha and cinnamon oat lattes, and a functional Hyper Oat SKU, due to be launched in 2026. It has also reintroduced its barista lite edition with 33% fewer calories, which is rolling out this month.

    Meanwhile, plant-based leader Beyond Meat showcased its upcoming whole-cut steak at the event. While it didn’t confirm if this was the mycelium-based product it teased last year, the brand promised it “mirrors the texture, flavour, and experience of a premium USDA steak fillet”.

    beyond meat mycelium steak
    Courtesy: Beyond Meat

    South Korean meat-free brand Unlimeat debuted its new bowl SKUs, with the range comprising Galbi & Kimchi Rice, Bulgogi Japchae, and Gochujang Bibimbap.

    In yet another Expo West launch, plant protein maker Beleaf introduced a shelf-stable Soybean Beef Slice (which can last up to 18 months), alongside vegan bacon, mini drumsticks, and shrimp.

    In the UK, The Coconut Collab has rolled out a strawberry-flavoured protein yoghurt made with a base of coconuts and almonds. Available at Tesco and (shortly) Ocado, each £1.60 single-serve pot contains 9g of plant protein.

    oatly taste test
    Courtesy: Oatly

    Oat milk giant Oatly has kickstarted its latest marketing drive, which will see the company dole out 20,000 free coffees with its barista milk. It comes after blind taste tests found that four times as many Brits prefer oat milk in their coffee than currently purchase it.

    Speaking of brand promotions, Impossible Foods has launched its Bloody Delicious campaign in Australia, partnering with TV personality and TikTok chef Iain ‘Huey’ Hewitson to challenge locals to distinguish between its burger and beef in a blind taste test.

    Meanwhile, Australian cultured meat maker Vow has debuted its Forged Gras product at Two Men Bagel House in Singapore, with the cultivated foie gras appearing in several limited-edition menu items.

    And as part of its blended meat move, fellow Aussie startup Fable Foods has partnered with catering giant Aramark and William White Meats in the UK to create a 65-35 Beef and Shiitake Mushroom burger.

    Company and finance developments

    Polish vegan restaurant chain Krowarzywa – once the largest plant-based group in the country – is shutting down its last location at the end of the month, citing financial difficulties.

    lab grown seafood
    Courtesy: Shlomi Arbiv

    Umami Bioworks is continuing the global expansion of its cultivated seafood operations, establishing a hub in Wageningen in the Netherlands. This is its second office in Europe, following its move into the UK last October.

    Swedish cultivated meat player Re:meat has closed an oversubscribed €1M investment round to open a new facility it calls Re:meatery.

    British tempeh brand Tiba Tempeh has raised £1.1M ($1.4M) in a funding round led by Maven Capital Partners, after its retail sales jumped by 736% in 2024, making it the fastest-growing meat-free brand in the UK.

    tiba tempeh
    Courtesy: Tiba Tempeh

    Canadian vegan fast-food chain Odd Burger saw revenue grow by 6% from Q3 to Q4 2024 (though it was flat compared to Q4 2023), while losses plunged by 80% in the last three months of 2024. It ascribed the performance to the expansion of its franchise model and CPG business.

    Californian biomanufacturing startup Pow.Bio has opened a 25,000 sq ft demo facility with bench- and pilot-scale continuous fermentation capacities in Alameda. The FDA-approved plant will help precision fermentation startups transition from gram-scale experiments to production in the hundreds of kgs.

    Through its Prairies Economic Development Canada department, the Canadian government has invested C$1M to support the Cellular Agriculture Prairies Ecosystem project led by New Harvest Canada. It will be matched by contributions from regional partners, bringing total investment to C$2.4M over three years.

    second cup non dairy milk
    Courtesy: Second Cup

    Also in Canada, coffee chain Second Cup has scrapped the non-dairy surcharge, meaning all its plant-based milks are available as a free swap. It comes shortly after similar announcements from Tim Hortons and Dunkin’.

    Los Angeles coffee chain Go Get Em Tiger has partnered with Elmhurst 1925 to make its barista oat milk the exclusive oat option across all eight locations, in what is positioned as a transition to seed-oil-free milks.

    Research, policy and awards

    The Good Food Institute, a think tank focused on future foods, has introduced an interactive Alternative Protein Career Pathways web tool to provide career guidance for people interested in the sector.

    alternative protein careers
    Courtesy: GFI

    The government of India has launched a call for biomanufacturing grant proposals for researchers working on smart proteins. Applications are open until March 25.

    In the UK, the University of Oxford is working with several other institutes to help design food policies that promote net-zero targets and address public health challenges. The Thriving Food Futures project will run for five years, and has been set up with a £6M grant from UK Research and Innovation and the National Institute for Health and Care Research.

    plant fwd
    Courtesy: Plant FWD

    Alternative protein trade conference Plant FWD is returning to Amsterdam next month (April 8-9), convening over 1,000 industry professionals, investors, and policymakers. The event will include new product demos, a preview of the Eat-Lancet Dietary Guidelines 2.0, and pitches from 10 startups.

    The annual What’s Trending in Nutrition survey by Pollock Communications and Today’s Dietitian has named gut health and plant-based eating among the top trends that will shape consumer choices this year. However, myths about the protein content of plant-based food persist.

    plant protein survey
    Courtesy: Morning Consult/PCRM

    Aligning with the above, 87% of American adults believe they need to eat meat, dairy, eggs and other animal products to get enough protein, according to a new survey by the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine and Morning Consult. Women and Gen Zers are most likely to disagree with this misconception.

    In California’s Bay Area, artificial intelligence organisations Electric Sheep and OpenPaws hosted a hackathon with 81 coders as part of its AI for Animals conference series. It tackled 16 real-world challenges drawn from the social impact, food system transformation, and animal protection communities.

    justine lupe
    Courtesy: Nature’s Fynd

    Finally, fungi protein startup Nature’s Fynd‘s Dairy-Free Strawberry Fy Yogurt has been named the winner in the Dairy Alternative category at the 2025 Nexty Awards.

    Check out last week’s Future Food Quick Bites.

    The post Future Food Quick Bites: Oat Milk Baileys, Beyond Steak Fillet & An Impossible Burger Challenge appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • ‘A True Asset’: Allplants Meals to Return As Fellow Vegan Brand Grubby Acquires Recipe IP

    allplants grubby
    5 Mins Read

    British vegan meal kit startup Grubby has bought the recipe IP of ready-meal brand Allplants, aiming to relaunch the latter’s products shortly after its brand assets were acquired by Deliciously Ella’s founders.

    The revival of popular plant-based meal company Allplants continues, with its frozen product range set to be relaunched by fellow British brand Grubby, which has acquired the rights to its recipes and manufacturing processes.

    It comes nearly four months after Allplants fell into administration, which resulted in the firm’s components being broken up into three areas. Its brand, trademark, consumer database and online assets were bought up by the founders of Deliciously Ella and combined with their Plants label last month, while details about its warehouse facility haven’t been disclosed.

    The recipe IP for its vegan meals, desserts, breakfast pots and sides, however, had not been part of the Plants deal, and has now been snapped up by Grubby, an extension to its existing meal kit range.

    “The Allplants range is a true asset, with real consumer love and value, stretching across multiple meal occasions,” Grubby founder and CEO Martin Holden-White told Green Queen. “The products are a testament to the years of dedication from [Allplants co-founder] Jonathan Petrides and his team, and we couldn’t overlook this exciting opportunity to bring them back to the market.”

    Asked when and where Grubby expects to roll out the products, he said: “We’re currently [in] discussions with a range of manufacturers and we aim to do this across multiple channels, as soon as we find the right solutions to bring the products back as consumers know and love them, under the Grubby brand.”

    A win-win for both Plants and Grubby?

    allplants
    Courtesy: Allplants

    Founded in 2016 by brothers Alex and Jonathan Petrides, Allplants capitalised on the meal delivery boom during the Covid-19 lockdowns, and sold six million meals within the first three months of its retail debut in November 2022.

    Such was its popularity, the brand amassed nearly 200,000 followers on social media, and attracted £67M in investment, with backers including professional footballers Chris Smalling and Kieran Gibbs.

    However, the business recorded a loss of nearly £10M in the seven months to March 2023, which it ascribed to inflation, post-Brexit supply chain disruptions, rising interest rates, and the pursuit of profitability.

    The business went into administration last November, making 65 employees redundant and working with advisory firm Interpath to find a buyer. Last month, Ella and Matthew Mills – who sold their Deliciously Ella brand to Hero Group in September – took over Allplants’s brand assets and merged it with their Plants label.

    allplants deliciously ella
    Courtesy: Allplants

    Rather than re-release Allplants’s vegan meals, though, Plants looked to capitalise on its established brand and social media following to push forward its own line of plant-based staples like pasta, sauces, kombucha and soups. It also sells two frozen ready meal SKUs in retail, and plans to expand the range and offer delivery, in response to consumer demand online.

    But with Allplants’s own recipes set to return to the market under Grubby, it begs the question: which brand will be able to retain Allplants’s customers and gain access to new ones?

    “The Allplants team spent years perfecting this range and there is real consumer love for the products – we simply could not let that all go to waste, and we’re delighted that they will live on,” said Holden-White.

    Interpath director Natasha Harbinson added: “Allplants had a loyal following, so we’re sure their customers will be thrilled at the prospect of this range being brought back into production.”

    Grubby plans to break even in 2026

    grubby bosh
    Courtesy: Grubby

    Grubby’s takeover of the Allplants IP comes right after the launch of its debut cookbook and a new online marketplace where people can add grocery items to their recipe boxes.

    “Our recent product expansions, including the Grubby Marketplace and our debut recipe book, have already shown strong demand for more varied plant-based options,” said Holden-White. “Integrating these products into our ecosystem creates a seamless experience for customers who want plant-based choices across all meal occasions.”

    The company, founded in 2019, has sold over 100,000 meal kits, and has enjoyed a 21% year-to-date growth in revenue. Holden-White ascribed this primarily to improved customer retention, with one-year retention up by 140% in the last 12 months.

    He added that the company’s EBITDA – revenue excluding all non-operational expenses – has improved by 56% year-on-year, with Grubby aiming to break even in 2026.

    vegan ready meals
    Courtesy: Allplants

    Although UK sales of plant-based ready meals plunged by 10% last year, the Allplants deal is part of this growth strategy, with its meals, desserts and breakfast pots making a “seamless addition” to Grubby’s ecosystem. But is Holden-White confident Grubby can achieve its goals without Allplants’s sizeable online following?

    “Social media is just one piece of the puzzle. At Grubby, we’ve built a highly engaged customer community and an even larger email database, giving us direct access to a passionate audience who already love plant-based meals,” he said. “With this acquisition, we’re not just bringing back these much-loved recipes – we’re expanding our own range to offer even more convenient plant-based options.”

    He added: “By leveraging our core acquisition channels, including direct-to-consumer expertise, performance marketing, and strong partnerships, we see this as a huge opportunity to attract new customers looking for high-quality, time-saving meal solutions while continuing to serve our loyal Grubby community.”

    Allpants’s revival is the latest example of plant-based companies that have been rescued from the brink recently, joining the likes of Meatless Farm, VBites, Plant & Bean, and Mycorena.

    The post ‘A True Asset’: Allplants Meals to Return As Fellow Vegan Brand Grubby Acquires Recipe IP appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • Impossible Foods Steaks Its Claim with ‘Meatiest’ Plant-Based Product Yet

    impossible steak
    4 Mins Read

    US plant-based leader Impossible Foods has unveiled its first new product of 2025, Steak Bites, which it describes as its “meatiest” innovation.

    Joining the ranks of its fellow meat-free innovators, Impossible Foods has introduced its first steak product, a pre-cooked offering with 80% less saturated fat than beef flank.

    The new Steak Bites SKU was unveiled at the ongoing Natural Products Expo West in Anaheim, California (March 5-7), and is rolling out at grocery stores across the US for $8.99 per 10oz pack. It will also be made available to restaurants in the months ahead.

    Impossible Foods is positioning its steak as a marker of the “unparalleled acceleration” of its R&D capabilities, leveraging its flavour and ingredient science and innovative methods to create what the company says is its “meatiest” product ever released.

    Aside from taste and texture, it’s going big on nutrition, reflecting two of its biggest marketing priorities in recent months. The Steak Bites contain 21g of protein per serving (from soybeans), 3g of fibre, and just 0.5g of saturated fat, and are rich in iron, B vitamins, and calcium. This will appeal to the 65% of Americans who eat plant-based foods because they’re healthy.

    Can Impossible steak beat its rivals?

    impossible steak bites
    Courtesy: Impossible Foods

    Impossible Foods is far from the first company to offer a meat-free steak analogue to Americans. Companies like Chunk Foods, Juicy Marbles, Tender Food, Meati, The Better Meat Co, and Beyond Meat are some of the leading innovators in this space.

    The latter would likely be its closest competitor, which offers similar pre-cooked steak chunks. While Beyond Meat’s steak uses a base of faba bean protein and wheat protein, Impossible Foods’s version centred around its trademark soy protein isolate. But both companies are likely to raise questions from those looking for shorter ingredient lists, since the products contain over 20 ingredients (though many of those are nutrients to fortify the meat alternatives).

    That said, Impossible Foods promises to be the best of the lot, suggesting that its steak bites “significantly outperform the competition” when it comes to flavour and texture. It offers consumers a “juicy, savoury” experience, including a “tender, fine-grained texture” akin to the muscle structures found in animal-derived meat.

    “Our steak bites are first and foremost delicious,” says CEO Peter McGuinness. “They’re also packed with protein, no cholesterol, and less saturated fat versus the animal. You’re not going to find a better plant-based steak option than that.”

    He adds: “It’s a real testament to our advancements in R&D. Achieving the right balance of amazing taste and great nutritional value is what people want and need, whether you’re a meat-eater or not.”

    The Impossible steak comes pre-seasoned, and can be prepared on the stovetop or – meeting today’s at-home cooking trends – in the air fryer. The brand is hoping that this will widen appeal to consumers with busy weeknight schedules, as well as the steak-and-eggs-for-breakfast crowd.

    In addition to the taste and nutrition virtues, the Steak Bites come with environmental benefits – they use 94% less land and water, and generate 93% fewer emissions than a conventional sirloin steak.

    ‘Animal-free’ label in spotlight amid FDA guidance

    vegan steak
    Courtesy: Impossible Foods

    The product launch comes amid a heightened backlash against ultra-processed foods (UPFs) – and by extension, plant-based meat – in the US. With Robert F Kennedy Jr now part of the Trump administration, these foods are set to face even more scrutiny, given the new health secretary had promised to ban UPFs in schools.

    Amid the fallout, some of the country’s biggest UPF producers are facing a false marketing lawsuit, and California is figuring out the best way to crack down on these products. At the same time, annual sales of meat analogues continued to fall in 2024, with the decline remaining around 9% throughout the year. And now, there’s a new Non-UPF Verified certification for companies looking to capitalise on this shift.

    Speaking of which, labelling is in focus for plant-based producers. The FDA’s latest guidance suggests companies can use terms like ‘burgers’ and ‘steak’, with ingredient-focused qualifiers like ‘soy-based nuggets’ preferred over descriptors such as ‘meat-free’.

    The FDA’s proposed guidance is in the public consultation stage, but the recommendation that ‘meat-free’ should be used in conjunction with the source ingredient is noteworthy – Impossible Foods’s Steak Bites feature an ‘animal-free’ label next to its ‘Meat from Plants’ phrase on the front of the pack, a first for the company.

    With consumers increasingly averse to terms like ‘vegan’ and ‘plant-based’, it could prove to be an interesting move for a product charting new territory for what is a well-established brand. According to Impossible Foods, it is the US’s leading plant-based company in the foodservice channel, and ranks second in terms of retail share.

    To accelerate this growth, it recently hired Meredith Madden as its new chief demand officer. A former Chobani exec and most recently CEO of The Kraft Heinz Not Company, she is overseeing Impossible Foods’s sales, product and marketing operations, and has been given a mandate to “galvanise and simplify the company’s commercial operations”.

    “It’s no secret this category has its share of challenges, but we’re building a team that is truly up for fighting the good fight. I’m really excited and proud Meredith is on our team,” McGuinness said.

    The post Impossible Foods Steaks Its Claim with ‘Meatiest’ Plant-Based Product Yet appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • Future Food Quick Bites: Expo West, Tom Brady & Lidl Vegan Meat

    tom brady vegan
    5 Mins Read

    Our weekly column rounds up the latest sustainable food innovation news. This week, Future Food Quick Bites covers a range of product showcases at Expo West, Valsoia’s new gelato lines, and Lidl’s upgraded meat alternatives.

    New products and launches

    The world’s largest tofu maker, Pulmuone, is debuting new Korean-inspired plant-based products at Natural Products Expo West (March 5-7) in California, including cilantro-garlic potstickers, pineapple-teriyaki glazed tofu, black garlic cream noodles, and bulgogi-style rice balls.

    expo west vegan
    Courtesy: Pulmuone

    More from Expo West, Before the Butcher will showcase its just-launched The Original Butcher Sticks, a range of meat snacks in pepperoni and beef variants.

    Vegan free-from brand Whoa Dough has announced its newest product, Brownie Batter Ready-to-Bake, which it will exhibit at Expo West and launch into retail this week.

    Whole-cut meat producer Chunk Foods is debuting the latest additions to its US retail lineup at the show, rolling out four new flavours of its pulled steak: barbacoa, Texas BBQ, Korean BBQ, and teriyaki.

    chunk foods
    Courtesy: Chunk Foods

    South Korean-American vegan cheese company Armored Fresh has announced truffle as the third flavour of its oat-milk-based Zero-Dairy parmesan, set to be launched in May in the US.

    Speaking of plant-based cheese, Stockeld Dreamery has launched Spring Scallion and Midsummer Strawberry as its two new cultured cream cheese flavours, after moving its manufacturing to North America. They can be found at Essa Bagel, Zaro’s, Kismet, and Bergen Bagels, with more than 50 other shops to join the list soon.

    NFL legend Tom Brady has launched a new vegan sweets brand called Goat Gummies, as part of the former quarterback’s multi-year partnership with Gopuff. The gummies are available at the online grocer’s platform in Sweet Rush, Sour Burst, and Tropic Fusion flavours.

    goat gummies
    Courtesy: Goat Gummies

    Italian plant-based dairy Valsoia has announced two gelato lines to its portfolio: a no-added-sugar version with a rice and coconut base, and an oat milk range in lemon cake, stracciatella, and pistachio flavours. They’ll soon be available in Spain, the Netherlands, Sweden, the Baltics, Czechia and other markets.

    And British clean-label alt-milk brand Plenish has introduced Enriched Oat milk, which contains three ingredients and is fortified with calcium, vitamin D, iodine, riboflavin, vitamin B12, and fibre. It’s available at Tesco for £2.25 per litre.

    Company and finance developments

    US startup Jord BioScience has secured $7M in a Series B round to commercialise microbial technologies to enhance crop inputs and advance sustainable and regenerative farming practices.

    jord bioscience
    Courtesy: Jord BioScience

    Israeli alternative protein innovator Steakholder Foods has entered an agreement with Alumni Capital to receive a $1.25M private placement, as well as an $8M equity line of credit.

    Mushroom jerky maker Madarch Cymru (Mushroom Garden) has become one of nine recipients of British national agency Innovate UK‘s £400,000 New Innovators fund.

    Japanese cellular agriculture company IntegriCulture has secured ¥200M ($1.3M) in a non-dilutive bank loan, which will be used to invest in an upcoming deal and accelerate R&D.

    Vegetal Food, a distributor of vegan products for foodservice professionals in France, has raised €1.2M ($1.26M) in investment from the FPCI Food Invest II fund, in partnership with food consultancy FoodXpert.

    Indian plant-based supplements brand Earthful landed a $570,000 investment from Srinivasan Namala and Ritesh Agarwal on Shark Tank India.

    Spanish firm Allbiotech has completed the first production run of its Genesys V1 bioreactor, which is a lower-cost solution for early-stage precision fermentation research.

    According to a life-cycle assessment, Finland-based Enifer‘s Pekilo mycoprotein for pet food produces 86% fewer emissions than soy protein concentrate, and five times fewer than lamb meat.

    beyond meat lawsuit
    Courtesy: Beyond Meat

    Plant-based leader Beyond Meat has been handed a legal victory by the US District Court for the Central District of Florida, which has thrown out a class-action lawsuit brought by some of its investors.

    Policy and regulation

    The University of North Texas has committed to making 60% of its campus menus plant-based by 2027, building on its 50% target by the end of this year. It comes after the institution ranked second on the Protein Sustainability Scorecard by Humane World for Animals (formerly the Humane Society of the United States).

    university sustainability rankings
    Courtesy: UNT Dining Services

    Aussie agrifood company Wide Open Agriculture has received General Administration approval to export its lupin protein isolate to the Chinese market, where it will be initially sold as an ingredient in protein powders, dairy alternatives, and a lupin bean tofu.

    In the US, the Plant-Based Foods Association and its sister Plant-Based Foods Institute have unveiled a six-pillar strategy for 2025-27, spanning membership, marketplace, policy, research and education, consumer engagement, and agriculture.

    To promote vegan-friendly products in sub-Saharan Africa, certification body V-Label has partnered with food awareness organisation ProVeg Nigeria.

    lidl plant based meat
    Courtesy: Lidl Nederland

    Discount retailer Lidl is continuing its plant-based progress by improving the taste, texture and nutritional value of its own-label meat analogues in the Netherlands, with two-thirds of the products now meeting the Dutch dietary guidelines.

    In state legislature, the Colorado House has passed a bipartisan bill to reduce food waste in schools, businesses, universities, and local government institutions. Measures of the legislation include a switch to ‘best if used or frozen by’ instead of ‘sell by’ dates.

    Finally, Vegan Events UK has announced the first Swansea Vegan Festival, which will take place at LC Swansea on May 31.

    Check out last week’s Future Food Quick Bites.

    The post Future Food Quick Bites: Expo West, Tom Brady & Lidl Vegan Meat appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • The Vibrant Hong Kong Table’s Christine Wong: ‘Don’t Just Replace Meat – Eat More Vegetables’

    the vibrant hong kong table
    7 Mins Read

    Christine Wong, author of plant-based cookbook The Vibrant Hong Kong Table, talks about our meat-eating culture, vegan alternatives, and marrying tradition with future-forward cooking.

    With roots in one of the world’s most meat-eating cities and a home in one of the US’s most-eating cities, being a plant-based chef must be hard work.

    Or so you’d think, but for Christine Wong, it comes easy. The chef’s new plant-based cookbook, The Vibrant Hong Kong Table, is an homage to the city she grew up in, written from her home in New York City.

    Over 88 recipes – ranging from pineapple buns and curry puffs to milk tea and steamed eggs – Wong showcases how local classics from Hong Kong can be futureproofed with animal-free ingredients. The book, in her words, is a “love letter to the city’s culinary heritage”, and an “opportunity to create longevity for these nostalgic dishes”.

    We spoke to Wong about the ideas behind her recipes, what vegan food means to a meat-loving culture, why meat alternatives took a backseat in her cookbook, and the things her pantry will never run out of.

    This interview has been edited for clarity and concision.

    Green Queen: Having lived in New York for the last two decades, what sparked the idea for the book, and how long did it take you to write it?

    hong kong vegan
    Courtesy: Chronicle Books

    Christine Wong: Ever since I left Hong Kong, whenever I was homesick, I would head over to Pearl River Mart (where I now work part-time as their creative manager), an iconic Asian emporium in Manhattan that has been around for over 50 years.

    I would eat dim sum or some of my favourite dishes, like bitter melon and rice, and go to the Asian markets to load up on Chinese groceries, observing the Chinatown aunties scrutinising produce before making their selections – from these daily life moments to festive Lunar New Year celebrations, Chinatown has become my home away from Hong Kong.

    During the pandemic, not only was the Asian American community suffering from xenophobia and Asian hate, I watched from afar as Hong Kong was also changing… with unrest and strict lockdown, and iconic restaurants and landmarks disappearing. There was a point when I thought I might never be able to return home.

    My book, The Vibrant Hong Kong Table, was inspired by my desire to encapsulate and honour the history and culture of the city that has been home to my family for four generations, and to celebrate all of our iconic foods. The dishes are nostalgic, yet future-forward with a sustainable plant-based twist.

    Having embraced a plant-predominant diet since 2014, it’s hard to find vegan versions of these dishes, so it’s also for selfish reasons to have written this book. It took me two years to thoroughly research and create all the recipes.

    GQ: What was the inspiration behind the recipes in your book?

    CW: Hong Kong is known for so many incredible dishes, but I went back in time to focus mainly on the culmination of the city’s unique West-Meets-East cuisine, or Soy Sauce Western, that sprung out of bing sutts and cha chaan tengs, which met the demand for affordable Western-style dishes using inexpensive shelf-stable ingredients and Chinese techniques.

    The recipes in The Vibrant Hong Kong Table use plant-based ingredients with traditional techniques, and are structured on a timeline of eating throughout the day in Hong Kong, from a dim sum or congee breakfast to siu yeh (late-night snacks).

    GQ: In the book, you grapple with the idea of using meat alternatives – can you give us an insight into your thinking, and why you chose to spotlight vegetables for the most part?

    vegan hong kong cookbook
    Courtesy: Chronicle Books

    CW: I prefer to use whole ingredients and vegetables as meat replacements, as mock meats tend to be overly processed. There’s so much that the plant world has to offer like cabbage, cauliflower, sweet potatoes, and young jackfruit. I made sure to include these, rather than only subbing meat with tofu and mushrooms.

    GQ: Many local restaurants in Hong Kong tend to use traditional soy- or wheat-based meat analogues (which, to many, taste better than their western counterparts). What’s your view on them, and do you think there’s a place for these centuries-old alternatives in helping people cut back on meat?

    CW: The key to cutting back on meat is to keep an open mind and not to scrutinise and compare plant-based dishes with the original. It will never quite be the same, though most modern meat replacements try to – some western plant-based meat brands even bleed!

    Traditional soy- and wheat gluten-based alternatives are tasty, and less processed – however, even as a kid, seeing the Buddhist vegetarian foods my Maa Maa (paternal grandmother) would eat, I never understood why all the dishes were brown, and not colorufully vibrant. The focus should be on integrating more vegetables into your diet rather than only replacing the meat. 

    GQ: Do you think Hong Kongers – who love their meat – would be receptive to a vegan cookbook and its non-traditional recipes?

    vegan chinese cookbook
    Courtesy: Chronicle Books

    CW: Whenever I tell people about my book and mention that The Vibrant Hong Kong Table is plant-based, I can see/hear “approval” and know that I’ve captured interest in the book.

    I think Hong Kongers are more open to vegan cookbooks these days, especially this one, since many of the recipes are iconic Hong Kongese dishes. People glancing through my book often don’t realise that the dishes are vegan. 

    GQ; What do you think people get most wrong about vegan cooking?

    CW: Vegan food does not always equate to rabbit food and isn’t limited to salads and smoothies. It can be culturally nostalgic and satisfyingly flavourful, with the added benefit of being nutritiously good for you – and good for the planet.

    When prepared with the same attention and care as other dishes, one would not even miss the meat. Protein can be found in plant foods with the benefit of a plethora of nutrients and fibre, which lends to being satiated.

    GQ: What are some of your favourite recipes from the book?

    CW: My Steamed ‘Egg’, Black-Pink Pepper Cabbage Steak, Jackfruit ‘Brisket’ Noodles and Grandma’s Hong Kong Curry bring me comfort, satisfying some of my most poignant food memories.

    GQ: What was the most difficult dish to veganise in the book, and why?

    best vegan cookbooks
    Courtesy: Chronicle Books

    CW: Fishballs! I really wanted to capture that distinct bouncy texture, and played around with countless variations of flours and combinations. It was the first and last recipe I tested, with multiple iterations in between.

    GQ: What are three things that you recommend people always have in their pantry, and why?

    CW: Rice is a pantry staple that complements any dish, especially saucy and soupy ones. Whether it’s freshly steamed, fried with chopped ingredients, boiled into a congee, or even soaked, blended and steamed to make cheung fun (rice noodle rolls), rice is a versatile grain – especially if you include glutinous rice too.

    Dried mushrooms are full of umami and a perfect substitute for meat both in terms of flavour and texture. They are one of the most convenient pantry items, only requiring water to soak and rehydrate them.

    Soybeans are not only a great source of protein – these dried legumes are so versatile that making soy milk and tofu is easy. And if you have the time and patience, tofu skin.

    GQ: Your book is an ode to Hong Kong – what do you hope readers take away from your book?

    vibrant hong kong table
    Courtesy: Benjamin Von Wong

    CW: I would like The Vibrant Hong Kong Table to preserve and celebrate Hong Kong’s culture and identity. It is a culinary exploration for the vegan community who want to “travel the world” through food while opening up the mindset of meat-eaters that vegan recipes can be culturally appropriate, satisfyingly delicious, and equally nostalgic.

    The Vibrant Hong Kong Table by Christine Wong (Chronicle Books) is available online and at bookstores worldwide for $32.50.

    The post The Vibrant Hong Kong Table’s Christine Wong: ‘Don’t Just Replace Meat – Eat More Vegetables’ appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • Shark Tank Vegan Pet Food Startup Wild Earth Files for Bankruptcy, Founder Says ‘It’s Not the End’

    wild earth bankruptcy
    4 Mins Read

    Vegan pet food startup Wild Earth, which shot to fame after landing a Shark Tank deal with Mark Cuban, has filed for bankruptcy. But co-founder Ryan Bethencourt says it’s not the end of the brand’s story.

    Wild Earth, one of the leading plant-based pet food brands, has filed for Chapter 11 reorganisation bankruptcy in North Carolina.

    The company, which made national headlines after finding success on ABC’s Shark Tank in 2018, reported $2.4M in assets and $12.6M in liabilities in the court filing. The business will continue to operate, with the Chapter 11 filing allowing it to restructure its debt.

    “We just couldn’t find any venture investors,” co-founder and CEO Ryan Bethencourt told Triangle Business Journal, which first reported the news. He noted that Wild Earth couldn’t keep up with its venture debt despite months of negotiations, with its largest creditor, Espresso Capital, set to take over the business.

    Bethencourt, who owns 9.2% of the company, hopes to stay at the firm, which will become a “leaner, meaner” operation. “I don’t think this is the end of the Wild Earth story,” he said.

    Wild Earth CEO predicted challenges last year

    wild earth dog food
    Courtesy: Wild Earth

    A serial investor in the alternative protein ecosystem, Bethencourt established Wild Earth in 2017 after he “obsessed about pet food” and learnt about the industry’s environmental and health harms.

    A year later, he appeared on Shark Tank and convinced Cuban to invest in the startup. The Dallas Mavericks owner agreed to pay $550,000 for 10% of the company – and unlike many deals that fall through after airing on the TV, this one came good. (Cuban still owns about 0.5% of the business.)

    Its portfolio is dominated by dog food, treats and supplements, but it recently diversified into cat food too, launching a Unicorn Pate SKU in August. The company has dabbled with cultivated meat as well, working to develop a chicken broth topper for dogs – but it paused development efforts due to financial challenges, Bethencourt revealed in an interview with Green Queen last year.

    Plant-based meat had already seen sales and investment slump by then, which he called “brutal, but inevitable”. “I think one of the biggest challenges for all of us is competing with some of the planet’s largest companies in the food category,” he said at the time.

    “Most plant-based food companies are tiny in comparison to today’s food giants, but if we focus on making incredible products, with great customer benefits and very competitive prices, we can win.”

    He added: “People will want to buy tasty, healthier and cost-competitive products – we just have to push our industry harder to deliver on these, and that’s a hard challenge for us all,” he notes.

    Wild Earth has raised nearly $50M from investors since its inception, and at the time of the interview, had sold about $42M worth of pet food, according to Bethencourt. The company was targeting $15M in annual sales in 2024, though he stressed that the focus was on cost-efficient growth.

    What led Wild Earth to file for bankruptcy

    wild earth cat food
    Courtesy: Wild Earth

    According to the Chapter 11 filing, Wild Earth had made $10.7M in revenue in 2023, which dipped to just under $7.6M in 2024. So far this year, it has recorded $590,000 in sales. Moreover, Bethencourt had told Triangle Business Journal in 2024 that the company was profitable.

    Currently, it owes $259,000 to Animal Nutrition for a trial production of kibble, $319,000 to Barrett Petfood Innovation for inventory supplies, and $110,000 to entrepreneur Scot Wingo’s Triangle Tweener Fund. And the company’s largest venture investors are VegInvest Trust (a 25% share) and At One Ventures ($12.8%).

    The bankruptcy document suggests that the business’s supply chain was disrupted due to COVID-19, while sales have been down due to inflation (its products cost 20-30% more than conventional pet food). Wild Earth has also been looking to expand into big-box retailers and expand into 300 stores, for which it was planning a costly rebrand and packaging redesign.

    “Despite the debtor’s profitability, the debtor was unable to generate sufficient capital to address its outstanding secured debt,” the filing reads. “When it became clear that the Debtor would not be able to raise sufficient funds to address its outstanding obligations, while continuing to operate, the Debtor began seeking potential purchasers for its business.”

    Wild Earth’s struggles mirror the larger investment landscape in the industry, with plant-based startups receiving 64% less venture capital in 2024 than the year before. In the last 12 months, several companies have been forced to cease operations or declare bankruptcy before being rescued, including Akua, Sunfed Meats, Willicroft, Mycorena, and Allplants.

    The post Shark Tank Vegan Pet Food Startup Wild Earth Files for Bankruptcy, Founder Says ‘It’s Not the End’ appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • Future Food Quick Bites: Vegan Magnum, Airline Ramen & Dairy-Free Popcorn

    magnum vegan
    5 Mins Read

    Our weekly column rounds up the latest sustainable food innovation news. This week, Future Food Quick Bites covers Magnum’s revamped vegan recipe, Heura’s new Tex-Mex Chunks, and a cultivated seafood tasting in Japan.

    New products and launches

    Unilever has changed the recipe for its vegan Magnum ice cream range, replacing pea protein with soy. It has also refreshed its packaging to a more premium design, after sales of the dairy-free ice creams grew by more than 75% in the UK last year.

    vegan magnum
    Courtesy: Magnum

    Shortly after raising $4M from investors, California’s PlantBaby has gained a listing at Sprouts Farmers Market for Kiki Milk, its kid-friendly plant-based milk line. The 32oz packs are now available at all 440 locations nationwide for $6.99.

    Also in the US, Nepra Foods has developed a proprietary hemp protein initially targeted for the egg-free baking sector, with early production already underway. The technology, set to be patented, is shared with an unnamed industry expert.

    San Antonio-based Good Eat’n, owned by NBA star Chris Paul, has launched Dairy Free White Cheddar Popcorn. After debuting at Expo West in March, it will be available on its website and GoPuff for $4.99 per 4.40oz bag and $1.99 for 1oz bag.

    heura tex mex chunks
    Courtesy: Heura

    Spanish plant-based meat leader Heura has added a Tex-Mex flavour to its chicken chunks, which contain 27% of the daily recommended intake of protein.

    British meat-free brand Cock & Bull has secured a listing with wholesaler Cotswold Fayre, with six of its products – from a Traditional Porky Pie to a Saus-ish Roll – sold unbaked and frozen, alongside a packaged range for retail.

    Dutch retailer Jumbo has rolled out a range of dairy-free yoghurts made from whole soybeans, which help retain a greater amount of protein and fibre. Produced by De Nieuwe Melkboer, they’re marketed under the supermarket’s Direct van de Boerderij label, and come in natural, vanilla, and first fruit flavours.

    all nippon airways vegan
    Courtesy: All Nippon Airways

    Japan’s largest airline, All Nippon Airways, has introduced two vegan ANA Original Ramen options for First and Business Class flyers on international routes. Flights departing from Japan will serve the Negi Miso Ramen, and those coming from overseas will feature the Tonkotsu Style Ramen.

    Company and finance updates

    French firm SeaWeed Concept has received €2M from investors to develop its lacto-fermentation process, which would be able to produce 5,000 tonnes of algae per year.

    Scottish biotech startup uFraction8 has raised £3.4M in a financing round for its microfiltration technology, which optimises cell and biomass production and provides an energy-efficient alternative to conventional manufacturing methods for bio-based food products.

    Israeli startup Forsea Foods hosted a tasting for its cultivated unagi in Japan, the world’s largest market for freshwater eel, with support from the Israeli embassy in Japan and the Israel Export Institute.

    Fellow cultivated meat producer Simple Planet – based in South Korea – has successfully developed a serum-free culture medium that can potentially reduce costs by 99.8%. It is also working with the Halal Science Center at Thailand’s Chulalongkorn University to achieve halal certification for its cultured meat products.

    Germany’s Esencia Foods, which makes whole-cut seafood analogues from mycelium, has received €2M in funding as part of the European Innovation Council’s blended finance scheme. It comes months after it won a €50,000 grant at EIT Food’s Next Bite event.

    impossible burger eu
    Courtesy: Impossible Foods

    Plant-based meat giant Impossible Foods has appointed Meredith Madden as its new chief demand officer. She previously worked at Chobani with current Impossible Foods CEO Peter McGuinness.

    Its chief rival Beyond Meat is looking to borrow up to $250M from private credit lenders to shore up liquidity and tackle some of its $1.15B of convertable bonds due in 2027. It is the firm’s second such attempt in 12 months.

    Finnish gas protein pioneer Solar Foods has begun pre-engineering work on its Factory 02, which is set to be operational by 2028. Along with the Factory 01 opened last year, it will produce Solein protein on a commercial scale.

    i am nut ok
    Courtesy: I Am Nut OK

    British artisanal vegan cheesemaker I Am Nut OK has experienced a 24% hike in year-on-year sales in 2024, with a 39% uptick in January 2025 thanks to Veganuary.

    Plant-based ingredients supplier Nutraland USA has joined the National Animal Supplement Council as a Preferred Supplier, which recognises its dedication to ingredient quality, safety and efficacy for pet food.

    After being selected in Nestlé’s Unleashed by Purina 2025 accelerator programme, Singaporean firm Umami Bioworks has introduced a cultivated seafood protein platform to tackle supply chain instability, nutrition and sustainability challenges in the pet food sector.

    oatly fashion week
    Courtesy: Iggy Diez/LinkedIn

    Swedish oat milk giant Oatly has collaborated with Madrid’s East Crema Coffee to set up a coffee bar at the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Madrid (February 20-23).

    Policy and research developments

    Austrian precision fermentation startup Fermify has submitted a regulatory dossier for its animal-free casein to the Singapore Food Agency. It comes months after it earned self-determined GRAS status in the US.

    fermify casein
    Courtesy: Fermify

    In Europe, the number of alternative protein patents has surged by 960% since 2015, surpassing 5,300 in total. In 2024 alone, 1,200 patents were published, according to analysis by the Good Food Institute Europe.

    British food producer Ark34‘s Tater Cheezz Nuggetz, made from Dutch supplier Aviko Rixona‘s potato-based cheese alternative, has won the Best Frozen Product award at Gulfood 2025.

    Meat-free diets are among the most affordable in the US, with the average vegan shopper saving $34.24 per month on groceries, according to research by CouponBirds.

    plant based diet expensive
    Courtesy: CouponBirds

    Scientists in Israel have developed a way to use aloe vera as a natural scaffold to grow bovine fat tissue for cultivated meat production, which could address cost and scalability issues.

    Check out last week’s Future Food Quick Bites.

    The post Future Food Quick Bites: Vegan Magnum, Airline Ramen & Dairy-Free Popcorn appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • PKN: As Americans Sour on Plant-Based Milk, This Brand is Turning to the Country’s Only Native Nut

    pkn milk
    6 Mins Read

    Dairy is making a comeback in the US, with sales of whole milk outpacing plant-based alternatives. Can pecans turn things around?

    The almond may be America’s favourite nut – especially when it comes to milking it – but its popularity seems to be waning a little. In the 12 months to August 2024, almond milk lost more sales than any of the other major alt-milks.

    It’s reflective of a larger dietary shift in the US, where whole milk consumption was up by 3% last year, while intake of plant-based alternatives fell by 6%, a third consecutive annual decline, according to Circana.

    Despite nearly half (49%) of households buying plant-based milk, a third of Americans still haven’t found a non-dairy product that meets all their needs. The established order of almond, oat, soy and coconut milk isn’t doing it for them – they want something more.

    It’s why we’re seeing a new crop of brands using new crops to make non-dairy milk, from pistachios and peanuts to sunflower and watermelon seeds.

    Some startups, however, are taking things back to the country’s roots with pecans. This is the only major tree nut that grows in North America and has been called the US’s “third-favourite nut”, with two-thirds of households purchasing it on the regular.

    The US produces 80% of the world’s pecan crops, growing over 1,000 varieties. In the last decade or so, new product launches featuring pecans have risen by 54%, while extensions of existing lineups to include the nut have increased by 141%. And at a time when Made in America is all the range under President Donald Trump, these products are bound to find success.

    So if there’s one nut that can reinvigorate America’s thirst for non-dairy milk, it’s the pecan. And PKN, a Texas-based startup, is banking on it.

    pecan milk
    Courtesy: PKN

    Upcycling pecans saves waste and benefits farmers

    PKN’s pitch is big on sustainability. It works with pecan farmers who use regenerative agriculture practices, utilises water in an efficient manner, and upcycles what the industry deems ‘imperfect’ pecan pieces, thus saving food waste and generating a new revenue stream for growers.

    “Our mission is to build food brands that cut a path toward sustainable agriculture for the decades ahead,” says PKN founder Laura Shenkar. “For us, sustainability means delicious foods that provide healthier nutrition using natural resources more efficiently and supporting our local economy. We’re working in partnership with pecan farmers and shellers to upcycle pecans.”

    She explains that pecans are sold based on their quality, size, colour and oil content. The larger the pecan, the higher the price. “Perfect half-shell pecans are the ones you see in the supermarket or on the top of a pecan pie,” she says. But pecans can get nicked or cracked during their shelling process, exposing more of their surface area to oxygen and making them go rancid faster.

    “Larger pieces are sold as fresh nuts, or to confectioners for trail mix and other health foods. Smaller pecan pieces are often thrown away or sold for animal feed. Today’s pecan shelling means that we’re wasting valuable food. That’s where the upcycling of pecans comes in,” says Shenkar.

    “By capturing smaller pecan pieces during the shelling process and hermetically sealing them, we can recover more pecan meats and preserve their fresh taste and nutrition. That means that we’re building a new revenue stream for pecan growers to fund their investment in water-smart irrigation and sensors that replace chemical pesticides,” she adds.

    “We are also working with the Upcycling Association to learn from food recovery techniques for other grains and nuts to make our pecan recovery methods more efficient.”

    pkn pecan milk
    Courtesy: PKN

    Pecan milk shines on the nutrition front

    Shenkar is speaking with Green Queen just as PKN has launched its newest product, Zero Pecan Milk. While its current range contains ingredients like inulin, gellan gum, and cane sugar in addition to pecans, this latest offering is stripped back.

    The ‘Zero’ is meant to signal that the milk contains zero sugar, gums or other additives. It comprises just four ingredients: water, pecan butter, vanilla extract, and sea salt. These are enough to give the product a butterry flavour that rivals cow’s milk, according to the brand.

    “We’ve developed proprietary roasting and grinding techniques to bring out the roast pecan taste reminiscent of pecan pie,” says Shenkar. While she wouldn’t be drawn on details of the process, she adds: “We spent months working with University of Georgia researchers on evolving the technique.”

    The short ingredient list plays into consumer demand for clean-label products – more than a quarter of Americans who buy plant-based milk want simpler ingredients, or at least ones they can understand.

    In addition, pecans come with nutritional gains – they have the highest flavonoid levels and antioxidant ratios of any tree nut, while also being rich in omega-3 fatty acids, polyphenols, manganese, mono- and poly-unsaturated fats, and fibre. That said, the protein content of 1g per cup leaves a little to be desired for Americans looking to amp up their macros.

    this pkn
    Courtesy: PKN

    PKN sales set to double amid fundraise

    Despite the downturn in sales, Shenkar believes non-dairy milk will be just fine. “Most of the people choosing plant-based milks are not lactose-intolerant, so we see a rise in consciousness towards dietary restrictions, natural sources of sweetness, a pull away from artificial sweeteners, and pull towards new flavours,” she says.

    “Pecan milk brings in flavours that have natural synergies with the coffee and tea flavours,” says Shenkar. “Pecan is a particularly popular flavour for coffees and teas, so we are seeing that coffee and tea are one of the primary applications for PKN products.”

    PKN’s milks are available for $44.99 for a six-pack on its website – that comes out to about $7.49 per 32oz. It’s a steep markup, much higher than the $1.88 you pay at Central Market (one of PKN’s stockists) for twice as much dairy milk. It’s also more expensive than Oatly ($4.24) and Almond Breeze ($2.91), but on par with smaller and more premium offerings like Three Trees ($7.59 per 28oz) or Elmhurst almond milk ($6.48), and cheaper than brands like Taché’s pistachio milk ($9).

    The self-funded company maintained stable revenues while introducing its second generation of products last year, when it rebranded from THIS PKN. It is set to launch its suite of non-dairy milks and creamers in hundreds of new stores nationwide, and is planning on raising funds in the second half of the year.

    “Overall, the market is expected to grow and we’re seeing a lot of interest in pecan creamers and milks, so we are expecting a doubling of our sales this year,” says Shenkar. “As the first pecan milk creamer on the market, we expect to grow rapidly over the next three years to rival coconut plant-based milk creamers in the US.”

    The post PKN: As Americans Sour on Plant-Based Milk, This Brand is Turning to the Country’s Only Native Nut appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • Plants on the Map: The 5 Vegan Michelin Star Restaurants Around the World

    michelin star vegan restaurants
    5 Mins Read

    From London to New York City, five vegan restaurants possess Michelin stars – here’s what you need to know.

    Who says high-end can’t be climate-conscious and ethical?

    Across the world, more and more restaurants are greenifying their menus to align with sustainability and animal welfare. It’s a movement that has reached the upper echelons of tweezer cuisine, with Michelin – the tyre manufacturer famous for its food recommendations – increasingly recognising eateries that do their bit for the planet.

    To that end, the company introduced the Michelin Green Star with the 2021 guide, rewarding restaurants that go all-in on sustainability, whether that’s to do with their sourcing and suppliers, food waste, and material use. Today, 611 restaurants have a Michelin Green Star.

    When it comes to the original stars, though, that honour remains largely elusive for restaurants championing plants. New York’s Dirt Candy and Madrid’s El Invernadero are the only vegetarian restaurants with a Michelin star (each has one star).

    Meanwhile, eight fully vegan restaurants have been designated as Bib Gourmand (recognised for good quality and value), and another 19 are “selected” (honoured for good cooking). Only five fully vegan eateries have a Michelin star, with just one sporting all three. Below we list them out.

    Eleven Madison Park – 3 Michelin Stars

    Location: New York City, US
    Michelin stars: 3, since 2012 (retained as a vegan restaurant in 2022)

    Perhaps the most famous vegan eatery on the planet now, Eleven Madison Park has a storied history. It made its name as the world’s best restaurant with meat-heavy delicacies like its honey lavender duck, but chef-owner Daniel Humm’s mid-pandemic realisation – that business as usual in the food system isn’t sustainable – led to a complete 180 for the New York City establishment.

    Always at the forefront of innovation, Humm reopened Eleven Madison Park as a plant-based restaurant in 2021 and retained the three Michelin stars it has held since 2012 a year later. It operates three “hyper-seasonal” menus ranging from four to nine courses and priced between $225 and $365, with current dishes including tonburi with leeks and avocado, and agedashi tofu with brussel sprouts and basil.

    De Nieuwe Winkel – 2 Michelin Stars

    Location: Nijmegen, Netherlands
    Michelin stars: 2, since 2022

    de nieuwe winkel
    Courtesy: De Nieuwe Winkel

    Led by chef Emile van der Staak, De Nieuwe Winkel has been around since 2011 and is the only other vegan restaurant with two Michelin stars. Translated as ‘The New Shop’, its ethos lies in “botanical gastronomy” – it looks for applications for edible plants from around the world. In addition, it possesses a Michelin Green star too.

    The establishment has three seasonal menus: Awakening (for spring), Growth (summer to fall), and Abundance (for winter), all of which cost €195 – think dishes like a sunflower seed risotto, crispy seaweed with scoby, and a chestnut waffle with nut pâté. In addition to its alcohol pairing, it offers non-alcoholic botanical drinks too.

    Seven Swans – 1 Michelin Star

    Location: Frankfurt, Germany
    Michelin stars: 1, since 2015 (retained as a vegan restaurant in 2019)

    seven swans frankfurt
    Courtesy: Seven Swans

    Seven Swans gained fame as a vegetarian Michelin-star restaurant before Ricky Saward joined in 2018. As head chef, he cooked exclusively vegan food without publicly declaring it, which prompted him to make the move official. In 2019, the eatery retained its single Michelin star.

    The restaurant is all about permaculture – using locally and sustainably grown produce, often from its own garden. Seven Swans offers three a seven-course menu priced at €189 (with both alcoholic and non-alcoholic drink pairings) and has a Michelin Green Star as well.

    KLE – 1 Michelin Star

    Location: Zurich, Switzerland
    Michelin stars: 1, since 2023

    vegan michelin star
    Courtesy: KLE

    A dinner-only venue, KLE is a pub-style eatery championing Moroccan and Mexican flavours, drawing inspiration from chef-owner Zineb (Zizi) Hattab’s life. It gained a Michelin star in 2023 and serves modern cuisine with an emphasis on regionality and sustainability.

    KLE offers three tasting menus (from four to six courses), priced between 109 and 134 francs. Hattab only decided to make the restaurant plant-based a month before opening and serves dishes like Tortellini alla Panna, Kentucky Fried Mushroom, New York-style hot dogs, and more. It also has the Michelin Green star.

    Plates London – 1 Michelin Star

    Location: London, UK
    Michelin stars: 1, since 2025

    plates london
    Courtesy: Plates London

    The newest entrant on the list, Plates London is owned by siblings Kirk and Keeley Haworth and won its Michelin star just months after reopening in its current location in Shoreditch. Kirk, who has worked at legendary establishments like The French Laundry and Pied à Terre, turned to a plant-based diet after being diagnosed with Lyme disease in 2016. But he doesn’t want to be stuck with the word ‘vegan’, instead, he makes plants sing for themselves.

    The £75, seven-course menu – which officially makes it the cheapest place to eat Michelin-starred vegan food – comprises dishes like barbecued maitake mushrooms with black bean mole, a mung bean and urad dal lasagna, and a raw cacao gateau with coconut blossom ice cream.

    The post Plants on the Map: The 5 Vegan Michelin Star Restaurants Around the World appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • Protein Politics: An ‘Anti-Vegan Backlash’ Is Brewing. Why?

    anti-vegan backlash
    7 Mins Read

    Some headline writers and critics suggest an “anti-vegan backlash” is growing – protein and politics are key factors, but these narratives are missing the point.

    Veganism is dead, long live veganism!

    This month, the Daily Telegraph and Financial Times both suggested that an “anti-vegan backlash” has begun, one that has “made Britain fall back in love with meat” and is a clapback from carnivores. In response, The Spectator came out with its own take: “Blame vegans for the ‘anti-vegan backlash’.”

    It comes just as research shows that the popularity of veganism today has “returned to pre-2020 levels”, according to food magazine Chef’s Pencil.

    That assertion is based on Google Trends data, which found that the searches for related topics fell to levels last seen in 2016. Social media analysis also showed that the Instagram account for Veganuary witnessed a “dramatic slowdown in growth” from 49,600 new followers in January 2020 to just 5,500 in January 2025.

    is veganism declining
    Courtesy: Chef’s Pencil

    To make matters worse, sales of plant-based meat fell by 9% between July 2023 and 2024 in the US (though it’s still selling better than pre-pandemic levels), and 7% in the UK. And yes, a host of vegan restaurants have closed, including those owned or backed by celebrities, while others have put meat on their menu and then closed.

    Moreover, investment in plant-based startups is down. Compared to 2022, when vegan companies raised $1.2B, venture capital flowing into this category has fallen by 74%, attracting just $309M last year.

    So how have we got to this point? And is it truly all over for vegans?

    People seem to want more protein, and not from plants

    non upf foods
    Graphic by Green Queen Media & Robbie Lockie.

    One of the biggest criticisms of vegan meat alternative products today is that they’re processed. The same way hot dogs and whiskey are.

    In the US, 73% of the food supply is made up of ultra-processed foods (UPF), contributing to 60% of the country’s calorie consumption. Plant-based meat has suffered due to its classification as a UPF, even though the real problem lies with fizzy drinks, sugary bakes, and salty snacks.

    But as Americans try to eat healthier in the Ozempic era, questions about the health impacts of meat alternatives are louder than ever – however unfounded they may be.

    Then there’s the protein brigade. For as long as they’ve been around, plant-based products have been attacked for not having enough protein. It doesn’t matter that most meat analogues actually match the protein levels of the products they’re trying to replace, and some overtake them.

    Americans already eat too much meat – red meat consumption alone is 10 times higher than what scientists recommend. In fact, most of the Global North does. At the same time, we’re not eating enough fibre, a crucial nutrient for the gut microbiome and overall wellness (which conveniently, many plant-based meat products have in spades, along with equivalent amounts of protein). For some reason, though, we want more protein than ever.

    eat lancet meat
    Courtesy: Madre Brava/Profundo

    In 2024, protein was the nutrient Americans were most interested in consuming, as cited by 71% of respondents to a large survey. However, we’re not turning to plants for this – instead, online influencers have us gorging on meat, raw milk, and beef tallow.

    In the UK, too, more youngsters are increasing their meat intake (19%) than reducing it (16%) – despite half of them acknowledging that it causes harm to the planet. Meanwhile, only 45% of Brits say they trust plant-based proteins.

    Across Europe, less than one in five people (18%) avoid animal products. And moving forward, only a quarter would like to phase out meat and dairy, while 12% would like to increase their consumption.

    We’re eating crisps made from chicken breast, tortilla chips fried in tallow, shakes containing bone broth, and unpasteurised milk. And we’re doing so in the name of freedom and nutrition, it seems – despite experts warning about bird flu, saturated fat intake, and fibre deficiencies.

    Politics plays its part

    elon musk meat
    Courtesy: Wikimedia Commons/CC | Composite by Green Queen

    Spearheaded by figures like Elon Musk – never one to shy away from a culture war – the pro-meat movement is reflective of the larger political landscape, one where wokeism is unwelcome and DEI policies are blamed for plane crashes.

    But it’s not just alpha males and ultra-masculine gym bros who are leading the carnivorous diet charge – women from their late 20s to early 40s make up the majority of the market for brands like Equip Foods, which sells products like grass-fed beef protein and colostrum gummies, as per the Financial Times.

    Then there’s the backlash against climate change. With President Donald Trump back in the White House, the US is once again pulling out of the Paris Agreement, which should come as no surprise given that the climate-denying president did so in his first term too. Moreover, Trump has demanded all mentions of the climate crisis be scrubbed from government websites.

    He may be flanked by former environmentalists in Musk and Robert F Kennedy Jr, but these two are figureheads for the people who’ve put personal power over the planet. The former has raised doubts over the scientifically established climate harms of animal agriculture and added information from a climate alarmism think tank on his Department of Government Efficiency website. The latter, now the health secretary, has railed against “fake meat” products despite their environmental superiority.

    It aligns with the narrative pedalled by the meat industry, which would have you believe that plant-based food isn’t sustainable, despite animal agriculture accounting for up to a fifth of global emissions. In addition, the meat lobby will dupe you into thinking that overlong ingredient lists are 1. universally bad (they’re not) and 2. only found in vegan products (they’re not).

    Vegan numbers have remained steady, and it’s not all about diet

    These arguments have been successful in turning people against and away from meat alternatives, gutting sales and sometimes entire businesses. But it doesn’t mean veganism is dead.

    “We are definitely in an adjustment phase. Health-conscious consumers are also seeking less processed meat alternatives, so we are seeing natural protein sources such as tofu, tempeh, chickpeas, and lentils grow in popularity,” Toni Vernelli, Veganuary’s head of communication and policy engagement, told Chef’s Pencil.

    That’s just it though – plant-based isn’t all about meat analogues. Heck, these products aren’t even the largest part of the market. That distinction goes to non-dairy milk, which is bought by nearly half (44%) of homes in America, and over 35% in Germany and the UK.

    And in any case, vegan population numbers have remained steady over the years. In the UK – where these headlines have originated from – between 2-3% of consumers say they follow a vegan diet, a trend that has been consistent since 2019, according to YouGov surveys. Government data, meanwhile, puts this at 1.5%, according to The Vegan Society.

    number of vegans
    Courtesy: YouGov

    Veganism has been growing in Asia too. In 2021, a tenth of Indians identified as vegan, and this has remained steady this year too. Similarly, the number of vegans in Singapore has grown from 7% in 2020 to 9% today.

    But perhaps the most crucial misconception of this argument is that veganism is all about diet – it’s not. Veganism is, as The Vegan Society explains, a “philosophy and way of living” that excludes all forms of animal exploitation – for food, clothing and other purposes.

    It’s why we see companies making animal-free leather and silk, cruelty-free cosmetics, and vegan toothpaste and shampoos. Veganism isn’t dead – if it were, investors and companies wouldn’t still be spending hundreds of millions of dollars on these products.

    Most of the population may not change their way of living. But as media investigations and social media continue to shine a harsh light on how we treat animals – which remains shocking, cruel and inhumane – and the true environmental impact of farming them, it’s likely the philosophy of veganism will continue to attract adherents.

    The post Protein Politics: An ‘Anti-Vegan Backlash’ Is Brewing. Why? appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • 10 Ways ChatGPT Can Revolutionize Your Vegan Life (For Free!)

    Did you know ChatGPT can be used for vegan inspiration without downloading anything? For free? It’s true! Whether you’re a seasoned vegan or a veggie spout (welcome!), AI can help you simplify your life—from meal planning to advocating for animals—all while keeping kindness at the forefront.

    Here are some fun yet practical ways to make the most of this tool—complete with customizable templates!

    How to Use These Templates

    1. Copy it and paste it into ChatGPT.
    2. Replace the placeholders in brackets with your own preferences, needs, or details.

    Vegan Food Hacks:

    `1. Meal Planning Made Simple 

      Low-fat? Protein-packed? Super-dooper-easy meals? Plug in your preferences and let AI do the rest. What a time to be alive!

      Template:

      “Please create a [low-fat/high-protein/easy] vegan meal plan for [a day/2 weeks]? I want recipes with [ingredient preferences, like tofu, chickpeas, or spinach] and no [allergies or dislikes, like gluten or nuts]. Include a shopping list.”

      Example Prompt:

      “Can you create a high-protein vegan meal plan for 3 days? I love lentils and quinoa but can’t eat soy. Include a shopping list.”

      2. Customized Grocery Lists

        On a budget? Picky eater? Ask ChatGPT to create a grocery list tailored just for you.

        Template:

        “Make me a grocery list for [X meals or recipes], keeping it vegan. I’d like to focus on [budget-friendly/organic/local/kid-approved] ingredients.”

        Example Prompt:

        “Can you create a vegan grocery list for three budget-friendly meals?”

        3. Party Like a Vegan Rockstar

          Throwing a vegan dinner party or attending a potluck? ChatGPT can help you plan a menu that wows your guests and helps animals at the same time.

          Template:

          “Help me create a vegan party menu with [X courses, like appetizers, mains, and desserts]. Keep it [easy to prepare/gourmet/kid-friendly]. Include recipes and a shopping list.”

          Example Prompt:

          “Can you help me create a vegan dinner party menu with an appetizer, main dish, and dessert? I’d like easy-to-make recipes.”

          4. Explore Global Vegan Cuisine

            Get a passport for your tastebuds! ChatGPT can introduce you to recipes from different cultures, all while respecting animals.

            Template:

            “Suggest some vegan recipes inspired by [specific cuisines, like Thai, Ethiopian, or Mexican]. I’d like them to be [ sy/authentic/spicy].”

            Example Prompt:

            “Can you suggest some easy vegan recipes inspired by Ethiopian cuisine?”

            5. Baking Without Stress

              Love baking but hate complicated recipes? Let ChatGPT find you simple vegan treats that everyone will love.

              Template:

              “Please find me an easy vegan recipe for [cookies/cakes/brownies]? I’d like it to include [specific ingredients, like chocolate or bananas].”

              Example Prompt:

              “Can you find me an easy vegan brownie recipe with dairy-free chocolate chips?”

              6. Plan Animal-Friendly Holidays

                If you’re feeling uninspired but are on the docket to host, fear not. ChatGPT to the rescue!

                Template:

                “I’m hosting [Christmas/Halloween/4th of July] this year. Can you help me plan a vegan menu, suggest centerpiece ideas, and recommend cruelty-free gifts?” 

                Example prompt:

                “Help me plan a vegan Thanksgiving with recipes, decorations, and gift ideas.”

                Beyond Food:

                7. Weekend Animal-Friendly Fun

                  Looking for fun, cruelty-free ways to spend your weekend? ChatGPT can help you find activities that don’t involve exploiting animals.

                  Template:

                  “What animal-friendly activities can I do in [your city/state]? I’m looking for [something my grandchildren would love/volunteer opportunities/indoor activities].”

                  Example Prompt:

                  “Can you suggest some animal-friendly activities near Valparaiso, Indiana, that I can enjoy this weekend?”

                  8. Advocate for Animals

                  Whether writing a letter to a company or crafting a social media post, ChatGPT can help you change hearts and minds. But make sure to fact-check and write it in your own words! And check out PETA’s Guide to Letter Writing.

                  Template:

                  “Help me write a [letter/social media post] advocating for [a specific cause, like vegan options at a restaurant or animal-friendly legislation]. Keep it positive and persuasive.”

                  Example Prompt:

                  “Can you help me write a letter to my local coffee shop asking them to add more vegan milk options? Keep it friendly and persuasive.”

                  9. Campaign Idea Brainstorm

                    Generate creative ideas for animal rights campaigns to raise awareness about specific issues. And while you’re at it, join PETA’s Action Team. PETA’s Action Team helps you advocate for animals with free resources, campaign updates, and invitations to local protests.

                    Template: “Brainstorm creative campaign ideas for raising awareness about [specific issue, e.g., fur farming, animal testing, or factory farming]. Include slogans, event concepts, or outreach methods.”

                    Example Prompt: “I need creative campaign ideas to promote the message that animal testing is outdated and cruel.”

                    10. Speciesism Discussion Starters

                      It helps to have some responses in mind in case someone asks you about vegan living. Who knows, you could inspire someone to ditch animal-derived foods!

                      Template: [Give me a PETA-style conversation starter for discussing speciesism in a respectful and informative way.]

                      Example Prompt: “How can I explain the concept of speciesism to someone who thinks animals are here for humans to use? Provide kind but impactful examples and facts.”

                      So go ahead and let ChatGPT inspire you. It’s like having a vegan sidekick who’s always ready to help. And hey, with all the extra time you saved, will you please speak up for animals by urging the Taiwanese Government to Ban Animal Experiments in Food and Beverage Testing?

                      Taiwan is so close to making a compassionate move by ending a cruel test on mice and rats used to back questionable bone health claims for food and drinks. Let’s rally together to support this compassionate step forward and urge the government to end this unnecessary and deadly practice.

                      Take Action!

                      The post 10 Ways ChatGPT Can Revolutionize Your Vegan Life (For Free!) appeared first on PETA.

                      This post was originally published on Animal Rights and Campaign News | PETA.

                    1. ‘Moove’ Aside, Big Dairy! Dunkin’ Just Ditched Its Unjust Vegan Milk Upcharge

                      Great news for cows and compassionate coffee lovers! Coffee giant Dunkin’ —the second largest coffee chain in the world—announced that it will stop charging extra for vegan milks at all of its U.S. locations starting on March 5, 2025. This victory comes after a push from PETA and tens of thousands of our kind supporters, who helped us urge the company to kick the unfair upcharge to the curb.

                      dunkin' oat milk latte

                      Dunkin’ is the fifth major coffee chain to get on board with fair pricing for animal-friendly options in recent months. It follows Scooter’s Coffee, Tim Hortons, Dutch Bros Coffee, and Starbucks, which all dropped the upcharge after hearing from PETA and our supporters.

                      Why Dunkin’ Ditching the Vegan Upcharge Is Better for Animals, the Planet, and Consumers

                      Charging extra for vegan milks discourages consumers from choosing kind and more sustainable options, thus propping up the cruel dairy industry. Cows have deep maternal instincts and, like all mothers, produce milk only to feed their babies. On dairy farms, workers manually impregnate mother cows by force and tear their precious babies from them. Cows are sent to slaughter when the dairy industry can no longer exploit them for their milk.

                      The production of dairy products also contributes significantly to greenhouse gas emissions, deforestation, and water scarcity. Cows in the dairy industry belch out massive amounts of methane. This potent greenhouse gas traps heat in the atmosphere, fueling the climate catastrophe.

                      Plus, vegan milk upcharges are discriminatory toward customers who are lactose intolerant—which disproportionately affects people of color. They also penalize conscious consumers who prefer vegan milks for ethical or environmental reasons. Customers shouldn’t be punished for keeping cruelty out of their cups, caring about the environment, or protecting their health—and thanks to Dunkin’ and many other major coffee chains, we’re one step closer to a fee-free future. Help us by urging Peet’s Coffee, the last major holdout, to follow suit:

                      Tell Peet’s to Drop Unjust Upcharges!

                      Mother cow with her baby

                      Don’t Stop at Vegan Lattes

                      Our fellow animals are unique individuals who can feel love, pain, and fear—they do not want to be exploited for their milk or any other reason. YOU can help sensitive cows, pigs, birds, and other animals who suffer on farms and at slaughterhouses by going vegan. Living vegan comes with a whole latte benefits: you can spare nearly 200 animals yearly, dramatically shrink your environmental footprint, and boost your health. Order PETA’s free vegan starter kit to make the compassionate switch today!

                      go vegan!

                      The post ‘Moove’ Aside, Big Dairy! Dunkin’ Just Ditched Its Unjust Vegan Milk Upcharge appeared first on PETA.

                      This post was originally published on Animal Rights and Campaign News | PETA.

                    2. Future Food Quick Bites: Vegan Dubai Chocolate, Impossible BrewDog & Non-Dairy Liqueurs

                      vegan dubai chocolate
                      5 Mins Read

                      Our weekly column rounds up the latest sustainable food innovation news. This week, Future Food Quick Bites covers NotCo’s Dubai chocolate, BrewDog’s collaboration with Impossible Foods, and new products at Expo West.

                      New products and launches

                      Chilean AI-led food tech player NotCo has released Dubai Style NotSquare, a vegan version of the viral pistachio-kunafa-filled chocolate bar.

                      notco dubai chocolate
                      Courtesy: Matias Muchnick/LinkedIn

                      Scottish pub chain BrewDog has partnered with Impossible Foods to introduce a vegan chicken menu across 48 UK locations, which includes cheeseburgers and tacos made from the latter’s Chicken FIllets, as well as nuggets. The limited-edition menu is running until the end of March.

                      UK oat milk chocolate maker Happi has rolled out Salted Honeycomb and Cherry & Almond Easter eggs, which contain 35% less sugar than mass-market brands and are available at Waitrose and other retailers for £11.99 per 155g egg.

                      British sports nutrition brand Myprotein has launched a caramel-pecan flavour of its double-dough brownie in collaboration with Hotel Chocolat. It’s available on its website for £25.99 for a box of 12.

                      vegan cream liqueur
                      Courtesy: Continental Wine & Food

                      Yorkshire-based Continental Wine & Food has launched Lacey’s Vodkashake, a line of dairy-free cream liqueurs available in strawberry and banana flavours. Inspired by 1950s-style American diner milkshakes, the 15% ABV product is stocked at 500 B&M stores, retailing for £12 per 70cl bottle.

                      Elsewhere, Indian plant-based meat brand GoodDot has obtained a listing at Australian health food store Wholefood Merchants.

                      Also in Australia, Coyo has unveiled a dairy-free yoghurt line made with 74% oat milk and 17% coconut cream. They come in natural, vanilla bean, mango and strawberry flavours, and will be stocked at Woolworths and independent retailers nationwide starting March.

                      coyo vegan yogurt
                      Courtesy: Coyo

                      Amid the US egg shortage, UK startup Crackd – which makes the pourable vegan No-Egg Egg – is gearing up for a launch stateside, and will have a booth at Natural Products Expo West in Anaheim, California (March 5-7).

                      Also at Expo West, alt-dairy leader Elmhurst 1925 will debut three new products: unsweetened vanilla cashew milk, barista cashew milk, and unsweetened coconut-cashew barista milk.

                      colruyt vegan
                      Courtesy: Colruyt

                      And Belgian retailer Colruyt Group has launched Boni Plan’t, a plant-based brand under its Boni Selection private label. The move unites over 100 existing meat-free products under the new label, with several new items to be added in the coming months.

                      Company and finance updates

                      Swedish dairy giant Valio has acquired Raisio‘s plant protein business, which includes the Härkis and Beanit fava bean brands, for €7M. The deal will see 16 employees transferred to Valio.

                      After two years of tumult, Swedish oat milk giant Oatly reported a 5% hike in revenue for both Q4 and the full year of 2024, and expects 2025 to be its “first full year of profitable growth as a public company”.

                      nespresso oatly
                      Courtesy: Nespresso

                      In northern Spain, Hijos de Rivera, Inproteins and the Xunta de Galicia have invested €7.5M in a new plant protein manufacturing facility. The project will receive a total of €18M in funding, supported by the Galician Institute for Economic Promotion and Banco Sabadell.

                      In the UK, AI-driven meal-planning platform Remy has acquired Kitche, an app that helps prevent food waste at the household level.

                      Dutch cultivated pork producer Meatable hosted a cross-industry event with 80 stakeholders to discuss sustainable proteins and the future of food.

                      meatable
                      Courtesy: Meatable

                      Speaking of cellular agriculture, Singapore’s Umami Bioworks has introduced a cultivated seafood platform to address protein diversity in the pet food industry. It comes as the firm works with another startup to commercialise cat treats made with cultivated fish, and just after the first cultivated pet food launched in the UK earlier this month.

                      Policy developments

                      Californian alternative protein pioneer Eat Just and its cultivated meat subsidiary, Good Meat, have reached an “agreement in principle” to settle their legal dispute with bioreactor supplier ABEC.

                      singapore food safety bill
                      Courtesy: Eat Just

                      Israeli startup Yeap has announced that its upcycled yeast protein now meets EU regulatory requirements, paving the way for its market entry in the region.

                      The European Plant-Based Foods Association (formerly the European Natural Soyfood Association, or ENSA) has changed its name to Plant-Based Foods Europe to “better reflect the industry’s dynamic landscape”.

                      After more than 70 years, Humane Society International and the Humane Society of the United States have changed their name to Humane World for Animals, marking the occasion with a new ad campaign featuring Sia.

                      In a written submission, the UK government is being urged by The Vegan Society to raise awareness of vegans in the parliament to prevent harassment and bullying, as well as increase plant-based options for policymakers.

                      Finally, in New Zealand, the Vegan Society of Aotearoa and the New Zealand Vegetarian Society have handed in a petition to ban the misleading labelling of animal-free products, since there’s no legislation to determine what products qualify as vegan or vegetarian in the country.

                      Check out last week’s Future Food Quick Bites.

                      The post Future Food Quick Bites: Vegan Dubai Chocolate, Impossible BrewDog & Non-Dairy Liqueurs appeared first on Green Queen.

                      This post was originally published on Green Queen.

                    3. Regenerative Ag Isn’t Kind to Animals—But It Could Be. Here’s How

                      Is regenerative agriculture “sustainable” or just another way to exploit animals? First, let’s dive into what the buzzword regenerative agriculture means.

                      What Is Regenerative Agriculture?

                      Regenerative agriculture is a method of farming aimed at restoring the health of the land. Some techniques don’t use animals, like no-till farming. This method is entirely animal-free and increases water retention in the soil retains carbon and fosters the growth of beneficial microorganisms.

                      Two sets of human hands holding a bowl of tomatoes

                      But some techniques, like rotational grazing, use animals like cows or goats rotated across pastures. In other words, humans have found yet another way to exploit the animals they kill for profit. This method also relies on raising animals for food, which is cruel and devastating to the planet.

                      But don’t grazing animals fertilize the soil and help restore degraded land?

                      Animals in nature already do that without being bred, confined, and hacked into pieces. Rotational grazing also contributes to methane emissions and land use inefficiencies.

                      Vegetables in piles

                      Vegan farming can build soil health—without exploitation. But while we wait for vegan farming to catch on, we can all do our part today by ditching anything made from an animal.

                      Without animal poop, how would we fertilize the soil?

                      Cover crops, crop rotations, and compost all regenerate the soil without turning animals into “resources.” And let’s not forget—manure only has nutrients because animals eat plants. Why cycle nutrients through animals when plants provide them directly?

                      Why is going vegan more sustainable?

                      Of all the agricultural land in the U.S., 80% is used to raise animals for food and grow grain to feed them. Nearly half of all the water used in the U.S. goes to raising animals for food. This is beyond wasteful. Beans, lentils, and vegetables are nutrient-dense, resource-efficient, and don’t require suffering.

                      Why is going vegan the kindest way to farm?

                      Pigs are as intelligent as dogs, chickens cluck to their unhatched chicks, and cows form lifelong friendships. These animals have rich emotional lives and unique personalities. Yet billions of animals suffer when they are considered mere commodities.

                      Sad pig looking at camera

                      On today’s farms, mother pigs are trapped in crates so small they can’t turn around. Baby calves are torn from their mothers so humans can steal their milk. And chickens are bred to grow so unnaturally fast that their legs can’t carry themselves.  

                      Growing food without using animals in any way is the kindest way to farm.

                      Could regenerative agriculture make flesh, dairy, and eggs more sustainable?

                      Raising and killing animals for food will never be sustainable. It consumes vast resources while generating greenhouse gas emissions and pollution that devastate ecosystems and drive climate catastrophe. No tweaks in the system will change that.

                      So, watch out for misleading labels. Industries seeking to “greenwash” animal-derived ingredients, like “carbon-neutral burgers,” have co-opted the term “regenerative.” These claims mislead well-meaning customers.

                      Why going vegan is the only sustainable choice.

                      The only real way to reduce the environmental damage of animal agriculture and protect animals from cruelty is to go vegan. Researchers at the University of Oxford found that ditching meat and dairy can reduce one’s carbon footprint by up to 73%. Plus, each vegan spares nearly 200 animals from suffering every year.

                      Use vegan regenerative practices in your own garden!

                      • Plant-Based Compost: Turn kitchen scraps into rich, animal-free compost—no manure needed. 
                      • Cover Crops: Grow clover or beans to naturally replace soil nutrients between planting seasons. 
                      • No-Till Gardening: Skip digging to protect soil microbes and retain moisture. 
                      • Mulch: Use straw or wood chips to lock in water, keep weeds in check, and feed the soil.
                      • Animals Welcome: Plant native flowers to attract pollinators.

                      Help animals right now

                      Kind consumers can take steps to end this cruelty and the “humane” lies—first, by going vegan, and second, by making sure organizations know that you won’t support them until they end all their factory farm endorsements. Please sign PETA’s petition telling Humane Word for Animals (formerly Humane Society), the ASPCA, and Compassion in World Farming to resign from the Global Animal Partnership’s board of directors immediately and end their affiliation with the partnership and all factory farming of animals.

                      Take Action!

                      The post Regenerative Ag Isn’t Kind to Animals—But It Could Be. Here’s How appeared first on PETA.

                      This post was originally published on Animal Rights and Campaign News | PETA.

                    4. Most Consumers Hungry for Plant-Based Food, But High Prices Keep Them Away

                      plant based survey
                      5 Mins Read

                      Interest in eating more plant-based food is growing across the Global South, with high prices the biggest obstacle to increased consumption, according to a new study.

                      More than two-thirds (68%) of consumers across the world want to eat more plant-based food, with folks from countries in the Global South the most keen, according to a 31-nation study.

                      The sentiment is strongest in Vietnam, where over 90% of people express a growing appetite for plants, and which is followed by 11 other nations in the Global South. Conversely, the seven countries least interested in plant-based foods are all in the Global North, with Australia (40%) at the bottom.

                      plant based food consumption
                      Courtesy: EAT/GlobeScan

                      This is despite price being the top barrier to plant-based consumption in all regions, with 42% of global consumers finding these foods too expensive. It likely affected the three-point drop in frequent plant-based intake between 2023 and 2024, although these levels have remained largely stable over the last few years.

                      The Grains of Truth 2024 report was conducted by GlobeScan and the non-profit EAT, collecting representative online samples of over 30,000 consumers across the 31 countries.

                      Inflation cuts deep

                      plant based price parity
                      Courtesy: GFI

                      In the US, animal meat is 77% cheaper than plant-based alternatives on average; this gap expands to 104% when it comes to plant-based milk and 317% for eggs.

                      Experts have long argued that price parity is crucial for these products to compete in the market, but recent analysis shows that for true impact, they must undercut the cost of animal proteins.

                      According to a study published in December, if plant-based alternatives are more expensive than meat, their preference falls below 20%, and if they’re priced equally, this increases to 21%.

                      “Although barriers to plant-based food consumption differ around the world, price is the top barrier everywhere,” the authors of the Grains of Trust report write. This is an especially large concern in Europe and North America, where “even consumers who care about environmental sustainability often cannot afford plant-based foods regularly”.

                      Meanwhile, economic instability in regions like Latin America and Africa makes it harder for people to prioritise dietary changes amidst broader food security concerns.

                      Meat alternatives fail to impress

                      plant based barriers
                      Courtesy: EAT/GlobeScan

                      Aside from the cost, taste is the second largest hurdle to plant-based consumption, most important in North America (chosen by 45% of respondents). In Latin America, convenience trumps flavour, while health concerns aren’t a major concern – highlighting that most consumers recognise the nutritional benefits of plant-based food.

                      Likewise, health is still the top reason driving people to reduce meat, but this has weakened from 47% in 2020 to 41% in 2024. Financial considerations, meanwhile, have become more pertinent (from 12% to 17%).

                      And while a third (34%) of consumers would prefer plant-based alternatives over conventional meat – if they match the taste, nutrition and price – this has dropped from 42% in 2020. Latin Americans are the most open to meat analogues, but people in Australia, North America, and Europe show a strong preference for animal protein.

                      Broadly, too, frequent consumption of vegan or vegetarian food has decreased by at least five percentage points in the three largest markets: North America (now at 13%), Europe (18%), and Asia-Pacific (14%). Africa and the Middle East (38%) lead the way here.

                      plant based meat consumption
                      Courtesy: EAT/GlobeScan

                      Gen Z and millennials lead the protein transition

                      Nearly three-quarters (72%) of millennials – many of whom have young families now – want to eat more plant-based food, as do 69% of both Gen Z and Gen X consumers.

                      While the interest from young groups wouldn’t usually be surprising, it comes at a time when they’re returning to animal-based foods. Among 18- to 24-year-olds in the UK, for example, 19% are increasing their meat intake, while only 16% are cutting back, according to a separate poll.

                      gen z plant based food
                      Courtesy: EAT/GlobeScan

                      In this report too, frequent consumption of meat-free food dipped by more than five points among millennials in 2024. “Despite these generational differences, the data reveal a clear appetite for change – if the obstacles can be addressed,” the report notes.

                      “The plant-based food sector has made strides in developing new products, but more needs to be done to tackle the persistent concerns about flavour and texture, a prominent barrier to adopting more plant-based diets, especially for older people.”

                      Polluting food should be taxed, but meat reduction not a universal choice

                      vegan consumer trends
                      Courtesy: EAT/GlobeScan

                      Meanwhile, 86% of consumers across the world agree that carbon-heavy food should be taxed higher than low-impact options – while this would seem like an endorsement of meat taxes, only 69% of them believe it would be better if the world ate less meat. In fact, 11% completely disagreed with the idea that reducing meat consumption would be beneficial.

                      “Clear, transparent labelling and third-party certifications could help build confidence in the sustainability claims of plant-based products,” the authors state. “Investment in research and development coupled with a focus on cultural food preferences will be key to creating products that meet consumers’ tastes and expectations.”

                      They add: “By creating a clear link between plant-based eating and positive environmental and human health outcomes, brands and policymakers can encourage more consumers to make the switch.”

                      The post Most Consumers Hungry for Plant-Based Food, But High Prices Keep Them Away appeared first on Green Queen.

                      This post was originally published on Green Queen.