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Alt dairy giant Oatly plans new facilities in the US, UK, and China for 2023, as it expands its global manufacturing footprint to combat supply shortages and meet growing demand for plant-based milk.  On the company’s Q3 earnings call, COO Peter Bergh explained that the planned facilities will produce 450 million liters of Oatly milk products, and will bring more control to the company’s global operations as supply chain issues have halted growth recently. In addition, the company expects inflation to hit oat prices as poor harvest conditions in Canada affect supply.  The company has already opened three new facilities in Utah, Singapore, and China this year with 2023’s new Texas factory set to be the company’s biggest in North America. The world’s largest oat drink company has also announced plans to open a new research and innovation center at Lund University in Sweden. After its successful IPO and record-breaking Q2 results, Oatly has identified the need to bring more of its operative footprint under its own control as demand for plant-based milk skyrockets – particularly oat-based products – and is currently outstripping supply.  “We expect the geographical localization of our production capacity, including bringing more of the production in-house, to provide some offset to inflationary pressures,” explained CFO Christian Hanke.    ...

Heck Foods, specialist in gourmet sausages including a pea-based range and a veg-based line, widely available in mainstream UK retail, is in talks with cultured fat producer Ivy Farm for a partnership that could see cultivated Heck sausages in UK supermarkets at some stage in the near future, as first reported by The Grocer. As we revealed this May, Ivy Farm declared its intention to become the first commercial producer of sustainable, cultured meat in the UK. Co-founder Russ Tucker, originally from a family of butchers, stated at the time his plan to produce cultivated meat for retail and food service by 2023, beginning with sausages then moving into meatballs beefburgers, aiming to produce up to 12,000 tonnes of cultured pork per year by 2025. According to The Grocer, however, Heck co-founder Jamie Keeble stated it could take anything up to five years to put such products on shelves, while the UK and many other markets still await regulatory approval. The talks are reportedly part of Heck’s drive to move further towards flexitarian and climate conscious consumers. In a press release sent to vegconomist, Ivy Farms said earlier this year it “has ambitions to put Britain on the map in the emerging global industry by producing products made from meat that has been made without GM additives, antibiotics or the need to slaughter animals (beginning with a guilt-free sausage) for supermarkets and the restaurant trade from 2023.” ...

British skincare brand Facetheory has raised £10 million in a Series A funding round led by investment firm Active Partners. The brand will use the funding for R&D, market growth, and expanding its team. In just three years, Facetheory’s revenue has skyrocketed from £2 million to £15 million. The company now has over 350,000 customers and employs 60 staff members. Facetheory offers a wide range of vegan and cruelty-free products with natural ingredients. These include serums, sun cream, moisturisers, toners, and makeup. The vegan skincare market The market for plant-based skincare products is rising fast, projected to surpass a valuation of $683 million by the end of the year. Demand is being fuelled by rising economies such as China, India, and Brazil, as well as an increase in the number of working women worldwide. The development of new ingredients such as vegan collagen is also making it easier than ever for companies to offer cruelty-free skincare. “I founded Facetheory on the belief that consumers deserved better for their skin; better ingredients, better results and better prices. It’s been an incredible journey to date, and I’m so proud of the amazing community we have built so far from our home in South Yorkshire,” said Facetheory founder Jamie Shuker. ...

The top food trends for 2022 have been revealed in the latest Tastewise market trends report, with plant-based foods dominating the list. With health and sustainability considerations now playing the biggest role in the mainstream consumer outlook, foods like sea moss, oyster mushrooms, and edible flowers are topping the trend predictions.  The top US consumer trend prediction for 2022 is sea moss – the sustainable and nutritious ingredient often used as a thickening agent in food and beverage. Its high zinc and folate content boosts its reputation as a fertility-booster in women, with the data showing that functional health ingredients are here to stay. Sustainability is trending next at +24% 2YoY with a special interest in regenerative farming, habitat conservation, and carbon footprint. Consumers are also becoming more aware of greenwashing and fake sustainability news.  Micronutrients such as adaptogens, zinc, and electrolytes are emerging as key trends, with postbiotics and nootropics growing rapidly in the beverage industry.  Floral and zesty flavor profiles will dominate, particularly in gourmet settings, with florals like osmanthus and zesty flavors like yuzu trending strongly.  Next up is on the list of trends is King oyster mushrooms – the healthy mushroom being used as a key ingredient in the emerging alt seafood sector. Meaty, hearty, and a great canvas for flavor, the mushrooms have been used by Wicked Kitchen’s first-to-market vegan lamb and extensively by Belgium’s BonRill.   Authentic regional cuisine and sweet fusion flavor profiles are also on the rise, as well as mochi, the sweet Japanese rice-based treat, ...

DUBLIN–(BUSINESS WIRE)–The “Vegan Cat Food Market” report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com’s offering. This vegan cat food market report offers global industry analysis for 2016-2020 & opportunity assessment for 2021-2031. The report includes a market country analysis, technology roadmap analysis, demand-side and supply-side trends, opportunity assessment, and recommendations on the global vegan cat food market. It includes detailed analysis of the trends impacting the market and product innovations/developments, including vegan cat food-product developments relevant to nutraceuticals and food and beverages products. Based on product type, the vegan cat food market is segmented into kibble/dry (extruded, baked, coated) dehydrated food, treats and chews (pastes, Creams/cream snacks, crunchy snacks, chew sticks, tablets, biscuits) freeze-dried raw, wet food, frozen, powder, freeze-dried food. The report covers key trends and developments in the vegan cat food market and market attractiveness analysis based on product type. Based on distribution channel, the vegan cat food market is segmented into store-based retailing (hypermarkets/supermarkets, convenience stores, mom and pop stores, pet stores, discounters independent grocery retailers, drugstores, other retail formats) online retailers. This report also includes trade analysis of the top 10 producers of vegan cat food market by country. The trade analysis also includes the top 10 importing countries and top 10 exporting countries. Market Segmentation The global vegan cat food market is segmented as follows: By Product Type Kibble/Dry Extruded Baked Coated Dehydrated Food Treats and Chews Pastes Creams/Cream Snacks Crunchy Snacks Chew Sticks Tablets Biscuits Freeze-Dried Raw Wet Food Frozen Powder Freeze-Dried Food By Age Group ...

Veganuary 2022 backed by stars from across the globe, as campaign urges the public to “take climate action into your own hands”. Next year’s Veganuary campaign, which urges people to try a vegan diet for the month of January, will be supported by a huge lineup of celebrities. Actor Joanna Lumley and poet Benjamin Zephaniah will join New York mayor Eric Adams, renowned chef Matthew Kenney, and businesswoman Deborah Meaden of Dragons’ Den. All Veganuary participants will receive the campaign’s cookbook, which in 2022 will contain recipes from tennis player Venus Williams, ethologist Jane Goodall, musician Bryan Adams and more. Additionally, the campaign video will feature TV presenters Chris Packham and Jasmine Harman alongside soap stars Eva O’Hara and James Moore. The impact of Veganuary Following Veganuary 2021, 82% of participants reported that they had permanently reduced their meat consumption, with 30% remaining fully vegan and 68% reporting health improvements. This year’s campaign also saw a huge increase in vegan Deliveroo orders and sales of plant-based products in the UK. Restaurant chains such as Chiquito and Wagamama and brands like Heinz all launched new vegan products for the 2021 campaign, and companies such as confectionary brand Hancocks have already announced new vegan products for Veganuary 2022. “Veganuary’s mission is to make the world a kinder, safer, happier place for all, which makes their January campaign utterly irresistible,” said Joanna Lumley. “I’m in awe of every single person taking part for the climate, our rivers and oceans, forests and wild places, ...

Motif Foodworks, a Boston-based food technology company, today announced the launch of its HEMAMI heme ingredient following GRAS approval by the FDA. Motif’s revolutionary HEMAMI,  which is the company’s debut product, is now available for large-scale distribution. Motif Foodworks specializes in developing products that improve the taste and texture of plant-based foods. HEMAMI marks a major milestone for the plant-based industry as the only commercially available heme ingredient. While startups like Triton Algae and Yemoja have successfully experimented with algae-based heme in labs, those innovations have not yet hit the market. Heme: The Magical Ingredient Heme is the iron-bearing protein molecule scientists say provides meat with its meaty taste. Heme gained overnight fame, of course, as the star ingredient in the Impossible Burger, where it imparted both a realistic meaty flavor and vibrant red juices that appeared “bloody” when Impossible patties were cooked. Until now, heme represented Impossible Foods’ most closely-guarded flavor secret, and the $2 billion company held exclusive patent rights and knowledge on producing and commercializing it from soybeans.  With Motif Foodwork’s HEMAMI, plant-based companies can now access heme’s power to enhance the flavor and appeal of virtually any plant-based meat.  The importance of taste cannot be understated: According to Motif, while sales of meat alternative have grown by 23% in the last two years, taste remains a top reason people don’t purchase plant-based products. A study found two out of three Americans (67%) would choose more plant-based options over meat if those products tasted better.    The ...

In a highly interesting turn of events, Beyond Meat announces Tyson Foods veterans Doug Ramsey and Bernie Adcock will be joining the company as Chief Operating Officer and Chief Supply Chain Officer, respectively. The move marks a stunning reversal for Beyond Meat, which famously cut ties with Tyson just before the company’s 2019 IPO.  Though the reasons for the companies’ initial split remain unclear, the executive hires signal Beyond Meat is ready to begin a new chapter, and possibly rebuild some form of relationship with Tyson, the world’s second-largest meat processor. Beyond Meat states it is preparing to intensively scale up production of plant-based meat across the US, EU and China. As new members of Beyond Meat’s executive team, Ramsey and Adcock each bring decades of leadership experience at Tyson, and will help grow Beyond Meat’s operations, supply chain, and manufacturing as the company works to reduce costs.  A Tale of Two Brands The latest hires come at a time when Beyond Meat has seen significant growth, having launched a dozen new products, and in just two years has signed partnerships with PepsiCo and Yum! Brands. Tyson Foods, meanwhile, also created its own line of pea protein-based chicken nuggets. In the years prior to Beyond Meat’s massive IPO, Tyson was instrumental in expanding the brand’s distribution to thousands of stores, and the two companies seemed to have enjoyed a highly effective relationship. “I could not be more thrilled to announce the arrival of Doug Ramsey and Bernie Adcock at Beyond ...

Bolt Threads shot to fame in the fashion world with its innovative alt leather product Mylo, the “unleather” gloriously made from mycelium fungal structures, and recently received a prestigious vegan certification. “We at Bolt Threads are proud to be leading the movement to create these necessary alternatives to traditional materials using advanced science and bio-based solutions.” Following a recently formed consortium of iconic companies including Adidas, Kering, Lululemon, and Stella McCartney, Mylo mushroom unleather continues to hit the shelves and catwalks globally with many more to be announced soon. As Bolt Threads looks to expand and scale the reach of Mylo, the company has announced a new collaboration with fashion house Ganni to create Mylo-based products as part of a 2022 collection, with Ganni committing to end the use of virgin leather in footwear and accessories by 2023. With Bolt Threads and Mylo going from strength to strength, vegconomist was delighted to finally speak with Bolt Threads CEO Dan Widmaier.  What is Bolt Threads and what do you make? Bolt Threads is a material solutions company based out of Emeryville, California. We are a team of scientists and engineers working to design more sustainable versions of the materials people already know and love. Our mission is to create way better materials for a way better world, and one of the ways we have brought this idea to life is through creating Mylo™, a mycelium-based alternative to animal and synthetic leathers. “Our mission is to create way better materials for a ...

Craft chocolate company Tcho (pronounced “cho”) announced it will replace dairy milk with plant-based alternatives in all of the company’s products by 2023, making it one of the first chocolate makers to go completely plant-based.  Tcho’s re-branding kicks off with a new line of six chocolate bars debuting across the company’s retail line and on Tcho.com. The square-shaped, colorfully packaged bars are priced at $5.99 each and will eventually replace all of the company’s dairy chocolate: TOFFEE TIME — Made with cashew butter, coconut sugar, oat milk, cacao, and vegan toffee pieces. AWW NUTS! — A dark chocolate bar filled with almond butter. CHOCO LATTÉ — A coffee truffle filled with oat milk chocolate and organic coffee beans. HOLY FUDGE — A dark chocolate bar with a fudgy center. BORN FRUITY — An organic dark chocolate bar with fruity notes. DARK DUO — An outer shell of chocolate filled with fruity cacao. Tcho also sells premium foodservice chocolate that is already dairy-free, including cacao nibs, bittersweet baking chocolate and cocoa powder.  Sustainable Vegan Chocolate  With the plant-based re-design, Tcho says the company’s products are now Certified Fair Trade, Certified Organic, vegan, gluten-free and kosher. In September 2021, the company earned Certified B Corp status for its dedication to sustainability, such as using recyclable cartons and post-consumer wrapping to package the company’s chocolate.  “Reducing our reliance on dairy is one of the quickest ways TCHO can lighten our impact on the environment. While this will not be an easy transition for ...