vegconomist - the vegan business magazine

As National Pizza Week starts in the UK, The Pizza, Pasta & Italian Food Association has revealed the increase of vegan orders from one of its members; Papa John’s. The international pizza chain has shown an 81% rise in orders of its plant-based pizzas, from 2019 to 2020, while data shows a 154% rise in plant-based side dish orders. Papa John’s now has over 500 vegan-friendly stores across the country, with six vegan pizza options, with this total continually rising due to demand. Side dishes include crispy “Not-Chicken” Vegan Bites and Vegan Cheese Potato Tots, Cauliflower Wings and even ‘love it or hate it’ Vegan Cheese & Marmite® Scrolls.   “It’s fantastic to see demand for vegan food continue to grow every year, largely driven by the incredible range of plant-based dishes available now to consumers,” commented Giles Codd, Senior Marketing Director at Papa John’s UK. “With recipe innovation at our core, we’re proud to offer such a wide selection of award-winning vegan products in our stores, including pizzas, sides, dips, and desserts. We’re also the only takeaway pizza chain to offer a Vegan Cheese Stuffed Crust, something’s that’s proving popular with our customers!” he added.    ...

Animal rights group PETA and The LIVEKINDLY Collective have joined forces for a campaign urging consumers to avoid sheep’s wool over the festive season. The campaign involves a short film featuring Florence, a cartoon lamb drawn by renowned Dutch artist Toon van Driel. Florence is one of Driel’s Kind Heroes, a collection of animal characters created in collaboration with LIVEKINDLY. In the cartoons, the Kind Heroes take action to save themselves and other animals from being hurt. PETA’s new campaign shows Florence having her wool sheared by a farmer and taking revenge by stealing it back. The short film is available to view on YouTube. Click here to display content from YouTube.Learn more in YouTube’s privacy policy. Always display content from YouTube As demand for animal-free wool increases, a growing number of companies are developing innovative new alternatives. For example, the startup Furoid SE is producing cultivated wool and fur from cells, while Japanese company Spiber uses precision fermentation to produce wool and a range of other traditionally animal-derived materials. These fabrics are biodegradable, eliminating concerns about the use of plastics in faux fur. “We inspire people to experience the joy of plant-based living with our food brands, but also to upgrade their habits and adapt conscious living with our lifestyle platform, LIVEKINDLY, and with the Kind Heroes series,” said Mick van Ettinger, Chief Marketing Officer at the LIVEKINDLY Collective. “Through this collaboration with PETA UK, we extend the message to say ‘don’t wear animals’, by highlighting the challenges of ...

A new coalition government was recently formed in Germany between the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD), Alliance 90/The Greens, and the Free Democrats (FDP). In a first for the country, the 2021-2025 coalition agreement signed by the parties includes a commitment to promote and advocate for alt-protein products. “We will strengthen plant-based alternatives and advocate for the approval of innovations such as alternative protein sources and meat substitute products in the EU,” says the agreement in the chapter on nutrition. This statement has been hailed as the first time plant-based nutrition has officially been on the agenda in German federal politics. Government support for alt-proteins Governments worldwide are increasingly recognising that alt-proteins are an important part of the transition to a more sustainable food system. Earlier this year, the Croatian government backed a plan to increase the production of plant-based foods, while 70% of Dutch people said they supported government intervention to reduce meat consumption. At the beginning of 2021, the Spanish government invested in cultivated meat, while Denmark’s government released guidelines advising individuals on how to reduce their carbon footprint through dietary changes. Progress is also being made in Asia, where the Chinese government has awarded grants to alt-protein companies and is attempting to slash meat consumption by 50%. “There is a lot to gain on the green account if you think about the climate when you eat,” said the Danish Minister for Climate, Energy, and Utilities, Dan Jørgensen. “It’s not necessarily about completely changing your diet. Even ...

Perfeggt announces it has closed its first financing round at more than 2.8 million USD (2.5 million EUR) for its chickenless egg product. Its first iteration consists of a “complex, plant-based system” including the increasingly popular fava bean, that can be prepared scrambled or as an omelette. “We expect Perfeggt to quickly gain significant market share and reach high, sustainable growth with continuous product innovation in the coming years.”  Prominent and prolific investors in the round included EVIG Group, Stray Dog Capital, E²JDJ, Tet Ventures, Good Seed Ventures, Sustainable Food Ventures and Shio Capital. The Berlin-based company’s debut product will initially launch early next year in Germany, Switzerland and Austria markets with further European markets to follow. Tanja Bogumil, CEO of Perfeggt, states: “With Perfeggt, we are offering a real alternative for one of the most popular animal proteins in the world. We’re more than convinced that it’s about time to rethink the egg as part of our daily diet with plant-based proteins and data-driven technology.”  Bernd Becker, Perfeggt’s Chief Product Officer, headed R&D for 25 years for Rügenwalder Mühl, the market leader in vegetarian and vegan meat alternatives in Germany. Becker states: “We are aware that taste and texture are key. That is why we are laser-focused on matching the right plant-based proteins and lipids that allow us to replicate the exceedingly complex multifunctional and versatile characteristics of an egg and its indistinguishable taste.” Perfeggt is supported by company builder EVIG, specialising in building science-driven startups disrupting the food ...

Vegan pet-food and petcare brand HOWND has announced a new partnership with Forest Green Rovers football club. Dubbed by FIFA as “the world’s greenest football club”, Forest Green Rovers has named HOWND as its official vegan pet food partner in yet another example of the plant-based economy in action. Starting its journey to become the world’s first carbon-neutral football club in 2010, Forest Green provides an entirely vegan menu for players and fans, as well as using solar panels, water recycling, and an organic pitch amongst other innovations. The Gloucestershire-based club – currently top of league two – boasts a host of eco-friendly and vegan partners including Oatly, Quorn, Sheese, Faith in Nature, as well as non-profit Sea Shepherd. The award-winning plant-based pet-food brand HOWND will work together with the football club to advertise the benefits of plant-based options for pets through matchday advertising and brand partnerships during the season. Founded in 2015, HOWND recently introduced the “world’s first” plant-based porridge for dogs and is working to show how dogs are obligate omnivores, like human beings, and can thrive on a vegan diet. “I have no doubt that football and pets will be closely ranked in terms of importance to our fans – and football fans in general. So, bringing a company like HOWND into our partnership mix, who focus on pet food that is both planet-friendly and healthy, was an obvious partnership for us – we look forward to seeing it evolve over the seasons”, commented Henry Staelens, CEO ...

Christmas would not be Christmas without a mince pie. Historically, mince pies contained minced meat along with festive fruits and spices – hence the name – but the modern mince pie is thankfully meat-free. However, most mince pies on the supermarket shelves are still not vegan-friendly, often containing butter, milk, or egg.  Vegan mince pies first hit the mainstream in 2017, with UK supermarket Asda the first to launch its own brand plant-based version with dairy-free pastry. Over the following years, other major UK supermarket brands have released their own vegan versions of the Christmas treat.  According to research by Money.co.uk, Tesco Plant Chef Mince Pies are the best value from the big supermarkets, with each pie costing 21p each. Aldi Free From Mince Pies and Sainsbury’s Free From Mince Pies come in second and third, at 34p and 38p respectively. Of all the supermarkets analysed, M&S Plant Kitchen Mince Pies contained the most calories, at 241 calories per pie. Waitrose FF Mince Pies boasted the lowest sugar count at 12.3g, less half the amount of the M&S version, while Morrisons Free From Mince Pies contained the least amount of calories, at 211 per pie.  Interestingly, while the research acknowledges the rise in veganism and demand for plant-based products, it does show that the average cost per vegan mince pie is 44p, almost double the cost of the average conventional option from the same retailers.  ...

Violife, the UK’s leading vegan cheese brand, has launched two new flavours in time for the festive season — Tex Mex Flavour Grated and round Mozzarella Flavour Slices. The spicy Tex Mex Flavour is ideal for dishes like chilli and fajitas, while the Mozzarella Flavour slices can be used in a sandwich or salad and are said to stretch like conventional mozzarella. Both flavours are now available at Waitrose, retailing at £2.65. Violife has also recently launched the Le Rond Camembert Flavour cheese, which can be baked, fried, or microwaved, and comes with a leaflet of suggested recipes. Additionally, the brand is offering a festive vegan cheese selection box featuring four flavours — Mozzarella Flavour With Cranberry, EPIC Mature Cheddar Flavour, Smoky Cheddar Flavour, and Crumbly Greek White. Violife has also branched out into other alt-dairy products this year, launching vegan butter and cream. Following its huge success in the UK, the company is expanding internationally, and its cheese is now used on Papa Murphy’s vegan pizzas across the US. “At Violife, we’re proud to offer customers new flavours to be enjoyed with loved ones,” said Bianca Harris, Senior Marketing Manager at Violife. “Having recently ventured into plant-based butter and cream, we’re committed to continue innovating the Dairy Alternatives category, and new flavours like the Tex Mex Flavour Grated and Mozzarella Flavour Slices are part of our ongoing mission to provide customers with 100% vegan alternatives that can be enjoyed by everyone.” ...

Customers buying Jaguar Land Rover’s Range Rover will now be able to specify an entirely vegan interior for the first time, thanks to a partnership with animal-free leather brand Ultrafabrics. The vegan leather will be available in two colours — Ebony in the Standard Range Rover model, and Light Cloud with Cinder Grey in the SV Intrepid model. Ultrafabrics says the material has the same tactile qualities as animal leather while being 30% lighter and generating just a quarter of the carbon dioxide emissions. Ultrafabrics’ polyurethane-based leather is already used across several industries, including in furniture, yachts, and aircraft. Recently, Airbus designed a custom helicopter interior using the fabric at the request of a customer. The first fully vegan Land Rover interior to use Ultrafabrics was designed in 2018 by car upholstery specialists Ruskin Design, in a refit commissioned by a customer who had been unable to find a car with a vegan interior. Last year, Ultrafabrics also launched a bio-based vegan leather collection called Volar Bio. The launch was part of the company’s drive to reduce its dependence on non-renewable resources. Car companies are increasingly turning to vegan interiors, with Volvo recently revealing all new cars will be leather-free as well as electric. BMW has announced it will be offering vegan interiors featuring Desserto’s cactus leather, and the automotive company also has plans to make the Mini entirely leather-free. “We have been working closely with the Jaguar Land Rover design team’s research and innovation team for almost eight years,” ...

The Fresh Factory, a vertically integrated platform for launching clean-label plant-based foods, announced it has joined the Canadian Stock Exchange (CSE symbol: FRSH) in a bid to attract that country’s venture capitalists. Headquartered just outside of Chicago, The Fresh Factory was created to accelerate the growth of healthier plant-based products. Led by a team of food and marketing veterans, including good food advocate Kimbal Musk, it operates a fully-equipped manufacturing facility that can quickly launch and scale innovative new brands. Such speed is invaluable, according to the company, because most current food and beverage infrastructure is designed for large brands with huge production runs, and is thus often limited and inefficient. In contrast, Fresh Factory’s flexibility and smaller run sizes allow it to meet the immediate needs of emerging brands, and achieve in weeks what other companies can take months to do. The platform is heavily focused on creating clean and sustainable plant-based foods, and rapidly moving fresh produce from farm to shelf. It offers comprehensive startup resources for up-and-coming food producers, including SQF Level III Certified co-manufacturing, assembly and fulfilment, logistics, financing, and sales and marketing expertise. Its staff even includes food scientists who specialize in plant-based product formulations. The Fresh Factory’s proximity to Chicago gives it prime access to major distributors, and in 2020 alone the factory produced more than 250 products for 36 different brands, including in-house brands Field + Farmer (plant-based dressings, dips and sauces) and Element Pressed (fresh cold-pressed juices). By joining the Canadian Stock ...

Nowadays, a San Francisco plant-based startup, announced it is now shipping its clean-label nuggets nationwide. Founded in 2020 by Dominic Grabinski and Max Elder, Nowadays gained a passionate fan base during its initial launch in California.  Nowadays describes itself as a “health-focused plant-based meat company”, and says its proprietary technology allows it to produce fibrous, juicy cuts of chicken using only seven ingredients with no binders or thickeners.  The company says it aims to “take the junk out of junk food” by creating products that meet consumer expectations for better health and nutrition. Its chicken nuggets are notable in the industry for containing significantly less sodium, calories and saturated fat than other leading brands, both plant and animal-based. Plant-based chicken nuggets have exploded in the past year, with big and smaller players (Tyson, Impossible Foods, Beyond Meat, Gardein, Alpha Foods, Nuggs) releasing new products. But nearly all contain immoderate levels of sodium and extensive ingredient lists. Made with just organic pea protein, water, sunflower oil, wheat flour, yeast, maple fiber and mushroom extract, Nowadays boasts one of the simplest labels on the market.  The company is also working on making its nuggets gluten-free, and to that end, partnered with Los Angeles chain Honeybee Burger to run trials.  “Plant-based meat has huge potential to improve human and planetary health. Yet, when you look at the ingredients and nutritional profiles for many of these products, similar to their conventional meat counterparts, there’s a lot of room for improvement,” says co-founder and CEO ...