vegconomist - the vegan business magazine

The international jury panel consisting of 15 senior leaders from the industry, media and NGOs carefully evaluated all the entries. The International V-Label Awards also included a round of public voting – which had a massive response with 42,856 cast votes – and a special award voted by a panel of 11 trending influencers that have a combined audience of 1 million followers. The three finalists for each of the 9 award categories are as follows: Best Meat Alternative Faux Gras de GAIA from Belgium VEGDOG from Germany Ardo’s Beet Bacon from Belgium Best Dairy Alternative KOLIOS S.A. Hello-V Classic Flavour from Greece Carrefour’s Spécialité végétale au lait de coco goût fraise Carrefour Sensation from France Bonneterre et compagnie’s Natural Grated Vegeese from France Best in Confectionery and Snacks Chicza from Mexico Spirulix Crunchy Müsli from Austria Incom Leone’s AL!VE STICK Vegan Chia & Blueberry Ice Cream from Slovenia Best in Cosmetics Birkengold® tooth powder from Austria Premium Organic from Austria for their Sustainable Extraction of Heilmoor ECO CARE INNOVATION from Greece for their SMILE BAMBOO TOOTHBRUSH Best in Sustainability REWE Markt GmbH from Germany for their “REWE Bio +vegan” private label Nordic Oceanfruit & BettaF!sh from Germany Lidl from Germany for their Vemondo Product Range Best in Positive Impact BettaF!sh from Germany Prefera Foods from Romania for their Unfished PlanTuna Zenit Vektor d.o.o. from Croatia Special Influencers’ Award Chicza from Mexico VEGDOG from Germany NUO GmbH from Germany Best in Innovation Schouten Europe B.V. from The Netherlands for their ...

Following the recent appointment of actress Drew Barrymore as CMO (Chief Mom Officer), Quorn USA is adding new Meatless ChiQin Wings and ChiQin Cutlets to its existing portfolio as it continues to expand its presence in North America. Launching in grocery retailers nationwide next month, Quorn’s new ChiQin innovations come at a time when US consumers are becoming increasingly interested in plantbased chicken alternatives in the face of huge price inflations in the poultry market. This August Quorn announced its plans to become a key player in the US market with intentions of becoming the “king of alternative chicken globally”, following significant investment from its parent company Monde Nissin, which acquired Quorn in 2015 for £550 million. In a recent interview with vegconomist, President Judd Zusel said, “With new leadership, our state-of-the-art culinary center and a significant investment from our parent company Monde Nissin Corp., we believe we’re well-positioned for accelerated growth as the category leader in chicken alternatives.” ...

Orange County premium plant-based meat producer Abbot’s Butcher has announced the closing of a successful Series A funding round. Joining the round were Hollywood actors Owen Wilson and Woody Harrelson, along with his entrepreneur wife Laura Harrelson.  “We are reframing the conversation around plant-based protein” The capital raise will be used to fuel foodservice growth, expand retail distribution and support new product development. Working with high quality, yet simple and nutrient-dense ingredients, Abbot’s Butcher is known for its Ground “Beef”, “Chorizo” and Chopped Chick’n products. The Series A Funding amount was not disclosed.  Woody Harrelson – a vegan for over 30 years – has invested wisely in the alt protein space before. The actor has previously invested in plant-based seafood brand Gathered Foods, makers of Good Catch vegan tuna. Both Harrelson and wife Laura are devoted environmental activists who put are not afraid to their money where their mouths are.  Organic Growth Founded in 2017 by animal-rights advocate Kerry Song, Abbot’s Butcher has grown organically, starting in farmers’ markets before its first steps into retail. The new funding will allow Abbot’s to grow and position itself as a leader in the premium plant-based meat alternative space. The brand is currently available at more than 800 retail and foodservice locations across the US. “We are reframing the conversation around plant-based proteins. Where it’s not just about taste and mouthfeel. It’s about quality, and celebrating the power of exceptional ingredients – showing that food can be both healing and satisfying,” commented Kerry ...

For one month, Burger King Spain will have its first restaurant where all products will be of vegetable origin, thanks to The Vegetarian Butcher, the plant-based meat company owned by Unilever. The restaurant is located at 26 Paseo del Prado in Madrid. In addition, Burger King Spain is to introduce a new “Long Vegetal”, a veggie version of its iconic Long Chicken, also featuring The Vegetarian Butcher’s plant-based meat. The burgers are not considered vegan because they may contain animal-based mayonnaise but could be suitable for vegans if ordered without the mayo. Burger King expands its veggie offers worldwide Burger King Poland has been offering vegan nuggets since April this year in response to growing plant-curiosity in the country. The same month, over in the UK, The Vegan Royale was introduced, offering a plant-based chicken patty and even featuring vegan mayonnaise. BK stated at the time: “Strict cooking processes, which ensure it’s kept completely separate from meat, dairy and egg products, have earned the new burger Vegan Society certification.” In June, Burger King announced the opening of a 100% veggie popup in Berlin. Shortly after, Burger King France announced the Veggie King, also created in collaboration with The Vegetarian Butcher. The fast-food giant has also started offering its veggie burgers in Mexico, and Burger King Paraguay announced a partnership with NotCo last month. And over in the US, just this month Burger King announced it will be trialling the Impossible Foods nuggets for a limited time in Des Moines, Iowa, ...

Nutreco and Mosa Meat have received a €2 million grant to advance cellular agriculture and bring cultivated beef to the EU market, from the European REACT-EU recovery assistance programme. The joint ‘Feed for Meat’ project ranked first place in the scheme which received over 60 funding applications.  Headquartered in Maastricht, The Netherlands, Mosa Meat is a privately held company backed by Blue Horizon, Bell Food Group, Nutreco, Mitsubishi Corporation, Leonardo DiCaprio and others. Says Mosa Meat in a blog post; “Today we are proud to announce a grant awarded from React EU to lower the costs of cultivating beef and further improve the sustainability of the cellular agriculture value chain, in collaboration with our investor and partner Nutreco. The grant was awarded for research into lowering the costs of cell culture media, the most expensive step in the process of cultivating beef.” ‘Feed for Meat’ aims to lower the costs of cultivating meat and further improve the sustainability of the cellular agriculture value chain. The REACT-EU support was granted for research and development (R&D) into lowering the costs of cell culture media, the most expensive step in the process of cultivating beef. The programme will fund R&D to specifically address the ‘basal’ or base media in which the beef cells grow. By moving away from pharma-grade products and instead using feed- and food-grade byproducts from Nutreco’s supply chain, Mosa Meat predicts it can lower costs of basal media substantially.  Peter Verstrate, Mosa Meat co-founder and COO, says, “We are honoured ...

Eat Just, Inc., announced yesterday that the approval of the mung bean protein as a novel ingredient by the  European Food Safety Authority’s (EFSA) panel has paved the way for JUST Egg to launch in Europe, with CEO and founder Josh Tetrick stating that this “will be one of the most important milestones for our company”. The regulatory approval of mung bean, the key ingredient in its popular plant-based JUST Egg products, will enable the initial launch of JUST Egg in Europe in mid-2022 after the European Commission concludes its review.  The announcement continues the momentum for JUST Egg’s global expansion, following its recent launches in South Africa and South Korea in addition to its existing presence in Canada, Hong Kong, Singapore and China. “Bringing JUST Egg to Europe, and to millions of consumers who are choosing a healthier, more sustainable approach to eating, will be one of the most important milestones for our company. I appreciate the hard work of our team and, most importantly, the thoughtfulness and rigor of the EFSA panel that led to this historic safety approval,” commented Tetrick. Alice Ravenscroft, head of policy at the Good Food Institute Europe, said: “This decision is another major step forward for the future of plant-based meat, eggs and dairy in Europe, and demonstrates that they meet the world-leading regulatory standards consumers rightly expect.    “Sales of plant-based foods reached €3.6 billion in Europe last year – almost doubling since 2018 – and with demand growing all the time, we ...

A new coalition of companies, charities, and civil groups called the Plant-Based Food Alliance, with founding members Alpro, Oatly, ProVeg UK, Upfield, and The Vegan Society, has launched in the UK to provide a voice for the growing plant-based sector. The Alliance says its aim is to “help make the UK a global leader in plant-based food and drink”. The organisation will be developing a UK Plant-based Food Charter, which will enable businesses to collaborate with the UK government to promote the transition to a plant-based diet. The Alliance will campaign for policies such as: Public health campaigns informing people of the benefits of a plant-based diet. Labels on food packaging to show the environmental impact of plant-based versus animal-based products. Support to help farmers transition to growing crops instead of rearing animals. Across Europe, a growing number of policies are beginning to recognise the need to move towards plant-based diets. For example, the European parliament has just approved a strategy that would see plant-based foods promoted and a shift away from factory farming, following its recent commitment to phase out cages. Meanwhile, Amsterdam has recently outlined plans to encourage its citizens to be 50% plant-based by 2030, and a landmark political agreement in Denmark will see subsidies given to farmers who produce plant-based foods rather than livestock. “We have an exciting opportunity to support this people-powered transition to a more sustainable, healthier food system, and to attract more innovation and investment in the UK as we do so,” said ...

Bolt Threads, which produces the famous Mylo mushroom leather, is set to upscale with the help of conventional tannery Heller-Leder, an industry leader that works with notable companies such as Porsche and furniture company Rolf Bennz. The collaboration with Bolt Threads marks the first time the tannery has worked with a material other than conventional leather. According to Bolt Threads, Heller-Leder’s willingness to work with Mylo is a testament to the material’s quality, functionality, and durability. The company claims these features are on par with conventional leather. Bolt Threads is increasing production to gear up for the first commercial launches of Mylo, which will take place next year in collaboration with Stella McCartney, lululemon, and adidas Earlier this month, Stella McCartney debuted a bag made with Mylo at Paris Fashion Week, after previously creating two garments made with the material. Lululemon unveiled yoga accessories made with Mylo over the summer, while adidas revealed it was working on mushroom leather shoes in January. Last month, Mylo was officially verified as a vegan material after successfully completing tests by the Eurofins Vegan Verification Programme. “A planet of 10 billion people cannot live like a planet of 1 billion people,” said Libby Sommer, Director of Sustainability at Bolt Threads. “In our resource-constrained world, now is the time for meaningful innovation to develop eco-friendly alternatives to the materials people know and love.” ...

Two leading lights in the global vegan scene, Prince Khaled bin Alwaleed and Matthew Kenney, have teamed up to launch “Folia” multi-course plant-based menus in Saudi Arabia. Folia is a collaborative menu between Prince Khaled bin Alwaleed’s KBW Ventures and Matthew Kenney Cuisine, and will be launched for Riyadh Season – the two-month-long city-wide celebrations of the Saudi Arabian capital.  “On a personal level, the launch of Folia for Riyadh Season is truly the biggest moment in our collaboration with Chef Kenney to date” – Prince Khaled bin Alwaleed Using local Saudi ingredients to create multi-course dining experiences at the Kingdom Centre Four Seasons Hotel Riyadh, Matthew Kenney embraces the concept that “the future of food is plant-based,” and elevates healthy dining in settings of contemporary design and architecture, aiming to bring plant-based cuisine into the mainstream.  In partnership with Prince Khaled bin Alwaleed’s KBW Ventures and having started in the Beverly Hills Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles, the Folia plant-based experience is currently available at five of the Hotel company’s premier locations across the US and the Middle East.  KBW Ventures founder and CEO, Prince Khaled bin Alwaleed, recently joined industry experts for the 2021 World Agri-Tech Innovation Summit for a panel discussion, as his VC firm has funded a range of vegan businesses, including Rebellyous Foods, the Furahaa Group, and Turtle Tree Labs, amongst many others. “On a personal level, the launch of Folia for Riyadh Season is truly the biggest moment in our collaboration with Chef Kenney to ...

The Plant-Based World Europe Expo, which took place last week in London, was the first in-person trade event for so many exhibitors and attendees, after the global situation. Thousands of participants took place in what was Europe’s first plant-based-only trade show, at London’s Business Design Centre in Islington. More than a hundred brands took place, from household names to innovative startups, including Beyond Meat, Heck, Quorn, VFC, OmniFoods, Planterra, La Vie, Better Nature, RIP Foods, Love Seitan, Sheese, VBites, Flax & Kale, Fable Foods, The Tofoo Company, Heura Foods, One Planet Pizza, Thai Union, Future Farm, THIS, Clive’s Pies, Umiami, Willicroft, and DOPSU, to name just a handful. Event highlights according to vegconomist Heather Mills announced in her keynote speech that her vegan make-up line will enter German retail for Xmas in Muller stores Thai Union had some very interesting things to say regarding its continued entrance into alt seafood. The world’s largest processor of tuna said that it is the supplier of the vegan tuna for Sainsbury’s Plant Pioneers line, and a shrimp product is soon to enter retail. VFC is set to launch vegan plant-based popcorn chicken in the UK The cheese made by Les Nouveaux Affineurs is simply outstanding and ready to blow minds outside of France Citizen Kind is an ethical / vegan recruitment agency whose staff are the living embodiment of kindness Foodservice plant meat supplier MOCK has been providing products to UK chains such as Vegetarian Express as well as Bid Foods for several ...