vegconomist - the vegan business magazine

The European Parliament has voted to proceed with its Farm to Fork Strategy, putting plans in motion for an environmentally-friendly food system with higher animal welfare standards. The move has been opposed by agribusiness lobbyists, but MEPs voted in favour of the plan which may eventually put a stop to some of the horrors of intensive animal agriculture.   “This strategy has the potential to bring our food system back within planetary boundaries by moving away from intensive livestock farming and towards more plant-based foods” – Jasmijn De Boo, ProVeg International When in place, the Farm to Fork Strategy would trigger a shift away from intensive factory farming, backed up by the EU’s recent historic commitment to phase out cages in animal farming throughout the bloc. Animal rights advocate group Compassion in World Farming EU has strongly welcomed this outcome that; “sends a strong signal input for change to the European Commission and EU Member States.” The new strategy emphasises how animals in intensive production systems are considerably more susceptible to zoonotic infections, greatly increasing the risk of further pandemics. It also pushes for a reduction in meat consumption and the promotion of healthier, plant-based foods. Of course, vegans would prefer there to be no animals involved in agri-food, intensive or otherwise, but the Farm to Fork Strategy must surely be seen as a victory and a step in the right direction. Olga Kikou, Head of Compassion in World Farming EU, agrees: “I congratulate MEPs for resisting strong pressure from the ...

NoMoo is the leading alt-dairy company in Brazil, producing cheeses, mayo, and cream made from cashews. The company has gone from strength to strength this year, recently closing a successful Series A funding round led by DXA Invest. Lever VC also participated in the round, along with Brazilian entrepreneur, volleyball coach, and former player Bernardinho. The funding will help NoMoo open a new 1600 m² facility that will increase production capacity to 100 tons per month. The brand is predicting a jump in sales for the last quarter of 2021, which will see it triple in size and revenue. NoMoo uses fermentation to turn cashews into authentic plant-based cheeses that melt and have the same texture and mouthfeel as conventional cheese. The company’s current product range features five types of hard cheese, two soft cheeses, cream cheese, crème fraîche, butter, and mayonnaise. These products are already available at over 1500 points of sale, including large chains such as Carrefour and Pão de Açúcar Group. They are also used by some restaurants and frozen ready meal manufacturers, as well as being exported to Portugal and the US. Additionally, NoMoo has plans to expand to Canada, Asia, and Oceania. Plant-based in Brazil Brazil is notorious for its high meat consumption, but attitudes in the country are rapidly changing. A GFI Brazil report published last year found that 50% of people in the country have reduced their consumption of animal products, and the market for plant-based foods is rapidly increasing. Several foreign alt-protein ...

Amsterdam City Council has laid out plans to encourage its citizens to be 50% plant-based by 2030. By banning unhealthy food from the city’s streets, Amsterdam has officially committed to creating a ‘healthy and sustainable food environment’, as reported by Het Parool. One of the goals of Amsterdam’s new initiative is to increase the amount of plant-based food in its citizens’ diet to at least 50% by 2030 and 60% by 2040, up from the current figure of 39%. To achieve this, the city plans to expand the supply of healthy and sustainable food in vulnerable neighborhoods or around schools and public buildings. Restaurants and supermarkets must also improve their ranges of plant-based food, as well as more emphasis on local food. New permits for unhealthy fast food eateries will be heavily restricted. The initiative is supported by several ministries and may be introduced into other cities soon. Although the benefits of a plant-based diet in terms of fighting climate change are well documented, the main reason behind the Dutch capital’s move is health orientated. Obesity is on the rise in the Netherlands, with one in eight children overweight in 2018, and also about half of the adults. The progressive city seems to have realized that a healthy population makes for a healthier society and promoting plant-based is the best way to achieve this. ...

US biotech company BIOMILQ, which produced human breast milk outside of the body for the first time this June, has raised $21 million in a Series A funding round. BIOMILQ’s breast milk will provide a much-needed solution for parents who wish to breastfeed but aren’t able to. Conventional infant formulas are usually dairy-based, and as such not suitable for mothers who choose not to consume animal flesh or secretions. Additionally, dairy options struggle to match the nutritional profile of human breast milk. The round was led by Novo Holdings and Breakthrough Energy Ventures, with support from others including Blue Horizon and Spero Ventures. The new Series A funding will allow the company to optimise the production process, launching commercially within the next four years. After spending a few years getting off the ground, BIOMILQ has taken off in 2021. The company was featured at both Vegan Women Summit and the Future Food-Tech Summit this year, and was also named as one of the finalists at the ProteinX Foundation Awards. “Michelle and I founded BIOMILQ on clear beliefs. Thoughtful planning and relationship building was required to find a commonality of mission among our partners,” said Leila Strickland, CSO and co-founder of BIOMILQ. “While we narrowed the aperture of possible partners, we’ve already seen the ripples of demanding a more representative world of venture capital.” “We are beyond excited to continue supporting BIOMILQ and their unique solution for a problem that’s not talked about nearly enough. At least 60% of women struggle ...

Kelp, algae and the state of our oceans: can we leave them better than we found them?  CEO and Founder of Akua, Courtney Boyd-Myers and Elysabeth Alfano discuss all this and more on The Plantbased Business Hour.  Specifically, they discuss, What is Kelp and why it might be a game-changer, The perils of industrial fishing and factory farming, The nutritional profile of kelp, Why kelp makes a great burger and AKUA retail launch, AKUA’s multi-faceted and successful raise. Below is a clip and transcript from their passionate conversation. The podcast is here.  Click here to display content from YouTube.Learn more in YouTube’s privacy policy. Always display content from YouTube Elysabeth:  What are some of the other things that people might not think about in terms of the impact of factory farming fish or the industrial farming of fish? Courtney Boyd-Myers: I think people are so warped that they think they can farm things that want to swim or run away. That’s hunting, and so farming should be things that stay in place like vegetables and kelp. Trying to farm wildlife is just freaking nuts and you see the disease that comes from these fish, and we see the runoff into the water and it’s completely wrong. But we can do things the right way, and by growing kelp in the water and different types of seaweeds and mussels are amazing to farm, you know they don’t swim away; neither do scallops, neither do clams; these are great things to farm. The eco-footprint ...

Algama Foods, the French startup created in 2013, an expert in the replacement of animal proteins by microalgae, is the winner of the FEAMP 2020 Blue Economy Window call for projects launched by the European Commission. This €2 million grant is aimed at creating alternatives to products from fishing and aquaculture. With this funding, Algama plans to finalise the R&D of its “Seafood Algternative” innovation, a vegan range of products imitating smoked salmon strips and tuna flakes. The grant will also allow Algama to recruit around 20 people to support the growth of this forward-looking project. The blue economy and in particular SMEs play a crucial role in supporting coastal communities and decarbonisation in Europe. Launched on 26 March 2021 under the European Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Fund (EMAF), the European call “Blue Economy Window – 2020” is designed to support the market introduction of new products, services and business models to develop a European, sustainable and innovative blue economy. Aimed exclusively at innovative SMEs in the maritime sector, this grant, with an initial amount of €20 million, selected 11 projects, including Algama’s. “This financial support from the European Commission validates our strategy, initiated several years ago, to develop 100% plant-based and textured food solutions thanks to algae and microalgae. This new generation of products is a real breakthrough compared to current initiatives on the market, Seafood Algternative is a credible and scalable response to the major food challenges”, said Alvyn Severien, CEO & co-founder of Algama. ...

Retailer offers first-ever Whole Foods Market Trends Discovery Boxes for purchase, filled with emerging flavors AUSTIN, Texas–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Today, Whole Foods Market global buyers and experts unveiled their top 10 anticipated food trends for 2022 in the retailer’s seventh-annual Trends predictions. Buzz-less spirits, yuzu, Reducetarianism and functional beverages made with prebiotics and botanicals are among the food influences expected to rise in popularity in the next year.   Each year, a Trends Council of more than 50 Whole Foods Market team members, including local foragers, regional and global buyers, and culinary experts compile trend predictions based on decades of experience and expertise in product sourcing and studying consumer preferences, as well as in-depth workshopping with emerging and existing brands. For the first time ever, Whole Foods Market is offering the Trends Discovery Box, a curated assortment of 10 products to represent each of the 10 trends in the forecast. The boxes, available for $30 (valued at over $50) allow consumers the chance to taste all the trends at once. Boxes go on sale Oct. 18, and are available for a limited time only at wfmtrythetrends.com. “Last year, we saw tremendous pandemic-related shifts in grocery buying habits as the world adjusted to spending more time at home. As the food industry slowly adjusts to a new normal, we expect to see consumers prioritize food and drink products that deliver additional benefits—like functional sodas and tonics— and products that support their sense of well-being, like urban garden greens and products grown with farming ...

The LIVEKINDLY Collective was founded with the goal of changing people’s beliefs and habits: “Ultimately, we want to transform the broken food system into a sustainable, plant-based one.” To achieve this mission, the collective of food industry executives is building an assembly of ethically aligned brands whose footprint is gradually expanding across the globe. We caught up with Mick van Ettinger, Chief Marketing Officer Global of the LIVEKINDLY Collective, to find out more about the organisation and its goals moving forward. How long has LIVEKINDLY Collective been around and where does the company currently stand? LIVEKINDLY Collective was founded in 2020 on the belief that plant-based alternatives have the power to make the global food system sustainable. Its mission is to make plant-based living the new norm. As a collective of founders, entrepreneurs and business leaders from across the globe, LIVEKINDLY Collective is uniquely positioned to create impact with speed, at scale. LIVEKINDLY Collective has 500 employees and sells in more than 40 countries around the world.  How much capital has LIVEKINDLY Collective been able to raise in the funding rounds and what will it be invested in? We raised $535 million in the first 12 months, as one of the top-three highest-funded plant-based food companies. We invest in innovation, international growth and making plant-based food accessible and delicious. Which brands are currently part of the portfolio? The portfolio of brands OUMPH!, The Fry Family Food Co., LikeMeat, No Meat, The Dutch Weed Burger, Happy Chicken and Giggling Pig. Furthermore, ...

PETA UK has today announced its prestigious Vegan Food Awards winners, with the list ranging from small startups to huge names in the food industry – like McDonald’s and Burger King – highlighting how mainstream plant-based eating has now become.  Now in its ninth year, PETA’s Vegan Food Awards showcases some of the biggest and exciting new vegan offerings of the last 12 months over 24 categories.  BEST VEGAN CHICKEN VFC – After its recent US expansion, the activism-first vegan fried chicken producer VFC recently signed its first major retailer listing with Tesco, the UK’s largest supermarket chain. BEST VEGAN MEAT Oumph! Kebab Döner Style – the Swedish plant-based brand Oumph! launched its kebab meat into Iceland supermarkets in the UK, made from pea protein, gluten-free, and “shaved” pieces like traditional kebab meat. BEST VEGAN BURGER McDonald’s McPlant – the vegan McPlant burger uses a plant-based cheese – made in collaboration with Irish food company Kerry, as well as a McDonald’s exclusive Beyond Meat patty, and is currently available at 250 locations across the UK and Ireland. BEST VEGAN BACON Finnebrogue Artisan Naked Without the Oink! Plant-Based Bacon Rashers – Currently also available at Costa Coffee in a bacon roll, Irish sausage-maker Finnebrogue is undergoing a “plant-based revolution”, with the opening of a £25 million plant-based facility in County Down, Northern Ireland.  BEST VEGAN HOTDOG Plant Menu Meat-Free Hotdogs – Part of budget supermarket ALDI’s impressive Plant Menu, the range recently saw the launch of a new Ultimate No Beef ...

Over 70,000 visitors from 169 countries – spirit of optimism at the leading global trade fair for food and beverages – high level of satisfaction among both the exhibitors and visitors International, inspiring and above all personal – that was the 36th edition of Anuga which was staged from 09.-13.10.2021 in Cologne. With over 70,000 visitors from 169 countries and more than 4,600 exhibitors from 98 nations, the leading global trade fair for food and beverages once again demonstrated that trade fairs of these dimensions are possible again. “We are delighted with this result. It underlines the global significance of Anuga and the trust that is placed in us as a trade fair organisation. Furthermore, it also shows that Germany as a trade fair location continues to hold a leading and attractive position in terms of the global competition,” explained Gerald Böse, President and Chief Executive Officer of Koelnmesse. ” Also the hybrid approach worked very well and proved very popular. In the scope of Anuga @home, we were able to offer above all those people, who were not able to travel to the trade fair, a good opportunity to inform themselves about specialised themes and engage in intensive networking,” Böse added. Anuga also set a benchmark in terms of its level of internationality in these post-Corona times: 97 percent of the exhibitors came from abroad. At 76 percent, the degree of internationality of the visitors remained at a constant level (2019: 75 percent). “People from 169 nations – that ...