vegconomist - the vegan business magazine

Global food company Hormel Foods Corporation – makers of SPAM – has announced a new partnership with mycoprotein fermentation specialist The Better Meat Co. The exclusive deal aims to bring new mycoprotein and plant-based protein products to the marketplace.  Announcing the partnership through its venturing company and food-forward incubator, 199 Ventures, Hormel Foods will work together with Sacramento-based The Better Meat Co. to develop next-gen sustainable alt protein products using The Better Meat Co.’s innovative Rhiza mycoprotein ingredient. Produced via a potato-based fermentation process, The Better Meat Co.’s Rhiza is a whole food mycoprotein with a remarkable meat-like texture, as well as more protein than eggs and more iron than beef. The mycoprotein market in the US was valued at $149.6 Million in 2020 and continues to see global growth and is estimated to reach a 21.8% share of the global alt protein market.  Plant-Based Direction Since Hormel Foods CEO Jim Snee remarked that plant-based foods were his “shiny new toy” during a conference last year, the company has made an increasing number of plant-based moves. The company launched its Happy Little Plants range while animal rights group PETA is a shareholder, using its position to push the company in a plant-based direction.  “As a global branded food company, we understand our food culture is changing at a rapid pace and people are curious and willing to try great tasting, plant-based proteins,” said Fred Halvin, vice president of corporate development at Hormel Foods. “We are excited to work with The ...

From next Monday, Burger King outlets in Des Moines, Iowa, Boston and Miami will be offering Impossible Foods’ chicken nuggets, meaning that both the Impossible Burger and the Impossible Nuggets are supplied to BK. Will Beyond Meat now reciprocate by supplying its nuggets to McDonald’s as well as its patties? Impossible Foods first launched its plant-based chicken nuggets this July, two weeks after Beyond Meat did the same, declaring its intention to disrupt poultry. The Impossible nuggets arrived in retail and food service in September while the Beyond tenders hit food service in July and retail in September. As we reported in February, Beyond Meat announced a three-year worldwide strategic agreement with McDonald’s, meaning that Beyond will be the McDonald’s supplier for the McPlant burger as well as future plant-based products to include vegan chicken, pork and egg products. At the same time, Ethan Brown revealed a partnership with Yum! Brands, which owns KFC, Taco Bell and Pizza Hut in a similar manner, in an agreement to be the preferred supplier for the chains’ plant-based offerings. Impossible Foods, keen to mirror and keep up with its peer, has been working with Restaurant Brands International for two years as supplier of plant-based patties for the Impossible Whopper, called the Rebel Whopper in some European markets. Impossible also supplies its patties to Johnny Rockets, Halal Shack, and White Castle amongst other fast-food chains. ...

Daiya Foods is one of the founding members of The Plant Based Foods Association and one of the largest companies in the plant-based space. From its beginnings in the alt dairy category to its most recent investment in Protein Industries Canada, Daiya has been a leader in the sector. With its name created as a play on the words “Dairy” and “Dayaa” – Sanskrit for “loving, kindness and compassion” – the brand supplies vegan cheese to fast food chains such as Johnny Rockets and created the first-to-market pizza crust created with cauliflower, sweet potato, and spinach. We had the opportunity to talk with Dan Hua, VP of Marketing at Daiya Foods about the company and its plant-based vision. How has Daiya evolved into a plant-based foods industry leader since its founding in 2008? Daiya was founded 13 years ago, out of a love for good food and a commitment to healthier living, and we’ve been steadfast ever since in our commitment to creating delicious plant-based foods that are good for both people and planet. Our legacy is rooted in the creation of Daiya’s dairy-free cheeze shreds and making sure they melt and stretch like traditional, dairy cheese. “we’re consistently working to address the lifestyle and food preferences of today’s evolving consumer” This initial plant-based cheeze innovation was an industry first and the catalyst for an entire line of cheeze-forward products, which today features over 74 SKUs. In 2017, Daiya partnered with Otsuka Holdings, a global holistic health company with a ...

Animal-free egg protein producer Clara Foods has rebranded as The EVERY Company, as the San Francisco-based food tech company launches the “world’s first” animal-free egg protein – EVERY ClearEgg. “The EVERY brand name embodies our values of collaboration and optimism, and our belief that by working together we can build a more sustainable future for everyone” Unveiling the new name and look, The EVERY Company claims to have successfully created super-functional animal proteins without the animal with its EVERY ClearEgg offering. Claiming to be the world’s first animal-free, nature-equivalent egg protein, The EVERY Company’s first egg protein offers a highly soluble, nearly invisible protein boost for use in food and beverage products.  The EVERY Company is now developing its egg protein portfolio to offer a broad array of functionalities as it expands its product platform. Founded in 2014 and having recently developed a groundbreaking animal-free pepsin, The EVERY Company recently announced a collaboration with global investment and innovation group ZX Ventures to scale up production.  “Our new branding, EVERY, conveys our vision to fundamentally transform the food system for the 21st century so that every human, everywhere can enjoy the food they know and love without harming our planet or animals in the process,” stated Arturo Elizondo, CEO and founder of The EVERY Company. “The EVERY brand name embodies our values of collaboration and optimism, and our belief that by working together we can build a more sustainable future for everyone,” he added.  ...

This brand has been attracting attention in recent months thanks to its strong communication and its perfect copies of the great fast-food musts such as the Big Mac, the Filet-o-Fish and French Tacos. Vegconomist France went to meet the Vegedal team to understand this new phenomenon in vegan fast food. A Parisian startup “Vegedal was born on June 12, 2021. There are 2 founders including Samia Benyounes and a friend who prefers to stay in the shadows! We first opened with a physical restaurant and the success was immediate, we had to close after a month because we realised that the premises were too small and not functional enough for our kitchen teams and the public. “We then changed our strategy and created a license thanks to the company Not So Dark in order to be able to deploy more quickly on the national territory, we were thus able to reopen on September 15th in a “dark kitchen” and the success was immediate, we even beat our record of orders! However, we are still working on opening a physical store in early 2022 in a larger space! “The advantage of plant-based food is that it brings everyone together around good food! Those who eat halal, kosher, vegetarian, vegan, lactose intolerant or simply carnist, there is something for everyone! At a time when the different communities and religions are fighting each other, we want to bring everyone together and make everyone happy!” You won’t see the difference “We were able to ...

Lady Gaga’s beauty brand Haus Laboratories introduces the Love For Sale Shadow Palette, released in the run-up to the album of the same name by Lady Gaga and legendary jazz singer Tony Bennett, which will be released on 1st October featuring the duo’s renditions of the Cole Porter songbook. Developed in Italy, the vegan eye shadows are now available in 18 shades ranging from matte shades and are suitable for all skin tones. Haus Laboratories was founded in 2019 by Gaga as a “global, digital-native makeup brand that celebrates art, colour and self-love”. Haus Labs is known for its eyeliners in liquid, micro-tip, kajal and gel pencils, lipsticks, Lip Crayons, award-winning The Edge Precision Brow Pencils, and PhD Hybrid Lip Oils. All products are 100% vegan and cruelty-free.  Founder Lady Gaga commented, “Haus Labs invites you to return to GLAM with the high impact, formulated eyeshadows in my new limited edition Love For Sale Shadow Palette. Just like me, these shadows come from Italy. Featuring eighteen shades, this palette has all the colours you could want for a classic ‘day and night’ transformation and is my go-to choice for all my current looks – from stage to everyday. This palette has been made with love, is vegan and animal-free and was inspired by my new jazz duet album with Tony Bennett, ‘Love For Sale’ I’ve named some of the shades after female jazz icons I’ve always looked up to, along with some of the songs they’ve sung for decades. As ...

Morini Brands announces that following more than a year of delays to its market entrance, its ‘Spread Instead‘ line of vegan pâté products are now available via KeHE. The pâtés are created with the brand’s flagship rice-based Risofu – the world’s first rice curd based meat alternative, and are perfect for wraps and quesadillas. Five award-winning flavors are now sold frozen or refrigerated: Traditional Sweet Relish & Mustard; Roasty Garlic with Rosemary; Basil and Peppadew; Bar-B-Q Sweet n’ Smokey; Cilantro Lime Bold & Zesty; and Bangin’ Buffalo Tangy & Spicy. Risofu is a 100% soy & gluten-free meat alternative created with rice which debuted in 2009 in the award-winning Bahama Rice Burger, and is produced using a proprietary gentle blending and fermentation method. Risofu is 100% plant-based, free of soy, gluten and the top 8 allergens, non-GMO, no soy leghemoglobin, no synthesized lab ingredients, glyphosate free, and containing protein and omega 3. KeHE DISTRUBTORS, one of the nation’s top pure-play wholesale food distributors with 16 distribution centers across North America servicing natural, specialty and supermarket stores, will be the first to distribute Morini Brands Spread Instead. ...

Following the September launch of its long-awaited McPlant burger in the UK, fast-food giant McDonald’s has declared its ambition to offer customers market-leading vegan plant-based food and drink. McDonald’s UK & Ireland will aim to achieve net-zero emissions for all its restaurants and offices by 2030, with plant-based offerings at the center of its new climate strategy.  As part of its new “Plan for Change” – a business and sustainability strategy to help it achieve its net-zero emissions goals – McDonald’s has also set a target to ensure customer packaging is made from renewable, recycled, or certified sources and designed to be recyclable or compostable, by 2024. Earlier this year, McDonald’s announced a three-year worldwide strategic agreement with alt protein giant Beyond Meat to be the supplier of choice for the McPlant patty, as well as future products for the upcoming plant-based range to include items such as vegan chicken, pork and egg products. The McPlant hit UK restaurants last month following a similar launch in Austria.  “Having an iconic brand like McDonald’s join the hundreds of businesses across the UK that have signed up to the UN’s Race to Net Zero campaign is an exciting milestone,” commented UK Net Zero Business Champion, Andrew Griffith. “I hope businesses across the UK will be inspired by their ambitious initiatives, helping us all to build back greener.”   ...

Canadian plant-based producer Nabati Foods continues its recent growth by commencing trade on the Canadian Securities Exchange. The news precedes the North American launch of Nabati Plant Eggz, which the brand claims to be the first Canadian plant-based egg substitute. To celebrate World Egg Day this October 8th, the Nabati Plant Eggz will be available in the US and Canada. Uniquely in the market, the plant-based liquid egg product is soy-free and gluten-free, with Nabati Foods’ mission being to create alternatives that are free from all of the most common allergens. The Edmonton-based food technology company has plans to take the egg product next to Australia and is in the process of filing in Europe and China. The moves form part of Nabati’s global expansion plans, with the brand recently singing distribution deals for its flagship cheesecake products in Asia.  Plant-Based Egg Demand The Nabati Plant Eggz launch comes at a time when more consumers are open to plant-based egg substitutes even though research shows there is a definite gap in the market. A recent survey revealed 30% of respondents are likely to choose vegan eggs over the conventional variety, but there are “nowhere near enough” plant-based eggs on the market to meet demand.  Nabati Foods reports it has now received approval to list its common shares on the Canadian Securities Exchange, commenced trading as of October 4 under the symbol “MEAL”.  “We are very pleased to announce Nabati Foods’ listing onto the CSE,” said CEO, COO and Director, Ahmad ...

Much-loved UK activist and public speaker Ed Winters, AKA Earthling Ed, has announced on his social channels that he and his business partner Kevyn Bourke are opening a chain of vegan fish & chip shops around the UK, called The No Catch Co, with the first opening in Brighton this Saturday 9th October. “Our mission is to take on the fish and chip shop industry. Because it’s time to stop emptying the oceans – and it’s time to stop killing fish,” states The No Catch Co. Echoing the creation story of VFC, the concept began due to the huge popularity of the tofish dish at his restaurant Unity Diner, which became so successful it led to the founders taking a food truck on the road to feed non-vegans, who were amazed by the product. Also similarly to VFC, The No Catch Co’s mission is to disrupt the hugely damaging fish & chip shop industry in the UK. An incredible 380 million portions of fish and chips are sold each year in the UK. Says Earthling Ed; “A consequence of that, is that is that hundreds of millions of fish are killed every single year just for the fish & chip shop industry in the UK alone. There is a desperate need for something to happen, something different in the UK, something to take on the fish & chip shop industry. It suddenly became obvious what we needed to do, we needed to open vegan fish & chip shops in the ...