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Banza, the New York-based producer of comfort foods out of chickpeas, including pasta, pizza, rice, and mac & cheese, announces the rollout of Banza Pizza into several US retailers, which now has retail presence in over 8,000 outlets nationwide. Banza Pizza originally launched in October 2020 in Whole Foods Market, Wegmans and Target, followed by expansion into Stop & Shop, Kroger, Albertsons, Safeway and Meijer. The chickpea pizza is now also available at Thrive Market, Fresh Direct, Amazon and eatbanza.com. Consumer demand for better-for-you alternatives to comfort foods in grocery stores continues to increase, with the total better-for-you pizza category having grown 41% in the past two years. Banza Pizza reports that it is the fastest-turning frozen pizza crust brand in the US. In addition to growing its retail presence, in June 2021, Banza announced its first restaurant partnership with Oath Pizza as a permanent menu offering. Banza’s chickpea crust replaced the pizza chain’s previous gluten-free and cauliflower crusts and marked the first time a chickpea pizza crust was available at a national pizza chain. “Our mission is to inspire people to eat more chickpeas and other beans because of their benefits to human health and the environment,” said Mike Tarullo, Chief Operating Officer at Banza. “This means making nutritious foods available everywhere people shop, and in every aisle of the store. We’re proud to have made a better-for-you pizza that delivers on the classic pizza experience people love, while helping people get more chickpeas into their diets.” Banza Pizza ...

OmniFoods announces that its 100% plant-based pork are now available at Sprouts Farmers Market and Whole Foods Market across 23 states. The range consists of OmniPork Ground, OmniPork Strips and OmniPork Luncheon – AKA vegan SPAM – the hotly anticipated product which was the first of its kind globally. After a recent launch with 25 chef and restaurant partners in California and Hawaii, as well as a national pop-up brand travelling through the Midwest, OmniPork Ground, OmniPork Strips and OmniPork Luncheon are now available at all 371 Sprouts Farmers Market, whereas OmniPork Ground and OmniPork Strips are available in select Whole Foods Market stores. “After our successful expansion throughout Asia, Australia, and the UK since 2018, we are incredibly excited to bring OmniFoods to more people and communities by being on shelves at all Sprouts Farmers Market and select Whole Foods Market across America, bringing OmniFoods to an estimated 40,000 point of sale locations around the world,” said David Yeung, founder of Green Monday Holdings and OmniFoods. “By providing our growing consumer base with a healthy and delicious plant-based pork alternative, we continue to fulfil our mission to construct a multi-faceted global ecosystem of future food that helps to combat climate change, food insecurity, public health crisis, planetary devastation, and animal suffering.”   ...

Pizza Pizza, a QSR chain operating throughout Canada, headquartered in Toronto and whose subsidiaries include Pizza 73, announces a partnership with Lightlife, part of Greenleaf Foods, the plant-based arm of meat giant Maple Leaf. Pizza Pizza will offer Lightlife Plant-Based Chicken as a permanent menu item, including the following varieties: Plant-Based Chick’n Sandwich – available in either Classic or Spicy, topped with pickles and vegan mayonnaise Plant-Based Chick’n Bites – available in varieties of 10 or 20 Plant-Based Combo Box – comes with 16 Chick’n Bites, plus a choice of two more items, including french fries, potato wedges, onion rings or sweet potato fries and two dipping sauces. The new menu items are available for walk-in and delivery at more than 400 Pizza Pizza restaurants, coast to coast, from British Columbia to Nova Scotia. “Lightlife is excited to partner with Pizza Pizza to offer consumers something they can enjoy without compromise: a delicious and satisfying breaded plant-based chicken made with simple ingredients they can feel good about,” says Dan Curtin, President of Greenleaf Foods, SPC. “At Pizza Pizza, we’re amazed at the quality of Lightlife Plant-Based Chicken. We’re so excited to make this accessible to Canadians who are looking for quality plant-based options, with the added convenience of delivery. Pizza Pizza’s commitment to product innovation has always been rooted in on-trend, relevant products which makes it easy to serve all dietary restrictions and preferences.  We are extremely proud of our expanding plant-based menu and look forward to further innovation in ...

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), once again recognizes Desserto, the Mexican biomaterial made from cactus, at its fifth annual PETA Vegan Homeware Awards in the UK, which recognizes designers and brands that meet the growing demand for sustainable and compassionate décor. This time the Mexican brand, from Adriano Di Marti Company, was honored by PETA in the materials category. Aline Dürr’s practical guide Vegan Interior Design took home the Essential Reading Award, while the Innovation Award went to Gus*Modern for its luxurious recycled apple skin and apple peel designs. This award brings Desserto’s total number of international awards to 8: Material ConneXion 2020 in New York, USA Green Product Award 2020 in Germany Monte Carlo Fashion Week 2020 in Monaco Good Design Award Gold Accolade in the Fashion Impact 2020 in Australia Second runner-up in the LMVH Innovation Award in France Innovation Award presented by Samsung Design Icons 2020, Architectural Digest Mexico and Latin America PETA’s Compassionate Business Award 2021 PETA Vegan Homeware Awards 2021 Click here to read the fascinating interview with the Desserto founders who speak in depth about the leather industry and the benefits of this cactus alternative. ...

A new study by the Vegan Society called The Rise of Vegan Fashion reveals that British consumers would like to buy more vegan-verified fashion. The global market for women’s vegan fashion is estimated at £289 billion in 2019, with forecasts indicating that sales will reach £799 billion in 2027. The study includes a survey showing that 95 percent of respondents would like to see more vegan-certified fashion, suggesting that there is a market for such products among non-vegans and non-vegetarians. At the same time, 48 percent said they would like to see more vegan-certified items across all fashion categories, while 35 percent said they would like to see more vegan options for items that typically use animal leather, such as jackets and boots, and 32 percent would like to see more vegan-friendly leather bags and backpacks. About 32 percent of respondents said they would like to see the use of faux leather expanded to general footwear such as boots, heels and sandals. Twenty-eight percent said they would also be interested in sneakers made from vegan leather. The reports also indicate that 61 percent of consumers believe the use of fur and 57 percent believe the use of leather from exotic animals is animal cruelty. ...

Research shows vast swathes of the global population are turning to plant-based for a healthier diet, with vegan food associated with a wide array of health benefits. On the other hand, however, researchers have concluded that many consumers simply find processed animal-based foods too tasty to give up.  According to Phil Morle from plant-based industry investor Main Sequence; to “unlock the mysteries of fats and create animal-free fats” is “essential for the future of the industry”. Fat holds the key to flavour, and creating viable, healthy and tasty vegan fats is the latest innovation frontier. With this in mind, vegconomist takes a look at the fattiest players in the alt meat sphere:   77 Foods  After being named by Unilever as the winner of its Innovation Challenge, French startup 77 Foods has continued to develop its plant-based fat using sunflower oil to create an adipose tissue that closely resembles pork fat. Through this development, 77 foods have created a “mind-blowing” plant-based bacon which 92% of participants in a blind test preferred to conventional pork bacon, according to the brand.  Hoxton Farms Hoxton Farms, the UK’s first cell-cultured fat startup, raised £2.7 million of seed round funding this year. Combining cell biology and mathematical modelling, Hoxton Farms is making cruelty-free and sustainable fat to replace conventional vegetable fats used by plant-based producers.  “We wanted to bring together our skills to address a pressing problem: how to satisfy a growing demand for meat without compromising on health, sustainability or animal ethics,” explains Ed ...

Next Monday in the early afternoon, you will receive detailed information here at vegconomist about an extruder that sets new standards. The editors have already had an exclusive look at this unique piece of engineering and mechanical engineering. This extruder can produce plant-based meat that is extremely close to the original, according to our impression after the first tasting. Be curious, see you on Monday. ...

EFKO Group, one of Russia’s largest mayonnaise and oil producers, has announced it is to begin producing soy milk. The company will invest 600 million rubles ($8 million) in the venture, with the aim of producing a thousand tons of milk per month. The soy milk will cost the same as cows’ milk. This is significant because disparities in price often prevent consumers from switching to plant milks. According to our Russian correspondent Alexey Ivanov from eatingbetter.ru, EFKO has already begun selling small test batches of soy milk under its Hi! brand. Mass production will begin in the autumn, on a large enough scale to compete with all the country’s existing plant milk producers. EKFO is the largest soybean processor in Russia, and it will initially only produce soy milk. However, the company says it may later branch out to make milk from sunflower, oats, buckwheat, and flax. EKFO also entered the alt-meat market last year, again under the Hi! brand. Its range currently consists of plant-based nuggets, mince, and burgers. Plant-based in Russia The Russian plant milk market is already worth $70 million — however, this is still only a 1% share of the entire milk market, indicating that there is huge potential for growth. Plant-based diets are beginning to take off in the country, with two major alt-protein conferences taking place there earlier this year. The arrival of Beyond Meat in 2019 triggered a spike in interest in meat alternatives, with a study showing that over half of ...

The award-winning superfood brand announces the new collection with its Homemade Pancake & Waffle Baking Mix SISTERS, Ore.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Laird Superfood (NYSE American: LSF), today announced its line of easy-to-make, plant-based Homemade Baking Mixes with the launch of its third mix in the collection, Homemade Pancake & Waffle Baking Mix. The collection is delicious and plant-powered, made with real, whole-food ingredients and includes veggies for a ‘Better Food, Better You’ family of baking products. Each of Laird Superfood’s baking mixes are gluten-free and vegan, with no egg ever required! Made from a blend of organic buckwheat flour, organic tigernut flour, tapioca flour and organic chia seed protein, and perfectly sweetened with organic coconut sugar, Laird Superfood’s Homemade Pancake & Waffle Baking Mix is the perfect way to start each morning. The mix makes soft and delicious pancakes and waffles that are easy to prepare. Bakers just add oil, water, and the secret ingredient to make them extra fluffy – apple cider vinegar. Best of all, it doesn’t compromise on flavor or texture. The launch of Laird Superfood’s Homemade Pancake & Waffle Baking Mix marks the brand’s latest offering in the collection of homemade baking mixes. In June 2021, Laird Superfood brought to market two baking mixes in the collection with Brownie Mix and Chocolate Chip Cookie Mix. Laird Superfood’s Brownie Mix offers rich chocolate flavor and cakey texture with the added benefits of vegetables in each batch. Each mix includes two full zucchinis for four servings of veggies per batch of ...

Scientists from Osaka University claim to have created the world’s first 3D-printed wagyu beef in Japan this week, using bovine satellite cells and adipose-derived stem cells isolated from Wagyu cows to 3D-print a realistic steak piece containing muscle, fat, and blood vessels. Wagyu can be translated literally to “Japanese cow,” and is famous around the globe for its high content of intramuscular fat. Known as marbling or Sashi, this fat provides the beef with its distinctive flavors and texture. As Wagyu beef has become an interesting and vibrant niche in the alt meat innovation landscape, vegconomist takes a look at the biggest alt Wagyu developments to date.  Alt Wagyu – 2018 to present December, 2018: Eat Just, producer of JUST Egg, was one of the first to take up the Wagyu challenge, announcing a “clean meat partnership” with Japanese beef producer, Toriyama, to produce cell-cultured wagyu beef. Since then, Eat Just’s cell-based arm has developed into GOOD MEAT, which recently raised $170 million in fresh funding for the expansion of the cell-based subsidiary.  June, 2020: Sydney-based food company JAT Oppenheimer created a vegan Wagyu that retails in Australian Asian stores under the brand name V Meat. Predictably, Australian beef farmers and lobbyists were outraged by the product, calling it “offensive” and “nonsensical”. July, 2020: Vancouver-headquartered Top Tier Foods creates “Waygu”, its plant-based wagyu product. World-renowned Master Chef Hidekazu Tojo is highly impressed by the vegan beef; “I was unsure about the quality,” stated Chef Tojo, “But when I tried it, ...