vegconomist - the vegan business magazine

GOOD PLANeT Foods yesterday unveiled first to market snackable Plant-Based Cheese Wedges, in Original, Pepper Jack and Smoked Gouda flavours, with CEO Bart Adlam stating: “The plant-based cheese segment is growing extremely fast, but the potential is far greater than we are seeing.” The brand, known for its meltable cheese products including a pizza topped with Beyond Meat, announced last year a $12M Series A raise. It also supplies its cheese to top an Impossible Foods patty at White Castle. Food industry leader Adlam was hired as Co-CEO in August 2020 as part of the company’s intentions to become a serious player in plant-based cheese. “We are committed to growing the segment by making it easy for consumers to make a sustainable choice and choose plant-based. With this innovation, we are delivering an Allergen Free, keto-certified, plant-based snackable cheese wedge that delivers all the creaminess, satisfaction, and taste of dairy cheese,” he commented yesterday. The wedges are available in 4 oz. packs with six individually wrapped wedges for $4.99 at HyVee, Wakefern and other grocery retailers. ...

Alt meat giant Impossible Foods today announces it is taking its new ground sausage product into retail via multiple outlets throughout the US, stating that 66% of consumers said Impossible Sausage tasted as good as or better than pork ground sausage. The retail launch follows the recent appointment of David Borecky as CFO.  The Impossible Sausage Made From Plants will be hitting the shelves in two flavors – Savory and Spicy With 30% fewer calories, 47% less total fat, and 43% less saturated fat when cooked – when compared to the leading animal-derived competitor – Impossible Foods is clearly aiming at the growing vegan and flexitarian market concerned with health and sustainability.  Plant-based pork is an important frontier as pork accounts for nearly 38% of meat production worldwide, with pigs being the most widely eaten animal in the world, according to the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization. 121 million pigs are killed for food each year in the United States alone. Impossible Foods sees the retail launch of its plant-based pork sausage products as an important step to decreasing the world’s protein reliance on pork.  As the Silicon Valley-based Impossible Foods continues to deny or confirm reports on a potential $10 billion IPO, it has announced a new chief financial officer and lead human-resources executive in David Borecky, previously of Square Inc and Stripe Inc. The alt meat leader is also set to continue its hot competition with Beyond Meat, following the news of its move into the plant-based ...

Following the two companies’ recent moves in the UK, Pizza Hut and Beyond Meat have announced a new collaboration, with the debut of the Beyond Pepperoni pizza. A first for both brands, the pizza will be available in nearly 70 locations across the US.  “We know there is strong consumer demand for pepperoni, and we’re thrilled to unveil a game-changing plant-based pepperoni topping” – Beyond Meat However, much like the recent UK launch, the pizza contains dairy cheese and as such is not suitable for vegan customers. Aimed at a health-conscious flexitarian or “reducetarian” demographic, the plant-based pepperoni is made from peas and rice, with no GMOs, soy, gluten, hormones, antibiotics, or cholesterol.  Nevertheless, the vegan community has been questioning why Pizza Hut would only go halfway with its meat-free offerings and shunning the exploding vegan market. The partnership between Pizza Hut and Beyond Meat is part of Yum! Brands’ strategic partnership with the alt meat leader, with fellow fast-food giants KFC and Taco Bell also on board. Yum! has yet to invest in a plant-based cheese producer to make a fully vegan menu option and therefore finds itself lagging behind in this expanding market.  Other mainstream QSR chains such as Burger King have invested greatly in plant-based and continue to reap the rewards, even experimenting with a 100% vegan restaurant in Germany. In yet another example, Chicago beef chain Buona recently sold out of its vegan sandwich option in one day at all locations upon launch due to “extremely ...

Following on from its successful expansion into Australia, Veganz has launched its premium plant-based pizzas into Drakes Supermarkets. Drakes becomes the first supermarket chain in Queensland to offer the frozen pizzas from Veganz, as the German brand continues to grow and lead the frozen plant-based pizza sector. “We have had a lot of requests for vegan and plant-based products in the last 2 years” – Drakes Berlin-based Veganz launched into New South Wales, Victoria, and South Australia in March this year via Woolworths supermarkets, and the new Drakes deal now ensures its presence in over 60 Queensland outlets. The vegan full-range supplier has also successfully expanded into the UK and Greek markets. Featuring the popular Eaternity label, Veganz is aiming to set a new industry standard for sustainability and transparency in the food industry. Thanks to the sustainability score on the brand’s packaging, the CO2 footprint, water consumption, and contribution to the preservation of the rainforest and animal welfare can be calculated. This gives consumers transparency to see the real resource consumption of every single Veganz pizza, with the brand claiming the sale of over 1.5 million Verdura pizzas saved over 915 tonnes of CO2 in 2020 alone. Plant-Based on the up in Australia In Australia, the demand for plant-based products is growing as shown by Veganz continued success in the frozen pizza sector. Other news includes Hello Fresh’s expansion of its vegan offerings in the country by entering a new partnership with Fenn Foods, as well as Heston Blumenthal’s ...

While a national survey conducted by delivery app DoorDash finds that the majority of US Americans (73%) consider BBQ grilling a must-do activity this summer, the survey also shows that most consumers (65%), particularly millennials, are also choosing plant-based options for a healthier lifestyle.  With this data in mind, alt meat leader Beyond Meat has extended its partnership with DoorDash to sell their limited-edition plant-based grilling kits through to the Labor Day weekend. The kit features the new Beyond Burger, which is healthier than previous versions with 35% less total and saturated fat than 80/20 beef, as well as fewer calories, and no cholesterol.  Beyond Meat has been involved in a spate of partnership news recently as it looks to cement itself as the market leader in the alt meat sphere. Deals include with American Chinese fast-food chain Panda Express as well as expanding with A&W Canada with the introduction of Beyond Meat Nuggets. Pizza Hut also recently expanded its partnership with Beyond Meat in the UK.  The DoorDash BBQ kits include the new Beyond Burger, as well as grilling tools, an apron, mitts, and a recipe card. The limited-edition kits are available for on-demand delivery from DashMart for $14.99 in select markets across the United States.  “There’s nothing more classic and delicious than a perfectly grilled, juicy burger on a hot summer day. We’ve made this classic pastime even better this summer with the great taste and nutritional benefits of our newest Beyond Burger, and the unbeatable convenience of ...

Nestlé owned meal plan service Freshly is launching its first 100% plant-based menu in the US. Featuring six new meals made with whole-food ingredients, the Purely Plant menu looks to cater to the 65% of Freshly customers self-identifying as flexitarians. The chef-prepared meal delivery service has developed the line to show that plant-based eating can be both nutritious and delicious, with a mix of plant-based twists on classic comfort foods and globally-inspired cuisine. Dishes include Rainbow Harvest Plant-Based Burger with Sticky Carrot Jam & Summer Veggie Sauté, as well as Unwrapped Salsa Verde Burrito with Purely Plant Crumbles.  The launch of Purely Plant comes after Freshly was acquired by Nestlé USA in 2020 and amid a year of significant growth for the company. Freshly ships more than one million meals per week to customers in 48 states and has announced plans to open second facilities in New Jersey and Georgia to increase production and order fulfillment capacity.  Nestlé – the world’s largest food company – has pushed increasingly into the plant-based sphere, whether it be the recent launch of its Wunda alt milk product or its Garden Gourmet plant-based line. Nestlé also recently confirmed that it is currently developing cell-cultured meat.  “We’re thrilled to provide our customers with a convenient way to incorporate minimally processed, plant-based meals into their routines,” explained Mike Wystrach, Freshly Founder and CEO.  “We recognize that it can be challenging to eat a more plant-based diet without sacrificing on taste; but with the launch of Freshly’s ...

For the first time in the event’s history, the 2021 Met Gala will feature a sustainable and completely plant-based menu, featuring recipes from New York up-and-coming chefs.  “We hope that high-profile initiatives like the Met Gala’s will bring increased attention to this movement”  The luxurious, blockbuster event has enlisted 10 budding chefs from New York City to collectively craft a vegan menu for the biggest night in fashion. Vegconomist spoke with industry leaders in the plant-based world to get their take on the momentous occasion: “This is a pivotal moment for both our society as well as food culture, and it’s exciting to see that now people all over the world—in all circles and ways of life—are embracing the goodness of plant-based eating. As pioneers and champions of the plant-based movement, it’s humbling yet incredibly gratifying to see our food philosophy hit the center stage,” commented Dan Hua, VP of Marketing for Daiya Foods, one of the leading plant-based cheese brands in North America.  “This demonstrates the way that people are truly eating and living today—to benefit people and planet. We hope that the example set by the Met Gala will inspire more people and companies to follow suit,” he added.  Instead of making their own dishes, the group of chefs will collaborate on a menu of canapés, entrées, and desserts. Celebrity restaurateur and chef Marcus Samuelsson was given the task of selecting the chefs by Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour.  “We see more and more consumers looking to incorporate plant-based ...

Shiok Meats, the world’s first cell-cultured crustacean company, has fully acquired Gaia Foods. Founded in 2019, Gaia was the first company in Southeast Asia to develop cell-cultured red meat. Its founders are two scientists, Dr. Vinayaka Srinivas and Dr. Hung Nguyen, who both have decades of experience in stem cell and biotech research. “We have long admired Shiok Meats for their mission, technology, and strong leadership,” said Srinivas. “This collaboration has all the necessary synergies that will make our respective capabilities even stronger.” Gaia finished developing its first product, cell-cultured beef slices, in October 2020. The company has been backed by Big Idea Ventures (which also invests in Shiok) and various angel investors. Growth for Shiok Meats Shiok Meats has gone from strength to strength, raising $12.6 million in its Series A funding round last September. Last year, it announced a collaboration with IntegriCulture to upscale its production and reduce costs. It was also named as one of the most innovative companies in the Asia Pacific region by Fast Company magazine in 2020. “The alternative protein space is evolving rapidly, and we are very excited to collaborate and integrate with Gaia Foods,” said Dr. Sandhya Sriram, CEO and Co-founder of Shiok Meats. “With both seafood and red meat on our suite of offerings and the recent fundraise from strategic investors, we are ready to power through to commercialization.” ...

American plant-based brand Crafty Counter is to launch what it claims are the first ready-to-eat vegan boiled eggs. Known as Wundereggs, they are cholesterol-free and contain around the same amount of saturated fat as a conventional egg. The eggs have a “white” and a “yolk” and are made mostly with cashews and almonds. The other ingredients are probiotics, coconut milk, agar-agar, nutritional yeast, turmeric extract, and black salt. Founder Hema Reddy says future versions may include additional nutrients to match the nutritional profile of eggs. Reddy told FoodNavigatorUSA that while she loves eggs, she could no longer justify buying them after learning about the cruelty involved in the egg industry. She explained that she wanted to create a boiled egg that her children could take to school as a snack, or that could be sliced up and put on a sandwich. © Crafty Counter  Launching later this year or in early 2022, the eggs will be sold in packs of two, retailing at around $5. A proprietary high-pressure processing method is used to give the eggs a long shelf life — between 90 and 120 days if kept in the fridge. While several companies are working on plant-based egg alternatives, most focus on either liquid, scrambled, or fried eggs. There are few options for plant-based eaters who miss boiled eggs, so Crafty Counter will fill an important gap in the market. But Reddy says the Wundereggs are still a work in progress. “The first iteration uses cashews and almonds, but ...

One of the biggest companies in the global pet food industry, Mars Petcare, has introduced a new brand of sustainability-focused dog food. Called KARMA, the new range is marketed as “plant-first” though both products in the line contain meat.  Coming in recyclable bags designed by TerraCycle, the KARMA dog food line claims to provide dogs with “plant-based superfoods”, with more than 60 percent of the recipe made up of plants. Back in 2019, vegconomist reported that the producer of Whiskas and Pedigree was looking to develop meat-free pet protein products, and the KARMA line looks to be a step in that direction despite not actually being meat-free.  The terms “plant-first” or “plant-forward” are becoming popular with producers keen to promote their sustainability credentials, even though their products may not necessarily be plant-based or vegan. There are concerns that this could cause some confusion or consternation among consumers.  Plant-Based Pets Truly plant-based dog food companies are experiencing impressive growth as dog parents become increasingly aware of the benefits of a plant-based diet. British startup THE PACK makes plant-based pet food and was recently chosen for the pet care accelerator Leap Venture Studio. Additionally, in the cell-cultured space, biotech company Because, Animals recently raised $6.7 million for its cell-cultured pet foods.  “When you put pet parents at the center, you commit to supporting their passions and concerns,” stated Ikdeep Singh, President of Mars Petcare North America. “Pets can be an important part of a more sustainable world. We’re proud to launch the ...