Are plant-based meat and dairy substitutes healthier? Well, yes. And no. It depends. A new study investigates which substitutes do best, and worst, when pitted against animal products.
A recent study has found that a nutritious plant-based diet, incorporating a reduced intake of processed and sugary foods, could decrease the risk of developing type two diabetes by improving metabolism and organ function.
Austrian start-up Revo Foods is well known for its 3D-printed fish and meat whole cuts. Now, it has announced technology that can work continuously and produce a variety of products simultaneously, introducing significant flexibility into the production...
Ingredient supplier Fiber Foods is taking its dried jack fruit ingredient to a more global audience with the help of recent funding from venture capital firm PeakBridge, as hybrid plant-based and animal-based meat products gain traction, company co-founder...
The University of California, Davis (UC Davis) is launching its Integrative Center for Alternative Meat and Protein (iCAMP) this week, as the center brings together various academic groups and industry stakeholders to advance alternative meat science...
While the alternative protein scene continues to pursue widespread uptake and acceptance, in 2024, expect to see new and evolving concepts, technologies and regulatory support to progress towards attaining resilient food systems.
At a time when many retailers are cutting back on the assortment and number of plant-based proteins they stock, fungi-based newcomer Meati continues to gain retail shelf space with the launch of four of its whole-cut MushroomRoot cutlets and steaks in...
Nearly a year after its acquisition, Tofurky is capitalizing on the synergies with its parent company Moringa Nutritional Foods as the brand prepares to grow its retail and global presence despite headwinds facing the plant-based market, company CEO Jaime...
Plant-based meat company Before the Butcher is focusing on growing and innovating its private label and foodservice businesses, as it assess how the alternative protein retail market will shake out, company founder and CEO Danny O'Malley told FoodNavigator-USA.
A report finds that plant-based burgers, meatballs and bacon alternatives are healthier than their meaty counterparts, but animal meat scores better for chicken chunks, chicken fillet, and schnitzel.
Why do people buy meat alternatives? A new study reveals that values focused on one’s relationship to a group, such as ‘self-transcendence’, are far more likely to influence their decision to buy meat alternatives than ‘self-focused’ values such as a...
By René Floris, NIZO Food Research Division Manager
To successfully launch a plant-based product onto the market today, businesses have to go above and beyond in flavour to stand out. How can a new, more holistic flavour approach put an end to organoleptic compromise?
Food-tech is a sought-after solution to address systemic challenges facing the industry, including feeding a growing global populace, but many consumers are not convinced of its importance or worse — they want nothing to do with it.
Alternative protein player Meati is taking its patented MushroomRoot ingredient to the shelf-stable snack aisle with more product innovation on the way, as the brand adjusts its growth strategy with a keen focus on profitability, the company’s VP of marketing...
Planteneers broadens its customer service and applications technology team with the launch of its Plantbaser online platform and upcoming pilot plant facility in Aurora, Illinois to better meet the demands of its plant-based customers, explained Ashley...
Meet GreenProtein AI: the non-profit leveraging artificial intelligence and advanced machine learning to help innovators improve the texture of their plant-based meat products.
Mycoprotein supplier ENOUGH has raised €40m to scale up production in the Netherlands. And if global demand increases, the company will look to replicate its model further afield, CEO Jim Laird tells FoodNavigator.
The rapid growth of plant-based protein newcomer Actual Veggies suggests the sliding sales of alternative protein products that closely mimic their animal counterparts does not represent a lack of consumer interest in vegetarian and vegan options, but...
As alternative protein develops, brewer’s yeast is emerging as a strong driver of the market. Start-up ProteinDistillery has created a protein, developed from brewer’s yeast, that can not only be used for meat and dairy alternatives, but also to replace...
MyForestFoods recently raised $15 million in Series A-2 funding to support the growth of its portfolio across the East Coast, including its mycelium bacon aptly called MyBacon, which was featured at the Vegan Women Summit in New York City May 19. The...
Libre Foods is working with both fungi fruiting bodies and mycelia to boost diversity, functionality, and taste in meat-free offerings, CEO Alan Iván Ramos tells FoodNavigator.
Mushroom-based protein startup Prime Roots is expanding distribution of its alt-based meats to deli counters and restaurants across the US with the help of $30m in Series B funding, brand CEO and co-founder Kimberlie Le told FoodNavigator-USA.
It’s time plant-based manufacturers stop talking about the healthy nutrients that plants don’t have and focus on those they do have, says influential Wageningen food scientist Atze Jan van der Goot.
The recent Plant-Based Protein Manufacturing Summit in Amsterdam brought together leading businesses in the plant-based food and beverage industry with co-manufacturers, innovative equipment and solution providers to explore the challenges and opportunities...
Plant-based food technology company Motif FoodWorks is taking a page out of the retail playbook with a limited-time-offering, direct-to-consumer (DTC) offering of its finished products, which sold out in 52 hours, company CEO Michael Leonard told FoodNavigator-USA....
It is too soon to give up on the plant-based meat segment, which has seen sales and household penetration slip in the past year, but which is evolving to meet demand for products that are healthier, tastier and more convenient, argued industry stakeholders...
Alongside falling sales, volume and units, plant-based meat has slid into the trough of despair, also known as valley of disillusionment or sorrow, and while it is unclear if the category has hit bottom yet, many stakeholders already are looking for a...
Against the grim backdrop of tumbling sales, units and volume for fresh and frozen alternative proteins, plant-based bacon is emerging as a bright spot – with sales inching up, thanks in part to innovative production techniques, like those championed...
With the opening of a new facility, dubbed the “Mega Ranch,” fungi-based startup Meati seeks to place its mushroom-root-based, sliced meat product in “tens of thousands of stores” in 2023, company co-founder and CEO, Tyler Huggins, told FoodNavigator-USA
Canadian meat alternative producer No Meat Factory has closed a $42m series B round as it gears up to open a second factory, and says it is seeing significant demand for high-quality capacity, despite the recent slowdown in sales at US retail.
Multiple semi-finalists in the prestigious XPRIZE ‘Feed the Next Billion’ competition have pulled out following a rule change enacted mid-way through the process relating to title sponsor ASPIRE which contestants argue is “unrealistic for any venture-backed...
With surging inflation and continuing supply chain disruptions, 2022 has been another challenging year for the nation’s food and beverage manufacturers. Here are some of the highlights (and a few low lights) and a look ahead to 2023.
Santiago-based NotCo – a food tech company deploying a proprietary artificial intelligence (AI) platform called ‘Giuseppe’ to bring a new level of sophistication to the formulation of meat and dairy alternatives – has raised $70m in a series D1 round*...
Motif FoodWorks has filed a suite of new petitions with the US Patent and Trademark Office challenging US patents held by Impossible Foods over the use of heme proteins in meat alternatives as it defends itself against accusations of IP infringement....
While plant-based meat sales have slowed significantly over the past year with many commentators blaming the inflationary environment, Daring - a premium brand deploying pricy high-moisture extrusion to make its plant-based chicken pieces – is going from...
New shopper data from Kroger’s partner 84.51° shows that plant-based meat and dairy products are displacing animal products, albeit on a very small scale; while consumer survey data from 84.51° and the Plant Based Foods Association shows that personal...
“It's very frustrating to hear people talk all the time about transportation and power [in conversations about climate change] when right in front of you three times a day, there is a solution that's more impactful,” observed Beyond Meat founder...
While the high-single to double-digit drop in plant-based meat sales over the past year has prompted significant handwringing among investors, retailers and other stakeholders, category front-runner Impossible Foods is neither surprised about the segment’s...
IFF has unveiled SUPRO TEX, a shelf-stable textured protein made via low-moisture extrusion claimed to deliver “a texture to meat alternatives close to what a high moisture extruded product is able to deliver,” at a significantly lower cost.
Six days after settling their lengthy legal dispute over the early termination of a supply contact, Don Lee Farms and Beyond Meat have resolved their differences over a separate lawsuit* in which Don Lee accused Beyond Meat of over-stating the protein...
Motif FoodWorks has suffered a setback in its dispute with Impossible Foods over meaty-tasting heme proteins in meat alternatives after the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) rejected its request for an inter partes review of the patent at the center...
Beyond Meat is rolling out its latest innovation - Beyond Steak - at Kroger and Walmart stores nationwide, as well as at select Albertsons and Ahold divisions and other retailers across the country.
The long-term imperative behind reducing our reliance on animal agriculture seems fairly compelling: The planet can’t sustain it. But with less engaged consumers dipping in and then out of the meat alternatives category as budgets tighten, and a subsegment...
Beyond Meat and former co-packer Don Lee Farms have agreed to settle an ugly five-year legal dispute prompted by the early termination of a supply contract in spring 2017.
Loss-making plant-based meat co Beyond Meat - which is currently squaring up to former co-packer Don Lee Farms in a trial in L.A. - has unveiled plans to lay off approximately 200 employees (19% of its global workforce) in a bid to cut costs and achieve...
The nation’s leading meat companies all got in on the action on meat alternatives, with investments in plant-based and cell-cultured meat startups and their own dedicated consumer brands. But with category sales weakening in recent months amid surging...