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.
PLANTSTRONG Foods is creating plant-based milk with fortified nutrients to differentiate in the category as the company aggressively grows its direct-to-consumer (DTC) channel.
Plant-based milk brand milkadamia moves into the refrigerated set and proves “less is more” with the debut of its organic Artisan macadamia milk and blends line that skips the fillers and gums common in many non-dairy beverages and responds to a growing...
Oatmilk pioneer Oatly’s new Unsweetened Oatmilk and Super Basic Oatmilk, which launched this week, respond to rising consumer concerns about plant-based milks, including their nutritional value and, for some, long lists of unfamiliar ingredients, which...
The breakfast brand’s commitment to clean label – or as clean label as functionality allows – will see it through the current plant-based ‘shakedown’, co-founder and brand director Camilla Barnard tells FoodNavigator.
More than 900 comments have been submitted to the FDA over its proposed labeling guidance for plant-based milk alternatives. From Danone North America to the Plant Based Foods Association, we round up some of the key arguments from both sides.
Within plant-based milks, almond may dominate sales and oat may be the fastest growing sub-segment, but an increasing variety of nut-, seed-, legume- and grain-based options are coming to market – simultaneously fragmenting and growing the overall segment.
Plant-based milk is one of the most successful categories of alternative protein, predicted to reach a value of $47 Billion by 2030. But why is it so successful? The driving force behind any alternative protein’s success is the motives people have for...
Unit sales of plant-based dairy products are sliding even as dollar sales are up in most categories as inflation-related price hikes simultaneously cushion companies’ margins and discourage some consumers from trying new products and paying premium products....
FDA is reopening the comment period for draft guidance on labeing plant-based milk at the request of several stakeholder groups, but comments already submitted reveal a wide rift between dairy and plant-based players about how best to describe non-dairy...
Plant-based milks and creamers are growing strong as they become a staple to many consumers, providing an example of what's needed to grow other alternative segments, according to experts gathered at Bridge2Food’s Summit Americas last week.
Singapore-based WhatIF Foods looks to bring its line of products derived from the bambara groundnut to a wider audience in the coming year, focusing on educating consumers about the legume’s benefits and appealing to the “climate anxious GenZ consumer,”...
A proposed bill that would invalidate FDA’s recent guidance on plant-based milk alternatives has garnered the support of one of the largest dairy co-ops and opposition from the plant-based foods industry, suggesting a coming showdown on the definition...
While almond milk and oat milk dominate the plant-based milk category in the US, Hope & Sesame sesame milk – which has a creamy texture and comparable protein levels to dairy milk (with the addition of some pea protein) – is gaining traction, generating...
New data from IRI and SPINS shows continued steep declines in sales of refrigerated meat alternatives but pockets of growth in frozen products and some plant-based milk, cheese, and yogurt subcategories, which do not all behave in the same way (spoiler...
Oatly has unveiled a cost-cutting plan after posting another disappointing set of results, with a $107.9m net loss on net revenues up 7% to $183m in the third quarter (+16.7% to $199.7m on a constant currency basis), with gross profit margins of just...
Plant-based foods and beverages co-manufacturer SunOpta continues to see strong growth across its plant-based milks portfolio especially in oatmilk, which is growing at more than twice the rate of the broader oatmilk segment.
Barely registering in the US plant-based milk category five years ago, oatmilk now occupies the #2 spot in the retail market behind almondmilk in a subsegment with offerings from deep-pocked multinational beverage and dairy companies to pure-play plant-based...
The “huge bet” SunOpta has placed on oatmilk through an aggressive series of investments in production capacity “has absolutely paid off,” says CEO Joe Ennen as the firm gears up to open a new aseptic production facility in Midlothian, Texas and expand...
Oatly posted a $72m net loss on net revenues up 21.8% to $178m in the second quarter of 2022, slightly under analysts’ expectations, with gross profit margins of 15.8%, a figure CEO Toni Petersson insisted would rise over time as the Malmö-based oatmilk...
When it comes to plant-based milks for kids, the options are few and far between, say Alex and Lauren Abelin, founders of Kiki Milk, which is made with organic oats, hemp seeds, sprouted pumpkin seeds, coconut, and other “whole food ingredients.”
US retail sales of plant-based milk rose +6.4% to $2.299bn in measured channels* in the year to June 12, 2022, driven by double-digit growth in oat milk and pea milk, according to new data shared with FoodNavigator-USA from SPINS.
As consumers’ love affair with oat milk continues to drive high double-digit, year-over-year sales food scientists are exploring how they can further enhance the beverage’s most beloved attributes, including its health benefits, sustainability and shelf...
Two closely watched food labeling documents from the FDA – a proposed rule defining ‘healthy’ nutrient content claims, and draft guidance on the labeling of plant-based milks - are both being reviewed by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), and...
Minor Figures is gaining steam in the competitive oat milk category backed by a recent minority investment from Danone Manifesto Ventures and Hong Kong-based Green Monday Group as it executes on its specialized business model centered on the coffee community.
NotCo, a foodtech startup that uses patented AI technology to produce plant-based versions of traditional animal products, has partnered with fast food chain Shake Shack on a test launch of a plant-based chocolate custard and milk shake.
Oatly's US revenues surged 40.3% to $47m in Q1, 2022, said the Swedish oatmilk maker, which claims Oatly is now the “fastest turning national brand in the entire US milk category [dairy and plant-based] with significant distribution upside,"...
IFF has launched SEAFLOUR, a hydrocolloid from red seaweed with particular potential in higher-protein plant-based milks made with pea or soy, enabling formulators to offer cleaner labels and shorten their ingredients lists.
With an ever-expanding portfolio, Kerry Taste & Nutrition is looking to expand its ingredients into new formats, with its new liquid BC30 probiotic giving opportunities in plant-based milks and liquid milk.
Once a niche part of the market, lactose-free/reduced milk now accounts for 5.8% of volumes and 10.4% of dollar sales at US retail, with volumes up 10.1% vs 2020, while total dairy milk volumes in tracked retail outlets (MULO +C) continued to decline,...
With US$18bn in global retail sales, plant-based milk alternatives represent the gateway into plant-based foods for many consumers who are looking to reduce consumption of animal-based products, which continues to propel the category forward with new...
Can we reverse engineer every dairy product and rebuild it with plants, molecule by molecule, or are there some applications such as yogurts or cheese where plants just don’t deliver the taste, functionality, or nutrition consumers are looking for?
Messaging around dairy alternatives often focuses on health, sustainability, animal welfare, or food allergy/intolerance, which motivates shoppers that want to feel good about what they put in their baskets and their bodies. But ‘plant curious’ consumers...
Oatly will open its third US production facility - a 280,000sq ft plant in Fort Worth, Texas – in 2023 to meet surging demand for oatmilk, which continues to generate triple-digit growth in the US market.
It has become “increasingly common in virtually all industries for short seller firms to target a company with accusations that drive down its stock price, which is then followed by a shareholder plaintiff firm pouncing on the stock drop with a class...
Santiago-based food tech company NotCo has raised $235m in a Series D round led by Tiger Global and supported by DFJ Growth Fund, ZOMA Lab, athletes Lewis Hamilton and Roger Federer, and musician and DJ Questlove, taking its cumulative funding to $350m...
The FDA is aiming to release long-awaited voluntary sodium reduction goals and draft guidance on the labeling of plant-based milk alternatives in the next 12 months.
Oatly posted a net loss of $60m in 2020 on sales up 106.5% year-on-year to $421.4m, reflecting its continued investment as it ramps up production and aggressively expands into new markets, according to a prospectus published ahead of its initial public...
SunOpta has acquired shelf-stable plant-based beverage brands Dream and Westsoy from Hain Celestial in a $33m deal as it ramps up its presence in the dairy alternative segment.
Sales of plant-based foods that directly replace animal products - including meat, seafood, eggs, dairy, condiments and meals containing plant-based alternatives - grew by 27% to $7bn in measured channels in the year to December 27, 2020, according to...
Oatmilk has taken off like a rocket ship over the past couple of years. However, US retail sales of almondmilk - which accounts for two thirds of category sales – grew a solid 16.9%* last year in measured channels, with market leader Almond Breeze posting...
US retail sales of plant-based milk surged 21.9% to $2.542bn in measured channels in the year to Jan. 24, 2021, while sales of plant-based cheese and yogurt (far smaller categories) were up 43.6% to $233.9m and 16.4% to $346.2m respectively in the year...
New Jersey-based Innovation Foods is building a $45m, 71,000-square-foot facility dedicated to producing aseptic and extended shelf-life (ESL) beverages for Oatly, which is projected to open in mid-2022.
The Swedish oat drink company is building its first UK factory, set to be completed in early 2023. The Vegan Society says the move illustrates the growing demand for products styled as eco-friendly. But others question whether cutting dairy really is...
Santiago-based food tech company NotCo has been granted a first-of-its kind US patent for its AI technology, which it claims gives it a clear edge in the race to reverse engineer animal foods and put them back together - molecule by molecule - with plants,...
US retail sales of soymilk - which have declined precipitously over the past decade – have started to grow again, says Danone North America, which is spearheading the turnaround with its Silk brand, the leading player in the soymilk segment.
Starbucks is adding Oatly oat milk to menus across the US “at a time when customers are seeking more plant-based choices to incorporate into their daily routines."
Plant-based milk is growing at an impressive clip, although not every subsegment is gaining momentum and not every new entrant has struck CPG gold. Barleymilk, however, has the potential to be a major player, and is every bit as exciting as current category...
Plant-based brands have blasted the latest wave of bills proposing restrictions on the use of terms such as ‘milk’ and ‘meat’ in states including New York and Texas as “a solution in search of a problem,” but say more work is needed to persuade legislators...
Dairy Farmers of America is rolling out its Dairy+ milk blends (lactose-free milks featuring 50:50 blends of plant-based milk and cow’s milk) to retailers in the Northeast as it pioneers the ‘hybrid’ trend in the dairy case after seeing more brands experiment...