Proteins

Whole cuts: The Holy Grail of alt meat? Join us October 13 in part I of FoodNavigator-USA’s Disrupting the meat and dairy case broadcast series

11-Oct-2021 By Elaine Watson

When it comes to meat alternatives, most people tend to think about plant-based or cell-cultured meat (real animal cells grown outside an animal). But fungi, in a less familiar form factor (think foamy slabs of mushroom mycelium instead of dome shaped...

NEWS IN BRIEF

Nabati Foods gains dual public listing, eyes international markets for its plant-based eggs

08-Oct-2021 By Mary Ellen Shoup

Nabati Foods joins the Canadian Securities Exchange (CSE) and Frankfurt Stock Exchange (FSE) with an eye towards additional platforms after recently debuting its plant-based liquid egg product in the US through its DTC site.

Lightlife debuts whole-muscle, plant-based chicken at Whole Foods prepared food sections

07-Oct-2021 By Mary Ellen Shoup

Lightlife will debut its new plant-based, whole-muscle chicken product exclusively in the prepared foods section in Whole Foods Market locations this month, making parent company Greenleaf Foods the exclusive plant-based chicken provider for all Whole...

Conagra: 'We look at our $2.7bn snacks business as a continued source of fabulous growth'

07-Oct-2021 By Mary Ellen Shoup

Conagra Brands is dialing up the investment in its snacks business with several new product launches under its Slim Jim brand, the #1 brand in meat snacks, and its broader salty snacks portfolio, shares Burke Raine, president, grocery and snacks.

Picky eaters? Study looks at behaviors that influence fussy eating

06-Oct-2021 By Mary Ellen Shoup

Picky eating that extends into school years can take a toll on children and parents alike, but what influences a child's dislike of certain foods in the first place, and what can parents do to help tackle this behavior?

InnovoPro expands meat alternative toolbox with textured chickpea protein launch

06-Oct-2021 By Elaine Watson

Israeli firm InnovoPro – which recently launched a US subsidiary in Chicago – has unveiled a textured vegetable protein (TVP) combining chickpea and pea protein that it claims will enable food manufacturers to expand the ingredient toolbox for plant-based...

‘Our food culture is changing at a rapid pace…’ Hormel Foods teams up with The Better Meat Co to develop meat alternatives featuring Rhiza mycoprotein

06-Oct-2021 By Elaine Watson

Hormel Foods is dipping its toes further into the meat alternatives space via its venturing arm 199 Ventures, which is teaming up with The Better Meat Co. to bring new products to market featuring the latter’s Rhiza mycoprotein ingredient, a filamentous...

Square Baby expands nationally, backed by ultra-loyal following of parents

06-Oct-2021 By Mary Ellen Shoup

Square Baby, a direct-to-consumer baby food company offering veggie-forward meal solutions, is making the leap from a regional brand serving the West Coast to a full-blown national operation, a milestone that couldn't have been achieved without a...

Kingdom Supercultures raises $25m to expand Non GMO suite of microbes to unlock new flavors, textures, and functionalities in food & beverage

05-Oct-2021 By Elaine Watson

Kingdom Supercultures – a Brooklyn-based startup specializing in building novel combinations of microbial cultures it claims can improve the flavor, texture and functional properties of everything from plant-based dairy products to kombucha - has raised...

Clara Foods rebrands as The EVERY Company, launches ‘nearly invisible’ animal-free egg protein (without chickens)

05-Oct-2021 By Elaine Watson

‘Animal-free’ protein startup Clara Foods has rebranded as The EVERY Company and unveiled EVERY ClearEgg, a highly soluble, "nearly invisible" functional egg protein, its second product produced via precision fermentation using genetically engineered...

Chocolate milk brand Slate raises additional $3.3m in seed round, expands distribution to 4,000 stores

04-Oct-2021 By Elaine Watson

Boston-based startup Slate Milk – maker of ultra-filtered, high-protein, lactose-free chocolate milk in shelf-stable cans - has raised an additional $3.3m in a seed round backed by the founders of RXBAR, Halo Top, Drizly, Yasso, and consumer-focused investment...

Mintel: Consumers adopt holistic and proactive approach to health

04-Oct-2021 By Mary Ellen Shoup

Two-thirds of US adults say the pandemic has caused them to re-evaluate their life priorities and has had the most profound impact on where and how they eat, according to Mintel research.

Sweegen to launch high intensity sweetener brazzein in 2022

04-Oct-2021 By Elaine Watson

Sweegen will expand its high-intensity sweeteners portfolio early next year with the addition of brazzein, an ultra-sweet tasting protein found in small quantities in the fruit of a West African plant called oubli, that can be produced on a commercial...

TurtleTree opens R&D center in California accelerating path to market for cell-based milk

01-Oct-2021 By Mary Ellen Shoup

TurtleTree, a biotech company using cell-based technologies to create dairy ingredients, has opened a new US-based research facility in Sacramento, California, accelerating its commercialization plans to bring its cell-based milk and dairy ingredients...

SOMOS debuts 'real' Mexican food to US consumers

30-Sep-2021 By Mary Ellen Shoup

Most Americans' idea of Mexican cuisine is limited to cheese quesadillas, greasy nachos, and overstuffed burritos, argue the founders of a new brand called SOMOS ('we are' in Spanish), which is challenging this common consumer perception...

The Urgent Company and Perfect Day unveil 2nd animal-free dairy brand: Modern Kitchen cream cheese, as Perfect Day raises $350m, with an 'eye toward eventual strong public market performance'

30-Sep-2021 By Elaine Watson

The Urgent Company – best known for Brave Robot ‘animal-free’ ice cream– is moving into new territory with the launch of Modern Kitchen lactose-free cream cheese, its second brand featuring Perfect Day’s animal-free dairy proteins (made with microbes,...

Upton's Naturals succeeds the slow and steady way: 'I feel like I can do more with $100,000 than some of these larger players can do with $100m'

30-Sep-2021 By Mary Ellen Shoup

Upton's Naturals has been quietly pioneering the plant-based foods category, first with its seitan products, which were among the first to hit retail fifteen years ago, followed by jackfruit and banana blossom plant-based meat alternatives now sold...

Sustainability at the source: How Unilever is addressing deforestation, living wages, and regenerative agriculture

30-Sep-2021 By Flora Southey

How is Unilever ensuring sustainability in sourcing regions? Hanneke Faber, President Foods & Refreshment at Unilever, weighs in.

Beyond Meat launches Beyond Breakfast Sausage Links at Canadian retailers nationwide

29-Sep-2021 By Mary Ellen Shoup

Beyond Meat is rolling out its Beyond Breakfast Sausage Links in Canadian grocery stores nationwide marking the plant-based brand's entry into the Canadian retail breakfast category.

GALLERY: Alternative protein startups to watch at the GFI Good Food Conference

29-Sep-2021 By Elaine Watson

From 'whole cuts' of seafood from fungi, to plant-based lamb, to highly functional proteins from brewers' spent grains, here's a quick snapshot of some of the alternative protein startups participating in a virtual pitch slam at last...

Animal-free dairy: Perfect Day moves into foodservice via tie-up with Villa Dolce on gelato, ready-to-bake dessert mixes

28-Sep-2021 By Elaine Watson

Berkeley-based startup Perfect Day – which makes dairy proteins using microbes instead of cows – has made its first move into the foodservice arena via a partnership with Villa Dolce to incorporate ‘animal-free’ whey into two new categories: gelato and...

Consumer confidence in grocery stores declines as COVID-19 financial concerns linger

27-Sep-2021 By Mary Ellen Shoup

More US shoppers report feeling unhappy with how grocery stores are handling the COVID-19 crisis now, including a prominent concern around the cost and price of their groceries, than earlier this year, according to dunnhumby in its latest Consumer Pulse...

NEWS IN BRIEF

Beyond Chicken debuts at retail stores following successful foodservice launch

27-Sep-2021 By Mary Ellen Shoup

Following its initial foodservice launch earlier this year, Beyond Meat is rolling out Beyond Chicken Tenders at retailers in select markets across the US next month.

Cell-cultured meat: New Age Meats raises $25m, gears up for small scale launch in 2022, addresses 'vaporware' claims

27-Sep-2021 By Elaine Watson

New Age Meats has raised $25m in series A round* led by Hanwha Solutions of South Korea that will allow it to begin manufacturing sausage products combining cell-cultured and plant-based meat at a 20,000-square-foot pilot facility in Alameda, California,...

Soup-To-Nuts Podcast: Killer Creamery finds sweet-spot in sugar-free ice cream, frozen novelties

27-Sep-2021 By Elizabeth Crawford

Not many companies would be satisfied with or even strive to produce a food or beverage that tastes ‘normal,’ but the founder of the better-for-you frozen dessert company Killer Creamery couldn’t be happier that the taste of brand’s new ice cream sandwich...

News In Brief

Animal welfare, organic claims are increasing in the meat, dairy cases – bringing higher sales

27-Sep-2021 By Elizabeth Crawford

Animal-based meat and dairy manufacturers increasingly are addressing consumer demand for improved animal welfare and environmental impact – helping to defend and grow their sales in the face of encroaching competition from plant-based options.

NEWS IN BRIEF

PepsiCo's Off The Eeaten Path launches industrially-compostable bags

24-Sep-2021 By Mary Ellen Shoup

PepsiCo's Frito-Lay North America division introduced an industrially-compostable bag for select products of its Off The Eaten Path better-for-you snack brand as part of its newly-launched pep+ sustainability program.

Good Food Institute calls for massive public funding into alternative proteins R&D

24-Sep-2021 By Mary Ellen Shoup

Addressing the lack of public investment in the alternative proteins space, the Good Food Institute (GFI) is awarding nearly $5m to 22 research projects that the organization says will get closer to unlocking “the holy grail” of alternative proteins:...

Above Food fuels plant-based foods business: 'There's a real reason why we can win here'

23-Sep-2021 By Mary Ellen Shoup

Growing plant-based foods company Above Food – which began as an ingredient supplier of specialized plant proteins – is quickly gaining ground in its B2C business, snapping up several brands and launching its own direct-to-consumer site with a growing...

Pea-protein fueled Ripple Foods raises $60m in series E, plans move into overseas markets

23-Sep-2021 By Elaine Watson

Pea protein-fueled brand Ripple Foods has raised $60m in an oversubscribed Series E round* that takes its cumulative funding to almost $250m, and will help the plant-based firm enter new categories, channels, and overseas markets, and extend its proprietary...

Tofurky teams up with Triton Algae Innovations for algae-fueled ‘meat innovations’ set to launch in Q1, 2022

22-Sep-2021 By Elaine Watson

Plant based meat brand Tofurky has teamed up with San Diego-based Triton Algae Innovations to commercialize new ‘algae-based meat innovations’ featuring Triton’s protein-rich Non-GMO ‘essential red' algae for retail launch in Q1, 2022.

FOOD FOR KIDS: Fast food consumption increases among 20% of families surveyed, report finds

21-Sep-2021 By Mary Ellen Shoup

While many parents say that their family has eaten more healthily since the start of the pandemic, one in five parents reports relying more heavily on fast food as a quick fix family meal option, according to the University of Michigan Health C.S. Mott...

Lever VC - early stage investor in alt protein startups - closes Fund I at $80m; plans fund II in early 2022

21-Sep-2021 By Elaine Watson

Venture capital firm Lever VC has completed final close of Lever VC Fund I, with $80m raised to back early stage plant-based and cell-cultured meat and dairy companies around the world.

Soup-To-Nuts Podcast: Nissin Foods’ Top Ramen, Cup Noodles 50th anniversary underscores importance of innovation, empathy & teamwork for sustained success, consumer relevancy

20-Sep-2021 By Elizabeth Crawford

A keen empathy for consumers, a deep commitment to innovation and an open-door approach to collaboration helped the founder of Nissin Foods not only capture the hearts of billions of people when he invented instant noodles, but also helped build and sustain...

Don’t have a cow? Perfect Day lifecycle assessment underscores sustainability benefits of animal-free dairy proteins

20-Sep-2021 By Elaine Watson

Berkeley-based startup Perfect Day has underscored its sustainability credentials with the release of an expanded lifecycle assessment suggesting its ‘non-animal’ whey protein - produced by microbes, not cows – has a dramatically lower environmental footprint...

'Our priority is innovation...' Sophie’s Kitchen raises $5.6m to expand plant-based seafood category

17-Sep-2021 By Elaine Watson

Sophie’s Kitchen has secured a $5.6m investment led by venture capital firm Billy Goat Brands to help it expand its plant-based seafood empire, which now extends into multiple categories including ‘toona,’ crab cakes, fish filets, smoked salmon, and shrimp....

Protein intake doesn’t impact microbial diversity, new research argues

17-Sep-2021 By Lynda Searby

Animal protein intake is associated with a worsened metabolic status and Type 2 Diabetes but there is no significant association with gut microbiome composition, according to new research.

Diverse investor base behind $3.8 m fundraise will help Asian American food startup immi go mainstream

16-Sep-2021 By Elizabeth Crawford

For the co-founders of the better-for-you Asian American food startup immi, the most exciting part of closing their seed fundraise wasn’t the $3.8m that will help them relaunch an improved version of their low-carb, high-protein, plant-based instant ramen...

Introducing the FoodNavigator-USA broadcast series: Disrupting the meat and dairy case -- from plant-based bacon to ‘real’ cheese (minus the cows)

16-Sep-2021 By Elaine Watson

Interested in meat, dairy, and seafood alternatives? Is all the hype - and the wads of cash - truly justified? Are some formulations (think plant-based cheese and yogurt) really ready for prime time? Are the purchase drivers for plant-based seafood the...

Givaudan, Bühler and Migros launch tie-up to accelerate cultured meat sector

16-Sep-2021 By Katy Askew

Givaudan, Bühler and Migros have formed a new company, The Cultured Food Innovation Hub, with the aim of accelerating the development and market penetration of cellular agriculture.

ENOUGH breaks ground on ‘world’s largest’ fermented protein factory

16-Sep-2021 By Katy Askew

Food tech company ENOUGH broke ground on what it says will be the ‘world’s largest’ fermented protein facility today (16 September). When fully operational the site will have the capacity to produce 50,000 tonnes of mycoprotein ingredient ABUNDA per annum.

Meet the B2B start-up innovating plant-based whole cuts and cultivated hybrids

16-Sep-2021 By Flora Southey

A new platform for whole-cut texturization to produce plant-based meat alternatives and cell-based hybrids has been developed by Israeli firm Alfred’s FoodTech, Ltd.

NEW PRODUCTS GALLERY: From 'Oddly Good' plant-based yogurt to oatmeal in a ball and chickpea tofu

15-Sep-2021 By Elaine Watson

In FoodNavigator-USA's latest roundup of new product launches, we include an eclectic mix of new products, from Chobani's first foray into peanut butter, to Hershey's new 'Oat Made' bars, an interesting new twist on tofu, and...

Nomad and BlueNalu tie-up scouts cell-based seafood sales in Europe: ‘We have a responsibility to protect fish stocks for generations to come’

15-Sep-2021 By Flora Southey

Europe’s largest frozen food company has teamed up with cultivated seafood start-up BlueNalu to explore the introduction of cell-based seafood products to Europe. Nomad will bring a ‘wealth of expertise in fish and seafood’ to the partnership, CEO Stéfan...

Campbell Soup Co. gains share in soup thanks to innovation, continued life at home, even as sales cool from pandemic highs

15-Sep-2021 By Elizabeth Crawford

With soup sales beginning to cool closer to pre-pandemic levels in the last quarter of fiscal 2021, Campbell Soup Co. is heating up the category, literally and figuratively, with innovations across its Pacific, Well Yes! and namesake soup brands to maintain...

Quorn USA president: ‘We want to be the kings of [meat-free] chicken’

09-Sep-2021 By Elaine Watson

While investors and journalists are pretty excited about a new wave of startups growing food in fermentation tanks, it’s easy to forget that we’ve been eating a filamentous fungus grown in big metal vats (a.k.a. ‘mycoprotein’) since the 1980s, says the...

Meatless Farm, Equinom tie-up on high-protein yellow pea: ‘Food companies have merely scratched the surface when it comes to yellow peas’

09-Sep-2021 By Katy Askew

Israeli seed developer Equinom and plant-based business Meatless Farm have announced a tie up to leverage Equinom’s high-protein yellow pea varieties.

Guest article

NPA: Setting safety limit on CBD key part of regulatory process

08-Sep-2021 By Daniel Fabricant, PhD, Natural Products Association

NPA president and CEO Daniel Fabricant, PhD, argues that FDA does not need new authorities to regulate the CBD market and that determining a safe daily intake level for the substance should be an integral part of that process.

‘Alternative proteins are moving in all directions… it’s becoming like a jungle out there’: Givaudan discusses its new Protein Hub launch

07-Sep-2021 By Oliver Morrison

The Swiss company’s new Protein Hub aims to provide experts and technology to accelerate alternative protein development, Thomas Ullram, Innovation Director Savoury Europe at Givaudan Taste & Wellbeing Division, tells FoodNavigator.

Impossible Chicken Nuggets to hit retail and foodservice markets this month as plant-based chicken category heats up

07-Sep-2021 By Elaine Watson

Impossible Foods will start rolling out plant-based Impossible Chicken nuggets to the frozen aisle at grocery chains including Walmart, Safeway and Kroger later this month, with a view to reaching 10,000 stores by the year end, while restaurants nationwide...