Proteins

Sonoma Brands acquires KRAVE Jerky: 'We will re-establish KRAVE as an innovator'

04-May-2020 By Elaine Watson

The day any entrepreneur decides to sell his or her business is “always bittersweet” observed Jonathan Sebastiani after selling KRAVE Jerky to Hershey for $218m in January 2015. So how does it feel - five years later - to be back at the helm after buying...

Soup-To-Nuts Podcast: Navigating coronavirus’ uneven impact to chart a path forward for groceries

04-May-2020 By Soup-To-Nuts Podcast: Navigating coronavirus’ uneven impact to chart a path forward for groceries

While some food and beverage brands have enjoyed tremendous growth following the coronavirus outbreak, others have been completely "pummeled" by government and consumer response to the virus – revealing a division that could provide a road map...

Cargill to launch plant-based range in China

01-May-2020 By Aidan Fortune

Protein processor Cargill announced it is launching a series of plant-based products in China.

Collagen peptides are some of the fastest growing ingredients in the functional foods space, says Gelita

30-Apr-2020 By Elaine Watson

The global market for collagen peptides grew 25%+ in volume in 2019 with continued double-digit growth expected in 2020, says Gelita, which says it’s seeing a steady rise in interest from food and beverage firms looking to make more tailored products...

News in brief

Infant formula game changer? Conagen develops novel approach to lactoferrin production

30-Apr-2020 By Elaine Watson

Synthetic biology specialist Conagen says it has come up with a cost effective way to produce lactoferrin protein that mirrors the nutritional properties of lactoferrin from breast milk, a potential game changer in the infant formula market.

Plant protein that behaves like animal protein? Plantible Foods gears up for 2021 commercial launch

30-Apr-2020 By Elaine Watson

A San Diego-based startup producing protein concentrates from lemna - a fast-growing aquatic plant that can be harvested all year round – says a $4.6m cash injection from investors,* including Kellogg’s venture arm Eighteen94 Capital, will enable it to...

'Cultivated meat will become a necessity': Aleph Farms discusses its commitment to net-zero emissions

29-Apr-2020 By Oliver Morrison

The Israeli start-up discusses its new sustainability plans, why it sees cultured meat as a 'necessity' and also why the sector can live in harmony with the traditional meat industry.

Tyson, CDC address coronavirus threats & safety strategies at meatpacking facilities

27-Apr-2020 By Elizabeth Crawford

The same day that Tyson Foods warned in full page newspaper ads that the coronavirus pandemic may disrupt the US food supply chain unless the government creates a “comprehensive, thoughtful” strategy for meatpacking facilities to remain open safely, the...

'It's business as usual with extra tension': Plant protein suppliers work to keep factories open

27-Apr-2020 By Niamh Michail

Plant protein suppliers such as Cosucra, Cargill and Roquette are working to keep factories open and customer orders fulfilled - but when it comes to shipping logistics, consumer demand and NPD, uncertainty is still the watchword.

Magic Spoon celebrates its first anniversary: ‘We’ve exceeded our wildest expectations’

23-Apr-2020 By Elaine Watson

Unlike many emerging brands, which have had to ramp up - on in some cases create from scratch - e-commerce capabilities during this pandemic, Magic Spoon has been a direct-to-consumer business from the outset, and sales are going through the roof, say...

PowerPlant Ventures partner on valuations (‘falling by the minute’), the coming shakeout, and plant-based in a recession

23-Apr-2020 By Elaine Watson

Strong food & beverage brands with world class management teams will continue to attract funding, but valuations are “falling by the minute,” and the days of throwing money at emerging brands and seeing what sticks are over, at least for now, says...

NEWS IN BRIEF

JUST Egg reports Q1 2020 retail sales surge and piqued consumer interest

20-Apr-2020 By Mary Ellen Shoup

Ending its Q1 2020, Eat JUST, Inc. – makers of JUST Egg, the plant-based egg alternative made with mung bean protein – reported a +36% increase in unit sales for total US grocery for the four weeks ending March 29, 2020 vs the last four weeks ending...

Innovation under lockdown: ‘I kind of turned my kitchen at home into a laboratory…’

17-Apr-2020 By Elaine Watson

While some food & beverage companies have hit the ‘pause’ button on innovation projects as priorities shift during this pandemic, others are finding creative ways to keep projects on track, which in some cases has involving transforming home kitchens...

What's for dinner? Grasshoppers, says Hargol FoodTech as it raises $3m to build edible insect operation

16-Apr-2020 By Elaine Watson

Israeli firm Hargol FoodTech – which is blazing a distinct trail in the embryonic edible insect sector by focusing on grasshoppers, rather than crickets – has completed a $3m financing round from existing shareholders, Singapore-based Sirius Venture Capital...

Unconstitutional: Virginia Governor vetoes bill targeting plant-based 'milk'

15-Apr-2020 By Elaine Watson

Virginia Governor Ralph Northam has vetoed a bill that would have limited the use of the term ‘milk’ on food labels to the lacteal secretions of hooved animals.

Perfect Day secures no objections letter from FDA for non-animal whey protein

14-Apr-2020 By Elaine Watson

Perfect Day, a startup producing milk proteins via microbial fermentation (minus the cows), has secured a coveted 'no questions/objections' letter from the FDA in response to its Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) determination for 'non-animal'...

Dairy industry continues to deal with coronavirus ‘gut punch’ finding new ways to absorb excess supply

13-Apr-2020 By Mary Ellen Shoup

Dairy groups are working to soften the blow the COVID-19 crisis has had on the industry with new strategies to move more milk and dairy products into the market.

Upton’s Naturals develops banana blossom… a novel entry to the plant-based food arena: 'It has a light, delicate, flaky texture like fish'

13-Apr-2020 By Elaine Watson

While the Beyond Burger and Impossible Burger have spawned a wave of soy- and pea-protein fueled copy-cats seeking to precisely mimic the taste and texture of beef, there is room in the plant-based foods market for products made from a broader range of...

Food & beverage manufacturers thank first-responders, help feed those in need during pandemic

10-Apr-2020 By Elizabeth Crawford

The generosity of the food and beverage industry is on full display as companies – some with limited resources – give what they can to those serving on the frontlines of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, and to those in need, including many who unexpectedly...

Next generation cultures from DuPont Nutrition & Biosciences create the 'dream yogurt'

08-Apr-2020 By Mary Ellen Shoup

With the release of its new YO-MIX PRIME yogurt cultures, DuPont Nutrition & Biosciences says it has entered a new chapter of yogurt formulation offering manufacturers and consumers a more consistent product that maintains a mild taste profile throughout...

Nutritional snacking will survive during and after a crisis, predicts Simply Good Foods

08-Apr-2020 By Mary Ellen Shoup

Simply Good Foods – parent company to Quest Nutrition and Atkins Nutritionals – entered FY2020 feeling confident about its performance of its core brands exceeding sales expectations through the first half of the year.

Big Food and coronavirus: The response so far

06-Apr-2020 By Mary Ellen Shoup

Over the past few weeks, big food manufacturers have leveraged the strength of their operations and logistics capabilities to combat the spread of COVID-19. Many are also supporting their employees with additional compensation, cash bonuses, waived health...

How is coronavirus impacting plant-based meat? Impossible Foods, Lightlife, Tofurky, Meatless Farm Co, Dr. Praeger's, weigh in

06-Apr-2020 By Elaine Watson

While some shoppers have shared photos of empty meat cases next to fully-stocked shelves of plant-based meat on social media, the latest Nielsen data suggests that retail sales of meat alternatives increased significantly in March alongside their animal-based...

FDA relaxes rules on egg labeling to address surging retail demand

03-Apr-2020 By Elaine Watson

The FDA is providing temporary flexibility on packaging and labeling requirements for eggs sold at retail so firms can redirect product designed for institutions and restaurants towards retailers during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Chobani moves to #2 spot in oatmilk (Nielsen US food, week to 3/21) three months into launch, sees significant rise in core yogurt sales amid coronavirus

02-Apr-2020 By Elaine Watson

Chobani experienced significant sales uplifts in its core yogurt business in March as shoppers stocked up on dairy items (along with everything else), but the rising star in its portfolio is oatmilk, with new brand Chobani Oat overtaking Oatly and Silk,...

Bolthouse Farms CEO: ‘It’s like fighting a war and everyone has the job of supporting the frontline troops’

31-Mar-2020 By Elaine Watson

Bolthouse Farms – a fresh food business specializing in packaged carrots and juices & smoothies – is gearing up for a sustained lift in demand as food consumption shifts to the home, potentially for months, beginning a “a huge sociological experiment,”...

IFT 2020 annual meeting & expo to transition to virtual event

31-Mar-2020 By Elaine Watson

The Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) 2020 annual meeting & expo - scheduled to take place in Chicago July 12-15 - will transition to a virtual event, the organizers confirmed Monday, citing the need to "prioritize the health and safety of...

Benson Hill introduces 'ultra-high protein' soybean to compete with soy protein concentrate in finished products

25-Mar-2020 By Mary Ellen Shoup

A new soybean variety developed by crop improvement company Benson Hill requires significantly less water and processing to reach comparable amounts of protein to soy protein concentrate, said the company's CEO, Matt Crisp.

Cargill Protein boss: ‘We are making decisions by the hour. I’ve been almost 30 years in the business and this is a unique situation’

24-Mar-2020 By Elaine Watson

Meat giants Cargill Protein and Tyson Foods are flexing their supply chain muscles to adjust to a sudden shift in demand away from foodservice and towards retail as consumers stay at home.

Nature’s Fynd (formerly Sustainable Bioproducts) raises $80m to grow food from microbes

24-Mar-2020 By Elaine Watson

News that investors have just pumped $80m into a firm growing protein-packed food from microbes with a fraction of the environmental footprint of meat or dairy, serves as a reminder that the fundamental challenges facing the food industry - how to feed...

Eat JUST, Inc. expands internationally amid COVID-19 crisis: 'We’re treating this as we should, which is as an emergency'

18-Mar-2020 By Mary Ellen Shoup

While there may not be a handbook on how to carry on with international expansion amid a global health pandemic, CEO and founder of Eat JUST, Inc. Josh Tetrick is compartmentalizing the endeavor into near- and long-term priorities while taking a page...

Proposal to simplify school meals could ‘put children’s health and education at risk,’ research finds

18-Mar-2020 By Elizabeth Crawford

A controversial USDA proposed rule to “simplify” school meal standards by allowing less fruit, fewer whole grains and less diverse vegetables to be served at breakfast and lunch could negatively impact students’ academic performance and health, according...

NEWS IN BRIEF

Equinom enters US market with non-GMO seed breeding technology

17-Mar-2020 By Mary Ellen Shoup

Israeli startup Equinom is bringing its non-GMO seed-breeding technology to the US to serve the North American market, where it will connect food and food ingredients companies directly to its plant protein supply chain.

Improving post-game snack culture for kids: ‘So many kids are at games just to get their treat afterwards,’ says study author

17-Mar-2020 By Mary Ellen Shoup

A study led by researchers at Brigham Young University (BYU) found that the energy and calories burned during youth programs is often nutritionally undermined by the types of snacks kids commonly receive as a post-game routine.

Purple-powered food startup Uala on launching a new-to-the-world snack in the time of coronavirus

17-Mar-2020 By Elaine Watson

With instore demos and sampling events off the table; consumers not in the mood for trying new things; and retailers more focused on keeping shelves stocked than discovering new brands; this isn’t a great time for food startups to raise awareness – or...

Higher organic animal welfare standards one step closer after court sides with Organic Trade Association

16-Mar-2020 By Elizabeth Crawford

The Organic Trade Association is optimistic that a final rule elevating animal welfare standards for organic producers will be reinstated after it was withdrawn without warning by the Trump Administration following its passage during the 11th hour of...

LIVEKINDLY Co. builds global plant-based protein empire, transforming incumbent food players into 'force for good'

12-Mar-2020 By Mary Ellen Shoup

LIVEKINDLY co., a new plant-based food company which recently acquired LikeMeat, The Fry Family Food Co., and content startup LIVEKINDLY Media, is building an economy of scale for plant-based chicken to eventually become the "most affordable protein...

siggi’s CEO: We need to see yogurt more as a better for you snack to bring the category back into steady growth

12-Mar-2020 By Elaine Watson

US retail sales of refrigerated yogurt and kefir were flat (-0.1%) in the 52 weeks to February 23, and down -0.4% in the latest 12 week period, according to SPINS data,* but this doesn’t mean that we’ve hit ‘peak yogurt,’ insists siggi’s, which recently...

Bumble Bee partners with plant-based seafood brand Good Catch as part of broader ‘rebirth’

12-Mar-2020 By Elizabeth Crawford

After a tumultuous few years marred by a price-fixing scandal, fines and bankruptcy, Bumble Bee Foods is ready to reemerge as a company dedicated to consumers’ and the planet’s health thanks to help from its new owner, a unique partnership with the maker...

Atlast Food Co plans small-scale launch of 'best in class' meatless bacon from mushroom mycelium

11-Mar-2020 By Elaine Watson

Atlast Food Co – a startup using mycelium (the filament-like roots of mushrooms) to create ‘meaty’ textured edible 3D structures – has been working with innovation consultancy Mattson to help commercialize its first product later this year: meatless bacon.

Beyond Meat rolls out frozen breakfast sausage patties, addresses pricing in plant-based meat sector

11-Mar-2020 By Elaine Watson

The latest innovation from Beyond Meat – the Beyond Breakfast Sausage - will hit the frozen breakfast meat section at ACME, Albertsons, Key Foods, Kings, Pavilions, Raley’s, ShopRite, Vons, Wegmans and Whole Foods later this month.

Upton’s Naturals enters plant-based jerky market with novel wheat protein-based bites

10-Mar-2020 By Niamh Michail

Plant-based brand Upton's Naturals has launched bite-size jerky pieces made from wheat protein. We caught up with its CEO to find out more about the clean label formulation process.

Deep Indian Kitchen diversifies frozen entree portfolio as US consumers embrace spicier flavor profiles

09-Mar-2020 By Mary Ellen Shoup

Deep Indian Kitchen has expanded its frozen entree lineup with three new products -- chicken korma, chicken vindaloo, and butter chicken -- to answer mainstream consumers' demand for more accessible, global flavors.

'A globally-inspired snack tooled for the US': NutteeBean introduces Americans to whole fava bean snacks

06-Mar-2020 By Niamh Michail

NutteeBean, which was recently selected for PepsiCo's Greenhouse accelerator, says its high protein and fiber fava bean snacks are making healthy eating easier. "Snacks do not have to be junk food," says its CEO.

New sorghum varieties beat quinoa for protein content

05-Mar-2020 By Niamh Michail

Food manufacturers will soon be able to source sorghum, America's home-grown ancient grain, with a higher (13 to 17%) protein content, opening up new applications in plant-based meats, according to the United Sorghum Checkoff Program.

'Incremental steps to be more eco-friendly': NadaMoo! unveils sugarcane-based packaging

05-Mar-2020 By Niamh Michail

Plant-based ice cream maker NadaMoo! is launching a new-look pint carton made from a more sustainably sourced sugarcane-based bioplastic.

Impossible Foods slashes prices: 'Our goal is to reach price parity and then undercut the price of conventional ground beef'

04-Mar-2020 By Elaine Watson

Impossible Foods is expanding its product lineup and dropping prices to foodservice distributors by an average of 15% as it seeks to make plant-based meat "ubiquitous, super mainstream, and super mass market."

Chef's Cut pushes zero sugar messaging across meat snacks portfolio

04-Mar-2020 By Mary Ellen Shoup

The promise of 'zero sugar' or 'sugar-free' has become a common claim in many CPG categories from sparkling water to yogurt. Now, meat snacks may be the next big category to hop on the zero-sugar trend.

JBS enters plant-based meat arena via Planterra Foods with OZO brand

03-Mar-2020 By Elaine Watson

Meat giant JBS is making a big push into the plant-based meat arena via a new subsidiary – Boulder, CO-based Planterra Foods – which will make its debut in grocery stores across the US in mid-April with refrigerated burgers, grounds, and meatballs under...

S2G Ventures chief investment officer: 'We're in the iPod phase of plant protein'

02-Mar-2020 By Mary Ellen Shoup

The agri-food tech sector raised a total of $19.8bn in 2019, across 1,858 deals and 2,344 unique investors. While that’s a 4.8% drop in funding and 15% decline in deal activity year-over-year, it represents 250% growth in five years, according to AgFunder's...