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About vegconomist
Open Position: Paywall and Subscription Manager (remote) (m/f/d)

Latest News

Solar Foods' protein Solein used in different dishes

© Solar Foods

Solar Foods and Ajinomoto Unite to Create Next-Gen Air Protein Foods

June 2, 2023

Last week, Finland’s Solar Foods debuted its microbial protein Solein, made out of thin air, at a tasting event in Singapore. After this historic moment in food history, Solar Foods has announced a strategic alliance with Japanese food and biotechnology corporation Ajinomoto to develop products using the revolutionary Solein and introduce them to global markets. The partnership — Solar Foods’ first collaboration with a major global food brand — will make Solein a reality. In the coming years, a new range of sustainable products will launch for the first time in Singapore. In Q4 2024, the companies will conduct a market feasibility study in Singapore for product development. Solar Foods is now ready to commercialize Solein. It received regulatory approval from the Singapore Food Agency (SFA) last October, …

Organisations and Brands:Ajinomoto Solar Foods

allplants World Environment Day

© allplants

Sustainability / Environment

allplants Says World Environment Day Should Focus on Plants, Not Plastic

June 2, 2023June 2, 2023

UK-based meal delivery service allplants has challenged the theme for this year’s World Environment Day, “Solutions to Plastic Pollution”. The B-Corp argues that plastic is a “distraction” from larger issues facing the planet, such as animal agriculture. Figures suggest that food production is responsible for 26% of global greenhouse gas emissions, while plant-based diets could slash emissions by up to 85%. This makes adopting a plant-rich diet the second-most impactful solution to climate change, while reducing plastic use isn’t even in the top 50. Producing fewer animal foods would also have numerous other benefits, such as reducing deforestation and water pollution. allplants argues that governments should stop subsidizing the animal agriculture industry, instead focusing on legislation that promotes plant-based diets. It comes as the company …

Organisations and Brands:Allplants

Image courtesy Meat-free Monday Taiwan

Taiwan’s Meat-Free Monday Reports Astonishing Progress, Generates Commitments From Government Sectors

June 2, 2023

At the end of 2022, Taiwan’s Meat-Free Monday organization announced it succeeded in inviting over 100 political candidates for Taiwan’s 2022 election to sign its Veg-Friendly pledge. After a few months, the group took further action for its political campaign and launched Taiwan’s first Earth Day march on April 22, to raise awareness concerning the importance of sustainable, plant-based diets, to the government and the public. The march attracted more than 2,000 members of the public along with more than 160 organizations, 2 legislators, 8 city/county mayors, and chairpersons from county and city councils, meaning a total of more than 40 influential politicians responded in favor of the adoption of sustainable diets. The host of this event, Chang Yu-Chuan, organizer of Meat Free Monday Taiwan, …

Vegan Whole Cut Steak

©Chunk Foods/ The Butcher's Daughter

Market & Trends

Tradition Meets Innovation as Plant-Based Foods Surge in the Middle East

June 2, 2023

The Middle East is becoming a hotspot for plant-based food, with interest in meat and dairy alternatives growing at a fast pace, particularly since the pandemic. Sales of processed meat and dairy products are already relatively low in the region, and with obesity on the rise, plant-based foods are increasingly perceived as healthier options. Awareness of environmental and animal welfare issues is also growing, though it remains fairly low. As a result, meat and dairy alternatives are increasingly present on supermarket shelves, and many restaurants are offering vegan options. Currently, most plant-based products on offer are imported, but this is beginning to change. Plant-based eating is particularly prominent in Israel, which is believed to have one of the largest vegan populations (as a percentage) of …

PHW group banner

© PHW group

Poultry Producer PHW Group Enters Alternative Food Ingredients Market With New Subsidiary

June 2, 2023

The PHW Group, the largest poultry producer in Germany and the fourth-largest in Europe, announces a newly formed subsidiary for alternative ingredients, stating its focus is now on the expansion of a competitive, value-added chain infrastructure analogous to and complementary to the core business segment of poultry. PHW’s entrance into the food ingredients market comes with the founding of VTEC Ingredients GmbH which will be based in Engelsberg, Bavaria. “In the future, we want to transfer our successful vertical integration model from the poultry sector to the alternative protein sources business field,” explains Marcus Keitzer, Board Member for Alternative Protein Sources at the PHW Group. “Through the new partnership, we are now systematically networking our existing PHW infrastructure with upstream stages of the value chain. …

Organisations and Brands:PHW

Oatly Barista

© Oatly

Milk- and Dairy Alternatives

For World Milk Day, We Highlight Oat Milk’s Meteoric Rise and Latest Innovations

June 1, 2023June 1, 2023

June 1 marks World Milk Day, and while the occasion was originally launched by the UN to recognize dairy milk, plant-based milk is increasingly taking center stage as the world’s creamy beverage of choice. Out of the countless dairy-free milk varieties, arguably none has shot to fame as quickly or attracted more passionately loyal fans than the humble oat milk. It’s notable to recall that, just over five years ago, few people had ever heard of oat milk, and the product was virtually non-existent in most coffee shops and smoothie bars. But brands like Oatly broke open the lucrative market for this innovative beverage, which is beloved the world over for its creamy texture, low calorie count and gluten- and nut-free ingredients. According to Research …

Organisations and Brands:Califia Farms Häagen-Dazs Hershey's Oatly So Delicious

© DUG

© DUG

Milk- and Dairy Alternatives

Cream of the Crop: On World Milk Day 2023 We Celebrate Plant Alternatives, From the Bestsellers to the Weird & Wonderful

June 1, 2023

Let’s celebrate plant-based milk on World Milk Day 2023. Consumers around the globe are increasingly swapping cow’s milk for soy, oat, and almond, representing the most popular dairy alternatives until now. But businesses are committed to creating innovative products. Different grains, seeds, and and vegetable sources concoct nutritious, tasty, sustainable, and cruelty-free alternatives. There is plenty of room for innovation. The plant-based milk segment dominates the plant-based category. Annually in the United States alone, it generates over $ 3 billion in revenue. In the EU, the plant-based milk market is €700 million larger than that of plant-based burger patties, sausages, and lunch meats, according to Statista. Global bestsellers Soy Soymilk is a popular alternative to dairy milk, seen as the global leader in non–dairy options. Due to its similar nutrient content to …

Rügenwalder Mühle

©Rügenwalder Mühle

How Famed Meat Manufacturer Rügenwalder Mühle Became the German Market Leader for Meat Alternatives

June 2, 2023June 1, 2023

Germany’s Rügenwalder Mühle, a well-known meat manufacturer which began with the production of animal meat in 1834 and initially dipped its toes into the plant-based category in 2014, is now the German market leader in meat alternatives, and even entered the cultivated space late last year (telling vegconomist way back in 2018 that Clean Meat, as it was termed at the time, was the future). In 2019, the previously meat-focused company reported that its entrance into plant-based had led to a notable uptick in revenues, and by 2020 it had seen a 50% increase in sales of meat-free products and invested a total of € 5.5 million to expand production capacities for same. Actively shaping the market Just a year later, Rügenwalder shared that its …

Organisations and Brands:Rügenwalder Mühle

VegFest Barcelona 2023

© VegFest BCN

VegFest BCN 2023: Barcelona’s 1st Vegan Festival Returns This Weekend

June 1, 2023June 1, 2023

This weekend marks the launch of the second edition of VegFest, Barcelona’s first vegan festival. It will take place on the 3rd and 4th of June at the popular venue Nau Bostik. Organized by AnimaNaturalis, the event aims to raise awareness of animal rights, promote animal and environmentally-friendly lifestyles, and support its campaigns. Founded in 2003, AnimaNaturalis is a non-profit organization working to implement, protect and raise awareness of animal rights in Spain and Latin America. A cruelty-free lifestyle VegFest BCN 2023 is sponsored by cosmetics brand LUSH; nonprofit organization Vegfund, empowering vegan activists worldwide; a well-fed world, a nonprofit advocating for plant-based solutions for a hungry world; and vegan beer company BdeGust. The festival includes conferences revolving around veganism, concerts, DJ sets, and activities for all ages. …

Organisations and Brands:VegFest BCN

Patricia Hone, ProVeg Poland

Patricia Hone ©ProVeg Poland

ProVeg Poland: “The Last Decade Has Brought a Real Revolution in the Eating Habits of Poles”

June 1, 2023June 1, 2023

Patricia Homa, President of ProVeg Poland, works along with her team to make plant-based products an increasingly important element of the Polish food system. ProVeg Poland has been awarded the “Golden Paperclip” in 2018 for the best PR project in Poland in the Food Sector category. Since 2019 she has served as an expert in the United Nations Climate Leadership program, working together with business leaders to create a real change in achieving climate neutrality. Tell us about ProVeg Poland and what the organization stands for ProVeg International is a food awareness organization working to transform the global food system by replacing conventional animal-based products with plant-based and cultured alternatives. It’s the first international organization to advocate for plant-based living and conscious nutrition. In Poland, …

Organisations and Brands:ProVeg Poland

Scott Hine Hired as Chief Production Officer at Every Co.

Image courtesy of Scott Hine

The EVERY Co. Hires Food and Precision Fermentation Veteran Scott Hine to Scale Up Manufacturing

June 1, 2023June 1, 2023

Egg protein specialist The EVERY Co. announces it has appointed food and fermentation veteran Scott Hine as Chief Production Officer. In Hine’s new role, he will lead the growth of EVERY’s manufacturing footprint as it expands its commercial partnerships, and works to reach price parity with chicken eggs. As a former executive at Kraft Foods, Accenture and Novus International, Hine brings over three decades of experience in agriculture, consulting, and consumer food products. At Novus International, which produces nutrition solutions – including those made from fermentation – for livestock and aquaculture, Hine served as Chief Innovation Officer and oversaw a +$250M global business portfolio while leading the development of technology and innovation partnerships. Growing Every’s footprint At EVERY, Hine will head the company’s initiatives to …

Organisations and Brands:The EVERY Co.

PlantPlus Foods' products

© PlantPlus Foods FB

Meat- and Fish Alternatives

Meat Giant Spinoff Predicts Resurgence of the Plant-Based Meat Sector

June 1, 2023

After an initial period of rapid, over-hyped, VC-backed growth, plant-based meat sales have slowed in many markets, in line with the current economic environment. Still, PlantPlus Foods, a joint venture between Marfrig (the second-largest beef producer in Brazil after JBS) and US agribusiness ADM, predicts that demand for alt meat will grow as food inflation relaxes and vegan products become more affordable, tastier, and offer more variety. To reignite the trend, companies must invest in developing better and more varied products in terms of taste, nutrition, and price. Alt meats have struggled to compete with animal meat products due to their higher price and waning consumer curiosity, John Pinto, CEO of PlantPlus Foods, told Bloomberg. $30 billion in a decade PlantPlus expects global plant-based food sales to …

Organisations and Brands:PlantPlus Foods

© Shinsegae Foods

Shinsegae’s No Brand Burger Chain Introduces the Better Burger as First of “Numerous” Alternative Launches in Korea

June 1, 2023

South Korea: Shinsegae Food, the food business arm of retail giant Shinsegae Group, announces the launch of the Better Burger at its No Brand Burger chain. The burger is created with its ground Better Meat and features fully plant-based cheese, bolognese sauce, and buns, which were all developed in-house. Interestingly, the company is touting the launch as a world’s first. Shinsegae claims this is the “first whose four major ingredients are all plant based, including ‘Better Bun’ […], a patty made with ‘Better Meat’, [and] recently developed veggie cheese and sauce. Among burger franchises around the world, No Brand Burger’s ‘Better Burger’ is the first burger even whose cheese is also plant-based.” This is a bold claim which is debatable, since even the McPlant is …

Organisations and Brands:Shinsegae Foods

Upstream Foods develops cultivated salmon fat

© Upstream Foods

Cultivated Seafood

Upstream Foods Develops Cultivated Salmon Fat to Improve Taste of Alt Seafood

June 1, 2023

Dutch startup Upstream Foods is developing cultivated salmon fat that could be used to give plant-based seafood the same flavor and mouthfeel as conventional fish. The fat is made by taking cells from living fish via a biopsy and using them to produce stem cells. These stem cells can then become fat cells, multiplying many times in a bioreactor so that one sample can produce a large quantity of cultivated fat. Finally, the cells are combined with a plant-based matrix. While the technology is already used in the pharmaceutical industry, it is not yet widely used in food production. Upstream Foods is currently operating from the Wageningen University and Research campus, but is searching for a larger lab to allow it to combine food and …

Organisations and Brands:Upstream Foods

Alexandre Ruberti

Alexandre Ruberti. © Future Farm

Op Ed: Alexandre Ruberti, CEO of Future Farm, on the Ebbs and Flows of the Plant-Based Industry

June 1, 2023

Alexandre Ruberti is the CEO of Future Farm and a board member at Celsius Holdings. Previously, he worked at Red Bull for 16 years, serving dual positions – President of Red Bull Distribution Company USA and Executive Vice President of Sales for Red Bull North America. He is credited with developing the business exponentially through incremental growth, and now brings his wealth of experience to the plant-based industry. Plant-Based is a Marathon and Not a Sprint by Alexandre Ruberti It’s no secret that the plant-based industry continues to ebb and flow, but it’s important to take a step back and ask why — while keeping in mind that plant-based is still a relatively new category. Like any new market, it will stabilize — and more …

Organisations and Brands:Future Farm / Fazenda Futuro