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Oatly Barista

© Oatly

Milk- and Dairy Alternatives

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

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 …

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© 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

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 …

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Rügenwalder Mühle

©Rügenwalder Mühle

Company News

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

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 …

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VegFest Barcelona 2023

© VegFest BCN

Fairs & Events

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

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. …

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Patricia Hone, ProVeg Poland

Patricia Hone ©ProVeg Poland

Interviews

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

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, …

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Scott Hine Hired as Chief Production Officer at Every Co.

Image courtesy of Scott Hine

People

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

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 …

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PlantPlus Foods' products

© PlantPlus Foods FB

Meat- and Fish Alternatives

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

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 …

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Shinsegae Foods / No Brand Burger introduces the Better Burger

© Shinsegae Foods

Fast Food

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

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 …

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Upstream Foods develops cultivated salmon fat

© Upstream Foods

Cultivated Seafood

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

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 …

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Alexandre Ruberti

Alexandre Ruberti. © Future Farm

Opinion

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

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 …

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Cathedral City alternative to soft cheese

© Cathedral City

Cheese Alternatives

Cathedral City Launches Plant-Based Soft Cheese Following Huge Success of Cheddar

Cathedral City, which claims to be the UK’s most popular cheese brand, has expanded its plant-based range with a new alternative to soft cheese. The spreadable cheese debuts in Spring Onion and Cracked Black Pepper flavour which is now available at up to 332 Tesco stores UK-wide. Cathedral City launched its first plant-based cheese — a cheddar alternative available in block, grated, and sliced formats — last September. The cheese proved hugely popular, with the block version winning a Great Taste Award. After its initial success at Tesco, the range rolled out at Sainsbury’s, Asda, Morrisons, Ocado, and Amazon Fresh earlier this year. The products are reportedly seeing strong repeat sales, giving Cathedral City the third-highest volume market share. “Great quality and value” Cathedral City …

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College students in dining hall

©Tulane University

Studies & Numbers

Study: 81% of College Students Choose Plant-Based Meal When It’s the Default Option

In a “first of its kind” study, global food service provider Sodexo says it found that switching from a meat-default to a plant-default meal at several colleges produced a dramatic result: 81% of students chose the plant-based meals. Surveys also indicated that the students – including meat eaters – were more likely to express satisfaction with meat-free meals on days when plant-based food was the default.  Working with the Food for Climate League and the Better Food Foundation, Sodexo states the study is the first multi-university in-field experiment using default plant-based options within all-you-care-to-eat settings. The study involved three US colleges: Tulane University in New Orleans, Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York.  “Astounding” results The research team assessed …

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Green peas in close up

© fydorov-stock.adobe.com

Agriculture / Agribusiness

The Pea Project: £1 Million Mission to Replace Soy’s Reign With “Flavourless” Peas in the UK

A £1 million climate-smart project in the UK will research new pea varieties to sustainably produce a local and reliable pea protein source to replace soy in human food.  The Pea Project is a collaboration between grass and forage seed specialist Germinal and seed breeders. It is part-funded by Defra’s Farming Innovation Pathway via Innovate UK, which is part of UK Research and Innovation. Germinal will deliver the project with IBERS at Aberystwyth University, the John Innes Centre, and PGRO.  Replacing soy with UK protein The programme also aims to reduce the country’s reliance on soy imports, reaching four million tonnes annually for use in human and animal feeds. Innovate UK states vegan and vegetarian foods use half a million tonnes.  Peas are suited to the UK …

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Else Nutrition toddler

©Else Nutrition

Company News

Else’s Plant-Based Child Nutrition Expands Into 900+ Locations at Canada’s Largest Pharmacy Retailer

ELSE NUTRITION HOLDINGS INC., a leader in plant-based child nutrition, has expanded its retail footprint in the Canadian market with Canada’s largest pharmacy — Shopper’s Drug Mart — and is now available at over 900 locations across 11 provinces and territories. The rollout is focused on Else Toddler Formula, which the company reports to be the highest-ranked seller within its portfolio. The expanded distribution follows Else’s recent listing in more than 7,000 CVS Pharmacies, the largest pharmacy chain in the US.  Additionally, this March the female-led company announced it had tripled its production capacity with the addition of a second production facility in the United States as well as the beginning of manufacturing capabilities in Europe. “We are exceptionally proud to once again grow our …

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small child with carrot and broccoli

©Anastasia-stock.adobe.com

Market & Trends

Study Finds Almost Half of Berlin Children Rarely or Never Eat Meat

An AOK study comparing the health and consumption habits of families in various regions of Germany finds that children in Berlin most often eat a flexitarian and vegetarian diet. On average, 33 percent of children in Germany eat a reduced-meat diet, though in the capital, almost half of all children consume no meat or almost no meat in their diets. For the study, 8,500 parents of children between the ages of 4 to 14 throughout Germany were surveyed, revealing that a low-meat diet is especially prevalent in kids who live in Berlin. A flexitarian diet where a small amount of meat is consumed during the week is normal for 26 percent of Berlin families, while 18 percent of Berlin parents would feed their child a …

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