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Veronica Fil, image supplied
veg+ Opinion

Op Ed: Veronica Fil, Founder of Grounded Foods Co., On Convenience as Imperative

Veronica Fil is a former behavioural economist, who now specialises in marketing for the alternative protein industry. She is the co-founder of Grounded Foods Co. and author of Plant Based USA: a Guide to Eating Animal-Free in America. Convenience as the forgotten factor in plant-based adoption By Veronica Fil Given the monumental hype around plant-based proteins over the past few years, you might be wondering why demand for these products hasn’t yet reached the fever pitch we were all hoping for.  What’s the hold-up? Why aren’t we achieving more widespread consumer adoption of plant-based products? As more people begin to understand and accept the health, environmental, and/or ethical need for this shift in global eating habits, the market for alternative proteins is still relatively small. …

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63% of consumers prioritize animal welfare when considering cultivated meat

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Studies & Numbers

Study: 63% of Spanish Consumers Would Try Cultivated Meat for Animal Welfare

63% of Spanish consumers surveyed in a recent study said they would try cultivated meat, and 46% said they would buy it. The three primary reasons behind the willingness to consume cultivated meat were found to be animal welfare (63%), environmental concerns (50%), and curiosity (48%). These figures were revealed by the report Consumer perception of cultured meat, conducted by the Spanish technological institute Ainia, financed by the Regional Ministry of Innovation of Valencia in the Smartmeat project framework. Generation Z as focus group “The profile of the potential consumer of cultivated meat has healthy eating habits and belongs mostly to Generation Z,” said Ainia. The primary roadblocks for those considering purchasing cultivated meat are price (52%), lack of knowledge (45%), and distrust (44%), it adds. …

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V Label Food Heroes

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People

V-Label’s Food Heroes 2023 Recognises 20 Pioneers of a Plant-Based, Cruelty-Free World

V-Label, the world’s leading vegan and vegetarian trademark, reveals its 2023 Food Heroes, celebrating 20 individuals spanning education, activism, research, technology, politics, and entrepreneurship, all working towards the common goal of transforming outdated food systems and changing the narrative around the possibilities of thriving without harming the planet. The food heroes recognised in the 2023 awards will be well-known to most of our readers, and are as follows: Tobias Leenaert: Author / Co-founder, Proveg David Yeung: Founder and CEO, Green Monday Ignacia Uribe: Founder, President & CEO, Vegetarianos Hoy Olaoluwa Fashola: Founder & CEO, Casa Vegan Zoltan Toth-Czifra: Founder & CEO, Real Deal Milk Deniz Ficicioglu: Co-founder & Co-CEO, BettaF!sh and Oceanfruit Niccolo Galizzi: Head of Product Development, Revo Foods Priyanka Srinivas: Founder & CEO, …

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Henk Schouten

Henk Schouten, Chairman of Schouten, image supplied
veg+ Interviews

Schouten: “We Are Constantly Innovating in the Field of Fish and Chicken Substitutes”

Way back in 1990, when modern veganism as we know it was hard to even imagine, Henk Schouten of Schouten Food began to develop meat substitutes based on plant-based proteins. Over three decades later, Schouten is a family business that Henk runs with his children, Niek-Jan, Peter, Rhodé and Wouter. The Dutch company operates worldwide and is a leading player in the meat-free market. Schouten offers a vast range of plant-based meat and seafood products and works closely together with retailers; manufacturers; global fast food chains; European wholesalers, and food service providers. It was great to speak with Henk Schouten and hear his unique insights into the market. You started with the development of meat substitutes based on plant-based proteins in 1990. What were the …

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JULIENNE BRUNO vegan cheese range

Image courtesy of JULIENNE BRUNO

Products & Launches

Ocado is First Supermarket to List JULIENNE BRUNO’s Vegan Cheese Range

London-based vegan cheese producer JULIENNE BRUNO announces that Ocado.com becomes the first supermarket to list the company’s entire vegan cheese range. Customers nationwide can now find the brand’s products at one of the world’s largest dedicated online supermarkets. Axel Katalan, a food lover passionate about recreating dairy and meat options, founded JULIENNE BRUNO in 2020. But rather than imitate or compare, the plant-based brand offers a different perspective on food, creating familiar but new products for people to enjoy.  “This is a dream come true. When we set out to build the JULIENNE BRUNO brand, Ocado Retail was on the top of our aspirational list and thus we are so proud to announce this landmark partnership with them,” commented Axel Katalan. A first choice, not an alternative …

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Healthy Plant-Based Egg Patties

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Egg Alternatives

Zero Egg Launches ‘New and Improved’ Plant-Based Egg Patties into US Food Service

Food tech startup Zero Egg announces it is launching a more “egg-like” version of its clean-label plant-based egg patties. Now available through DOT Foods, Zero Eggs says the product offers a more realistic taste, texture and performance, with less calories and fat than the leading egg patty alternative. According to the brand, the new Zero Egg Patty took about six months to develop and leveraged the same protein technology created for its Liquid egg product. Utilizing past research by the company’s food scientists in Israel, Zero Egg says it transformed its Liquid format into a patty with a more airy texture than the original offering. According to Zero Egg, its customers have reported the latest version succeeds in approximating the quality of real, ordinary eggs …

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KnwbleGrwn hemp oil

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Products & Launches

ADM Launches D2C Brand Knwble Grwn

US ingredients leader ADM has launched a D2C plant-based brand, Knwble Grwn. The company claims its products are grown by small or underrepresented farmers using regenerative ag practices. “Consumers are looking for sustainably sourced products and they want supply chain transparency,” comments Goehner, said Jaime Goehner, commercial manager at ADM. The Knwble Grwn range includes flaxseed, hemp seed, flax, hemp, and quinoa. ADM, primarily a B2B business, has been expanding into D2C with other brands like Bio-Kult, a live bacteria supplement brand, and linseed oil LinSheen. The company, which has ambitious environmental goals to reduce scope 3 emissions and the environmental impact of its supply chain, says regenerative agriculture is part of such efforts. “ADM’s supply chain leadership enables us to source ingredients from farmers who share our …

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Tuna/ Poke Bowl

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Food & Beverage

Aqua Cultured Foods to Begin First Public Tastings of Alt-Tuna, Shrimp and Scallops

Food tech startup Aqua Cultured Foods announces it will begin consumer tastings of its seafood alternatives in Chicago, ahead of its public launch through chef partners and foodservice distributors.   Beginning April 6, the startup will hold tastings of several alt-seafood products, including Aqua tuna rolls, shrimp dumplings and scallop crudo, at its headquarters in West Loop, Chicago. According to Aqua, it intends to solicit feedback from participants on the products’ quality compared to conventional seafood products, especially texture.  Unique fermentation Founded in 2020, Aqua is developing a range of seafood alternatives, including whitefish, shrimp, scallops and tuna filets, with mycoprotein fermentation technology. Using a unique strain of fungi, the company says it is able to transform plant-based ingredients into realistic seafood alternatives that offer the …

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Nepra Foods canneloni

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Company News

Nepra Foods Partners with Scoular to Develop and Market Specialty Plant-Based Ingredients

Plant-based foods company Nepra Foods NPRFF (OTCMKTS) announces it has entered a manufacturing and distribution partnership with Scoular, a global agribusiness company. Together, the partners will collaborate on developing and marketing specialized plant-based ingredients. According to Nepra, the partnership will involve new product development that utilizes Nepra’s R&D team as well as specialty ingredients from both companies. The partnership will also provide for sales and marketing, with Scoular offering Nepra products through its global supply chain network, benefitting both companies.  “This partnership with Scoular represents a transformational step for Nepra and its ability to continue pushing the boundaries of novel food development and broadening market access,” said Chadwick White, CEO of Nepra Foods. “Scoular is a leader within the agricultural supply chain and a pioneer …

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Company News

V-Label Renews and Expands Strategic Partnership With FMCG Gurus

V-Label, the world’s leading vegan and vegetarian trademark, announces that the organization has renewed its partnership with UK-based consumer insight agency FMCG Gurus. As V-Label’s consumer insights research partner, FMCG Gurus provides market research and insight into consumer attitudes and behaviors across the food, beverage, and supplement markets worldwide. “As V-Label continues to grow, so does our need to better understand consumer behavior in new markets. We have partner organizations in many countries outside of Europe, such as Mexico, Columbia, and Argentina, and we are currently onboarding new partner organizations in Vietnam, Malaysia, and Brazil,” comments Martin Ranninger, V-Label International’s Co-Director on the expanded partnership. “It is a pleasure to be the official consumer insights partner for V-Label, supporting them to understand consumer attitudes and …

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US Capitol/ Congress Building

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Politics & Law

White House Report Urges Boost in Alt Protein R&D to Support US Bioeconomy

A new report compiled by the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, Bold Goals for U.S. Biotechnology and Biomanufacturing, calls for actions to boost and support US Bioeconomy. The report includes R&D goals around innovation and development of the alternative protein sector to improve the country’s sustainability, strengthen food security, and support economic innovation. Harnessing biotechnology In September 2022, President Biden signed an Executive Order (E.O.) calls federal departments and agencies to harness biotechnology and biomanufacturing innovation to “further societal goals and transform industries” related to five topics: climate change solutions, food and agriculture innovation, supply chain resilience, human health, and cross-cutting advances. The report, which responds to the E.O., presents in five chapters the goals needed to transform the country’s bioeconomy. “These goals are intended to …

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Pur Coop food truck

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Food Service

Pur Coop, a French Employee Cooperative Aiming to Reinvent Plant-Based Catering

Pur Coop is a cooperative production company (SCOP) that offers 100% plant-based cuisine. It was created in 2022 after 13 employees bought out the former company Pur etc., which was created in 2011. Pur Coop now runs three restaurants in Strasbourg and a central kitchen offering meal deliveries to companies in France. Pur Coop’s mission is to “change the world with a fork” by offering 100% plant-based food. The founders of the cooperative are passionate about protecting animals and about the preservation of the environment and public health. “The globalized and intensive livestock and fishing industry […] has lost all humanity in 50 years and causes great and intolerable animal suffering by contributing jointly to the death of natural and peasant agriculture, the destruction of …

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multivac-TX-620

multivac-TX-620 © Multivac
Manufacturing & Technology

MULTIVAC Introduces New Traysealer Model Range With TX 6 Series Launch

Compact, versatile, and networked: the new MULTIVAC traysealers are said to provide outstanding performance while making exceptionally efficient use of the available production space. Like the high-performance TX 7 and TX 8 series, the space-saving new additions to the MULTIVAC portfolio also offer everything that customers can expect from a forward-looking generation of machines, also in terms of reliability, ease of operation and hygiene, according to the company. The compact traysealers are designed to reduce the current challenges and the associated cost explosions. Because: “Thanks to their small footprint, they make a targeted contribution to increasing performance in the smallest of spaces – and do so sustainably, flexibly and above all cost-effectively,” emphasizes Franziska Schreiber, Product Manager at MULTIVAC. The packaging specialist thus completes its …

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Oatly_Ice-Cream-Strawberry-Confusion

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Milk- and Dairy Alternatives

Oatly Launches Oat-Based ‘Coffee Chaos’ and ‘Strawberry Confusion’ Ice Creams in Germany

Oatly launches two new ice cream flavors and upgrades its popular oat-based Salted Caramel ice cream. The new flavors are an immediate addition to Oatly’s existing portfolio in Germany. The new flavors are initially available at Kaufland and Tegut. Coffee Chaos offers a classic coffee flavor with cocoa sauce and crunchy chocolate chips, while Strawberry Confusion offers vanilla flavor, strawberry sauce and vanilla caramel and this new variety replaces the existing Strawberry variety. Additionally, the existing Salted Caramel variety has also been updated with 30% more salty caramel sauce than the previous version. The products come in recyclable paper cups, each containing 500 ml. Earlier this week, the Swedish oat milk giant reported Q4 revenues of $211.7 million, an increase of 13.9%, following an increase …

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Hemp and nut butters

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Products & Launches

Gaia’s Farming Co. Launches Hemp and Nut Butters, More Sustainable and Nutritious Than Conventional Counterparts

UK brand Gaia’s Farming Co., best known for its hemp-based milk alternatives, has launched a new range of hemp and nut butters. Containing roasted nuts combined with hemp hearts, the products are all free of palm oil and vegan-friendly, with no added salt. The range includes hemp and peanut butter in three varieties — Almost Smooth 330g, Crunchy 330g, and Almost Smooth 1kg. Hemp and almond butter is also available, sold in a 165g jar. Additionally, Gaia’s range features two milk alternatives — barista-grade Hemp & Oat M*lk and Hemp & Coco Chocolate M*lk. The latter is award-winning and combines Gaia’s hemp base with coconut cream, cacao, and fruit sugar from grapes. Sustainable and nutritious Hemp is considered a highly sustainable ingredient as it absorbs …

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