A new study by Foodable Labs has revealed that, during 2018, 51 percent of US-based chefs started to include plant-based recipes in their menus. This demonstrates a 31 percent increase from 2017 which is said to be partly owed to the influence of food bloggers on social media.
August 2018
Simple Feast Obtains $12M to Expand Vegan Delivery Service
A Danish startup has arrived onto the vegan scene with hopes of changing the delivery food game. Simple Feast delivers sustainable food in biodegradable boxes, and just announced the investment of $12 million in a funding round led by Balderton Capital in London, with 14W in New York and existing investors Sweet Capital and ByFounders also participating.
20% of Mexicans Give Up Meat
Mexico has often attracted attention in the past with regards to vegan tendencies. The fact that vegan lifestyles and green thinking have established themselves in large parts of the North American country has now been confirmed by data from the Gourmet Show (a popular food festival in Mexico). According to the new data, 20 percent of Mexicans identify themselves as vegans or vegetarians. The rapidly-growing vegan trend has met with much acceptance and adoption, especially amongst young Mexicans. The motivators behind the vegan transformation include not just environmental protection but also the increasing rejection of products with animal traces. Instead of meat, many Mexicans are consuming vegetables, fruit, seeds and cereals, thus reaping the many health benefits of a vegan diet.
Denmark: Naturli’ Foods Opens its Own Vegan Food Store
The vegan food manufacturer Naturli’ Foods recently opened its first vegan grocery store in the Danish capital Copenhagen. In the new food store, customers will initially be able to purchase 40 of the company’s plant-based products, including its well-known vegan minced meat and plant-based burgers. With this new branch, the vegan company is hoping to receive direct feedback from its customers in order to develop new ideas and improve existing products. The brand’s products are already available in supermarket chains such as Sainsbury’s in the UK and Netto in Germany. In recent years, Naturli’ has recorded continuous growth of around 30%, and this positive trend should continue in the future. With the help of direct customer feedback in the new store, the aim is to …
Sweet Earth: “We Focus on Nourishing Lives”
Sweet Earth are a US based manufacturer of plant-based products, with a great range of delicious breakfast, lunch and ready-meals which have been very successful with consumers across North America and territories. In recent years they have gained a plethora of awards for their brand of frozen foods, and in particular have a very popular range of burritos which are appealing to both herbivores and omnivores. Sweet Earth say that their aim is to create a “Bridge for consumers who are new to plant-based diets.”
Vegan Superfood Tortilla Chips – Mister Free’d Launches New Products
The healthy snack brand Mister Free’d, founded in 2015, has announced a product development consisting of three new varieties of vegan tortilla chips containing superfoods: avocado and lime, beetroot and chili, and vegan cheese. The chips are gently roasted, vegan, gluten-free, protein-rich and packed with superfoods. David Ventura, co-founder of Mister Free’d, says, “Snacking is the most difficult time to stay healthy, so products that are both satisfying and nutritious will be the big winners.” He has been proved right, as the company has recorded strong customer growth in the last three years. This means that the healthy snacks are no longer just found in high-end stores like Whole Foods in London, but also in supermarkets, including Rewe and Edeka in Germany. The brand is …
Raw Gorilla: “We Like the Changing Consciousness”
Raw Gorilla are a UK brand based in Stoke Newington. They produce a range of raw organic breakfasts and snacks which are all Soil Association organic certified, vegan certified, and ideal for those on healthy diets. This year they launched the UK’s first KETO breakfast which has zero sugar. All Raw Gorilla products have natural sugars only (fruit-based), and are gluten-free, without any processed or refined ingredients.
ASDA announce vegan cheese board for Christmas
UK supermarket giant ASDA have announced a festive range especially for vegans. The launch will include a Chestnut Roast, Vegan Chocolate Caramel Pots, a Vegan Pâté, and a vegan cheese board which will retail at £5.
Clean Label Movement to Affect US Food Market
Yesterday saw the launch of an initiative in New York called the “100% Clean Label Movement” which has been founded by Scandinavian entrepreneurs Mika Manninen and Helena Lumme who also head Hälsa Foods.
Israel: New Start-Up “Jet-Eat” Prints 3D Vegan Steaks
Plant-based meat substitutes are intended to be very similar to real meat. The start-up Jet-Eat from Tel Aviv wants to make this possible with new 3D-printing technology. It aims to develop a printer that can produce vegan meat substitutes with the shape, texture and taste of steak. “It takes 20,000 litres of water and over 20 kg of cattle feed to produce 1 kg of meat, which is simply inefficient,” says Eshchar Ben-Shitrit, founder of Jet-Eat. To counteract this, he founded the start-up Jet-Eat Printed Food Ltd. in early 2018, with the aim of 3D-printing vegan steaks. The objective is to produce a plant-based meat substitute that has the appearance, texture, taste, and reaction to heat of real beef steak. With the new 3D-printing technology, …
PETA Presents Ranking of Vegan Seafood Dishes from the Catering Industry
The animal rights organisation PETA recently published rankings of the ten best vegan seafood dishes currently available in the US catering industry. With this initiative, the organisation aims to draw attention to the fact that there are already a number of vegan alternatives to fish and other seafood for which no animals must die or suffer. According to PETA, each vegan consumer prevents the killing of 200 sea animals per year.
Study: Plant-Based Diets up to 84% More Environmentally Friendly than Omnivorous Diets
One of the main reasons why many consumers want to become vegan is the comparatively high eco-friendliness of a plant-based diet. A new study published in “The Lancet Planetary Health” shows that this argument is supported by scientific evidence. The study shows a direct link between human health, environmental sustainability and safe food sources. The results of the study suggest that a vegan diet pollutes the environment 42-84 percent less than a meat-based diet.
Market Report: Plant-based Meat Products on a Growth Course
In a new report, the market research company Transparency Market Research points to considerable growth in the market for plant-based meat products in the forecast period 2017-2025. This market segment is driven primarily by the increasing health awareness of consumers with regards to nutrition and also by the health benefits associated with vegan diets.
Vegan Fashion from Switzerland: WINTERKIND Opens New Lifestyle Store
More and more people no longer want to buy clothes which animals have died or suffered for. This ethical conviction is shared by a Swiss entrepreneur called Kathrina, who recently founded the vegan start-up WINTERKIND. In her lifestyle store, she sells vegan and sustainable fashion from selected designers and companies.
Quality Made from Cork: Vegan Seating from German Company SMV
The furniture industry is becoming vegan! SMV, the East Westphalian furniture manufacturer, produces comfortable and fashionable armchairs and sofas made of purely plant-derived materials for lounges, businesses and living areas. The nature-loving family business combines ethics and design with stylish seating furniture.
LikeMeat: “We Are Constantly Looking for New Protein Sources”
Nowadays, more and more start-ups are entering the market with new and innovative products. Unfortunately, very few of them manage to become well-established companies. However, LikeMeat has achieved this goal. The Düsseldorf-based company owes its success to its philosophy of providing an enjoyable, modern and balanced diet with contemporary products. We interviewed Managing Director Timo Recker about the company’s creative product range and the vegan market.
Thailand: Trend Towards Plant-Based Nutrition
The results of a recent study by the market research agency Mintel show that the current dietary trend in Thailand is strongly focused on plant-based and personalized products. The reason for this is the increasing health awareness of many consumers, along with an increase in veganism. Last May, 1500 Internet users aged 16 and older living in metropolitan regions of Thailand were surveyed. Four out of five of the consumers surveyed had set themselves the goal of eating healthier. This shows that there is a growing interest in plant-based diets. For example, 53% want to reduce their meat consumption and 45% are aiming for a vegetarian or vegan diet. The consumers surveyed also tended towards plant-based alternatives when it came to protein; 55% said that …
[Business Insiders] Washington Post Bestselling Author Paul Shapiro about Clean Meat
For the next installment of our Expert Opinion section we are delighted to present a guest post from Paul Shapiro, author of the Washington Post bestselling book Clean Meat: How Growing Meat Without Animals Will Revolutionize Dinner and the World, experienced TEDx speaker, co-host of the Business for Good Podcast, and well-known advocate for animal rights and food sustainability.
From Vegetarian to Vegan: BOCA Launches First Vegan Burger
Until recently, BOCA, a subsidiary of Kraft-Heinz, only sold vegetarian burgers. Now the food company is introducing its first vegan burger, the “Original Turk’y Veggie Burger”. The 100% vegan Turkey Burger is a reaction by Kraft-Heinz to a petition from the animal welfare organisation Compassion Over Killing (COK), which urged the company to make all BOCA products completely plant-based in the future. The organization collected almost 50,000 signatures with the petition. In future, BOCA brand products will not contain any cow’s milk or other animal traces. An estimated 300 million turkeys are killed every year in the USA alone, with an increasing number of consumers now turning their backs on meat. By switching from vegetarian to vegan, BOCA is setting an example not only to …
Veestro: “We Expect the Plant-based Movement to Continue to Grow”
Veestro create chef-prepared meals that are 100 percent plant-based; made from organic ingredients with no added preservatives and delivered straight to your home anywhere in the US. Here we speak to the founder of the foremost vegan chef delivery service in North America.