Merit Functional Foods has announced its new partnership with ternational agribusiness and food company Bunge Limited. The collaboration will expedite the construction of Merit’s “state-of-the-art” plant-based protein production facility located in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, where it will produce novel pea and canola protein ingredients.
August 2020
ADM Discusses Evolution of Food & Beverage Innovation Following COVID-19, with “Plant-Based Becomes Mainstream” at #2
Archer Daniels Midland (ADM) has identified six emerging behavioral changes created by the COVID-19 pandemic that will power food and beverage innovation and growth in the months ahead. The company’s research will help manufacturers gain market share in an increasingly uncertain business environment.
Neat Burger Becomes Official Sponsor of Extreme E Electric Off-Road Championships
Neat Burger, the world’s first plant-based sustainable burger chain, has become an official partner of Extreme E‘s forthcoming electric off-road championships. The British chain was launched last year by Lewis Hamilton, in collaboration with the Cream Group and Unicef ambassador Tommaso Chiabra.
Plant-Based “Mind Blown Coconut Shrimp” Declared Most Disruptive Product of 2020
A shrimp alternative made by The Plant Based Seafood Co, known as “Mind Blown Coconut Shrimp”, has been named Most Disruptive Product of 2020 at Prepared Foods’ Spirit of Innovation awards.
Vegan Pizza Rankings 2020: Vapiano Named Most Vegan-Friendly Chain in Germany
The Albert Schweitzer Foundation has published its second-ever ranking of the most vegan-friendly pizza chains in Germany. This time, the list is topped by Vapiano, which was in third place in 2018.
Chinese Alt-Meat Startup Vesta Raises $2.3M, Announces Collaboration with Beijing Restaurant Chain
Beijing startup Vesta Food Lab has completed its latest financing round, led by Shanghai company Xuerong Biotech. The round raised $2.3M, which will be used for research and development as well as the building of a new production facility.
Study Shows a 3rd of World Population Follow a Diet Based on Reduction or Elimination of Meat
A recent study carried out in Q3 of this year reveals that a total of 11% of global consumers are vegetarian, 20% are flexitarian, and 3% identify as vegan, signifying that one third of consumers around the world are following a diet that is based around the moderation or elimination of animal produce.
Germany: Rügenwalder Mühle Sees 50% Increase in Meat-Free Sales
German food manufacturer Rügenwalder Mühle continuous its success in the vegan and vegetarian product segment, as the company documents a 50% increase in sales of meat-free products and invested a total of € 5.5 million in the first half of the year to expand its production capacities.
KVD Vegan Beauty Expands into Ulta Beauty, as Plantbased Cosmetics Explode Internationally
KVD Vegan Beauty, the award-winning vegan cosmetics brand, is expanding its distribution with Ulta Beauty, the largest beauty retailer in the U.S. Kat Von D launched the brand with Kendo in 2008 but earlier this year announced that she was departing to focus on other projects. Kendo has since rebranded the range to KVD Vegan Beauty.
Dunkin’ Offers Vegan-Friendly Planet Oat Oatmilk Coast to Coast at All US Locations
Dunkin’ now offers oat milk from coast-to-coast in the US. Actress and vegan foodie, Tabitha Brown, recently revealed Dunkin’s launch of Planet Oat’s vegan-friendly milk with a special Instagram post. The company’s partnership with Planet Oat makes it one of the first national quick-service restaurant brands to provide the oat-based beverage in 100% of its locations.
Beyond Meat Launches DTC Platform With 2 Day Home Delivery, is #1 Refrigerated Plant Meat Brand
Beyond Meat has issued a press release stating that, according to the most recent SPINS data, theirs was the #1 brand in refrigerated plant-based meat and owned the top four selling items in all of plant-based meat this July. Also, from today the company announces its products are now available in bulk DTC with two day delivery.
How to Get More Shoppers to Say Your Vegan & Plant-Based Products are “Worth it”
Many plant-based food companies acknowledge that their products often cost more than their big industry competition. Their response is to focus on other parts of their proposition that they believe will be most compelling to their shoppers, such as taste or health.
The “Vegan Accountancy Revolution” Begins as Established Firm Acquires Another, to Grow & Serve London Vegan Community
Vegan-run accountancy firm Lesser & Co today announces the “friendly acquisition” of London’s Vegan Accountants, with founder Diane Metcalfe stating that she chose Keith Lesser and his team to “kickstart the vegan accounting revolution”. Keith Lesser enthuses that “the potential here is mind-blowing,” and explains why.
Bond Completes Prototype to Revolutionise Pet Food: “People, Pets, Farm Animals, and the Planet All Win”
Bond Pet Foods, a food tech company that has been working on animal-free pet food since 2017, has successfully created the first prototype of its future consumer-facing chicken without the chicken, which Bond says will revolutionise the pet food space. We spoke to Rich Kelleman, founder and CEO, to find out more.
Vegan Flax Milk Company Good Karma Foods Regains Ownership from Dairy Giant Dean Foods
Good Karma Foods, Boulder Colorado-based producer of milk and yogurt from flaxseed, has re-bought its ownership after dairy giant Dean Foods filed for bankruptcy. The move comes after an undisclosed investment from the early-stage food fund Valor Siren Ventures, along with their existing investors.
Vegconomist Proudly Announces Upcoming Chinese Language Platform
We are pleased to announce that this autumn, vegconomist will launch a Chinese language version of our vegan business news magazine. Our Spanish version launch is already planned for next month, as we continue in our growth and mission. By 2021 vegconomist will be published in English, German, Chinese and Spanish languages.
Luxury Brand Apparis Announces $3 Million Funding Round as Vegan Fashion Sector Sees Rapid Growth
Apparis, a New York-based vegan fashion brand known for its cruelty-free fur coats, yesterday announced the closing of $3 million in seed round funding. The investment aims to support the conscious fashion brand in its mission to become a high-end key player in the rapidly growing vegan fashion market.
Burger Wars: Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods Fight Back – Read Their Official Rebuttals to Lightlife
Yesterday, in a bold and heavily criticised move, Lightlife Foods published an open letter to Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods through a full page ad in the New York Times, stating: “Enough with the hyper processed ingredients” and claiming to be committed to “using simple ingredients and methods”. Read on for the responses.
Spam Producer Hormel Foods Reveals its “Shiny New Toy” With Line of Plantbased Pork Grounds
Hormel Foods, the producer of Spam and several meat brands such as Applegate, is releasing a new line in plant-based ingredients. Over a year ago, CEO Jim Snee, remarked that plant-based foods were to him a “shiny new toy” during a conference; it appears this is his second shiny new toy after launching Happy Little Plants this March.
OmniPork Takes Advantage of Pork Inflation, Launching Across All China
As reported earlier this month, persistent supply disruptions led to a huge inflation of pork prices, while OmniPork was titled as a hot product selling out in Shanghai. At present, OmniPork’s promising coverage continues as the company recently announced to launch OmniPork and OmniEat in 210 stores across all China.