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Motif Foodworks’ IP Battle Intensifies as Europe Revokes Impossible Foods Patent

December 7, 2022

Food tech startup Motif Foodworks announces it has filed four new challenges to US patents held by Impossible Foods. The company’s legal move comes a week after The European Patent Office (EPO) announced it had revoked an EU patent held by Impossible Foods. The EU and US patents that Motif is challenging involve meat alternative products containing heme protein, sugars and sulfur compounds. Motif argues these ingredients are not patentable by Impossible due to their longstanding use as taste and smell enhancers for meat alternatives. The reasoning behind the EPO’s decision to revoke Impossible’s patent (No. 2,943,072 B1 – Methods and compositions for affecting the flavor and aroma profile of consumables – ‘072) has not been published, but an Impossible Foods spokesperson asserted that the …

Company News

BENEO Presents Authentic Vegan Chicken Chunks at Fi Europe

December 7, 2022

German ingredients manufacturer BENEO showcased vegan chicken chunks as the next step in the company’s vegetable protein strategy at the Fi Europe show yesterday. Following the acquisition of Meatless BV at the beginning of the year, BENEO is expected to add the chicken chunks as a semi-finished product to its portfolio for the first time in the second quarter of 2023. Thanks to a special recipe and a patented production process, BENEO states it will offer manufacturers a highly scalable and effective way to join the plant-based shift. Visitors to Fi Europe were able to sample the plant-based chicken pieces for themselves as award-winning chef Pieter-Jan Lint from Belgium prepared vegan dishes with prototypes of the new semi-finished product. The vegan chicken chunks offer food …

a range of vegan products at a supermarket

Market & Trends

NGO Vegetarianos Hoy to Identify Plant-Based Consumption Habits in LATAM

December 7, 2022

The NGO Vegetarianos Hoy launched its Latin American Consumer Survey this week to obtain insights into consumer preferences for plant-based foods and products. The study targets five countries: Peru, Argentina, Chile, Colombia, and Mexico. As veganism is rising in Latin America, the study will focus on consumption habits and identifying consumer motives for migrating to a plant-based diet. It will collect relevant data to develop future awareness campaigns on the benefits of changing to more sustainable eating habits, explains the NGO. Vegetarianos Hoy has been active in the region since 2017, promoting animal welfare and more ethical, healthy, and sustainable eating habits. Its work includes cage-free campaigns, Meatless Mondays, V-Label certifications, corporate and food service outreach, and ‘veggie challenges’. Vegetarianos Hoy represented Latin America at the …

©Orbillion

Cultivated, Cell-Cultured & Biotechnology

Orbillion Bio Partners with Solar Biotech to Scale Cultivated Wagyu Beef for US Market

December 7, 2022

Cultivated meat startup Orbillion Bio announces it is partnering with Solar Biotech, a leader in SynBio bioprocessing, to further develop and scale production of premium cultivated Wagyu beef for US consumers. The partners plan to scale to 20,000L bioreactors, which will be capable of producing over 4 million pounds of meat every year. According to Orbillion, the strategic partnership reinforces their commitment to achieve price parity with conventional meat by 2026 and commodity pricing for beef by 2030. Through the collaboration, Orbillion states it now has a clear path to US commercialization of its first product, cultivated Wagyu beef. The effort will combine Orbillion’s proprietary cell culture platform with Solar Biotech’s scale-up bioprocess development capabilities and infrastructure, proprietary AI-driven bioprocess software, biosensing technologies, and vertically …

©PBWE Europe

Fairs & Events

PBWE Europe Doubles in Size, Will Move to London’s Largest Event Space for 2023

December 7, 2022

Plant Based World Expo Europe took place in London to immense success last week, allowing exhibitors and attendees a space to network, share insights, and help the plant-based industry to continue to thrive. The event — Europe’s only dedicated plant-based trade fair — was this year hosted by the London Olympia, offering twice as much floorspace as the previous year. The event organisers report that last week’s exhibition welcomed an impressive 94% increase in attendees compared to the 2021 show, commenting that this demonstrates the “huge growth and innovation that has taken place in the plant-based food sector in 2022”. Following this exponential growth, Plant Based World Expo Europe announces that next year’s show will take place at the ExCeL, London’s biggest conference venue offering …

Alexis Gauthier © Veganuary

Charity & Campaigns

Veganuary Campaign Celebrates Tenth Year With Celebrity Ambassadors

December 7, 2022

Veganuary has opened registrations for its tenth annual campaign, announcing the support of a lineup of celebrity ambassadors. Those who sign up are invited to try a vegan diet and lifestyle for the month of January, with the help of daily emails and other resources. The campaign is supported by colourful ads with slogans like “Where there’s hummus, there’s hope” and “Power to the PEA-ple”. The ambassadors for Veganuary 2023 are Made in Chelsea star Lucy Watson, French chef Alexis Gauthier, and X-Men star Famke Janssen. Watson and Gauthier will both appear on Veganuary’s podcast and YouTube series in the new year. “Loving animals and eating them too never made sense to me; that’s why I went veggie aged six and then later turned to …

Welsh councillors attempt to block vegan menus

Councillor Iain McIntosh. Image: Facebook

Politics & Law

Welsh Councillors Propose Motion to Block Fully Vegan Menus at Schools & Events

December 7, 2022

Welsh councillors in the county of Powys are set to bring forward a motion mandating that meat and dairy products be served at all council-run buildings and events. The motion is a response to the decision of Oxfordshire council — which is run by the Liberal Democrats, Labour, and the Green Party — to make the menus at all council events fully plant-based to address climate change. Schools in the county also serve exclusively plant-based food for two days per week. Since Powys County Council is also run by the Liberal Democrats and Labour, Conservative councillors Iain McIntosh and Les George say they are worried that a similar step could be taken locally. Powys is a rural county heavily dominated by animal agriculture. “This council …

Business Wire

$60.7 Billion Worldwide Soy Food Industry to 2027 – Featuring Dean Foods, Eden Foods, Harvest Innovations and Cargill Among Others

December 7, 2022

DUBLIN–(BUSINESS WIRE)–The “Soy Food Market: Global Industry Trends, Share, Size, Growth, Opportunity and Forecast 2022-2027” report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com’s offering. The global soy food market reached a value of US$ 44.7 Billion in 2021. Looking forward, the publisher expects the market to reach US$ 60.7 Billion by 2027, exhibiting at a CAGR of 4.92% during 2022-2027. Companies Mentioned Blue Diamond Growers Dean Foods Earth’s Own Food Company Eden Foods Freedom Foods Group Harvest Innovations House Foods America Holding Archer Daniels Midland Miracle Soybean Food International Corp Cargill Nordic Soya Oy Victoria Group Hain Celestial Adisoy Foods & Beverages Pvt. Ltd. Keeping in mind the uncertainties of COVID-19, we are continuously tracking and evaluating the direct as well as the indirect influence of the …

the fruit of the palm oil used for palm oil production

Cultivated, Cell-Cultured & Biotechnology

German Ingredients Supplier Doehler Invests in Cultivated Palm Oil

December 7, 2022

Doehler Ventures, the investment arm of German ingredients supplier Doehler, has announced an investment into British startup Clean Food Group (CFG). CFG is developing cultivated palm oil to address the deforestation caused by the conventional palm oil industry. This loss of habitat endangers important species such as orangutans and pygmy elephants, while also releasing considerable amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Along with providing capital, Doehler will support CFG as it works to increase production to a commercial scale. In future, the two companies say they may collaborate further to address other environmental issues. Cultivated palm oil production CFG’s cultivated palm oil is produced through the fermentation of a proprietary strain of yeast. The eco-friendly fermentation process is fuelled by renewable energy, with food-safe …

Investments & Finance

MALK Raises $9M in Series B to Become “Cleanest Premium Organic’’ Plant-Based Milk

December 7, 2022

Plant milk brand MALK Organics reveals it has raised $9M in Series B funding in a round led by investors Benvolio Group and Rotor Capital. The raise brings the company’s total funding to date to $17M. Aiming to become the “cleanest premium organic” dairy-free milk on the market, MALK plans to hire additional executives and increase its marketing spend as it prepares for a new chocolate almond milk and upcoming Publix launch, reports Forbes. “We are extremely bullish about MALK’s growth prospects, because not only is the product highly differentiated in a growing on-trend category, but the seasoned team in place has delivered exceptional results in 2022 and has a strong plan to accelerate future revenue and achieve profitability,” said Sam Frankfort, Managing Partner of …

©Kraft Heinz

Products & Launches

Kraft Heinz Launches Philadelphia Plant-Based Cream Cheese in US

December 7, 2022December 7, 2022

Kraft Heinz announces it is launching a plant-based version of its iconic Philadelphia Cream Cheese. Now available at select retailers in the US Southeast, including Atlanta, Houston and Miami, the company is planning more flavors ahead of a national rollout in Summer 2023. The new plant-based cheese is made from a base of coconut oil and faba bean protein, and comes in the brand’s original beloved cream cheese flavor. According to the company, the product is free from dairy, lactose and gluten, with no added flavors or dyes. Robert Scott, President of R&D at Kraft Heinz, says the company spent two years developing the new recipe, and they focused primarily on ensuring the product could spread easily on a warm bagel or waffle, and provide …

Fast Food

What’s New in the Vegan Fast Food Market?

December 6, 2022

A recent market report highlights that the rise of private-label brands will drive the vegan fast food market growth during the next few years. According to the market report, the vegan fast food market is anticipated to grow by $18.86 billion from 2021 to 2026 at a compound annual growth rate of 11.6%. The study also finds that packaging innovations and business strategies adopted by vendors to adapt and stand out from the big sector players will also drive the market’s growth. The state of vegan fast food in 2022 Popular fast food chains have consistently added vegan and plant-based versions of their iconic foods to attract the rising numbers of vegan customers. From Burger King launching vegan nuggets and Impossible Burgers; to Hollywood actor …

Food & Beverage

JUST Egg and Cheryl’s Cookies Partner for New Plant-Based Cookie Line

December 6, 2022

JUST Egg and Cheryl’s Cookies announce they are partnering on a new selection of 100% plant-based cookies. Available through Cheryl’s cookie delivery service, the new treats come in four varieties and are available to ship to the US and Canada in time for the holidays. According to Cheryl’s, which is part of the 1-800-FLOWERS, Inc. family of brands, the cookie flavors include sugar, chocolate chip, marshmallow chocolate chunk and frosted cut-outs. The desserts come individually wrapped in assortments like the Vegan Cookie Sampler, Traditional Holiday Gift Tin, and Happy Birthday Box. Cherly’s first released a line of vegan cookies in August 2022 – with the inclusion of JUST Egg, the company says anyone who enjoys them will not be able to tell they are plant-based. …

Products & Launches

Leading French Frozen Food Retailer Picard Offers Discount Vegan Xmas Meal With Foie Gras

December 6, 2022

Picard, the leading frozen food supermarket with over 400 stores across France, has unveiled a vegan foie gras and a 100% plant-based Christmas menu totalling of €12.16 per person. Délice Végétal (Vegetable Delight) with Cashew Nuts and Mushrooms is Picard’s plant-based alternative to foie gras. Retailing at €5.99 per 220g box, or €27.22/kg, the product is far cheaper than duck foie gras, which costs a minimum of €50 per kilo. The vegan menu, entitled Noël Veggie (Veggie Christmas), also includes the following products Chestnut and mandarin jelly appetizers Sweet potato gnocchi with butternut squash sauce Pan-fried potato, mushroom, snow pea and chestnut Red fruit, mango, lemon and pear ice cream log “We present the Délice Végétal which is our vegan version of foie gras. It …

black vegan leather featured in huawei's mate 50 pro phone

Leather Alternatives

Huawei Announces Global Launch of Mate 50 Pro Featuring Vegan Leather Finish

December 6, 2022

Chinese multinational technology corporation Huawei announces it is soon to launch its flagship smartphone Huawei Mate 50 Pro Carbon Black Vegan Leather, on the global market. This marks the first time Huawei places this mobile phone version out of China, where was introduced after the Huawei Mate 50 Pro orange vegan leather version. The choice of vegan leather, according to Huawei, reaffirms the company’s interest in integrating next-gen materials into its designs. The communications giant has been introducing smartphones with alternative materials, such as its HUAWEI Mate 30 and 40 flagships that offered vegan leather green and yellow options. Huawei Mate 50 Pro Carbon Black Vegan Leather comes protected with a new Kunlun Glass material that, according to the company, protects the phone’s screen from …

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