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goldwin-spiber-collection

@ GOLDWIN INC.

Textiles

GOLDWIN and Spiber Present Fashion Collection Made Entirely of Brewed Protein Fiber

GOLDWIN INC. announces the launch of its Fall/Winter 2023 collection, featuring five brands simultaneously using the innovative structural protein material Brewed Protein fiber, developed in partnership with Spiber Corporation since 2015. “Through this joint development, we will rethink the relationship between nature and man and consider a completely new way of using materials” After many years of joint development, five brands — The North Face, Goldwin, nanamica, The North Face Purple Label, and Woolrich — have now launched products with Brewed Protein™ fiber, a new next-generation material from Japan, and will be available worldwide in the fall. With the start of mass production of Brewed Protein polymer at Spiber’s Thai plant in early 2022 – eight years after Goldwin and Spiber began their joint development …

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Roquette develops fibres to make novel prebiotic products

© Roquette

Health

Roquette & PharmaBiome to Create “Cutting-Edge” Prebiotics With Predictive Microbiome Technology

PharmaBiome and Roquette have announced an agreement to design brand-new nutrition and health ingredients known as microbiome-targeted fibers. The partnership involves utilizing PharmaBiome’s proprietary NicheMap technology to screen and formulate “cutting-edge” prebiotics using novel soluble fibers developed by Roquette. Knowing the structural characteristics of a prebiotic made from fibers is vital in producing new ingredients with specific health properties, PharmaBiome explains. Supplementing diets with fiber “This project with PharmaBiome will allow Roquette to offer new microbiome-targeted fibers with scientifically proven health benefits. We are very pleased by the results of this continued collaboration which reinforces our commitment to delivering plant-based innovative ingredients to the food, nutrition, and health sectors,” said Dr. Laetitia Guérin-Deremaux, head of nutrition and health R&D at Roquette. Roquette, a leading global …

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NotMayo US launch

©The Kraft Heinz Not Company

Products & Launches

NotCo Announces US Retail Debut of NotMayo

NotCo, in partnership with The Kraft Heinz Not Company, announces its popular NotMayo is now available in US retailers The Fresh Grocer, ShopRite and PriceRite, as well as select regional stores for Target, Kroger and Meijer. According to Matias Muchnick, NotCo’s founder and CEO, the product is launching in the US more than five years after its initial, highly successful debut in Chile. The company says the rollout is made possible by NotCo’s joint partnership with CPG giant Kraft Heinz, and reports NotMayo beat both animal and plant-based mayo’s in consumer tests.  In Chile, a country that is said to consume about 4kg of mayonnaise per capita each year, NotMayo became a runaway success when it launched in Jumbo markets nationwide in 2017. At Jumbo, …

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Simris upgrades its algae farm to produce more ingredients

© Simris

Algae, Microalgae & Seaweed

Simris Upgrades its Algae Farm to Double Down on Mission to Replace Fish

Simris Group AB (previously Simris Alg AB) recently announced that after a deep cleaning and various upgrades of its algae farm operations in Hammenhög, Sweden, in January, its algae growth rates are more than three times the previous record rates.  Simris Group is a pioneering Swedish agribusiness growing microalgae founded in 2011 by Fredrika Gullfot. Besides growing algae, the company identifies high-value, natural, biologically active compounds (such as EPA and DHA Omega-3) in microalgae and cyanobacteria to extract for skincare, nutrition, and biopharmaceutical applications.  In 2020, Simris announced a capital raise to launch its products in the US market, claiming it has developed an industrial process to produce omega-3, as an alternative to fish oil and krill. Natural products Simris sustainably grows microalgae and cyanobacteria in optimised …

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No lamb roasting joint

© Aldi

Meat- and Fish Alternatives

Aldi UK Relaunches Plant-Based Lamb Roasting Joint in Time For Easter

Aldi UK is relaunching its plant-based No Lamb Roasting Joint first made available a year ago, for Easter 2023. The mushroom-based joint is filled with rosemary and onion stuffing and finished with a pea, rosemary, and panko crumb. It comes with mint and red onion gravy, and is said to be ideally suited to an Easter Sunday roast dinner. When it was first launched last year, the lamb alternative was described by customers as “gloriously flavoured” and “absolutely delicious”. The product will be available from April 4, retailing at £4.49. Consistent expansion Aldi has significantly expanded its vegan range over the past year, launching a selection of Christmas options such as roasts and canapés. For Veganuary 2023, the discount retailer introduced a huge range of …

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Turtle Bay

© Turtle Bay

Food Service

Turtle Bay Launches New Vegan Menu Curated by Caribbean Celebrity Chef

Turtle Bay, a Caribbean-inspired restaurant chain in the UK, has launched an updated menu with several new vegan options. One menu highlight is the Island Brunch Bowl, featuring scrambled ackee, sauteed callaloo, curried chickpeas, sweet fried plantain, tomatoes, and a fire-grilled roti. Another is the Jamaican Run Down, which is a stew containing butternut squash, sweet potato, and coconut. Turtle Bay also offers options such as curry jackfruit, vegan jerk chicken, and plant-based burgers. For dessert, vegan chilli chocolate brownies and ice cream are available. The new menu has been curated by Collin Brown, a Caribbean celebrity cook and executive chef at Turtle Bay. Plant-based restaurant options Last year, research found that 40.3% of British 18-24-year-olds choose plant-based meals half the time when eating out, …

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Extracellular team

© Extracellular

Investments & Finance

Extracellular Secures New Investment to Boost Biomanufacturing of Cultivated Meat

Extracellular, a contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) for the cultivated meat industry based in the UK, announces it has secured new funding from various investors, bringing its total of raised funds to over $1.9 million. The CDMO will use the capital to meet its goal as a global leader and development partner for biomanufacturing cultivated meat at scale. The company already operates 200L bioreactors at its research labs at Science Creates in Bristol, announcing plans to expand its capacity by installing bioreactors larger than 1,000L. Vegan impact investor Alex Payne said: “In the race to get cellular agriculture products on grocery store shelves, Extracellular has identified a crucial need for scalable, reliable, and cost-effective manufacturing processes. I expect that their expertise will be a key differentiator …

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Evoco plant based materials

© Evoco

Materials

EVOCO, Partner to Vans & Timberland, Raises CAD $12M for Plant-Based Materials

Canadian plant-based materials producer EVOCO has secured CAD $12 million in a Series B funding round led by Circular Innovation Fund. EVOCO aims to develop high-performance, low-impact materials intended to reduce reliance on fossil fuels. The company’s flagship product is a patented foam called FATES, which is 80% plant-based. Existing investor The Stuart Group and new investor Export Development Canada participated in the round. The material aims to replace conventional PU foam, which produces significant emissions, can take hundreds of years to biodegrade, and is difficult to recycle. The technology is said to reduce carbon emissions by up to 70%. While FATES can be adapted to multiple applications, EVOCO is initially focusing on footwear, partnering with brands such as Vans, Keen, and Timberland. The foam …

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plant based eggs sunny side up

© Yo!Egg

Company News

Yo-Egg Receives FABI Innovation Awards, Sunny-Side-Up Egg Named a “Top 8” Product

Plant-based egg company Yo Egg announces it has received two of the National Restaurant Association’s 2023 Food and Beverage (FABI) Awards, for the “world’s first and only” plant-based poached egg and sunny-side-up eggs. In addition, the Yo Sunny Side Up egg was selected as one of eight “FABI Favorites”, and will be featured onstage at this year’s NRA show in Chicago.  The FABI Awards recognizes the most forward-thinking and creative tastes that are helping to drive trends and expand menu offerings across the US.  According to Yo Egg, its products feature a runny yolk and real chicken egg taste, which the brand says other egg alternatives currently don’t offer. Made from non-GMO ingredients that include chickpea and soy, Yo Egg recently launched on restaurant menus …

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Beyond Steak plant-based steak

©Beyond Meat

Company News

Beyond Meat’s Beyond Steak Wins Prestigious 2023 FABI Innovation Award

Beyond Meat (NASDAQ: BYND) announces its Beyond Steak product has been awarded the coveted 2023 FABI Award (Food and Beverage Innovation) from the National Restaurant Association. The award recognizes plant-based Beyond Steak for “breaking new ground in creativity and taste”, and marks Beyond Meat’s seventh consecutive FABI award.  According to the National Restaurant Association, the FABI Awards honor products that are revolutionizing food and beverage with innovative flavors, ingredients, creativity, and profit potential. Beyond Meat says its Beyond Steak seared tips provide an authentically juicy, meaty taste and flavor profile that is ideal for sandwiches, bowls, salads, stir fries, tacos and more. FABI praised the product, which first launched in the US in Fall 2022, for its “tender” bite and perfectly “caramelized crust.” Made with …

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Precision fermentation ingredients company Cauldron - CEO Michele Stansfield

Michele Stansfield - Image courtesy of Cauldron

Investments & Finance

Cauldron Secures AUD$10.5M in One of Australia’s Biggest Female-Founded Seed Rounds

Australian precision fermentation company Cauldron (not Cauldron Foods of the UK), has raised AUD$10.5 million to develop, prove, and commercially scale new food, feed, and fibre ingredients to make alt dairy, meat, and biodegradable materials.  Founded in 2022 by precision fermentation expert Michele Stansfield and headquartered in Orange, New South Wales, Cauldron says the raise is one of Australia’s largest seed rounds for a female-founded company. Main Sequence, the deep tech venture capital firm founded by CSIRO, and Hong Kong’s Horizons Ventures, backed up the biotech company. “Humanity has spent thousands of years getting fermentation to work. With Cauldron’s revolutionary fermaculture platform, we are supercharging that process and unlocking the next evolution of how we produce food, feed, and fibre globally,” said Stansfield, also the …

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#VeganuaryChickenWeek campaign © Mino Valley Farm Sanctuary.

© Mino Valley Farm Sanctuary.

Charity & Campaigns

#VeganuaryChickenWeek Begins in Germany With Food Service Promotions & Celeb Support

As part of Veganuary, more people than ever before have taken the start of 2023 as an opportunity to consciously try out a purely plant-based diet. And from today March 27, just in time for Easter, the non-profit organization launches the campaign #VeganuaryChickenWeek to further accelerate this trend. More than 700 million animals such as chickens, ducks and geese were slaughtered in the German poultry industry in 2022, and hens laid around 13.2 billion eggs, according to the latest figures from the Federal Statistical Office. “These figures are absurd, but: more and more people want to do something about animal suffering and the associated consequences for the environment and climate, and recognize that plant-based nutrition is the most effective way to do this,” says physician …

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vegan quiche

ProVeg New Food Hub

Egg Alternatives

Are the Trials Faced By the Egg Industry Making Way For Plant-based Products?

The animal-based egg industry faces many challenges in today’s world, underscored by rampant environmental, animal-welfare, health, and supply chain issues. These difficulties can help us to understand the reasons behind the plant-based egg industry’s recent growth, and how to continue to nurture it. In its latest New Food Hub series, ProVeg International seeks to equip brands and manufacturers with the knowledge required to produce and sell delicious, targeted plant-based egg products. The first instalment dives into the animal- and plant-based egg industries, looking at the profitability of both markets, challenges, and consumer drivers.  What challenges are pushing consumers to seek alternative-egg products? At the beginning of the article, ProVeg looks at egg supply chain issues resulting from the global spread of avian flu (bird flu), …

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Holy Plants' healthy vegan fast food offer

© Holy Plants

Fast Food

Peru: Holy Plants is First Vegan Fast Food Restaurant in Lima to Serve Beyond Meat

Holy Plants is a vegan fast food restaurant in the Miraflores district in Peru’s capital, Lima. The eatery’s concept is based on whole-food and health-conscious meals, offering customers an alternative to traditional fast food. Its unique menu includes recipes made with vegetables, legumes, seeds, cereals, and nuts without refined ingredients. Nicolas Pereira, the founder of Holy Plants, noticed that the fast food market didn’t have healthy vegan options and decided to create a restaurant where “speed and nutrition” converged; a place where fast food was not synonymous with low nutritional value, he told El Comercio.  Holy Plant’s vision emerged when Pereira, a vegan himself, decided to learn more about plant-based diet and its benefits, taking a course on nutrition at Cornell University. “It was there that …

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© Lviv Vegan Kitchen

Charity & Campaigns

Double Your Donation: Vegan Meals For Refugees in Ukraine (More Than 20,000€ Already Donated)

vegconomist has been supporting a vegan meals project for refugees in the Ukrainian city of Lviv since April 2022 (scroll down to read more about the project). As the invasion of Ukraine continues, we will also continue to support the project. As of September 2022, with the help of our readers and a $10,000 matching grant from the Karuna Foundation (which matches each reader’s contribution), we were able to send more than €20.000 to Lviv Vegan Kitchen. Update: September 8th, 2022: The Karuna Foundation offered another $10,000 matching grant! E.g.: You donate €50. The Karuna Foundation will also donate €50, totalling €100. A big thank you to the Karuna Foundation and the team behind it, for making this possible!