vegconomist - the vegan business magazine -

This article is no longer available.

Agriculture / Agribusiness
Sponsored Post
Ctrl Alt Meat: Revolutions, Wrong Turns And Solving World Hunger
by Katie Briefel

The Vegan Kind Adds Luxury Chocolate Bars to Own-Brand Love Plants Range

October 6, 2022

UK’s Popular online vegan retailer The Vegan Kind has expanded its own-label Love Plants range with three new chocolate bars. The luxury bars aim to “make vegan chocolate more indulgent”, offering an alternative to dark chocolate. They are said to have a smooth, creamy texture and are garnished with crunchy toppings. The flavours are: Dark with Orange Cocoa Nibs and Cinder Toffee — Colombian dark chocolate with at least 60% cocoa solids, combined with orange oil, cacao nibs, and vegan honeycomb. Oat M!lk Bar — Oat milk chocolate with at least 46.5% cocoa solids, topped with vegan puffed caramel and sea salt flakes. Blonde with Raspberry and Crunchy Caramel — Vegan white chocolate with a minimum of 37% cocoa solids, topped with dried raspberry and …

Company News

Callebaut’s Plant-Based Chocolate NXT for Chefs and Artisans Arrives in Saudi Arabia

October 6, 2022

Callebaut, the Belgian gourmet chocolate division of The Barry Callebaut Group, recently launched its plant-based chocolate ‘Callebaut NXT’ in Saudi Arabia. NXT is a 100% plant-based, dark and ‘milk’ chocolate line specially curated for chefs and artisans. According to research by Barry Callebaut, plant-based chocolate is showing a rapid growth in interest, especially among young people. Across the Middle East, plant-based food demand is rising, including desserts which have tremendous importance in the food culture. Callebaut’s NXT has reinvented Belgian gourmet chocolate to make vegan, plant-based, allergen-free, and planet-friendly desserts and chocolates made worldwide. NXT chocolate creations in Riyadh As part of its market launch strategy in Riyadh, Callebaut held an event at the Marriot Hotel to demonstrate NXT’s wide range of possibilities. As reported by …

Products & Launches

Spain’s Sauce King Musa Launches Vegan Mayo

October 6, 2022

Musa, a Spanish company specialising in sauces with a focus on mayonnaise, has launched a new vegan mayo with the European Union’s V-Label certification. The new sauce is made without gluten, without preservatives and with vegan ingredients and its aim is to reach a larger number of consumers, including consumers who are egg intolerant or lactose intolerant, as well as vegans and flexitarians. For the company, this launch has entailed “a great effort by the R+D+i department to find a recipe that achieves the full flavour of a mayonnaise”. Despite being Musa’s first vegan sauce, the fact that more and more consumers are demanding plant-based products has led the company to consider launching new vegan products in the condiments and sauces category. The product is …

©Baker & Baker

Food & Beverage

Report Finds Rising Interest in Vegan Sweet Bakery Products

October 6, 2022

A new UK report by Baker & Baker, a European manufacturer of bakery products, demonstrates significant growth opportunities in the vegan sweet bakery market. The research, contained in the report “Bakery Bites – the rise of the flexitarian: the growing interest in vegan sweet bakery products”, was conducted by FMCG Gurus. The research involved a survey of 1,000 UK consumers and was conducted in Q2 2022. The standout finding is that the number of flexitarians (i.e. those who make a conscious decision to eat fewer animal products) continues to increase exponentially. A total of 34% of UK consumers say they follow a diet that avoids animal products or consumes them only in moderation, an increase from the 28% who said this two years earlier. Reasons …

Sweets & Snacks

The Happy Mix Co’s Just Add Water Vegan Pancake Mix Inspired by the Caribbean

October 6, 2022

Happy Mix Co. is a UK vegan brand that sells vegan pancake mixes that only require you to add water. The company was founded by Ramon Marshall in 2021, on a mission to offer the best vegan foods ever. Coming from Barbados, where buttermilk pancakes are part of the food culture, Marshall decided to debut on the market with an easy-to-make vegan pancake mix, that offered a similar taste to the original buttermilk pancakes. In April this year, the company launched its first product, American Style Buttermilk Pancake Mix, through its website and social media. In its ongoing Facebook campaign, the company promises customers that its easy mix delivers the tastiest, fluffiest pancakes ever. Vegan pancake mix with a short ingredients list The Happy Mix Co. …

©Formo

Studies & Numbers

Study Finds Open-Minded Consumer Attitudes to Animal-Free Dairy

October 6, 2022

Research published in the journal Frontiers in Nutrition has examined consumer attitudes to animal-free dairy. Produced using precision fermentation of microorganisms, animal-free dairy contains proteins identical to those found in conventional dairy products. While fermentation has long been used to produce various animal-free ingredients, the technique is facing growing scrutiny due to its use in alt-protein products. The new research was carried out by Professor Garrett Broad of Rowan University, along with researchers from the charity Mercy for Animals and animal-free dairy company Formo. The researchers conducted interviews with focus groups of potential consumers from the US, Germany, the UK, and Singapore. These groups were presented with both positive and negative framings of animal-free dairy and asked to evaluate them. Results showed that consumers were …

Image: Unsplash / Edgar Castrejon

Sustainability / Environment

COP27: Programme for the Food4Climate Pavilion Revealed

October 6, 2022

The programme for the Food4Climate Pavilion, which will appear at this year’s COP27 summit for the first time ever, has been published. The Pavilion is supported by a range of organisations, including ProVeg International, Compassion in World Farming, and Food Tank. It will highlight the need to change the food system in order to meet climate targets. The venue will host daily talks, with opportunities for delegates from UN member states to network with NGOs, the commercial industry, academic institutions, and researchers. The following themes will be discussed: Interaction of science and policy-making to guide food system change Voice of young people on food systems and climate change Just transition for farmers and farming communities Food innovation and protein diversification Adaptation and Agriculture Day: an …

©Silk/ Danone North America

Company News

Danone North America Plans to Reformulate 70% of Its Milk Alternatives to Be Healthier

October 6, 2022

Danone North America announced recently it will invest $22M in new health and wellness initiatives, including reformulating 70% of its plant-based milk alternatives with healthier ingredients. Prioritizing nutrition The global dairy conglomerate revealed its pledge at the White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition and Health held last week. In an effort to support the dietary health of 300 million Americans, Danone says it is committed to reducing added sugars across its children’s products, and will increase the nutrient density of most of its plant-based beverages. In 2020, the company partnered with bioscience startup BrightSeed to “usher in a new era of precision nutrition” for its plant-based products using artificial intelligence. Danone, which owns dairy-free brands Silk, So Delicious and Alpro, also plans to allocate $15M …

©GTFO It's Vegan

Company News

GTFO It’s Vegan Launches GreatFoods Research & Advisory to Help Plant-Based Brands Compete in the Marketplace

October 6, 2022October 6, 2022

Online retail platform GTFO It’s Vegan announces the launch of GreatFoods Research & Advisory Services to help companies in the plant-based market achieve greater levels of success. GreatFoods’ solutions, combined with a team of industry experts, are designed to help food and beverage companies navigate the complexities of developing, launching, and growing plant-based products and brands. Launched in 2020, GTFO has sold more than 500K items across 50K orders from tens of thousands of customers. The company says it now maintains one of the largest proprietary databases of plant-based sales data and consumer preferences; it also boasts thousands of product reviews and social media comments from 150K Instagram followers. According to GTFO, it spent many months planning the launch of GreatFoods Research to provide advisory …

©BlueNalu

Cultivated, Cell-Cultured & Biotechnology

BlueNalu Says Breakthrough Tech ‘Cracks the Code’ to Significantly Scale Alt Seafood Production

October 5, 2022

Cultivated seafood company BlueNalu announces two new technologies it says unlock the path to significant profitability and scalability of its cell-cultured seafood. By utilizing breakthrough single-cell suspension and lipid-loading techniques, the startup says it can achieve 75% gross margins in its first year of production, and cultivate up to 6M pounds of premium seafood annually, beginning with Bluefin Tuna Toro. While many cultivated meat and seafood companies employ “adherent” techniques that attach growing cells to microcarriers, BlueNalu says it has developed non-GMO cell lines in single cell suspension, meaning large numbers of cells can freely grow in bioreactors without the need for costly microcarriers. In addition, BlueNalu reveals its patent-pending lipid-loading technology allows cultivated muscle cells to actively store fat, eliminating the need to grow …

©Odd Burger

Company News

Canada’s Odd Burger Announces Odd Burger U.S, Intends to Franchise Across 25 US States

October 5, 2022

Odd Burger, the first vegan fast food chain to go public, announces the launch of its franchising operations in the United States. The Canadian vegan fast food chain has formed a Delaware corporation that will serve as the franchisor of, and that will operate as Odd Burger U.S, with the intention of selling franchises in 25 states, including: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Delaware, District of Columbia, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Vermont, West Virginia, and Wyoming. The news comes shortly after the chain announced plans to bring 40 new Odd Burger locations to Ontario over the next eight years. In July this year, the corporation also revealed it had acquired …

Cultivated Meat

Vow Says it Has Opened the Largest Cultivated Meat Facility in the Southern Hemisphere

October 5, 2022

Vow announces it has officially opened its Factory 1 in the presence of the New South Wales Treasurer and Energy Minister Matt Kean. The Australian cultivated meat startup states this is the largest cultivated facility both in Australia and the entire Southern Hemisphere. Vow claims that Factory 1 can produce 30 tonnes of meat annually and that this makes it the largest of its kind in the entire hemisphere. The company also announces that its Factory 2, with capability to produce 100x this scale, is already under development. Cultivated quail? Located in Alexandria, Sydney; Factory 1 has already produced successful runs of cultivated meat. The company says that its first product will soon be revealed to the world, which has been reported as being a …

©DSM

Algae, Microalgae & Seaweed

DSM’s “Game-Changing” Vegan Omega-3 Oil Gets EU Regulatory Approval

October 5, 2022

DSM announces that its life’s™OMEGA product, an algae-derived source of DHA and EPA omega-3 fatty acids, has been approved for use in meat and fish alternatives by the European Commission across the European Union. DSM claims that life’s™OMEGA is the first commercially available single-source, algae-derived vegan omega-3 oil in the EU. According to DSM, life’s™OMEGA is a significant development for the plant-based industry because it will allow food manufacturers to improve the nutritional profile of fish and meat alternatives with EPA and DHA omega-3 fatty acids similar to those in fish, and “opens an opportunity for the next generation of nutritious plant-based alternatives”. Gilbert Verschelling, director of business development & innovation, savory ingredients at DSM, said: “The regulatory approval of life’s™OMEGA in the EU is a game-changer for …

©Givaudan

Studies & Numbers

New Givaudan Research Reveals Future of Alt Protein Technologies

October 5, 2022

Givaudan has published new data from its Plant Attitude research, revealing the future of alt protein technologies. Conducted in collaboration with UC Berkley, the research examines the latest innovations in the landscape, including a review of the technologies used to make alt protein products. These include extrusion (both dry and wet), 3D printing, cultivated meat, and mycelium biomass fermentation. The benefits, challenges, and potential of each method are comprehensively explored. The research also investigates the reasons behind the growing demand for alt protein. According to Givaudan, 71% of global consumers believe it is healthier to eat less meat, while 57% are concerned about animal welfare. In terms of sustainability, 73% of food-related greenhouse gas emissions are caused by animal agriculture and 70% more food will …

©Reebok

Fashion, Design & Beauty

Reebok and National Geographic Launch Vegan Shoe Collection Inspired by Endangered Species

October 5, 2022

British athletic wear company Reebok and National Geographic have partnered to launch a new footwear collection inspired by the world’s endangered species, including the Nano X2 Grow and Club C 85 Vegan. Debuting Oct. 4th, the collection is also influenced by National Geographic’s award-winning visual storytelling and is made without any animal-based products. The collection features the following designs: Club C 85 Vegan – A version of the Club C shoe that honors sixteen endangered species with unique patterns dedicated to different animals, including the Galapagos Penguin, Black Rhino, Eastern Gorilla, Ring-tailed Lemur and Fiji Banded Iguana. Nano X2 Grow “Formidable Species” – A plant-based version of Reebok’s popular Nano X2 training shoes, featuring patterns showcasing such as the Grizzly Bear, Puffer Fish, Poison Dart …

Most read in the last 30 days

The vegconomist-newsletterinformation for decision-makers

The vegconomist-newsletterinformation for decision-makers

The vegconomist-newsletter
information for decision-makers

The vegconomist-newsletter
information for decision-makers