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Violife Giving Away Limited-Edition ‘Cheese Stadiums’ in Time for Super Bowl

January 28, 2023January 28, 2023

Dairy-free cheese brand Violife is celebrating the upcoming Super Bowl with the release of a first-of-its-kind ‘Cheese Stadium’ experience. Game Day recipes The deluxe offering comes with a large stadium-inspired tray to hold four cheesy recipes; a booklet with suggested dairy-free cheese recipes that fit within each stadium pocket; and a variety of Violife’s plant-based cheeses. The plant-based recipes featured in the stadium include: Buffalo “Chicken” Dip with Violife Just Like Cream Cheese and Cheddar Shreds Mac and Cheese Balls with Violife Just Like Mozzarella Shreds Grilled Cheese Squares with Violife Just Like Cheddar Slices Nachos with Violife Just Like Mexican Style Shreds Fan giveaway Beginning Friday, January 27, fans can enter to win one of the Violife Cheese Stadiums via the brand’s Instagram page …

©Vegan Women Summit

Fairs & Events

Vegan Women Summit Reveals First Winners of 2023 Speaker Competition

January 28, 2023January 28, 2023

The Vegan Women Summit (VWS) announces the first set of women chosen by popular vote to speak at the 2023 Summit. With 22,000 votes cast across six continents, VWS says this year marks the event’s first-ever public choice speaker competition. This year’s winning panels and speakers include Kate Dugan, Vice President of Brand Innovation at Beyond Meat, and Chef Babette Davis, with more selections to be announced. The Vegan Women Summit 2023, which is open to attendees of all genders, will take place on May 18, 19, and 20th in New York City. The summit feature over 100 speakers and 50 brands in food, fashion, beauty, and sustainability. Diverse topics According to VWS, this year’s winning public choice speakers represent a wide range of fields, …

Image courtesy of ProVeg

Pet Food

Vegan Dog Food Producer Omni Smashes £400K Crowdfunding Target in 15 Minutes

January 27, 2023

One of the UK’s fastest-growing vegan dog food producers, Omni, recently launched a crowdfunding campaign on the Seedrs platform, and announces today it has set a new record in its category, having surpassed the target within 15 minutes of the campaign going live. Consumers wishing to participate in the crowdfunder have been offered the chance to invest for as little as £11. Clearly, many saw it as a sound business opportunity; Omni has seen 30% average month-on-month revenue growth since launching in May 2021 with over 70% of its customers on subscription plans, and the brand sold over half a million meals in 2022. High profile investors After graduating from the sixth cohort of the Proveg Incubator in 2021, the brand went on to raise …

Company News

Sweets Producer Pecan Deluxe Candy Makes Full Range Vegan, Avoiding Brexit Taxes

January 27, 2023

Pecan Deluxe Candy UK has reformulated the company’s recipes, making the whole range vegan, to avoid new British export regulations, which impose hefty taxes on animal-derived products. Pecan Delux Candy is a family-owned manufacturer based in Dallas, Texas, with international sites in the UK and Thailand. The company is a custom wholesale supplier with a portfolio ranging from toppings, baking inclusions, fudges, cookie dough, and popping candy. Tapping into current trends The company reformulated recipes, replacing butter and eggs for plant-based alternatives that don’t require the same EU border checks, after European exports dropped to 55% of total UK sales compared with 84% before Brexit. The bosses state that the products are now cheaper to produce and also tap into the current zeitgeist: “A plant-based …

jam delish modern caribbean vegan dishes

Food Service

Six Exciting New Vegan Restaurants Appear Around the World

January 27, 2023

Around the world, six new vegan restaurants have emerged, exploring different types of cuisine with exciting dishes using vegetables and protein alternatives in a way never used before. People are becoming more aware of vegan food’s health and environmental benefits, creating an exciting new market of vegan restaurants, from high–end gourmet restaurants to casual eateries. Jam Delish – London, UK Jam Delish is an independent family-owned Caribbean vegan restaurant and cocktail bar in Angel, Islington, London. Starting out as a delivery-only kitchen in Wimbledon, the founders opened their first flagship restaurant just last month. From fish tacos or tofu skewers to meaty, deep-fried buttermilk oyster mushrooms, all dishes are served with glossy sauces, unusual vegetable purees, and tropical fruits. Besides its modern take on Caribbean food, Jam Delis’s cocktail …

©PureField Ingredients

Business Wire

Global Wheat Protein Market 2022 to 2031 – Players Include ADM, Cargill, Agrana and MGP Ingredients

January 27, 2023

DUBLIN–(BUSINESS WIRE)–The “Wheat Protein Global Market Report 2022” report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com’s offering. This report provides strategists, marketers and senior management with the critical information they need to assess the global wheat protein market. The global wheat protein market is expected to grow from $2.84 billion in 2021 to $3.05 billion in 2022 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 7.1%. The wheat protein market is expected to grow to $3.65 billion in 2026 at a CAGR of 4.6%. Major players in the wheat protein market are ADM (Archer Daniels Midland ), Cargill, Agrana, MGP Ingredients, Roquette, Glico Nutrition, Tereos Syrol, Agridient, Manildra Group, Crop Energies, Kroner-Starke, Crespel and Deiters GmbH, AB Amilina, Xi’an Sheerherb Biotechnology Co., BASF SE, Kerry Inc., Permolex, …

Gastronomy & Food Service

Can a Vegan Butcher Shop Be Named a Butcher Shop?

January 27, 2023

On 7 January, Die vegane Fleischerei, a vegan butcher shop, opened in Dresden and became a nationwide phenomenon overnight. But not only because it was flooded with vegan customers. According to t-online, there was online outrage after the vegan butcher opened in Dresden’s Neustadt, with schnitzel, meatloaf rolls, salami, and aspic on display: the people of Saxony could not imagine that a shop without animal products could call itself a butcher shop. Can vegan salami be called salami in Germany? Dresden’s food inspectors have a clear opinion. No. Not long after the shop’s opening, authorities identified around 10 to 15 vegan products that had animal product names banning them from sale because they were violating either EU or German labelling guidelines, reported t-online. According to …

Food Service

A New Trend Emerging? The Barn Becomes Latest UK Pub to Trial 100% Vegan Menu

January 27, 2023

A UK pub near Rugby, Warwickshire, is set to become the latest to adopt a fully plant-based menu. The Barn will serve animal-free dishes throughout the month of February. The pub has already begun offering plant-based meals by default, with a surcharge of £2 to adapt a dish to a non-vegan diet. A vegan carvery is hosted every Sunday, with meat-based options available but prepared out of sight in the kitchen. Now, The Barn plans to drop meat altogether for a month after its plant-based options proved hugely popular with the vegan community. It appears that the change may be made permanent if the trial is successful. The menu includes risotto, tofu fish and chips, vegan sausages and mash, and a choice of three plant-based …

©Moon Magic

Products & Launches

Moon Magic Launches ‘World’s First’ Line of Low-Calorie, Low-Sugar Vegan Milk Chocolate

January 27, 2023January 26, 2023

Moon Magic, a new dairy-free chocolate brand, is officially launching its line of better-for-you chocolates that aim to disrupt the global chocolate market by transforming the treat into a healthy snack. Described as the ‘world’s first’ all-vegan, low-calorie and low-sugar milk chocolate, Moon Magic’s products are made from a blend of oat milk and almond milk. Each of the brand’s bars contains 117 calories and 2g of total sugars, which come from naturally occurring sugars in its oat milk. Unlike the majority of retail chocolate bars, Moon Magic says it uses simple ingredients with no preservatives or artificial additives. The brand’s flavors include: Cosmic Crunch – With crunchy crisped puffed rice Tropic in Coconut – Coconut chocolate bar with almond pieces, shredded coconut and crispy …

Company News

McWin Acquires Majority Stake in L’Osteria for Almost 400 Million Euros

January 26, 2023

McWin, a private investment firm specialising in foodservice and food technology, recently announced the acquisition of a majority stake in L’Osteria, the leading casual dining operator in Germany and Austria. The chain currently operates 157 locations in eight countries, with over 6,000 employees in the DACH region, the UK, France, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and the Czech Republic. The transaction is valued at nearly €400 million. The founders Klaus Rader and Friedemann Findeis will both remain minority shareholders in the company. The new partnership with McWin will further support and accelerate the group’s expansion both in Germany and in numerous new and existing markets across Europe. L’Osteria and plant-based The chain has a wide vegan offering. Its pizza dough is vegan, and for this Veganuary, it …

©Talia di Napoli

Products & Launches

Frozen Pizza Favorite Talia di Napoli Debuts First-Ever Vegan Margherita Pizza

January 27, 2023January 26, 2023

Frozen pizza brand Talia di Napoli, which ships authentic handmade pizzas directly from Naples, announces the launch of its first-ever certified vegan pizza: The Vegan Margherita. Handcrafted by trained master pizza-makers in Naples, the Vegan Margherita is described as a gourmet pizza experience that tastes just like classic Neopolitan pies. Famous for shipping authentic, made-in-Italy pizzas straight to US customers’ doors, Talia says the Vegan Margherita features a handmade sourdough crust topped with a signature pomodoro sauce and fresh basil. The pizzas are then topped with plant-based mozzarella sourced from Italy, created from a blend of cashews and almonds. According to the brand, vegans and non-vegans alike will be impressed by the Margherita’s flavor and texture, and this option allows even more people to indulge …

Cultivated Meat

GFI Webinar: The Business of Alt Protein: Bringing Cultivated Meat to Market in the United States

January 26, 2023

Following last year’s landmark decision by the FDA to greenlight UPSIDE Food’s cultivated chicken, marking the beginning of a transformation in the food system as we know it, 2023 is set to be the year that cultivated meat will receive full regulatory approval and become available to consumers in the US, and likely beyond. As this point in history draws closer, the GFI is hosting a virtual event next Tuesday, January 31st, from 12 midday to 1pm EST, featuring a panel of experts discussing the current status of the cultivated meat industry. At the virtual event, participants will join scientific, regulatory, and market experts from the Good Food Institute as they take a deep dive into recent developments and review the current status …

Cultivated, Cell-Cultured & Biotechnology

Wildtype Expects to Launch Sushi-Grade Cultivated Salmon in US Restaurants This Year

January 26, 2023

San Francisco’s Wildtype, which raised an incredible $100 million in Series B last year from investors including Leonardo DiCaprio, says it expects to launch its cultivated sushi-grade salmon in restaurants later this year. Wildtype’s co-founder Justin Kolbeck told IntraFish that the company is waiting to complete the FDA’s pre-market consultation that studies the safety of its cultivated salmon and that when the process concludes, Wildtype will be able to commercialize. If the company receives the FDA’s green light, Wildtype would become one of the first to launch commercially cultivated food in the US. What the No Questions letter means According to Kolbeck, UPSIDE Foods, which received a No Questions letter from the FDA last year for its cultivated chicken, had to complete a similar pre-market …

Interviews

Wamame Foods: “We Believe Alternative Proteins Must Be Of a Higher Quality Than Their Animal-Based Counterparts”

January 26, 2023

Wamame Foods is the Canadian innovator behind Waygu™, a plant-based alternative to wagyu beef that has been highly praised by renowned chefs. Just this month, Waygu arrived at 7-Eleven stores in Canada, with its plant-based steak strips now featuring in several ready-to-serve menu offerings such as the Southwestern Plant-Based Steak Wrap and Mexican Plant-Based Steak Wrap. Since its launch in 2021, Waygu has seen incredible success, securing millions of dollars in funding and being served at the Ted2022 Conference attended by Bill Gates, Al Gore, and Elon Musk. The beef alternative has now expanded across the US and Canada, with the help of online marketplace GTFO It’s Vegan and other notable partners. Following the 7-Eleven launch, Wamame president Blair Bullus spoke to us about the …

Interviews

Eatplanted: “We Want to Revolutionise the Way Meat and Protein-Rich Foods Are Consumed”

January 26, 2023

Eatplanted is one of Europe’s fastest-growing alt meat producers, combining extrusion and fermentation technology to make highly realistic meat alternatives. Founded in Switzerland in 2019, Eatplanted rapidly began attracting investor interest and raising large sums of funding. The company then announced ambitious plans to develop whole cuts of plant-based meat — an area that has eluded many producers — and to become Europe’s biggest alt meat brand. Soon, Eatplanted was expanding internationally. The company arrived in the UK less than a year ago but has already been widely successful, securing listings at national retailers such as Morrisons and Holland & Barrett. We caught up with co-founder Christoph Jenny to find out more about Eatplanted’s products and goals for 2023. What is the story behind Eatplanted? …

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