Company News

Is Aldi the most plant-forward supermarket in Europe?

© Aldi

Is ALDI Becoming the Most Plant-Forward Supermarket in Europe?

As ALDI unveils a wide range of vegan cheese in the UK, we take a look at its recent developments and ask, is the discount retailer aiming to become the most plant-forward supermarket in Europe? The UK ALDI offers a vast plant-based range in the UK, which was recently expanded further for Veganuary. Example products include roasting joints, tofu, and no-fish cakes. The chain has also recently launched a vegan cheese range, including soft cheese in both plain and garlic and herb flavours. Additionally, the range features Grated Mozzarella, Greek Style Salad Cheese, and Grated Hard Cheese, alongside products made by other brands such as Applewood, Boursin, and Babybel. Germany Germany’s ALDI SÜD offers over 700 vegan products, and recently announced plans to expand this …

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© SHICKEN

SHICKEN On Track for Tenfold Current Growth With Rollout Into 471 Tesco Stores

SHICKEN, a producer of Indian-style plant-based ready meals, has gained its first major UK supermarket listing. Three of the brand’s products are now available at 471 Tesco stores nationwide: SHICKEN Tikka Masala — plant-based chicken pieces marinated in a vegan yogurt and spice mix, then covered in a creamy sauce. SHICKEN Korma — a sweet and spicy curry with all dairy ingredients swapped for coconut cream and vegan yogurt. SHICKEN Tikka Kebabs — spicy vegan skewers suitable as a snack or as part of a barbecue. Initially, SHICKEN began life as a a D2C brand, then went on to secure retail listings at 29 UK Costco stores last year as well as three of Iceland’s biggest grocery retailers (Hagkaup, Kronan, and Netto). The brand’s rapid …

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V-Label updated logos

© V-Label

V-Label Reveals Updated Logos as Number of Certified Products Exceeds 50,000

 V-Label, the world’s leading vegan and vegetarian trademark, has unveiled its newly updated logos in response to continued global growth and expansion. The trademark originated in Europe, but now certifies over 50,000 products from more than 4,300 licensees globally. The new logos will make it easier to differentiate between vegan and vegetarian products, with the vegan logo retaining its yellow background and the vegetarian logo now featuring a green background. The text has also been updated to stand out more. Due to the large number of certified products, V-Label believes it could take up to two years for the changes to be reflected across all items. The organisation hopes the long transition period will prevent packaging with the old logo from being wasted. Vegan certification …

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Sherene Jagla

©Impossible Foods

Impossible Foods Appoints Sherene Jagla as Chief Demand Officer, Reports 50% Retail Growth in 2022

Impossible Foods announces it has hired CPG industry leader Sherene Jagla as its first-ever Chief Demand Officer. In her new role, Jagla will integrate Impossible’s sales, marketing, insights and product development teams as the company prepares for its next phase of growth.  In addition, Impossible reports it achieved record growth in 2022, and continues to rank as the fastest-growing plant-based meat brand in US retail. Jagla joins Impossible with over 25 years of sales, marketing, and management experience at Fortune 500 companies in the CPG and food and beverage industries. Most recently, Jagla served as the Senior Vice President and General Manager at Newell Brands, where she oversaw a $2 billion business across 50 brands in 18 categories.  Previously, Jagla has also held senior leadership …

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© Hivegs

Hi Vegs! Secures Carrefour Listing in Spain

Hi Vegs!, the Dacsa Group’s vegetable products company, is now available in Carrefour supermarkets in Spain, bringing its retail footprint to a total of 200 listings. The Dacsa Group, leader in the corn and rice milling sector, launches in Carrefour Spain with a range of four 100% vegan products: Bocaditos de atún (tuna snacks) Bocaditos de ternera (Veal morsels) Albóndigas (meatballs) Veggieclara (functional egg white substitute made from aquafaba which can be used in numerous sweet and savoury recipes, such as sauces, cakes, omelettes, etc) Both Hi Vegs! Bocaditos and Albóndigas are 100% plant-based products, made from texturised pea protein. The Dacsa Group’s R+D+i team says it recreated the taste, texture and appearance of the animal product it replaces, and additionally, these are gluten and …

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© MycoTechnology

MycoTechnology’s “Transformative, Game-Changing Plant Protein” Approved by EU

MycoTechnology, of Colorado USA, announces that its fermented mycelium ingredients FermentIQ™ MLL and PTP have been granted Novel Food status by the European Commission. The company’s forthcoming European expansion will be underpinned by its recent $85M Series E fundraise which included Tyson Ventures and Maple Leaf Foods. The authorisation follows a positive opinion issued earlier this year by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), whereby the EFSA considered FermentIQ™ pea and rice protein fermented by shiitake mushroom mycelia as safe for use across multiple applications. EU as next major growth frontier Having secured Novel Food authorisation, the American company says it is set to accelerate its expansion into the European market, which it describes as its next major growth frontier. MycoTechnology has already hired its …

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Sushi Vegan Zeastar

© Vegan Zeastar

Vegan Zeastar Presents “World’s First” Complete Range of Vegan Sushi & Poke Bowl Products

Shortly after the Netherlands brand launched its Shrimpz Family line of 100% plant-based shrimp, Vegan Zeastar now announces it is to premiere the “world’s first” complete range of vegan sushi and poke bowl products at Amsterdam’s Horecava event next week. At the event, Zeastar’s parent company Vegan Finest Foods will present its 100% plant-based sushi and poke bowl products including PETA award-winning Vegan Sashimis, the new Vegan Shrimpz No Tuna Flakes, Sushi Rollz, Black and Orange Fizz Pearlz and more. The complete range is palm oil free and offers food service companies the components for vegan nigiri, sashimi, uramaki, gunkan, handrolls or poke bowls. Introducing new alt meat brand The company also reveals that it will introduce a new brand of meat alternatives called Beastie …

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cultivated fish range

© Umami Meats

Steakholder Foods Receives First Grant to Develop Cultivated Eel and Grouper with Umami Meats

Israel-based Steakholder Foods (Nasdaq: STKH) announces it has received its first grant of up to $1M to develop 3D-printed structured eel and grouper products with cultivated seafood startup Umami Meats.  The initiative is being funded by a grant from the Singapore Israel Industrial R&D Foundation (SIIRD), a cooperation between – Enterprise Singapore (ESG) and the Israel Innovation Authority (IIA). According to Steakholder, the partnership with Umami Meats offers a unique opportunity for market entry in Singapore, the only country where cultivated meat has regulatory approval. The collaboration seeks to develop a scalable process for producing structured cultivated fish products. To create the fish, Steakholder will use newly developed technology for mimicking the flaky texture of cooked fish, which the startup recently submitted for a provisional …

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©Oatly

Oatly and Ya YA Foods Announce Long-Term Hybrid Partnership to Bolster Oat Milk Production

Oatly Group AB (Nasdaq: OTLY) and Ya YA Foods, one of North America’s largest co-packers, announce a long-term strategic hybrid partnership.  Through the agreement, Oatly will continue to produce its proprietary oat base at both its Ogden, UT and Fort Worth, TX facilities, which will then be transferred to Ya YA Foods to be co-packed into Oatly products on-site at each location. Under the terms, Oatly will retain full ownership and operation of proprietary oat base production lines in each facility, while Ya YA Foods will acquire a majority of the assets, including mixing and filling equipment, and assume the property lease at Oatly’s production facility in Ogden. Ya YA will also assume responsibility for the completion of construction of the production facility and the …

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hello plant foods' vegan foie gras served on a wooden board

© Hello Plant Foods

Vegan Foie Gras Hello Fuah! Sells Out Within 12 Hours After Spanish Launch

At the beginning of December, the Spanish plant-based meat producer Hello Plant Foods launched Hello Fuah!, a “hyper-realistic” vegan foie gras alternative across Spain. The company’s launch strategy for the holiday season consisted of 5,000 units distributed in supermarkets and specialty vegan stores. But only after 12 hours all the SKUs were sold, said Hello Plant Foods’ founder, Javier Fernández, to El Mundo. The success of the100% plant-based pâté exceeded the startup’s expectations as orders kept coming, causing the company to multiply its production sixfold. “The plan was to put 5,000 units in Alcampo hypermarkets and vegan stores, but after the great reception and the number of requests for pre-reservations, we have had to launch some 30,000 units,” said Fernández. 500 selling points Hello Plant Foods’ R&D department …

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Fillets_Spicy_VFC

© VFC

VFC Launches New Spicy Tenders and Fillets, Announces Ocado Listing

Vegan fried chick*n brand VFC has kickstarted 2023 with the launch of Spicy Tenders and Fillets, into Asda, the UK’s 4th biggest supermarket, a month after the Fillets rolled out into Sainsbury’s. Concurrently, the food activists announce a new listing with Ocado where consumers can now purchase VFC Fillets, Tenders and Popcorn Chick*n. Back by consumer demand The new spicy products feature VFC’s soy and wheat-based fried chicken alternative wrapped in a spicy and crispy cornflake coating. The fillets were previously on sale for a short time last year and have now been relaunched in response to requests from customers. Both products are now available at Asda stores across the UK. The news comes just two months after VFC updated its recipe to a new …

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Cauldron Foods founder

©Cauldron Foods

Cauldron Foods Makes Entire Range Vegan in Time for Veganuary

UK-based vegetarian brand Cauldron Foods has removed eggs from the recipes of its Lincolnshire and Cumberland sausages. This means that all Cauldron Foods products are now fully vegan, as the remainder of the range — which includes falafels and tofu — is already free of animal products. The change comes just in time for Veganuary, with Cauldron sponsoring the campaign for the third year running. “We’re thrilled to have Cauldron as an official sponsor for the third year in 2023, especially as this coincides with Cauldron becoming a 100% vegan brand,” said Ria Rehberg, CEO of Veganuary. “This exciting development shows just how dedicated the Cauldron team is to strengthening the vegan market, offering more choice in the meat-free category, and making delicious plant-based products …

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Good Karma flax milk

©Good Karma

Good Karma Raises Latest Funding Round and Appoints Mike Murray as New CEO

Flax milk producer Good Karma announces it has named Mike Murray as its new Chief Executive Officer as the company raises its latest round of funding.  According to Good Karma, Murray brings over 25 years of experience in consumer products, most recently as the leader of Teton Waters Ranch, a beef producer. Murray also previously held senior roles at free2b Foods, So Delicious Dairy Free, WhiteWave Foods Co. and Larabar. At Good Karma, he will help the company pursue strategic distribution growth in new and existing channels, increase brand awareness and targeted household penetration, and introduce new product lines across dayparts. “Compelling opportunity” “I am looking forward to leveraging my experience and passion for galvanizing food system change to help the team bring Good Karma’s …

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Ian Carroll from Kerry Group

Ian Carroll. © Kerry

Our Business Year in Review: Kerry Group

In 2018, Kerry Group announced its ambition to become a plant-based leader. True to its word, the taste and nutrition company has since innovated extensively in the plant-based sector, from vegan cheese to meat alternatives. In the past year, Kerry has extended its alt protein capabilities with the strategic acquisition of two biotech companies — German precision fermentation company c-LEctra and Mexican enzyme manufacturer Enmex. The company has also continued to innovate by launching its own range of vegan cheeses under the Pure brand. We spoke to Ian Carroll, Strategy Director at Kerry, to find out more about the company’s progress in 2022 and plans for the new year. What plant-based innovations did you introduce in 2022?  In 2022, we have worked with our customers …

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Hybrid cultivated chicken nugget made with Matrix F.T.'s edible and animal component-free microcarriers.

©Matrix FT

Matrix FT Reveals Cultivated Chicken Nuggets Made Using Plant-Based Microcarriers

Matrix Food Technologies, a US-based developer of scaffolds and microcarriers for the alternative protein industry, has announced the successful development of a cultivated chicken product.  The company claims it has created Ohio’s first cultivated hybrid chicken nuggets by growing cells into its fibrous plant-based microcarriers. Matrix F.T. said its goal was to demonstrate to its customers and the industry that its microcarriers and scaffolds are key ingredients to building better cultivated meats.  “We cultivated chicken cells onto our microcarriers to show you all exactly what our products do. While our role in the cultivated meat industry is to create scaffolds and microcarriers, it was pretty neat to have some cell cultivation happening in our lab,” says Matrix F.T. on LinkedIn.  100% animal component-free, food-safe microcarriers …

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