Market & Trends: Latest News 2022 - vegconomist: the vegan business magazine

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Whole Foods Market Names Kelp, Dates and Non-Dairy Milk Pulp as Top 2023 Food Trends

October 20, 2022October 19, 2022

Whole Foods Market has released its eighth annual food trend predictions for the upcoming year. Compiling insights from over 50 Whole Foods team members, including culinary experts and regional and global buyers, the retail chain has identified nondairy milk pulp, kelp and dates as some of the biggest plant-based trends for 2023. Nondairy milk sales continue to soar, and social media influencers are exploring new ways to make use of by-products from soy, oat and almond milk production. As TikTok creators discover inventive ways to upcycle leftovers from nut and seed-based milks, brands such as Renewal Mill are releasing baking mixes made with upcycled milk pulp, such as okara flour. Whole Foods also plans to release oatmeal chocolate chip cookies made from upcycled oats in …

Duck breast prototype © Meatiply

This Week in Singapore’s Alt Protein Scene

October 12, 2022

It’s all happening this week in Singapore’s alt protein scene. Here we touch upon current developments in the city-state from AFTEA, Shandi Global, UnMeat, and Meatiply. Shandi Global announces largest plant-based chicken manufacturing facility in Singapore Shandi Global yesterday announced the launch and the opening of what it claims to be Singapore’s largest plant-based chicken manufacturing facility following a second seed funding round. Shandi produces plant-based chicken products including patties, pieces, shreds, strips, and drumsticks. Shandi claims the new facility will produce the “world’s first and only plant-based chicken product boasting 30% protein content,” and that it is the “only alternative meat supplier in the world with 5 food-technology patents”. Agri-Food Tech Expo Asia (AFTEA) Agri-Food Tech Expo Asia (AFTEA) opens on 26 October as …

Report Finds Rising Interest in Vegan Sweet Bakery Products

October 18, 2022October 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 …

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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 …

Brazilian Verdali and Carrefour Open New Vegan Butcher Section

October 2, 2022September 29, 2022

Brazilian plant-based meat specialist, Verdali has partnered with hypermarket giant Carrefour to offer its products at a designated vegan butcher section next to the fresh meat counters at one of the supermarket’s locations in São Paolo. The company claims to be the first company with plant-based certification in Brazil. In the last two years, it has launched a range of plant-based meat alternatives made with peas, soy, and chickpeas. The company describes its products as the new natural flavour of vegetal meat, nutritious and healthy. It is worth mentioning that the company says its packaging uses bio-based recyclable plastic. Verdali commented on the new vegan butcher section: “This innovative proposal aims to serve consumers who prefer plant-based proteins focusing on democratization by having the products exposed …

New Survey Reveals Meat Consumption is Declining Across Western Europe

September 30, 2022September 26, 2022

A recent survey reveals that consumers are shifting to meat alternatives and choosing plant-based meats. Concerns about animal agriculture, the environment, and willingness to buy cultivated meat products were among the most relevant findings. The survey questioned 4,096 people across Germany, France, Italy, and Spain about their meat consumption habits and attitudes toward sustainable proteins. The study was commissioned by the GFI, the leading NGO promoting and educating about alternative proteins, working with OpinionWay, a research company specialising in market research, communication, and opinion surveys. According to the results analysed by the GFI Europe, more than 50% of consumers from Germany, France, Italy, and Spain said they had reduced their meat consumption in the last five years. Over 60% of respondents from each country believe that …

GREENEST’s Vegan Products Become ‘India’s First Alt Protein Export’ to the USA

September 22, 2022

GREENEST Foods, a plant protein startup from India, recently shipped what it claims to be ‘the first alt protein export’ from India to the United States. Working in collaboration with Wholesome Foods, the company exported a 5,000 kg consignment of GREENEST’s products: mini samosas, momos, spring rolls, nuggets, and grilled patties, among other vegan products. GFI India and India’s Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) have worked closely with GREENEST to achieve this milestone export. APEDA promotes plant-based exports from India, and the GFI India promotes policy pathways for plant-based foods exports, ensuring that products are competitive in foreign markets. Large interest from foreign markets Gaurav Sharma, GREENEST’s founder & CEO, said: “We are honoured to flag off India’s first export of plant-based meat …

The GFI at Fish International: “A Positive Sign for the Future of Our Oceans”

September 16, 2022September 16, 2022

Germany’s Fish International fair took place at the beginning of September 2022 in Bremen, where numerous fish and seafood alternatives were exhibited among experts from the fish industry. Visitors had the opportunity to see and taste alternative products from Austrian Revo Foods, with its plant-based seafood, and Bluu Seafood from Germany, with the first cultivated seafood products to enter the market. Happy Ocean Foods presented its new plant-based products launched in partnership with Beyond Meat and ready to market soon. Established food companies such as Nestle Professional and FRoSTA also showcased their alternative seafood products. Parallel seafood business meetings also took place, including one by the GFI Europe, the leading NGO in the field of promoting alternative proteins. Carlotte Lucas of the GFI provided the …

CJ Freshway Plant-Based Burgers to Be Provided to Schools in Seoul

September 15, 2022

CJ Freshway, a South Korean B2B food distributor and food service company, will supply school cafeterias around Seoul with plant-based burgers. The company recently announced that its No Meat Cheese Cutlet Burger is ready for release and distribution. The meat-free burger is made with non-GMO soy protein, vegan chipotle sauce, and romaine lettuce, served in a hamburger bun. It can be assumed that the cheese is dairy though vegconomist is yet to confirm. According to CJ Freshway’s official Lim Ji-sun, each school will have 30 plant-based burgers to offer twice a week. CJ Freshways’ distributors will deliver to school cafeterias a plant-based meal kit containing the cutlet and the rest of the ingredients needed to assemble the burger. Plant-based alternatives for schools In 2021, …

NotCo to Expand in Ecuador Where Consumption of Plant-Based Drinks Rises 174%

September 12, 2022

NotCo is to increase the availability of its product portfolio in Ecuador by next year, through a collaboration with Modern Trade SAS, NotCo’s representative in Ecuador. NotCo products first landed in the country nine months ago, rolling out products into supermarkets in Quito and Guayaquil and partnering with QSR restaurants including Burger King, Juan Valdez and Sweet&Coffee. The expansion will see new products including NotChicken and new versions of NotIcecream in 2023. As the first Chilean Unicorn company, NotCo has absolutely dominated Latin America with its bold marketing and eye-catching products, enjoying success in Paraguay, Mexico, Argentina, Brazil, and at home in Chile, over recent months. Felipe Rey, expansion director of NotCo Latam, commented to Ecuadorian news outlet EXPRESO that the company studied market reports, …

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Vegan Bacon Market to Soar to Almost $2.5Bn: Which Brands Are Helping Drive Demand?

September 1, 2022

Following a new FMI report which finds that the global vegan bacon market is projected to grow from US$1,280 Mn in 2022 to US$2,425.4 Mn by 2032, growing at a CAGR of 6.6%, we look at the most exciting producers in the current market and detail their current and most recent developments. Prime Roots – California Prime Roots creates plant-based bacon and a range of cold cuts based on the Japanese superprotein, koji fungus. When the product debuted in 2020 it sold out almost immediately, according to the founders. In 2021 Prime Roots introduced a full range of flavoured bacon products consisting of thick-cut strips in Black Pepper, Sriracha, Maple, and Hickory flavors, stating these were the first in the world of this kind. The …

Higher Cost of Plant-Based Products is Impacting Sales in USA

August 30, 2022

Research by Brightfield Group has found that the higher cost of plant-based foods relative to their animal-based counterparts could be hurting sales in the US. As the cost of living rises, the group’s figures suggest that sales of many plant-based products — including creamer, fish alternatives, sausages, and yogurt — are on the decline (according to the report). Many consumers who describe themselves as “plant-forward” have shifted back towards chicken and red meat. On the flipside, however, sales of some plant-based products, such as bacon and ready meals, are still rising. The importance of price parity Despite increasing their consumption of animal products, plant-forward consumers still report believing that plant-based foods are healthier and better for the environment. The biggest decline in plant-based purchases is …

What’s Behind the Recent Vegan Spam Explosion? Five Reasons Why Vegan Spam is “Hitting Meat Right Where it Hurts the Most”

August 17, 2022

The Phillippines’ largest branded food company, Century Pacific, has launched a vegan spam through its unMEAT brand, becoming the third company in a month to release a plant-based canned pork. What’s going on with this apparent vegan spam explosion? Plant-based meat brand unMeat this week announced two varieties of plant-based luncheon meat — Luncheon Style Meat and Burger Style Luncheon Meat — for the US market. The products are available via online retailers, GTFO It’s Vegan! and Weee!, along with select stores throughout the Midwest and East Coast. Brought to retailers by Century Pacific Food, the launch is the most current in a series of rollouts conducted by several food and retail giants across Asia Pacific and aimed at the US market. Here we take …