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Maple Leaf Foods Reduces Plant-Based Greenleaf Division by 25% Following Decrease in Demand

August 11, 2022

Maple Leaf Foods, one of Canada’s largest meat producers, says it is downsizing its plant-based foods division, Greenleaf Foods, by 25% following consecutive quarters of disappointing sales. The company, which owns vegan food brands Field Roast and Lightlife, reports its Plant Protein sales fell by over 18% year-over-year to CAD $40.8 million due to lower retail volumes, reports Food Dive. Nonprofitable investments into expanding growth infrastructure also reduced gross margins by 24.7%. Large investments Known primarily for its processed meat business, Maple Leaf strategically invested in alternative proteins by acquiring plant-based foods brands Lightlife, Field Roast and Chao in 2017. The following year, it launched Greenleaf Foods SPC as a subdivision to accelerate the growth of the plant-based category. In 2019, it unveiled plans to …

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Meat- and Fish Alternatives

Lightlife Launches Unbreaded Plant-Based Chicken Breasts and Strips

April 29, 2022

Greenleaf Foods, owner of Lightlife and the plant-based arm of Canadian meat giant Maple Leaf, launches Lightlife Plant-Based Chicken Breasts and Plant-Based Chicken Strips. The products are made using high-moisture extrusion (HME) and are based on pea protein. The company’s plant-based chicken is available in the prepared foods department at 500 Whole Foods Market locations in North America and is also used by KFC Canada for its vegan fried chicken, a fixed menu item since January this year. “Lightlife Plant-Based Chicken Breasts and Strips deliver a chicken-like eating experience and versatility that is unmatched. These products reflect our vision of relentlessly evolving the product designs, utilizing ingredient technologies delivering on consumers’ expectations for taste, color and texture,” said Jitendra Sagili, Chief R&D and Food Technology …

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KFC Plant-Based Chicken

Image courtesy of KFC Canada

Products & Launches

KFC Canada to Make Plant-Based Chicken Permanent Menu Item

September 28, 2022January 6, 2022

KFC Canada announces the company is making vegan fried chicken, using Lightlife plant-based fillets, a fixed menu item. The product will also be available as a new popcorn chicken option, available for a limited time. Having made headlines in the US after announcing a national rollout of Beyond Meat’s fried chicken this week, KFC in Canada is also actively expanding the chain’s plant-based chicken menu. “A month’s worth of sandwiches in six hours” KFC Canada first tested a Lightlife-based chicken sandwich in 2019 to resounding success. At the time, a KFC spokesperson said the company sold “a month’s worth of sandwiches in six hours” and the huge demand for plant-based menu items compelled the chain to “quickly to bring these menu items to our restaurants …

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Clextral’s innovative developments in producing affordable and tasty alternative proteins

Lightlife Chicken x Pizza Pizza

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Products & Launches

Canada’s Pizza Pizza Adds Plant-Based Chicken at Over 400 Locations

August 25, 2021

Pizza Pizza, a QSR chain operating throughout Canada, headquartered in Toronto and whose subsidiaries include Pizza 73, announces a partnership with Lightlife, part of Greenleaf Foods, the plant-based arm of meat giant Maple Leaf. Pizza Pizza will offer Lightlife Plant-Based Chicken as a permanent menu item, including the following varieties: Plant-Based Chick’n Sandwich – available in either Classic or Spicy, topped with pickles and vegan mayonnaise Plant-Based Chick’n Bites – available in varieties of 10 or 20 Plant-Based Combo Box – comes with 16 Chick’n Bites, plus a choice of two more items, including french fries, potato wedges, onion rings or sweet potato fries and two dipping sauces. The new menu items are available for walk-in and delivery at more than 400 Pizza Pizza restaurants, …

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Boston Pizza Greenleaf Foods

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Gastronomy & Food Service

Boston Pizza Partners With Greenleaf Foods to Launch Meatless Menu Items

September 27, 2021June 22, 2021

Leading Canadian pizza chain Boston Pizza has announced two new meat-free menu items in collaboration with Greenleaf Foods. Greenleaf is the owner of plant-based meat brands Field Roast and Lightlife.

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Lightlife reformulation

©Lightlife Foods

Food & Beverage

Lightlife Reformulation “Raising the Bar for Other Brands in the Category” In Round Two of Last Year’s Burger Wars?

May 18, 2021

Are we witnessing round two of last year’s Burger Wars? Plant-based brand Lightlife – owned by Greenleaf Foods, a subsidiary of Canadian meat giant Maple Leaf – has overhauled 19 of its plant-based products, removing ingredients like carrageenan, eggs and maltodextrin, and claims to be laying down the gauntlet for its competitors to follow suit.

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Field Roast Signature Stadium Dog

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Products & Launches

Greenleaf Foods Launches New Field Roast & Lightlife Products at Whole Foods

May 15, 2021April 6, 2021

US company Greenleaf Foods, the owner of plant-based brands Field Roast and Lightlife, is expanding its range at Whole Foods to meet growing consumer demand. Three new options will be available at locations across the US.

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lightlife tempeh

©Lightlife

Maple Leaf Completes Purchase of $100M Indianapolis Lightlife Facility

March 23, 2021

Meat giant Maple Leaf Foods has announced that its plant-based subsidiary, Greenleaf Foods, has completed its previously announced purchase of a 118,000 square foot plant in Indianapolis where it will be installing new equipment to increase tempeh production capacity for the Lightlife brand. Initial production at the plant is targeted to begin in the first half of 2022, and when fully operational, it will employ approximately 115 people. Michael McCain, President and CEO, said at the time of the initial announcement: “At this juncture, given the high demand for our tempeh products, this Project offers us the ability to deliver incremental capacity in a cost-effective, timely manner in a location that has synergies with our long-term vision.”

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©Maple Leaf Foods Inc.

Maple Leaf Releases 2020 Q3 Reports: Growth of Plant-Based Protein Sales is Higher than Meat Protein Sales

November 3, 2020

Maple Leaf Foods, the Canadian food company that has for many years profited from the enormous sales of its processed meats, has reported that its percentage of growth in the sales of its plant-based products is currently higher than that of its animal counterparts.

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Business Insiders

David Benzaquen: Should Plant-Based Meat Companies Prioritize Health or the Perfect Taste?

September 8, 2020

*The opinions expressed here represent only the author, and not any companies he may be affiliated with.

Innovation often brings with it heated debate, and plant-based meat is no exception. With the recent wave of highly-realistic meat alternatives, we’re faced with the question: is the perfect taste worth arguably imperfect ingredients?

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OZO FOODS BURGERS

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Marketing & Media

The Next Installment of Burger Wars: JBS Brand Planterra Foods Weighs In…

September 4, 2020

Following on from the recent controversy that took place last week when Lightlife openly attacked the plant-based giants Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods; Planterra Foods, owned by world’s largest meat producer JBS, has now also sent its own open letter to the New York Times.

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lightlife foods burger

© Lightlife Foods, Inc.

Marketing & Media

Lightlife’s Letter: Five Big Takeaways for Vegan & Plant-Based Brands

November 4, 2022September 3, 2020

“When Lightlife’s letter to Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods was released last week, the vegan and plant-based community unleashed its own torrent of anger against the company for this attack against two plant-based trailblazers they deeply admire. Makes sense, right? No one likes a bully,” says Rachel Cook.

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Impossible Foods

©Impossible Foods

Burger Wars: Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods Fight Back – Read Their Official Rebuttals to Lightlife

August 26, 2020

Yesterday, in a bold and heavily criticised move, Lightlife Foods published an open letter to Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods through a full page ad in the New York Times, stating: “Enough with the hyper processed ingredients” and claiming to be committed to “using simple ingredients and methods”. Read on for the responses.

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Marketing & Media

Lightlife Launches Campaign Against Impossible Foods & Beyond Meat: “Enough With the Hyper-Processed Ingredients and Fake Blood”

August 25, 2020

Lightlife, owned by Greenleaf Foods, a subsidiary of meat giant Maple Leaf, has announced that it is “making a clean break from its competition” with an open letter to Impossible and Beyond, claiming it is championing clean ingredients and carbon neutrality whilst exposing competitors that are attempting to mimic meat at any cost.

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Harveys Canada, Lightlife Burger

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Food & Beverage

Lightlife Launches its Next-Generation Burger at All Harvey’s Restaurants Across Canada

July 29, 2020

Lightlife®, owned by Greenleaf Foods, SPC, recently launched its reinvented Lightlife Burger at more than 250 Harvey’s locations across Canada. The burger debuted on Harvey’s cross-country ‘RV tour’ to thank frontline workers.

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Lightlife Business Wire

©Business Wire

Food & Beverage

Lightlife Says it has Conducted Most Comprehensive Survey in Plant-Based Protein, Announces Plan to Deliver Cleanest Ingredients in the Category

May 29, 2020May 29, 2020

Lightlife, owned by Greenleaf Foods (the plant-based arm of meat manufacturer Maple Leaf), has made sweeping changes to its product portfolio following what it says was the most comprehensive survey in plant-based protein history, saying it is committed to delivering the cleanest ingredient labels in the plant-based meat category.

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Field Roast Nuggets

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Products & Launches

Field Roast Co Launches Nuggets as Sales for its Plant-Based Appetizers See 490% Growth

May 22, 2020

Field Roast Grain Meat Co, owned by Greenleaf Foods, the plantbased arm of Maple Leaf, has added Plant-Based Nuggets to its portfolio of frozen plant-based appetizers. The range has steadily been increasing, as has the company “Data shows that Field Roast is outpacing competitors in the frozen plant-based space,” says the release.

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Chicken Nuggets

© Maple Leaf Foods

Maple Leaf Q1 Financial Results Reveal Some Interesting Points

May 4, 2020

Packaged meat company Maple Leaf Foods published its first quarter results with some highly interesting points. There was substantial growth in its plant protein sector. Maple Leaf created a plantbased arm, Greenleaf, in October 2018. Greenleaf encompasses plant meat brands Lightlife Foods and Field Roast.

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Vegan Business Solidarity: Ten Plant-Based Leaders Reveal Their Favourite Vegan Companies

September 11, 2023April 22, 2020

In these uncertain times when many businesses are suffering hardship or even facing closure, we at vegconomist reached out to plantbased leaders across the globe and asked them to nominate their most-loved vegan business, which they feel is deserving of love and support from the vegan community right now.

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Thomson & Scott

Greenleaf Foods, Field Roast Breakfast Sausage

©Business Wire/Field Roast Grain Meat Co.

Products & Launches

Greenleaf Foods Announces New Lines of Plant-Based Breakfast Sausages from Lightlife and Field Roast

February 28, 2020

Greenleaf Foods has announced the nationwide retail launch of three plant-based breakfast sausage products from its Lightlife® and Field Roast Grain Meat Co™ brands. Lightlife’s debut includes Plant-Based Breakfast Sausage Links and Plant-Based Sausage Patties, and Field Roast introduced its first fully-cooked Plant-Based Breakfast Sausage Patties.

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Breakfast Sausage