Plant-based milk shelf at Albert Heijn

Image: ProVeg Netherlands

Market & Trends

Plant-Based Milk Posing a Threat for Swiss Dairy Industry as Demand Increases 80%

As reported by 24HEURES; in Switzerland, the demand for plant-based milk has grown considerably in the last five years. Turnover from sales of milk alternatives rose from 96 to 172 million francs between 2017 and 2021, an increase of almost 80%, according to a Federal Office of Agriculture study. Daniel Koller, secretary of Swissmilk, an organisation that promotes dairy milk, told the news outlet that the rise in demand for alternative milk poses a challenge for the Swiss milk industry because alternative milk brands imitate everything about milk, from its packaging to its nutritional profile, and promote false sustainability claims. Milk as illegal term for alt milk since 2017 According to Swissmilk, the term “milk” has been illegal in Switzerland and throughout the European Union …

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Les Nouveaux Affineurs Albert cheese

© Les Nouveaux Affineurs

Cheese Alternatives

Les Nouveaux Affineurs’ Award-Winning Artisan Cheese Launches in Migros

Just a year after its participation in the Plant-Based Expo in London kicked off its international development, French artisan cheesemaker Les Nouveaux Affineurs has announced its launch into Swiss retailer Migros. Albert, the startup’s best-seller, has received numerous awards including Gold Medal at the 2021 Plant Food Trophies, Best Cheese Alternative 2021 by LuxLife, and Flavor of the Year 2022. The plant-based French cheese is now available in 400 locations of Switzerland’s largest supermarket, Migros, a retailer increasingly focusing on vegan products. Last summer, Les Nouveaux Affineurs took its faux-mages to the streets of Paris for blind testing, in an experiment where Parisians were astonished to learn that the cheeses were in fact 100% plant-based. Plant-based direction at Migros Migros, Switzerland’s largest retailer and employer, …

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Better Nature Migros

© Better Nature

Products & Launches

Better Nature Launches at Switzerland’s Largest Supermarket Chain Migros

UK tempeh brand Better Nature has launched three products — Mince, Rashers, and Roast Bites — at Switzerland’s largest supermarket chain, Migros. The products will be available across the country at over 300 stores, in what Better Nature describes as “potentially the single largest rollout of tempeh in all of Europe”. The range launched in the UK last year, but only at online retailers. Continued innovation The news comes just two months after Better Nature appointed a new non-executive director, former Planet Organic CEO Peter Marsh. The brand also received a £350,000 grant from a UK government agency earlier this year to develop a fish alternative made via precision fermentation of industry byproducts. Migros and alt protein Migros is increasingly supporting alt protein innovation, partnering …

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SuperMeat cultivated chicken

© SuperMeat

Cultivated, Cell-Cultured & Biotechnology

SuperMeat Partners With Migros, Switzerland’s Largest Supermarket and Meat Manufacturer

SuperMeat, the Israeli cultivated meat startup, has announced a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Switzerland’s largest retail supermarket chain and leading meat manufacturer, Migros. The MOU will expedite the production and distribution of cultivated meat on a commercial scale.  As part of the partnership, Migros has invested in SuperMeat, indicating that the industry sees a strong interest among consumers in alternative proteins. The two companies aim to solidify an infrastructure to distribute and sell cultivated meat on a wide scale to meet the demand of the European consumer looking for more efficient and sustainable alternative products. The move follows a similar deal signed between SuperMeat and PHW Group, one of Europe’s largest poultry producers, as the cultivated meat company moves ever closer to commercialization.  Switzerland’s …

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Cultured Hub Managing director Yannick Gächter. Image supplied.

Cultivated, Cell-Cultured & Biotechnology

Givaudan, Bühler, and Migros Announce Cultured Hub Switzerland Will Open 2023

Swiss companies Givaudan, Bühler, and Migros have made progress towards their goal of establishing a “Cultured Hub” in Kemptthal, Switzerland. The companies announced the joint venture last year, with the aim of supporting the development of cultivated and fermented products. Based in Kemptthal’s The Valley area, the Hub will provide companies in the industry with facilities, technology, and expertise. Givaudan, Bühler, and Migros have recently secured approval to form the joint venture and have appointed a managing director, Yannick Gächter. Cultivated companies have already begun booking time at the new facilities, which should be operational from early 2023. It is hoped that by providing small-scale facilities, the Hub could allow startups to avoid the need for funding rounds, preventing equity dilution. Alt-protein in Switzerland In …

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Aqua Cultured Seafood Appetizer

©Aqua Cultured Foods

Fermentation

Aqua Cultured Foods Doubles Production Output of Novel Fish and Seafood Alternatives

Food tech startup Aqua Cultured Foods announces new advancements in its fermentation technology that allow it to double the biomass output of whole-muscle seafood alternatives.  According to Aqua, these developments have dramatically improved the growth timeline for its seafood products, which include tuna, whitefish, calamari, popcorn shrimp and scallops. The startup says it has filed five patents relating to its unique method of protein production, and is preparing for its next financing round.  Novel fermentation  Based in Chicago, Aqua has previously created sushi-grade fish filets and calamari using microbial fermentation techniques that “grow” protein from a proprietary strain of fungi. By controlling environmental conditions such as culture medium, oxygen, temperature, and humidity, the company says it can create the same look, texture and moisture level found …

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CHKP Chickpea Strawberry Yogurt

©CHKP Foods

Products & Launches

CHKP Foods Will Debut Innovative Chickpea Yogurt at Expo West 2022

CHKP Foods, a new plant-based dairy company, announces it will debut a line of chickpea yogurts at Expo West in Anaheim, CA, followed by a retail launch this spring.  CHKP says its yogurts offer a thick, creamy texture with high protein content, low sugar, and no soy, gluten or GMO ingredients. According to the company, it spent years developing and perfecting its unique chickpea yogurt base, which delivers great taste and texture with clean-label nutrition. Available in plain, vanilla, blueberry, and strawberry flavors, the yogurts provide an easy and convenient way to consume nourishing plant protein, says CHKP. The company also plans to use the versatile base to make a wide range of plant-based dairy foods, including vegan cream cheeses, milk and desserts.  “Like nothing else” …

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Sea bass sashimi plated Aqua Cultured

©Aqua Cultured Foods

Cultivated Seafood

Aqua Cultured Foods Partners With Switzerland’s Largest Retailer Migros For Ultra-Realistic Alternative Seafood

Following its oversubscribed pre-seed round last month – the largest ever pre-seed in alt-seafood and one of the largest ever in fermented proteins – Chicago startup Aqua Cultured Foods announces the signing of a Proof of Concept (PoC) with Migros, Switzerland’s largest retailer, to expedite development of its fungus-based alt seafood products created through microbial fermentation. “The Swiss market welcomes food tech, and we are ready to introduce the region to the future of alternative proteins.”  The female-led company officially launched this September, announcing it had developed the world’s first whole-muscle cut alt seafood on the market. Aqua Cultured has filed three patents and utilizes biomass fermentation and a proprietary strain of fungi to create sushi-quality filets of tuna and whitefish such as sea bass, …

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©Migros

Products & Launches

Switzerland’s Largest Retail Company Migros Launches Plant-Based Boiled Egg

Swiss retail giant Migros has launched a vegan hard-boiled egg which will be available in select Migros stores across the country. The plant-based picnic egg looks and tastes like its conventional counterpart even including its vegan yolk.  The latest addition to Migros’ own V-Love plant-based range, the egg is manufactured in Switzerland by ELSA, a Migros subsidiary. Made from soy protein, the new egg innovation will be available in Migros stores in Zurich, Basel, Lucerne, and Geneva as of November 2021, priced at 4.40 Swiss francs for a pack of four. The V-Love hard-boiled egg is one of the world’s first such products to hit the shelves as the race to develop new egg alternatives accelerates. Research has shown that 30% of consumers say they …

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Planted

©Eatplanted

Society

Switzerland: Alt Protein Leaders Join Forces to Form the Swiss Protein Association

The leading alt protein companies in Switzerland have come together to found The Swiss Protein Association (SPA). With its four founding members being Bell Food Group, Kündig Group, Migros Industrie, and Planted Foods, the SPA will act as a lobbying group for the alt protein movement in Switzerland.  The SPA is aiming to raise awareness among politicians, industry leaders, and consumers of the potential benefits of alternative protein sources for a climate-friendly and sustainable diet. With headquarters in Bern, the association defines alternative protein sources as proteins and protein-rich products, such as meat and dairy products, that are not derived from conventional animal sources but are intended to contribute to a sustainable, healthy, and accessible diet.  Committed to promoting high-quality and competitive production of alternative …

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A plant-based taco

© Givaudan

Cultivated, Cell-Cultured & Biotechnology

Givaudan, Bühler, and Migros Join Forces to Establish The Cultured Food Innovation Hub

A new facility for cellular agriculture products called The Cultured Food Innovation Hub is to be established in Zurich, Switzerland. The pilot plant is the brainchild of three companies; Givaudan, Bühler, and Migros, which have formed the hub as a new entity. Going live in 2022 to accelerate the development and market penetration of cellular agriculture products, The Cultured Food Innovation Hub will be a self-sustained company owned by Swiss multinational manufacturers Givaudan and Bühler, as well as Switzerland’s largest retail company Migros. The new hub will be located in The Valley, Kemptthal, a center of innovation and technology just outside of Zurich. The new accelerator will give facilities and knowledge to help other companies with their cell-cultured meat, fish and seafood, and precision fermentation …

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Migros Logo

© Migros

Interviews

Swiss Retail Giant Migros: 500+ Certified Vegan Products Already in Stock

The Swiss retail giant Migros already has 500+ certified vegan products in stock. As part of their “Generation M” sustainability programme, the company had already set the target of increasing its range of certified vegan and vegetarian products by 30 % by 2017. Migros has also seen a 2-digit % growth for their vegan and vegetarian-certified range since 2013.

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