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New Book Demonstrates Health Benefits of Vegan Diets for Dogs: The Plant-Powered Dog Draws on Latest Scientific Research to Dispel Common Dog Nutrition Myths

February 1, 2023

WENATCHEE, Wash.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–#compassion–A ground-breaking new book has answered the controversial question: “Can dogs thrive on a vegan diet?” Drawing on the latest scientific research, The Plant-Powered Dog: Unleash the healing powers of a whole-food plant-based diet to help your canine companion enjoy a healthier, longer life (Dogwise Publishing, January 2023) demonstrates that a well-balanced plant-based diet is the healthiest and safest for modern companion dogs. Authored by globally renowned vegan canine nutritionist Diana Laverdure-Dunetz, MS, with contributor W. Jean Dodds, DVM, The Plant-Powered Dog draws upon research in canine evolution, genomics and epigenetics to dispel the myth that dogs are carnivores; showcases the best food sources for vegan dogs; teaches readers to prepare nutritionally sound vegan dog food recipes; and showcases plant-based solutions to common …

©MyForest Foods

Company News

MyForest Foods Triples MyBacon Availability, Grows Production and Prepares to Launch First Jerky

February 1, 2023February 1, 2023

Mycelium innovator MyForest Foods Co. announces a series of major growth milestones, including the expanded availability of its flagship MyBacon and the launch of its second product, MyJerky, later this year. The company also reveals new progress in mycelium production and growing its R&D team. MyBacon, MyForest’s best-selling mycelium bacon product, is now available at 32 retailer and foodservice locations across New York and Massachusetts. The news follows MyBacon’s initial debut in New York City with two retail partners in November 2022. The current list of partners includes: A Matter of Health (Upper East Side), Amish Market (East Village), Brooklyn Fare (West Village), Elm Wellness (Greenwich Village), Food For Health (Upper East Side) and Garden Gourmet (The Bronx). In addition, MyForest announces it is entering …

©Veggie Grill

Gastronomy & Food Service

Hooray Foods’ Crispy Vegan Bacon Now Served at All Veggie Grill Locations

January 31, 2023

Alt-bacon brand Hooray Foods announces its innovative plant-based bacon is now available at Veggie Grill – the world’s leading fast-casual vegan restaurant chain. The bacon can now be ordered at all of Veggie Grill’s 35 US locations. Veggie Grill is featuring the crispy bacon – made from rice flour, pea starch and coconut oil – in a signature vegan BLT Avocado Croissant, with romaine lettuce, sliced tomatoes, Dijonnaise, and mashed avocado on a croissant roll. The bacon is also available as an add-on to a variety of other menu items, such as salads, sandwiches, and sides. “It’s a huge win for us to be able to bring Hooray bacon to a family of restaurants that share our commitment to offering delicious and sustainable plant-based options,” …

Company News

Kinjabang Noodles: How a Vegan Ramen Brand Became a Retail Success, Selling Out on Amazon

January 31, 2023

KinjaBang Noodles of Los Angeles states that, since its rather unconventional launch (see below), it has seen rapid growth, selling out on Amazon within hours and reaching the #1 spot in its category, and is now available at 10+ major chain retailers with a retail footprint of 1,500+ locations across the USA. Kinjaz, a “world-renowned” dance crew, choreographers for Justin Bieber and K-Pop Superstars and famous for NBC’s World of Dance and MTV’s America’s Best Dance Crew, launched the ramen brand in a remarkable pivot during lockdown, when Covid forced the group to close down all their dance studios and cancel all tours. Partnering with Jaback Group, a leading business development conglomerate in the CPG space, the group created KinjaBang Noodles, and leveraging a social …

Company News

Impossible Foods to Cut 20% of Staff, Plans to Launch Major Marketing Campaign in ’23

February 1, 2023January 31, 2023

Impossible Foods is reportedly planning to reduce its workforce by one-fifth as the company contends with a difficult economic environment, as well as an overall slowdown of the plant-based category. According to Bloomberg, the California-based company employs about 700 workers, which could lead to the layoff of over 130 employees. A source also revealed the company offered employees “voluntary separation payments and benefits” at the end of 2022. Last fall, Impossible cut 6% of its workforce (about 50 employees) – at the time, CEO Peter McGuinness said the cuts were necessary to help the company re-organize in order to focus on future growth. With the latest round of layoffs, Impossible joins a growing list of companies, along with Beyond Meat, that have been forced to reduce …

Pet Food

How Do Consumers Feel About Cultivated Meat as Pet Food?

January 31, 2023

A new report published by ProVeg International reveals a high level of acceptance of cultivated meat as pet food. The results show that portraying cultivated meat as pet food before portraying it as human food potentially reduces levels of acceptance by 10%. As the subject of cultivated meat begins to enter mainstream consciousness and we head towards regulatory approval in different markets, more and more producers and organisations are keen to gauge the level of consumer acceptance towards this novel food coming into our lives. To this end, the report, called “Cultivated Pet Food for Cats and Dogs”, surveyed a thousand UK residents about their perception of cultivated meat as pet food, compared to cultivated meat as human food. “People are potentially put off by …

Retail & E-Commerce

BettaF!sh Launches Ambient TU-NAH Spreads at ROSSMANN’s Online Store

January 31, 2023

German plant-based tuna BettaF!sh has announced the launch of a new ambient plant-based tuna spread range at the online store of one of Europe’s largest drugstore chains, ROSSMANN, from February 2023. This new listing marks the brand’s second partnership with the retail giant, which has been selling BettaF!sh’s sister brand, OCEANFRUIT, a producer of vegan seaweed snacks, for two years. “We are immensely proud to be the first to trade BettaF!sh’s new ambient TU-NAH spreads. There’s no question that seaweeds are going to shape our future food system, so it feels all the better to be driving this trend forward together with BettaF!sh,” said Sandra Lorenz, MD of the ROSSMANN brand at Dirk Rossmann GmbH. Online customers can finally taste the TU-NAH! The TU-NAH spreads are shelf-stable and …

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Fairs & Events

Product of the Year 2023: 17 Vegan Winners in Multiple Categories Chosen by UK Consumers

February 2, 2023January 31, 2023

*Updated 2/2 to remove Starbucks Chilled Classics Multiserve which is not vegan* The Product of the Year, the largest consumer survey of product innovation in the UK, has revealed the winners of its 2023 awards, with 17 vegan products chosen by consumers across multiple categories. According to organisers, this year, nearly a fifth of consumers said plant-based was the most important factor when buying or trying a new product and plant-based products made the “greatest imprint” across multiple categories, ranging from big brands to startups. Consumer led The annual Product of the Year Awards is the largest consumer-voted award for product innovation and serves as a benchmark for predicting top interests and trends in the year ahead. In its 19th edition this year, 8,000 adult UK consumers …

Company News

French Startup Nudj is Championing Jackfruit in France After Indian Voyage

January 31, 2023

Nudj founders, brothers Barthélemy Peuchot and Foucauld Peuchot, passionate about the evolution of consumption patterns, spent time racking their brains about how to change the food industry from within. During a trip to India, they discovered the jackfruit, a largely untapped resource in the west, yet a source of natural protein, rich in fibre and vitamins, and were inspired to launch their brand in 2020. The jackfruit is the oldest natural alternative to meat there is, say the founders. “Once cooked, the melting and stringy flesh of our tender jackfruit is very similar to that of pork or chicken. Indonesians have been cooking it in hot dishes for thousands of years. It’s our turn.” Replacing the “meat moment” Nudj describes itself as an impact startup, …

Shoreditch mural, ©GenV

Charity & Campaigns

GenV Accuses Rishi Sunak of Stonewalling as He Refuses Vegan Challenge

January 31, 2023

After challenging British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to go vegan for a month in exchange for a £1 million charity donation, international organisation Generation Vegan (GenV) has finally received a response. Penned by government representative MP Mark Spencer (who also happens to be a beef, lamb, and egg farmer), the letter states that the government is already taking all necessary steps “to ensure greater environmental sustainability” and “towards achieving our 25 Year Environment Plan ambitions and our carbon net zero goals”. The implication is that Sunak will not accept the challenge. The offer expires today, and GenV has joined forces with supporters such as nutritionist Dr. Gemma Newman to film a video making a final plea to the Prime Minster. The clip emphasises the benefits …

Fairs & Events

VeggieWorld Trade Show Takes Place in Lyon This Weekend After 2 Year Break

January 31, 2023

After a two-year hiatus, the VeggieWorld trade show will take place this weekend, February 4th and 5th, at La Sucrière in Lyon, France. Over 2000 visitors will have the opportunity to discover vegan products from around 40 brands encompassing vegan food, fashion, cosmetics, and more. The programme will include numerous events: conferences on plant-based food, animal welfare and the vegan market, as well as workshops and cooking demos presented by Fanny Amour Végétal and Rodolphe Landemaine, pastry chef and founder of Land & Monkeys plant-based pastries and co-founder of YUMGO plant-based eggs. A catering area will also allow visitors to discover the diversity of vegan cuisine: from pokés to French pastries, to Asian and Spanish cuisine. Many exhibitors will offer tastings of their products and …

Market & Trends

Germany: Half of Consumers Now Flexitarian, Vegan Population Reaches 1.5M

January 31, 2023

A report by the USDA has found that over half (55%) of Germans now consider themselves flexitarian after reducing their meat consumption. The country’s vegan population has also risen, reaching 1.5 million last year. Titled Plant-Based Food Goes Mainstream in Germany, the report notes that the latter figure is up from just 0.1 million ten years ago. Meat consumption also plummeted in the intervening time, down from 138 pounds per person per year in 2011 to 121 pounds in 2021. Per capita cow’s milk consumption fell 5% in a single year between 2020 and 2021, as milk alternatives grew in popularity. The report suggests that these changes are mostly driven by young people, with many also convincing their parents to make the switch. German politicians …

Products & Launches

Matt Pritchard’s Dirty Vegan Launches Alt Meats Made From Fermented Veg

February 1, 2023January 31, 2023

In 2018, vegan athlete and former professional skateboarder Matt Pritchard hosted the UK’s first ever vegan cookery show, Dirty Vegan. Two series (and two cookbooks) later, Pritchard has announced the launch of a plant-based food brand of the same name. The range will feature meat alternatives made with fermented vegetables, designed to promote gut health so that “the more you eat, the better you will feel”. The first products to launch are burgers, sausages, and meatballs. They are free of additives and saturated fat, while also being very high in protein — the burger contains 20 grams. On social media, Pritchard said the brand aims to launch for both retail and food service. Dirty Vegan is also working alongside food service outlets to design plant-based …

©Smashburger

Gastronomy & Food Service

Smashburger Partners with jack & annie’s to Trial New Jackfruit-Based Burger Patty

January 31, 2023January 30, 2023

Fast casual burger chain Smashburger announces it is partnering with jackfruit meat producer jack & annie’s to trial a new menu item: the Plant-Based Classic Smash Burger. For a limited time, the jackfruit-based burger is now available in select US Smashburger locations in Colorado, New York and New Jersey. According to the chain, the new patty can be substituted for any traditional protein across its menu items. The Plant-Based Classic Smash Burger features lettuce, tomatoes, red onions, pickles, American cheese (non-vegan), Smash Sauce (non-vegan), and ketchup on a toasted bun. 1st plant-based patty According to jack & annie’s, this burger marks its first branded partnership with a fast-casual restaurant chain, though it has been supplying jackfruit products to other restaurants for several years, the company …

©Delhaize

Studies & Numbers

Meat Consumption in Belgium: 11% of Belgians Are Non Meat-Eaters & 31% Flexitarian

January 30, 2023

Last week, the Belgian Association for Research and Expertise for Consumer Organisations published a survey studying the trends and habits around meat consumption in Belgium, revealing that 11 % of Belgians identify as non-meat eaters. In Belgium, meat is traditionally part of the daily diet. In 2020, Belgians ate an average of 82 kg of meat per year, double the global average (OECD-FAO, 2021). 89% of this came from four sources: pork, beef, veal, and poultry (Statbel, 2021). “We wondered whether Belgian consumers are ready to adjust their protein consumption to a more sustainable pattern; to consume less animal protein and more often consume alternative proteins,” said the study’s authors. The survey revealed a twofold scenario. Firstly, most consumers (56-65%) intend to keep their meat consumption …

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