Netherlands

Crave Culture

© Crave Culture
Gastronomy & Food Service

Crave Culture: Strategic Plant-Based Culinary Advice for Hospitality Pioneers

Crave Culture is a Netherlands-based company that aims to help food service providers improve their plant-based offerings. Culinary advisors Thomas Bosson & Oana Puiu help cafes, caterers, restaurants, and more to attract and retain new customers by offering more and better plant-based dishes. Drawing on their backgrounds in hospitality and food tech, they support clients who are short on time or expertise in redesigning their menus, taking into account current trends. The comprehensive process features six steps: Exploration and planning Concept and pitch Development and testing Feedback and adjustments Recipe writing and training Roll out and support. More advanced packages are also available, featuring additional services such as professional food styling, high-resolution photographs, and training (either on location or remotely). “In a world where misconceptions …

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Meatable, a Dutch producer of cell-based pork meat, has become the first company to hold an officially approved cultivated meat tasting in the European Union and the first in the Netherlands.

Image courtesy of Meatable © Bart Maat
Cultivated Meat

Meatable Makes History as First Company to Hold a Cultivated Meat Tasting in the EU

Meatable, a Dutch producer of cell-based pork meat, has become the first company to hold an officially approved cultivated meat tasting in the European Union, and the first in the Netherlands. According to the announcement, the company held a private tasting for its cultivated pork sausages at its new headquarters in Leiden after receiving approval for product safety from the third-party committee sanctioned by the Dutch government. Important to note here is that Australian company Vow recently held Europe’s first official cultivated meat tasting featuring gourmet dishes crafted with Vow’s cultivated quail. However, this took place in Iceland which is not a member of the EU, and the Meatable news relates specifically to the first tasting in an EU country. Joining Meatable at this historic …

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Albert Heijn launches AH Terra, an own-label plant-based line with 200 products

© Albert Heijn
Sustainability / Environment

Albert Heijn Reveals 44.1% of Proteins Sold in 2023 Were Plant-Based

In a new sustainability report, Dutch supermarket chain Albert Heijn has revealed that 44.1% of the proteins it sold last year were plant-based. This figure is up from 42.6% in 2022. The increase is partially due to the launch of Albert Heijn’s own-brand plant-based range, AH Terra, which is claimed to be the largest offered by any Dutch supermarket. It features over 200 products, including meat and dairy alternatives, snacks, and appetisers. The retailer is now aiming for 50% of the proteins it sells to be plant-based by 2025, and 60% by 2030 — a goal which is claimed to be more ambitious than those set by the Paris Agreement and the Dutch government. To help achieve this, Albert Heijn will expand AH Terra with …

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Mosa CAMPUS

Image courtesy of Mosa Meat
Cultivated Meat

Mosa Meat Raises €40M From Investors Including Poultry Producer PHW Group

Dutch cultivated meat company Mosa Meat has raised €40 million in an oversubscribed funding round. The capital will be used to scale up production processes, drive down production costs, and prepare for market entry. The round was led by Lowercarbon Capital and M Ventures, with other participants including Dutch state-owned impact investor Invest-NL, LIOF (the regional development agency for the Limburg province), and LEF (the Limburg Energy Fund). Significantly, the round also attracted investors with a background in the conventional meat sector, including one of Europe’s largest poultry producers, PHW Group. PHW has been involved in the cultivated meat sector for some time; in 2022, it partnered with Israel’s SuperMeat with the aim of bringing cultivated products to market in Europe. Later that year, PHW …

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Willicroft dairy alternatives

© Willicroft
Facts & Figures

Willicroft Dairy Alternatives Produce Up to 25X Fewer Emissions Than Conventional Dairy

Dutch dairy alternatives producer Willicroft has published a product emissions report comparing the environmental impact of its plant-based cheeses and butter to equivalent dairy products. The results take into account agricultural processes, production, packaging, transportation, and end-of-life for packaging. They show that Willicroft cheeses produce up to 25 times fewer carbon emissions than their dairy equivalents; for example, Willicroft Greek White generates just 1.26 kg of CO2 equivalent per kilogram, while traditional feta produces 34.1 kg. The brand’s butter alternative, Original Better, produces 2.48 kg CO2-eq/kg, compared to 16.9 kg for dairy butter. Furthermore, many of the products have lower emissions than dairy alternatives made by other plant-based brands. Original Better outperforms an Upfield butter alternative, and is roughly on par with Naturli’s organic spread. …

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The Protein Tracker shows that meat and “a lot” of dairy (in total 61%) dominate consumption, perception, supply, and marketing attention in The Netherlands.

©bbivirys - stock.adobe.com
Market & Trends

The Protein Tracker Shows Meat and Dairy Dominate Dutch Diets, Urges Changes for Plant-Based Shift

The Protein Tracker, conducted for the first time in 2023 by Wageningen Economic Research on behalf of the Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality (LNV), shows that meat and “a lot” of dairy (in total 61%) dominate consumption, perception, supply, and marketing attention in The Netherlands. Marleen Onwezen, expertise leader in Consumer Behavior at Wageningen University, notes that while there is a shift toward plant-based options — 39% of the total protein consumption — it is not happening quickly enough.  The Protein Tracker is a collaboration between the Green Protein Alliance, ProVeg Nederland, and Dutch supermarkets (as 70% of foods are sold through these retailers) to monitor the protein transition annually. In March 2022, the Dutch government set a national target for a 50/50 …

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Dutch startup Time-Travelling Milkman (TTM) has raised €850.000 in funding to scale production and expand the market entry of Oleocream, a sunflower fat .

© Time-travelling Milkman
Ingredients

Time-Travelling Milkman Raises €850K to “Cream” Plant-Based Dairy with Sustainable Sunflower Fat

Dutch startup Time-travelling Milkman (TTM) has raised €850,000 in funding to scale production and expand the market entry of Oleocream, a sunflower fat designed to replace palm and coconut oil in plant-based dairy. New investor Alianza Team and existing shareholders Oost NL, SHIFT Invest, and Oterap participated in the seed funding round. This capital injection builds on the previous investment round in 2021. TTM’s readily available and scalable solution, Oleocream, is developed using a patented process that produces small globules of fat (oleosomes) from the seeds of European sunflowers. Described as a dairy cream equivalent, the sunflower fat is said to improve the mouthfeel and creaminess profiles of dairy-free products. Dimitris Karefyllakis, CEO and co-founder at TTM, commented: “We have a clear plan on how we want …

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Edamame beans dip with lemon

© marysckin-stock.adobe.com
Protein

New Rabobank-Led Initiative to Boost Consumption of Dutch-Grown Plant Proteins, Starting with Edamame Beans

Rabobank, Foodvalley NL, and the Netherlands’ Interprovincial Protein Council have partnered to launch the new Plant Protein Forward initiative, which aims to increase the consumption of Dutch-grown plant-based proteins. The programme will work to scale up crop-specific chain initiatives as part of the Netherlands’ National Protein Strategy, which aims to make the country more self-sufficient in protein. It will focus on chain initiatives where farmers are central; this will include farmers who process the raw materials they grow (such as lupin, fava beans, or soy) into ingredients or end products. It is hoped that Plant Protein Forward will increase the structural market demand for protein-rich legumes, which is currently said to be lagging behind production. Over the next three years, the programme will support at …

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Birgit Dekkers & Willem Spigt of Rival Foods

Birgit Dekkers & Willem Spigt © Rival Foods
Interviews

Rival Foods: “We Believe the Whole Cut Segment Will See a Similar Evolution as the Processed Plant-Based Meat Segment”

Rival Foods develops and uses new technologies to create next-generation plant-based whole-cuts with “unprecedented” size, texture, and juiciness. We speak with the Netherlands based company which has very recently signed a lease for its first production location and is preparing to begin production by June this year. Birgit Dekkers, co-founder and CEO of Rival Foods, graduated as a food scientist and undertook PhD research on Shear Cell technology at Wageningen University, before founding Rival Foods. Willem Spigt, CCO of Rival Foods, graduated with a degree in Law and before joining Rival Foods he brought Beyond Meat to Europe for his previous employer Zandbergen WFM. Could you elaborate on the Shear Cell technology developed by Rival Foods, and how it sets your plant-based whole-cuts apart in …

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Dutch brands make half of recipes on packaging meat-free

© Jumbo
Packaging

Seven Dutch Brands Agree to Make 50% of Recipes on Their Packaging Meat-Free

Following campaigning by animal rights group Wakker Dier, seven brands in the Netherlands — Conimex, Fairtrade Original, Jumbo, Knorr, Koh Tai, Patak’s, and Plus — have agreed to make 50% of the suggested recipes on their product packaging meat-free. Another two major brands — Grand’Italia and Lassie — already feature 50% vegetarian or vegan recipes, while Albert Heijn and Maggi have pledged to add plant-based tips to their packaging but not to remove meat from half of recipes. Just one of the brands approached, Honig, said it would not make any changes. After analysing 657 recipes on product packaging, Wakker Dier found that over 80% currently feature meat or fish. The group points out that the Health Council of the Netherlands recommends eating 60% plant-based …

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The Protein Brewery's flagship mycelium ingredient has received novel food approval in Singapore.

© The Protein Brewery
Cultivated, Cell-Cultured & Biotechnology

The Protein Brewery Receives Novel Food Regulatory Approval for Mycelium Protein in Singapore

Dutch fermentation specialist The Protein Brewery announces it has received regulatory approval from the Singapore Food Agency (SFA) for its flagship mycelium-derived ingredient Fermotein. The approval will enable the company to import, manufacture, and sell Fermotien or products containing it while expanding its operations in the country. Singapore has emerged as a hub for alternative proteins since the SFA set ambitious targets to produce 30% of the nation’s nutritional needs locally by 2030. As part of this strategy, the country seeks to incorporate safe, novel foods and ingredients that promise nutritional and sustainable benefits. The Finish biotech Solar Foods has also received approval in Singapore, where it recently debuted a chocolate bar made with an air protein called Solein. CEO Sue Garfitt comments: “The Protein Brewery …

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Michael Newton of Qorium

Michael Newton. © Qorium
Cultivated, Cell-Cultured & Biotechnology

Qorium: “Our Product Creates Consistent, Beautiful, and Easily Workable Leather”

Founded in 2014, Dutch biotech startup Qorium is developing cultivated leather to provide an ethical and sustainable alternative to animal leather with no compromises on performance. The company’s technology enables the development of leather alternatives with consistent quality and adjustable properties. The result is a premium material with dramatically reduced carbon emissions and waste compared to conventional leather. In 2021, Qorium raised €2.6 million to scale up its technology. The company then announced earlier this year that it had secured further funding as part of its journey towards commercial scale, and revealed it had appointed former Nike senior executive Michael Newton as CEO. We spoke to Newton to find out more about Qorium’s technology and its benefits. What challenges does Qorium face in terms of …

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Plant-based startups pitch at Plant FWD

© Plant FWD
Fairs & Events

Meet the Ten Plant-Based Startups Pitching at Plant FWD 2024

Ten plant-based startups from around the world have been invited to pitch their products and innovations at the second edition of Plant FWD, which will take place from April 23-24 in Amsterdam. This year, Plant FWD received over 75 submissions for its startup program, spanning 19 countries and a range of categories. The team partnered with Brave New Food and Impact Hub to choose the top ten, which features: Time Travelling Milkman (Netherlands) — Using sunflower seeds to produce sustainable, healthy fats for use in plant-based dairy alternatives. Esencia Foods (Germany) — Developing whole-cut fish and seafood alternatives using natural fungi fermentation. Onego Bio (Finland) — Harnessing fermentation to create animal-free real egg white protein with superior functionality, nutrition, and sustainability. Adamo Foods (UK) — …

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Protein Transition Map

© Foodvalley NL
Company News

Foodvalley NL Launches Protein Transition Map, Showing 450+ Dutch Alt Protein Companies

Food transition organisation Foodvalley NL has published the Protein Transition Map NL, which shows over 450 companies active in the Dutch protein transition. The map includes an economic analysis, carried out in collaboration with Buck Consultants. This shows the added value in euros provided by the companies in each province, along with the number of employees. It indicates that the economic value of companies in the alternative protein industry has doubled since 2015, with their joint annual production value reaching at least €881 million. The total number of jobs provided is at least 3,500. It is hoped that the map could provide a practical way of addressing challenges in the alternative protein industry, such as scaling up production, securing investment, and improving taste and texture. …

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NIZO Sustainable Protein Innovation Test Centre

© NIZO
Manufacturing & Technology

NIZO Opens Sustainable Protein Innovation & Test Centre in the Netherlands

Contract research organisation NIZO has officially opened its Sustainable Protein Innovation & Test Centre (SPRINT) in Ede, the Netherlands. The construction of the facility was a two-year project, involving a €5 million investment from NIZO along with further funding from The East Netherlands Development Agency (Oost NL) and the EU. The centre aims to address the challenges of sustainable food production, aiding in the transition from animal-based to plant-based and microbial proteins. Though NIZO already had a pilot plant for food research, it was mainly focused on processing milk and other liquids. After witnessing the increased interest in alternative protein research, the organisation decided to extend its existing facility with the aim of helping companies producing meat and dairy alternatives to scale up. SPRINT is …

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Aldi plant-based My Vay range

© Aldi Netherlands
Retail & E-Commerce

ALDI Expands Plant-Based My Vay Brand to the Netherlands

ALDI has rolled out its plant-based My Vay brand in the Netherlands, coinciding with the country’s Week Without Meat and Dairy which took place from March 4-10. The range currently features several plant-based dairy alternatives, including soy, oat, and almond milks along with soy and coconut yogurts. In the coming months, it will be expanded to include a variety of meat and dairy alternatives, including plant-based cheeses. The coconut yogurt has already been recognised in the Netherlands’ 2024 Private Label Product of the Year awards. Dutch consumers voted for the product based on four factors — attractiveness, innovation, purchase intention, and product testing. ALDI previously launched My Vay in Germany during this year’s Veganuary campaign. ALDI Nord is offering more than 850 products under the …

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Netherlands flag

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Studies & Numbers

Over 69% of Dutch People Eat Meatless Dinners at Least Once a Week

New research from Statistics Netherlands — conducted in partnership with the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) and the Netherlands Nutrition Centre — has found that most Dutch people (69.2%) eat at least one meatless dinner per week. Vegetarian dinners are eaten by many people (42.6%) once or twice a week, with a smaller group (21.7%) choosing them three or more times a week and 5% eating them every day. 0.5% of people eat dinners with no animal products at all. In total, about a quarter of dinners consumed in the Netherlands (1.8 out of 7 weekly meals) are meat-free. Those with higher levels of education tend to eat meatless meals more often. 45% of those with a university education eat at …

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Biotis, a new range of alga based ingredients full of omega-3s.

© FrieslandCampina Ingredients
Ingredients

FrieslandCampina Ingredients Unveils Alga-Based Omega-3 Powder for Vegan Dairy & More

The ingredients arm of the Dutch dairy cooperative FrieslandCampina, announces the launch of Biotis DHA Flex Powder, a range of microencapsulated alga-based ingredients, which includes one product specifically design for vegan dairy and other plant-based products. FrieslandCampina Ingredients, which specializes in microencapsulation technology, says its new algae-based products will help brands create high-quality food, drinks, and supplements that provide the multiple health benefits of omega-3 while meeting the dietary preferences and expectations of consumers. According to the company, 53% of Europeans and 63% of Americans acknowledge the importance of omega-3s for brain, eye, and cardiovascular health. Despite this awareness, global DHA intake remains low due the challenge in finding tasty vegan or vegetarian products. Vicky Davies, Global Marketing Director at FrieslandCampina Ingredients, comments: “Biotis® DHA Flex …

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PLNT plant-based lamb strips

© PLNT
Products & Launches

PLNT to Showcase New Plant-Based Lamb Strips and Chicken Sausages at Alimentaria

PLNT, a plant-based meat brand owned by Dutch protein producer Jan Zandbergen, has developed two new products — plant-based lamb strips and chicken-style sausages. The lamb strips are made from pea, wheat, and soy protein, and are said to be ideal in an Indian curry or as a topping on naan bread. They can be prepared in three to four minutes, and feature an open structure to capture seasonings and sauces. The sausages are made with rice and soy protein, replicating the texture and flavour of traditional chicken sausages. They are said to be especially suitable for the food service industry. Both products will be presented at Alimentaria, a food industry trade show taking place in Barcelona from March 18-24. Targeting meat-eaters Jan Zandbergen began …

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Vegan Zeastar plant-based seafood pop-up

© Vegan Zeastar
Food Service

Vegan Zeastar Opens Pop-Up Plant-Based Seafood Restaurant in The Hague

Dutch plant-based seafood brand Vegan Zeastar, owned by Vegan Finest Foods, is opening its first-ever pop-up restaurant. The restaurant will be located at Zèta, a vegan cafe at Grote Markt in The Hague, from March 5-10. The menu will feature a range of dishes showcasing Vegan Zeastar’s extensive product range, which includes Sashimi, King No Crab, Shrimpz, and King No Crab Cakes. The meals will be prepared by Zèta’s chefs. The pop-up is for “everyone who wants to try something different, whether it is for the experience, for your health, for the environment, or for the animals”. Those interested in attending can now book a table. “We are excited to host our first pop-up restaurant at Zèta,” said Rosella D’angeli, co-founder of Vegan Zeastar. “This …

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