International / Global

Bart Wolfert livekindly collective

© Bart Wolfert
Company News

LIVEKINDLY Collective Names Bart Wolfert as Global Head of Operations

LIVEKINDLY Collective (LKC), a global group of plant-based food brands, has announced Bart Wolfert as its new Global Head of Operations. In his role, Wolfert will oversee operations across LKC’s three manufacturing facilities located in Oss, the Netherlands; Stora Levene, Sweden; and Pinetown, South Africa, which support the company’s brands and B2B clients. Wolfert brings decades of operational expertise, including experience in managing multisite and large-scale plant operations across Europe and Africa. Most recently, he served as site lead for one of Danone Nutricia’s largest and most complex facilities in the Netherlands. Prior to that, he managed factory operations for Danone in West Africa while based in Ghana, and he has also held operational roles at FrieslandCampina. The appointment places Wolfert on the company’s leadership …

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Headshots of Peter Link and Vera Oswald

Peter Link and Vera Oswald
About vegconomist

Vegconomist Reorganises Management

vegconomist announces key changes to its management structure. Florian Schmitt and Uta Mosecker are stepping down from the management team, marking a new chapter for the company. Vera Oswald joins as Co-Director and will lead the company alongside Peter Link, driving the publication’s vision and growth. Uta Mosecker will remain with the company, continuing to oversee finances as Head of Accounting, ensuring continuity in financial management. Vera Oswald Joins Peter Link as Co-Director vegconomist was founded in 2018 to fill a gap in media offerings. Since then, the vegconomist team has developed the platform into an indispensable resource for professionals and decision-makers in areas such as plant-based food ingredients, the food industry, retail, foodservice, marketing, and novel foods. Peter Link, Co-Founder of vegconomist, has over …

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ProVeg new food hub

Image courtesy of ProVeg International
Marketing & Media

How To Reach Non-Vegan Consumers With Your Plant-Based Brand

How do we bridge the gap between traditional meat-eating consumers and the growing world of plant-based alternatives? This question took centre stage in the latest episode of ProVeg International’s New Food Hub Podcast, featuring Vladimir Mickovic, Co-Founder and Chief Brand Officer of Juicy Marbles. Known for their innovative, marbled plant-based steaks, Juicy Marbles has a clear vision: to make plant-based meat that not only competes with but surpasses animal-derived counterparts in taste, texture, price, and convenience. Vladimir shared candid insights into the perceptions and misconceptions surrounding plant-based foods. For many meat eaters, plant-based options are seen as ‘overly processed’ or ‘chemically laden’ – an image that Juicy Marbles seeks to challenge. As Vladimir puts it, “The most advanced chemical process in our production is heating …

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Oatly

© Oatly
Company News

Oatly Announces Closure of Singapore Facility to Further Streamline Operations

Oatly Group AB (Nasdaq: OTLY), a global leader in oat-based drinks, confirmed the closure of its manufacturing facility in Singapore as part of an ongoing initiative to refine its supply chain. The decision aligns with the company’s asset-light strategy, which aims to optimize operational efficiency, reduce capital expenditure, and streamline production processes. The Singapore facility, which operated under Oatly’s Europe & International segment, will be shut down as part of a broader effort to consolidate the company’s supply chain network in Asia. Following the closure, Oatly will rely on its existing European facilities to support the growing demand within the Asia-Pacific market. The company anticipates that this move will enhance capacity utilization at its European production sites. Oatly’s CEO, Jean-Christophe Flatin, highlighted the ongoing improvements …

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Market & Trends

Consumer Demand for Plant-Based Foods is Surging After a “Lackluster” Year, Amid Protein Supply Challenges

Mintec by Expana, a global price reporting agency and market intelligence company, has released its Plant-Based Protein “Monthly Market Insight,” revealing that consumer demand for plant-based foods is beginning to increase after a previously “lackluster year.” According to the report, there is an 18-37% year-over-year growth in plant-based purchases and a shift from animal products “across all categories” by new buyers. Meanwhile, the Plant-Based Food Association noted increased spending on plant-based milk, frozen meat, and frozen meals, indicating growing customer loyalty, Mintec notes. And according to GFI’s latest analysis, plant-based food sales in Germany, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, and the UK reached €5.4 billion in 2023, up 5.5% from 2022, while volume sales were up 3.5%. Higher prices for pea and soy proteins Mintec …

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Bunge faba beans

© Bunge
Ingredients

5 Companies Producing the Protein Isolates Behind the New Fava Bean-Based Alternatives

Today, we look into five companies creating protein isolates from fava beans for plant-based alternatives and other foods. Pulses are increasingly recognized as a cornerstone of plant-based diets and fava beans are said to be highly nutritious, containing 18-35% protein, including lysine, iron, manganese, magnesium, phosphorus, and high levels of folate. This year, scientists from the University of Helsinki discovered the ideal fava bean blend for producing delicious plant-based meat. The plant Vicia faba and its beans are praised for their health benefits and environmental sustainability. The crops naturally fixate nitrogen in the soil, eliminating the need for nitrogen fertilizers, and making them an ideal rotational crop. The plants are also more tolerant of temporary flooding than lentils or peas. The following companies have invested …

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Accor Group, the largest in Europe and the sixth worldwide emphasized the importance of plant-based eating to reduce the group's carbon footprint and achieve carbon neutrality by 2050.

© Accor Group
Tourism & Travel

Europe’s Largest Hospitality Group, Accor Group, Expands Plant-Based Menus Across 5,500 Hotels, Aims for 50% Vegan by 2030

French multinational hospitality company Accor Group, the largest in Europe and the sixth worldwide, has highlighted the importance of plant-based eating to reduce the group’s carbon footprint and achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. As part of its sustainability strategy, the group plans to offer plant-based options at all its hotels in the coming years, and it additionally targets having 50% of menu items plant-based by 2030, in line with the global “Good Food Feels Great” policy. The news was shared by Antonietta Varlese, Senior Vice President of Sustainability and Communication Accor Americas, who released a press release on social media, revealing that the company already offers plant-based options in 72% of its hotels in the Americas. “On World Vegan Day, celebrated today, we reflect on …

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microbial protein Formo cheese gratin

© Formo
Charity & Campaigns

World Vegan Day: Celebrating 80 Years of Veganism with a Spotlight on Plant-Based Cheese Innovations

The Vegan Society, the world’s oldest vegan charity, is celebrating its 80th anniversary today, marking World Vegan Day. The society was founded in 1944 by Donald Watson and five other non-dairy vegetarians, who sought to create a movement distinct from vegetarianism and coined the term “vegan.” Over the past 80 years, the vegan movement has grown significantly, with veganism now recognized as a protected philosophical belief in the UK. Vegan options are available in supermarkets, restaurants, fashion, and cosmetics in Europe and North America, and the offer is slowly increasing in other continents. To celebrate its 80th anniversary, the charity is launching a virtual reality campaign, “The Future is Vegan.” The campaign features an AI-created avatar of co-founder Donald Watson, guiding users through a virtual world to …

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Heura

© Heura
Company News

Heura Expands Beyond Plant-Based Meat, Transforming Ultra-Processed Foods With Patent-Pending Technology

Spain’s Heura Foods, best known for producing plant-based meat alternatives, has announced it will be expanding into new categories to improve nutritional density and transform foods often labelled as ultra-processed. The company will use its patent-pending technology to replace ingredients such as additives, modified starches, and saturated fats with plant proteins and healthy lipids. The technology works by using thermo-mechanical techniques to structure product textures in categories where this was not previously possible. At Future Food Tech London on October 2, Heura unveiled prototypes of cheese, snacks, and pasta made with the technology. The company explained its vision to enhance nutritional density without compromising on taste at a live demo kitchen attended by over 100 industry leaders. Revolutionising health solutions The technology will not just …

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vitrolabs_leather

© VitroLabs
Leather Alternatives

Vegan Bio-Based Leathers to Grow by 37.4% Annually Over the Next Decade

The push for sustainable alternatives to animal and plastic leathers has led to a burgeoning market of vegan bio-based leathers. According to a 10-year market forecast by IDTechEx, the vegan bio-based leather industry production capacity will grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 37.4% from 2024 to 2034. Leather is a sought-after material for its durability, strength, and aesthetic appeal. However, the report points out that according to UN estimates, animal leather production exceeds 20 billion square feet annually, contributing significantly to greenhouse gas emissions and deforestation. Additionally, the tanning process of leather production releases hazardous chemicals and gases, including lead, chromium, arsenic, and carcinogenic arylamine. Meanwhile, vegan leather made from plastics, a common alternative due to its low cost, has environmental issues, including …

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Header for an upcoming Webtalk : Session 3 of the ‘update’ Webinar Series: Dairy Alternatives – The Intersection of Success and Sorrow
Cheese Alternatives

Session 3 of the ‘update’ Webinar Series: Dairy Alternatives – The Intersection of Success and Sorrow

The new international business webtalk series ‘update’ discusses the most pressing issues of the ongoing protein transition. Based on the latest news, data, and facts, the future of the industry will be put forward and discussed with key market players in this series of talks. Session 3: Cheeese!? Dairy Alternatives – The Intersection of Success and Sorrow August 22nd, 10:30 AM CT (CHICAGO) | 5:30 PM CEST (BERLIN) | 4:30 PM BST (LONDON) >> Register now! Join us for an insightful webtalk exploring the successes and setbacks of dairy alternatives. As oat, almond and soy milk have established themselves as distinct categories, producers remain inventive in establishing new plant-based dairy products on the market. Concentrates, powders, 2D printed plant milks and precision fermented dairy products are examples. We …

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Tate & Lyle has acquired CP Kelco, a nature-based ingredients company, for $1.8 billion.

© Tate & Lyle
Investments & Acquisitions

Tate & Lyle Acquires CP Kelco for $1.8 Billion in Strategic Expansion for Sugar Reduction Ingredients and Stabilisers

Global food and beverage solutions company Tate & Lyle has acquired CP Kelco, a nature-based ingredients company, for $1.8 billion on a cash-free, debt-free basis. In the announcement, Tate & Lyle stated that this acquisition “expands our offering in the large (US$19 billion) and fast-growing (6% CAGR) specialty food and beverage ingredients addressable market, and unlocks further growth opportunities in core and adjacent markets.” Tate & Lyle, originating in Britain in 1859 as the sugar refinery Henry Tate & Sons and headquartered in London, was acquired by American Sugar Refining, Inc. in 2010, ending its long association with refined sugar production. Since then, the company has aligned with consumer trends for healthier, tastier, and more sustainable products by offering sugar-reduction solutions for products such as gummies, …

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Vivici cow logo

© Vivici
Fermentation

7 Fermentation Companies Paving the Whey to a Cow-Free Dairy Industry

Following our recent summary of producers making alternatives to casein protein, below is a roundup of the companies using cutting-edge technology to make whey proteins with microbes; bypassing cheesemaking to retire cows from the dairy business. Whey proteins, derived from the whey or the liquid portion of milk that separates during cheese production, are known for their rapid absorption and high branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs), which play an essential role in muscle growth and recovery. They have been widely used in the last decades as ingredients in protein powders and bars targeting athletes. Whey proteins include β-lactoglobulin, α-lactalbumin, immunoglobulins, bovine serum albumin, bovine lactoferrin, and lactoperoxidase. Precision fermentation companies mainly produce a bio-identical version of the most abundant of them, β-lactoglobulin, to craft the next …

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GOOD Meat - Image courtesy of GFI
Cultivated, Cell-Cultured & Biotechnology

Cultivated Meat: Approvals and Prohibitions Since Singapore’s Pioneering Step in 2020

Since Singapore became the first country to approve cultivated meat in 2020, a favorable regulatory environment has been growing in some nations while others have opted to ban the technology. Currently, worldwide, 174 companies are developing cultivated meat from cells, rather than farming animals or fishing. This milestone signifies a major achievement for an emerging industry that has had to build practically everything from the bottom up. Today’s summary highlights the world’s cultivated meat approvals and the latest submissions from companies eager to offer consumers new cultivated products. Singapore Cultivated chicken Singapore pioneered the approval of cultivated meat with GOOD Meat‘s chicken in 2020. Since then, the product, a mix of 70% meat made from chicken cells and plant ingredients, has been cooked by chefs and served in fine …

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Creativity and new ideas in business. Art collage.

© svetazi-stock.adobe.com
Politics & Law

Mathilde Do Chi, Expert on Food Law, Part 4: Why Patents Are Not the Safest Way to Protect Your Food Innovation

Mathilde Do Chi is the CEO of Vegan Food Law, a food law and regulatory consultancy in global alternative protein regulations. She is an international food law and regulatory consultant with expertise in alternative proteins, novel foods, the future of food, and much more. A frequent public speaker at numerous food and foodtech conferences, Mathilde helps VCs, startups and multinationals comprehend complex food regulations, assisting the likes of Blue Horizon, Planted, and Formo with their legal matters. In this fourth installment of this special series, Mathilde discusses the limitations and dangers around patents in food innovation. Why Patents Are Not the Solution for Protecting Food Innovation In the realm of food innovation, the question of how best to protect novel ideas and creations arises. Having worked with a lot of investors …

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GFI 2023 State of the Industry Reports

Image by Cultivated X
Cultivated, Cell-Cultured & Biotechnology

2023 GFI Reports: Cultivated Meat and Fermentation Industries Growing Despite Drop in Investments

The Good Food Institute has released the 2023 State of the Industry Reports for the alt protein industry. These annual reports provide a global analysis of each sector’s commercial landscape, investments, scientific progress, and government and regulatory developments. The following are the top highlights in cultivated meat and fermentation for 2023, providing an overview of the key developments in these industries. The complete reports can be found here. Cultivated Meat Investments Cultivated meat and seafood companies raised $225.9 million globally in 2023, bringing the total (since 2013) to $3.1 billion.  $225.9 million is a fraction of the investments in technologies to reduce emissions and address climate goals like renewable energy.  However, investments in the sector were significantly lower than the $922.3 million capital injection of …

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Cell scaffolding at NUS

© National University of Singapore
Cultivated, Cell-Cultured & Biotechnology

A Deep Dive into the Role of 3D Scaffolds as the Building Blocks for Cultivated Meat

In addition to scaling and cost hurdles, cultivated meat production faces the unique challenge of developing final products that meet the consumer’s expectations of conventional animal-based meat, including larger pieces akin to whole cuts. However, most prototypes are made from ground meat and do not look exactly like whole cuts. Why is this the case? 3D scaffolds Companies in the space are experimenting with 3D structures or scaffolds to recreate the structure and taste of animal tissue to make complex products such as steaks, filets, and even burgers. In animals, the extracellular matrix (ECM), a structure made of proteins and carbohydrates, supports the cells and guides them in their growth journey: differentiation and tissue development to make the different organs and body parts. Scaffolds for …

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Planted man with sausage

© Planted
Health

Is a Plant-Based Diet the Secret to Improved Erectile Function?

Businesses in the plant-based food industry may soon have a new target market: men looking to improve their sexual health. Recent research, carried out by Dr. Stacy Loeb, a urologist at New York University in the Manhattan Veteran Affairs and board-certified in lifestyle medicine, has shown that men who consume more plant-based and less animal-based foods have better scores for erectile function, even patients with prostate cancer. The findings suggest that transitioning to a plant-based diet could potentially improve sexual function in men. Dr. Loeb emphasizes that even small dietary changes can make a difference, from incorporating Meatless Monday to switching some animal products for plant-based alternatives. But more importantly, men who follow more plant-based diets increase their overall sexual health and have a lower …

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Plant Attitude Challenge vote

© Givaudan

Startups, Accelerators & Incubators

Five Startups Compete to Revolutionize Alt Protein Cost Efficiency in Givaudan Plant Attitude Challenge

Five startup finalists — Eat Typcal (Brazil), Meatless Kingdom (Indonesia), Eternal (US), Juicy Marbles (Slovenia), and BVeg Foods (India) — are set to pitch their ideas to reduce the costs of alt-protein recipes by 20% while ensuring a “delicious” consumer experience at Givaudan’s Plant Attitude Challenge on April 17th, 2024. The finalists will also explain how their solutions specifically relate to the findings and recommendations outlined in Givaudan’s recent white paper in collaboration with the University of California Berkeley.  The paper discusses various alt protein production methods and opportunities for improving efficiency in the food industry. In addition, it provides ten actionable pathways to help producers address supply chain issues, resource consumption, production scale-up, and competitive pricing to reduce product costs. Flavio Garofalo, Global Director, …

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Meat Exhaustion Day

© FOUR PAWS
Society

Meat Exhaustion Day Demonstrates Our Planetary Over-Consumption of Animals

FOUR PAWS has calculated the so-called “Meat Exhaustion Day“, i.e. the day on which the maximum recommended meat consumption per year is reached around the world. The concept of Meat Exhaustion Day is established by comparing the average actual meat consumption per capita against the advised levels. This comparison is conducted globally, regionally, and nationally, based on recommendations from the Planetary Health Diet. This proposes daily meat consumption ranges of 0-14 grams for beef, 0-14 grams for pork, and 0-58 grams for poultry. This analysis employs the mean values of 7 grams for beef and pork, and 29 grams for poultry. Critical situation in the Global North According to the findings, global meat consumption significantly exceeds levels considered healthy or sustainable, especially in high-income countries …

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