hello plant foods' vegan foie gras served on a wooden board

© Hello Plant Foods

Meat- and Fish Alternatives

Vegan Foie Gras Hello Fuah! Sells Out Within 12 Hours After Spanish Launch

At the beginning of December, the Spanish plant-based meat producer Hello Plant Foods launched Hello Fuah!, a “hyper-realistic” vegan foie gras alternative across Spain. The company’s launch strategy for the holiday season consisted of 5,000 units distributed in supermarkets and specialty vegan stores. But only after 12 hours all the SKUs were sold, said Hello Plant Foods’ founder, Javier Fernández, to El Mundo. The success of the100% plant-based pâté exceeded the startup’s expectations as orders kept coming, causing the company to multiply its production sixfold. “The plan was to put 5,000 units in Alcampo hypermarkets and vegan stores, but after the great reception and the number of requests for pre-reservations, we have had to launch some 30,000 units,” said Fernández. 500 selling points Hello Plant Foods’ R&D department …

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Next Meats Debuts Steak in California

©Next Meats North America

Products & Launches

Japan’s Next Meats and Dr. Foods Will Launch Plant-Based Foie Gras, Caviar, and More in US in 2023

Tokyo-based startup Next Meats and spinoff company Dr. Foods Inc. (OTC: DRFS)  announce they will launch Vegan Fois Gras, Vegan Caviar and shelf-stable Next Meats products in North America in 2023.  Exclusive debut To debut the new offerings, Next Meats held an exclusive launch on Dec. 14th at the Los Angeles Cooking School and JETRO in Culver City, CA. The event featured the world-renowned Chef Reina, who prepared Next Meat’s offerings in a variety of global dishes, including Beef Stroganoff, Korean BBQ, and Bistek. Subsidiary Dr. Foods Inc. is the inventor of Vegan Foie Gras, described as the first vegetable-based foie gras. Next Meats says Dr. Foods will commence its business in Singapore, the global capital of cell-based food technologies.  Extensive range Next Meats has …

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6 hello plant foods vegan foie products piled up on top of a table

© Hello Plant Foods

Products & Launches

Hello Plant Foods Launches “Hyper-Realistic” Vegan Foie Gras Across Spain

Hello Plant Foods, a Spanish plant-based meat producer, announced the launch of Hello Fuah!, a vegan foie gras alternative, in Alcampo hypermarkets and specialized vegan food stores across Spain. The company states that this new gastronomic and technological innovation will revolutionise Spain’s foie gras market, where there are no alternatives besides Nestlé’s vegan foie gras limited edition. Javier Fernández, committed to a healthy and sustainable diet, started Hello Plant Foods in 2021 to develop vegan products that mimic animal meat’s organoleptic properties. Hello Burger Healthy was the company’s first product, soon joined by Hello Bacon. Hello Fuah! marks the newest addition to the brand’s animal-free meat portfolio. “Hello Fuah! will become the category’s benchmark product and will be available throughout the year,” says Fernández. A hyper-realistic …

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vegan Foie gras by Picard

© Picard

Products & Launches

Leading French Frozen Food Retailer Picard Offers Discount Vegan Xmas Meal With Foie Gras

Picard, the leading frozen food supermarket with over 400 stores across France, has unveiled a vegan foie gras and a 100% plant-based Christmas menu totalling of €12.16 per person. Délice Végétal (Vegetable Delight) with Cashew Nuts and Mushrooms is Picard’s plant-based alternative to foie gras. Retailing at €5.99 per 220g box, or €27.22/kg, the product is far cheaper than duck foie gras, which costs a minimum of €50 per kilo. The vegan menu, entitled Noël Veggie (Veggie Christmas), also includes the following products Chestnut and mandarin jelly appetizers Sweet potato gnocchi with butternut squash sauce Pan-fried potato, mushroom, snow pea and chestnut Red fruit, mango, lemon and pear ice cream log “We present the Délice Végétal which is our vegan version of foie gras. It …

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vegan foie gras product called voie gras made by gourmet garden

© Garden Gourmet Schweiz-Suisse-Svizzera

Products & Launches

Garden Gourmet Launches Vegan Foie Gras in Swiss and Spanish Supermarkets

Garden Gourmet, Nestle’s plant-based brand, recently announced the launch of a limited edition of Voie Gras, the brand’s vegan alternative to foie gras, in Swiss and Spanish supermarkets. Voie Gras, which simulates the taste, texture, and aroma of the traditional duck liver pâté, will be the first vegan-certified alternative to reach large retail distribution in both countries, said Garden Gourmet in a statement. Foie gras consumption has fallen  Traditionally, foie gras producers force-feed ducks to make their livers fatty for the rich and greasy spread. This routine is widely considered one of the cruellest practices in the farming industry. According to Animal Equality UK, foie gras production is banned in many countries, including Switzerland, the UK, the Czech Republic, Finland, Italy, Poland, Germany, and Turkey. …

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Prime Roots Plant-Based Deli Meat

©Prime Roots

Fungi, Mushrooms & Mycelium

Prime Roots Launches First Sliceable Koji Meats to Disrupt $300B Bulk Deli Industry

Fungi innovator Prime Roots announces its breakthrough line of Koji-Meats is now available at select deli counters and sandwich shops in the San Francisco Bay Area. Offered in bulk sizes for fresh slicing, the launch is a preview ahead of a larger US retail and restaurant expansion in 2023.  Prime Roots’ preview launch features classic deli staples and charcuterie, including:  Whole Koji-Turkey in Classic Smoked, Cracked Black Pepper, and Golden Roast  Whole Koji-Hams in Classic Smoked, Black Forest, and Sugar Shack Maple  Koji-Pepperoni  Koji-Salami  Koji-Pâtés with apple & sage or black truffle  Koji-Foie Gras Torchon In the Bay Area, local diners can find the products at the following restaurants and markets: Berkeley Bowl Bi-Rite Market Rhea’s Deli Timeless Coffee Millennium and Above Ground Pizza Driver’s …

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cultivated foie gras

© Gourmey

Investments & Acquisitions

France’s Gourmey Raises €48M to Build Cultivated Foie Gras Facility

French startup Gourmey has secured €48 million in Series A funding to further develop its cultivated foie gras. The round was led by Earlybird Venture Capital, with participation from others including Keen Venture Partners, Omnes Capital, and Discovery. The company will use the funding to open a 46,000-square-foot R&D and production site in Paris, which will be the largest cultivated meat facility in Europe. Additionally, Gourmey plans to significantly expand its team. While the initial focus is on foie gras, Gourmey eventually plans to use its technology to produce other kinds of cultivated poultry meat. Ethical foie gras Many consumers, even those who are not vegetarian or vegan, avoid conventional foie gras due to its association with animal cruelty. In some countries, such as the …

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Better Meat Turkey Sandwich

©Better Meat Co.

Fungi, Mushrooms & Mycelium

The Better Meat Co. Showcases Mycelium Foie Gras and Turkey at LinkedIn Headquarters

The Better Meat Co., the B2B fermented meat specialist, reveals it is debuting foie gras and turkey slices made from the company’s Rhiza mycoprotein at the LinkedIn headquarters in Sunnyvale, CA.  For one week, LinkedIn employees will be among the first to try the company’s mycelium-based products, including animal-free foie gras, a delicacy that is otherwise banned in California. “It’s illegal in California to sell foie gras, so we’re harnessing the power of fermentation to recreate a delectable experience in a humane and legal way,” said Paul Shapiro, CEO of The Better Meat Co. “We’re honored to partner with Bon Appetit Management Co. to offer Linkedin team members a taste of the future.” From steaks to seafood Located in Sacramento, The Better Meat Co. produces …

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foie gras

©PUNTOSTUDIOFOTO Lda-stock.adobe.com

Fungi, Mushrooms & Mycelium

The Better Meat Co Introducing Mycelium Based Foie Gras

The Better Meat Co. is to introduce a foie gras analog based on mycelium. The California-based fermented meat specialist becomes the latest to enter the alt foie gras market, as consumers and lawmakers continue to shun the highly cruel delicacy.  As first reported by Food Dive, The Better Meat Co. plans to introduce its foie gras analog this spring, which is likely to be derived from the company’s mycelium-based Rhiza protein. CEO Paul Shapiro states that, as a B2B ingredients company, the foie gras will go first into foodservice.  Vegan foie gras Having already been banned or strictly restricted in a number of countries in Europe and Asia, US lawmakers are moving to restrict the controversial dish in New York City and California. The UK …

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Cultivated foie gras IntegriCulture

Cultivated foie gras ©IntegriCulture

Cultivated, Cell-Cultured & Biotechnology

IntegriCulture Becomes First to Cultivate Cells Without Animal Serum at 1/60th of Cost 

IntegriCulture Inc. claims to have performed the first successful cultivation of chicken and duck liver-derived cells in an animal serum-free basal medium. Using the company’s proprietary CulNet system the cost has been estimated to be just 1/60th compared to when using a conventional animal serum.  IntegriCulture claims to have successfully replaced all research-grade materials with food materials to achieve functional equivalence at such a reduced cost. The Japanese biotech also claims to be the first in the world to implement a cell culture with a serum-free basal medium. The CulNet system, which emulates natural inter-organ interactions, is key to recent developments.  Animal serum, normally used as a medium to cultivate cells for meat, is prohibitively expensive and comes with its own ethical issues. The CulNet …

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Fois Green

Foie Green. Image courtesy of Ficoba

Investments & Finance

Tech Transfer Agrifood Investment to Bring Aberyne Vegan Foie Gras to Spain

Tech Transfer Agrifood, the Spanish VC fund, has become a shareholder in Aberyne, a French start-up making vegan foie gras. Through this investment, TTAF will help the company behind the popular Foie Green to expand to other countries, including Spain.  Aberyne, the Biarritz company founded by Mikel Abeberry in 2020, offers a gourmet product that has been gaining traction rapidly at foodie festivals in France and Spain. Foie Green is a 100% vegetable alternative to foie gras based on cashew nuts.  Valencia-based Tech Transfer Agrifood is a finance platform for high-impact solutions in the food sector and claims to be the first venture capital fund in Spain aimed at meeting the demands and new needs of the industry.  “With this collaboration we not only obtain …

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Prime Roots Koji Ham Deli Meats

©Prime Roots

Products & Launches

Prime Roots Launches World’s First Koji-Based Deli Meats and Foie Gras

Prime Roots, pioneers of Koji-based Meat, announces the company has re-branded and is launching the first-ever line of Koji Deli Meats and Charcuterie. The new line includes sliceable hams, turkey and salami, as well as koji pâtés, pepperoni and foie gras.  Aiming to disrupt the $300 billion global bulk deli market, the brand intends to revolutionize the concept of deli meat alternatives, where it says there is currently a lack of strong leading players.  Prime Root’s koji protein platform has allowed it to create the first animal-free deli meats that can be freshly sliced and used to make traditional deli classics, like smokey ham and cracked pepper turkey sandwiches.  The groundbreaking meats and pâtés are crafted from koji – the same fungi used to make …

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Gourmey

©Gourmey

Cultivated, Cell-Cultured & Biotechnology

French Cell-Cultured Startup Gourmey Raises $10M in Funding for Ethical Foie Gras

With claims to be the first French startup working in the cell-cultured meat sphere, Gourmey has developed a cruelty-free foie gras from duck cells. The startup recently closed a $10 million (€8.4 million) funding round as it positions itself in the emerging cell-cultured poultry market. “The ambition is that in many places cultivated foie gras not only will be the best option, but it will be the only option” From chicken to duck, poultry is the planet’s most consumed meat, so Gourmey has focused on this sector, starting with its ethical foie gras but with one eye on a future mass-marketable chicken fillet. Its recent funding round featured Big Idea Ventures and Beyond Investing, as well as public backing from Bpifrance and the European Commission. …

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Nicolas Morin-Forest Supreme

© Suprême

Interviews

Suprême: “We are Reinventing the Most Controversial French Delicacy, Foie Gras”

Nicolas_MorinForest_Supreme
Image: Suprême

French startup Suprême is currently developing a foie gras which circumvents the cruel use of geese or ducks in the production method of this traditional spread. Suprême is striving to offer a product which is better for the environment, animals and also healthier for its consumers.

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