Ellen Kim, Nasoya

Ellen Kim, image courtesy of Nasoya

Interviews

Nasoya: “We Really Cracked the Code to Create a Plant-Based Steak That Tastes Great”

We have been following the launches and developments of Nasoya since its parent company Pulmuone entered the plant-based meat category in 2021. The South Korean leader launched the Plantspired line under the Nasoya brand the following year, which has seen huge success (with sales up by an impressive 800% in October of last year) and multiple flavor extensions for the notable Plantspired steak which was featured in our recent roundup of popular plant-based steaks around the world. Nasoya is certainly one to watch, in our humble opinion. Marketing Director Ellen Kim kindly took the time to tell us more about the brand and its plans for the future. Can you please introduce Nasoya? Nasoya is the nation’s leading brand of tofu and Asian-inspired plant-based foods, …

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Beyond Steak Healthy Plant-Based Meat

©Beyond Meat

Health

Beyond Steak Becomes “First” Plant-Based Meat Certified by the American Heart Association

Beyond Meat (Nasdaq: BYND) announces Beyond Steak has become the first plant-based meat and first steak to be certified by the American Heart Association’s Heart-Check Program.  The product will now carry the organization’s widely recognized Heart-Check seal, which helps consumers identify healthier foods when reading nutrition labels.  According to Beyond, its steak joins a select group of food products that meet the Association’s exacting nutritional standards for a heart-healthy food – including being low in saturated fats, trans fats, cholesterol and sodium, and having over 10% of the Daily Value of essential nutrients.  Described as a better-for-you and portionable product, each serving of Beyond Steak offers 21 grams of protein, 170 calories and 1 gram of saturated fat, with no cholesterol, GMOs or added hormones …

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Juicy Marbles

© Juicy Marbles

Meat- and Fish Alternatives

BILLA’s Plant-Forward Strategy Continues With Exclusive Juicy Marbles Launch

Juicy Marbles launches its innovative plant-based fillet steak at BILLA PLUS and BILLA PFLANZILLA. The Austrian supermarket chain BILLA is pursuing a comprehensive plant-based strategy with the aim of responding optimally to the needs of customers who are increasingly looking for plant-based products. The motives for this are diverse and range from health aspects to animal welfare to climate-friendly nutrition, among others. BILLA supports them in this with a selection of more than 4,000 purely plant-based products. New to the range nationwide is now the plant-based fillet steak from the Slovenian startup Juicy Marbles. It is now available exclusively in all BILLA PLUS stores and at the plant-based supermarket that opened last year, BILLA PFLANZILLA. Verena Wiederkehr, BILLA Head of Plant-Based Business Development, says: “Our …

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Vegan Whole Cut Steak

©Chunk Foods/ The Butcher's Daughter

Fundraising

Chunk Foods Raises $15M in “Biggest Ever” Israeli Seed Round to Begin Scaling Whole-Cut Plant-Based Steak

Israeli startup Chunk Foods reveals it raised $15M in seed funding in November, in what the startup calls the “biggest ever” seed funding round for an Israeli plant-based company. Led by Fall Line Capital, The MIT E14 fund, and Robert Downey Jr. ‘s FootPrint Coalition, the raise will be used to construct one of the largest plant-based whole cuts factories in the world, which is set to be completed in Summer 2023.  According to Chunk, the new state-of-the-art facility will be capable of producing millions of plant-based steaks every year. Made with minimally processed ingredients, Chunk says its steak offers the same meaty bite, texture and umami flavors of conventional beef. Using fermentation technology, the company says it is able to produce whole-cut products with …

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Beyond Steak plant-based steak

©Beyond Meat

Company News

Beyond Meat’s Beyond Steak Wins Prestigious 2023 FABI Innovation Award

Beyond Meat (NASDAQ: BYND) announces its Beyond Steak product has been awarded the coveted 2023 FABI Award (Food and Beverage Innovation) from the National Restaurant Association. The award recognizes plant-based Beyond Steak for “breaking new ground in creativity and taste”, and marks Beyond Meat’s seventh consecutive FABI award.  According to the National Restaurant Association, the FABI Awards honor products that are revolutionizing food and beverage with innovative flavors, ingredients, creativity, and profit potential. Beyond Meat says its Beyond Steak seared tips provide an authentically juicy, meaty taste and flavor profile that is ideal for sandwiches, bowls, salads, stir fries, tacos and more. FABI praised the product, which first launched in the US in Fall 2022, for its “tender” bite and perfectly “caramelized crust.” Made with …

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gochujang-steak-nasoya

New Gochujang Steak © Nasoya

Meat- and Fish Alternatives

Nasoya Introduces New Flavors to Award-Winning Plantspired Steak Range in USA

Nasoya, a brand under Pulmuone Foods USA, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Pulmuone South Korea, is known as the maker of the country’s leading brand of tofu, with a nearly 70% market share in the US. Ahead of Expo West, the company announces two flavor extensions to its Plantspired range: Plantspired Plant-based Steak is now available in Korean Gochujang flavor, while Plantspired Toss’ables adds a new Sweet Chili variety.  Steady success in the category Following the hire of ex-vice president of Johnson & Johnson Kilsu Cho as General Manager in 2019, Pulmuone first entered the plant-based meat space with the Plantspired line, debuting with 20 products for the global market. Nasoya first introduced its award-winning Plantspired Korean BBQ Steak to retailers across the US last March. …

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juicy marbles product

© Waitrose

Products & Launches

Waitrose Becomes First UK Supermarket to List Juicy Marbles, Stocks the Filet Mignon in Butcher Section

Whole cut vegan steak producer Juicy Marbles launches at Waitrose, marking the first UK supermarket to sell the 100% plant-based filet mignon. The brand’s famous marbled vegan steaks — placed alongside conventional animal meat in the butcher section — are part of the supermarket’s Valentine’s Day Meal Deal, offering two Juicy Marbles steaks, a starter, a dessert, and a bottle of fine wine for £20. Waitrose reports that it is listing the plant-based filets in 217 Waitrose stores from February 8th to 14th while stocks last.  Luka Sinček, Juicy Marbles’ co-founder, said: “Mr. Marbles will be pleased to see the introduction of Juicy Marbles’ steaks in Waitrose, one of the UK’s most respected supermarkets. We are also big fans of romance here in Marbles’ Surreal …

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juicy marbles' plant-based whole cut loin pictured on a wooden board and being cut by a man

© Juicy Marbles

Meat- and Fish Alternatives

6 Innovators Disrupting Steak With Plants in Europe

Following our recent article on the steak alternatives available in North America, we take a look at the innovative brands disrupting steak in Europe. Not so long ago, most meat alternatives were limited to minced products such as sausages and burgers. But with technology progressing at an astonishing rate, consumers can now enjoy a range of whole-cut products, making it easier than ever to avoid meat. Here we give six examples of steak made from plants, currently available on the European market, and one more that is soon to arrive. 1. Vivera In 2018, Dutch brand Vivera became one of the first producers worldwide to launch plant-based steak. The product made its debut at UK supermarket chain Tesco, where 40,000 were sold in a single …

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List of the best plant-based steak products in North America

© Juicy Marbles

Food & Beverage

The 9 Most Incredible Brands Disrupting Steak with Plants (North America)

While plant-based burgers, sausages and meatballs have long dominated the alt-meat landscape, creating realistic steak from plants has always represented the highest, if seemingly unattainable goal, for many brands. But thanks to fearless and relentless innovation, a host of shockingly meaty and juicy plant-based steaks have arrived on the US and Canadian market, and are rapidly coming to the fore. Here, vegconomist takes a look at the most noteworthy names bringing animal-free steak to mainstream consumers.  1. Beyond Meat  While not a fully structured filet, Beyond’s “revolutionary” plant-based steak tips marked a major milestone for the company, which previously only offered ground-textured products like burgers and sausages. According to CEO Ethan Brown, Beyond Steak took five years of extensive R&D to develop. The product can …

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© Kindness

Meat- and Fish Alternatives

Thai Startup Kindness Exports to 25+ Countries With 4000t Annual Output

Kindness is a plant-based food tech startup based in Thailand, with a fun tagline, “Let’s go Beyond the Impossible,” tipping its hat to its biggest international peers. Kindness offers ready plant-based formulas and product development and plant protein consultancy to brands and manufacturers that “desire to innovate within the vegan protein space.” With 30 years of combined experience in plant-based food production, Kindness claims its R&D team has developed 300-ready formulas using soy, wheat, konjac, and pea protein, which other companies can leverage to expand their current CPG offer or develop innovative products. A non-animal-derived diet Founded by Mike Yang, the Thai startup aims to develop high-quality, plant-based foods at a competitive cost to propel consumers’ adoption of a non-animal-derived diet. With the brand’s plant-based formulas, …

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Classic Cutlets and Steaks Grilling

Classic Cutlets and Steaks © Meati

Fungi, Mushrooms & Mycelium

Meati Foods Announces Huge ‘Mega Ranch’ Capable of Producing Millions of Pounds of Mycelium

Meati, the Colorado producer famous for its whole cuts made from mycelium, announces the opening of its biggest production facility yet, known as the Mega Ranch. The fully integrated operation is expected to cultivate Meati products at an annual rate of tens of millions of pounds by late 2023. At this rate, Meati says its production will match or exceed that of the largest individual animal-based ranches in the US.  According to Meati, its massive $150M Series C raise in 2022 helped to finance the Mega Ranch, which is designed to scale the company to an omnichannel, national footprint by the end of 2023. Along with a recent contribution by Rockefeller Capital, Meati says it is well-positioned to become a market leader with $1 billion …

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Queen Inn Redefine steak

© The Queen Inn

Food & Beverage

Welsh Pub Becomes “World’s First” Vegan Steakhouse

This time last year, The Queen Inn pub in South Wales took the chance of going fully vegan for Veganuary and the success was so incredible that the traditional family pub made the decision to become permanently vegan, much to the surprise of most of its regular clientele. To celebrate a phenomenally successful first year of being a 100% plant-based establishment, and to mark the pub’s second Veganuary; Ryan Edwards, who operates the pub with parents Jane and Gareth, came up with a groundbreaking concept which could very well be the first in the world. A Welsh world’s first? The theme for the month, and one which will continue in future depending on demand, is the World’s First Vegan Steakhouse. Since the Queen Inn was …

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green rebel foods dairy free mayonnaise and caesar salad dressing

© Green Rebel Foods

Products & Launches

Indonesia’s Green Rebel Launches Dairy and Egg-Free New Range

Indonesian food tech startup Green Rebel Foods, known for its alt chicken and beef, has launched Creamy Crew, a dairy and egg-free alternative range. The offer includes two new products, Mayo-Nice and Caesar Dressing.  These new additions to the company’s portfolio reflect Green Rebel’s efforts on plant-based food innovation to provide alternatives for flexitarians, vegans, and people suffering from lactose intolerance – around 90% of the Asian population, the company says. Green Rebel’s alt meat portfolio includes whole-cut plant-based steaks, various flavored chicken alternatives, beef chunks and mince, and a mushroom patty. The company expanded into the plant-based cheese category when it launched its Green Rebel’s Cheddar Cheeze for the first time in December 2021. Dairy-free alternatives  100% plant-based, Green Rebel’s Mayo-Nice, Caesar Dressing, and Cheddar-Style Cheeze …

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meati-steak-new-president

©Meati Foods

Products & Launches

Meati to Debut First Mycelium-Based Carne Asada Steak

Meati Foods, a company making alternative chicken and steak from mushroom root, announces it will soon launch its first marinated steak product, Meati Carne Asada.  Debuting Nov. 10th, the Carne Asada is Meati’s fourth product made from mycelium, following its Classic Cutlet, Crispy Cutlet and Classic Steak offerings. With a texture similar to the best-selling Classic Steak, Meati’s Carne Asada features a whole-cut filet pre-seasoned with cumin, paprika and other spices.  Nutrient-dense The ready-to-cook product is prepared in the same way as conventional carne asada, with each 4 oz. serving providing a nutrient-dense source of complete protein, along with fiber, amino acids, iron and zinc.  The Carne Asada will be available to purchase via Meati’s website in two releases on Nov. 10th and Dec. 8th, …

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plant-based Beyond Steak

© Beyond Meat

Products & Launches

Beyond Meat Launches “Revolutionary” Plant-Based Beyond Steak

Beyond Meat has announced the launch of its plant-based Beyond Steak, described as “revolutionary”, across the US. The bite-size meatless steak pieces will launch at Kroger and Walmart stores US-wide, along with other retailers including some Albertsons and Ahold locations. The product, which contains 21 grams of protein per serving, is sold frozen and can be prepared in just five minutes. Beyond Steak was initially trialled earlier this month at Jewel Osco stores in the Midwest, just weeks after the company announced a collaboration with Taco Bell to offer the Beyond Carne Asada Steak. The nationwide launch comes shortly after Beyond’s long-standing competitor, Impossible Foods, revealed that it is working on plant-based filet mignon. “Right-sizing” Last week, Beyond announced a series of leadership changes, including …

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