Proteins

Disrupting fermentation: Lever VC highlights 5 technologies to improve biotech processes

14-May-2024 By Ryan Daily

Given the complexity of alternative-protein manufacturing, many biotech companies are exploring how to reduce costs with AI technologies, process improvements and novel uses for waste streams from other industries, Lever VC shared in a recent report.

C.A. Fortune’s Build Tank winners garner praise from national retailers for compelling branding, packaging

13-May-2024 By Ryan Daily

Walnut snack company Unbound Snacks took home the gold at C.A. Fortune's Build Tank event in Chicago, for its category innovations and eye-catching packaging, while other brands impressed buyers through unique products and branding.

NPD Trend Tracker: From plant-based ice-cream to gluten-free fast food

13-May-2024 By Augustus Bambridge-Sutton

On our NPD Trend Tracker this week, we have a range of new products from big brands; new flavours from Kettle Chips, plant-based thighs from This, plant-based ice cream from Flora Professional, and a gluten free range from Leon. We also have a collaboration...

What is next for alternative proteins? Strategies for engaging with consumers, enhancing nutrition and moving beyond nuggets, patties and sausage

10-May-2024 By Elizabeth Crawford

The FoodNavigator-USA team is heading to Chicago next month to Future Food-Tech’s Alternative Proteins summit, where we will help lead discussions around overcoming obstacles facing plant-based and cultivated meat and seafood and help identify areas of...

Laird Superfood perks up morning cup of coffee with protein-rich creamer

09-May-2024 By Ryan Daily

Laird Superfood is giving the best part of waking up – coffee – a functional boost with the release of its new protein-rich creamer, the brand’s VP of Marketing Martha Opela told FoodNavigator-USA.

Pitch perfection: Alt-protein founders share tips for securing funding at Future of Protein Production event

06-May-2024 By Ryan Daily

Alt-protein startups that are trying to attract the attention of venture-capital (VC) investors often need to ensure their business pitches focus on how they can capture a market through their product and team, while founders must convey confidence and...

Choppy! blends animal, plant-based ingredients to bridge alternative protein taste gap

01-May-2024 By Deniz Ataman

Choppy!, an alternative meat brand that combines textured plant protein with animal byproducts like collagen, beef tallow and bone broth, provides consumers with "the sensory experience of meat" in its hybrid product with the long-term goal...

Which plant-based alternatives are healthier than animal products?

01-May-2024 By Augustus Bambridge-Sutton

Are plant-based meat and dairy substitutes healthier? Well, yes. And no. It depends. A new study investigates which substitutes do best, and worst, when pitted against animal products.

Join FoodNavigator-USA at a free editorial Webinar exploring plant-based protein

Plant-based 3.0: Industry insiders share strategies for pushing alternative proteins forward

29-Apr-2024 By Elizabeth Crawford

After a challenging few years in which falling sales and units dragged plant-based protein into the trough of disillusionment, stakeholders are finding ways up the other side of the Gartner Hype Cycle by leveraging emerging technologies, novel ingredients...

Scaling alt-protein production: What to know about moving from lab to commercial scale

26-Apr-2024 By Ryan Daily

Alt-protein companies scaling their fermentation processes beyond the lab face numerous challenges that require them to think through production processes, raw ingredients, and the design of a manufacturing facility to create a commercially viable product....

Moving beyond finger-pointing: Creating healthier products that deliver on taste, indulgence

26-Apr-2024 By Elizabeth Crawford

Packaged food, especially ultra-processed, is a popular scapegoat for the ongoing struggle with diet-related chronic disease in America, where 70% of adults are overweight or obese, 50% have diabetes or prediabetes and 50% have heart disease – but what...

USDA announces partnerships to improve food access nationwide, globally

23-Apr-2024 By Deniz Ataman

To expand nutrition access in underserved communities, USDA partners with Reinvestment Fund to improve local food financing programs in 20 states and Washington and partners with US Agency for International Development (USAID) to provide emergency food...

Natural Products Expo West

How are alternative protein players finding solutions for consumers, retailers?

23-Apr-2024 By Deniz Ataman

While alternative protein sales and units declined notably in recent years, players cite improved food science, commercial scale, production and navigation of retailer expectations during the Natural Products Expo West event last month.

WILDE raises $20m to expand consumer awareness of protein-rich chips

23-Apr-2024 By Ryan Daily

Protein snack brand WILDE raised $20m in a round led by private-equity firm KarpReilly, which will help raise the brand’s awareness as more consumers seek nutrient-rich foods to improve their health, Jason Wright, Founder and CEO of WILDE told FoodNavigator-USA.

From air to rail: Kate’s Real Food finds opportunity to expand across travel channel

22-Apr-2024 By Ryan Daily

Organic snack-bar brand Kate’s Real Food is pushing into the travel channel with a deal to sell its product in Amtrak cars in the coming months, as it delivers on demand for high protein with a new product line.

Shoppers believe government policies are responsible for price increases, study finds

22-Apr-2024 By Deniz Ataman

As shoppers continue facing high grocery prices on shelves, they look to government policies as the most responsible for these increases, while believing retailers should communicate price increases more clearly, according to recent data from The Feedback...

Future Food-Tech

At Future Food-Tech's event, explore strategies for future-proofing the alternative proteins sector through diverse solutions, next-stage investments, and public-private partnerships

22-Apr-2024 By Elizabeth Crawford

Despite declining sales and investment in the alternative protein industry in recent years, the segment is seeing early green shoots that suggest category stakeholders may be clawing their way out of the trough of disillusionment and up the other side...

Game on: Arla Foods Ingredients introduces RTD energy-drink concept for gamers

19-Apr-2024 By Ryan Daily

Dairy company Arla Foods Ingredients wants to attract the attention of CPG companies making products for gamers with its new energy drink concept that provides an elevated protein content and better-for-you ingredients.

Omnivores, enhanced protein content might be keys to growing alt-protein market, GFI reports

18-Apr-2024 By Ryan Daily

The plant-based meat market could grow by providing options to omnivores and consumers embracing a high-protein, low-meat diet, the Good Food Institute (GFI) shared in its annual State of the Industry report.

Startup Spotlight

Nourish Ingredients expands in animal-free specialty fats with Creamilux for dairy

18-Apr-2024 By Elizabeth Crawford

Nourish Ingredients, a pioneer in the emerging ‘animal-free’ speciality fat segment, is expanding into non-dairy with the debut of Creamilux – a low-inclusion lipid that recreates the rich, creamy mouthfeel, taste and emulsification properties of dairy...

KIND highlights taste, nourishment with new launches ranging from fruity to savory to kid-friendly

18-Apr-2024 By Deniz Ataman

KIND Snacks continues its exploration of health-forward snack bars and granola with a particular emphasis on savory and fruit ingredients in the brand’s expansive launch, which was showcased during a media event at its test kitchen in New York on April...

Future Food-Tech

Nosh.bio sidesteps many challenges constraining alt-protein with a versatile mycoprotein and ‘minimal, scalable’ fermentation process

16-Apr-2024 By Elizabeth Crawford

Berlin-based food-tech startup Nosh.bio is overcoming capacity constraints that have hampered other fermentation-derived alternative protein players by developing a proprietary production process that is “minimal, scalable and sustainable” and by teaming...

Consumers trade down to save on meat, plant-based still struggles on taste, texture, 84.51˚ reports

15-Apr-2024 By Ryan Daily

Consumers are buying less expensive cuts of meat and buying more meat on sale as food prices driven up by inflation remain high, market research firm 84.51˚ shared in its latest consumer report, which also detailed shopper trends for plant-based alternatives....

The Future of Protein Production Chicago takes ‘temperature’ of alt protein investments, regulations

15-Apr-2024 By Ryan Daily

As the alternative protein industry continues to wade through challenging macroeconomics, the sector might have reasons to be more optimistic in 2024, with investment activity picking up and more companies obtaining commercial approval across the globe,...

FDA’s ‘no questions’ letter for Oobli’s sweet protein opens doors for international expansion

15-Apr-2024 By Elizabeth Crawford

FDA’s recent acknowledgement that low-sugar tea and chocolate maker Oobli’s novel sweet protein sourced from the Oubli fruit and produced via precision fermentation is Generally Recognized As Safe will grease the rails for the California-based company...

Natural Products Expo West

SkinnyDipped 'glows up' with new rebrand, upcoming nut butter launch

12-Apr-2024 By Deniz Ataman

Sweet and salty better-for-you almond mix brand SkinnyDipped featured its latest snack flavors, upcoming nut butter line and brand redesign at Natural Products Expo West last month.

SHICKEN fuels US expansion with $5.3m investment from Veg Capital

12-Apr-2024 By Ryan Daily

Plant-based chicken manufacturer SHICKEN is using a recent investment from venture-capital firm Veg Capital to expand into the US, brand Co-founder and CEO Parm Bains told FoodNavigator-USA.

NPD Trend Tracker: From PepsiCo snacks to collagen tea

08-Apr-2024 By Flora Southey

The collagen trend is on an upwards trajectory, particularly in food and drink. In our latest new product development round-up, we look at a new tea inspired by collagen (it contains collagen peptides). Elsewhere, plant-based continues to trend and UK...

Nourished on how to communicate the potential of personalised nutrition to consumers

05-Apr-2024 By Augustus Bambridge-Sutton

Personalised nutrition has immense potential for extremely bespoke nutritional benefits to consumers. But for such a niche category, how does a company communicate this potential?

From ice age to modern day: Mammoth Meatball maker Vow releases cell-cultivated quail meat

04-Apr-2024 By Ryan Daily

Australian-based cell-cultivated meat company Vow is moving from extinct animals to something more familiar with the release of Forged Parfait, featuring a cell-cultivated meat product based on the Japanese quail, company Co-founder and CEO George Peppou...

Danone’s Remix platform moves yogurt beyond breakfast to snacks, appeals to younger consumers

03-Apr-2024 By Elizabeth Crawford

Danone wants to entice more Americans – especially young generations – to eat more yogurt, more often and across more dayparts with the launch of its Remix platform, which offers consumers the ability to “mix in” to yogurt crunchy, chewy, sweet and salty...

SEMCAP buys out ALOHA's early angel investors, accelerates distribution with $68m fundraise

02-Apr-2024 By Deniz Ataman

A $68m investment in plant-based snack company ALOHA by growth equity firm SEMCAP Food & Nutrition buys out early angel investors and will “help ALOHA’s able-bodied management accelerate its distribution and growth in traditional retail channels,”...

Orgain debuts gut health formula, expands products line for kids

01-Apr-2024 By Danielle Masterson

The 2024 Natural Products Expo West in Anaheim, CA, attracted 3,000 exhibitors, many of which debuted new products.

Startup Spotlight

‘Back end’ logistics may not be as ‘sexy & fun’ as consumer branding, but they are key to securing shelf space, says Pretty Tasty Tea exec

28-Mar-2024 By Elizabeth Crawford

Bovine collagen infused Pretty Tasty Tea may be new to the functional beverage space, after launching in February, but the team behind the beauty-from-within brand includes industry veterans with deep expertise in distribution strategy and retail management...

Triplebar, FrieslandCampina Ingredients partner on precision-fermented lactoferrin

26-Mar-2024 By Ryan Daily

Biotech company Triplebar Bio and its strategic partner protein and probiotics supplier FrieslandCampina Ingredients have announced the next part of its co-collaboration agreement, which will see the two companies produce lactoferrin through precision...

‘Vegan’ or ‘free-from’? Tackling lack of awareness of the difference between allergen and dietary labelling

26-Mar-2024 By Augustus Bambridge-Sutton

A ‘vegan’ label does not mean a food is safe to eat for those with allergies to animal products. New research shows the public is dangerously unaware of this distinction.

Changing freshwater cycle: Are we on a collision course with disaster?

22-Mar-2024 By Donna Eastlake

Human activity has significantly altered the freshwater cycle. But is this change reversible, and if not, what does it mean for the future of food and water supplies?

How is the food industry supporting childhood nutrition?

21-Mar-2024 By Donna Eastlake

From infancy through to adolescence, nutrition is essential in ensuring a healthy body and mind for our youngsters. So how can this be achieved and what it the food industry doing to help parents?

Are ultra-processed plant-based burgers healthy? WHO investigates

21-Mar-2024 By Flora Southey

The World Health Organization has funded research analysing the nutritional composition of ultra-processed plant-based burgers, and the findings are out.

How can AI understand the functional food market and the needs that drive it?

20-Mar-2024 By Augustus Bambridge-Sutton

Functional food trends are driven by more than just taste: they’re driven by human need. With AI, the market can be analysed and the needs driving consumption understood.

Natural Products Expo West

Expo West trendspotting: Functional benefits, purity testing help justify premium pricing as consumers navigate economic challenges

19-Mar-2024 By Elizabeth Crawford

Emphasizing the value of exisiting products appeared to trump breakthrough innovation this year at Natural Products Expo West where many companies either introduced smaller sizes of existing SKUs to lower the entry point or more prominently called out...

Season Health partnership will focus on reducing hypertension, improving nutrition access

18-Mar-2024 By Deniz Ataman

The partnership will serve two segments of patients at Steward Health Care Network in Mass. with the goal to “reduce stage two hypertension for patients in the hypertension program and improve both engagement and nutrition insecurity status for patients...

Future of Seafood

Tune in on demand: Future of Seafood webinar explores role of R&D and technology

14-Mar-2024 By Deniz Ataman

FoodNavigator-USA's free editorial webinar 'The Future of Seafood' is available on demand and explores how plant-based Bettafish, acquaculture brand Local Coho and cultivated seafood Forsea Foods maximize taste, nutrition and environmental...

Single-ingredient meat analogue developed in ‘happy accident’: ‘We’re the first and only ones doing this’

12-Mar-2024 By Flora Southey

Although developing meat alternatives from a single ingredient was not Nosh Bio’s initial aim, the start-up very quickly realised it had something ‘super powerful’ on its hands.

Is a high-protein diet damaging to heart health?

11-Mar-2024 By Donna Eastlake

From building lean muscle to repairing body tissue, protein has been proven to provide a multitude of benefits. But could too much protein be damaging to your heart?

From meat to 3D printed plants: Why Cargill is diversifying its protein investments

06-Mar-2024 By Flora Southey

The agrifood giant is investing across the board, from traditional livestock production to cultivated meat and 3D printing technology.

Future of Seafood

Plant-based seafood brands explore seaweed, mycelium and 3D printing to enhance texture, taste

04-Mar-2024 By Deniz Ataman

As the plant-based seafood segment continues to evolve, ingredient innovation paves the way towards consumer acceptance, shown through notable VC investments in the sector.

New Culture self-determines GRAS status for its animal-free casein

01-Mar-2024 By Deniz Ataman

New Culture self-affirms its animal-free casein is Generally Recognized As Safe following an independent review of experts, which brings it one step closer to selling its animal-free cheese in retail, while strengthening its partnerships with foodservice...

Winter Fancy Food Show

Soup-To-Nuts Podcast: Demand for functional beverages could lead to ‘tsunami of innovation’ in 2024

29-Feb-2024 By Elizabeth Crawford

Beverage sales have outpaced that of food within the specialty segment in the past decade, according to the Specialty Food Association, which attributes the boom to an increased demand for functional benefits, a faster pace of innovation and a lower threshold...

Beyond Meat turns to IV platform, SKU rationalization, pricing to improve margins in FY 2024

28-Feb-2024 By Ryan Daily

After seven consecutive quarters of revenue declines, Beyond Meat executives say they hope to turn the corner in 2024 with new product innovations, SKU rationalization, and price increases, but the company's fourth quarter and full-year results show...