In an effort to establish itself as a world leader in the plant-based food and beverage market, Protein Industries Canada has partnered with YoFiit, Avena Foods Limited, and Roquette Canada to develop solutions for common technical challenges in plant-based...
Meat major JBS has said that it expects to bring cultivated meat to the European market by 2024 after acquiring control of Spanish start-up BioTech Foods,
Eclipse Foods – a plant-based brand on a mission to replicate the taste and functionality of conventional dairy rather than building a brand around ‘hero’ ingredients such as oat, almond or coconut – says early data from Whole Foods suggests its strategy...
Weighing unpredictable inflationary prices, a prioritization of wellbeing along with an enduring pandemic, consumers are self-editing their grocery baskets and carts by asking themselves one fundamental question -- "Do I need this?" -- when...
New Culture – one of a cluster of startups in the emerging ‘animal-free’ dairy space genetically engineering microbes to produce dairy milk proteins, without cows – has raised $25m in an oversubscribed series A round led by Ahren Innovation Capital and...
Eat Beyond has entered an agreement to acquire all of the outstanding share capital of Mylk Brands Inc., and in the process will acquire non-dairy milk brand Banana Wave, produced by Mylk's wholly-owned subsidiary Fresh Start Beverage Company.
Fermentation-derived alt seafood maker Aqua Cultured Foods has cemented across-the-pond ambitions via a Proof of Concept (PoC) agreement with Switzerland’s largest retailer Migros.
Spero – which is carving out a niche in the plant-based dairy and egg space by using seeds as a base rather than nuts and legumes – has moved into a new 31,000sq ft production facility in the East Bay and is already scouting for a 100,000sq ft facility...
General Mills moves into the emerging ‘animal-free’ dairy category with a brand called Bold Cultr – a lactose-free cream cheese alternative utilizing dairy proteins from Perfect Day made via microbial fermentation (without cows).
Full year 2021 revenues at Oatly will likely exceed $635m, up 51% vs 2020, but well under the $690m+ the Malmö-based oatmilk maker was projecting over the summer, thanks to slower-than-expected production in the US, inflationary pressures, and ongoing...
Parents are constantly looking for snacks that meet both the nutritional needs, and oftentimes, the picky palates of their child. Brands that can effectively meet both these fundamental demands are best positioned to win in the competitive landscape of...
When it comes to proteins, says Christian Koolloos, chief business development officer at Dutch startup The Protein Brewery, boring is good. In fact, the blander the better: “Fermotein [his firm’s fermented fungi protein] is extremely boring in its profile...
Fresh baby food seemed to set the category on fire with a flurry of new entrants over the past five years, but has the burgeoning segment lost some steam as retailers pull back and consumers become more price-conscious?
Dream Pops will be expanding outside of frozen desserts and novelties and entering the shelf-stable confectionery category with a line of plant-based products to compete with the likes of Hershey, Mars, and Ferrero, says founder and CEO David Greenfeld....
The Plant Based Foods Association (PBFA) has fired the latest salvo in the battle over the labeling of plant-based products in its second lawsuit* challenging Oklahoma’s Meat Consumer Protection Act, which it claims “provides no benefit to consumers,...
Beyond Meat CEO Ethan Brown urged analysts to “differentiate between short term variability on the one hand, and ongoing strong progress toward a long term vision of becoming tomorrow's global protein company on the other,” during the plant-based...
Plant-based ingredients supplier Merit Functional Foods is ready to meet industry demand from food and beverage manufacturers for its pea and canola proteins produced out of its now fully-scaled and commercially-ready 94,000-square-foot facility in Winnipeg,...
Consumers' pursuit of comforting foods with a slight twist in flavor, ingredients, and nutritional benefits will drive the majority growth of the $170.4bn specialty food industry in 2022, according to the Specialty Food Association (SFA) Trendspotter...
“A lot of cricket protein products seem to be bars and powders targeted at 18-35 year old males that are into mountain biking,” observes Shelby Smith, founder of Iowa-based edible insect startup Gym-N-Eat Crickets. “But in my experience, having interacted...
Edible insects were always going to be a slow burn in the alternative protein market in Europe and North America, given the ‘ick’ factor and the lack of infrastructure to farm and process them at scale, says Israeli firm Hargol FoodTech. But while the...
GoodPop Frozen Pops is targeting a growing consumer segment frequenting the frozen novelties aisle in search for products that can serve as a permissably indulgent snack or treat.
Brazilian plant-based meat brand Future Farm (Fazenda Futuro) has raised $58m in a Series C round led by BTG Pactual and supported by Rage Capital, bringing its cumulative funding to $89m as it builds its presence in international markets.
Protein snacks company IWON Organics recently closed a $1m financing round from friends and family, helping to fuel the brand's evolution into becoming an organic legume-based foods company with products that span across salty snacks, cereal, and...
Six weeks after the publication of an article arguing that cell-cultured meat faces “intractable technical challenges at food scale,” industry pioneer UPSIDE Foods has opened what it claims is the “most advanced cultivated meat production facility in...
Virginia-based Nutriati – which has developed a patented process yielding highly functional pulse proteins and flours with potential to unlock new opportunities in plant-based meat, dairy, gluten-free bakery and snacks – has struck a five-year global...
On a long-term mission to become the world's leading food solutions group, HelloFresh continues to register strong year-over-year growth in revenue and in key performance metrics including order rates, and active customer acquisition.
Aspire Food Group - which is on a mission to automate and professionalize edible insect farming – aims to start production at a CAD $90m 100,000sqft automated cricket processing facility near London, Ontario, in Q1/Q2 of next year that will produce 10,000...
Plant-based online retailer Vejii Holdings has received conditional approval for public listing on the Canadian Stock Exchange (CSE) under the symbol “VEJI” once a commencement date of trading is confirmed.
Swedish keto-friendly brand Nick’s – which entered the US in late 2019 with low carb light ice cream pints and has since expanded into ice cream sandwiches and keto snack bars – has raised $100m in a Series C round led by Kinnevik, Ambrosia Investments...
Plant-based foods brand Tattooed Chef has entered into an agreement to acquire Ohio-based Belmont Confections, a private label co-manufacturer of nutrition bars, for approximately $18m in cash and stock.
Chicago-based startup Aqua Cultured Foods – which is carving out new territory in the seafood alternatives space with a Non-GMO fermentation-based production platform capable of delivering high-protein ‘whole cuts’ of fungi-based seafood - has closed...
Shiru - an Emeryville, CA-based startup producing proteins via microbial fermentation to create label-friendly alternatives to everything from methylcellulose to gelatin and casein - has closed a $17m Series A round* led by S2G Ventures that will help...
Losing your sense of smell and taste - a common side effect of COVID-19 – is pretty unsettling for anyone, but if your job is chief global flavorist at one of the world’s leading ingredients companies, you could be forgiven for experiencing some existential...
With an eye towards identifying technologies and innovations that “exemplify the new food economy” by offering scalable solutions that increase nutrition with minimal environmental impact, FoodBytes! by Rabobank has winnowed down from 45 global startups...
Above Food, a vertically-integrated plant-based foods company, has entered into an agreement to acquire Atlantic Natural Foods and its portfolio of shelf-stable, plant-based food brands Loma Linda, TUNO, and Neat for an estimated $30m.
Back in 2013/14, no food innovation conference was complete without at least one session promoting edible insects as the next big thing in ‘alternative protein.’ Since then, the field has become littered with the corpses of bug-fueled startups that ran...
From Nestle's vegan 'Vrimp' in Europe to Good Catch's crab cakes on trial at Long John Silver's in the US, many players believe plant-based seafood represents a significant untapped opportunity in a sector dominated by beef, pork...
San Francisco-based Change Foods – one of a small group of startups making 'animal-free' dairy ingredients using microbes instead of cows - plans to launch its first consumer products (cheese) in 2023. FoodNavigator-USA got into the weeds with...
A leading player in plant-based dairy with its Silk and So Delicious brands, Danone North America has made significant strides in improving the taste and texture of plant-based cheese, yogurt, and milk over the past 12 months, says chief research &...
If plant-based dairy is going to go truly mainstream, brands need to reach consumers that right now, are not engaging in the category at all, says Santiago-based NotCo, which says most people don’t want to buy three different plant-based milks for different...
Beginning at conception and continuing through first bites to afterschool snacks and beyond, nutrition plays a pivotal role in children’s brain development, emotional lives, and long-term health – but all too often they aren’t getting all the nutrients...
The US brand, infamous for its meat-free burger that appears to ‘bleed’ like real meat, has confirmed plans to launch in Britain after applying for regulatory approval.
BIOMILQ – a North Carolina-based startup culturing human mammary cells that lactate – has closed an oversubscribed $21m series A round to support its ambitions to bring cell-cultured human milk to market.
Berkeley-based startup Mission Barns – which has developed a platform to cultivate fat from animal cells, outside of the animal - has teamed up with gourmet sausage maker Silva Sausage Co to produce hybrid sausages combining cell-cultured fat and plant...
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has green-lighted the mung bean protein ingredient used in Eat Just’s egg substitute product, paving the way for the company to launch its JUST Egg plant-based alternative in Europe.
Clearly communicating the environmental benefits of CPGs can be a heavy lift given the complexity of sustainability, the relative lack of space on most packages, and differences in consumer awareness across demographics – but new research suggests doing...
A consumer study funded by Israeli startup Future Meat Technologies suggests US consumers are surprisingly open to cell-cultured or ‘cultivated’ meat (from animal cells grown outside an animal), although the firm acknowledges the true test will come when...
'Ultra-processed' food comprises the majority of the average US adult diet, according to a new study by researchers at NYU School of Global Public Health, who suspect the pandemic has further fueled the trend.
What will be trending in 2022? According to Whole Foods' annual food trends report, consumers are seeking products that contribute to their personal definition of wellbeing, whether it be less-boozy beverages, leafy greens grown locally, or ice cream...