By René Floris, NIZO Food Research Division Manager
In this series of articles, NIZO Food Research Division Manager and FoodNavigator advisory panel member René Floris discusses some of the big issues in today’s food industry. This month, he continues his exploration of the protein transition by looking...
Brazilian meat giant JBS has entered into a deal to acquire Vivera, Europe’s third-largest plant-based food company. The agreement is an ‘important step’ in its efforts to expand in the plant-based protein and value-added food segments, FoodNavigator...
What is the ‘next big thing’ to hit the UK’s plant-based scene? FoodNavigator hears from start-ups making fresh alt milk, vegan Detroit-style pizza, premium cheesecake alternatives, and egg-free fresh pasta.
As a new fund announces it will invest up to €30 million in the most promising companies over a span of up to four years, EIT Food identifies to FoodNavigor the problems for which it is seeking solutions.
A new tofu alternative, developed from peas rather than the conventional soybean, is offering a sustainable addition to the meat alternative landscape, according to Peafu founder Tor Kemp.
Legumes have high potential to underpin the transition to healthy and sustainable diets targeted by the European Green New Deal Farm to Fork strategy, according to research.
French insect protein pioneer Ÿnsect has acquired Dutch mealworm specialist Protifarm in a move that the company says will give it a ‘strategic boost’ in the human nutrition market.
Best known for its nuts, biltong and pork puffs, UK start-up The Curators has ventured into meat alternatives with a range of mushroom-based products. The aim is to tap into the fast-growing consumer appetite for more natural plant-based meal solutions,...
The Berlin-based start-up has revealed plans to have a first prototype product in the form of fish balls or fish paste in 2022 after securing €7 million in funding.
Gathered Foods, parent company of plant-based seafood brand Good Catch, has secured $26.35m in a B-2 Bridge Funding Round to ramp up product innovation and dramatically increase its retail footprint.
Ag-food tech company Moolec Science is expanding its alternative protein platform to cater to plant-based bakery and beverage categories. “Moving into egg and dairy alternatives was a natural next step for our roadmap,” explained CEO and co-founder Gastón...
The companies have tasked start-ups, via the next Future Food-Tech innovation challenge, to make products that can mimic whole meat cuts and deliver newer gastronomic experiences to consumers.
From an environmental and sensory standpoint, it makes sense to create ‘hybrid’ products from a blend of plant-based and meat proteins. Yet experts are dubious the category will take off.
Over a quarter of processed, vegetarian meat-substitute products are not a source of protein, according to research by Safefood into the nutritional content of more than 350 products which claim to be meat replacements.
Food brand ZUVA is ensuring farm-to-fork traceability from its parent company’s farms in Africa through to consumers’ plates in Europe. “We have created a win-win situation for everyone participating in the value chain,” says founder and CEO Carl Heinrich...
Mars Edge – the segment of Mars Incorporated dedicated to supporting human health through nutrition – is on a mission to reconcile the nutrition that consumers need with the food they want, it tells FoodNavigator.
As the snack sector reaches its technological limits in cutting salt and fat from products, European manufacturers are accelerating reformulating efforts using lentils, beans, other vegetables -- and even insects -- as a way of meeting consumer demand...
With industry feedback indicating that meat reduction and flexitarianism has slowed amid the ongoing pandemic, we talk to Eshchar Ben-Shitrit, CEO and Co-Founder of meat alternative innovators, Redefine Meat, on the landscape, present challenges and growth...
Unilever has pledged to build a €1bn plant-based meat and dairy business within the next five to seven years. How is the company leveraging existing brands to get there? Carla Hilhorst, EVP of R&D Foods and Refreshment weighs in.
Dutch cell-cultured meat startup Meatable - which is working with porcine and bovine induced pluripotent stem cells [iPSCs] – has closed a $47m Series A round (bringing its total funding to $60m) to advance small-scale production at the Biotech Campus...
For the first time in history, across the globe people aged over 65 now outnumber children under five, according to the UN. By the middle of this century there will be more than twice as many. In Europe, the population of over 65s is expected to reach...
Global investment in alternative proteins was the highest ever in 2020 and three times the capital invested in 2019 – signalling growing momentum for sustainable alternatives.
Plant-based foods formulated with more wheat gluten was found to exhibit softer and less chewy texture compared to commercial tofu, mock meat and animal meat products.
The FMCG giant recently tasked start-ups to find solutions that promise to improve the taste, texture, sustainability and affordability of plant-based meat and dairy alternatives. The winner? A French company with a patented plant-based fat that closely...
To support new and emerging start-up companies developing dairy-alternative products, and to create further collaboration opportunities with the food industry, AAK AB is investing in Big Idea Ventures’ (BIV) New Protein Fund I.
[UPDATE NOV 22, 2021: The authors of this report have just issued a corrigendum*] Cell-cultured meat could be cost competitive with some forms of conventional meat within a decade, according to two new studies from Dutch consultancy CE Delft using data...
The Swedish oat drink company is building its first UK factory, set to be completed in early 2023. The Vegan Society says the move illustrates the growing demand for products styled as eco-friendly. But others question whether cutting dairy really is...
Despite rapidly growing consumer demand, the quality of plant-based milk products very often underwhelms. The solution? More consistent testing at R&D stage.
“Italy can be a leader in the ecological transition,” Italy’s new environment minister said this week. But comments on the need to reduce meat consumption have proven controversial – and sparked a backlash from the meat lobby.
‘Urgent’ and ‘immediate’ action is required from UK retailers, according to NGO Feedback, which is campaigning for meat and dairy sales to halve by 2030.
‘Cell-cultured’ may be the best way to label seafood grown from animal cells in bioreactors, according to key stakeholders in the nascent industry, who have teamed up with the National Fisheries Institute to share their views with the FDA.
Ingredion Incorporated, a global provider of ingredient solutions to the food and beverage industry, has added two new products to its plant-based portfolio produced at its new pea protein manufacturing facility in South Sioux City, Nebraska.
In a move said to illustrate rising investor concerns with companies’ health impacts, the UK’s largest supermarket Tesco has announced it aims to increase the proportion of sales from healthier products to 65% by 2025.
Five years after the United Nations celebrated 2016 as the International Year of Pulses to raise awareness of legumes’ nutritional value and sustainability, SPINS data shows sales of dried beans are skyrocketing as consumers look for more nutrient-dense...
Plant-based seafood firm Ocean Hugger Foods – which was forced to pause operations last June as COVID-19 ravaged the foodservice industry (its primary market) – will stage a comeback later this year after forging a joint venture (Ocean Hugger Inc) with...
Current regulation prevents Swedish ice cream maker Nick’s from using the same ingredients on both sides of the pond. FoodNavigator catches up with founder Niclas Luthman to find out why he is set on using new innovation, when available in Europe.
By René Floris, NIZO Food Research Division Manager
The need to preserve protein functionality is prompting food makers to explore ‘milder processing’ than traditional heat treatment. In his second monthly column, René Floris, NIZO Food Research Division Manager and member of the FoodNavigator expert advisory...
The trend of consumers – rightly or wrongly – seeking to cut down their dairy consumption for environmental and ethical reasons is a growing one, and food and beverage manufacturers smell an opportunity.
Plant-based beverage brand Alpro has joined calls to block the progress of Amendment 171, which would see a European ban on the use of dairy-like terminology to describe plant-based alternatives.
Nestlé reported ‘strong’ growth of its plant-based brands when it delivered its full year results. But, CEO Mark Schneider stressed, the opportunity is much bigger than meat-free burgers or bangers.
Kerry Group’s strategic review of its dairy production and consumer food assets will allow it to free up money for acquisitions in faster growing areas, say equity analysts.
The launch of the first vertical farm project in Zürich promises to lay the groundwork for ‘large-scale industrial vertical farming in smart cities’ and ‘showcase the incredible benefits of a circular economy’.
Having closed a $29m Series A, the maker of 3D-printed alt meat is looking to expand its product line and rollout its beef alternatives into Israel, Germany and Switzerland, before moving into Asian and US markets.
