With signs some plant-based makers are struggling, we ask innovators whether the meat alternative category is experiencing a slowdown, a ‘shakedown’, or other?
We have a lot of sweet treats this week with blueberry muffin popcorn, KitKat Chunky Hazelnut and two different types of cookie dough ice cream. We also have the renewal of an old partnership for Whole Earth, and a new plant-based cheddar for Violife....
France’s Council of State is calling on the European Court of Justice for greater understanding of implications concerning a potential ban of ‘meaty’ denominations for plant-based foods.
Alternative dairy products, by their very nature, are more sustainable in one crucial aspect compared to dairy: they cut out the animal from the production process. However, there are other ways to maximise sustainability. How central should sustainability...
The purpose of alternative dairy products, such as milk and cheese, is to act as a substitute for animal-based dairy. But that doesn’t necessarily mean it must taste exactly like the products it is replacing.
A new study suggests consuming insect protein slows weight gain and improves health status in obese mice. The findings are promising for humans, lead study author Kelly Swanson, interim director of the Division of Nutritional Sciences at the University...
FoodNavigator presents Climate Smart Food Digital Summit: a three-day event investigating how industry can help drive a more sustainable system of food production, with human and planetary health in mind. We’re excited to announce first speakers, which...
As plant-based foods become more ubiquitous in many key European markets and experts warn against eating too much meat, animal agriculture is considered by many as a problem. Can it be produced more sustainably for the future?
Israel's Brevel is claiming a world first in combining the sugar-based fermentation of microalgae with the high concentration of light at industrial scales.
Just 12% of the milk alternatives studied had a comparable or greater amount of nutrients calcium, vitamin D, and protein, compared to that found in cow’s milk.
Israel’s Aleph Farms has submitted an application for regulatory approval to the Swiss Federal Food Safety and Veterinary Office (FSVO) with the goal of selling Aleph Cuts in Switzerland.
Many vegetarians choose not to consume meat for ethical reasons, believing that harming and killing animals simply to provide humans with food is wrong. However, they still eat non-meat animal products (NMAPs), which often have the same result. A new...
Coined in 2001, social psychologist Melanie Joy’s theory of carnism suggests a philosophical basis behind the defence and justification of meat consumption. In a time where plant-based diets fight to replace those of meat, it is more relevant than ever....
The first government sanction in the EU for how cultivated meat tastings can be conducted has received national government approval in the Netherlands.
The UK’s food safety regulator is urging consumers to avoid a recalled protein powder containing 5g of caffeine per serve – the equivalent of up to 200 cups of coffee.
The UK’s plant-based sector is upping its calls for draft guidelines that would restrict the labelling of dairy alternatives to be rejected as it fears a clampdown from trading standards authorities preventing brands from using dairy-related terms such...
MycoTechnology says it is ‘standing on the brink of a sweet revolution’ having discovered a sweet protein derived from honey truffle. “Proteins are widely recognised as the future of sweeteners,” says MycoTechnology CEO Alan Hahn.
Redefine Meat is accelerating its UK distribution to meet demand with eight wholesaler partners. Its UK wholesalers now span national and regional brands including Albion Fine Foods, Braehead Foods, Brakes, Classic Fine Foods, Elite Fine Foods, Food Republic,...
The algae spirulina has a wide range of health benefits. Now, a start-up is exploring its potential as a clean-label meat substitute, with flexibility in flavour and in use.
German food biotech start-up BLUU Seafood says it has secured the necessary capital to focus on the regulatory approval of its first products after raising EUR 16 million.
Plant-based meat company Heura has collaborated with schools across the Iberian peninsula to bring more plant-based meat to the diets of schoolchildren. Across 450 schools, it has introduced plant-based meat into school meals.
Nestlé’s Garden Gourmet brand sells meat imitations (think plant-based chorizo or vegan tuna) as well as more plant-forward or ‘vegetable-based’ offerings, such as broccoli patties. Marjolijn Niggebrugge, business head plant-based meal solutions Europe...
While the consumer market for plant-based meat does not completely consist of vegetarians and vegans, choosing a vegan burger over a meat one remains a conscious rejection of meat-eating. This provides plant-based meat with a meaning, its presence in...
The sought-after chicken fillets, drumsticks, and wings only account for around 50% of the bird. How can technology help valorise the other half for use by the food industry?
Our latest NPD Trend Tracker looks at a range of new fruit juices, healthy snacks and interesting beverages. From historic tea and ocean conservation-supporting wine to vegan protein powder and paper-packaged straws, scroll through the gallery for more....
The UK government’s emission reduction strategy is overlooking demand-side measures such as encouraging healthier, more sustainable diets, according to the UK's Climate Change Committee.
Dutch fermentation specialist Fooditive claims it has successfully demonstrated the feasibility of non-animal casein production at an industrial scale and is now hoping to collaborate with a ‘like-minded partners’ to navigate Novel Food approval in the...
A new project is harvesting broccoli stems, stalks, and leaves – which would otherwise be left in the field – and upcycling them into an alternative protein ingredient for food and beverage makers.
As alternative protein develops, brewer’s yeast is emerging as a strong driver of the market. Start-up ProteinDistillery has created a protein, developed from brewer’s yeast, that can not only be used for meat and dairy alternatives, but also to replace...
There was a notable failure in the US for ‘one of the world’s first next generation cheese alternatives’. But that shouldn’t detract from the potential benefits that precision fermentation technology can bring to the dairy alternatives category, FoodNavigator’s...
Israeli start-up More Foods, which makes ‘meaty’ products made from pumpkin seeds, is announcing a strategic collaboration with Osem-Nestlé Group subsidiary Tivol.
By René Floris, NIZO Food Research Division Manager
While much attention has been given to developing vegan alternative products, manufacturers are also turning towards 'blended' or 'hybrid' products that combine the advantages of animal-based and plant-based ingredients. But a more...
Meat substitutes, especially those aiming to mimic the real thing, can be 'ultra-processed' in nature and associated with e-numbers and additives. But some plant-based meat substitutes, such as newcomer Vegbloc - which aims to replace meat in...
How do upcycling innovators ensure they have abundant supply of side stream raw materials to develop new ingredients for the food and beverage industry?
Finnish start-up Solar Foods is marketing its novel microbial protein Solein for the first time. In partnership with Singapore-based restaurant Fico, the duo has developed a dessert made with ingredients ‘derived out of thin air’.
The two agriculturally important counties of Norfolk and Suffolk in the east of the UK are aiming to untap their ‘high potential opportunity’ in plant science for nutrition, FoodNavigator learns.
Does Meatless Farm’s decision to send employees home for good suggest a particularly challenging period for the plant-based meat sector? Are industry experts hopeful for the future of meat alternatives in the UK and further afield?
Soy is one of the main drivers of deforestation around the world. Forests are cut down every day to make way for the growth of soy crops. However, most of this soy, in fact almost 80%, is grown to feed not humans, but animals.
In the highly competitive, complex landscape manufacturers are now in, product acceptance is more than ever about the emotions a product generates, FoodNavigator hears.
French ingredients company Roquette has opened up a new food innovation centre, focusing on developing a wide range of foods with a small number of ingredients, prominently pea protein, wheat protein, polyols, soluble fibres and starches. FoodNavigator...
Uncommon, formerly called Higher Steaks, leverages RNA, the molecule that contains the chemical instructions that direct cells’ natural machinery into making a protein, to create cultivated bacon and pork belly from animal cells.
The cell bank initiative is being spearheaded by Extracellular, a CDMO concerned that cultivated meat research is being impeded by costly animal primary cells.
