Sales of meat substitutes are in rude health, but the arrival of the US plant-based patty could provide a further boost for innovation, says David Burrows.
In an effort to meet growing demand for meat-free options in the foodservice sector, Nordic food group Orkla is teaming-up with McDonald’s to launch a vegan burger.
With vegetarian, vegan and flexitarian diets trending across Europe, plant-based foods are now more popular than ever, according to ADM, which brings a number of meat analog concepts to FiE 2017.
Leader Foods is launching a new line of cricket-based Zircca protein snack bars in Finland and the company has been taken “by surprise” by the positive response in the country.
A “sea change” is occurring in the plant-based and cultured protein industry although which way the current is flowing is yet to be determined, a panel of experts conclude.
A shift to plant protein as a replacement for animal protein is “desperately needed” as the UK’s food system is “fundamentally broken”, according to the Vegan Society.
By Katia Merten-Lentz, partner at Keller and Heckman, and Oliver Hartmanm, legal consultant at Keller and Heckman
Pressure is rising for the development of a legal definition of ‘vegan’ and ‘vegetarian’ food in Europe but national governments are moving ahead of the European Commission in this regard.
Denmark’s Aarhus University has opened its iFOOD Centre to support research into “science-based” solutions to the biggest challenges facing the food sector today.
Chr Hansen has developed cultures for lacto-fermented soy and coconut yoghurts with the taste, texture and healthiness of traditional dairy. ‘It’s still niche but we want to be the first innovators here,” the firm says.
Nestlé has said that it wants to deliver “industry leading volume growth” by leveraging key consumer trends. The company detailed exactly how it intends to achieve this at its investor summit in London yesterday (26 September).
Compared to crickets, grasshoppers and even meal worms, the fruit fly is minuscule, but according to the co-founders of Flying SpArk this tiniest of insects could prove to be a more bountiful, sustainable and efficient source of protein.
Good news for ento-entrepeneurs: Finland's food safety authority Evira will publish guidelines on using insects for food, ending a loophole that forced firms to sell products as 'ornaments'.
