Vegan nuggets, vegan nachos, vegan Magnums, vegan mayonnaise, vegan cream cakes, vegan Bounty bars and vegan Krispy Kremes... more food brands and retailers than ever hanker for a slice of the plant-based pie.
LIVEKINDLY Collective, which owns a growing stable of vegan brands, has acquired the No Meat business from UK retailer Iceland Foods. We caught up with the group’s management to learn more about its growth ambitions.
Demand for plant-based products is booming and many consumers identify the sector as being ‘natural’, ‘healthy’ and ‘artisan’, new research reveals. “There is an apparent disconnect between the consumer understanding of natural products and the reality...
In the short-term, JollyGut aims to simplify and personalise the shopping experience for consumers both in-store and online. In the long-term, CMO Dmitry Dubovik says the start-up is setting its sights further afield: “We want to become an Amazon for...
An IoT, blockchain, and AI-powered digital food supply chain platform is being developed to boost the traceability of ingredients in pre-packaged sandwiches.
Why did VC fund Veg Capital invest in a plant-based pizza disruptor? Investor relations chief Simi Valecha Johnson reveals what got One Planet Pizza across the line.
For today’s consumers ‘clean label’ is less about the ingredients featured back-of-pack and more about what isn’t listed, be it preservatives, genetically modified ingredients or artificial sweeteners, according to L.E.K. Consulting.
UK start-up Fellow Creatures has developed a plant-based chocolate its founder says is a far cry from the ‘sickly sweet’ vegan offerings currently on-shelf.
Marks and Spencer is launching the Innovation Hub, a new specialist team that will focus on ‘disruptive innovation’. As part of this initiative, the UK retailer is partnering with biotech start-up 3F BIO to develop a vegan range using ‘protein powerhouse’...
A study carried out by the German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) has examined the differences between vegan and mixed diets, concluding ‘Vitamin B12 is well supplemented, iodine is a matter of concern’.
This week, The Protein Brewery announced a €22m Series A investment to help scale up production of its fungi-based alternative protein Fermotein. FoodNavigator asks founder Wim de Laat what benefits the novel food ingredient will bring to manufacturers,...
Within just a few years, the ‘relatively small’ SME Oatly has transformed into a global dairy alternative brand valued at $2bn. UK General Manager Ishen Paran shares the disruptor’s ‘rocket ship’ journey.
The Danish biotech making upcycled flour from spent coffee grounds is preparing to scale up production having secured €1.1m in seed funding, co-founder and CCO Alejandro Franco tells FoodNavigator.
Food manufacturers, supermarket retailers, and foodservice operators continue to step up their plant-based offerings. UK branch of animal welfare charity PETA highlights some of the most ‘exciting’ and ‘new’ vegan products in its 2020 Vegan Food Awards....
A trial suggests that oral immunotherapy treatment, which involves repeated exposure over time to gradually increase doses of the allergen, could allow sufferers to increase their tolerance to peanuts. They would not be able to eat nuts at will, but their...
The plant-based brand is facing consumer backlash following a recent investment round led by Blackstone – a name muddied by alleged ties with deforestation in the Amazon.
The concept allows London-based start-up Erbology to better understand what its customers want, and ultimately, make a better product for them, co-founder Irina Turcan tells FoodNavigator.
Glebe Farm, the maker of oat drink brand PureOaty, is developing its business-to-business model. Managing director Rebecca Rayner tells FoodNavigator the company expects to see a jump in demand, supported by category growth and Brexit disruption.
The use of antibiotics and other adulterants in meat is a global health problem. Consumers increasingly demand products that are free-from contaminants and additives. But how can you be sure the meat you eat is hormone or antibiotic free?
Israeli start-up SavorEat has developed an automated, closed system that 3D prints and cooks plant-based meat alternatives for foodservice. “This robot can replace manufacturing practices,” CEO Racheli Vizman tells FoodNavigator.
Romanian food company Salconserv Food has invested €3m to grow its sustainable plant-based brand, Verdino, and the brand now has international ambitions. “The future of food is also produced in Romania,” CEO Eberhart Răducanu says.
A recent study analysed recent advances to improve the quality of gluten-free bread, focusing not only on the latest conventional ingredients and innovative approaches to replace the gluten-network, but also on technological and processes methods that...
What do you get when you cross chicken cells with plant-based ingredients and 3D printing technology? KFC collaborates with biotech research lab 3D Bioprinting Solutions in Moscow to bring hybrid nuggets to the Russian market.
German ingredients supplier Emsland Group has partnered with US start-up JUST, Inc to process mung bean protein for the latter’s plant-based scrambled egg alternative Just Egg.
Israeli start-up Remilk hopes to replace cows as ‘food factories’ with its microbe-based ‘milk’. Co-founder Aviv Wolff tells FoodNavigator the product is functional, versatile, and ‘behaves the same way as cow’s milk’.
‘Rotting flesh’, ‘charred bodies’, and ‘early death’ scented scratch and sniff patches have been developed by animal rights group PETA to help consumers go vegan.
Non-alcoholic beer is competing in a number of categories, from conventional beer to craft ale and soft drink, Nirvana Brewery co-founder Becky Kean tells FoodNavigator. “Ideally, in the future, it will just be seen as another style of beer.”
As the plant-based trend continues to grow, food manufacturers and ingredients suppliers will be forced to adapt, Ulrick & Short’s Robert Lambert tells FoodNavigator.
Nutri-Score is attracting increased attention – both good and bad – from MEPs in the lead up to the Commission’s decision on an EU-wide mandatory labelling scheme.
Alcohol-free Nirvana Brewery was born out of a love for craft beer. Three years on, demand for the category has grown ‘massively’, co-founder and director Becky Kean tells FoodNavigator: “People go crazy for it.”
Any drop in food standards post-Brexit could increase demand for fresh produce from transparent supply chains, says Rich Osborn, founder of Fresh Range.
Swedish start-up Mycorena has developed a fungi-based ingredient for vegan products. Targeting the B2B – rather than the B2C – market, the mycoprotein producer is hoping to make a splash in a category largely dominated by alternative protein brand Quorn...
Having closed a funding round worth €1.9m, a group of entrepreneurs are working to boost the efficiency of insect protein production in Thailand and grow demand for their cricket flour snacks in Europe.
Plant-based start-up Yofix Probiotics has secured $2.5m to fund ‘global expansion’ of its non-dairy yoghurt alternatives. Dairy players Müller and Bel Group are among its backers.
Product and consumer surveys across the island of Ireland have revealed a number of health misperceptions when it comes to gluten-free snacks, according to NGO SafeFood.
The Israeli government has introduced mandatory ‘red labels’ for products high in saturated fat, sugar or salt. Could this legislation bring ‘new opportunities’ for reformulation?
The future is uncertain for ‘meaty’ descriptions of plant-based foods in the UK. If we ban the terms ‘burger’ and ‘sausage’ for plant-based offerings, what does that mean for ‘beef tomato’ and ‘veggie fingers’? questions the Vegan Society.
What novel food applications are manufacturers pushing for authorisation? According to Chair of the UK’s Advisory Committee on Novel Foods and Processes, Professor Peter Gregory, emerging trends include sustainability, meat analogues, and ‘healthy’ foods.
This week's round-up of product launches from around Europe sees the plant-based trend continue to gain steam as Nestlé rolls out new vegan sausages that 'look, taste and cook like a sausage should'. Elsewhere, innovation in the low- to...
Ingredients specialist Roquette has extended its pea protein supply agreement with Beyond Meat for three more years. The amount supplied will ‘significantly’ increase compared to 2019 figures, Roquette executive Jean-Philippe Azoulay tells FoodNavigator.
Scientists in Denmark have developed a plant-based ‘yogurt’ made from just three ingredients: soy drink, brewer’s spent grain, and lactic acid bacteria from plant materials.
German-based ingredients provider Beneo says there's a growing desire for its low-glycaemic sweetener Palatinose among the video gaming community, who are keen to use the product’s slow energy release to stay focused.
UK meat analogue start-up THIS has secured £4.7m in seed funding, which co-founder Andy Shovel says will help finance R&D, manufacturing capabilities, and ultimately, international expansion.
