January Highlights from the plant-based and cultured-food sector: The mainstreaming of plant-based foods continues, and more…

9 February 2022

As plant-based foods continue to expand into the mainstream, the sector is attracting interest and investment from all quarters, including producers of traditional animal-based products, as well as generating an endless array of startups. Read on to find out more about the latest developments in this fast-evolving sector.

TRENDS & PROJECTIONS

A new study in China indicates a 90% acceptance rate for environmentally sustainable cultured meat in the country.
Deliveroo has experienced a 117% surge in searches for vegan food options since Veganuary 2021.
Meanwhile, Veganuary 2022 celebrated over 600,000 sign-ups in January this year.
Cultured meat passes the taste test, according to Time magazine.

RETAIL FOODS

Aldi has launched a vegan cheese in the UK, underpricing major brands.
M&S has expanded its vegan Plant Kitchen range to 175 products.
Unilever’s The Vegetarian Butcher is now available at mainstream retail outlets in Singapore.

FOODSERVICE CHAINS/CATERERS

As part of its commitment to go 50% meat-free by 2030, Burger King is now serving vegan nuggets.
Starbucks has finally dropped its extra charge on dairy-free milk.
Brand-new London pizzeria NXT LVL PZA is partnering with some of the biggest names in plant-based meat to create ‘secretly vegan’ pizzas in order to encourage omnivores to switch to a plant-based diet.
McDonald’s vegan McPlant Burger is now available in all UK Outlets.
Oatly’s Barista variant has become the first plant-based milk to be served onboard Germany’s national train line.

FOOD MANUFACTURERS

ITC Limited – one of the biggest conglomerates in India – has announced that it will enter the plant-based-meat space.
Danish Crown, Europe’s biggest pork producer and the largest beef processor in Denmark, has also entered the plant-based sector – with a range of plant-based food under its Den Grønne Slagter brand.
Cauldron has become the first plant-based brand in the UK to achieve carbon neutral certification.
French cheese brand Babybel and Korean cheese brand Yangyoo have both launched plant-based versions of their much-loved products.

INGREDIENTS SUPPLIERS/NEW TECHNOLOGIES

NuCicer new super chickpea variety, developed using wild genetic diversity, boasts 75% higher protein content than conventional chickpeas.
FoodIngredientsFirst looks at the development of algae with neutral taste and color to enable more discreet plant-based fortification.
Danone North America is partnering with Future Food Tech to launch an innovation challenge aimed at improving the properties of vegan cheese.
FoodIngredientsFirst explores the question of whether biotech can offer an environmentally more sustainable alternative to egg-white protein.
Fava beans could become the next big thing in plant protein, according to Food Dive.

ONES TO WATCH OUT FOR

Mosa Meat eliminates fetal bovine serum from the cultured-meat equation without the use of GM.
Cultured beef is set to land on US store shelves later this year, according to FoodIngredientsFirst.
South Korea’s alt-protein industry is on fire, according to Green Queen.

STARTUP & FINANCIAL

Plantish has unveiled a whole-cut plant-based salmon prototype.
UK-based Omni (a ProVeg Incubator alumnus ) has secured £1.1 million in a first funding round for its plant-based dog food.
The Live Green Co (also a ProVeg Incubator alumnus ) has raised $7 million in funding in order to make food cleaner and more sustainable using AI-driven plant-based ingredients.
Scientists in Finland have developed a fungi-based egg white.
Pearlita, the latest startup seeking to disrupt the seafood sector, has announced the opening of a new research lab to grow oysters using cellular agriculture.
Remilk (another ProVeg Incubator alumnus ) is scaling up the production and availability of its dairy-identical milk protein.