As plant-based eating continues to enter the mainstream, the EU’s proposed ‘Veggie Burger Ban’ was rejected by MEPS in a recent vote. Find out more below, along with all the latest news from this rapidly growing sector.
Do you want to get the latest insights into the plant-based sector but don’t have time to read all the important B2B-Magazines? ProVeg compiles the latest news from key publications, ensuring that you never miss out on the most important news. Below, we take a look at the biggest developments from the month of October.
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TRENDS & PROJECTIONS
- Sales of plant-based foods have exploded this year, as the pandemic continues to disrupt business as usual. But is this because people are turning away from animal-based eating, or is it in keeping with the sector’s trends.
- In the US, oat milk has surged to the second most popular spot in the plant-based dairy category.
- Language matters – a new report from the Better Buying Lab looks at which terms and descriptors are most likely to encourage purchase of plant-based products.
- Almost half of Americans have made an effort to eat less meat during the pandemic, according to research commissioned by Herbalife Nutrition.
- Whole Foods has revealed their leading food trends for 2021.
RETAIL FOODS
- Good Catch has launched nationwide in Canada, with its frozen plant-based seafood entrees and appetizers now available at 640 locations.
- Dutch Supermarket chain PLUS has announced the launch of its own in-house range of plant-based meat alternatives.
- Spanish plant-based meat brand Heura has entered the UK market, launching in two leading specialty retailers.
- UK retail giant Asda is launching plant-based aisles in 359 of its stores, as well as adding more than 100 new shelf-stable plant-based foods to its product roster.
- A new plant-based butcher is set to open in London, with data suggesting that millions of Brits are cutting down on their meat intake.
FOODSERVICE CHAINS & CATERERS
- The Harwood Arms in London is the UK’s first Michelin-star restaurant to serve plant-based meat.
- McDonald’s will soon be testing the waters in the UK with a Beyond Meat product, according to inside sources.
- Hospitality group Ovolo Hotels will be going 100% vegetarian for a year, beginning a company-wide shift towards “compelling plant-based cuisine”.
- Plant-based egg alternatives comprise the fastest-growing plant-based category.
- Nando’s has launched its first plant-based chicken product In the UK.
FOOD MANUFACTURERS
- Impossible Foods is planning to double the size of its R&D team, and is working on plant-based egg and milk alternatives.
- THIS™ have launched at 544 Sainsbury’s stores across the UK, and have also been selected for Tesco’s incubator programme.
- The CEOs of Whole Foods and Eat Just discuss the future of food and the importance of innovation in the plant-based sector.
- Plant-based eaters in the UK and Netherlands can now enjoy vegan fish and chips, with Vegan Finest Foods’ new brand Zeastar launching a plant-based cod alternative.
- Mumbai-based EVO Foods is set to launch its first product in India, a plant-based liquid egg made from legumes, with plans to enter the US market next year.
DAIRY ALTERNATIVES
- Upfield Canada is expanding its operations and will be focusing on plant-based spreads, margarine, and cheese.
- Multinational cheese giant Bel Group will be introducing plant-based offerings in each of its core brands, including Laughing Cow, Babybel, and Kiri.
- Australian yoghurt giant Chobani has made its first venture beyond the dairy-yoghurt category, with the launch of a plant-based oat milk and plans to develop a range of oat-based products.
MEAT ALTERNATIVES
- Foodingredientsfirst showcases recent product developments in the meat-free space.
- German poultry giant PHW has launched five vegan sausage products and six meat and fish alternatives for the fresh food sector, aiming specifically at flexitarians.
- In the US, Before the Butcher has launched a range of plant-based burger patties at the same price point as beef.
- Hooray Foods is set to debut its plant-based bacon in Whole Foods stores in seven regions.
- Heura, Europe’s fastest-growing plant-meat brand, claims to have developed the world’s healthiest burger.
INGREDIENTS SUPPLIERS/NEW TECHNOLOGIES
- Ulrick & Short has extended its egg replacement range with a functional ingredient that it claims will vastly improve the quality of vegan cakes and muffins.
- Rapeseed has the potential to compete with soya in plant-based foods, according to researchers in Germany.
- Verso Food has secured a patent covering its fava-bean-processing technology for plant-based foods and meat analogues.
- Cell-cultured meat might be able to surpass the nutritional profile of conventionally farmed meat, according to new research.
STAKEHOLDER INTERVENTIONS
- In the EU, the proposed ban on the use of ‘veggie burger’ and other ‘meaty’ names has been rejected by MEPs.
- The EU has allocated funds for a cultured-meat project – for the first time.
- An environmental-certification system for plant-based seafood was officially launched in October.
- Based on data from new consumer research, the plant-based industry in India is calling on the Food Safety and Standards Authority India to reconsider its recent proposal to ban the use of traditional dairy terms such as ‘milk’ and ‘cheese’.
- Both cultured-meat startups and conventional meat companies have written to USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service, urging officials to gather more data before publishing proposed rules on how cell-cultured meat and poultry products should be labeled.
ONES TO WATCH OUT FOR
- New research has revealed substantial markets for cultured meat and plant-based meat alternatives in France and Germany.
- The Netherlands’ Foreign Investment Agency explore why international companies are investing in plant-based developments in the country.
STARTUP & FINANCIAL
- Dao Foods has announced investment in 30 next-gen food startups in order to accelerate the plant-based sector in China.
- Next Gen, a Singapore-based food tech, has announced its official launch after closing a US$2.2 million seed-funding round.
- Eat Just, the San Francisco-based food tech famous for its plant-based egg, has announced a new partnership with a consortium led by the investment-management firm Proterra to build a new production facility in Singapore.
- Australian plant-based-meat startup v2food has just announced a US$55 million Series B round, breaking records as the largest funding round in the category in the country.
