With the market for plant-based foods continuing to explode, and the cultured-food sector growing on a daily basis, the future of animal-free food has never looked brighter. Key developments this month include the regulatory approval of Eat Just’s pourable egg product, and the launch of Perfect Day’s cream cheese, made from cultured milk proteins. Read on to find out more about these and other exciting developments.

TRENDS & PROJECTIONS

• Cultured meat could boost the UK Economy by £2.1 billion, according to an Oxford University study.
• A new report from Global Market Insights suggests that the alt-protein market will be worth $155 billion by 2027.
• More than 95% of Hong Kong consumers are willing to try cultured protein, according to a new study by Singapore food-tech company Shiok Meats.
• Both flexitarians and the cultured-food movement are advancing plant-based eating, says Innova Market Insights.
• Former meat farmer Ilttud Dunsford has founded a cultured-meat startup.
• 66% of South Africans are “highly interested” in plant-based protein and cultured meat, says a new study released by the NGO Credence Institute.

RETAIL FOODS

• In the UK, the plant-based fried-chicken brand VFC, created by Veganuary’s Matthew Glover and chef Adam Lyons, has launched in Tesco stores nationwide.
• Aldi has launched its new Ultimate No Beef Burger in UK stores, undercutting Beyond Meat’s burger patties by 60%.
• Food Dive looks at five ways to boost sales of plant-based products in grocery stores.
• Eat Just’s pourable alt-egg product is rolling out across Canada, where 55% of consumers now identify as flexitarian.

FOODSERVICE CHAINS/CATERERS

• Following the September launch of its long-awaited McPlant burger, McDonald’s UK has revealed plans to become a market leader in the plant-based space.
• Meet Vegedal, the French fast-food phenomenon providing perfect plant-based versions of mainstream convenience products.
• Burger King has extended its Impossible franchise with the launch of Impossible’s Vegan Nuggets.
• In Spain, Burger King has opened a 100% plant-based restaurant, in collaboration with the Vegetarian Butcher.

FOOD MANUFACTURERS

• Nestlé is accelerating its plant-based innovation, with new shrimp and egg alternatives.
• Food Dive looks at how Danone deconstructed milk to create a more realistic plant-based option.
• Perfect Day has launched the world’s first animal-free cream cheese made from conventional milk proteins.
• DMK Group, Germany’s largest dairy cooperative, is set to launch a range of plant-based cheeses and desserts in 2022.
• Karavela, one of Europe’s largest producers of canned fish, has launched Fish Peas, a plant-based canned-seafood brand.
• Berkeley-based Mission Barns is teaming up with fellow Californian brand Silva Sausage to create a Chorizo sausage made with a blend of plant protein and cultivated fat.

INGREDIENTS SUPPLIERS/NEW TECHNOLOGIES

• IFF had debuted a plant-based stabilizer for use with vegan whipped-cream applications.
• Pea protein is being hailed as a rising star, with pea-producer Puris opening a facility in the US, doubling production.
• Eat Just’s mung bean protein has received regulatory approval in the EU, which will allow the company to bring its alt-egg product to Europe.

ONES TO WATCH OUT FOR

• South African cultured-food company Mogale Meat is developing solutions to future-proof Southern Africa’s nutrition and food security issues – including creating cultured meat from free-roaming antelope.
• The Plant-Based Food Alliance has launched in the UK in order to provide a voice for the growing plant-based sector.
• Singapore-based TurtleTree’s new R&D facility in Sacramento is set to bring cultured milk and dairy to consumers.

STARTUP & FINANCIAL

• Nutreco and Mosa Meat have received a €2 million grant to advance cellular agriculture and bring cultured beef to the EU market.
• Meet Daisy Lab, the startup that is updating New Zealand’s dairy heritage using precision fermentation.
• Seafood giant Thai Union is partnering with cultured-meat pioneer Aleph Farms, as 97% of Thais say yes to cultured meat.
• Scottish chocolate-brand Fellow Creatures (an alumnus of the ProVeg Incubator) has secured a six-figure investment for expansion of its palm oil-free products. ProVeg has also invested in the company.
• Estonian startup ProProtein (part of the current ProVeg Incubator cohort) is producing milk proteins from yeast.
• Meet Future (also from Estonia, and also currently taking part in the ProVeg Incubator program) is an alt-protein startup working on whole-cut chicken and seafood analogs for the Eastern European market.
• Another ProVeg-Incubator alumnus, the French startup Aberyne, has produced a plant-based foie gras, which will be distributed throughout France and Spain by the end of the year.

STAKEHOLDERS INTERVENTION

• In Denmark, a landmark political agreement means that farmers producing plant-based foods will receive €77 million in subsidies over the next five years.
• A FAIRR report has declared 2021 the year of cultured meat, with more than half a billion dollars invested so far.

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