Welcome to our fortnightly business round-up. We have scoured the newspapers, magazines, and digital platforms for the most important plant-based news stories. If you have news for us, why not get in touch? Email us at [email protected] with your stories!  

Company News  

Naturli Butter Launching in US 

Danish plant-based food firm Naturli is launching its plant-based butter in the US. Texas-based retailer H-E-B will start selling the spread in June. US distributor Kehe will also take on the product. Naturli is also in talks about expanding its ice cream sales in the UK via supermarkets.  

Very Good Company in Receivership  

Canadian meat and dairy alternative company The Very Good Food has gone into receivership after failing to secure new finance. The Vancouver-based business will continue to operate while a buyer is being sought.

Nestle Ends Plant-Based Brands in UK and Irish Retail  

Nestle is removing its vegan meat-free Garden Gourmet and alternative-dairy Wunda brands from retail in the UK and Ireland. Garden Gourmet products will still be available for foodservice in the UK and Ireland.  

Market Reports 

Innova’s Top Trends  

Despite inevitable roadblocks, the future for plant-based is rich with innovation and opportunities, according to a report from Innova Market Insights. They list plant-based as one of the top ten trends for 2023. Consumers told Innova that they are concerned about nutritional value, sustainability, global food production, and competitive pricing. 

Sports Nutrition  

The sports nutrition industry is experiencing a trend towards plant-based products in line with more people switching to plant-based eating. The Business Research Company’s Sports Nutrition Global Market Report 2023 notes that manufacturers are introducing plant-based versions of protein bars, powders and drinks. For example, US brand Osage has launched SolvPro, a new line of plant-based protein blends.   

New Foods 

Cultivated Chicken Cleared by FDA 

A second US cultivated meat company has got clearance from the US Food and Drink Administration (FDA). Good Meat, the cultivated meat division of Eat Just, received a “no questions” letter for its cultivated chicken. This follows a similar result for Upside Foods. Good Meat is now working with the US Department of Agriculture to get further approval to enable it to be sold. Good Meat has already launched cultivated chicken in Singapore. 

Demolish Launches Chicken Whole-Cuts 

Indian start-up Demolish Foods has launched plant-based whole-cut chicken breasts. The Bangalore-based alternative-protein company has created protein fibres that mimic the texture and nutritional content of meat. The company was a finalist in the XPRIZE Feed The Next billion competition, where teams compete to make meat alternatives. 

Formo Announces New PF Cream Cheese  

The German precision fermentation company Formo has created an animal-free cream cheese. Formo announced on LinkedIn that the cheese is made with microorganisms instead of milk from cows, “perfect for elevating your bagel, pasta or cheesecake”. 

Chickpea Cheese  

An Israeli company has developed a chickpea isolate that can be used to make plant-based cheese. Green Queen reports that ChickP Protein Ltd is making an isolate that is 90% protein and has a neutral flavour. This follows a prototype creamer ice cream that was released last year. ChickP is currently working on producing Emmental, parmesan and mozzarella. 

Advocacy  

Norwich Endorses Plant-Based Treaty  

Norwich has become the third UK city to support the Plant Based Treaty. The local authority will offer plant-based food in council spaces, including markets, events, and leisure centres. So far, over 20 cities and towns worldwide have endorsed the treaty. 

Green Standard Schools Signs Pp  

The Plant Based Treaty has also been endorsed by Green Standards Schools, a global association of language schools committed to protecting the environment. 

Oxford City Council Goes Plant-Based  

Oxford City Council has voted to serve plant-based food at councillor events. Plant Based News reports that the councillors voted unanimously to ban meat at internal catered events. 

Retail and foodservice  

Meat-Free Month at Burger King in Copenhagen 

A branch of Burger King in Copenhagen has ditched meat for a month. Meat items were taken off the menu at the Radhuspladsen restaurant from March 15. Plant Based News reports that patties and fillets from the Vegetarian Butcher will replace the traditional fillings. 

Julienne Bruno in Ocado  

Artisanal vegan cheese brand Julienne Bruno has secured a listing with UK retailer Ocado. The range is made from organic soya and coconut oil using a unique fermenting process that took two years to perfect. 

Consumers know and like alternative proteins, but want improvements in taste, price, and nutritional content, according to a new report by Boston Consulting Group and Blue Horizon Corporation.  The study found that the share of consumers eating only or mostly alternative proteins would double if certain barriers were overcome.  

The researchers asked 3700 people in seven countries in North America, Europe, the Middle East and Asia about alternative protein. They found that consumers are open to alternatives but want better tasting and healthier products. Consumers cited taste, nutritional value, and price as the attributes that they valued the most.  

“Peak Meat” 

The findings suggest that the developing world might reach “peak meat” over the next couple of decades, paving the way for a more resilient, sustainable, and stable food system. The transformation is supported by investment and technological innovation, but certain barriers must be overcome if alternative protein is to reach its potential.  

Anuj Maheshwari of Temesek Holdings, a contributor to the report says: “By 2035, if alternative proteins reach full parity in taste, texture, and price with conventional animal proteins, we anticipate that 11% of all the meat, seafood, eggs, and dairy eaten around the globe will be made from alternative proteins. With a push from regulators and step changes in technology, that number could reach 22%.”  

However, she warns that: “It is not a given that consumers will switch to alternative proteins for the sake of climate impact, unless expectations for taste, texture, cost, and nutritional value are met.”  

Global Demand 

Awareness of alternative proteins amongst consumers was around 70%, with around 60% having tried the food, with 35% identifying as frequent, near-exclusive or exclusive consumers. Consumers in the UAE are the most open to alternative proteins and French consumers the most hesitant.  

Chinese consumers reported high awareness and consumption. As contributor Albert Tseng of Dao Foods said: “We will not be able to prevent people in China or anywhere else from consuming more proteins. But you can convince consumers to buy the right ones. This is our task.”  

Contributors Eugène Klerk and Daniel Rupli of Credit Suisse put the challenge this way: “Inhibitors differ globally: In more developed countries we need to motivate consumers to switch from traditional proteins to alternative ones. In less developed countries, we need to avoid consumers adopting traditional proteins and directly move to alternative ones.”  

Healthier Choices 

Improvements in the in the health aspects of products are especially important. Three-quarters of the respondents cited health as the primary motivator, and it is the top driver in all markets other than France, where it is number two. The Covid-19 pandemic accelerated the adoption of alternative proteins for health reasons, especially in China.  

Health concerns and taste are the biggest barriers to consumption across all markets. Rahul Ray of Tyson Ventures, the venture capital arm of Tyson Foods, adds, “Producers need to clean up the ingredient list. Otherwise, there is a risk that consumers will step away as the products look too processed.”  

 Taste and Cost 

When it comes purchasing decisions taste and price are key criteria. “Animal-based proteins are often understood as superior across multiple attributes,” says Lisa Sweet of the World Economic Forum. “So, in the next couple of years, if alternative proteins are able to achieve a lower price point, that could be a critical enabler to motivate consumers to switch.”  

The report found that investors understand the opportunities offered by alternative protein, and that capital investment has risen at an annual rate of 124% over a two-year period from $1 billion in 2019 to $5 million in 2021. Investment is increasingly global, with increased funding from the Middle East and Asia-Pacific region.  

Innovations in Manufacturing 

The report also looked at innovations in ingredients, processes, and software, that are making alternative protein more palatable and viable. Notable successes include Perfect Day, Better Dairy, Nobell Foods, Moolec Science, and Change Foods using plants, yeasts, and fungi in animal-free casein to replicate the melting and stretching characteristics of cheese. Nature’s Fynd has developed new textures for meat and dairy substitutes from filamentous fungi. Fiberstar and PeelPioneers are using orange peel to replace methyl cellulose. La Vie’s proprietary processing technology helped produce a solid “fat that sizzles” in its plant-based bacon.   

The report’s impact analysis shows that alternative protein is one of the best tools available to combat the climate crisis. But it concludes that if consumption of it is to grow consumer acceptance must improve. As Sir Charles Godfray of the University of Oxford puts it: “We need to keep one thing in mind: we do not eat proteins, we eat meals,”