We have scoured all the news outlets to bring you the most important stories from plant-based businesses across the globe. Here are the top stories from the last couple of weeks.   

Plant Milk Labels 

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) says plant milks can be called milk, under new proposed guidance. But they must explain the nutritional difference between plant milk and dairy. The guidance acknowledges that consumers understand that plant milk isn’t dairy but recommend plant milks display a label clarifying the difference.   

Company News 

Miyoko’s Leadership Change  

Leading vegan cheese company Miyoko’s Creamery has announced the departure of founder and CEO Miyoko Schinner. Business Wire reports that the founder and company have parted ways as the company enters a new stage of growth. Company CFO Jon Blair has taken the role of interim President.  

Kellogg Keeps Plant-based Range 

The US Food Giant is keeping its plant-based offering rather than separating it into a new independent company. Plant-Based represents 2% of the company’s net sales. Kellogg owns the meat-alternative brand Morning Star Farms and Incogmeato.  

Impossible New Products  

The California food producer has just launched three new chicken items. The nuggets, patties and tenders will be sold frozen in supermarkets across the US. Green Queen reports that Impossible Foods directors say growth is solid, with retail sales up 55%, and strong performance in foodservice and other sectors.  

Fazer Drops Dairy  

Finnish producer Fazer is ending dairy production to focus on oat drinks and products. In a press release the firm, whose products include chocolate, confectionery and baked goods, said it will stop dairy operations at its Koria plant by August 2023. It said the change “will enable the company to focus on the plant-based core business, in which the Koria factory plays an important role in the future.”  

Danone’s Non-Dairy Nutrition Drink  

Danone’s Nutricia nutrition drinks business has created a plant-based medical nutrition drink. Following three years of development it has launched Fortimel Plant Based Energy, a ready-to-drink supplement aimed at those with medical malnutrition who avoid dairy. 

Market Reports 

Vegan Yogurt  

The global vegan yogurt market is expected to be worth $2.1 Billion by 2027, according to a ResearchAndMarkets.com report. The category is predicted to show growth of 18.11% between 2021 and 2027.   

Scaling Up 

Expansion For Olive and Melon Seed Cheese  

Spanish vegan cheese brand Vacka has won funding worth €1.1 Million to expand its products made from olive oil and fermented melon seeds. Vegconomist reports that funders included Capital V, Big Idea Ventures, Leanox Venture capital and private investors. Last year Vacka achieved a turnover of €285,000 with a sales increase of 300%  

New Factory For Brewer’s Yeast Meat  

Californian company Planetarians has raised $6 million to build a factory for its innovative vegan meat. The company uses spent brewer’s yeast from beer production and soy flakes from the vegetable oil industry to make vegan whole cuts. Veg News reports that funders include Mindrock, Traction Fund and beer giant AB InBev who already collaborates with Planetarians on upcycling brewer’s yeast.  

 NH Foods Develops Plant-Based Seafood  

Leading Japanese food manufacturer NH Foods has developed plant-based seafood. The supplier of meat and fish has spent a year creating fish fries and popcorn shrimp from soya beans with seaweed extracts. The company says it wants to expand plant-based protein pre-cooked foods.  

Retail and Foodservice  

Cambridge Students Vote For Plant-Based Food 

Students at Cambridge University have voted to transition to vegan catering. The students’ union decision was backed by 72% of voters. It follows campaigning by Plant Based Universities, a nationwide initiative calling for universities to introduce plant-based food.  

Veggie Grill Franchise Opportunities  

Vegan burger restaurant chain Veggie Grill will be franchising its model and is reaching out to entrepreneurs  seeking a franchise opportunity. The California-based 35-branch eatery will be launching franchise deals and says it will provide comprehensive training and support for franchisees.  

Ikea Declares End to Dairy  

Swedish retailer Ikea says it aims to remove or replace dairy across its stores. The company also says it plans to make all its main meals in its restaurants 50 percent plant-based by 2025. 

We’ve been tracking the news for the best plant-based stories. From news outlets across the globe and our own industry insiders – here are the most interesting and relevant news stories from the last couple of weeks.   

Veganuary Effect  

Organisers say the annual January challenge broke all records. More than 700,000 officially signed up, from almost every country in the world. In the UK a YouGov survey found that 4% of brits participated, and that overall 9% have participated since the challenge began a decade ago. The growth of Veganuary was food for thought around plant-based investment in a column by Moira O’Neill in the Financial Times.  

Market Reports – predicted growth in plant-based foods 

Egg-Substitutes 

The vegan egg substitute market is predicted to grow at rate of 39% by 2028, according to a new report from Market Intelligence Data. The study says the increase is driven by concerns about food safety, and that the use of antibiotics and hormones are driving consumers to plant-based substitutes. As a result some food companies are phasing out or reducing the use of eggs in their supply chain and switching to plant-based alternatives.  

Protein Shakes   

Health concerns are also driving the growth of vegan protein shakes. Digital Journal reports that industry analysis found that consumers embracing healthy lifestyle are driving the adoption of vegan shakes.  

Vegan Chocolate 

The vegan chocolate market is set to surpass $1975.2 million, with a growth rate of 15%, by 2028 according to Vantage Market Research. The most popular category is bars, with demand driven by teenagers and employees at work leading the trend in plant-based snacking. Awareness of environmental issues, animal cruelty and health are cited as factors in the trend.  

Research and Development 

Grass Protein 

The rumour that vegans eat grass could become reality, as grass is being trialled as an ingredient in plant-based meat. Food Ingredients First says Schouten Europe and Grassa are researching the potential of grass protein to replace soy in meat substitutes. According to Grassa’s director, grass produces 2.5 times as much protein per hectare as soy and could soon be made into human food.  

UK’s First Cultivated Pork Steak  

UK scientists have produced the world’s first cultivated pork steak. The cut was made from pig cells by Newcastle-based biotech start-up 3D BioTissues. This report is from Food Manufacture.  

Scaling Up  

Cultivated Meat in China  

Green Queen reports on the development of the first cultivated meat plant in mainland China. Start-up CellX and manufacturer Tofflon have agreed a partnership to scale-up cultivated meat in the Asian market with the new factory. Building has already started, and manufacturing is expected to start in mid-2023.  

 Omni Dog Food 

Vegan dog food Omni has reached its crowdfunding target of nearly $500k according to Pet Business World. The company surpassed its goal within 15 minutes of going live on the Seedrs platform, the fasted ever success in the dog food category.   

New School Foods Plant-Based Salmon  

New School Foods has secured $12 million of seed funding to build a pilot plant for its plan-based fish. Food Dive says funders include Lever VC, Hatch, Good Startup and Blue Horizon Ventures. The company is developing realistic plant-based fish fillets using a freezing process instead of extrusion.   

Algae ingredients  

French company Algama, making algae-based ingredients has achieved investments worth $13 million, according to the Fish Site. Their most promising product is Tamalga, designed to be a replacement for eggs in baking.  

Expanding   

GreenGo  

Ukranian start-up GreenGo is expanding its tofu-based cheese production despite the ongoing war. Food Ingredients First says the business is planning a new factory close to the Polish border to enable it to ship products to the EU and beyond. The company also makes plant-based seafood and steak from a mixture of pea protein, wheat, and soya.  

Meati Mushroom Factory 

A “MegaRanch” that farms mushrooms instead of cows has opened in the US. Millions of pounds of mycelium-based meat will be produced every year by Colorado-based Meati in the new facility. This from Plant based News.  

 Rebellyous Nuggets 

Plant-based nugget brand Rebellyous has raised $9.5 million for a new manufacturing system, according to Food Dive’s reporter Megan Poinski. Rebellyous aims to produce inexpensive convenient comfort food that undercuts chicken on price. Founder, CEO and former Boeing engineer Christie Lagally told Food Dive: “Such a huge majority of consumers will totally replace their chicken if they can just get that price point there,” 

Every Co Egg Alternative 

Plant Based News reports that actor Anne Hathaway is among the investors in plant-based egg. She is putting up an undisclosed amount into the San Francisco-based EVERY Co that uses precision fermentation to create egg protein without chickens. The company has raised $230 million in total.  

Retail and foodservice  

Juicy Marbles in UK supermarket 

Juicy Marbles steaks have gone on sale in UK supermarket Waitrose. The Slovenian-based start-up, founded by microbiologist Luka Sincek, makes ultra-realistic high protein mock-meat that is bought raw and caramelises like animal flesh when cooked. In November 2021 the company raised $4.5 million seed funding to produce the steak.  

Beam Available in The UAE  

Allergen-free plant-based snack bars from Northern Ireland’s Bream brand are now on sale in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The range are available in stores run by Spinneys, Grandiose and Waitrose in the region.  

Plant-Based on Campus 

Vegan restaurants are making their way into university campuses, as students increasingly look for plant-based options. According to Veg News Bryant University in Rhode Island will be home to a branch of Plant City X, and Georgia Tech in Atlanta will be home to a Slutty Vegan at its John Lewis Student Center. Slutty Vegan is reported to have secured $25 million in investments to expand across several states.  

Europe’s only dedicated plant-based trade event, Plant Based World Expo Europe, returned bigger and better last week at London Olympia with twice as much floorspace as the previous year, demonstrating the huge growth and innovation that has taken place in the plant-based food sector in 2022.   

The show also welcomed a 94% increase in attendees compared to 2021, with visitors from across the food service, retail, distribution, and investment sectors, including senior decision-makers from the likes of Tesco, M&S, ALDI, Morrisons, Waitrose, Ocado, Sodexo, ISS, Bidfood, Sysco, Aramark, LEON, Papa Johns Pizza, Burger King, The Restaurant Group and Greggs to name a few.  

Future eating habits and new opportunities were at the heart of the show as the industry came together to reflect on the progress of the plant-based sector and explore what the next generation of plant-based eating looks like, with the latest innovations available on the show floor to taste.  

Leaders from some of the biggest food brands in the world, including Deliveroo, Wagamama, Sainsbury’s, and Quorn, offered their insight on how plant-based ingredients are transforming consumers’ view of food and presenting significant business growth opportunities during the conference programme. 

With a unique take on how businesses can convert the masses, Emily Weston, Head of Brand Development at Wagamama, joined the ‘Persuading consumers to try plant-based’ session: “Launching vegan dishes and menus isn’t just about appeasing vegans. We want more people to try vegan foods and when we introduce new plant-based dishes to our menus we see participation spike.”  

The Culinary Theatre was also a hive of activity with live cooking demonstrations using some of the most innovative plant-based products available. Ten sessions took place across two days, including an interactive demonstration from BOSH! which offered visitors an exclusive preview of its new sauces to make an authentic and delicious lasagne. Unfished also took part to demonstrate the progress in the fish-less category by creating tuna rolls, whilst Redefine Meat showcased how plant-based foods can be incorporated in fine dining using its tenderloin and new premium cuts.   

Alongside the interactive show content, over 150 exhibitors from around the world showcased the products capturing the attention of a wider pool of consumers to bring plant-based eating into the mainstream. The show floor included a broad range of brands, from household names to innovative new start-ups including Verdino, Moving Mountains, Mock, Meatless Farm, Redefine Meat, Thanks Plants, The Raging Pig Company, unMeat, Wicked Kitchen, Quorn, Tiba Tempeh, MozzaRisella, and Shicken.   

Hosted Buyers Programme

To give buyers exclusive access to exhibitors and help participating brands forge new connections with decision makers also hosted a buyers programme. Over 400 meetings took place across two days, helping the industry to form new business relationships and bring more plant-based foods to shelves and menus.  

One buyer who enjoyed the show was Heerum Flearly, Procurement Consultant at Tickeat Ltd, who said: “The hosted buyer programme has been really beneficial. The show has been so busy, and I’ve been surprised by the breadth on offer. Plant Based World Expo has created a very strong plant-based community and I definitely want to be part of it next year.” 

Having experienced exponential growth in its first two years, Plant Based World Expo Europe has announced that the show will take place at the ExCeL, London’s biggest venue, for 2023. The event began in London’s Business Design Centre in 2021, before moving to London Olympia for this year’s edition.  

Jonathan Morley, Managing Director of Plant Based World Expo Europe, concludes: “We are thrilled that support for our show has been so strong this year, so much so that Plant Based World Expo is moving to an even bigger venue in 2023. We are proud to provide the perfect platform to facilitate collaboration across the industry to realise the business opportunities that further integrating plant-based foods into the mainstream represents, all whilst improving both our health and the environment. We can’t wait for next year!”  

About Plant Based World Expo Europe 

Plant Based World Expo is the only 100% plant-based event for trade professionals – retailers, foodservice, hospitality, distributors, manufacturers, and investors. This unique show combines a world-class conference with an international exhibition of the most innovative products on the market, as well as high-level networking and product tasting opportunities.  

The mission of Plant Based World Expo is simple: connecting and empowering businesses to successfully develop, source and distribute plant-based products.  Plant Based World Expo Europe is arriving at ExCeL London on 15th and 16th November 2023, be the first to hear when registration opens by joining the mailing list: https://mailchi.mp/jdevents/subscribe-to-plant-based-world or visit https://www.plantbasedworldeurope.com/