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

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 colour 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.

STAKEHOLDER INTERVENTIONS

• France and Austria have called on Brussels to develop a plant-based protein strategy for the EU.
• Doctors in the UK have claimed that a shift to plant-based diets would reduce public healthcare expenditure by at least £30 billion.

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