Plant-based alternatives to meat and dairy: a round up

I’ve been collecting items about plant-based “meat” and “dairy foods.”  These are a hot topic, with new announcements almost daily.

Here’s what FoodNavigator-USA.com has collected in a Special Edition

• Talking protein with Glanbia Nutritionals: It’s a time of trial and experimentation: Is the protein craze fizzling out? Not if you look at new product launch data, or the fact that producers of both plant and dairy proteins are continuing to add capacity, and consumers are continuing to experiment with new sources, from marine collagen to sacha inchi, points out Max Maxwell, market analyst at Glanbia Nutritionals… Read
• ADM: ‘We’re very confident that our pea protein will have some competitive advantages’: ADM – which is best known in the protein arena for its soy-based ingredients and edible beans – is moving into the fast-growing pea protein space early next year with an 80%+ concentrate, and is developing “legume ingredients with at least 80% protein as well.”.. Read
• Perfect Day partners with ADM to commercialize animal free dairy proteins: Perfect Day, a high-profile Silicon Valley start-up producing casein and whey via microbial fermentation (minus the cows) has teamed up with global ingredients giant ADM to develop and commercialize its animal-free dairy proteins… Read
• San Diego start-up develops algae production platform capable of producing proteins found in bovine and human breast milk: A San Diego-based firm building a production platform for food proteins from green algae says it can produce recombinant proteins identical to those found in bovine and human breast milk, which it claims could prove a game changer in the infant formula market… Read
• Geltor raises $18.2m, gears up for 2020 launch of animal-free collagen proteins for the food industry: Geltor – a San Leandro-based start-up producing collagen proteins via microbial fermentation for the cosmetics industry – is gearing up for the 2020 launch of commercial quantities for the food industry after completing an $18.2m Series A round led by Cultivian Sandbox Ventures and supported by GELITA, ADM Ventures, Cavallo Ventures and Box Group… Read
• Peas please! Where next for pea protein? Once a niche ingredient, pea protein is now the #2 player in the burgeoning plant-based protein market behind soy, with key players ratcheting up capacity to meet growing demand. FoodNavigator-USA (FNU) caught up with Tyler Lorenzen (TL), president at PURIS, the largest North American producer of pea protein, to talk peas….. Read
• New Chinese pea protein plant will boost availability of higher quality pea protein in 2019, says Farbest: Farbest Brands has been named the preferred North American distributor of pea protein by Chinese manufacturer Jianyuan Foods Group, which will start commissioning a new production facility in the coming weeks that will provide “a significant increase in pea protein supply for Farbest customers beginning in 2019.”.. Read

And here are a bunch I’ve picked up here and there:

• Dairy UK objects to a vegan shop’s use of the word “cheese” to describe its products.
• The National Milk Producers Federation has petitioned the FDA to label plant-based products as “imitation,’ “alternative,” or “substitute,” when referring to what their makers have been calling “milk.”  The petition is here.
• The food processor ABP UK is coming out with new products made with pea and soy proteins formulated to “appeal to meat reducers and non-meat eaters alike.”
• Tyson’s, as Big Meat as they get, has announced that it is investing in plant-based meat.
• Good Karma is launching plant-based sour cream, ranch dips, and French onion dips.
• Plant-based vs traditional meat: Euromonitor offers four-year outlook: Despite the rapid growth of the meat alternative sector, market research firm Euromonitor has revealed that there is still a way to go to compete with some of the major international meat markets… Read
• State ag officials warn cell-based meat companies against demonizing traditional options (behind a paywall)

I will be keeping an eye on this area, where a lot seems to be happening, and fast.