Update on plant-based foods: Yes, another one

I don’t care what the arguments are about plant-based meats (see Deena Shanker’s riveting piece in Bloomberg News), they and other plant-based alternatives to animal foods still look like a hot trend to me.   I base this on what pours into my inbox.

One view of the trends:

• Traditional and cultured meat: The trends to look out for in 2023:  As the world emerges into 2023 following a year of perma-crisis, Food Manufacture explores what the coming 12 months have in store for the meat industry and what role cultivated animal proteins have supporting the industry and the growth of plant-based alternatives. Read more

The new products:

• Plant-based product launches for Veganuary 2023:  As the plant-based community celebrates another Veganuary, we take a look at some of the new launches from the sector in this round-up of plant-based new product development…. Read more
• Vegan baby formula: Exploring the plant-based potential in ‘one of the most strictly regulated’ categories: Why does bovine milk dominate the infant formula category, when plant-based is booming in adult nutrition? FoodNavigator speaks with lawyer Jessica Burt from Mills & Reeve, as well as brands Aptamil and Sprout Organic to discuss the plant-based potential in baby formula…. Read more
• How an Israeli start-up developed fish-free tinned tuna with the ‘complete sensory experience’ of taste, texture and smell: In Israel, Vgarden Ltd. has developed what it claims is ‘game-changing’ vegan tinned tuna. Omer Eliav, chief of R&D and Vgarden co-founder runs us though the most challenging aspects of replicating the kitchen staple, fish-free…. Read more

Funding and expansions:

• Businesswire No Meat Factory secures $42 million series B funding: With this latest funding round, No Meat Factory plans to expand its production footprint in North America and build out its manufacturing capabilities to service the global market, increasing access…Read More
• Aqua Cultured Foods begins buildout on fungi-based alt seafood factory: The maker of mycoprotein-based seafood alternatives has begun buildout of a new facility in the US, from where it will produce products for the European market…. Read more

Marketing innovations:

• ‘Plants don’t get the flu…’ Plant-based eggs in the spotlight as egg prices surge: While chicken egg prices were up a staggering 59.9%* year-on-year in December 2022, refrigerated liquid plant-based alternatives have come down in price, with unit sales (+14.2%) outpacing dollar sales (+8.4% to $35.52m) in the year to Dec 4, 2022, according to SPINS data shared with FoodNavigator-USA…. Read more

Even so, the criticisms continue:

• Meat substitutes contain ‘antinutrients’ that inhibit absorption of iron and zinc: ‘The industry needs to think about the nutritional value of these products’: New research out of Sweden has found that while many meat substitutes are high in micronutrients like iron they are often found in a form that cannot be absorbed by the body…. Read more

I am ever fascinated by all this. You too?  Stay tuned.

********

For 30% off, go to www.ucpress.edu/9780520384156.  Use code 21W2240 at checkout.