Australian plant-based food group V2Food has formed a strategic partnership with global food science company Ajinomoto, and has also recently acquired US vegan chicken brand Daring Foods.

The acquisition enables V2Food to benefit from California-based Daring’s strong presence in the US market, where its unbreaded soya-based chicken products are available in retail and foodservice. It will enable V2Food to accelerate its international expansion and combine its proprietary technology with the Daring Foods brand.

Tim York, CEO of V2Food, said: “Daring has built an incredible, consumer-loved brand with strong reach across the US, and combining that with our food technology creates immediate opportunities to accelerate our mission to be one of the global leaders in plant-based protein”.

V2Food, headquartered in Sydney, produces ready-to-eat plant-based meals with a goal of furthering a sustainable food production system in Australia and beyond. The company has already built a supply chain in partnership with the meat industry, enabling it to deliver products at accessible price points.

Ajinomoto has invested in V2Food as part of the companies’ strategic partnership. The collaboration will bring together V2Food’s expertise and plant-based protein technologies with Ajinomoto’s ‘Deliciousness Technology,’ a fusion of advanced technologies developed through amino acid research and designed to meet demand for tastier and healthier functional foods.

V2Food has also collaborated with Australian government research institute Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), leading to the creation of its V2 RepliTech technology. This enhances the taste and texture of alternative protein products to enable broader availability of sustainable food products and ingredients in both developed and emerging markets.

Building on its investment in V2Food, Ajinomoto said it plans to offer clean label protein products in developed markets like the US and sustainable, affordable protein solutions in emerging markets.

In a statement on LinkedIn, V2Food said: “Together, we are creating a platform poised to accelerate the development of next-generation clean protein products… This partnership will enable us to scale our mission globally, providing delicious, nutritious and sustainable food solutions to a growing population.”