US oat milk brand Planet Oat has announced the launch of Planet Oat Humble Edition – a chilled oat milk product made with just five ingredients. The brand, owned by food and beverage group HP Hood, said its latest offering delivers a ‘delightfully creamy texture’ inspired by homemade oat milk recipes from around the world. It is crafted with just water and oats, banana purée, sea salt and baking soda, catering to increasing demands for clean-label milk alternative options. The NPD contains no gums or oils and no cane sugar, with just 4g of sugar per 8oz serving. Chris Ross, senior vice president of marketing and R&D at Planet Oat, said: “The launch of Planet Oat Humble Edition Oatmilk is an opportunity to reinforce what the brand stands for: thoughtful innovation rooted in the mighty, humble oat”. “We wanted to create an oat milk inspired by the earliest homemade recipes but is still silky-smooth and delicious, showing consumers they don't need to compromise to feel good about what's in their glass." Innovation in clean-label plant-based dairy products is on the rise as consumers become increasingly discerning about additives, which are often used within the category to deliver creamier textures and enable products to more accurately mimic traditional dairy milk. In the UK, Carlsberg Britvic-owned Plenish has this week announced the launch of a clean-label oat milk product made with just four natural ingredients and delivering 10g of protein per serving. Planet Oat’s latest launch is now available at select Walmart stores across the US.

Belgian food-tech start-up Paleo has raised €2 million to support the commercial scale-up of its animal-free heme proteins, made using precision fermentation. The company produces animal-free and non-GMO myoglobins – the proteins naturally found in animal muscle that give meat its characteristic red colour and meaty flavour – using fermentation of yeast. Paleo’s solutions are designed to deliver enhanced flavour, aroma and nutrition for alternative protein products, such as plant-based alternatives to meat and seafood. Led by food-tech-focused venture capital firm Beyond Impact, the €2 million investment will support Paleo in finalising its regulatory submission in North America and strengthening its relationship with commercial partners. Hermes Sanctorum, CEO and co-founder of Paleo, told FoodBev Media: “Over the past years, we have significantly increased our productivity while extensively testing and refining our product and formulations with potential customers. Today, we are confident that with Paleo’s myoglobin, we can make the best meat alternative in the world, in a cost-efficient way.” Read The Plant Base’s ‘Start-up spotlight’ Q&A with Paleo here! Sanctorum added that the food-tech company is exploring “new and creative routes to market,” stating that the industry needs “new approaches”. One example of this he offers is the nutraceutical space, where myoglobin can provide a source of highly bioavailable heme iron. Paleo was established in 2020, with a mission of improving animal welfare and environmental sustainability by decoupling its protein production from livestock farming and its associated carbon footprint. Before founding Paleo, Sanctorum served as a member of the Flemish parliament and the Belgian senate, with a focus on advancing climate action and advocating for animal rights.

Carlsberg Britvic-owned plant-based brand Plenish has expanded its Clean Protein range with the launch of Protein Oat Drink, a high-protein oat milk made without oils or additives. Claimed to be a category-first for the UK market, the drink is made with just four naturally sourced ingredients and provides 10g of protein per serving. With a complete amino acid profile, the drink aims to deliver convenient plant-based nutrition while addressing growing demand for clean-label options made with simple, natural ingredients. The drink is designed to fit seamlessly into consumers’ daily routines, suitable for pouring over cereal, stirring into oats, blending into smoothies and more. According to Plenish, it delivers the same creamy taste and texture consumers seek from oat drinks while retaining its clean-label status. Plenish noted the growth of the plant-based protein market, projected to reach around $35 billion by 2030, while searches for ‘natural protein’ have increased 20% year-on-year according to Ocado’s data. Russell Goldman, managing director of breakthrough brands at Carlsberg Britvic, said: “We know today’s consumers are increasingly looking for easy ways to add more protein to their diets without having to completely change what they are eating or drinking, so we wanted to create something that fits naturally into everyday routines”. He added: “Many convenient protein options contain additives and unnecessarily processed ingredients, so we saw an opportunity to offer something that supports consumers with an easy way to top up their daily protein, while staying true to our mission of ingredient transparency and great tasting products”. Plenish Clean Protein Oat Drink is now rolling out at selected Tesco stores across the UK, and online via Plenish’s website from 7 September, priced at an RRP of £2.50.

ProVeg International’s ProVeg Incubator programme has selected 15 food-tech start-ups to join its Autumn cohort, representing 11 countries across four continents. Over the coming weeks, the start-ups will take part in a programme designed to equip founders with the clarity and market resilience needed to navigate the alternative protein industry’s dynamic ecosystem. They will benefit from access to deep-sector expertise, 1-on-1 mentorship, financial models and pitch decks, and corporate and investor networking opportunities. It aims to help these ventures navigate current market challenges, achieve commercial validation and scale their solutions for the mass market. Plant-based start-ups selected for the programme include: Noiet (Italy) – focused on upcycling oat and rice byproducts into multifunctional, clean-label fermented protein ingredients, suitable for use in bakery, gluten-free, and meat and dairy alternative applications. Its oat ingredient contains 40% protein and 25% fibre, while its rice solution contains 68% protein OMN9 (India) – manufacturer of clean-label plant protein isolates from indigenous, climate-resilient crops using a proprietary green extraction process. Its flagship mung bean isolate achieves 80% purity with strong foaming and emulsification properties, suitable for beverages, bakery, and meat, dairy and egg alternatives The Fat Company (Israel) – producer of plant-derived fat particles designed to replicate the flavour, texture and functionality of animal fat while containing zero cholesterol or trans fats, and being more cost-effective. Its particles can be tailored across various alt-protein applications and integrated into existing production lines Protein Plus (Singapore) – develops patented, zero-waste and clean-label ingredients extracted from 100% mature coconut fruit, including plant-based coconut powders, virgin coconut oils and stable raw coconut creams. Designed for use across Asia-Pacific’s dairy-free beverage and culinary sectors Deligene (Israel) – creator of next-generation soybean varieties designed specifically for modern food applications such as alt-meat and alt-dairy, using transgene-free genome editing. Its solutions can offer functionalities such as emulsification and foaming, high gelation, improved texture and water rerention, and higher methionine content for better protein quality. Wauw! (Norway) – produces frozen plant-based convenience foods including falafel, bites, burgers, mince, nuggets and schnitzels, combining clean-label recipes with a focus on taste and texture. The company develops its recipes with Danish culinary expertise from the Michelin-starred restaurant scene, operating with a taste-first approach Meat the Next (Hong Kong) – the food-tech venture behind Tiga Milk, marketed as the ‘world’s first’ full amino acid combo-formulation plant milk crafted from tiger nuts, non-GMO soybeans and oats. The drink is driven by patented enzymatic hydrolysis technology, which naturally releases sweetness from starch without added sugar, eliminating raw bean aftertaste while delivering microfoam that will not clog commercial coffee machines Arummi (Indonesia) – the country’s first locally produced cashew milk brand and its third dairy alternative brand in national supermarkets, with its flagship barista milk made from local, rain-fed cashews and designed to deliver stable microfoam under steam. Its locally sourced model aims to offer a path toward price parity with dairy and reach consumers priced out of imported alternatives Hempisphere (Sweden) – uses a proprietary, patent-pending, solvent-free extraction process to produce neutral-tasting hemp protein and unlock 100% of the hemp seed with zero waste. Its process enables five products including protein flour, cold-pressed oil, dehulled seeds, crushed hearts and natural hemp hulls, serving food and nutrition, bakery, cosmetics and pet food applications Several start-ups across the advanced fermentation, cell-based food and pet food industries were also selected to participate in the programme. These include yeast fermentation specialist Matria Biotechnology (Turkey), precision-fermented fats start-up Abydos Bioscience (Argentina), fermented functional ingredient producer Anomaly Bio (Singapore), AI and precision fermentation specialist Mähmi Bio (US), cell-cultured seafood start-up Finless Foods (US), and plant-based pet food producer Dylan’s Petfood (US).

US meat alternatives brand Daring Foods has launched six new frozen skillet meals, debuting at Sprouts stores nationwide this month with additional retailers to follow later in the year. The new one-pan meals aim to deliver complete, balanced and convenient meals for consumers in around ten minutes, combining Daring’s signature plant-based chicken alternative with vegetables, grains, legumes and pasta. It marks the brand’s largest multi-SKU product introduction to date, building on Daring’s expansion into convenient, complete meal options. Five of the six meals will launch exclusively at Sprouts, with additional retailers to carry the full line later in 2027. The six varieties include: Mediterranean-Spiced Chickpeas & Veggies – chickpeas, peppers, red onion, garlic and shawarma-inspired spices Smoky Veggie Chili – beans and vegetables in a smoky tomato sauce Power Grains & Beans – quinoa, kale, edamame, red pepper, chilli and onion Lemon & Garlic Rotini – pasta and vegetables in a lemon and garlic sauce Teriyaki Veggie Stir-Fry – broccoli, peppers, mushrooms, water chestnuts and edamame in teriyaki sauce Penne Pomodoro – pasta, red peppers, mushrooms and tomatoes in a tomato sauce Each skillet meal provides 21-25g of protein and 9-13g of fibre per serving, averaging around 50g of protein and 20g of fibre per bag. All varieties are 100% plant-based, gluten-free and non-GMO. The bags contain 2.5 servings, prepared in one pan to deliver a nutritious and quick option for lunch or dinner. They build on Daring’s expansion into single-serve microwaveable entrée bowls and last year’s launch of microwaveable Original Diced and Shredded Plant Chicken varieties. JJ Kass, VP of sales at Daring, said: “Shoppers are increasingly looking for convenient meals that deliver on more than one need. Skillet Meals bring together protein, fibre, convenience and globally inspired flavours.” “We’re thrilled to introduce these new items to Sprouts shoppers, who are highly engaged in discovering innovative, better-for-you products that make eating well easier without compromising on taste.”

City Roots Hospitality, a restaurant group based in New York, US, has acquired plant-based seafood brand Fysh Foods for an undisclosed sum. Fysh Foods was founded in Los Angeles, California, in 2022. The brand’s focus was on developing a plant-based alternative to raw fish that could be used in sushi-grade seafood applications, without sacrificing the flavour, texture or traditional ritual of the dish. Founder Zoya Biglary, an entrepreneur and online creator, built Fysh Foods without any co-founders, venture funding rounds or incubator support – instead, she grew the brand through word-of-mouth, direct-to-consumer sales and a nearly 1.7-million-strong social media following. Notably, she was a contestant on the Shark Tank television programme in 2024, and while she accepted a deal with investor Daniel Lubetzky, she ultimately chose not to go ahead – instead, choosing to keep Fysh Foods self-funded and female-owned up to the point of the acquisition. Commenting on her journey, she said: “I built Fysh Foods because I believed plant-based seafood deserved the same innovation that plant-based meat had already received”. “Four years ago, I had competitors who raised millions of dollars on ‘food-tech’ valuations. I didn't do that. I always treated my brand as a food company, rather than a ‘food-tech’ company. Today, those same competitors are no longer in business.” Now, the all-cash acquisition – which closed in August 2026 – brings the brand into City Roots’ portfolio of ‘plant-forward’ New York City restaurants. The group is led by chef and restaurateur Guy Vaknin. Fysh Foods will be integrated into the group’s restaurant locations, with its plant-based raw fish concept ‘reimagined for sit-down dining’ formats alongside City Roots’ existing plant-based menus. Additionally, City Roots noted plans to expand the brand’s presence beyond its current New York City footprint as it continues to grow its restaurant portfolio. Specific timelines and locations for the expansion have not yet been confirmed. Fysh Foods’ acquisition marks one of the first times an influencer-led food brand has moved directly into a restaurant portfolio, rather than remaining in retail or e-commerce. Biglary concluded: “The most important thing a founder should know is when to let someone else take the wheel. Chef Vaknin has the momentum, experience and team needed to catapult Fysh Foods to the next level. I can't wait to watch it happen.” Top image: © Fysh Foods

The European Commission has authorised the use of Ingredion’s Benicaros SF Pure P, a plant-based, soluble carrot fibre ingredient, for commercialisation throughout the region. Benicaros was acquired by Ingredion in June 2026, previously owned by Dutch company NutriLeads. The Benicaros SF Pure P solution is made from rhamnogalacturonan-I enriched carrot fibre upcycled from carrot pomace. It is kosher, halal and gluten-free. The novel food authorisation follows a positive scientific safety assessment by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), permitting the use of the patented ingredient across certain foods, beverages and nutritional supplements. The ingredient is designed to stimulate the growth of beneficial gut bacteria and the production of short chain fatty acids. Research shows an increase in beneficial gut bacteria and their metabolites can offer a range of potential immune health benefits, such as interaction with innate immune cells, Ingredion said. Sebastian Smith, director of fibre fortification and healthful solutions at Ingredion, said: “This approval represents a significant milestone, unlocking the European market for a highly differentiated carrot fibre that addresses the limitations of traditional fibre ingredients”. “With Benicaros, we’re enabling our customers to deliver unique fibre benefits without compromising taste, texture or added benefits to the label.” The solution is water-soluble, pH- and heat-stable, and has minimal impact on taste, texture or odour of a finished product, according to the company. It is versatile for use across functional foods, beverages and supplements at a low dosage of 300mg per day. Ingredion is headquartered in Chicago, US, with a global presence in the ingredient solutions market. The company reported annual net sales of approximately $7.2 billion in 2025, specialising in turning grains, fruits, vegetables and other plant-based materials into value-added solutions for the food, beverage, brewing and animal nutrition industries.

A new peer-reviewed study models leaf protein concentrate biorefineries as viable global food infrastructure: affordable to build, fast to scale and capable of sustaining protein supply even under extreme agricultural disruption. Ross Milne, CEO of Leaft Foods, and Juan García Martínez, research manager at Alliance to Feed the Earth in Disasters (ALLFED), examine what the findings mean for the protein industry today. Ross Milne The global protein supply faces structural pressure from multiple directions at the same time, with population growth, shifting dietary patterns and mounting constraints on conventional agriculture creating a gap between what current production systems can reliably deliver and what the world will need. A 10% loss in global food production in a given year is, according to recent modelling, almost certain to happen this century. Meanwhile, the food industry has absorbed hard lessons from recent years: supply chains that look robust under normal conditions can prove brittle under duress. Against this backdrop, new peer-reviewed research published in the journal Sustainable Production and Consumption offers a rigorous assessment of an underexplored solution: integrated biorefineries producing leaf protein concentrate (LPC) and other foods, such as sugar or single-cell protein from legume biomass. The findings carry implications that extend well beyond the catastrophe-preparedness context in which the research was framed. Juan García Martínez What the research asked and what it found The paper models the potential and cost of integrated biorefineries producing LPC, lignocellulosic sugar, and single-cell protein from green biomass, positioning these as sustainable alternatives to conventional protein and sugar sources capable of remarkable global production at scale. The headline findings are striking. LPC factories alone could fulfil global protein needs within two years of rapid deployment, while an LPC and sugar combination could fulfil around 5% of global caloric requirements within the first year. Combining LPC with single-cell protein production from processing co-products enables food protein per hectare yields higher than any conventional food crop. Researchers found that on well-managed land, alfalfa processed via LPC and microbial protein yields up to 4 tonnes of protein produced per hectare per year, surpassing even world record soybean protein yields (approximately 2 tonnes of protein per hectare per year). This is sustainable because it eases pressure on land, water, fertiliser and pesticide use, and frees land for nature. With the right system design, LPC shows 57-85% lower emissions, 54-88% lower ocean acidification, and 74-89% lower eutrophication than soybean meal. The economics of this proposal are equally notable. LPC can be produced at scale for $0.67-1.83 per kg dry matter, and when combined with lignocellulosic sugar production, takes around $2 per kg to produce approximately a kilogram of each, with considerable variation depending on LPC yield and the cost of biomass. In catastrophe-response conditions, the estimated retail cost to consumers for fulfilling daily caloric requirements is affordable compared to alternatives, at approximately $1-2 per person per day. The research also models how rapidly LPC biorefineries could be built at scale. The construction time for a reference-size LPC and sugar biorefinery is estimated at 86-90 weeks under standard construction, and 28-29 weeks using 24/7 construction methods. Compared to other resilient food production technologies, LPC and LPC plus sugar biorefineries are cost-efficient and quick to ramp up, though their dependence on adequate climatic conditions makes them more vulnerable to shocks than options using non-plant feedstocks, such as single-cell proteins from gas fermentation. On the feedstock side, crop modelling of global grasslands under baseline and nuclear wartime conditions found that global grasslands could provide enough legume biomass for LPC production even in worst-case scenarios, given adequate management, with current climate conditions yielding approximately 22 billion tonnes of dry legume biomass annually across global pasture areas. What the modelling does not capture, by design, is the ingredient quality dimension. That is, the question of not just how much protein can be extracted from green leaves, but how well its functional properties can be preserved in the process, and that's where commercial development and crisis-response modelling part ways. Why alfalfa and why now The research focuses on perennial legumes, particularly alfalfa and red clover, because they are much easier to obtain at scale with a stable high yield per hectare, have better protein quality, and provide multiple harvests per year while requiring no nitrogen fertiliser, thanks to natural nitrogen fixation. This aligns with Leaft's operational experience in Canterbury, New Zealand, where alfalfa has proven to be the optimal feedstock for Rubisco protein extraction. Alfalfa is one of the most widely cultivated crops on Earth, with established agronomy and deep integration into existing farming systems. What has historically been missing is not the crop, it is the extraction technology. Rubisco, the enzyme protein that drives photosynthesis and constitutes the primary protein fraction in alfalfa, presents a well-documented extraction paradox: previous methods consistently destroyed the structural properties that make it functionally valuable. Leaft's breakthrough was developing a gentle, food-safe process that preserves both the protein's nutritional integrity and its functional performance –properties that translate directly into food manufacturing applications, including emulsifying, foaming, gelling and dissolving. The ALLFED paper acknowledges that taste and consumer acceptability remain open questions for LPC at scale, noting that the characteristically bitter or grassy flavour of unrefined leaf protein could be a barrier to adoption. It also cites Leaft's work as directly relevant to solving this, as the company is commercialising a green protein product (Leaft Blade) that is finding acceptance with consumers excited about the nutrition-first positioning. It is a meaningful data point for the broader field, given the early stage of consumer LPC development. The nutritional case for alfalfa LPC is also well-supported. Alfalfa LPC is naturally high in many nutrients of concern in disaster scenarios, including vitamin A, vitamin K, calcium and iron, with some LPC products also reporting significant vitamin B12. For food manufacturers, this micronutrient density adds functional value beyond the protein content itself. Infrastructure implications for food manufacturers The ALLFED paper's biorefinery model has direct relevance for how food and beverage manufacturers think about ingredient supply resilience. Biorefineries have been proposed as a means of improving food security and sustainability by reducing dependence on soy imports, and combining protein extraction with sugar recovery maximises product yield per unit of biomass processed, while helping improve economics by diversifying revenue streams and increasing capital efficiency. The multi-output model that makes LPC biorefineries compelling at global scale in the ALLFED analysis is the same model underpinning commercial viability at a regional scale today. The paper also highlights a promising near-term opportunity: repurposing pulp and paper mills and similar infrastructure is a promising way to reduce capital costs for biorefineries, with modelling showing the approach could reduce CAPEX for the sugar section of a combined facility significantly. For food manufacturers or investors evaluating entry points into the leaf protein supply chain, existing industrial infrastructure is a material consideration. A category coming of age The last decade has seen a considerable increase in companies exploring LPC to produce protein-rich foods, and the research base has grown alongside commercial activity. The ALLFED paper represents one of the most comprehensive techno-economic assessments of LPC biorefineries to date, treating leaf protein not as a speculative future ingredient but as a technically characterised, economically modellable production system. Leaf-based protein is now a category with growing commercial infrastructure, independent life cycle assessment data, and as this research demonstrates, peer-reviewed modelling of its role in the global protein system. The research now suggests that green leaves can supply the world with protein. The question, now, is how quickly the industry can build the infrastructure to make that supply routine.

The heavily debated restrictions on the use of meat-related words in the labelling of plant-based products in the European Union are once again under the spotlight, as several MEPs are seeking to widen the scope of previously agreed upon terms. The EU approved a package of reforms in June, restricting plant-based food producers from using a range of meat-related terms including ‘steak,’ ‘bacon,’ ‘chicken,’ ‘pork’ and ‘lamb’. The restrictions apply to plant-based meat alternatives, as well as cell-cultivated and hybrid products, that are sold in the EU market. Led by MEP Céline Imart, the restrictions seek to protect livestock farmers and prevent consumer confusion, with supporters arguing that labelling plant-based products with meat-related terms is misleading to shoppers. However, critics of the ban have strongly opposed this, with many food businesses and food industry associations emphasising that existing regulation is sufficient, and citing research studies suggesting that consumers are aware of what they are buying. Now, amendments to the previously agreed restrictions have been put forward by a number of MEPs, including Imart, seeking to restrict further, more generic words not included in the original ban. These include ‘burger,’ ‘sausage,’ ‘meatball’ and ‘nugget’ among others, as well as more specific terms such as ‘black pudding’ and ‘pastrami’. “An avoidable burden” The NoConfusion coalition, comprising more than 600 companies, investors, retailers and other organisations, is petitioning against an extension of the restrictions. In an open letter sent to Manfred Weber, president and chair of the Group of the European People’s Party, the coalition described the omission of words like ‘burger’ and ‘sausage’ from the ban as a “hard-won compromise” that “settled the question”. It argued that tabling the restrictions for the third time in six years is a waste of valuable political capital and energy at a time when Europe faces “war on its borders, energy insecurity, strained transatlantic relations, a cost-of-living crisis and an openly acknowledged competitiveness gap with the US and China.” Germany's Federal Association for Alternative Protein Sources (BALPro) projects the cost of the restrictions already adopted to be around €250 million for the German industry alone, in repackaging, rebranding and lost sales. “Mandating new terminology, re-translating it across 24 official languages and re-auditing labels and marketing across the single market is exactly the kind of avoidable burden your simplification agenda is meant to remove,” the open letter states, requesting that Weber takes direct measures to oppose the extension. “Fight to protect livestock heritage” Meanwhile, The European Livestock Voice, a multi-stakeholder association comprising various organisations across the animal agriculture value chain, has vocalised its support for broader restrictions that encompass ‘format-related’ and generic terms like ‘sausage’ in addition to species-related or specific anatomical terms like ‘chicken,’ ‘pork’ and ‘bacon’. Following the EU parliament’s previous vote to implement the restrictions in October last year, prior to further negotiations with the European Commission and Council, it said the debate was “far from over,” adding that there is “still a fight to protect livestock heritage and consumers from misleading labels that can deceive them into thinking these imitations are equivalent substitutes for meat and animal products”. Whether consumers are confused has been a particular point of contention, with people and organisations on both sides of the debate putting forward research backing up their views. In 2024, a study undertaken by market consultancy Ivox in Belgium found that 92.7% of consumers had never bought plant-based meat alternative products accidentally, instead doing so intentionally for health, taste, environmental or ethical reasons. However, a 2023 study from the UK’s Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB)’s retail and consumer insight team, with consultancy The Smithfield Collective, found that 50% of shoppers agreed meat-free products should not use words like ‘steak’ or ‘bacon’ and 47% disagreed with the use of ‘sausage’ and ‘burger,’ while shopping bays where meat and meat-free products are mixed together were seen as ‘potentially confusing’ by 52% of consumers. The debate continues The reopening of the negotiations will see a fresh vote taking place next year, continuing a longstanding debate over plant-based meat alternative labelling that has been underway in the EU for around seven years. In 2024, the European Court of Justice (ECJ) blocked previous proposals in France to ban meat-related words in labelling plant-based foods, ruling that EU law already provides sufficient rules to protect consumers. This earlier decree was consulted on with the CJEU after France’s Council of State expressed concerns that it could cause ‘serious and immediate’ harm to manufacturers selling plant-based protein products in France. The two decrees were officially annulled by the Council of State in January 2025. Despite this, the topic has been repeatedly reintroduced, with further proposals seeking to put similar restrictions in place as those placed on plant-based dairy products – which are prohibited from using terms like ‘milk,’ ‘cheese’ and ‘yogurt’ in the EU and UK. Oatly, a leader in the milk alternatives category, found itself in a five-year legal battle after using the marketing slogan ‘Post Milk Generation’ on the labels of its food and beverage products, with the UK Court of Appeal ruling that the brand can not use the phrase due to the inclusion of the word ‘milk,’ despite the word not being used to describe the product itself. These developments highlight the significance of the ongoing labelling debates, with substantial implications for plant-based food and beverage producers selling their products across EU member states and beyond. Treading carefully to ensure compliance – while considering how to market their products so that consumers are aware of their intended applications without being able to rely on familiar terminology – will be an important consideration as legislation evolves.

New analysis of Net Zero Insights figures from the Good Food Institute (GFI) shows that European alternative protein companies raised €236 million in private investment in the first six months of 2026. The growth, a 56% increase on the same period last year, was led by fermentation companies. Many of these also received grant funding, which GFI noted can boost investor confidence. However, plant-based companies specifically saw a decline in private investment, with many companies entering the challenging scale-up phase – but the second half of 2025 was particularly strong for this sub-category, GFI acknowledged. Cultivated meat investment grew slightly, but remained below its 2023 peak. European start-ups raised more than three-quarters of the sector’s global total, according to the figures. However, global funding dropped from €341 million in the first half of 2025 to €306 million in the same period this year. The number of deals also halved over the same period, with GFI highlighting that ‘increasingly selective’ investors are backing fewer companies. Recommendations put forward by GFI, alongside Invest-NL and Invest International, include mixing different types of funding – such as grants, loans and equity – to spread the risk of scaling up across a broader investor group. Additionally, it highlights the potential of using public funding more strategically, supporting private investment and giving investors more confidence. Fermentation companies’ success in raising grant funding shows what could be possible, GFI points out. European companies working on plant-based meat and dairy raised €18 million, plummeting from €61 million invested during the same period last year. Consolidation has been a key theme, with smaller businesses being acquired by major players or merging together to cut costs. Dairy giants have been increasingly broadening their portfolios by acquiring plant-based brands with functional and wellness positioning. Notable deals in the first half of 2026 include Danone’s €1 billion acquisition of British functional plant-based nutrition brand Huel, and Müller’s acquisition of German alt-dairy producer Berief. GFI noted that some businesses in the plant-based space are struggling to secure funding to move from pilot plant to industrial scale, with support to fill the infrastructure gap through new financing mechanisms recognised as a pressing priority across the continent. Precision fermentation companies raised €100 million in the first half of 2026 – more than the €97 million they received through the whole of 2025, a notable achievement. Meanwhile, biomass fermentation companies raised €99 million – more than the €61 million raised last year. Investments where characterised by fewer, larger deals, such as French precision fermentation start-up Verley’s €25 million funding raise, and Dutch biomass fermentation start-up The Protein Brewery’s €18 million. Fermentation start-ups secured €67 million in grants, a significant increase from the €455 million in grant funding raised by European alt-protein companies across all sub-categories combined in the same period last year. Public investments and government loans were combined with private finance in some cases. For example, Solar Foods received a €78 million funding package from Business Finland, including a €40 million grant and a €38 million loan, to commercialise its fermentation-made Solein protein. Elsewhere, the European Innovation Council Accelerator Programme provided €12.5 million, combining a €2.5 million grant with €10 million equity, to support Dutch company Vivici in scaling its precision-fermented dairy proteins. A Europe-wide consortium led by the UK’s Adamo Foods also received a €10 million grant under the EU-funded Circular Bio-Based Europe Joint Undertaking, to scale up Adamo’s fermentation-made steak. GFI emphasised the growing need to diversify our protein supply, as the EU faces heatwaves and drought putting pressure on food production, while global conflicts are continuing to impact supply chains. It has called for an expansion of blended, risk-shared financing to boost the resilience of the broader food system.

Trubar Kids, a US-based plant-based snack bar brand, has introduced a new chocolate banana bread flavour in a collaboration with film producer Illumination, inspired by its Minions film. The chocolate banana bread bar delivers 8g of plant-based protein and 5g of sugar per bar, aiming to bring the indulgent taste of banana bread to a school lunchbox-friendly snacking format. It joins Trubar Kids’ existing line-up of flavours, including Fudge-Tastic Brownie, Iced Oatmeal Blast and Pop Goes Confetti, all of which will feature new Minions packaging as part of the collaboration. Trubar Kids’ bars are all made with 100% plant-based, gluten-free ingredients, and without seed oils or sugar alcohols. The range also contains no peanuts or tree nuts, further catering to free-from demand. The Minions collaboration products will be available at Sprouts, Albertsons and Safeway stores across the US, with further roll-out of the new offering set for Walmart and Whole Foods this autumn.

The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, a non-profit organisation that promotes plant-based approaches to healthcare and nutrition, has filed a lawsuit against the US federal government over its 2025-2030 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. The guidelines drew mixed reactions from across the food industry when they were published on 7 January this year, framed as a significant overhaul of dietary advice and featuring a strong emphasis on minimally processed foods and protein – including animal-sourced varieties including red meat, whole-fat dairy and eggs. The lawsuit, filed with the US District Court for the District of Columbia on 19 August, alleges that a ‘secret panel of food industry insiders’ selected by the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) ‘illegally influenced’ the recommendations in the guidelines. The Physicians Committee’s president, Neal D Barnard, claims that the guidelines were “ghost written” by consultants with financial ties to the meat, dairy and low-carb diet industries. The Dietary Guidelines are issued every five years by HHS and USDA, following a Federal Advisory Committee Act in establishing a Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee (DGAC) to write a scientific report that serves as their foundation. In its lawsuit, the Physicians Committee accuses HHS and USDA of ‘disregarding’ federal law through a ‘procedural bait and switch,’ replacing earlier recommendations of the DGAC – which, it pointed out, included prioritising more plant-based meals, plant proteins, and water rather than milk – with recommendations it says were ‘hastily assembled’ without oversight or input from the public. According to the complaint, eight of the nine members of the ‘secret panel’ had conflicts of interest, including ties to the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, the National Dairy Council, the American Egg Board and the National Pork Board. The complaint argues that the Guidelines ‘pose dangers’ to children, whose school food programmes must adhere to them; as well as to individuals with medical conditions and those at risk of diet-related diseases, who may consume more ‘fatty, high-cholesterol products of industries with which the authors are affiliated’. The panel took ‘only three months to produce its 90 page report and 418 page appendix,’ the lawsuit adds. It asks the court to order HHS and USDA to withdraw the guidelines and prohibit their use in any future agency decisions while the agencies develop new Dietary Guidelines in compliance with the FACA. The Dietary Guidelines call on US consumers to ‘eat more real food,’ attributing the rise in chronic disease across America to diets that have become ‘highly reliant’ on highly processed packaged foods, paired with sedentary lifestyles. Led by Robert F. Kennedy Jr, Secretary of the US HHS, the ‘Make America Healthy Again’ Commission is aiming to realign the nation’s food system to support farmers, ranchers and companies who grow and produce what it calls ‘real food’ – whole foods that are minimally processed, which include vegetables and whole grains as well as animal proteins. FoodBev Media has approached HHS and USDA for comment. HHS declined to comment on the ongoing litigation. At the time of publication, USDA had not yet responded to request for comment.