Dairy-free confectionery brand 7th Heaven has announced the addition of a chocolate peanut butter cup product to its range. The launch aims to ‘redefine’ the vegan chocolate experience and promises consumers a creamy, ‘melt-in-your-mouth’ texture. It follows the introduction of Hershey’s Reese’s oat milk peanut butter cups, debuted last year as a vegan alternative to the classic Reese’s product. With its latest offering, 7th Heaven – based in Israel and the US – aims to provide an alternative that co-founder Elya Adi believes can “compete with giants like Reese’s” in delivering a tasty and sustainable innovation. 7th Heaven’s chocolate peanut butter cups are dairy-free, non-GMO, kosher pareve certified and made from Fairtrade cocoa. Adi commented: “We’re not just launching another chocolate product; we’re introducing a taste and lifestyle revolution. Our peanut butter cups are the culmination of our commitment to excellence, sustainability and compassion.” The new product is launching online this month. 7th Heaven’s existing range is currently available at more than 700 retail locations.

Melt&Marble, a Swedish precision fermentation company that develops animal-free fat ingredients, has announced its move to a new headquarters in Gothenburg, Sweden. The new site includes precision fermentation facilities such as molecular biology and microbiology labs, bioreactors up to pilot scale and a food application test kitchen. The facilities will accelerate the development and commercialisation of its fat ingredients. Melt&Marble has now scaled up the production process for its first product – a solid fat designed to replicate the properties of animal-derived fats for use in alternative meat products – to cubic metre bioreactor scale. The company said it is now in the process of scaling further, to tens of cubic metres. The precision fermentation technology allows Melt&Marble to gain precise control of its fats’ composition and properties, allowing it to create ‘designer fats’ from the ground up. This includes dictating the types of fatty acids, as well as how these fatty acids assemble on to a glycerol backbone to form specific triglycerides. Anastasia Krivoruchko, co-founder and CEO at Melt&Marble, said: “In the last months, we constantly improved key performance indicators related to rate, titre and yield, successfully achieving metrics relevant for commercial-scale and demonstrating the scalability of our process”. According to Melt&Marble, it has secured a partnership that will allow production of hundreds of kilograms of fat per batch in the coming months. Further expansion potential to tonnes per batch is expected by the start-up in 2025, as it plans an expansion into the US market. Melt&Marble’s chief business officer, Thomas Creswell, said that the company’s technology is seeing increasing interest from industry players both in Europe and the US, thanks to its ability to fine-tune the composition and properties of sustainable, animal-free fat ingredients. He commented: “Palatability remains a challenge in the animal-free food space and our fats are an extremely effective way to address that by replicating the taste experience consumers crave”. “Our new facilities will allow us to test applications and produce samples in-house while our manufacturing partnership paves a clear path to market.” #alternativefats #MeltampMarble #precisionfermentation #Sweden

Plant-based protein brand Aloha has announced the launch of its next special-edition protein bar, the Pa’akai Bar, made with Hawaiian sea salt and macadamia nuts. The bars are part of the company’s initiative to support small farms rooted in sustainability while giving back to the communities where their ingredients are grown. In Hawaiian, Pa’akai translates to “solid ocean” or “sea salt” and carries cultural significance within the community. The sea salt in Aloha’s latest bar is produced by sourcing pure water surrounding the island channels, taking it through nine levels of filtration, pumping it into special “solar seal” evaporators and letting it dry and crystallise in the sun – a naturally occurring process that can take up to five weeks. According to Aloha, the resulting product is some of the world’s purest salt, containing more trace minerals and lower sodium concentrate (80% sodium chloride), making it less ‘salty’ and more flavourful. In addition to the pure salt, the bar features Hawaii-grown macadamia nuts from Hamakua Macadamia Nut Company. Hamakua dries its nuts by converting the energy of clean-burning macadamia nut shells into steam, generating nearly all its electricity via solar, hydro and biomass energy. The bar also contains Ponova oil, a regenerative plant-based oil from agriculture company Terviva. It is made by expeller pressing and lightly refining the beans of Hawaiian pongomia trees. Other ingredients include organic dark chocolate and Aloha’s proprietary plant-based protein blend. Like all of Aloha’s products, the Pa’akai bar is non-GMO Project Verified, gluten-free, dairy-free, soy-free and made without sugar alcohols. It will be available from Aloha’s website beginning 26 March before rolling out to additional retailers, including Thrive Market, in the coming months. #functionalsnacks #US #Aloha #proteinbars #seasalt #highprotein #proteinsnacks #snacking

In this month’s edition of The Plant Base’s Start-up spotlight, we speak to Myco, a UK-based producer of alternative protein created from vertically farmed oyster mushrooms. David Wood, the company’s CEO, tells us more about the sustainability benefits of Myco’s innovation and how it is bringing a UK-first approach to the plant-based industry. We are parents and grandparents and there’s a shared desire to give our children and grandchildren – and the planet – a future. The way that we know we can help is by producing a product that makes food more sustainable, and a product that makes swapping out meat easier. Our product is a protein called Hooba, and all the testing suggests it looks, tastes and has the same ‘mouthfeel’ as meat – albeit made from oyster mushrooms. We farm it vertically, and the whole process aligns with our long-term mission of aiding sustainability. What are some of the sustainability benefits of Myco’s approach? Our production unit is in Leeming Bar, just off the A1 in North Yorkshire. The proximity of it means we have slashed the number of food miles involved in the production of Hooba, which has driven down our carbon footprint even further. But the whole process of producing a plant-based protein is ultimately far greener than producing meat. Livestock is one of the biggest drivers of carbon emissions but many people aren’t aware that a high proportion of plant-based products also have high food miles due to soy being grown and transported around the world. Ultimately, eating less meat and more plants makes us all that bit healthier – and leads to a more sustainable future for every single one of us. How will the new site in Yorkshire bring an industry-first facility to the UK? By vertically farming our product there is no deforestation, and our protein production pods mean zero food miles. Our site allows us to make a lot more protein than you would expect. The unit is 20,000-square-feet and we can grow a lot of mushrooms in that space – 1,000 tons, in fact. The Leeming Bar site is also the first of its kind to have a mushroom growing facility under the same roof as the food production area, so while vertical farming itself isn’t a brand-new concept in the UK, nowhere in the country has ever had both production aspects in one place. That means we can proudly state that Hooba has ‘zero’ food miles in the protein supply chain – that’s huge for sustainability, and it is a model we genuinely hope will act as the global blueprint going forward as it can be replicated anywhere. The first benefit the public will really see will come this month, when we launch the UK’s first- ever vertically farmed products. That’s going to be a real milestone and demonstrates just how far the plant-based industry has come in such a short period. Currently, raw ingredients can often be transported thousands of miles, but this has the potential to put an end to that. It could see the UK eventually lead the way in delivering global food security – one of humanity’s biggest threats – whilst lowering the nation’s carbon footprint substantially. Has the company encountered any particular challenges? If so, how have you navigated them? Launching any new product is never smooth, especially a concept – like a vertically farmed production site – that hasn’t been seen in the UK before. Funding of innovation is never easy, but we’ve managed it and we’ve now got plenty of interest from some major names within the food industry looking at Hooba as an option for their plant-based ranges. But there’s still a stigma around plant-based protein, particularly surrounding some of claims around processing and sustainability. However, we’re proud that our product will be best-in-class in both of these areas. Not only will our vertically farmed mushrooms be more sustainable and better for the environment, our new product range will only contain five to ten kitchen cupboard ingredients, unlike some heavily processed plant-based products. Trying to convey the message that this is as natural as it gets can be tough in the current climate, but we believe transparency is the way forward. We are proud of a lot of work to date. We started this with a lot of hope, excitement and high expectations, and they’ve only grown along the journey. The development of the onsite protein growing facility feels really special, simply because there’s currently nothing else like it. To develop a genuine UK-first is a special feeling, and what makes us even more excited is that feeling that now we’ve cracked the nut, hopefully everyone will start to copy us. But we are also excited about the delicious range of products we are launching in March, which we hope will find a place on barbecues across the country – and even on the grills of some committed meat eaters. The feedback we’ve had is exactly what we hoped to hear when we set about this project. The aim was to create a plant-based product that looked, felt and tasted like meat and that’s exactly what the feedback we’ve received has stated. As a group of people doing this to try and preserve our planet, we want to go to bed each night feeling the work we are doing is helping with that aim – and so far, we feel we are. #fungibased #meatalternatives #verticalfarming #oystermushrooms #StartupSpotlight #plantbasedmeat #UK #MyCo #alternativeprotein

Organic food and drink company Pip Organic has launched a new snacking innovation, Pipsticks, a fruit bar made with no added sugar or preservatives. Pipsticks are available in two fruit flavours: mango, and pineapple and mango. They are made solely from 100% natural fruit, contain fibre for slower-release energy and are designed to help families meet the daily recommended serving of fruit and vegetables in a convenient snacking format. The products are made using only organic produce in a waste-free, renewable energy-powered process. The production site uses a biogas plant to generate carbon-neutral electricity using fruit waste, such as mango and pineapple peels. The mango stones are used for fuelling the heat ovens and any remaining fruit waste goes back into compost. Pipsticks are rolling out at UK retailers this spring. The brand’s range of juices and frozen lollies are already stocked in Waitrose, Ocado, Abel & Cole and Whole Foods. #kidssnacks #fruitsnacks #PipOrganic #Organicfood #UK #snackbars

Swiss food-tech company Planted has added a fermented steak to its plant-based meat range, the first product to be created through its new ‘whole-muscle’ platform. Planted, which produces clean label meat alternative products, has crafted the steak exclusively from natural ingredients including soya protein, rapeseed oil, bean and rice flours, as well as a blend of microbial cultures. It is high in protein and fibre, low in saturated fat and offers essential micronutrients including vitamin B12 and iron. Thanks to Planted’s fermentation technology, it retains this clean label status while mimicking traditional whole-muscle meat cuts in taste and texture. The product has launched into the European foodservice market, initially available at restaurants in Switzerland, Germany and Austria. It is slated for roll-out at retailers across Europe later this year. Lukas Böni, co-founder of Planted and member of its executive board, said that the plant-based steak brings a first to the market as it is made with zero additives and achieves juiciness and tenderness while using only natural ingredients. He commented: “In the research and development process, we have worked with over 50 gastronomy professionals to achieve a steak that is literally unreal, in taste, texture, application and overall eating experience. We are very proud that so many restaurants have added it to their menus already.” Funding from the Swiss Innovation Agency in early 2023 has supported the development of Planted’s whole-muscle platform, enabling this latest launch alongside the opening of a new fermentation facility in Kemptthal, Switzerland. Planted aims to create as many different product concepts as possible using the platform, where the muscle grows through a proprietary fermentation process. The whole-muscle is comparable to a full loin, allowing versatility and seamless adoption into existing meat processing. Böni added: “This investment in our expansion stems from a strategic decision to enhance our biotechnology footprint in Kemptthal – from labs to production. Our aim is to introduce innovative products from our fermentation platform to the market fast, particularly our Planted.steak, which utilises the most advanced and disruptive fermentation technology today in terms of scalability, taste and product quality.” The new production site, shared by various food-tech companies, has an eco-friendly energy system which uses the ambient air as an energy source. The air feeds the heat pumps, which provide heating and cooling in the buildings. According to EKZ, over a 30-year period, this will save more than 44,000 tonnes of CO2. The site has created 30 technical and operational jobs. Additionally, according to Planted, production of its new steak requires 97% less CO2e emissions and 81% less freshwater consumption per product weight compared to its animal counterpart. #fermentation #Planted #meatalternatives #plantbasedmeat #plantbasedmeatwholecuts #Switzerland #cleanlabel

The Bezos Earth Fund has announced an initial $60m investment to establish the Bezos Centers for Sustainable Protein. Announced by Bezos Earth Fund vice chair Lauren Sánchez, the investment forms part of the fund’s $1 billion commitment to food transformation. Biomanufacturing and the production of sustainable protein products at scale – whether plant-based, fermented or cell-based – currently faces challenges resulting in high costs and limited quality. Through establishing the new Centers for Sustainable Protein, the fund aims to target technological barriers to reducing cost, increasing quality and boosting nutritional benefits of alternative proteins by advancing science and technology. Innovation in cell biology and engineering is expected to bring numerous opportunities for enhancing the taste and texture of such products. Commenting on the new investment, Sánchez said that the global food industry must pursue advancements in technologies to find solutions for our future, enabling us to “invent our way out of climate change”. She commented: “We need to feed ten billion people with healthy, sustainable food throughout this century while protecting our planet. We can do it, and it will require a ton of innovation. Our world is poised for transformation, for a future not constrained by compromise. Solutions to our greatest challenges often come from the quiet persistence of those willing to question, reimagine, and innovate.” Food production is the second largest cause of climate change, and agriculture is the primary driver of deforestation and biodiversity loss. The fund calls for a shift in the way we produce and consume food, given that by 2050, food consumption is expected to rise by 50% in line with population and income growth. This latest announcement builds on the Bezos Earth Fund’s $1 billion commitment to supporting farmers and expanding food production sustainably. Work includes reducing methane from livestock and innovating in pasture management to help take pressure off forested land. The Earth Fund is also working with inventors, researchers and entrepreneurs to improve the resilience and carbon absorption of major food crops. #sustainableagriculture #US #BezosEarthFund #cellbased #alternativeproteins #plantbasedproteins

Mellody, the consumer brand owned by food-tech company MeliBio, has launched a spicy habanero variant of its plant-based honey. This latest launch brings what Mellody claims to be the “first-ever” vegan hot honey to market, crafted as a 100% match to the taste, texture and performance of its bee-made counterpart. Mellody’s Spicy Habanero Plant-based Hot Honey is well-suited to a range of sweet and savoury applications, including pizza, sandwiches, desserts, cocktails and more. MeliBio’s CEO and co-founder, Darko Mandich, said: “Our first Golden Clover release has been game changing for the honey industry, and there are even more possibilities for further innovation that our technology can unlock, starting with taste and functionality”. The brand’s products are certified vegan and free from glyphosate, a common herbicide that bees can be exposed to. #Plantbasedhoney #Mellody #precisionfermentation #US #MeliBio #hothoney

UK supermarket chain Tesco has reported rising volume demand for plant-based food after a “slight dip” in sales last year. The retailer reported that sales of fish alternatives were up by 100% over the past three months, versus the prior year period. Tofu and tempeh were up by around 20%, as well as plant-based steaks and chicken breasts, while meat-free burgers were up 10%. In a press statement announcing the sales surge, Tesco attributed the increasing interest in plant-based to a move towards cooking from scratch, with plant-based food consumers diversifying their taste and understanding the versatility of plant-based ingredients, including vegetables, tofu, beans and pulses, and meat alternatives. A recent success for the supermarket was the January 2024 launch of meat-free steak brand Juicy Marbles, which replicates the taste and texture of beef steaks with its flagship thick-cut fillet product. According to Tesco’s data, it sold 100,000 meat-free steaks in the lead-up to Valentine’s Day – an unprecedented number for that occasion. Cate May, buyer for plant-based food at Tesco, said: “Plant-based food has been the biggest culinary trend so far this century and attracted interest from vegans, vegetarians and meat-eaters alike who were curious as to what the fuss was all about”. She added: “That initial level of interest was inevitably going to drop off slightly, but what we are seeing is phase two of that revolution with flexitarians now wanting to take more control over what they eat, whilst continuing to reduce their meat intake”. May explained that awareness is also beginning to increase around the health benefits of making diet swaps, such as reducing saturated fat while maintaining high protein levels by increasing the consumption of plant-based foods. Research undertaken by OnePoll in December 2023 surveyed 2,000 adults in the UK and found that almost half (46%) of the respondents eat more vegetables than they did five years ago. The survey also found that 47% have deliberately introduced more vegetables to their plates, citing efforts to be healthier (82%), saving money (22%) and reducing environmental impact (25%) as primary reasons. In addition to the Juicy Marbles launch, Tesco diversified its own-brand Plant Chef range this January to cater to growing demand for meat-free meal options. New offerings included frozen and chilled convenience products, including ‘No-Beef Meatballs’ and a ‘Meat-Free Spaghetti Bolognese’ ready meal. #vegetables #Tesco #meatalternatives #JuicyMarbles #plantbasedmeat #UK #Flexitarian

Infant nutrition company Haven has launched what it claims is the world’s first 100% oat-based toddler drink, designed to provide an alternative to dairy- and soy-based varieties. The company, based in New Zealand, has today (11 March 2024) added the dairy-free NPD to its existing portfolio of locally-made whole milk toddler products. According to Haven, the oat-based innovation contains all the same nutrients as its A2 Cow and Goat formulations. Haven’s latest product – its first 100% plant-based option – has debuted following two years of development, under the guidance of food scientist and infant nutrition advisor Lynley Drummond. It aims to provide a trusted source of nutrition for toddlers aged 12 months and over. Drummond commented: “This new oat-based drink includes all the vital protein, carbohydrates, fibre, fats, vitamins and minerals required to support healthy growth and development of busy toddlers”. She added: “We are also proud of the taste and texture profiles we’ve created. It’s smooth, delicious and creamy like dairy, which has traditionally been a challenge for plant-based toddler milks.” Key ingredients include oat milk fortified with a unique oat protein, and an algae-derived DHA, an essential omega-3 fatty acid for brain development. It also contains lutein for healthy eve development, plant-based prebiotics and probiotics, 16 essential vitamins and minerals and a proprietary gentle oil blend. Like Haven’s existing range, it is free from palm oil and GMOs. Kara Fleming, CEO at Haven, said: “Adding a plant-based option to the Haven portfolio was a logical progression for us, given the rise in childhood allergies and increasing consumer preferences towards healthy and nutritious plant-based options – especially for their children”. Haven Oat Toddler Drink is now available online and at Chemist Warehouse, New World and Pak’nSave stores in New Zealand, retailing at NZD 42.99 (approx. $26.54). #Oatbaseddairy #NewZealand #infantnutrition #Haven #plantbasedtoddlernutrition #plantbasedformula

The UK Food Standards Agency (FSA) is campaigning to raise awareness of the cross-contamination risks that food labelled as ‘vegan’ could pose to people who have allergies to animal-based ingredients. The campaign follows new research from the FSA, which found that 62% of consumers who react to animal-based ingredients – or who buy for someone who does – are confident that products labelled ‘vegan’ are safe to eat. Vegan labelling has been used by 54% of those who react to products of animal origin to indicate whether a packaged food is safe to eat ‘at least sometimes,’ according to the report. Additionally, 29% of respondents from the above categories reported being unaware that they should check for a precautionary allergen label on vegan products to inform their decision. In response to the study, the FSA’s campaign encourages people with allergies – such as to milk, eggs, fish, crustaceans or molluscs – to always check for a precautionary allergen statement, such as ‘may contain,’ on products with ‘vegan’ labelling. The campaign also explains how a free-from label, which is a food safety label, is different to a vegan or plant-based label. Vegan labels are used to support a dietary choice, and do not intentionally contain products of animal origin. However, vegan food could still be prepared in areas alongside products such as egg, milk, fish, crustaceans or molluscs, whereas free-from foods are not. To use a free-from label, food businesses must follow strict processes to eliminate risks of cross-contamination, to ensure that they do not contain any of the allergen they are claiming to be free-from. Emily Miles, CEO of the FSA, said: “Unfortunately, the reality of food production means there is still a risk of cross-contamination with animal-based allergens in vegan and plant-based products if produced in the same factory as animal-based products”. “That is why, through our ‘Vegan Food and Allergens Campaign,’ we are urging people to always check for a label such as ‘may contain’ and have a conversation about their allergens with food servers and businesses.” The campaign is being supported by three UK allergen charities: Allergy UK, Anaphylaxis UK and the Natasha Allergy Research Foundation. The FSA recently updated its food labelling technical guidance for food businesses and industry. It now advises businesses to use a precautionary allergen label alongside a vegan label, if cross-contamination cannot be ruled out. #allergens #labelling #crosscontamination #freefrom #veganlabels #FoodStandardsAgency #UK

Burger King Germany has made all plant-based products available at a lower price than their meat counterparts, effective from 5 March 2024. The fast food chain’s campaign to reduce the price of all plant-based products by 10 cents across all its German stores aims to provide an incentive for consumers to try out vegan alternatives. Burger King Germany has offered a plant-based version of almost every product since 2022, with a focus on variety of flavours, driven by increasing demand for alternative protein sources. The company said this expansion has had a positive reception from its customers, particularly those looking to cut down on meat. Following the successful roll-out of the Veggie King Deluxe for Veganuary, Burger King Germany will roll out a new ‘Flower shaped patty’ to all of its restaurants in the coming weeks. It was developed in partnership with meat alternative brand The Vegetarian Butcher, aiming to make it easier for consumers to distinguish the plant-based patties from the beef patties. Jörg Ehmer, CEO of Burger King Germany, commented: “We have been investing in meat-free alternatives since the mid-1990s and have shown that fast food doesn’t always have to mean meat”. He added: “We are the first choice when it comes to plant-based in QSR and continue to drive the trend towards alternative protein sources in Germany. To this end, we are not only developing our products and processes further, but are also focusing on greater product variety and easy access.” #fastfood #BurgerKingGermany #meatalternatives #plantbasedmeat #BurgerKing #TheVegetarianButcher #Germany #foodservice