Mock has launched its complete range of plant-based lamb and chicken alternatives into the food service sector. The range includes Mock’s triple battered Chicken Fillet Burger, Popcorn and Drumstick products. Pappudu Sriram, Mock’s CEO and co-founder, said: “Our purpose is to help more people eat less meat, and to enjoy their food. Substituting animal protein with plant-based alternatives is one of the most achievable and impactful changes our society can make to improve planet health.” “While 40% of the UK population have turned to either vegan/vegetarian or flexitarian (meat reducer) diets and frequently add plant-based meat into their meals, over half of the population still needs convincing. Therefore, we all have a lot of work to do. Harpreet Gill, Mock founder added: “Offering chefs and foodservice operators’ greater versatility and better quality plant-based meat options will provide the catalyst for increased menu listings which leads to higher consumer awareness and adoption. “Similarly, consumers want to enjoy their favourite dishes without having to compromise their dining experience. Ultimately, consumers will transition when better quality products and diverse menu choices are made available.” Mock’s food service products are available for delivery via selected UK distributors. #Mock #plantbasedchicken #plantbasedlamb #UK

Beneo has announced that it is expanding its portfolio with the introduction of its first semi-finished product, plant-based chicken chunks, next year. The new solution is said to mark the “next strategic step on the company’s plant-based roadmap,” and follows Beneo’s acquisition of Dutch ingredients provider Meatless earlier this year. Available in fresh and frozen form, the plant-based product is said to offer an authentic fibrous chicken-like structure and juicy mouthfeel, and is made from just four ingredients: mycoprotein, pea protein, a pH regulator and flavouring. Jos Hugense, founder of Meatless, said: “When it comes to plant-based meat alternatives, taste, texture and sustainability are king for consumers. There is incredible market potential for those food producers who can harness all three. “Thanks to our new technology process, we have been able to do just that, creating low-processed, short-ingredient-list imitation chicken chunks that deliver, both in terms of outstanding sensory quality and cost-effectiveness. Manufacturers wanting scalable, easy-to-implement solutions that don’t compromise on taste or enjoyment need look no further.” #Beneo #Meatless

Kraft Heinz has announced the launch of a new Philadelphia-branded plant-based spread in the US. Philadelphia plant-based spread is available in the brand’s original cream cheese flavour. Made with “simple ingredients” and no added flavours or dyes, the new plant-based offering is also free of gluten and lactose. Robert Scott, president of research and development at Kraft Heinz, said: “The influx of flexitarian consumers has driven growth within the plant-based market, which is now more than 20x the size of the vegan population”. He continued: “As the brand that has set the cream cheese standard for 150 years, we realised the current options weren’t meeting consumer expectations, and there was no trusted leader. Philadelphia plant-based spread not only provides a solution that mirrors the taste and texture of our iconic Philadelphia brand, but it also reinforces Kraft Heinz’s bet to bring plant-based offerings to the masses.” Philadelphia plant-based spread is currently sold at select retailers in Southeast US, with additional flavours being rolled out nationally in summer 2023. #KraftHeinz #Philadelphia #US

Snack brand PeaTos has closed an oversubscribed Series A3 funding round from Post Holdings and other private investors. PeaTos, which has also announced its expansion into several hundred Walmart locations across the US, aims to offer a plant-based, better-for-you alternative to Americans’ favourite ‘junk’ snacks. The brand is looking to challenge what it describes as Frito-Lay’s monopoly of the snack category with an approach that “bridges the gap between junk food taste and better-for-you nutrition”. Instead of a corn base, PeaTos uses “nutrient-dense” peas to create snacks that it says offer twice the protein and three times the fibre of “the leading salty snack counterparts”. PeaTos founder, Nick Desai, said: “While the amount of money we raised is a rounding error to Frito Lay, we are extremely proud of this show of strong support from our investors, as well as retailers and consumers, who believe in our important mission”. “Even in today’s challenging fundraising environment, there is still a strong demand for a compelling and unique brand promise. PeaTos has made great strides in a short time, demonstrating a real opportunity in the salty snack category for the same great ‘junk’ snack flavour and fun that America grew up on, but with 100% plant-based ingredients, better-for-you nutrition and none of the junk.” #PeaTos #US

Chika’s is set to launch a new trio of non-HFSS Rice Crisps that are under 100 calories in time for ‘Veganuary’. The new vegan non-HFSS Rice Crisps will be available in three flavours – BBQ, Salt & Vinegar and Sweet Chilli. Made with white rice and natural flavourings, they are popped to create crunchy crisps that are tasty and light. Chika Russell, founder and CEO of Chika’s said: “At Chika’s, we believe that good snacks shouldn’t come with a compromise. With our new Non-HFSS Rice Crisps, our team of flavour makers have worked hard to create a range of tasty, moreish popped snacks that are low in fat, and under 100 calories per portion. “This means out with the ‘bad’ (high salt and fat) and in with the ‘good’ – brilliant ingredients, big flavours, more spice, and added crunch.” The new rice crisps will be available from selected UK retailers in January at a RRP of 79p for a 22g grab bag or £1.79 for an 80g sharing bag. #Chikas #UK

Plant-based food brand, Huel, has closed a $24 million funding round led by Highland Europe, as it looks to expand globally. As well as supporting the brand’s growth internationally, with a particular focus on its second-biggest market, the US, the funding will go towards new product innovation and continued expansion into retail stores. Huel’s CEO, James McMaster, said: “Our investors have all expressed their belief for what we are trying to achieve at Huel – making nutritionally complete, convenient, affordable food, with minimal impact on animals and the environment. We are trying to change the way the world thinks about food and Huel offers a solution to help people make easy changes to their food choices.” A spokesperson for Highland Europe added: “We partnered with Huel when it was just three years old and predominantly an online business in the UK. It has since expanded incredibly well across geographies, channels and products. We remain a committed partner and look forward to the next chapter in the journey.” The funding round values the brand at $560 million, seven years after its launch. #HighlandEurope #Huel #UK

ChickP Protein has collaborated with Vaniglia to create a prototype plant-based ice cream using its chickpea protein isolate. The Israeli food tech start-up says that its protein isolate delivers important functionalities in ice cream applications, such as emulsion stability and prevention of icing and crystallisation, while helping to create “an ideal melting profile”. According to Assaf Blank, CEO of ice cream chain Vaniglia, ChickP’s frozen dessert “has a truly creamy and rich texture similar to dairy ice cream”. Liat Lachish Levy, CEO of ChickP, added: “Our ChickP isolate ingredient answers consumers’ growing demand for vegan products with a dairy-like experience”. The solution is also said to provide exceptional whipping capabilities and have a neutral taste. Maor Dahan, application manager for ChickP, added: “Our protein has an important role in stabilising the ice cream and creating the desired smooth texture”. “During development, we removed various stabilisers one by one and, surprisingly, it did not affect the product’s shelf life, and it even improved the scoopability of the product. This allows a shorter, cleaner ingredient list.” #ChickPProtein #Israel

Mycelia ingredient company MycoTechnology and IFF have partnered to co-develop alternative proteins and food and beverage products for the European market. MycoTechnology creates ingredients from mycelia – root-like structures of fungi. The new agreement will enable the Colorado-based business to take advantage of IFF’s culinary design centre and other capabilities in Brabrand, Denmark, as well as its Re-Imagine Protein innovation programme. The two companies have already partnered in the US and are also currently working together on a project in the Asia-Pacific region. By combining MycoTechnology’s mycelial fermentation platform with IFF’s technical capabilities, the companies plan to develop new, innovative solutions for food and beverage products throughout Europe. Alan Hahn, MycoTechnology’s CEO, said: “This is an exciting new level of collaboration. IFF understands the importance of innovation and using it to build a better, more sustainable food system. We’re delighted to embark on a new journey together to create the cutting-edge solutions consumers demand for taste, nutrition and sustainability.” Marcus Pesch, vice president of the Re-Imagine and Re-Master innovation programmes at IFF, commented: “We look forward to collaborating with MycoTechnology on exciting new opportunities in the alternative protein space and beyond”. He added: “Coupling MycoTechnology’s fermented protein expertise with our Re-Imagine Protein innovation programme will expand the already extensive set of solutions we have to offer. As consumer demand for alternative proteins evolves, we look forward to creating tastier, better and more sustainable solutions for our customers.” #IFF #MycoTechnology #plantbasedprotein

Plant-based honey producer MeliBio has announced a $2.2 million investment, bringing the company’s total funding to date to $9.4 million. The capital came from existing backers, including Collaborative Fund and Siddhi Capital, as well as new investor The Greenbaum Foundation, which is led by Jim Greenbaum, executive producer of ‘The Game Changers’ and ‘Seaspiracy’. MeliBio was founded in 2020 by scientist Aaron Schaller and honey industry executive Darko Mandich. The company’s plant-based product aims to address issues involved in commercial honey production, such as the use of pesticides and adulterants, and is said to perform and taste just like its conventional counterpart. Collaborative Fund founder Craig Shapiro, who recently joined MeliBio’s board, said: “The conventional honey industry is not sustainable. Bee populations have seen steep declines, threatening to damage our broader food and agricultural systems. “We were thrilled to meet Darko and the team, who have created a product that is simultaneously healthier, more delicious and sustainable. We love backing teams creating products that make the right choice the easy choice.” MeliBio CEO and co-founder, Mandich, added: “We are thankful to our investors for recognising the progress our team has made and for providing the additional capital to scale our company”. The business is partnering with organic food producer, Narayan Foods, to introduce its plant-based honey to European stores, with the rollout expected to begin in the first quarter of 2023. Products will be sold under Narayan’s Better Foodie brand. #MeliBio #Plantbasedhoney

Nestlé has launched a limited-edition plant-based foie gras, Vois Gras, under its Garden Gourmet brand. Nestlé’s research and development teams sought to develop an alternative to foie gras for consumers’ festive meals. A spokesperson from Nestlé told FoodBev: “The delicious soy-based Voie Gras has an authentic texture, flavour and appearance. It goes very well with bread, brioche or canapé crackers, and can be used hot or cold, in sweet or savoury recipes.” Voie Gras is launching during the season when animal-based foie gras is mostly consumed. The plant-based alternative is soy-based with a blend of miso paste, sea salt and truffle oil. The new product has a better nutritional profile than animal-based foie gras and is sold at a lower price point. Voie Gras is available in select Swiss Coop stores for an RRP of CHF 7.95 (approx. $8.37) per 180g jar. It is also available in limited quantities in certain retailers in Spain. #Nestlé #GardenGourmet #Spain #Veganfoiegras #Switzerland

Ingredient companies CP Kelco and Chr Hansen have collaborated to demonstrate the possibility of plant-based yogurt alternatives production – “vegurts”. The result of this collaboration included industrially validated prototypes of drinkable and edible “vegurts” with oat, soy, pea, coconut or almond bases. Christian Gilleladen, principal application scientist at Chr Hansen, said: “The technological challenge to produce both spoonable and drinkable ambient vegurts with great nutrition, taste and texture is significant.” He continued: “Selecting the right culture to provide fermentation performance, texture and flavour for each recipe, and having these complement the stabilisation and flavour systems is critical to making great products. By working together, we have been able to unlock the synergies between ingredients and process to produce a variety of desired thicknesses and mouthfeel.” Anne Sinha, marketing director at CP Kelco, commented: “This collaboration represents a new way of helping our respective customers accelerate their product development and access technical application support globally.” She continued: “With access to teams who know each other and work together well, and who are closely connected to other global ingredient producers, customers can benefit from an integrated team of world-leading experts with insights across their entire development chain.” A range of vegurt prototypes are available to food producers for tasting. The recipes can also be adapted to meet specific requirements for sugar, protein, fat, texture and flavour. Tora Jorn, sales technical service manager at CP Kelco: “Together, we look forward to this opportunity of sharing our support and helping with the development of the flavours, textures and nutritional profiles our customers are targeting when they embark on the plant-based, shelf-stable vegurts journey.” #ChrHansen #CPKelco #plantbasedyogurt

Heinz has announced the launch of a vegan version of its sell-out Christmas Dinner Big Soup cans. The plant-based alternative is filled with vegan sausage, stuffing balls and vegetables. Bahar Kiransa, marketing manager at Heinz Soups, said: “We’ve been hard at work all year perfecting our recipes for both the meat and vegan versions. We are particularly proud to be introducing the vegan version this year, as everyone deserves to be able to try the delicious flavours of our much-loved Heinz Christmas Dinner Soup.” The vegan soup is available at Asda’s stores for an RRP of £2 per can for a limited time only. #Heinz #UK