New analysis of Circana data, by Good Food Institute (GFI) Europe, shows that improvements in affordability and taste boosted the sales volume of plant-based foods in four of the continent’s leading markets in 2025. Across France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and the UK, plant-based options typically remained more expensive per kg than their animal-based equivalents – however, the price gap narrowed last year. This was linked to growing sales volumes for plant-based foods in most cases. Across categories, total sales volume grew in France, Germany, Italy and Spain in 2025, while the Netherlands and the UK saw slight declines. GFI pointed out that the data shows affordability is important in shaping sales performance. In Italy, plant-based meat and milk recorded sales growth while average prices declined slightly. In France, plant-based meat prices dropped and sales volume increased by almost 17%. And in Spain, non-dairy milk is the plant-based category with the smallest price gap, while remaining the largest and most successful category within plant-based more broadly – it accounts for more than one in ten litres of milk sold in Spanish retailers. The data also shows sales volumes of tofu, tempeh and seitan grew by almost 30% in both Germany and the Netherlands in 2025, aligning with consumer demand for minimally processed plant-based foods. However, people across all six countries purchased significantly more plant-based meat than tofu, tempeh and seitan combined. This highlights that price alone does not guarantee success – products that replicate the taste, texture or format of traditional meat were found to be reaching a wider audience. Performance and price parity in alt-milk Data from the UK further backs up the importance of these sensory qualities, with oat and barista-style milk alternatives performing well in 2025 as consumers seek high-quality taste and performance. Barista-style products now make up a fifth of the range in several markets, the research shows. Plant-based milk remains the most mature category across all six countries, now accounting for between 7-10% of all milk sold in Germany, Italy, Spain and the Netherlands. Almost half of households in Spain, and 38% of households in Germany, purchased plant-based milk in 2025. Retailer investment in private-label products has helped lower prices – in Germany, for example, private-label plant-based milk is now cheaper than private-label dairy milk. This is despite being taxed at 19%, compared with 7% for dairy milk, GFI highlights. Average plant-based milk prices could be roughly on par with dairy milk if policymakers were to remove the tax disadvantage. ‘Mixed performance’ for meat alternatives Though the plant-based meat category has faced significant headwinds in recent years, it continues to attract strong consumer interest. In France, it was the fastest-growing category in 2025, with sales volume rising by 16.8% as prices fell. In Germany and the UK, 31% of households purchased plant-based meat last year. One in five Spanish households did the same, but sales volume fell by 7% in Spain as prices rose, with plant-based meat alternatives costing more than double the price of their conventional counterparts. The Netherlands saw a similar decline, driven primarily by decreasing sales of higher-priced branded products. Prices also rose in the UK, where alt-meat in supermarkets contracted significantly, excluding discounter stores. Separate NIQ data suggests a shift toward these stores as consumers seek more affordable options. GFI noted the opportunity presented by these findings – if taste can be improved while prices are brought closer to those of traditional meat, plant-based meat could play a larger role in achieving climate and public health goals, it said. Investment needed to unlock potential While consumer interest remains strong across markets, reaching new audiences and transforming interest into regular purchasing habits continues to be a challenge for the sector. The data shows that most plant-based categories are becoming more affordable, associated with rising sales volume in most cases – however, there are exceptions in which premium products have outperformed cheaper options. This highlights the importance of both taste and price, with consumers unwilling to compromise on either. GFI has called for further investment in research, innovation and manufacturing capacity to close these gaps. This can include government and industry investments in R&D to improve taste and texture, and building the infrastructure required to scale and cut costs. Helen Breewood, senior market and consumer insights manager at GFI Europe, said: “Across leading European markets, we’re seeing clear evidence that consumers are interested in plant-based foods, but price and taste continue to shape purchasing decisions. While the price gap with animal products is closing in many categories, affordability alone is not sufficient for growth: a good eating experience is also crucial to reach larger audiences.”

Louis Dreyfus Company (LDC) is investing in the construction of a new plant to process sunflower seeds and soybeans at the site of its existing facility in Bahía Blanca, Buenos Aires Province, Argentina. The investment will expand LDC’s industrial network in Argentina, reinforcing oilseed processing capabilities in one of the country’s most prominent sunflower production regions. It aims to address growing global demand for vegetable oils across food applications, as well as biofuels. Once complete, the new facility is expected to reach a daily crushing capacity of up to 4,000 tons of sunflower seeds or soybeans. This contributes to year-round operational optimisation, greater flexibility in processing multiple crops, and increased connectivity with international markets for regional growers. Construction is expected to begin by the end of 2026. The facility will be integrated with LDC’s storage, logistics and deep-water port infrastructure at the site. Equipment specifically designed for efficient oilseed processing will be installed as part of the investment. This includes preparation systems for cleaning, dehulling, conditioning and flaking, alongside high-capacity presses and high-efficiency solvent extraction technology. The plant will also benefit from an integrated area for seed reception and loading of processing byproducts such as meals, pellets and oils, as well as enclosed conveyor systems designed for continuous operation and enhanced emissions control. Advanced automation and integrated material handling systems will also be in use, as well as thermal energy infrastructure based on fully renewable biomass (sunflower husks), aiming to reduce carbon emissions and optimise energy usage for efficiency. Michael Gelchie, LDC’s group CEO, said: “This investment reflects Argentina’s role as a strategic market for LDC, combining a strong agricultural production base with industrial, logistics and export capabilities to connect local production with global markets”. He added: “Representing one of the company’s largest investments in Argentina over the past decade, and its first greenfield development in that time, the expansion of our capabilities in Bahía Blanca reflects our long-term commitment to supporting the country’s agro-industrial development, including through investments that strengthen export competitiveness in Argentina and the region”.

Rxbar has expanded its high-protein snack range with the launch of high-protein chocolate chip peanut butter, a new plant-based protein bar containing 19g of plant-based protein and made with six ingredients. The new flavour joins the brand's existing high-protein portfolio, which includes strawberry peanut butter and vanilla peanut butter variants. According to the company, the product is designed to meet rising consumer demand for protein-rich snacks made with recognisable ingredients, particularly among younger consumers seeking both nutritional benefits and greater ingredient transparency. Made with peanut butter, chocolate, agave nectar and pea protein, the bar delivers 19g of plant-based protein and contains no artificial ingredients. Leslie Serro, vice president of marketing at Rxbar, part of Mars Snacking, said: “High-protein is no longer a niche need – it’s an everyday expectation. And consumers are looking for products that deliver on taste and simplicity at the same time." Rxbar said the new flavour combines roasted peanut butter with chocolate chunks and vanilla notes, alongside a soft, chewy texture and sweetness from agave nectar. The launch forms part of the brand's ongoing strategy to offer high-protein products with simplified ingredient lists, differentiating itself from products that rely on more complex formulations. The new flavour will begin rolling out at select retailers from June.

All foods approved as vegan and sold in India will be required to carry a standardised logo on-pack, effective from 1 July 2027. The initiative aims to create a unified, nationally recognised identity for products that have been approved as vegan – meaning they are entirely free from animal-derived ingredients – by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI). When a product has been approved as vegan by the FSSAI, it must display the required vegan logo from the date of the regulation becoming effective, aiming to support consumers in clearly identifying vegan-friendly products on-shelf. This latest development is an amendment to the FSSAI’s Vegan Food Regulation of 2022, formalising the standardised logo and setting out clear specifications around its exact dimensions and colours, as well as confirming the exact deadline for implementation. The logo features a green square symbol containing a green ‘V,’ the word ‘VEGAN’ displayed in upper-case below, and a sprouting leaf motif above the ‘V’. © FSSAI Monita Gahlot, dietician at All India Institute of Medical Sciences, said the logo will “reduce confusion in food choice and labelling claims,” helping consumers to differentiate products that are vegetarian – free from meat, but still containing certain animal ingredients such as dairy and egg – from those that are entirely plant-based. She told the Times of India that consumers often spend “considerable time scrutinising ingredients lists” to identify whether a product is of plant origin.

Ingredion and Tate & Lyle’s boards have today (8 June 2026) announced an agreement on the terms of an all-cash £2.7 billion acquisition offer put forward by Ingredion. The transaction, subject to approval by Tate & Lyle’s shareholders, implies a total enterprise value of approximately £3.7 billion ($5 billion). Tate & Lyle shareholders will receive 595p in cash per share, representing a premium of nearly 59% to Tate & Lyle’s closing price on 13 May 2026. The proposal was first announced last month, with Tate & Lyle confirming the discussions following several 'earlier approaches' from Ingredion. The deal would bring together two F&B industry powerhouses with complementary portfolios to create a scaled, global speciality ingredients provider. The companies aim to better address evolving consumer needs by building a wider platform that combines both business’ strengths, technical expertise and international supply networks. In particular, the acquisition of Tate & Lyle will broaden Ingredion’s portfolio across texturants, sugar reduction and fortification, adding complementary capabilities in multi-ingredient systems and recipe development. Completion of the acquisition is expected in the second half of 2027. Tate & Lyle’s board of directors said it will unanimously recommend shareholders vote in favour of the deal. Jim Zallie, chairman, president and CEO of Ingredion, said: “Combining Ingredion and Tate & Lyle’s complementary portfolios establishes a global leader in ingredient solutions with the innovation expertise and geographic reach that will help create the future of food”. “The combined business will be better positioned to serve customers’ needs for the development of great-tasting, healthier and affordable food products that consumers demand. This compelling combination will create exciting new possibilities for employees and generate significant value for all stakeholders.” David Hearn, chair of Tate & Lyle, commented: “Over the last few years, Tate & Lyle has been successfully repositioned as a leading global specialty food and beverage solutions business aligned to growing consumer demand for healthier, more nutritious and sustainable food and drink.” “I would like to recognise the exceptional contribution of the team at Tate & Lyle for their talent, insight and commitment which has been a key driver of this transformation and the business we have built. Looking forward, we believe the next chapter with Ingredion will create a business with even greater potential, greater scale, and increased investment in innovation in support of customers.”

Austrian food-tech start-up Revo Foods has expanded its portfolio of mycoprotein innovations with the launch of El Pollo – a chicken-style fillet. El Pollo, like the other products in Revo’s range, is made using the company’s proprietary 3D structuring technology. The tech platform enables a juicy and fibrous texture, using fermented fungi-based mycoprotein to offer a ‘chicken-like bite’. The product has been in development for more than two years according to Revo Foods, and is claimed to offer a ‘completely new texture experience’ that is distinct from other products currently available in this category. Available in three varieties – Original, Asian Fusion and BBQ Style – the product offers a clean-label, simple ingredients list and has a Nutri-Score of A. It is high in protein and fibre, and free from major allergens. The product is designed for convenience, with a cooking time of around five minutes. Robin Simsa, commercial director of Revo Foods, said: “Chicken is the most-eaten meat in the world, but most plant-based versions are easy to forget”. “We focused on getting the texture right, and El Pollo is the result. For us it shows just how versatile mycoprotein becomes when combined with our 3D structuring process.” The company, established in 2020, began its journey with a portfolio of alt-seafood products. Its salmon-style fillet, launched in 2023, was claimed to be the world’s first 3D-printed food product to hit European supermarket shelves. Since, the company has expanded its range to include other functional products outside of seafood – such as its Fungi Mince and The Prime Cut innovations. Now, El Pollo represents its first move into plant-based chicken – though Simsa emphasised that the company does not wish to position it as an “alternative”. In a statement on LinkedIn, he explained: “El Pollo is not a chicken alternative. It is a mycoprotein-based product that is ‘inspired by chicken.’ Small wording change, big difference in perception.” Simsa said that positioning products as “alternatives” invites comparison, with Revo Foods pushing for the product to be judged “on its own quality”. “We don't sell it as ‘tastes 100% like chicken.’ We sell it as what it is: high in protein, high in fibre (which meat lacks), a complete amino acid profile, low in fat. Healthy, few ingredients. And it tastes a bit like chicken,” he wrote. “Less ideological communication lets more people try these products without getting an immediate identity crisis.” El Pollo is now available on Revo Foods’ website, priced at €4.29, and is rolling out this month in supermarkets across Austria, Germany and Italy.

SunOpta has announced the opening of a newly expanded production line for ‘better-for-you’ fruit snacks at its facility in Omak, Washington, US. The expansion represents an investment of over $25 million and is expected to increase fruit snack production capacity by 25%. Consumers are increasingly seeking natural snack options made with real fruit and no artificial colours, with significant regulatory developments in the US targeting synthetic food ingredients in recent years. SunOpta aims to meet that demand with its fruit snacks, which use an apple base and juice concentrates from other fruits such as strawberries, blueberries, lemon and pomegranate to achieve the desired flavour and colour without artificial additives. Its snacks are produced in a range of formats including ‘bits, twists, sandwiches and strips,’ with the company focusing on continued innovation across flavours, textures and shapes. The company’s R&D team crafts products with as few as five real fruit ingredients, no high-fructose corn syrup and none of the ‘top nine’ common allergens. Options range from classic berry flavours to tropical and seasonal varieties. SunOpta operates seven manufacturing plants in six markets, with fruit snacks production on both North American coasts. The company employs more than 260 people at its facility in Omak, which produces the fruit snacks for sale across the retail club, foodservice and e-commerce channels. Brian Kocher, CEO of SunOpta, said: “Demand for better for you fruit snacks continues to accelerate, and this expansion positions us to meet that momentum head on”. “By investing in our existing footprint and capabilities, we’re strengthening our ability to support customers with the scale, flexibility and reliability they need today and well into the future. Our fruit snacks platform reflects what SunOpta does best: combining innovation, quality and operational excellence at scale.” SunOpta, which also offers beverages and broths within its portfolio, was recently acquired by Refresco in a deal worth around $1 billion. Top image: © SunOpta

Warrior has expanded its range of creatine offerings with a new Creatine Gummies product, available at 164 Morrisons stores across the UK. The listing follows the strong retail performance of the sports nutrition brand’s broader product range, sitting within Morrisons’ healthcare aisle and marking an expansion of Warrior’s partnership with the supermarket. The gummies have been developed to offer over 3g of pure creatine monohydrate in an on-the-go format. Warrior noted that this responds to growing demand for convenient ways for consumers to integrate creatine into their daily routines. Creatine is rising in popularity across a broad range of shoppers, with the gummies offering a quick and easy option that sits alongside the brand’s existing powder format – which Warrior reported strong performance for in Morrisons. Each tub of gummies provides a 30-day supply. The gummies contain zero sugar and are vegan-friendly, aligning with demand for cleaner-label and lifestyle-led nutrition. Warrior acknowleged that many gummy supplements on the market fall short of active ingredient levels, confirming that its gummies are HPLC-tested and independently verified by third-party laboratories Precision Analysis and A&T Global. The testing confirmed potency of 24-27g of creatine per 100g, with no deviations. Kieran Fisher, Warrior’s founder and CEO, commented: “The demand for creatine right now is unlike anything we’ve seen before. It’s evolved from a niche gym supplement into one of the biggest ingredients in health and nutrition, and the consumer buying into the category today is far broader than it was even two years ago.” FoodBev explored this broadening of the market in its most recent cover feature, highlighting how awareness is growing of the wider benefits of creatine supplementation beyond sports, tapping into trending areas such as women’s health and longevity. “The response to our wider creatine range has been incredible, so expanding further with Morrisons is a huge milestone for the brand,” added Fisher. “This launch is about making creatine more accessible to everyday shoppers by offering a format that feels approachable, enjoyable and easy to use consistently.” Warrior Creatine Gummies are available in Morrisons stores and online, priced at £20 for 30 servings.

New research from gut health science company Zoe found that of 2,000 UK consumers surveyed, 90% do not know the recommended daily fibre target, while 66% feel misled by ‘deceptive’ marketing claims on food packaging. The survey highlighted a ‘dangerous fibre gap’ across the nation, with public awareness of the issue and faith in the government to address the problem found to be low. Zoe said this ‘fibre gap’ is fuelling a rise in gut-related health issues such as constipation, as well as an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome, stroke and even some cancers. The average UK adult consumes just 16.4g of fibre, with only 5% of the population meeting the recommended daily target of 30g. Tim Spector, scientific co-founder of Zoe, is calling for greater action from the government and food industry to tackle the country’s current ‘ultra-processed food environment,’ with 60% of British diets now consisting of UPFs. Notably, the survey points out that poor diets have now overtaken smoking as the leading preventable cause of death and ill health. Fewer than one in four survey respondents identified this, with more than one in three (35%) still believing smoking is the leading cause, compared with poor diet (22%), alcohol consumption (17%), physical inactivity (8%) and air pollution (9%). The survey also reveals consumers are struggling within ‘a confusing UPF environment’: with two-thirds feeling misled by food marketing claims, and around seven in ten (69%) saying they would make different food choices if they had access to clearer guidance on which foods support their health. This was particularly true for Millennials (75%) and Gen Z (74%). Only 9% of respondents believe the government is taking the nation’s diet ‘very seriously,’ while more than half (52%) said the government could be doing more to address the issue. Spector called the survey’s findings a “wake-up call for a nation trapped in a broken food system”. He commented: “It is staggering that despite poor diet overtaking smoking as the leading cause of preventable death, fewer than a quarter of adults recognise the danger on their plates. This isn’t a failure of personal willpower; it’s a failure of policy.” “People want to make healthier choices, but they are being thwarted by deceptive marketing and a lack of clear guidance.” Spector argues that we cannot rely on “voluntary industry shifts,” adding: “We need urgent, systemic intervention now, including mandatory warning labels on UPFs, an expanded sugar tax, and a radical reduction of these foods in our schools and hospitals. Nutrition must be treated as the major public health priority it is.”

Mondelēz International's Clif brand has expanded its Builders protein bar line with the launch of a new White Fudge Oreo-flavoured variety. The bar is aimed at consumers seeking post-workout recovery products with an indulgent taste profile. Inspired by the White Fudge Oreo sandwich cookie, it features a crunchy texture, a white fudge coating and a dark cocoa drizzle. Each bar contains 20g of plant-based protein, alongside carbohydrates designed to support recovery after exercise and training. Saurabh Kaushik, head of Clif & Builders innovation at Mondelēz International, said: “Following the strong success of our Builders Oreo-flavoured launch in 2025, we're expanding the partnership platform in 2026 with a new White Fudge Oreo-flavoured protein bar." "This innovation continues to deliver what fans expect from Builders: high-quality ingredients, delicious taste and high protein to help support post-workout recovery.” The new product joins the Builders portfolio, which includes flavours such as Chocolatey Peanut Butter, as well as the brand's reduced-sugar crispy protein bar range, available in varieties including Almond Salted Caramel. According to the company, the bars are gluten-free, contain no artificial sweeteners and are individually wrapped for on-the-go consumption. Like all of Clif's products, the bar is made with 100% plant-based ingredients. The White Fudge Oreo-flavoured Builders protein bar is now available through Amazon and selected US retailers, including Albertsons, Meijer and Hy-Vee, with a suggested retail price of $1.99-$2.29 per bar.

New European research from Soil Capital suggests that regenerative farming practices can help protect crop production during drought. The analysis is based on independently verified, primary data from 1,262 farms across 331,600 hectares in France. It focused on commonly grown European arable crops, including winter wheat, winter barley, winter rapeseed, spring barley, grain corn and potato. Built through Soil Capital’s regenerative farming transition programme, the dataset combines information on farming practices, yields and soil conditions at field level – data which, according to the organisation, has not previously been available at such a scale or level of granularity. Until now, evidence linking regenerative agriculture to resilience has been largely limited to individual farm studies or theoretical modelling, Soil Capital said. In the area where the most detailed evaluation was conducted, yields of the majorly affected crop fell by 22% on the least regenerative farms following the 2023 droughts, compared with only an 8% decline on the highly regenerative farms. The dataset for the whole of France shows the trend scales, and is statistically significant when other potential drivers such as soil type are controlled. Across cereal crops specifically, 82 of the 96 French regions experienced significant drought in the period. Within these, regenerative practices reduced drought-related yield losses by at least 10% in around 85% of cases. Andrew Voysey, chief impact officer at Soil Capital, said: “For the first time, we are moving beyond anecdote or modelling to show, through large-scale independently verified field data, how regenerative agriculture can help protect production. That begins to move resilience from a high-level concept towards something that can be understood and managed as a financial risk factor.” Following the positive early findings, Voysey confirmed that Soil Capital is now collaborating with industry and academic partners to help convert the insights into “more informed, risk-adjusted decision-making”. Erik Mathijs, head of agricultural, food and resource economics at KU Leaven in Belgium (the initiative’s first academic partner), commented: “There has long been academic interest in how different farming practices can moderate the damaging effects of climate stress on farm output, but what has held us all back is the lack of robust field-level data across large geographies and multiple successive years”. He added: “Soil Capital’s dataset is unusually strong in this regard and creates an important opportunity to combine our economic and statistical expertise with their agronomic and data science capabilities”.

Fungi start-ups Infinite Roots and Bosque Foods have joined forces under one roof, with Bosque announcing its acquisition by Infinite Roots last week. Both food-tech companies were founded in Germany, each focusing on developing sustainable, plant-based food products from mycelium (the root-like structure of fungi). Since its establishment in 2020, Bosque Foods expanded with a team of 25 food scientists and engineers, working across New York, US, as well as Berlin. The company uses mycelium to develop clean-label and high-fibre plant-based alternatives to whole-cut meat products. The company’s founder and CEO, Isabella Iglesias-Musachio, shared a statement on LinkedIn announcing the news. She wrote: “This journey was the most challenging and rewarding of my career. The climate tech sector faced real headwinds over the past few years, and navigating that required resilience from everyone involved. Through it all, I was surrounded by people who believed in what we were building.” © Bosque Foods She thanked the company’s workforce, partners and advisors, as well as its investors – which include FoodLabs, ProVeg Incubator, SOSV and others. “Infinite Roots offered the right home for Bosque's technology to continue developing at scale,” she added. “As the mycelium category matures and consolidates around companies with the infrastructure to industrialise, their platform gives what we built a strong path forward – and that's exactly the outcome I hoped for.“ Infinite Roots said it will integrate Bosque Foods’ intellectual property and knowledge in solid-state fermentation, and whole-cut meat alternative development, into its food-tech platform. Founded in Hamburg in 2018, Infinite Roots (formerly named Mushlabs) aims to make mycelium a ‘staple ingredient’ around the world. The company introduced its first mushroom-based food product under the MushRoots brand in Germany last year, a meatball-style format making its debut in the country’s foodservice market. © Infinite Roots Founder and CEO Mazen Rizk said: “The next phase of mycelium will not be won by isolated breakthroughs alone, but by companies that can integrate biology, process data, IP and industrial execution”. Top image: © Bosque Foods