Natural Balance Foods has expanded its Trek power range with a new chocolate orange flavour which will join the existing flavour variations. Each bar features 15g of protein and is 100% plant-based and gluten-free. The bars are coated in a natural alternative to chocolate, contain natural ingredients including vegan protein, oats, fruits and nuts, and contain no artificial sweeteners. The new flavour will join the existing variants: Peanut Butter Crunch and Millionaire Shortbread. The Trek ‘Choc Orange Power Bar’ is available in retailers including Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Ocado and BP with an RRP of £1.75. #NaturalBalanceFoods #Trek #UK

Mondelēz International has announced its plans to launch a new vegan Cadbury chocolate bar in the UK, named the Cadbury Plant Bar. The bar will be available in two flavours: smooth chocolate and smooth chocolate with salted caramel pieces. Cadbury has replaced the milk with an almond paste which “provides a similar taste and texture to milk ingredients while offering a hint of nuttiness”. The plant-based bar apparently retains the creamy taste of the regular milk chocolate bar. The Cadbury Plant Bar range will be packaged in 100% plant-based and recycled packaging. This will be made from ISCC certified bio-sourced plastics from renewable sources. Louise Stigant, UK managing director at Mondelēz International, said: “With 500,000 participants in this year’s Veganuary – double the number of participants from the year before, the increasing public appetite for varied snacking options and plant-based alternatives has never been more apparent.” She continued: “At Mondelēz, evolving consumer demands have long informed our ambition to provide a wide range of products that work for everyone and the new Cadbury Plant Bar range is the latest stop on this journey”. The bars will be available in Sainbury’s nationwide from November with further rollout in other retailers expected in January next year. The 90g bars will RRP for £2.50. This latest plant-based chocolate release comes after Mars unveiled vegan versions of Bounty and Topic chocolate bars in January and Happi Free From released its new oat milk white chocolate range in May. #Cadburys #MondelezInternational #UK #veganchocolate

UK vegan and free-from brand Moo Free has announced two brand-new additions to its portfolio to expand its festive range. The new products include ‘Olivia the Bear’ and ‘White Choccy Snowball’. Olivia the Bear, a dairy-free white chocolate bear, is the counterpart to the milk chocolate ‘Oscar the Bear’. The dairy-free White Choccy Snowball contains vegan marshmallows and honeycomb. Both products are gluten-free and soya-free. Andrea Jessop, CEO of Moo Free, commented: “Sales of our Christmas range have enjoyed double-digit growth each year, alongside the success of our all-year-round range. We are appealing to the increasing number of people following a range of diets from gluten-free to vegan. Our 2021 Christmas range is the largest yet with something for everyone, so we would urge retailers to stock up early.” Moo Free will be bringing back its regular festive range this Christmas. The range includes a choice of vegan advent calendars, a selection box, chocolate bars and festive figures. The new products are available in UK leading supermarkets including Tesco, Waitrose and Morrisons. You can also purchase them online on the Moo Free website. #dairyfreechocolate #festive #MooFree #UK

GoodMills Innovation has announced the introduction of new texturates made from wheat, soy and pea for fish and meat substitutes. The new Vitatex ingredients are said to be authentically fibrous and can therefore be used to make plant-based alternatives that closely replicate their animal-based counterparts. The texturates – which can be used in products such as vegan fish fingers, plant-based tuna, and meatless patties and nuggets – offer a high protein content and high water-binding capacity. The Vitatex range is available in different sizes or granulations. To produce fish or meat alternatives, the texturates are rehydrated and processed with other ingredients, and GoodMills Innovation says products made with Vitatex are ideally suited for the frozen food sector. #GoodmillsInnovation #meatalternatives #Plantbasedseafood

Banza, a maker of chickpea-based foods, has launched two new pizza offerings that include plant-based ingredients from Beyond Meat and Danone-owned Follow Your Heart. Banza Supreme is a vegetarian option made with smoky San Marzano tomato sauce, a three cheese blend of mozzarella, provolone and white cheddar, red onions, fire-roasted green and red peppers and plant-based Beyond Meat Sausage Italian Crumbles. Meanwhile, Banza Plant-Based Cheese is a vegan pie layered with San Marzano tomato sauce, infused with caramelised onion and roasted garlic and topped with plant-based mozzarella from Follow Your Heart. According to the company, the new pizzas offer the same nutritional benefits as Banza’s original pizza varieties, with more protein and fibre and fewer net carbs and sodium than other pizza crusts. Banza’s CEO and co-founder, Brian Rudolph, said: “Chickpeas, and more broadly beans, are one of the best foods for human health and the environment. Since launching our crust, we’ve hoped to create a vegan cheese pizza.” Rudolph continued: “While we aren’t comfortable using meat, we’re filling the void using a plant-based option. We created these two new varieties to give people another way to enjoy their favourite foods, all while eating more chickpeas.” Banza’s Supreme and Plant-Based Cheese pizzas are available nationwide at retailers and e-commerce platforms, including Kroger and Amazon. #FollowYourHeart #US #Banza #BeyondMeat #Danone #pizza

SternVitamin, a subsidiary of Stern-Wywiol Gruppe, has developed new micronutrient premixes for the fortification of plant-based products. The company’s new SternVitalityV premix was designed for a coffee oat drink and features vitamins and minerals that are said to reduce tiredness and fatigue. Meanwhile, SternDefenceV was developed for a fruity oat drink and contains vitamins, minerals and botanicals, including sea buckthorn, vitamins B2, C, D and E, and trace elements selenium and zinc. “Customer interest in micronutrient premixes for plant-based products is growing,” said SternVitamin product manager, Christina Mesch. “So together with our sister company, Planteneers, we have developed further concepts for plant-based drinks that address the current health trend.” #Planteneers #SternVitamin

Squeaky Bean has launched new additions to its plant-based slices range. The new variations include roast chicken, honey roast ham and Applewood smoked ham. The new flavours are made from wheat and pea vegetable protein and are fortified with vitamin B12, iron and zinc. They also contain over 20g/100g of protein. The ready-to-eat lunchtime sandwich slices have a ‘delicate’ texture and are coated with seasonings to mimic real meat slices. Sarah Augustine, Squeaky Bean brand manager, said: “We have only just scratched the surface of what’s possible for vegan Squeaky Bean options at lunch and we’re very excited about this launch and pumped to give everyone another tasty, easy switch.” She continued: “This will be an area of real innovation as the sector growth accelerates and Squeaky Bean will continue to be at the forefront with a game-changing product pipeline”. The 120g packs are available in Sainsbury’s from 29 September with an RRP of £3. Roll-out with other retailers is expected to follow. #plantbased #SqueakyBean #UK #vegan

Plant-based oils and fats supplier AAK has announced its acquisition of speciality lecithin compound business, BIC Ingredients, for an undisclosed sum. BIC Ingredients, a subsidiary of BIC International Holding, sources raw materials from numerous regions around the world to produce lecithin – an unrefined emulsifier composed of plant-based oils such as soy, sunflower and rapeseed. Alec van Veldhoven, commercial director at AAK, said: “BIC Ingredients is a natural fit with our business. BIC’s existing lecithin customers will now be able to benefit from AAK’s unique customer co-development approach, which is driven by customer needs, built on collaboration, and geared for better success rates and lasting value. By expanding our portfolio further, we will be able to create even better solutions in close collaboration with our customers globally.” Harro de Groot, CEO of BIC International Holding, commented: “I am pleased for our customers that BIC’s lecithin business will now be integrated into AAK’s co-development approach, focusing on finding solutions for the customers we serve, alongside our current high standards of quality assurance”. He continued: “My team and myself will remain involved in the business and will continue to support AAK’s natural emulsifiers team over the next three years. This transaction will further enable BIC International Holding to increase its focus on plant-based protein through our entity BIC Protein.” The acquisition is said to give customers “the opportunity to source speciality lecithin ingredients alongside oils and fats from one trusted supplier”. AAK will incorporate BIC Ingredients’ portfolio into its current speciality lecithin offering, which is sold under the Akolec brand. #BICInternationalHolding #BICIngredients #AAK #oilsandfats #lecithin

UK vegan bakery brand Oggs is expanding its product range with its first-ever chilled aisle dessert – plant-based hot puddings. The new offerings are available in two flavours: chocolate fudge pudding and sticky toffee pudding. Both puddings include Oggs Egg Alternative Aquafaba, its liquid egg alternative for use in home baking and cooking. Hannah Cartner, Oggs founder, commented: “Most people enjoy a sweet treat after dinner, but the search for plant-based options that taste great can still be a challenge. We are super excited to launch this brand-new product range in time for autumn and ahead of Christmas festivities when finding a great plant-based alternative to Christmas pudding is difficult.” “For vegans and the environmentally-conscious consumer, the new melt-in-the-middle puddings are the perfect choice for a guilt-free, ethical dessert which isn’t going to harm the planet”. The puddings will launch in the chilled dessert aisle of Sainsbury’s stores across the UK from 10 October and come in packs of two with an RRP of £2.75. #desserts #Oggs #plantbased

Vegan and vegetarian brand Cauldron Foods has unveiled two new additions to its tofu portfolio: Organic Quick & Tasty Tofu and organic tofu mince. In celebration of National Tofu Month, the new vegan offerings are made from organic tofu and sustainable soya beans. The tofu mince is high in protein, calcium and low in saturated fat. Tom Lindley, head of Cauldron, said: “Shoppers are increasingly looking to replace beef mince with vegan products that are made from organic ingredients. Cauldron’s Organic Tofu Mince is a first for the brand and is the only vegan mince in the market that is made from organic and sustainable soya beans.” Cauldron Organic Quick & Tasty Tofu is available now in Asda with an RRP of £1.90 per 250g. The organic tofu mince is available in Asda and Tesco with an RRP of £2.25 per 180g. #CauldronFoods #plantbased #Tofu

UK plant-based brand Moving Mountains has announced the release of its second plant-based seafood product offering with its new fish fillet. The Moving Mountains fish fillet is 100% free of microplastics and mercury, has 10g of protein and 4.5g of fibre per 100g. The fillet has a flaky texture designed to mimic actual fish and is coated in panko breadcrumbs. Simeon Van der Molen, founder of Moving Mountains, says: “The Moving Mountains fish fillet is going to revolutionise the nation’s favourite meal: fish and chips. 380 million portions of fish and chips are eaten every year, but this is impacting the oceans, where there is already a sustainability crisis. Our ground-breaking new product will allow Brits to enjoy this national treasure whilst protecting sea life across the globe.” He continued: “Our team have spent years perfecting the fish fillet, so it looks and tastes just like the real thing, with all the health benefits too. Our fish fillet has 10g of protein and 4.5g of fibre for every 100g. We are thrilled to be launching the product in Ocado, so that Brits can enjoy the product nationwide.” The plant-based fillet can be cooked from frozen in a frying pan or cooked in the oven in less than 20 minutes. This launch comes after the release of its fish fingers last year. The new product is now available to purchase on Ocado with an RRP of £3.99. #MovingMountains #Plantbasedseafood #UK

Plant-based dairy company Ripple Foods has raised $60 million in a Series E funding round led by Rage Capital, Ajax Strategies and S2G Ventures. Headquartered in California, Ripple Foods uses protein from yellow peas to create dairy alternative products such as plant-based milk, protein shakes and frozen desserts. The company’s Series E round was also backed by OurCrowd, GV, Prelude Ventures, Euclidean, Fall Line Capital and Tao Capital Partners. Commenting, Ripple Foods CEO Laura Flanagan said: “This capital raise will enable us to accelerate innovation and growth across product categories, and expand into new channels and global markets”. “It allows us to further achieve our mission of making plant-based foods that are better for people, and better for the planet, on an even larger scale,” she added. Chuck Templeton, managing director of S2G Ventures, said: “Our investment with Ripple supports its continued growth and success in the milk aisle and its upcoming innovation in new product categories”. “Ripple is a clear leader in plant-based dairy alternatives, and we are excited to support this team of proven industry veterans as they continue to scale the business.” #Dairyalternatives #RippleFoods #S2GVentures #US