Food tech company Nature’s Fynd has announced plans to build a new facility in Chicago that will expand the company’s production capacity for its fungi-based foods. Nature’s Fynd already has a 35,000-square-foot facility in Chicago’s South Side and the new Marina Crossings site will expand the company’s production footprint and add a new R&D and innovation centre. Nature’s Fynd grows its nutritional fungi protein – called Fy – from a microbe with origins in geothermal springs, using fermentation technology that it claims uses just a fraction of the land, water and energy required by traditional agriculture. The vegan protein is said to contain all 20 amino acids. The company recently launched its Meatless Breakfast Patties and Dairy-Free Cream Cheese in retail. “Following our successful retail launch in California, we are excited to expand our distribution to Chicago and other cities over the coming months,” said CEO, Thomas Jonas. “Bolstering our production capacity in Chicago is the next major milestone as we bring our Fy-based foods that are better for people and better for our planet to more stores.” Nature’s Fynd currently employs 152 people across its Chicago headquarters and Montana R&D centre and says it expects to create more than 200 new jobs in Chicago by the end of 2023. “One of Chicago’s newest unicorns, Nature’s Fynd, is reinventing the future of food on the South Side of our city by reclaiming the old Stockyards as an up-and-coming world leader in new protein,” said Chicago Mayor, Lori Lightfoot. “In addition, this incredible company is bringing high-tech and environmentally sustainable jobs to the South Side, which will give our residents an exciting opportunity to enter a rapidly growing and good-paying career field.” Nature’s Fynd recently raised $350 million in Series C funding to accelerate its commercialisation and global expansion. #meatalternatives #NaturesFynd #plantbased #US

Plant-based chicken brand Daring has raised $65 million in a Series C fundraising round led by Founders Fund. The round was joined by existing investor D1 Capital Group and also included Naomi Osaka, Cameron Newton, Steve Aoki and Chase Coleman. Headquartered in California, Daring says that its chicken alternative products are made with non-GMO ingredients and contain 10-14g of protein per serving. The brand’s range includes Original, Lemon & Herb, Cajun and Original Breaded Pieces. Since being founded in 2018, Daring has raised more than $120 million in funding. The Series C round follows a $8 million Series A funding round in 2020 and Series B funding announced earlier this year. The brand has also announced that it is expanding into 3,000 Walmart locations, doubling its distribution to 6,000 stores across the US. #Daring #US

The Coca‑Cola Company has partnered with Changchun Meihe Science & Technology and UPM to introduce its first 100% plant-based plastic beverage bottle, excluding the cap and label. The companies have used a new technology developed by plant-based plastics firm Virent to create PlantBottle, which is made from plant-based paraxylene (bPX) using sugar from corn. To begin, a limited number of around 900 prototype bottles have been manufactured. Coca-Cola’s chief technical and innovation officer, Nancy Quan, said: “We have been working with technology partners for many years to develop the right technologies to create a bottle with 100% plant-based content – aiming for the lowest possible carbon footprint – and it’s exciting that we have reached a point where these technologies exist and can be scaled by participants in the value chain”. The newly-released prototype bottle arrives 12 years after Coca-Cola first introduced its PlantBottle as the first recyclable PET plastic bottle made with approximately 30% monoethylene glycol (MEG) from sugarcanes and 70% terephthalic acid (PTA) derived from oil-based sources. Coca-Cola’s global packaging and sustainability R&D director, Dana Breed, stated: “The inherent challenge with going through bioethanol is that you are competing with fuel. We needed a next-generation MEG solution that addressed this challenge, but also one that could use second-generation feedstock like forestry waste or agricultural byproducts.” She continued: “Our goal for plant-based PET is to use surplus agricultural products to minimise carbon footprint, so the combination of technologies brought by the partners for commercialisation is an ideal fit with this strategy”. #PET #PlantBottle #TheCocaColaCompany

Lindt & Sprüngli have announced the release of its new plant-based recipe chocolate bars in the UK for Veganuary 2022. The new chocolate bars will be made from a blend of premium cocoa, gluten-free oat drink and almond paste. The two variations include Lindt Classic Recipe Vegan Smooth and Lindt Classic Recipe Vegan Hazelnut, with additional crunchy hazelnut pieces. Lindt’s vegan bars will be gluten-free and suitable for coeliacs. The plant-based additions will be available for an RRP of £3.00 per 100g bar. They will be available from selected retailers such as Sainsbury’s, Amazon, Lindt chocolate stores and online from the Lindt website from January of next year. #chocolate #Lindt #LindtampSprüngli #UK

In the past, plant-based meat and sausage alternatives were only available in specific certified organic shops. Today, you can find them in any supermarket. Vegetarian and vegan alternatives now achieve a steady turnover, and products are continuously optimised and reformulated. Various raw materials like soy, pea and wheat are used for innovative, meat-free products to complement the wide choice of meat alternatives – from sausages and cold cuts to nuggets and burgers. These days most people care about their nutrition. They read the ingredient list and compare nutritional profiles of food products. So why not add healthy dietary fibres to a vegetarian or vegan meat alternative in order to add more value to the product? Fibre enrichment boosts the nutritional profile and contributes to making the product healthier and more attractive, even to non-vegetarians. The so-called flexitarian – who sometimes eats meat, but more often tries to avoid it – is also looking for meat alternatives. However, flexitarian consumers are seeking the same culinary pleasure they get from eating real meat. The challenge here is to satisfy the flexitarian diet with products that are as similar as possible to real meat products. Therefore, some elements should mimic real meat (such as bite, flavour and colour). German manufacturer of natural fibres from sustainable raw materials, CFF, offers tailor-made Sanacel® dietary fibre solutions for natural fortification. Sanacel® acts in different ways to improve the consistency and processability of meatless products. The fibres help to imitate the meat structure and lead to a better bite Improving properties of vegan nuggets Simple applications for plant-based Sanacel® fibre blends are vegan chicken products. CFF’s technologists tested several proteins from soy or pea, as well as chickpea flour. Soy protein is one of the rare plant-based proteins that correspond to a wholefood diet because of the beneficial amino acid profile. The high content of essential amino acids (35-40%) makes it more comparable to a chicken egg. However, the tests found differences in colour before and after frying, proving that colour is influenced by the protein and not by the fibres. Several tests showed that the perfect time to add Sanacel® fibre was at the end of the cutting process in the bowl chopper. The late addition allows the fibres to bind with excess oil or water and prevent the product to become dry in the raw condition. The fibres also have the capacity to absorb the water that escapes during frying, thus ensuring a juicy mouthfeel. For easy handling, the fibres can be mixed with dry ingredients. Water and oil can be added afterwards. This compound must be chopped and shaped into a homogenous mass and the final grit size is reached. The cutter process influences how fine or coarse the product becomes. In our case, chickpea flour achieved the best result for chicken nuggets. Furthermore, dietary fibres influenced juiciness in the final product. Due to the functional characteristics of Sanacel®, it is possible to increase the water content and thus obtain a juicier product. The cutter process influences how fine or coarse the product should become. The left image shows a vegan chicken patty; the right shows a vegan chicken nugget, both made with Sanacel® Healthy nutrition and the issue of animal welfare are becoming more present and play an increasingly important role in consumers’ food choices. Many meat consumers are therefore considering vegetarian and vegan meat alternatives. Now is a good time to join the meat alternatives trend. Sanacel® fibre concentrates offer the possibility to continuously improve these products on a natural basis. Colour, texture and bite can be adjusted so that vegan meat alternatives rival their meaty counterparts. About CFF For 40 years, CFF has been motivated by the remarkable and diverse application of cellulose fibres. In the past and today, it is the engine for the development and manufacturing of functional fibre product Sanacel®, which is created from natural and biodegradable raw materials. CFF’s products are eco-friendly and remain in the natural cycle – from nature, back to nature. #meatalternatives #plantbasedmeat #Flexitarian #vegan #CFF

UK pulses and grains brand, Merchant Gourmet, has added a new pouch to its plant-based portfolio: Spiced Grains & Chestnuts with Wild Rice & Cranberries. The limited-edition offering can be enjoyed on its own or used to make plant-based variations on seasonal dishes, such as stuffing balls, winter wellingtons and stews. The ready-to-eat pouch combines pearl barley, wild rice, chestnuts and cranberries with a blend of festive herbs and spices, including nutmeg, cinnamon, rosemary and thyme. A source of fibre, Spiced Chestnuts & Grains contains no preservatives or artificial colours and is said to be low in fat. “We’re really excited to be adding Spiced Grains & Chestnuts to our range, providing shoppers with a new and exciting product that is specially designed to complement festive dishes,” said Richard Peake, managing director at Merchant Gourmet. “[Chestnut]…is a staple for many throughout the festive season and we believe the new pouch will be popular amongst those looking for plant-based alternatives this Christmas.” With an RRP of £2.00 per 250g, the pouch is rolling out to Sainsbury’s, Waitrose, Morrisons and Ocado. Earlier this year, Merchant Gourmet announced the launch of a new range of easy vegan jars. #MerchantGourmet #plantbased #UK

Swedish meat alternative brand Oumph! has unveiled a new limited-edition plant-based burger that it claims resembles ‘human meat’. The burger will temporarily join the company’s extensive range of plant-based meat alternative products which include meatballs, spare ribs, sausages and, recently launched in the UK and Sweden, döner kebab. The new burger is made from soya, mushrooms and wheat protein as well as plant-based fats and a spice mix. Anders ‘Ankan’ Linden, Oumph! co-founder, corporate chef and head of innovation, said: “We developed this burger in no time, as soon as we knew what taste and texture we were after. This is our ultimate and weird way of showing that it’s possible to create any type of food by using just plants.” The special edition Halloween burger will be available from 10pm on Saturday 30 October exclusively at Nytorget, Södermalm, Stockholm. #Halloween #meatalternatives #Oumph #Sweden

Shiru, a biotech start-up that is using machine learning and precision fermentation to build a portfolio of sustainable plant-based ingredients, has closed a $17 million Series A round. Based in California, Shiru uses artificial intelligence and machine learning to identify ingredients from the plant world that can be used as alternatives to eggs, meat, dairy and gelatine. The company then isolates the plants’ DNA and puts it into yeast to produce those ingredients using precision fermentation. Shiru aims to develop ingredients that meet or exceed animal-derived alternatives on taste, texture, other functional attributes and cost at scale, while requiring a small fraction of the land, energy and water. The company is planning to develop many different types of functional ingredients, with an initial focus on proteins. The Series A round was led by S2G Ventures and joined by returning investors, including Lux Capital, CPT Capital and Y Combinator, as well as several new investors. Shiru will use the funds to continue building its team and also plans to move into new headquarters in Alameda, California, in the first half of 2022 and to start scaling up manufacturing. “The global food industry is well aware of the voracious demand among consumers for sustainable food, as well as the sector’s immense power to help solve our climate crisis,” said Shiru CEO and founder, Jasmin Hume. “Shiru’s goal is to make it simple and cost-effective for every food company, from multinational conglomerates to innovative start-ups, to do the right thing for people and the planet.” Chuck Templeton, a new Shiru board member and managing director of S2G Ventures, added: “The global food sector is on the cusp of an innovation explosion. Shiru is at the vanguard of a new generation of start-ups that will transform the agriculture sector, paving the way for a liveable planet and increased quality of life for all of us.” Shiru plans to deliver its first ingredients to food companies next year. #precisionfermentation #US #S2GVentures #Shiru #plantbased

UK brand Patak’s has announced the launch of its new Indian-style plant-based range which consists of easy cooking sauces and meal kits. Patak’s vegan cooking sauces contain Indian spices, tomatoes and lentils to create daal-style curry flavouring which can be poured over and simmered with vegetables. The flavour variations include Lentil Tikka Masala, Lentil Korma and Lentil Jalfrezi. The meal kits contain a flavoured spice paste, an easy-to-cook carbohydrate (either brown rice or lentils) and a sachet of crispy onions to sprinkle on top. Choices for the meal kits include Mild & Aromatic Biryani, Korma Spiced Daal and Hot & Spicy Biryani. Charlotte Peterson, Patak’s senior brand manager, commented: “Patak’s plant-based range has been created with the growing trend toward meat-reduction in mind and presents a real opportunity for consumers who are meat lovers, meat reducers and vegetarians alike, to amplify veg in a delicious and indulgent way”. She continued: “Consumer insight shows that a key barrier to meat reducing is that many of the more hesitant consumers still associate plant-based food with being bland and tasteless and this is where we can help! Indian food is known for its flavour and is synonymous with meat-free dishes, putting Patak’s in a perfect position to change long-standing consumer perceptions with the plant-based launch.” The cooking sauces are available now in Ocado and Sainsbury’s with an RRP of £1.89 per 345g. Further rollout in Tesco and Co-op is expected in November. The meal kits are available now in Ocado and Sainsbury’s with an RRP of £2.89 per meal kit (which serves 2). Further rollout in Co-op is expected in November. #Indian #Pataks #UK

Canada’s Above Food has announced its acquisition of Atlantic Natural Foods, a manufacturer of plant-based protein foods. Atlantic Natural Foods operates its own manufacturing facility in North Carolina, US, as well as a joint venture in Thailand. The company’s portfolio includes plant-based food brand Loma Linda, plant-based seafood alternatives range, Tuno, and egg replacer and protein-mix company, Neat. Martin Williams, president and co-founder of Above Food, commented: “Atlantic’s commitment to sustainability, nutrition, accessibility and social responsibility are all values that deeply resonate with our team”. He continued: “With five generations of agriculture experience at the helm of Above, we have a seed-to-fork mentality that shapes every product and partnership. We identified significant synergies between our two companies and the decision to join forces was an easy one.” The deal is expected to close in Q1 of next year. Back in July of this year, Above Food announced its acquisition of Only Oats and Culcherd. #AboveFood #AtlanticNaturalFoods #Thailand #US

Rustlers, a Kepak Group brand, has unveiled plans to launch a meat-mimicking burger to add to its range of microwaveable hot snacks. The Rustlers ‘Meatless Maverick’ will be made from pea protein and is complete with the quarter pounder signature sauce and dairy cheese. Adrian Lawlor, chief marketing officer of Kepak Group, commented: “Research shows there is a perception that products within the meat-free category require long cooking times with not much in the way of tasty, quick and treat options”. He continued: “Meatless Maverick will offer a meat-free alternative to Rustlers whilst bringing the taste, convenience and quality credentials associated with the brand to the audiences we have defined – moderate meat reducers, committed meat reducers and moderate vegetarians.” The new burger will be available in the UK in Tesco, One Stop and the Booker Group from November for an RRP of £2. #KepakGroup #Rustlers #UK #vegetarian

Vegan and dairy-free confectioner Buttermilk has unveiled a range of chocolate snack bars, inspired by the UK’s favourite flavours. The company’s ‘Choccy Bars’ come in three flavours – peanut nougat, caramel nougat and honeycomb blast. Peanut nougat features “chewy peanut nougat with a caramel layer crammed with roasted peanuts”; caramel nougat has a “malt-flavoured nougat with a caramel layer”; and honeycomb blast has “light and crunchy honeycomb”. Buttermilk says its bars are dairy-free, yet rich and creamy. The bars are said to have a 20% lower carbon footprint than leading non-vegan bars. Available from supermarkets such as Tesco and Sainsburys, from £1.50. In addition, the company has also launched a range of festive treats, including: plant-based chocolate truffles (in orange and mint flavours), a dairy-free advent calendar, and Hot Choccy Bombe. #Buttermilk #chocolate #plantbased #snackbar