Upfield has announced plans for a new plant-based production facility in Brantford, Canada, which will replace the company's existing factory in Etobicoke and support the firm's growth strategy. The new site in Brantford will provide expanded production capacity and upgraded equipment to support the production of Upfield's expanding spreads and margarine product portfolio, including Becel margarine and plant-based bricks. The Brantford facility will also reportedly feature a scaled-up manufacturing platform that will support the production of new innovations, such as Violife vegan cheese alternatives. Plans state that the new facility will be fully operational by the end of 2021, and the existing workforce of 86 technical workers at the firm's Etobicoke site will be offered positions at the new production site. Upfield also claims that the expanded site will create additional employment opportunities from 2021 to 2023. Dan Bajor, president of Upfield Canada, said: "Upfield is investing and innovating to expand our plant-based business in Canada and introduce a new product line here, our plant-based cheese product, Violife. As part of this expansion, we are launching production in Brantford. "Our new state-of-the art facility will supply our spreads and plant-based cheese product to Canadian consumers and support the export of Violife to the United States and eventually to markets in Latin America." Earlier this year, Upfield Group announced plans to invest €50 million in a new plant-based research and development (R&D) facility in Wageningen, the Netherlands. Upfield claimed that the new R&D centre would help to accelerate the development of plant-based food products and sustainable packaging solutions.

Plant-based producer Sol Cuisine has expanded its portfolio with the introduction of a vegan turk’y roast ahead of Canadian Thanksgiving on 12 October. Providing six servings per roast, the company’s new seasonal offering features traditional holiday stuffing and ‘homestyle’ gravy. Commenting on the launch, Sol Cuisine’s CEO John Flanagan said: “This product is truly incredible. It’s a great-tasting, healthy alternative that is easy to prepare and serve. “Packed with real ingredients like cranberries, onions and celery, you can trust that this delicious plant-based roast will be a welcome addition to your feast.” Sol Cuisine’s plant-based stuffed turk’y roast with gravy is available, for a limited time only, from retailers across Canada, including Sobeys, Loblaws, Metro and Safeway. In August, Sol Cuisine announced that it had closed a $7.6 million approx. equity financing round led by BDC Capital’s Industrial Innovation Venture Fund. The company recently introduced soy-free and non-GMO spinach chickpea bites, said to be “great for appetisers, snacks”, or when enjoyed as a side dish. #Canada #meatalternatives #SolCuisine

Plant-based producer Sol Cuisine has expanded its portfolio with the introduction of a vegan turk'y roast ahead of Canadian Thanksgiving on 12 October. Providing six servings per roast, the company’s new seasonal offering features traditional holiday stuffing and ‘homestyle’ gravy. Commenting on the launch, Sol Cuisine's CEO John Flanagan said: “This product is truly incredible. It's a great-tasting, healthy alternative that is easy to prepare and serve. “Packed with real ingredients like cranberries, onions and celery, you can trust that this delicious plant-based roast will be a welcome addition to your feast." Sol Cuisine's plant-based stuffed turk'y roast with gravy is available, for a limited time only, from retailers across Canada, including Sobeys, Loblaws, Metro and Safeway. In August, Sol Cuisine announced that it had closed a $7.6 million approx. equity financing round led by BDC Capital’s Industrial Innovation Venture Fund. The company recently introduced soy-free and non-GMO spinach chickpea bites, said to be “great for appetisers, snacks”, or when enjoyed as a side dish.

Kate Farms, maker of plant-based formulas used in the treatment of chronic illnesses, has launched a meal replacement shake for non-medical use. Founded in 2011, Kate Farms offers formulas made using organic, plant-based ingredients to deliver vital nutrition to those with medical conditions. The company’s latest offering is a plant-based meal replacement shake which is available to all consumers via the Kate Farms website. The Nutrition Shakes are said to provide a third of an adult’s daily key nutrients in only 330kcal. Available in chocolate, vanilla and coffee flavours, Kate Farms Nutrition Shakes are free from dairy, soy, gluten, corn and artificial ingredients. According to the California-based company, the shakes provide a balanced, protein- and nutrient-rich meal, or can be enjoyed as a healthy snack. They are made from organic, non-GMO ingredients. “We have pioneered plant-based nutrition in the medical setting where clinicians prescribe our formulas to patients who are at nutritional risk, fighting chronic diseases such as autoimmune issues, digestive problems, allergies, cancer and malnutrition,” said Kate Farms chairman and CEO, Brett Matthews. “Now, Kate Farms’ clinically-proven nutrition helps everyone lead a healthier lifestyle and meet their individual needs and situations, medical or not.” Earlier this year, the company closed a $23 million Series A-1 financing round, led by a personal investment from co-founder of Silver Lake, David Roux. #KateFarms #US

Kate Farms, maker of plant-based formulas used in the treatment of chronic illnesses, has launched a meal replacement shake for non-medical use. Founded in 2011, Kate Farms offers formulas made using organic, plant-based ingredients to deliver vital nutrition to those with medical conditions. The company’s latest offering is a plant-based meal replacement shake which is available to all consumers via the Kate Farms website. The Nutrition Shakes are said to provide a third of an adult's daily key nutrients in only 330kcal. Available in chocolate, vanilla and coffee flavours, Kate Farms Nutrition Shakes are free from dairy, soy, gluten, corn and artificial ingredients. According to the California-based company, the shakes provide a balanced, protein- and nutrient-rich meal, or can be enjoyed as a healthy snack. They are made from organic, non-GMO ingredients. "We have pioneered plant-based nutrition in the medical setting where clinicians prescribe our formulas to patients who are at nutritional risk, fighting chronic diseases such as autoimmune issues, digestive problems, allergies, cancer and malnutrition," said Kate Farms chairman and CEO, Brett Matthews. “Now, Kate Farms' clinically-proven nutrition helps everyone lead a healthier lifestyle and meet their individual needs and situations, medical or not." Earlier this year, the company closed a $23 million Series A-1 financing round, led by a personal investment from co-founder of Silver Lake, David Roux.

Tesco claims to have become the first UK retailer to set a sales target for plant-based meat alternatives, as it commits to a 300% sales increase by 2025. The target, which was set using a 2018 baseline figure, stands alongside a wider set of sustainability commitments which Tesco has developed with its partner the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF). The retailer has set out a range of measures centred around availability, affordability, innovation and visibility to help it reach its sales target. These include introducing, and expanding the availability of plant-based meat alternatives across all its stores, with products across 20 different categories including ready meals, sausages, burgers and party food. In addition, the retailer says that it will ‘invest in value’ so that affordability is not a barrier to buying meat alternative products, while it will also work with suppliers to bring new innovations to customers. In an effort to boost the visibility of plant-based meats, Tesco says that it will display a meat alternative where a meat product is featured. Tesco has also committed to publishing the sales of plant-based proteins as a percentage of overall protein sales every year to track its progress. As part of their partnership, Tesco and WWF previously introduced the ‘sustainable basket metric’ as the retailer aims to halve the environmental impact of the average UK shopping basket. The metric measures environmental impacts of food across seven different categories, such as climate change, deforestation, marine sustainability and packaging waste. So far, the retailer says that it has achieved 11% of its target. “Our transparency on protein sales and our new sales target for meat alternatives gives us the platform to become more sustainable and will provide customers with even more choice,” said Tesco CEO, Dave Lewis. “These measures are just part of the work we’re doing with WWF, bringing together for the first time a host of sustainability metrics to help us halve the environmental impact of food production. “We can’t accomplish the transformational change needed for a truly sustainable food system on our own, so we’re calling on the whole industry to play its role, starting with increased transparency on its sustainability impacts.” #meatalternatives #Tesco #UK

Next Gen, a foodtech start-up that produces plant-based meat, has launched in Singapore after raising $2.2 million in seed funding. The investors in the funding round were not disclosed. Since the funding round, Next Gen has established its headquarters, leadership team and research and development (R&D) centre in Singapore. Here, the start-up aims to build a global consumer brand, with anticipated expansion to China, USA and Europe over the next three years. Next Gen said it had chosen Singapore as its global headquarters because of its innovation ecosystem, as well as its centrality to Asia. According to data from Technavio, cited by Next Gen, Asia will see significant growth in the global meat substitutes market and estimates it to reach a value of $12.75 billion by 2030. According to Next Gen, it aims to launch its consumer brand within the next six months and is also preparing for a Series A financing round in 2021 to drive its global expansion, technology and R&D. The start-up is co-founded by Andre Menezes and Timo Recker, the previous founder and CEO of German plant-based meat company LikeMeat, which was acquired by The Livekindly Co earlier this year. Meanwhile, Menezes was previously the general manager of Country Foods Singapore, where he was involved in making Impossible Foods a household name in the country. Recker said: “Our plant protein production and distribution are being built around a network of partners, who bring capacity, expertise and resources that can be scaled quickly. For example, we have manufacturing capacity of over 5,000 tons per year in place. Based on current average consumption, that means we expect we could serve 9,000 restaurants.” For the start-up, Singapore offers a strong infrastructure to support food technology innovations like alternative protein. “The city offers a fantastic entrepreneurial ecosystem, private equity and venture capital, and an enviable legal and support environment. It also has a vibrant dining scene and some exceptionally talented chefs, who will help us to introduce our brand to the people of Singapore, and from here to those across Asia and around the world,” said co-founder Andre Menezes. He added: “The two big brands – Impossible and Beyond – have done a great job bringing out beef burgers, but globally, the big and unmet opportunity is plant-based chicken.” #meatalternatives #NextGen #plantbasedmeat #Singapore

Tesco claims to have become the first UK retailer to set a sales target for plant-based meat alternatives, as it commits to a 300% sales increase by 2025. The target, which was set using a 2018 baseline figure, stands alongside a wider set of sustainability commitments which Tesco has developed with its partner the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF). The retailer has set out a range of measures centred around availability, affordability, innovation and visibility to help it reach its sales target. These include introducing, and expanding the availability of plant-based meat alternatives across all its stores, with products across 20 different categories including ready meals, sausages, burgers and party food. In addition, the retailer says that it will ‘invest in value’ so that affordability is not a barrier to buying meat alternative products, while it will also work with suppliers to bring new innovations to customers. In an effort to boost the visibility of plant-based meats, Tesco says that it will display a meat alternative where a meat product is featured. Tesco has also committed to publishing the sales of plant-based proteins as a percentage of overall protein sales every year to track its progress. As part of their partnership, Tesco and WWF previously introduced the ‘sustainable basket metric’ as the retailer aims to halve the environmental impact of the average UK shopping basket. The metric measures environmental impacts of food across seven different categories, such as climate change, deforestation, marine sustainability and packaging waste. So far, the retailer says that it has achieved 11% of its target. “Our transparency on protein sales and our new sales target for meat alternatives gives us the platform to become more sustainable and will provide customers with even more choice,” said Tesco CEO, Dave Lewis. “These measures are just part of the work we’re doing with WWF, bringing together for the first time a host of sustainability metrics to help us halve the environmental impact of food production. “We can’t accomplish the transformational change needed for a truly sustainable food system on our own, so we’re calling on the whole industry to play its role, starting with increased transparency on its sustainability impacts.”

Next Gen, a foodtech start-up that produces plant-based meat, has launched in Singapore after raising $2.2 million in seed funding. The investors in the funding round were not disclosed. Since the funding round, Next Gen has established its headquarters, leadership team and research and development (R&D) centre in Singapore. Here, the start-up aims to build a global consumer brand, with anticipated expansion to China, USA and Europe over the next three years. Next Gen said it had chosen Singapore as its global headquarters because of its innovation ecosystem, as well as its centrality to Asia. According to data from Technavio, cited by Next Gen, Asia will see significant growth in the global meat substitutes market and estimates it to reach a value of $12.75 billion by 2030. According to Next Gen, it aims to launch its consumer brand within the next six months and is also preparing for a Series A financing round in 2021 to drive its global expansion, technology and R&D. The start-up is co-founded by Andre Menezes and Timo Recker, the previous founder and CEO of German plant-based meat company LikeMeat, which was acquired by The Livekindly Co earlier this year. Meanwhile, Menezes was previously the general manager of Country Foods Singapore, where he was involved in making Impossible Foods a household name in the country. Recker said: “Our plant protein production and distribution are being built around a network of partners, who bring capacity, expertise and resources that can be scaled quickly. For example, we have manufacturing capacity of over 5,000 tons per year in place. Based on current average consumption, that means we expect we could serve 9,000 restaurants.” For the start-up, Singapore offers a strong infrastructure to support food technology innovations like alternative protein. “The city offers a fantastic entrepreneurial ecosystem, private equity and venture capital, and an enviable legal and support environment. It also has a vibrant dining scene and some exceptionally talented chefs, who will help us to introduce our brand to the people of Singapore, and from here to those across Asia and around the world,” said co-founder Andre Menezes. He added: "The two big brands – Impossible and Beyond – have done a great job bringing out beef burgers, but globally, the big and unmet opportunity is plant-based chicken."

Nestlé has rolled out a plant-based alternative of its Nesquik chocolate milk drink in Europe, made from a combination of oats and peas with sustainably-sourced cocoa. The launch in Europe follows the introduction of Nesquik GoodNes in the US this January, which is also based on oats and peas. The new ready-to-drink (RTD) beverage will be launched first in Spain, Portugal and Hungary followed by other European countries. It will feature a different name depending on the market. With 100% natural ingredients, the new beverage is naturally lactose free and certified by the Vegan Society. According to Nestlé, it is lower in sugar than regular milk-based Nesquik. Yasser AbdulMalak, head of dairy products for Europe, Middle East and North Africa at Nestlé, said: “What better way to bring more plant-based products into people’s everyday lives than with much-loved brands like Nesquik. We’re really proud of this new drink – it really hits the spot with that familiar Nesquik cocoa taste.” The new launch marks another step in its expansion of dairy alternatives, following the first alternative for children earlier this year under its Ninho brand in Brazil. Nestlé currently offers a variety of plant-based beverages made from rice, oat, soy, coconut and almonds including a vegan Carnation condensed milk, a vegan-friendly Milo and Starbucks non-dairy creamers. “More and more people are looking for tasty and nutritious plant-based options. That is why we are adding them to our global line-up through some of our most trusted brands such as Nesquik, Milo, and Ninho. There is more to come, so watch this space,” said Mayank Trivedi, head of the dairy strategic business unit at Nestlé. This week, Nestlé also announced the inauguration of a new R&D accelerator programme at its Konolfingen centre, where start-ups, students and scientists can leverage the company’s dairy and plant protein expertise to bring innovative products to consumers. #Dairyalternative #Europe #Nesquik #Nestlé

Nestlé has rolled out a plant-based alternative of its Nesquik chocolate milk drink in Europe, made from a combination of oats and peas with sustainably-sourced cocoa. The launch in Europe follows the introduction of Nesquik GoodNes in the US this January, which is also based on oats and peas. The new ready-to-drink (RTD) beverage will be launched first in Spain, Portugal and Hungary followed by other European countries. It will feature a different name depending on the market. With 100% natural ingredients, the new beverage is naturally lactose free and certified by the Vegan Society. According to Nestlé, it is lower in sugar than regular milk-based Nesquik. Yasser AbdulMalak, head of dairy products for Europe, Middle East and North Africa at Nestlé, said: "What better way to bring more plant-based products into people's everyday lives than with much-loved brands like Nesquik. We’re really proud of this new drink – it really hits the spot with that familiar Nesquik cocoa taste." The new launch marks another step in its expansion of dairy alternatives, following the first alternative for children earlier this year under its Ninho brand in Brazil. Nestlé currently offers a variety of plant-based beverages made from rice, oat, soy, coconut and almonds including a vegan Carnation condensed milk, a vegan-friendly Milo and Starbucks non-dairy creamers. "More and more people are looking for tasty and nutritious plant-based options. That is why we are adding them to our global line-up through some of our most trusted brands such as Nesquik, Milo, and Ninho. There is more to come, so watch this space," said Mayank Trivedi, head of the dairy strategic business unit at Nestlé. This week, Nestlé also announced the inauguration of a new R&D accelerator programme at its Konolfingen centre, where start-ups, students and scientists can leverage the company’s dairy and plant protein expertise to bring innovative products to consumers.

Plant-based beverage maker Elmhurst 1925 has expanded its creamers portfolio with three new seasonal variants. Available in pumpkin spice, apple pie spice and gingerbread flavours, the new creamers are made with ‘simple ingredients’, such as hemp cream and whole grain oats. According to New York-based Elmhurst, they contain no more than 20kcal and 1g of sugar per serving. The new seasonal additions join unsweetened, hazelnut, French vanilla and chai spice variants in the brand’s existing range of creamers. All Elmhurst creamers are Non-GMO Project verified, OU kosher certified and free from gluten and artificial flavours. According to Elmhurst, its HydroRelease method separates the components of a nut, grain or seed before reassembling them as a creamy, ‘beverage-ready’ emulsion. The process – which it uses to make all its products – uses only water, and the company’s portfolio is therefore free from added gums or emulsifiers. “Autumn and winter are quickly approaching, so now is the perfect time to bring fun seasonal flavours to life,” said Heba Mahmoud, VP of marketing at Elmhurst. “More and more people are experimenting in the kitchen these days, and our team wanted to make sure there was a flavour-packed, never diluted, plant-based option to help spice up coffee routines. “With a quick shake and pour, anyone can recreate the taste of their local café favourites right from the comfort of home.” Pumpkin spice and apple pie spice creamers are available, for an RRP of $5.99 per 16oz carton, via the company’s website, with gingerbread set to launch in early October. Earlier this year, Elmhurst 1925 expanded its portfolio of single-serve oat milk with the launch of three new flavours. #Elmhurst1925 #US