The array of vegan options available to consumers has provided ample choice in the meat- and dairy-free aisles in recent years. New plant-based start-ups springing up across the globe to get in on the action have worked alongside larger household name brands to introduce more plant-based products onto shelves. Supermarket chains such as Aldi and Lidl have made efforts to broaden their plant-based portfolios across Europe within the last year, introducing innovative lines as well as lowering the prices of existing products to match their animal-based counterparts. While reports have shown a decline in plant-based meat sales since the category’s spike during the pandemic, there appears to be no lack of choice at most mainstream supermarkets, with a healthy range of picks on display to satisfy the plant-powered shopper. But how are the hospitality and events industries faring? While uptake has increased here too, particularly within the restaurant sector, challenges still lie ahead for businesses aiming to diversify their offerings and provide menus that are both more inclusive and planet-friendly. Hungry for more In many cafés and restaurants across the world, vegan alternatives to popular dishes have been created to ensure that no consumer need miss out on their traditional favourites. Additionally, while dairy-free milks have been widely available at most mainstream coffee shops over the last decade, popular chains are now taking this accessibility further, with businesses such as Starbucks and Pret having removed their surcharge for plant-based milks in UK stores. But to reap the environmental benefits of a wider shift toward plant-based diets, industry figures believe there is much more work to be done in the foodservice industry. 50by25, a campaign led by the UK-based vegan charity Viva!, is calling for restaurants to commit to making their menus 50% plant-based by the end of next year. The campaign is supported by the Asian-inspired restaurant chain Wagagama, which is one of the initiative’s industry partners and already achieved the 50% vegan milestone back in 2021. The chain consistently explores creative new plant-based dishes in response to consumer demands and trends, such as with the addition of its Lion’s Mane ‘Steak’ Bulgogi dish, introduced in time for Veganuary 2024 last month. The dish aims to emulate the taste and texture of real steak, satisfying meat cravings while also tapping into several wider trends within the plant-based sector – such as the consumption of functional mushrooms for cognitive wellbeing benefits, and the use of whole food vegetable ingredients as the centrepiece rather than opting for processed meat alternatives amid rising preferences for clean label foods. In a statement on the 50by25 initiative, Wagamama’s executive chef, Steven Mangleshot, commented: “By crafting plant-based dishes that put taste and satisfaction front and centre, chefs and restaurants can profoundly shift eating habits and attract a new wave of devoted customers. These plant-based menu items aren’t just alternatives; they’re top picks”. Wagamama Lion’s Mane ‘Steak’ Bulgogi He added: “This is where true innovation blossoms. It’s where sustainability pairs with ‘surprise and delight,’ and what’s been missing are the culinary leaders who truly understand taste, choice and impact.” “By aiming for menus with 50% plant-based options by 2025, chefs, restaurants and the entire foodservice industry can unite to pave the way for a future that is as mouthwatering as it is sustainable.” Making plant-based the main event In the events industry, there are some challenges for organisers aiming to go further with the quantity of vegan and vegetarian fare on offer – but businesses in the sector are eager to tackle them, with significant moves being made in recent years to drive up the percentage of plant-based options as well as a heavy focus on organic and locally-sourced ingredients. Speaking to The Plant Base, Cheltenham Festivals’ head of operations, James Kitto, highlighted some of the efforts the organisation is taking to increase plant-based offerings at its events, which include the Cheltenham Jazz Festival in Gloucestershire, UK. “Recognising the significance and the positive impact that a plant-based diet has on the environment, we have deliberately established targets within our sustainability strategy that will aim for a significant reduction in meat and dairy consumption onsite and a year-on-year increase in plant-based offerings,” he explained. At the Jazz Festival in 2024, Kitto said this includes considering plant-based offerings only in the event’s backstage catering areas as well as a target for at least half of the event’s traders to offer plant-based menu options. “The greatest challenge is looking for genuine quality and variety,” Kitto commented. “As a charity, the income we make from our festival catering is vital to us; sales information clearly indicates that the plant-based traders are not as popular with our audiences as meat-based traders. We need to monitor this more closely as we increase the plant-based offerings.” To see a wider uptake of plant-based options at festivals and events, Kitto believes that we need greater recognition from caterers and audiences that the changing landscape is “a fundamental shift in how we live, not a fad”. Cheltenham Jazz Festival © Still Moving Media for Cheltenham Festivals “Like everything to do with sustainability, it is such a complex and multi-layered issue and no decision is quite as straightforward as it seems,” he continued. “Festivals play a huge part in driving the change that society needs. I think you’ll see the contribution that festivals make to driving sustainable practices forward increase over the coming decade – not just with the provision of food, but across all areas of sustainability. I also think that in ten years we’ll look back and think that we made it much harder than it should have been.” Some European festival organisations have already seen successful transitions toward a more plant-forward future. UK music festival Shambala, held in Northamptonshire every summer, committed to removing meat and fish from its menus in 2016 and has since taken further steps such as ensuring all hot drinks sold onsite are served with plant milk rather than traditional dairy. And Boom Festival, held in Portugal, reported that 86% of all food options served at its 2022 event were vegetarian or vegan. The audience demographic at such events will have an impact on the ease and success of implementing more vegan offerings – consumers from the Gen Z demographic have been shown as more likely to purchase plant-based options. UK research from Finder found that more than a quarter of this consumer demographic already follows a meat-free diet. As Kitto highlighted, being able to ensure high-quality options are served will be vital to festivals and other large events looking to increase their vegan offerings, regardless of who makes up the audience. Innovative traders who know how to work with plant-based ingredients in a way that delivers their full potential, creating dishes that meet consumers’ high standards of taste and texture, will help to shift the views of consumers who are familiar with a meat-heavy diet and may view plant-based options as lacking in flavour among other aspects – such as consumers from an older age group, who may be less open to trying vegan alternatives than younger demographics. Events tailored specifically to vegan attendees, such as the Vegan Camp Out festival and Vegfest, both held in the UK, showcase a fully plant-based food and drink offering. The family-friendly Vegan Camp Out, which features talks from vegan public figures such as educator and content creator Ed Winters (‘Earthling Ed’), comedian Simon Amstell and singer Kate Nash, offers a varied line-up of 60 plant-based food vendors. With offerings ranging from pizza, hot-dogs and burgers as well as Indian and Chinese cuisine, the event provides an example of the variety that can be delivered while keeping the focus solely on plant-based. Flying ahead In the first month of 2024, announcements from the airline industry have also pointed toward growing demand for vegan options. Emirates reported a 40% surge in customer demand for plant-based meals, announcing in January that it would introduce an array of new vegan dishes onboard and in lounges late this year to meet this demand. The airline currently has more than 300 vegan recipes in rotation across 140 destinations, up from 180 restaurants in 2022. In 2023, it served more than 45,000 plant-based meals onboard, an increase from 280,000 the previous year. Its diverse range of vegan choices range from chickpea kale stew and tofu tikka masala in the economy class, through to polenta cake with thyme mushroom ragout and sauteed spinach drizzled in root vegetable jus in first class. Indulgent vegan desserts on offer include chocolate cheesecake created using tofu, tropical coconut pineapple cake or chocolate fondant served with whipped cashew cream and salted caramel sauce. Emirates’ vegan grilled kebab, one of the offerings available to its Business class passengers The airline also incorporates fresh locally grown kale and lettuce from Bustanica, the “world’s largest” hydroponic vertical farm, a joint venture investment through Emirates Flight Catering. Elsewhere, British Airways announced that it would be offering a non-dairy milk alternative for customers onboard its long-haul flights as of 2024, now being rolled out across its long-haul networks. The non-dairy oat drink served onboard will be the Pure Oaty barista-style oat drink from Glebe Farm. It will be offered as part of British Airways’ hot drinks service. The company said it will continue to monitor and listen to customer feedback over the coming months. A spokesperson for British Airways told The Plant Base: “We are continuing to add plant-based options to our main menu offering on selected routes, and plant-based options as part of our menu across our lounges. We are regularly introducing new menus both on the ground and in the air for our customers, inspired by British originality and featuring locally sourced ingredients.” “Customers travelling on British Airways’ short-haul network can also pre-order from a range of vegan options through our High Life Cafe, such as hot sandwiches, snacks and sweet treats, offering something for everyone to enjoy on board.” Captivating the consumer With plant-based choices on the rise across the many facets of foodservice, it will be important for businesses to consider that the success of such dishes will be dependent on many factors, and a big part of this will be exploring what matters to the organisation’s key consumer demographic. For the environmentally conscious, considerations such as locally sourced ingredients and wider supply chain sustainability will be crucial factors in choosing food offerings. Dishes crafted with natural, whole food ingredients at their core will attract attention and ensure success with the health-conscious consumer. Either way, to successfully widen the appeal of plant-based menu options and to see them stick as successful permanent additions, it is clear that businesses must not regard them as an afterthought: instead, effort and care should go into developing vegan dishes that answer exactly what the consumer is looking for in a meal, regardless of whether it contains meat or dairy. FoodBev Media’s editorial director and editor of FoodBev magazine, Siân Yates, summed this up well during our recent Veganuary Sessions podcast series: “Plant-based must carve out its unique identity that goes beyond replicating traditional meat and dairy products,” she said. “Fast food and restaurants will play a pivotal role by curating menus that highlight the best of plants. I want to walk into a restaurant and opt for a plant-based dish not just because I’m vegan, but because it outshines the meat or dairy alternatives. Making plants captivating is the first step.” #festivals #airlines #restaurants #hospitality #foodservice

Trek has teamed up with Biscoff to launch a new Trek Power Biscoff protein bar, the only protein bar to contain 100% real Biscoff in collaboration with the biscuit brand. The partnership combines Biscoff’s popular brand and market appeal with the growing consumer demand for functional protein bars. Each bar contains 15g of plant-based soya protein, coated in vegan chocolate and filled with a layer of Biscoff spread. The bars will roll out across the UK grocery channel from 14 February in a single (55g) and multi-pack format (3x44g). The innovation comes at a time of significant growth for Trek, which has reported 20.4% growth and £4.6 million RSV year-on-year. Alice Boardman, senior brand manager at Trek’s parent company Natural Balance Foods, said: “Consumer research has shown us that 84% of those surveyed said they would buy a Trek Power Biscoff bar, and it is the number one most desired flavour amongst respondents”. She added: “The Trek Power Biscoff bar is perfect for those looking for natural energy from an indulgent protein-packed filling snack, which is why we’re confident this launch will help drive incremental growth in the category and create buzz amongst protein lovers, Biscoff fans and daily snackers alike”. Tom Gray, senior buyer for biscuits and cereal bars at Sainsbury’s, added that the product is “right on trend” and “sure to be a hit with shoppers,” commenting: “We know that consumer needs are evolving and offering choice across great tasting products that also offer functional benefits, such as protein, is key to keeping them coming back for more”. #Trek #functionalsnacks #proteinbars #NaturalBalanceFoods #UK #proteinsnacks #nutrition #Biscoff

Steakholder Foods has announced its first private-sector commercialisation deal as it has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Wyler Farm. Through the deal, Wyler Farm – one of Israel’s leading alt-protein manufacturers and the country’s largest tofu producer – will acquire Steakholder Foods’ printer, in a transaction valued at “several million dollars”. The terms of the deal involve Wyler Farm acquiring Steakholder Foods’ 3D Fusion Pro meat printer, along with a subscription to the company’s SH Software and its NutriBlend ink for plant-based meat production. Steakholder Foods says that to the best of its knowledge, this marks an industry-first incorporation of industrial-scale 3D printing technology into the food industry. Through the MOU, the companies expect the production of a unique, plant-based 3D-printed meat steak to be printed by Wyler Farm using Steakholder Foods printers and NutriBlend ink. The collaboration, valued at several million US dollars over the coming years, represents a truly significant development in the plant-based meat industry. The Fusion Pro’s modular design is capable of producing up to 500 kg of “highly advanced” texturized printed products per hour. Wyler Farm expects the partnership to enhance its production capabilities, representing a crucial step in the evolution of plant-based meat technology. Arik Kaufman, CEO of Steakholder Foods, said: “By incorporating our Fusion Pro technology into Wyler Farm’s industrial operations alongside their subscription to our proprietary software and ink supply, we’re not just showcasing our technology’s potential – we’re setting a new standard for the industry”. Yair Ayalon, VP of business development at Steakholder Foods, commented: “This collaboration with Wyler Farm…solidifies and enhances Steakholder Foods’ commercial phase. As we expand our operations, we are set to forge more strategic partnerships like this in 2024, further cementing our position in the market.” Oleg Kulyava, CEO of Wyler Farm, said: “The partnership with Steakholder Foods marks a significant milestone for Wyler Farm, enabling us to position our products at the forefront of the plant-based meat market. We are thrilled to expand our portfolio with premium plant-based steak and anticipate introducing additional premium products based on Steakholder Foods’ technology. By integrating innovative 3D printing technology, this collaboration has the potential to be a game-changer in the industry.” #3Dprinting #meatalternatives #Israel #plantbasedmeat #plantbasedmeatwholecuts #SteakholderFoods #WylerFarm

Meati Foods has today (5 February 2024) announced the appointment of Phil Graves as its new chief financial officer, effective immediately. Meati, founded in 2017 and based in the US, produces plant-based alternatives to meat such as cutlets and steaks, crafted from its fungi-based ingredient, MushroomRoot. Graves joins Meati from the Wild Buffalo Co, where he served as CEO for nearly two years, helping to expand the company’s footprint and mission of environmental regeneration and food system sustainability. His previous roles include VP of corporate development at Patagonia and founder of its corporate venture fund, Tin Shed Ventures. Tyler Huggins, CEO and co-founder of Meati Foods, said: “Phil understands how to drive a purpose-driven enterprise that also delivers on profit, and this ingenuity is invaluable for short-term successes and our long-term mission”. Huggins added: “As Meati builds on a tremendous inaugural year establishing MushroomRoot as a new, profoundly nutritious and sustainable protein, Phil’s expertise will be a welcome addition to our executive team”. Commenting on his appointment, Graves said that Meati’s growth over the past year has been “astonishing,” but that what he finds more impressive is the company’s “continued commitment to the sustainable development of MushroomRoot as a new food and Meati Foods as a commercial success”. “My experience at companies like Patagonia and Wild Idea taught me that prioritising sustainable practices can boost the financial bottom line, and Meati’s MushroomRoot offers unprecedented innovation opportunities and exciting revenue possibilities,” he added. “It’s a great opportunity to improve our food system in deep and lasting ways.” Meati has experienced significant growth over the past year, including an oversubscribed Series C raise of over $200 million and expanding into 3,000 retail locations across the US. #MeatiFoods #US #mycelium #meatalternatives #fungi #CFO

US ingredients company Elo Life Systems has secured $20.5 million in an oversubscribed Series A2 financing round. The round was jointly led by DCVC Bio and Novo Holdings. It included participation from Hanwha Next Generation Opportunity Fund, AccelR8 and Alexandria Venture Investments. The funding will be used to scale and commercialise the company’s sweetener product, increase its molecular-farming pipeline for healthy and sustainable ingredients and expand its crop protection and productivity efforts, including work to save the banana from extinction. Elo explained that through its molecular farming platform, the business produces sought-after ingredients “that are difficult to harvest from natural sources and cannot be synthesized through artificial or other techniques”. The company, therefore, uses easy-to-grow crops as biofactories for these ingredients, reducing costs and environmental footprint. Elo is introducing its first molecular-farming product, a natural sweetener derived from monk fruit that is 300 times sweeter than sugar and calorie-free. Scheduled for launch in 2026, this sweetener can be used in numerous food and beverage products to reduce sugar and artificial sweeteners while improving nutrition. Additionally, the company is exploring the production of various ingredients, such as innovative proteins, natural preservatives and high-value flavours and bio-actives. Elo CEO Todd Rands said: “At Elo, we’re on a mission to unlock nature’s abilities to make consumers’ favourite foods more delicious, healthy and planet friendly. With strong support from our investors, we’re well positioned to scale up our production and stay on track to launch our first product in 2026.” Stephen Van Helden, principal in the Bioindustrial Investments group at Novo Holdings US, commented: “Molecular farming will allow our food system to meet the needs of the world’s growing population while reducing the resources needed to produce nutritious food. Elo’s approach – together with cutting-edge science and an experienced management team – is aligned with Novo Holdings’ purpose to deliver scaled solutions for better societal and planetary outcomes.” Kiersten Stead, managing partner at DCVC Bio, added: “Elo’s sweetener will be a major catalyst in the effort to lower sugar in our diets, improving human health and reducing the societal burden associated with chronic diseases. Meanwhile, their efforts to protect and improve the productivity of staple crops like the banana will have a meaningful impact on the food billions of people rely upon every day.” Last year, Elo secured $24.5 million, bringing its total funding to $45 million. #EloLifeSystems #molecularfarming #sweeteners #US

Planteneers, a German provider of solutions for plant-based meat, dairy and fish products, is offering manufacturers new solutions for marbled, fat-layered meat alternatives. Marbled steaks and bacon with meat and fat layers are standard in the classic meat segment, but plant-based alternatives that are able to replicate these traditional meaty qualities are “very limited,” Planteneers said in a statement. To change this, the company is joining forces with filling and portioning manufacturer Handtmann. The newly developed solutions, with functional systems from Planteneers and equipment from Handtmann, aim to enable manufacturers to create marbled meat alternatives with a fine, fibrous structure. Products such as plant-based steak, filet strips or bacon can be created with the new solution. The size and shape of the final products can be adjusted to customer desires, as can the definition of the fat layers. Depending on the fat ratio and the machine setting, asymmetrical fat marbling is possible. According to Planteneers, high output is another major advantage of its solution over existing production processes for marbled meat alternatives, such as 3D printing. With a throughput of over a ton per hour, manufacturers can turn out large quantities of steak alternatives and meet demand from larger trade partners. #Handtmann #Planteneers #meatalternatives #plantbasedmeat #manufacturing #Germany

Planet A Foods and Voyage Foods, two start-ups that are developing cocoa-free chocolate, have announced recent successful funding raises. Planet A Foods, based in Munich, Germany, has announced today that it has closed a $15.4 million Series A funding round, led by climate venture fund World Fund. The funding will be used to support further mass-market expansion following major retail and brand partnerships for Planet A in 2023, including a partnership with Swiss chocolate giant Lindt. The start-up’s cocoa alternative, ChoViva, is produced using the company’s fermentation technologies. Natural, locally-sourced ingredients – including oats and sunflower seeds – are transformed into ChoViva, a cocoa mass and cocoa butter claimed to offer “melt-in-the-mouth texture” and “full-bodied chocolate flavour”. In addition to being used as a full chocolate replacement, ChoViva can also be incorporated into hybrid conventional chocolate products. An example of this can be found in the company’s collaboration with Lindt, which utilises ChoViva in its recently launched vegan chocolate bar. The ingredient contains up to 30% less sugar than traditional chocolate and has a low CO2 footprint due to local ingredients and short supply chains. Planet A Foods’ cocoa-free ‘ChoViva’ Planet A Foods’ team has already used some of the funding to scale up production at its factory, and says it can now produce 750kg of ChoViva per hour in an IFS-certified, efficient production environment. Max Marquart, Planet A Foods’ co-founder and CEO, said that chocolate will become “more expensive than caviar” in the future unless new steps are taken. He commented: “We are working every day to be part of the solution with ChoViva, through building a second pillar next to chocolate to take some load off the cocoa supply chain”. “We have become a reliable, trusted industry partner for the German confectionery industry, and demonstrated that we can deliver at price parity with traditional chocolate providers.” Co-founder and CTO Sara Marquart added that funding has already helped the company to enhance taste and texture, expediting the advancement of Planet A’s technology platform and allowing the start-up to hire “top-tier” experts in lipids, chocolate and synbio. In the US, another cocoa-free chocolate start-up, Voyage Foods, revealed last week that it had successfully raised an additional $22 million. This brings the company’s total funding to $64 million, backed by food and beverage venture capitals such as Valor Equity Partners and Horizons Ventures. Based in Oakland, California, Voyage Foods offers “milk,” semi-sweet and dark cocoa-free chocolate offerings that are created from upcycled seeds and fruits. The products aim to provide a 1:1 substitute to conventional chocolate in both flavour and texture, addressing challenges associated with the traditional chocolate supply chain such as environmental issues, and costly, unpredictable supply chain instability. A recently published third-party-validated life cycle assessment (LCA) from ESG consulting firm Sphera found that Voyage Foods’ cocoa-free chocolate requires 99% less blue water, equating to 67 times less blue water consumption compared with conventional chocolate. It also was found to generate up to 84% less greenhouse gas emissions and produce up to 88% fewer emissions from land use change, a major cause of deforestation in cocoa bean chocolate production regions. Voyage Foods’ ingredient can be used as a chocolate alternative in a range of application areas Adam Maxwell, CEO and co-founder of Voyage Foods, said: “At Voyage Foods, we are focused on addressing the environmentally harmful aspects of the chocolate industry and creating more sustainable, scalable, delicious counterparts”. He added: “We’re proposing that food companies can make more sustainable and ethically sourced products at a cost that on the industrial side is significantly less than current alternatives”. #cocoaproduction #cocoafreechocolate #US #Belgium #VoyageFoods #confectionery #dairyfree #plantbasedchocolate #PlanetAFoods

Bolder Foods, an alternative dairy start-up based in Belgium, has introduced ‘MycoVeg,’ a new mycelium-based ingredient for cheese alternatives. Headquartered in Brussels, Bolder Foods aims to improve the sustainability of the cheese industry by providing innovative alternative ingredients with potential to “revolutionise the way we enjoy cheese alternatives”. The company said its founders were motivated to make a change, recognising that cheese has the third-largest carbon footprint in the food industry after beef and lamb. Bolder Foods stated that the toolkit available today to manufacturers and dairy companies is “not strong enough” to create “truly mainstream products that meet consumer expectations in terms of taste, texture and price”. The company has addressed the challenge by developing a biomass fermentation process that yields a semi-finished product, which can be used as a bulk ingredient to enhance taste and texture, enabling the creation of cheese alternatives that closely resemble their dairy counterparts. Bolder Foods described the ingredient as able to offer “deliciously creamy, unctuous and elastic textures,” with flavours ranging from neutral to “punchy cheesy umami” notes. Mycelium was chosen by the company due to its environmental sustainability, requiring minimal resources to grow rapidly, and its nutritional value. MycoVeg offers alt-cheese products a source of fibre, protein and vitamins. Its versatility means mycelium can also be transformed easily into various end products by adjusting inputs and production methods. #BolderFoods #Belgium #mycelium #fungi #ingredients #alternativedairy #plantbasedcheese

UK plant-based food company This has appointed Mark Cuddigan, former chief executive at Ella’s Kitchen, to the role of its new CEO. Mark Cuddigan Cuddigan will replace co-founders Andy Shovel and Pete Sharman, who have been co-CEOs since they launched the business in 2019. He was CEO of Ella’s Kitchen for six years and will begin at This on 19 February 2024, reporting to the board of directors. Since starting the business in 2019, Shovel and Sharman have accelerated the meat alternatives brand toward its current strong position in the UK market, with an annualised revenue of £22 million in December 2023 and retail listings at a number of major supermarkets, restaurants and cafés nationwide. Stepping down as co-CEOs, the pair will remain involved in the business day to day, supporting Cuddigan and the senior team as well as at board level. Cuddigan joined Ella’s Kitchen in August 2011, where he led the business and, since being acquired by the Hain Celestial Group in May 2013, drove its revenue from £41 million to £100 million. He has been a driving force behind the B Corp movement, having sat on the B Lab board for nearly five years, and with Ella’s being the second company to gain the accreditation while being part of a PLC back in 2016. Cuddigan’s appointment follows Mark Turner stepping down as managing director, leaving the business at the end of January. Turner helped the business achieve revenue growth of 47% last year and will take a short break before moving onto his next challenge, This confirmed. Commenting on his appointment, Cuddigan said that This is on an impressive growth journey with a strong brand, talented team and reputation as a food industry leader. He said: “I will be very focused on working with the team to continue to deliver category leading growth, as we serve the millions of people across Europe who eat our products every day. One of the vital ways of combating global warming is transitioning to a plant based diet and we will have a crucial role in making this transition a great experience for consumers.” Co-founder Shovel added: “We’re absolutely thrilled to have someone with such a rich experience within FMCG, genuine passion for our mission and an exceptional track record of driving sustainable growth through an engaged and empowered team, leading the business into the next chapter on the This journey”. #CEO #This #meatalternatives #plantbasedmeat #UK #Appointments

Plant-based dairy brand Elmhurst 1925 has introduced a new plant-based sour cream product in the US, available in a squeezable pouch. The launch marks an expansion into food for the brand, which is well-known for its dairy-free beverages. Elmhurst said that the launch was a “natural next addition” to its product line-up. Made with minimal ingredients, the NPD is designed to provide a 1-to-1 replacement for dairy-based sour cream without sacrificing on the flavour and texture of its traditional counterpart. Its pouch packaging format aims to provide a mess-free, convenient solution for consumers. Elmhurst’s sour cream is crafted with oat milk and hemp protein, containing no added gums or filler ingredients and emulsifiers. It is also free from sodium and cholesterol as well as being non-GMO Project Verified, gluten-free, kosher and vegan-certified. It is created through Elmhurst’s patented HydroRelease method. Using just water, the process separates the components of a nut, grain or seed before reassembling them as a creamy, beverage-ready emulsion. This maintains the full nutrition of the source ingredient without the need for additives. This zero-waste process upcycles any waste into renewable energy and is powered by 100% renewable hydroelectric power, Elmhurst added. Heba Mahmoud, senior director of brand marketing at Elmhurst 1925, commented: “Stepping into the dairy-free food category feels like a logical move for Elmhurst, after we perfected delicious and nutritious plant milks and creamers made with only the simplest ingredients”. Mahmoud continued: “It’s the first plant-based sour cream in a pouch, the cleanest recipe available in the market, is exceptionally creamy and tangy, and performs beautifully in any dish or recipe without melting or falling apart”. Elmhurst 1925’s sour cream is now available online and in store at Publix with an SRP of $6.99, with further US retail partners soon to follow. #US #dairyfree #sourcream #alternativedairy #plantbaseddairy #Elmhurst1925

Denmark-headquartered bioproduction company 21st.Bio is granting access to its precision fermentation platform to food and beverage ingredient manufacturers. The platform aims to enable the production of dairy proteins at a competitive cost through precision fermentation. It follows 21st.Bio’s successful scaling of the beta-lactoglobulin protein, a major protein found in milk that provides nutritional and textural components of milk and other dairy ingredients. By offering its platform widely, the food-tech company aims to mitigate the cost and time associated with development, opening access to proven industrial-scale production technology for alternative protein precision fermentation. 21st.Bio said its platform provides a sustainable and less carbon- and resource-intensive alternative to traditional animal-based production methods, and can help to stabilise global food supply chains. Customers utilising the platform will have access to industrial production strains, fermentation processes, scale-up support and technology transfers to contract manufacturers and regulatory approvals for faster time-to-market and reduced cost. The technology foundation is licensed from Novonesis (previously Novozymes), which has 40 years of experience in optimising production strains and processes for industrial production. The technology base is already used to provide dozens of food-grade products on the market today. 21st.Bio consistently optimises the strains and processes, aiming to ensure customers are ahead of the market. The technology can be tailored for each customer’s specific purpose, such as the nutritional fortification of a plant-based product, improvement of texture in alternative dairy, and medical nutrition. Customers can be start-ups planning to take one or several proteins to market, as well as established players expanding into sustainable alternatives or dairy companies aiming to grow with the increasing global demand for proteins while reducing their environmental footprint. Thomas Schmidt, CEO of 21st.Bio, said: “We founded 21st.Bio with one simple mission: to make precision fermentation technology accessible to as many companies as possible, so they can successfully take their product to market at a competitive price”. He added: “We believe this is the best way for technology to support and accelerate the transition to more sustainable and better nutrition globally. With this new offering, I am proud that companies will be able to safely scale innovation into industrial production and meet global demand utilising our technology and expertise.” #21stBio #animalfreeproteins #precisionfermentation #Denmark #ingredients #dairyproteins

A new ‘better-for-you’ confectionery brand, Harken Sweets, has launched in the US, aiming to provide plant-based and healthy alternatives to classic chocolate bars. In a LinkedIn post, the brand’s founder, Katie Lefkowitz, said that Harken Sweets – which uses a “long-held recipe for date caramel” to craft its vegan chocolate bars – aims to “harness the power of the date super-fruit, reimagining the indulgences we all grew up with”. The new chocolate bars contain 150 kcal or less, with no added sugar and boosted prebiotic fibre – the equivalent to five cups of kale, according to the company. Harken’s range is made with 100% plant-based, non-GMO and Fairtrade ingredients. It has launched with two initial products, available in selected US retailers and online. The Nutty One combines peanuts with date caramel and nougat, while The Gooey One pairs nougat with salted date caramel. Both bars are wrapped in a oat-based vegan chocolate coating. Other plant-based ingredients used in the bars include prebiotic tapioca, Jerusalem artichoke, palm fruit, monk fruit and pea protein. #HarkenSweets #healthysnacking #chocolate #US #prebioticfibres #confectionery