Plant-based food brand Squeaky Bean is launching a new range of ready-to-eat Cured Meat Style Slices into Tesco stores. Squeaky Bean’s new Spanish Chorizo Style Slices are made from wheat protein and red peppers, and offer 26g of protein per 100g. Meanwhile, the Milano Salami Style Slices are made from wheat protein and tofu, seasoned with black and white pepper and garlic. They are also said to be high in protein, containing 27g per 100g. “For the first time ever, people can buy plant-based versions of continental cured meat favourites, with all the taste, texture and protein of their meat counterparts,” said Sarah Augustine, Squeaky Bean brand manager. “We know that this is what people crave so we’re really excited to introduce these much-loved and missed flavours into our growing range of products.” The new offerings also include The New Yorker Style Sandwich Duo of Pastrami Style Slices and plant-based American Style Cheese, which pairs the brand’s Pastrami Style Slices with a cheese alternative made from coconut oil and chickpea flour. Augustine continued: “Ever since we launched our famous NYC Deli Pastrami Style Slices we saw that customers (who weren’t demolishing the pack in the car before they got home!) love stacking these slices into a melty Reuben sandwich, so we’re making it even easier to enjoy this much-loved classic by putting the two key ingredients together in a convenient Sandwich Duo”. The new products can all be enjoyed as part of a sharing platter, charcuterie board, salad or sandwich, and bring Squeaky Bean’s line of ready-to-eat plant-based slices to eight varieties. The Spanish Chorizo and Milano Salami Style Slices have an RRP of £2.50, while The New Yorker Style Sandwich Duo has an RRP of £3.50. Squeaky Bean parent company Winterbotham Darby and Addo Food Group recently announced that they will come together under a new company name, The Compleat Food Group, following their acquisition by PAI Partners earlier this year. #TheCompleatFoodGroup #meatalternatives #UK #SqueakyBean #WinterbothamDarby

Plant-based meat producers Barvecue have released its first carnitas product, a twist on the classic Mexican food made from shredded pork. Carnitas can be used in tacos, fajitas, burritos, enchiladas and more. Barvecue’s plant-based and wood-smoked meat range is gluten-free, vegan and non-GMO verified. Lee Cooper, founder and CEO, commented: “We are seeing wide appeal from vegans, vegetarians, flexitarians and meat-eaters looking to put a healthier option on the center of the plate a couple of times a week. Barvecue’s new plant-based carnitas bring a whole new flavour of plant-based goodness to everyone.” The carnitas are handcrafted at Barvecue’s Carolina Smokehouse production facility along with the brand’s range of other plant-based proteins. The new release will be available for purchase in the US in the frozen aisle at Lowes Foods, Earth Fare and Safeway locations from December. #Barvecue #meatalternatives #US

Greenleaf Foods has partnered with Eat Just to introduce a co-branded plant-based breakfast sandwich. The new vegan offering combines Eat Just’s Just Egg Folded with two products from Greenleaf Foods’ Field Roast brand – a plant-based breakfast sausage patty and Chao Creamery dairy-free cheese. Dan Curtin, president of Greenleaf Foods, said: “This collaboration with two plant-based industry leaders joining forces will provide a better breakfast solution for the consumer seeking high-quality and delicious plant-based options for their mornings”. Josh Tetrick, co-founder and CEO of Eat Just, added: “Our combined expertise in the breakfast space has produced a superior breakfast offering that delivers on both flavour and convenience”. The Field Roast Classic Style Sausage, Egg & Cheese Plant-Based Breakfast Sandwich will initially be available exclusively at Whole Foods Market locations across the US, before being rolled out to additional retailers in 2022. #US #meatalternatives #JustEgg #GreenleafFoods #EatJust #FieldRoast

Upfield-owned dairy-free cheese brand Violife has released a new camembert-style cheese: Le Rond Camembert Flavour. The launch of the new vegan cheese is just in time for the festive season. The product can be oven-baked, fried or microwaved. Le Rond Camembert is 100% vegan and fortified with vitamin B12. It is also completely free from dairy, soya, gluten, lactose, nuts, preservatives and emulsifiers. Bianca Harris, senior marketing manager at Violife, commented: “At Violife, we’re proud to offer customers new flavours to be enjoyed with loved ones. As Le Rond can be cooked in whatever way people please – from being baked to fried, customers can get creative with their dishes and still be 100% confident that it is suitable for all.” She continued: “Having recently ventured into plant-based butter and cream, we’re committed to continue innovating the dairy alternatives category and new flavours like the Le Rond Camembert prove our mission to provide customers with 100% vegan alternatives that can be enjoyed by everyone.” The new dairy-free release will be available from 15 November in Waitrose stores nationwide for an RSP of £3.00. In February, Violife launched dairy-free smoky cheddar flavoured slices. #plantbasedcheese #UK #UpfieldGroup #Violife

Barry Callebaut has launched a new dairy-free plant-based chocolate solution, Dairy-Free Compounds. The new solution joins the company’s range of dairy-free chocolates, nuts, cocoa powders and cacao fruit experience ingredients. Dairy-Free Compounds provides a versatile solution that is 100% plant-based and dairy-free, offering a range of shelf-stable dark compounds suitable for the confection, snack and bakery categories, as well as dark low melt chunks designed for the ice cream market. The new range includes: Dark dairy-free EZ melt compound: For molding, enrobing, drizzling, bottoming, panning, and more Dark dairy-free compound chip/chunk: For baked goods Dark dairy-free compound soft chunk: For plant-based or allergen-free ice cream and frozen dairy Dark dairy-free compound soft shaped chunks: For customised inclusions Dark dairy-free bulk liquid: For large scale molding, enrobing, drizzling, bottoming “To support the plant-based revolution, we’re thrilled to introduce our latest offering, Dairy-Free Compounds,” said Laura Bergan, director, Barry Callebaut brand. “Recent successful plant-based launches met market demands with a flavour-first mentality, focusing on taste.” She added: “At Barry Callebaut, we’ve taken the plant-based opportunity to a new level elevating products on indulgences that happen to be plant-based. We’re excited to see the industry expand product lines and introduce new innovative creations to cater to everyone’s lifestyle choice, across different generations.” You may also like to read: Barry Callebaut to acquire Belgian-based Europe Chocolate Company Barry Callebaut debuts Van Houten ruby chocolate drinking powder Danone names Barry Callebaut boss Antoine de Saint-Affrique as CEO #BarryCallebaut #chocolate #dairyfreechocolate #plantbased

UK snack company Brave has introduced three new variations to its existing roasted chickpea range: Cookies & Cream, BBQ and Salt & Vinegar. Cookies & Cream consists of chickpeas coated in vegan white and dark chocolate while BBQ and Salt & Vinegar are coated in related seasonings. The range is high in protein and fibre, vegan and contains more protein than nuts and fewer calories than popcorn. Brave claims the roasted chickpeas also contains less sugar than similar products, with Cookies & Cream containing 50% less sugar than a chocolate bar (per 100g) and 40% less sugar than chocolate coated nuts. Amber Fraser, co-founder of Brave, said: “We’re really excited about this launch. We’re adding two household classic flavours that really work when applied to chickpeas, and Cookies and Cream – which is as ridiculously indulgent as it sounds. Best of all, they still maintain the strict nutritional profile we set for all our products.” The new flavours are available for an RRP of £11.99 per case of 12x35g in ‘On The Go’ size bags (30g for Cookies & Cream). The range is available in foodservice and independent stores with further rollout expected in January. #Brave #snacks #UK

Plant-based meat producer Future Farm has secured £42 million in Series C funding, as it looks to enter new product categories and advance its technology. Since launching in Brazil in 2019, Future Farm has rolled out its products internationally and the brand is currently available in 24 countries. Future Farm’s portfolio includes plant-based burgers, sausages, meatballs, mince, ‘chick’n’ and ‘tvna’, and the company says its next move will be into the plant-based drinks and dairy categories. The Series C investment – which was co-led by Rage Capital – will support Future Farm’s plans for rapid growth across Europe and the US. The brand will also use the funds to advance its True Texture Technology, bringing its products closer in look, feel and flavour to their animal-origin counterparts. Future Farm currently creates its plant-based products using 3D extrusion, enzymes and biotechnology. In addition, the funding will support progress towards Future Farm’s goal of 100% sustainable and plant-based packaging. “This investment ignites a new chapter in Future Farm; we are creating a robust 4.0 plant-based platform with meat, milk and dairy,” said Marcos Leta, Future Farm’s founding partner and CEO. He adds: “12 innovations are now being developed to make slaughterhouses and dairy products even more obsolete.” #Brazil #FutureFarm #meatalternatives #plantbasedmilk

Danone-owned company Alpro has announced a £41 million investment in its production facility in Kettering, UK. The latest investment includes a new £17 million high-speed production site along with a trigeneration unit and water treatment plant that aims to reduce energy consumption, CO2 emissions and water usage across the company’s operations. Alpro will use the investment to ramp up production capacity for its plant-based products, enhance its sustainability credentials and create new jobs in the local area. The high-speed production facility looks to increase production capacity to 300 million litres of soya, oat, rice and coconut drinks per year. Further plans to increase capacity to 400 million litres are expected as early as 2022. Sue Garfitt, general manager for Alpro, said: “As the plant-based category leader, we’ve been blazing a trail in sustainable production for more than 40 years, and there’s no question that this significant investment in our UK site is the latest example of that”. She continued: “The changes we are installing will not only accelerate the volume of products we are producing in the UK, for UK shoppers – but will also allow us to keep ahead of the curve and continue being the brand to fuel the category growth and whet the nation’s appetite for delicious and healthy plant-based products, and of course, doing this whilst operating in a planet-friendly way.” Alpro’s Kettering site is part of the company’s new five-year health and sustainability action plan, which includes pledges such as limiting water use, reducing environmental impact and providing consumers with greater transparency. #Alpro #Danone #plantbased #UK

Toluna recently presented at the UK Food & Drink Trends Conference, providing insights to help brands adapt to consumer expectations and drive future success. The top trends in the food and beverage (F&B) space fall under one overarching trend: the overwhelming support consumers show for brands aligning with their own values. The 16th wave of our Consumer Barometer – which has regularly tracked consumer sentiment since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic – shows that: 79% of consumers will go out of their way to engage with brands that align with their values 47% have stopped supporting brands that do not align with their values 85% believe brands should be accountable to customers Today’s companies are expected to clearly communicate what they stand for in order to form meaningful consumer connections. And with nearly half of consumers keeping their F&B supplies well-stocked in case of shortages (46%), attracting and retaining customers should remain at top of mind for brands in this industry. Let’s take a look at the latest F&B-specific trends and what they mean for brands. A third of consumers will go plant-based in the next year If you have noticed more plant-based items in the market and on menus, there is sound reasoning behind it. Two in ten consumers say they exclude meat from their diet. In addition to those adopting plant-based diets, two-thirds report purchasing plant-based products. To make informed decisions around new product development and ensure they reach their target audience, it is important that brands know how – and why – consumers decide on which items to purchase (or leave on the shelf). Here is what they say: Taste is the biggest factor (46%), followed by price (39%) and unprocessed, as-natural-as-possible options (27%). With regard to cost specifically, 44% of consumers say plant-based products are too expensive 38% buy plant-based products because they are better for your health, and 31% buy them because they are made from natural ingredients 38% buy plant-based products because they are better for the environment, and 31% for ethical reasons Healthy, locally sourced products and ingredients are in Whether one plans to go plant-based or not, today’s consumer is more aware of the ingredients in F&B products, including where they are sourced. With a steady uptick in consumers looking to shop locally, neighbourhood shops are in luck. In fact, two in five consumers report buying more locally, and 33% say they will continue to. Similarly, one in four consumers report buying from independent stores, and 23% will continue to do so. Overall, a staggering 62% of consumers say they prefer to buy food products that are produced locally or in their home country. For non-local brands that still want to catch the attention of their target audience, making impactful health claims or highlighting healthy ingredients are ways to cater to their current needs. 58% of consumers are more interested in the ingredients of food products, and 41% report trying to eat healthier meals. Consumers are more open-minded with at-home cooking and trying new brands Due to restaurant closures and quarantines, 41% of consumers have experimented with cooking new meals at home and 38% say they will continue to do so. 16% also report having purchased new food preparation products. With the rise in home cooking, it is important that brands evaluate the state of consumer loyalty – are they shopping for the same brands or thinking outside the box? On a global level, 19% of consumers are trying different food and drink brands and products. This escalates to 27% among Americans, who are displaying even more adventurousness than their global counterparts. This open-mindedness presents a significant opportunity for lesser-known brands to reach new consumers and provides motivation for well-established brands to secure loyalty from consumers worldwide. Consumers are also enjoying takeout and dining out In addition to supporting their favourite local restaurants in person, which 50% of consumers say they will do in the next month or two, 28% have ordered for delivery from those spots during the pandemic. Why? One in five customers are worried about restaurants closing and staff losing their jobs if they do not show support 32% missed the social aspect of dining out Just 13% of respondents report feeling worried about returning to local restaurants, underscoring the general sense of readiness and enthusiasm behind going out to eat. F&B brands that keep these trends in mind will be better equipped to make informed decisions about new product developments and what will resonate most with consumers in today’s market. To learn more about how to aid new product development, download Toluna’s latest eBook guide here. #health #research #brand #locallysourced #consumertrends #plantbased #Toluna

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