© Heinz Heinz UK has partnered with Mattel to celebrate the 65th anniversary of Barbie with an unusual limited-edition product — “Barbiecue Sauce“. The condiment contains a combination of vegan mayo and barbecue sauce, with beetroot extract used to give it a bright pink colour. Heinz first teased the product on social media in August, along with another suggested sauce — “Tomato Kenchup”. After many fans expressed their enthusiasm for the idea, Heinz decided to make the Barbiecue Sauce a reality (though there is no sign of the Tomato Kenchup so far). The sauce is said to be ideal for drizzli ..read more

Image courtesy ProVeg International Plant-forward diets are on the rise across Europe. Not only are European consumers looking to increase their consumption of many plant-based foods, but, according to the latest consumer research, more than half of Europeans are reducing their annual meat intake. In the background, social scientists have been hard at work advancing the social sciences around food choice. One promising intervention that can nudge people towards better food choices is varying the design and description of foodservice menus. It’s vital that foodservice businesses looking to bo ..read more

Image courtesy of Mosa Meat Dutch cultivated meat company Mosa Meat has raised €40 million in an oversubscribed funding round. The capital will be used to scale up production processes, drive down production costs, and prepare for market entry. The round was led by Lowercarbon Capital and M Ventures, with other participants including Dutch state-owned impact investor Invest-NL, LIOF (the regional development agency for the Limburg province), and LEF (the Limburg Energy Fund). “We are humbled and honoured to welcome both public parties and conventional meat producers” Significantly, the r ..read more

© rawpixel-adobe Businesses in the plant-based food industry may soon have a new target market: men looking to improve their sexual health. Recent research, carried out by Dr. Stacy Loeb, a urologist at New York University in the Manhattan Veteran Affairs and board-certified in lifestyle medicine, has shown that men who consume more plant-based and less animal-based foods have better scores for erectile function, even patients with prostate cancer. The findings suggest that transitioning to a plant-based diet could potentially improve sexual function in men. Dr. Loeb emphasizes that even sma ..read more

© Solar Foods Finnish air protein Solar Foods announces the official launch of its highly anticipated Factory 01 in Vantaa, Finland. Claimed as the world’s first factory growing food out of thin air, the new plant will commercially produce 160 tons annually of the company’s flagship protein, Solein, paving the way for the next generation of sustainable products.  Produced leveraging a microorganism, CO2, and electricity and described as a nutritious and versatile protein, Solein has been only released in small batches from the company’s pilot laboratory in Espoo, near Helsinki ..read more

© Antonios Mitsopoulos/Neggst The exceptional circumstances around the poultry egg industry — high prices leading to what has been commonly termed “eggflation“, avian flu outbreaks, the rise of plant-based diets, and food allergy awareness – have created a business opportunity for plant-based egg companies.  Rising energy, feed, and labor costs have translated into unusually high prices for a dozen eggs in many countries, prompting consumers and manufacturers to look for alternatives. However, these high prices are mostly driven by supply shortages.  Reportedly, bird flu outbr ..read more

© Rügenwalder Mühle Following the announcement that Rügenwalder Mühle was to discontinue its meat-based Schinken Spicker sausage to increase capacity for the vegan segment, the company now releases the next product in its vegan Schinken Spicker range. The family business, recently acquired by Pfeifer & Langen, is further expanding its vegetarian and vegan segment and is launching the new Vegan Ham Spicker type meat sausage with pea protein. With its strong and spicy flavour and a slight smoky note, it is modelled on a meat sausage in one piece. “After we announced that we would only be ..read more

Image courtesy of the Vegetarian Society of Denmark. Europe’s largest pork producer, Danish Crown, has admitted that it misled consumers by claiming that “Danish pork is more climate-friendly than you think”. The news comes after the Vegetarian Society of Denmark and the Climate Movement Association brought a case against Danish Crown for making unsubstantiated claims about the sustainability of its products. Last month, the Western High Court convicted Danish Crown of greenwashing for using the phrase “Climate-controlled pig”, but disagreed that some of the company’s other climate claims we ..read more

© JULIENNE BRUNO UK-based artisan vegan cheese brand JULIENNE BRUNO has announced an expansion to Switzerland, rolling out at hundreds of Coop stores across the country. The brand’s burrata alternative, Burrella, will be available at 375 Coop locations, while its stracciatella alternative, Superstraccia, has gained listings at 170 stores. Both products are award-winning — Burrella won the Dairy Alternative Innovation category at last year’s World Dairy Innovation Awards, while Superstraccia has received a Great Taste Award. This is JULIENNE BRUNO’s first international launch, with further ma ..read more

© Hodo In February, Californian plant-based food brand Hodo launched a new range of creamy soy-based dips, featuring three flavors — Chili Crisp, Sambal Sweet Chili, and Zesty Lemon. Hodo recently attended Expo West, where it asked booth visitors to sample each dip and choose their favorite. Chili Crisp came out on top, and was praised for its taste, versatility, and spiciness. Inspired by Sichuan cuisine, the dip is made from shallots, chili flakes, Sichuan peppercorns, and shiitake mushrooms. “When it comes to trending flavors, Chili Crisp is hot,” said Hodo founder and CEO Minh Tsai. Samb ..read more