©Veganz Veganz Group AG, founded in 2011 in Berlin, with a product portfolio widely available in the DACH region, has published its financial report for 2023. Despite a “struggle with consumers’ purchasing reluctance and the persistently weak economic development in 2023”, the company highlights in its report a 6% growth in its strategic core categories as it responded to the financial climate with plant-based innovations for brands and private labels, cost reductions, and expansion of production facilities, with the acquisition of the brands and production site of fellow German company Happ ..read more

© allard1-stock.adobe.com Following Florida’s recent ban, Alabama has become the second state in the USA to prohibit the sale and production of cultivated meat. This technology grows meat directly from cells without raising and slaughtering animals. Alabama’s Governor Kay Ivey signed the SB23 bill into law on Wednesday, making it enforceable as a class C misdemeanor. Those found guilty can face a maximum jail sentence of three months and a fine of $500. Jack Williams, vice chair of the Senate Agriculture, Conservation, and Forestry Committee, sponsored and proposed the bill, carrie ..read more

Kayleigh Nicolaou of Kakadu Creative Kayleigh Nicolaou is the co-founder of Kakadu Creative, a UK-based ethical design agency. Kayleigh and her business partner, Lee, both spent their early careers in the consumer media world working with local, national and international brands before launching Kakadu Creative in 2018. They are now dedicated to using their team’s skills and expertise to build a better, more ethical and sustainable future for people, the planet and animals. Additionally, Kayleigh co-founded The Green Hosting Company, a website hosting company dedicated to delivering pro ..read more

© BMW/Mini A survey by animal rights charity PETA has found a considerable increase in brands offering vegan car interiors worldwide. PETA contacted the most popular car brands in the biggest global markets to find out whether they offer interiors free of animal-derived materials such as leather and wool. Cabin surfaces, seats, trim, and steering wheels were all taken into account. Mercedes-Benz and BMW confirmed that they now offer several models with vegan interiors; the latter recently announced that the 5 Series Touring would feature seat surfaces made from an innovative leather alternat ..read more

© Nicola Kagoro The Animal Welfare and Environment Network for Tanzania (AWENET) raises awareness in Tanzanian schools about the environmental and health benefits of plant-based eating. The organisation has made Meatless Mondays and Fridays possible in schools, while their Vegan School Lunches Outreach Programme aims to reach 12,000 students this year – all made possible thanks to the support of ProVeg Grants. Your donation to ProVeg Grants will help organisations like AWENET to expand their plant-based school food programmes, thus impacting hundreds of catering staff and thousands of studen ..read more

© fydorov-stock.adobe.com The global pea protein market is set for significant growth and will be worth $7 billion by 2031, according to a report by Astute Analytica. A shift towards sustainable plant-based proteins and healthier lifestyles will drive the market to grow with an estimated CAGR of 19.9%. Unlike many other proteins, pea protein is allergen-free, widely available, and has a high nutritional value. It is also low in calories and high in fiber, helping to address cardiovascular issues and obesity. Over the forecast period, pea protein will be widely used in applications such as me ..read more

© Cocuus A new report by UK environmental charity and think tank Green Alliance has found that the alternative protein industry could be key to significantly reducing land use in ten European countries — Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Spain, Sweden and the UK. The report finds that there is not enough land on the planet for current animal product consumption patterns to continue without a hugely detrimental environmental impact. However, alternative proteins could provide the taste of meat and dairy with significantly reduced land use, particularly as tech ..read more

© Ralf-stock.adobe.com The Singapore Food Agency (FSA) and the Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment (MSE) recently issued a new draft, the Food Safety and Security Bill (FSSB), proposing a new category, “Defined Food,” and new requirements for pre-market approval of these foods or ingredients. Under the FSSB, novel foods would be considered a sub-category of “Defined Food,” along with genetically modified (GM) foods, and insect-like species, all subject already to pre-market approval but will need to meet additional regulatory requirements before being imported or so ..read more

© CellAg Deutschland / Wacker Chemie AG / Ada Magdalena Drazek / Cultimate Foods In the seventh part of our series “CEO Statements: What Excites, Moves, Motivates”, in which vegconomist’s German platform regularly interviews CEOs on current topics, we spoke to Fabian Baumann, founder of CellAg Germany; Dr Susanne Leonhartsberger, head of WACKER BIOSOLUTIONS; Florentine Zieglowski, co-founder of RESPECTfarms; and Eugenia Sagué, CEO and co-founder of Cultimate Foods. Each of these companies is developing novel food innovations with which they want to help shape the future of the food industry ..read more

© ProFuse Technology ProFuse Technology, an Israeli biotech company creating solutions for muscle growth in cultivated meat, announces it has been awarded a €2.4 million grant from the European Innovation Council (EIC) Transition program. The EIC Transition program, part of Horizon Europe, helps startups advance and validate new technologies as they transition from the laboratory to real-world application environments. Selected among hundreds of applicants, this prestigious grant acknowledges ProFuse’s cutting-edge technology and its ability to transform cultivated meat produc ..read more