Tuna pizza ©Yanten Vegan Food In the Spanish city of Vigo, home to Europe’s largest fishing port and described as “the most important port for the commercialization of fish for human consumption on the continent, and a central point for trading in fish at European and world level”, Gabriel López Pose founded the startup Yantén Vegan Food. Using the tagline “The future of the sea,” Yantén’s products are said to mimic the taste and texture of seafood offering sustainable food products at competitive prices. “We want to reduce the stress on the world’s oceans through overfishing. Acco ..read more

© Crème de la Crème Global fresh produce supplier Greenyard has announced the acquisition of Crème de la Crème, a Belgian food tech company producing plant-based ice cream and frozen desserts. Crème de la Crème has 25 years of experience in the sector and has developed hundreds of plant-based ice creams, including for major companies such as Alpro and Carrefour. The products are sold as far afield as the Middle East and East Asia. Last year, Greenyard acquired Italian plant-based ice cream producer Gigi, which has developed a unique method of replacing cream with plant fibres. Through the ac ..read more

Image provided Two German companies, the biotech startup MicroHarvest and plant-based pet food producer VEGDOG, have partnered to introduce a dog treat crafted from a sustainable ingredient: microbial proteins from biomass fermentation.  While other pet food products have utilized microbes like yeasts and mycelium, MicroHarvest’s first-of-its-kind protein is derived from bacteria that have been consumed by humans for centuries in foods such as kimchi, kefir, and sauerkraut, according to the announcement.  “Our goal at VEGDOG is to show dog owner ..read more

© Dreamfarm Italian startup Dreamfarm has announced that its almond-based cheese alternatives are launching in Germany. The cheeses will initially be available at Edeka stores in Berlin, and may later launch at restaurants and pizzerias. The news comes less than two months after Dreamfarm expanded to Delhaize stores in Belgium, following an “incredibly positive” reception in Italy. A launch in the Netherlands is also said to be on the cards. The startup’s rapid expansion has been made possible by a €5 million investment from food industry entrepreneurs Giampaolo Cagnin and Francesco Mutti, w ..read more

© Vrave In another collaboration between a traditional food company and a food startup, the Spanish seafood producer Angulas Aguinaga Group, via its brand Aguinamar, has partnered with Grin Grin Foods (which recently rebranded to Vrave) to launch its first plant-based product, Aros de Mar, a vegan calamari. With Aros de Mar, Aguinamar is adding a vegan option to its lineup of easy-to-prepare seafood products, expanding into the growing plant-based seafood category. The new alternative will be available in Carrefour and Alcampo at the end of April. The product is konjac-based, providing quali ..read more

© M-SUR - stock.adobe.com The European Parliamentary Research Service (EPRS) has released a new study evaluating the potential of algae, insects, microbial fermentation, and cultivated meat to improve food security and reduce the environmental impacts of food production within the EU.  However, to make the case for the growing interest in these alternative proteins, the report explains Europe’s current protein balance. According to the authors, plant-based protein intake in the wider world accounts for 57% of total protein consumption. However, in Europe, animal protein still makes ..read more

© Migros Swiss supermarket chain Migros has partnered with Circular Food Solutions to launch a new range of upcycled meat alternatives. The products are made from spent brewer’s grains, a byproduct of the barley used in beer production. The grains, rich in nutrients such as proteins, vitamins, and fibre, are combined with Swiss-grown peas and wheat to produce the meat alternatives. There are currently three products in the range: burgers, mince, and marinated pieces. The meat alternatives have been developed using Circular Food Solutions’ technology, which aims to help companies take advanta ..read more

© Farbest Brands Amid an escalating fiber crisis in the US, where dietary fiber deficiency leads to thousands of deaths every year, Farbest Brands is now offering Beyond Acacia®, a gum acacia product manufactured using a new process that produces high-density granules, in partnership with Alland & Robert. Beyond Acacia, like traditional gum acacia, is a wholly natural source of dietary fiber. The ingredient, devoid of taste, color, and odor, reduces sugar content and enhances fiber without altering the flavor or texture of products. It offers multiple applications, serving as a stabiliz ..read more

© Kern Tec Berger-Schinken, a German firm with over 130 years of history in ham and sausage processing, and Austrian upcycling and food tech company Kern Tec, have launched a co-branded product: plant-based cheese sausages. The new vegan sausages are crafted from pea protein and feature Kern Tec’s most recent development — Berg-Gaudi — a plant-based cheese made from upcycled fruit pits.  This first-of-its-kind cheese launched in various flavors last year under Kern Tec’s brand Wunderkern, joining a range of no-milk drinks made with apricot kernels that became the most-sol ..read more

Image: PTT Public Company In 2021, Innobic (the life sciences arm of Thai state-owned energy company PTT) joined forces with plant-based food importer Nove Foods to form a joint venture called Nutra Regenerative Protein Co (NRPT). The new company then made an agreement with the UK’s Plant & Bean to establish a plant-based meat facility in Ayutthaya, with NRPT providing 51% of the investment and Plant & Bean providing the remaining 49%. The facility — which has a production capacity of 25,000 tons and is claimed to be Thailand’s first dedicated plant protein factory — appears to have ..read more