Plant-based diets have grown in popularity in recent years, so what’s encouraging the increased interest in plant-based alternatives and why might others avoid them?
You’ve heard of plant-based burgers, vegan nuggets, and perhaps even fish-free tuna. But whole cut meat-free octopus tentacles, with ‘distinct suckers’ to boot?
As regulatory restrictions ease, researchers studying Cannabis sativa L. identify its nutritional benefits and potential in vegetarian diets while highlighting the need for clarity on the safety of some concentrated extracts.
Although developing meat alternatives from a single ingredient was not Nosh Bio’s initial aim, the start-up very quickly realised it had something ‘super powerful’ on its hands.
Healthy living is firmly on the agenda in this week’s new product roundup: There are immunity-boosting drinks, gut-friendly sweets and flapjacks, and an alternative protein source in the form of edible insects. Elsewhere we have a sparkling lemonade that's...
Affordable, better-for-you and flavourful salty snacks lead producers’ formulation considerations in 2024, while creating resilient crops and exploring the metaverse landscape drive the wider value chain.
‘Dry’, ‘chalky’ and even 'gritty' are just some of the less than favourable words used to describe the texture of plant-based proteins. However, scientists at the University of Copenhagen believe they have discovered the secret to significantly...
Veganuary has historically led to a significant uptick in consumption of vegan food products. However, with the plant-based sector in decline, and a cost-of-living crisis sweeping much of the world, can the early-year vegan fervour continue apace?
Israeli start-up Day 8 has emerged from stealth mode with plans to disrupt plant-based food and drink. Its secret weapon? A protein derived from leaves: Rubisco.
Fermentation is, alongside plant-based and cultivated meat, one of the driving forces behind the alternative protein sector. A new investment from the UK Government aims to boost fermentation innovation.
France has outlined exactly which ‘meaty’ words are to be banned when describing, marketing and promoting plant-based products – and the list is extensive.
Plant-based diets are proving hugely popular amongst men and women across the globe, with everything from animal cruelty to environmental impact being cited as the reason. But could the plant-based way of life also prevent against chronic diseases in...
Last year, Italy attempted to ban cultivated meat production and the marketing of cultivated meat products. However, the law has come into difficulty for its failure to go through the right procedures at EU level.
Falling into loyalists and reluctants, Generation Z consumers value reliability and brand experience, remaining avid trendwatchers, looking for products on social channels that appeal to their price and quality expectations.
The term ‘ultra-processed’ is increasingly used to describe the ‘unhealthiness’ of a product, particularly in the context of plant-based meat. But how processed a food is reveals nothing about its nutritional impact, contends new research.
Hybrid dairy, whereby conventional dairy is blended with plant-based ingredients, holds ‘considerable appeal’ as a category, according to Mintel, but innovation is rare. What can industry do to win new consumers?
After four years in development, Swedish dairy-free start-up Stockeld Dreamery claims to have mastered the meltability experience of cheese with plant-based ingredients.
Insects are not only thought to contain at least as much protein as conventional meat, but are also more environmentally sustainable. However, their novelty on the market poses challenges in consumer acceptance. How do start-ups persuade consumers to...
In the European Commission’s final text published this week, any mention of methane reduction has been omitted. So have links between dietary patterns and GHG emissions, critics lament.
A fermentation bottleneck still exists for the microbial fermentation sector, according to Swiss biotech Planetary, who is working to optimise protein and fat production with not just ‘overall infrastructure, but correct infrastructure’.
Could plant-based meat products be made more sustainably? Research trialling a ‘revolutionary’ concept that shortens supply chains and promotes plant protein diversity has received EU support.
Research suggests consuming nutrient and fibre-rich foods, such as beans, which support the health of good bacteria in the gut, could help in the prevention and treatment of colorectal cancer
Norm perceptions – what one perceives as ‘normal’ – differs between both individuals and groups of consumers, including when it comes to meat consumption. One’s meat consumption habits can affect these perceptions. A new study explores how different groups...
Cultivated meat needs growth factors in order for its cells to grow. These are usually added to the cell culture media at considerable expense, impacting potential for commercialisation. New research, however, has shown that edited bovine cells can produce...
A recent study has found that a nutritious plant-based diet, incorporating a reduced intake of processed and sugary foods, could decrease the risk of developing type two diabetes by improving metabolism and organ function.
The presence of star ingredients will drive purchasing and packaging decisions, Innova Market Insights reveals in its Top Ten Trends for food and beverages in 2024.
The world’s first regulatory approval for cultivated beef has been granted in Israel. For EU cultivated meat stakeholders, is the greenlight yet another sign the EU – which has yet to approve such a product – is falling behind? Or does it hold promise...
Off notes or flavour challenges in meat-free products has been a headache for the food industry for years, but new research could put that problem to bed once and for all.
According to delegates from Italy, France and Austria, cellular agriculture practices represent a threat to primary farm-based approaches and ‘genuine’ food production methods.
Despite some progress being made, price parity between meat and plant-based meat products has still not been achieved everywhere. Price remains a key consumer concern when it comes to plant-based meat. But why do plant-based meat producers struggle to...
Austrian start-up Revo Foods is well known for its 3D-printed fish and meat whole cuts. Now, it has announced technology that can work continuously and produce a variety of products simultaneously, introducing significant flexibility into the production...
A collaboration between two Finnish companies – Solar Foods and Fazer – has seen protein ‘made from air’ added to a chocolate snack bar for consumers in Singapore.
Eel meat is unlike any other: it is fatty, tender, and ‘almost melts in your mouth’, explains Roee Nir, co-founder and CEO of Forsea Foods. The start-up is working to mimic these attributes with stem cells in a lab.
Talk about a ‘protein transition’ is rife in the world of food. But what exactly is a protein transition? A study by Nature Food identifies three narratives through which a protein transition is interpreted, and three potential drivers of change.
Increased production costs and changes in consumer preferences have both played a key role in how the industry evolved and developed in 2023, so what are these changes and how will they affect the industry going forward?
Just over one month has passed since COP28 closed its doors in Dubai, UAE, giving members of the Food4Climate Pavilion time to reflect on the climate change conference. Was food high enough on the agenda? And what’s on the menu for COP29?
It is said ‘we eat first with our eyes’. The colour of food and drink can have a major influence over what we choose to consume, so which pigments are expected to whet appetites in 2024?
While the alternative protein scene continues to pursue widespread uptake and acceptance, in 2024, expect to see new and evolving concepts, technologies and regulatory support to progress towards attaining resilient food systems.
European cultivated chicken ingredients may soon be winging their way to Asia if Vital Meat is successful in its novel food regulatory submission to the Singapore Food Agency (SFA).
Steakholder Foods, which claims the launch is a ‘world first’, says its proprietary tech allows the start-up to closely mimic the taste, texture and appearance of traditional meat and seafood.
Finnish biotech start-up Enifer will open its first factory in order to develop its mycoprotein ingredient, following its receiving of €12m in funding. To develop these ingredients, it will use PEKILO fermentation, a process developed in the 1970s by...
European producers in 2024 will focus on informing consumers about processed and ultra-processed foods and drinks, potentially lowering content in formulations to encourage plant-based meat or dairy alternatives uptake.
January is a time where many people abstain from indulgent things, from alcohol to chocolate. Meat and dairy, increasingly linked to climate change and animal suffering, are other products those taking part in 'Veganuary' also abstain from at...
The duo’s latest white paper, “10 Alternative Protein Pathways: Opportunities for Greater Efficiency”, provides insights into how the sector can make plant-based products more affordable and sustainable.
What food and drink trends have been predicted for 2024? We catch up with ingredients suppliers ADM, Arla Foods Ingredients, and Prinova Europe to ask how they’re preparing for the year ahead.