Julienne Bruno's Vegan-Friendly Burrella Enhances Salad & Pasta

From trendhunter.com 

Julienne Bruno's Burrella is a wholly plant-based burrata alternative that's best served cold and used to enhance everything from salads to pastas. This delicate, award-winning product boasts a firm bite and a creamy interior, offering an enticing alternative to the cheese it was inspired by, made with a soya drink base, plus ingredients such as coconut oil, and salt, plus lactic acid, select stabilizers and emulsifiers.

A new generation of consumers refuses to compromise on indulgence simply because they've chosen a plant-forward or lactose-free lifestyle. For these eaters, plant-based burrata isn't about sacrifice but about finding a creamy, luxurious experience that honours the spirit of the original while aligning with their values.

Alongside Burrella, Julienne Bruno's Collection 01 features innovative cheese alternatives like creamy, whipped spreads and fresh, rich curds.

Trend Themes

1. Creamy Plant-based Indulgence — A rising cohort of consumers prioritizes decadent mouthfeel in vegan products, creating space for plant-based items that replicate dairy richness without animal ingredients.
2. Texture-first Vegan Cheese — Manufacturers are focusing on achieving firm exteriors and creamy interiors in non-dairy cheeses, enabling novel formats that mimic traditional fresh cheeses like burrata.
3. Functional Stabilizers and Emulsifiers — The strategic use of lactic acid, stabilizers and emulsifiers is enabling consistent texture and shelf stability in plant-based dairy analogues, shifting formulation science toward ingredient-driven performance.

Industry Implications

1. Dairy Alternatives — Producers in the plant-based dairy space can expand product portfolios with premium, fresh-style cheeses that appeal to lactose-free and flexitarian consumers seeking indulgence.
2. Foodservice and Hospitality — Restaurants and catering operators are presented with menu differentiation opportunities by featuring indulgent vegan cheese alternatives that maintain presentation and mouthfeel in salads and pastas.
3. Retail Grocery and Specialty Foods — Specialty retailers and supermarket deli counters may attract shoppers through curated plant-based cheese collections and premium-format items positioned alongside traditional fresh cheeses.

https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/burrella

New ‘cruelty-free’ Mercedes C-Class is second to gain official Vegan Trademark

From veganfoodandliving.com

The new electric C-Class has been awarded the Vegan Trademark by The Vegan Society, making it the second vegan-certified Mercedes-Benz model following the GLC’s certification in 2025

After launching the ‘world’s first’ vegan-certified car interior last year, Mercedes-Benz is continuing its partnership with The Vegan Society with the launch of the new electric C-Class.

This sleek executive saloon is now the second Mercedes model to offer vegan interior fittings certified by the Vegan Society’s Vegan Trademark.

The certification follows a rigorous audit of approximately 100 different components. From the car’s ARTICO replica leather seats to the steering wheel, door trims, and centre console, every part has been scrutinised to ensure it contains no animal-derived materials.

The Vegan Trademark’s ‘sunflower’ logo also confirms that no animal testing was conducted by the company or on its behalf.

Speaking on the collaboration, Karen Spinner, Sales and Marketing Manager at the Vegan Trademark, stated: “The Vegan Trademark team is delighted to continue its relationship with Mercedes-Benz, and it’s fantastic to see this beautiful new all-electric model launched with the option of a vegan certified interior.”

How Mercedes achieved its Vegan Trademark

The certification process was thorough, involving a two-year project to ensure supply chain transparency. Mercedes-Benz worked closely with suppliers to reformulate components wherever animal-based elements were detected.

This meticulous approach has set a new benchmark for the industry, proving that high-performance luxury and veganism are no longer mutually exclusive.

As Ms Spinner noted, the hope is that other automotive brands will be “inspired to follow their lead” in offering transparent, certified alternatives to traditional leather.

Mercedes-Benz all-new electric C-Class

Beyond its ethical interior, the electric C-Class is a powerful and sporty car. With a striking coupé-style silhouette and an iconic Mercedes grille featuring 1,050 illuminated dots, it boasts a staggering WLTP range of up to 473 miles, aimed squarely at dethroning its long-range rivals.

The cabin is dominated by the optional 39.1-inch MBUX Hyperscreen, offering an immersive digital experience that feels more like a cockpit from the future than a traditional car. For those who enjoy a bit of theatre, the panoramic glass roof features 162 illuminated stars that synchronise with the ambient lighting.

Mercedes-Benz has ensured that opting for a vegan interior doesn’t mean sacrificing the “S-Class levels of comfort” the model is known for. By integrating these animal-free options directly into the online vehicle configurator, the brand is making it easier than ever for drivers to choose sustainability without compromising on prestige.

https://www.veganfoodandliving.com/news/vegan-trademark-mercedes-benz-c-class/

The vegan Edinburgh hotspot that's winning over carnivores

From heraldscotland.com

By Alex Burns

As enthusiastic carnivores, my husband and I rarely (if ever) choose to dine in fully vegetarian restaurants.

But at Paradise Palms, a Mexican eatery in the heart of Edinburgh’s old town, we were so busy tucking into their amazing tacos, quesadillas and burritos that we barely even noticed the absence of meat.

                                                                                                        (Image: Paradise Palms)

This cult Edinburgh pub has long been popular for its extensive cocktail list and late openings (it shuts at 1am every night). But after a recent takeover of its kitchen by Mexican street food stalwart Antojitos Cantina, Paradise Palms is staking a strong claim of one of the capital’s hottest new food spots.

It marks the brand’s most extensive and elevated menu to date, mixing authentic Mexican ingredients with local produce while remaining 100% cruelty-free.

They have also refreshed their interiors in time for the busy summer season. The redesign reflects owner Trystan O’Brien’s fascination with surreal style, introducing Black Lodge–inspired flooring from Twin Peaks, while keeping the offbeat character of the pub’s interior.

                                                                                                (Image: Paradise Palms)

It’s certainly a unique space to sit in, with cuddly toys suspended from the ceiling and disco balls strung up almost everywhere you look. But in a world of increasing homogeneity and chain restaurants, it is a welcome relief to spend time in a venue that’s genuinely unique.

The food, too, is certainly memorable. Some highlights were the ‘Chorixo’ con Papas, made with crumbled vegan chorizo and fried potato, the Oaxacan ‘Ch*kn’ fajitas served with avocado crema and the vegan steak birria tacos. But arguably my favourite dish on the menu was one of the most simple – grilled sweetcorn ribs served with crumbled vegan cheese.

It was genuinely incredible, and it served as a powerful reminder that food doesn't need to contain meat to make an impression.

                                                                                              (Image: Paradise Palms)

Paradise Palms is also renowned for its cocktails, so I felt it was my journalistic duty to try several of the options on the menu.

I was particularly impressed with peach picante margarita – a truly original take on the ever-popular spicy margarita – made with tequila, peach, lime and red chilli. A special mention must also go to their caipirinha, a Brazilian cocktail that I have found poorly replicated in Scotland, but the Paradise Palms version was delicious.

Paradise Palms won’t disappoint – for both carnivores and herbivores alike.

www.theparadisepalms.com

https://www.heraldscotland.com/life_style/26055849.vegan-edinburgh-hotspot-winning-carnivores/ 

‘Many of our regular customers aren’t vegan at all; they simply enjoy the food’

From irishtimes.com

We take a look inside small Irish businesses catering to a growing demand for vegan food products across the State

Starting early every morning, a small team of bakers makes desserts ranging from cookies and cheesecakes to cinnamon buns for the popular It’s a Trap cafe and bakery on Aungier Street in Dublin city centre. The bakers produce between 140 and 180 pastries on a normal day. Frayank Nunez, who owns and runs It’s a Trap alongside his wife Loly Amador, says the shop’s cinnamon buns are their biggest seller – they sell into “the high hundreds” every week.

The thread running through everything that It’s a Trap makes and sells is that it’s entirely plant-based and vegan. Since the shop opened in Dublin’s north inner city in late 2019 – it moved to its current location in 2022 – Nunez has noticed that demand for plant-based food has grown well beyond the vegan market.

“When we first opened, there were still many people who dismissed vegan food without even trying it,” says Nunez, who has been vegan for almost 12 years. “The label itself sometimes created a barrier. Our goal has always been to normalise plant-based food. We want people to come in for a cinnamon roll, sandwich or a drink, and simply enjoy it.

“Over time that approach has worked well – many customers probably don’t think of It’s a Trap as vegan, they just know it’s a place where they can get really good pastries and drinks.”

                                   Loly Amador and Frayank Nunez at It's a Trap on Aungier Street. Photograph: Chris Maddaloni

The openness in Irish consumers’ attitudes towards trying plant-based food and reducing meat consumption was apparent in Bord Bia’s most recent Dietary Lifestyles Report, which was published in 2021. It found that some 24 per cent of the population had a “flexitarian” approach to their diet, meaning they primarily ate plant-based foods but still incorporated meat and fish into their diet. This was up from 14 per cent in 2018. The same research found that 2 per cent of those surveyed strictly adhered to a vegan diet, but 14 per cent did have an association with vegan food.

Last February, the Vegan Society of Ireland (VSI) published its Eating Habits Report, which found that 3 per cent of people in the Republic followed a vegan or plant-based diet, while 14 per cent were flexitarian.

Bronwyn Slater, chair of the VSI, says vegan food options in Ireland are much wider then they were a decade and a half ago.

“Vegans are relatively well catered for here by supermarkets and health shops, as well as by many restaurants, hotels and cafes that offer vegan options,” she says. “We are always looking for more and better vegan options in supermarkets and restaurants, and we regularly reach out to businesses; however, having said that, the choice for vegans nowadays is huge in comparison to what it was, say, 15 years ago.”

On Middle Abbey Street in Dublin 1, Govinda’s vegan and vegetarian restaurant has borne witness to these changing customer preferences. When the restaurant opened in 2004, about half of the food it offered was plant-based, while the other half was vegetarian. Now, about 70 per cent of Govinda’s food is plant-based.

                                                             A loaded plate at Govinda's in Dublin 1. Photograph: Alan Betson

Govinda’s offers canteen-style dining, where customers pick their size of plate with a vegan base of rice and dhal, and then choose three vegan or vegetarian items to complete their meal. One of Govinda’s managers, Manu Martin Davis, who has been vegetarian for more than 40 years, says the vegan and vegetarian food in Govinda’s tends to sell in relatively even amounts, but this can fluctuate from day to day.

“Sometimes [our biggest seller] is tofu, and sometimes paneer,” says Davis, who estimates that about 20 per cent of Govinda’s customers do eat meat, but come to the restaurant anyway because they like the taste of the food.

“It goes between one or the other. We have vegetarian lasagne and vegan lasagne, we have vegetarian moussaka and vegan moussaka, and from day to day it’ll vary, and one will go out quicker than the other.”

One area where he has noticed a preference for plant-based food is in desserts. In 2016, Govinda’s decided to introduce plant-based cakes and desserts, and the range has since grown to meet demand – about 75 per cent of the cakes the restaurant’s chefs make are now vegan.

It sells some 150 vegan cakes and about 50 cakes containing dairy every week. But Davis has also observed that customers often pick an item purely because it appeals to them, and not on the basis of it being plant-based.

“There’s even vegan cream on some of the vegan cakes, so people will just go for that,” says Davis. “Or people bring their families in, and the kids make no differentiation [between vegan and vegetarian items].”

‘We’re finding that people are more health-conscious, especially younger people

—  Manu Martin Davis, Govinda's

The increased acceptance of plant-based food can also be seen on shop shelves across the country, as vegan ranges have become a mainstay of supermarkets, but now have wider appeal.

In January this year, when some people engage in “Veganuary” and follow a plant-based diet for the month, sales of plant-based products in the State were up 34 per cent compared to January 2025. Shoppers spent an additional €838,000 on these ranges this year, according to data from consumer insights company Worldpanel by Numerator.

Among the many options in these ranges are the vibrantly packaged products from Dublin-based business Thanks Plants, which makes items such as plant-based sausages and meal pots that are stocked in major and independent retailers.

When Aisling Cullen founded Thanks Plants in February 2020, she made three hearty plant-based sausage products: the apple and sage, sundried tomato, and the frankfurter. Now, the business has 13 products in its range.

Cullen notes that many more people are now following flexitarian diets, which may be a factor in the popularity of plant-based foods.

“There are a lot more people who are flexitarian, rather than vegan,” says Cullen, who has been vegan for seven years.

“We introduced, about a year ago, our meal pots, which are high protein, thick and chunky soups, because previously we just had meat alternatives that are made with wholesome ingredients. I think there’s been a huge response to the meal pots – people are looking for plant-based foods but with more ingredients they know and understand.”

      Plant-based food entrepreneur Aisling Cullen with some Thanks Plants vegan products. Photograph: Chris Maddaloni

Thanks Plants sell about 3,000 units every week, and the meal pots comprise about a third of those sales.

“It’s not that meat alternatives aren’t known ingredients,” says Cullen. “We make ours with cannellini beans, pearl barley, vegetables, herbs and spices, and they’ve got their fanbase, but I think the meal pots have a wider fanbase of people like flexitarians, whereas maybe the meat alternatives are more for vegans.”

While the majority of people in Ireland do eat meat, and according to the Central Statistics Office the average consumption of meat per person in the Republic rose by 1kg to 100kg in 2024, plant-based food has more than established a foothold.

“I think there’ll be a wider acceptance [of veganism and plant-based food], and a lot more flexitarians where people will consciously not eat meat a few times a week, whereas now people only do it once or twice a week,” says Cullen. “I think it will become more of a 50/50 thing.”

Davis from Govinda’s sees similar trends. “We’re finding that people are more health-conscious, especially younger people,” he says. “If you look at their attitudes towards alcohol or other lifestyle choices, I think they’re making more informed and conscious decisions about what they consume, and I think that’s something very significant. So we will definitely be trying to cater for that, because that’s our philosophy as well.”

On Aungier Street, Nunez and his team are baking up their storm while also serving richly flavoured toasties and wraps, along with fresh coffees with plant-based milks.

“Many of our regular customers aren’t vegan at all; they simply enjoy the food, drinks and atmosphere,” says Nunez. “That’s actually the most rewarding part. If the food is good enough, the label stops being important. Our goal has never been to preach but to demonstrate, through good food, what plant-based cooking can be.”

https://www.irishtimes.com/food/2026/04/26/many-of-our-regular-customers-arent-vegan-at-all-they-simply-enjoy-the-food/ 

People On Plant-Based Diets Sleep Up to 48 More Minutes Per Night

From sleepfoundation.org

At a Glance:

Vegetarians and vegans sleep 36 minutes more per night than average, with up to 90% reporting good or excellent sleep quality. Those following a raw food diet get even better sleep — 48 more minutes per night of sleep and 97% with above-average sleep quality.

Folks who follow no particular diet sleep 12 minutes less per night than average, and only 36% rate their sleep quality above average.

When it comes to snacking, those who choose yogurt sleep better, and those who like sweet treats such as brownies or cookies don’t do so badly — but popcorn snackers routinely get some of the worst sleep.

Those who often eat foods good for sleep, such as fatty fish, tart cherries, and kiwi, sleep up to 42 minutes more per night than average.

Insomnia is the top sleep issue reported among survey respondents (41%), affecting almost half of intermittent fasters (48%) and those following gluten-free (47%) and diabetic (47%) diets.

For those struggling to get a solid night’s sleep, what’s on your plate could be the culprit. As they say, “You are what you eat,” and the same goes for your sleep. It’s simple, really: If you eat poorly, your slumber is liable to suffer, too. And vice versa.

Dr. Abhinav Singh, medical director of the Indiana Sleep Center in Greenwood, Indiana, SleepFoundation.org medical-review expert, and author of Sleep to Heal: 7 Simple Steps to Better Sleep, describes it as “a vicious cycle.”

“Good sleep begets more good sleep, and poor sleep begets more poor sleep. And poor sleep leads to poor food choices. That’s why they’re called comfort foods. Because nobody who’s tired and sleep-deprived is going to reach for a salad,” he says.

But… maybe they should? According to a recent SleepFoundation.org survey, vegetarians and vegans sleep 36 minutes more per night than average, with up to 90% of them having above-average sleep quality. Better yet, those following a raw food diet get even more sleep — 48 additional minutes per night of sleep than average, and 97% describe their quality of sleep as above average. By comparison, those who follow no particular nutritional regimen sleep 12 minutes less than average, with only 36% rating their sleep quality as above average.

Katie Hammill, certified nutritional practitioner in Jacksonville, Florida, says that our nutrition and diet correlate “without a doubt” to the quality and quantity of our sleep: “What we eat and when we eat it can drastically impact both how we fall asleep and the quality and duration of our sleep cycles.”

The Food Factor

So, what should (or shouldn’t) we eat to get some quality shut-eye? Overall, folks who aim for healthier snacks tend to sleep better than average. Yogurt snackers get some of the best sleep, averaging 18 more minutes per night than average, and 61% of those experience above-average sleep quality. According to Hammill, these results are not surprising.

“Studies show that there are beneficial gut bacteria that help synthesize vitamins and neurotransmitters needed for sleep like GABA, so eating a gut-loving diet with fermented and prebiotic/probiotic foods like unsweetened yogurt is helpful,” she says.

But those with a sweet tooth who aim for snacks such as cookies, cake, or brownies don’t fare so badly — those surveyed sleep 12 minutes more than average. Nevertheless, Hammill and Dr. Singh agree that processed foods and sugary treats should still be infrequent, especially before bed, to minimize that blood sugar roller coaster.

“Eating processed foods or reaching for that ice cream tub at 10 p.m. can spike your blood sugar, which activates your kidneys,” Dr. Singh explains. “Then your sleep quality is poor because there are these micro awakenings and even bathroom breaks at night, which can then start to fuel some insomnia habits.”

Hammill suggests aiming for foods rich in protein, fibre, magnesium, and potassium for improved sleep quality. “Ideally, we should try to cut off eating two or three hours before sleep. This allows our body to digest and our blood sugar to stabilize for better sleep. If you find you are hungry before bed, and it is impacting your ability to fall asleep, then a small spoonful of nut butter or half a banana could help.”

Certain foods can help promote good sleep, and the more often we eat them, the better we may sleep. Survey respondents who eat fatty fish 4-6 times per week average 42 more minutes of sleep a night. And those who eat fruits such as tart cherries and kiwi as often sleep 30 more minutes and 24 more minutes per night, respectively.

Just whatever you do, don’t grab the Orville Redenbacher — popcorn snackers in our survey sleep 12 minutes less per night than average and only 35% describe their sleep quality as good or excellent. 

When Dreams Aren’t So Sweet

Meredith Conklin, a 44-year-old court operations manager in Kansas City, Missouri, has long struggled with insomnia. But it wasn’t until getting sober that she truly realized the role that diet played in her (lack of) sleep quality and quantity.

“It would’ve been impossible to look at nutrition as a potential culprit in my sleep problems had I not eliminated alcohol and drugs from my life,” she shares. “That’s when it got easier to identify a direct correlation between my problems with sleep, and the type of food I consumed the previous day.”

Conklin notes that foods with high sugar content and large portions and “heavy” foods consumed less than two hours before bed would exacerbate her night-time awakenings.

“This was confusing at times because as an emotional eater, foods that are high in volume, carbs, and sugar would often provide a numbing effect that I sought as a relaxation technique,” she shares. “However, the outcome would consistently be lack of sleep.” 

Insomnia is the top sleep issue for our survey respondents, with 41% reporting they regularly have trouble falling or staying asleep. Almost half of the intermittent fasters (48%) and those following a diabetic diet (47%) or gluten-free diet (47%) experience insomnia on a regular basis. 

Studies show that getting less sleep can increase daily caloric intake, and over time, this can start to add up.

“People who sleep less can overeat by 200 or 300 calories the next day. You multiply that by six months or a year every day, and that can lead to being overweight, which can precipitate some sleep disorders,” Dr. Singh says. “Weight gain can be a risk factor for snoring and sleep apnoea.”

Hammill echoes this sentiment, stressing that our bodies need energy, which can be obtained through sleep or food: “If we deprive it of one, we will crave the other. I recommend to my clients who have the occasional poor night of sleep or jet lag to start their day with a hearty protein-rich breakfast like a veggie omelette to help minimize those cravings. Maintaining a healthy diet and body weight can go a long way to help alleviate some of these sleep challenges.”

“People who sleep less can overeat by 200 or 300 calories the next day. You multiply that by six months or a year every day, and that can lead to being overweight, which can precipitate some sleep disorders.” - Abhinav Singh, MD, MPH, FAASM  Sleep Medicine Physician, MD

Recent research also highlights the link between what we eat and sleep disorders. For instance, a new study found that people on plant-based diets have a 17% lower risk of developing sleep apnoea than those who eat mainly animal-based foods. And people who eat healthy plant foods like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and nuts had a lower risk of sleep apnoea than people who ate unhealthy plant-based foods, including refined grains, sweets, and salty foods like chips.

By changing her diet, Conklin seems to have broken the insomnia cycle. She knows what foods result in better sleep for her, and on days she treats herself, she knows her sleep might suffer.

“In the months of January and February this year, I made a nearly complete change to plant-based protein and avoided most egg and dairy products, as well,” she says. “This demonstrated a notable improvement in sleep, fitness, mood — basically all facets of my well-being. It was rather stunning, to be honest.”

https://www.sleepfoundation.org/sleep-news/people-on-plant-based-diets-sleep-up-to-48-more-minutes-per-night 

Opinion: The ‘Vegan’ Label is Losing Power – That’s A Good Thing for Plant-Based Foods

From greenqueen.com.hk

By Annamari Jukkola

Annamari Jukkola, co-founder and CEO of Finnish dairy-free company Mö Foods, explains why the plant-based movement must embrace the “post-vegan” era

For more than a decade, ‘vegan’ was one of the most potent words in food. 

It signalled conscience, urgency and a deliberate break from industrial animal agriculture. For a time, commercial growth followed that moral energy. But in recent years, retail sales of plant-based meat have declined in several major markets.

In the US, dollar sales fell again in 2025, with unit sales down by more than 10%, and parts of Europe have seen similar softening in volumes. Concern about climate change and animal welfare has not evaporated. What has changed is the context in which food choices are made.

Households are under pressure. Food inflation has lingered, energy bills remain high, and wages have struggled to keep pace. When the weekly shop becomes a calculation rather than an expression of values, shoppers trade down. Premium-priced products are often the first to go,  particularly when they are seen as optional. And much of the plant-based category is still treated that way: placed in separate sections, framed in contrast to the “real thing”, positioned as a substitute rather than an everyday staple.

I say this as someone who grew up on a traditional dairy farm in Finland, where food was our way of life. Movements may begin with identity, but I learned early that anything that endures does so because it works. The foods people grow up with carry weight. They are familiar, trusted, and woven into routine. No one abandons them lightly.

                                                                                                          Courtesy: Mö Foods

If you want people to change what they eat, the alternative cannot simply be different – it has to be at least as good, and ideally better. That’s why the plant-based food movement must embrace the “post-vegan” era: not the abandonment of ethics, but the normalisation of plant-based food. 

The flexitarian majority

The first wave of plant-based innovation was fuelled by urgency and investor optimism. Some products were rushed to market; others promised more than they delivered. Many were marketed primarily under ‘vegan’ or ‘vegetarian’ labels: terms that signalled good intent, but gradually became associated with products that were more expensive, less satisfying, or inconsistent in quality. 

Some shoppers felt misled; others drifted back to familiar habits. Those who continued buying most consistently were the ones whose identities already aligned with the label: vegetarians and vegans.

The issue is simple: there just aren’t that many vegans. Fewer than 1% of the world’s population identifies as vegan. Even when vegetarians are included, the group remains relatively small in most Western markets.

Far larger numbers – over 40%, by some estimates – describe themselves as flexitarian: actively reducing their meat consumption without abandoning it entirely. If the goal is to reduce emissions, land use, and animal suffering, scale matters more than purity. Small shifts adopted by millions outweigh total exclusion practised by thousands.

This is an approach that meets consumers where they are and lowers the barrier to participation, with the objective not to win an identity, but to shift behaviour, repeatedly and at a global scale.

The shift from identity to impact

Courtesy: GFI

Every product that moves from the margins to the mainstream faces the same test. Early adopters will tolerate inconvenience because they believe in the mission. Most consumers will not. For broad adoption, the alternative must stand on its own and fit easily into daily life.

We have seen this pattern elsewhere. Renewable energy expanded when it became cheaper. Electric vehicles gained ground when range improved, and costs fell. Organic produce grew when availability widened, and quality stabilised.

Plant-based food is already showing signs of this transition. While plant-based meat has softened in some markets, plant-based milk continues to hold a significant market share, accounting for well over 10% of total retail milk sales in the US, and higher in parts of Europe. Where functionality is reliable, familiarity is high, and price gaps have narrowed, adoption has stabilised.

But performance alone is not enough. The real question is who these products are designed for.  If plant-based food is to move beyond the margins, performance must be defined in everyday terms.

The discipline of the mainstream

                                  Courtesy: Hellmans/Follow Your Heart/Naturli/Quorn/Magnum | Graphic by Green Queen

Most grocery decisions are made in a moment. Shoppers spend little more than 10 or 15 seconds choosing a product on the shelf. In that brief window, familiarity outweighs ideology.

 It begins with price. In an era of rising food costs, few households can treat sustainability as a premium add-on. It continues with taste and functionality. On the farm where I grew up in western Finland, customers noticed the small things: texture, consistency, whether a product behaved the same way every time. If it didn’t, they went elsewhere.

These are not superficial concerns, but the basic conditions of repeat purchase. Cheese must melt. Milk must foam. A meat alternative must hold its own at the dinner table.

Performance must also include transparency. Environmental claims can no longer rely on branding alone. As climate literacy increases, consumers expect evidence on emissions, land use, and supply chains. If plant-based food genuinely reduces environmental harm, that advantage should be measurable.

None of this guarantees success. Some brands will not survive this phase. Investment has already tightened, and in parts of Europe, public support continues to favour established agricultural systems. But industries mature through correction, and those that endure become stronger.

When plant-based stops being oppositional

For years, plant-based food defined itself in opposition to meat and dairy. That framing was necessary at the beginning. But opposition is not transformation. Real impact comes from scale, and, perhaps ironically, scale happens when a product becomes unremarkable, when it blends into weekly shopping lists without fanfare.

The future of plant-based food will not be decided by labels, but by small, ordinary substitutions: an oat-based chèvre paired with a glass of wine, a milk that rounds out a morning coffee, a meat alternative folded into a weeknight pasta. When those choices feel natural rather than ideological, change stops being a statement and becomes a habit.

That is how movements grow up.

https://www.greenqueen.com.hk/vegan-vs-plant-based-labelling-brands-mo-foods/