Future Food Quick Bites: Oatly Matcha, Mycoprotein Mince & A Vegan Football Kit

From greenqueen.com.hk

By Anay Mridul

Our weekly column rounds up the latest sustainable food innovation news. This week, Future Food Quick Bites covers Oatly’s new matcha latte, Revo Foods’s clean-label mince, and Lactalis Canada’s plant-based exit.

New products and launches

Swedish oat milk giant Oatly is the latest to join the matcha craze, launching a ready-to-drink matcha latte with finely ground Tencha matcha. The one-litre packs are available in the UK for £2.95 at Sainsbury’s and Morrisons, with Ocado adding to the list next month.

Californian firm Mud\Wtr has introduced Nourish, a protein powder with 25g of complete plant protein per serving, along with lion’s mane, cordyceps, ashwagandha, Bacopa and prebiotic fibre. It’s available in chocolate and vanilla flavours on its website for $70 per 645g bag.

Also in the US, plant-based waffle brand Vafels has rolled out gluten-free stroopwafels in caramel and maple flavours, which can be found on its website for €19.95 per 10-pack.

Courtesy: Revo Foods

Austrian 3D-printed meat maker Revo Foods has launched a four-ingredient Minced Fungi Protein with more protein than beef and higher bioavailability than chicken. Made from mycoprotein, rapeseed oil, rapeseed protein and spices, each 160g pack contains 25g of protein. The product is available at Billa Pflanzilla, online on its webstore and Billa’s website, and Kokku in Germany.

UK food manufacturer Premier Foods has unveiled a four-strong line-up of vegan jelly with no added sugar under its McDougalls brand. They come in 1.4kg packs (enough to make 17 litres of jelly), with flavours including strawberry, raspberry, orange, and lime.

Courtesy: Premier Foods

France’s Vétéjal has created a range of powdered seasonings for plant-based creams, sauces, marinades and grilled meals, which can be mixed with water, oil, milk and cream or sprinkled on top of dishes. Flavour options include cream of mushroom soup, king crab, spicy bacon, and Roquefort-style blue cheese.

Dutch specialty ingredient supplier Prodalim has launched upcycled VivaPro Colouring Foodstuffs and NaturaPro Natural Colours lines to tackle the growing demand for clean-label and sustainable plant-based colour solutions.

Courtesy: Atlr.72

And Japanese conglomerate Ajinomoto‘s Atlr.72 Flowering Ice Cream, which uses Finnish gas fermentation firm Solar Foods‘s Solein protein, is available at food trucks at the World Aquatics Championships (July 18 to August 3) in Singapore.

Company and finance updates

English football club Forest Green Rovers have launched a fully vegan football kit for the next two seasons (as part of its efforts to cut waste), featuring Reflo’s Reloop technology (which offers a fibre-to-fibre mechanical recycling solution).

Courtesy: Forest Green Rovers

UK vegan pet food company Omni – which made a splash with its success on Dragons’ Den this year – has been certified as a B Corp.

Speaking of certifications, Beyond Meat‘s burger, beef mince, steaks, chicken pieces, and sausages have now been accredited as Glyphosate Residue Free.

Courtesy: Beyond Meat

New York-based Helaina has expanded the manufacturing capacity of Effera, its precision-fermented human lactoferrin, to a metric-tonne scale, which would allow it to produce 10 million servings per production run.

Planetarians, a US-based producer of upcycled plant-based meat, is shutting down and auctioning its IP and assets, citing fundraising challenges.

Lactalis Canada, a subsidiary of the world’s largest dairy company, is closing its Sudbury plant and exiting the plant-based milk business this December. It comes just a year after the facility was turned into a vegan hub and the business introduced the Enjoy brand of dairy-free milk.

Nurasa, the sustainable food innovation platform owned by Singapore’s Temasek, has signed a strategic partnership with Protein Industries Canada to fast-track the entry of Canadian plant-based companies into the city-state and Asia-Pacific through technical, regulatory, and commercialisation support.

Policy developments

Canada’s Ocean Supercluster has pledged C$750,000 in a C$1.9M project to develop a vegan whitefish fillet, working with Profillet, Ardra Inc, Mara Renewables, and Rondo North America.

Weeks after criticising the FDA for its “outdated” regulation of dairy-free baby formula, Israel’s Else Nutrition has applauded the US House of Representatives Committee on Appropriations’s passage of bills that recognise the importance of expanding access to alternative infant formulas.

US non-profit People For Better Food has launched its first “culture shift” campaign, Plants for the Win, to shift young men’s perceptions about protein myths and plant-rich diets.

French carmaker Renault has pledged to eliminate animal leather from its entire portfolio by the end of the year.

In Spain, Alcorcón has become the third city in eight weeks to endorse the Plant Based Treaty, following in the footsteps of Parla, El Masnou and 40 other cities globally.

https://www.greenqueen.com.hk/future-food-quick-bites-oatly-matcha-revo-foods-forest-green-rovers/ 

UK: Greene King Debuts Redefine Meat's 3D-Printed Vegan Steak

From greenqueen.com.hk

Thanks to a collaboration with Greene King, Redefine Meat’s 3D-printed meat alternatives are now available at 1,000 UK restaurants, in a year when domestic sales have shot up by 100%.

Israeli food tech start-up Redefine Meat is capping off a “record year” with a listing at Greene King, a 225-year-old British pub chain, which will serve its premium vegan flank steak at 70 sites.

It marks the 3D-printed meat innovator’s availability at 1,000 restaurant locations in the UK, where its foodservice sales have nearly doubled this year. At the same time, the company’s year-on-year revenue at Ocado – its first retail listing in the country – has grown by 150%.

“Celebrating our 1000th UK site through our new Greene King partnership, we believe we’ve hit a major milestone for the UK foodservice industry – one where high-quality plant-based options that taste delicious, are increasingly becoming a mainstream consumer preference,” says Simon Owen, Redefine Meat’s UK managing director.

Redefine Meat’s tech has left chefs and customers impressed

Courtesy: Redefine Meat/Green Queen

One of the best-known plant-based companies, Redefine Meat markets its 3D-printed products as New Meat, with a diverse range of beef, pork and lamb alternatives that are available in formats like pulled, mince, sausages, burgers, and whole cuts. They can be found at over 4,000 foodservice locations in 10 countries, plus retailers in several European markets.

Its flagship product is the Beef Flank, positioned as a premium, chef-led whole-cut steak. It’s made from a base of wheat, soy and potato protein, complemented by soy and wheat flours, rapeseed oil, cornstarch, natural flavourings, maltodextrin, barley malt, salt, and colourings.

Redefine Meat’s products undergo a patented additive manufacturing process – more commonly known as 3D printing – at a factory in the Netherlands, which gives them a meatier flavour and the fibrous texture so devoured by meat-eaters. It calls the process ‘Plant-Based Tissue Engineering’, a reference to how it disintegrates textured vegetable protein (TVP) into fibres and blends them with a dough made from soy or pea protein isolates.

“This approach allows the projection of the meat-like texture of TVP, but in a flexible manner, and in a scalable manner,” the company explained in a white paper in February. “The muscle component is reassembled to mimic the anisotropic fibrous structure of beef, while the fat component is engineered through lipid encapsulation within a hydrocolloid matrix.”

For Europeans, taste is the major driver of plant-based meat, with 53% saying so in a 10-country survey last year. And in the UK, 51% of consumers say flavour and texture are the main reasons why they’re cutting back on meat alternatives, with 66% feeling products from some brands taste much worse than others.

But Redefine Meat’s plant-based flank steak has been endorsed by leading chefs like Marco Pierre-White and Ron Blaauw, and is said to have won plaudits from consumers of all dietary preferences.

“We’ve found that chefs really value the ability to co-develop New Meat products with us, something we’re not seeing with other plant-based suppliers,” notes Owen. “This enables us to respond to their customer’s specific preferences, whether that’s elevating existing plant-based menus, or introducing foodservice locations to the category for the first time.”

Capitalising on the foodservice demand for plant-based

Courtesy: Redefine Meat

Redefine Meat argues that the whole-cut vegan steak offers Greene King a new market and key competitive advantages through product quality and service versatility. The Beef Flank alone is now featured on the menus of 200 UK restaurant sites, including Albion, Gusto, Dirty Vegan Burgers, and Stonegate Group, the country’s largest pub chain.

“Over the last 12 months, we’ve seen an important shift in the global foodservice industry with many iconic brands transitioning their plant-based menus to more premium-quality options,” says Owen.

In the Netherlands, for example, volume sales of meat analogues in foodservice increased by 111% between 2021 and 2023, against a 2% decline for conventional meat in the same period. And in the US, a market Redefine Meat is yet to enter, foodservice pound sales of plant proteins were 25% higher than pre-pandemic levels last year, with half of these attributed to vegan meats that replicate the taste, texture and experience of animal proteins.

This is why whole cuts have been called the “holy grail” of meat analogues, a space crowded by start-ups like Juicy Marbles (Slovenia), Libre Foods (Spain), Green Rebel (Indonesia), Revo Foods (Austria), Project Eaden (Germany), and Planted (Switzerland), among others.

“Having broken through the quality barrier of the plant-based industry, we began our journey in fine dining and Michelin-star restaurants ensuring a superior ‘eating’ experience,” says Owen.

“In transitioning to retail, this top-down approach has also been crucial to ensuring our differentiation by bringing chef-quality New Meat directly to consumers. As is the ability to give foodservice leaders like Greene King access to a diverse product range beyond just minced-based products, but also pulled meats and whole cuts,” he continues.

“In the UK, we’re ready to support this local growth thanks to our large-scale state-of-the-art facility in the Netherlands. For customers such as Greene King, this facility ensures that as the market grows, they know that we can meet their requirements.

“While the overall plant-based market has gone through a challenging period of consolidation, 2024 has been a year of strong growth for Redefine Meat, and we’re excited for the year ahead.”

https://www.greenqueen.com.hk/redefine-meat-uk-sales-greene-king-3d-printed-vegan-steak/ 

3D printed vegan steak launches in UK retailers

From agriland.co.uk

Redefine meat, a meat substitute company pioneering the use of 3D printing technology in the manufacturing of plant-based alternatives, has launched its 3D printed vegan steak in the UK retail market.

The Israeli start-up which was founded in 2018, specialises in vegan meat designed to mimic the sensory profile of the animal derived product.

Redefine flank steak is produced at scale in the company’s European headquarters in the Netherlands via its patented “meat matrix manufacturing” ,which combines additive/3D printing and AI technologies to replicate animal meat, without slaughtering livestock.

3D printing

The company claims 3D printing is uniquely positioned to duplicate the muscle and fat structures found in cuts of animal meat which prove fundamental to the sensory experience, making its vegan meat “distinguishable” from real meat.

The 3D printed vegan steak, which even appears to bleed upon cutting, is composed of non-GMO plant proteins, including soy, wheat and pea, which deliver 25g of protein per steak.

The company was inspired to create their plant based product line, which purportedly produces 90% less greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions compared to its animal-based equivalent, in response to the growing demand for sustainable and ethically produced meat substitutes.

Speaking about the launch, Redefine Meat’s CEO and co-founder, Eshchar Ben-Shitrit, said:

“When we founded Redefine Meat six years ago, we had a bold and seemingly impossible target of launching a premium-quality steak for mass consumers to buy and cook at home.

“Today marks a historic milestone in that journey, expanding the fast-growing new-meat category to give consumers direct access to chef-quality steaks.

“Having focused much of our journey to date on refining our products to meet the quality standards of the highest echelons of the culinary world, we’re proud to bring the fruits of this labour directly to consumers through our best-in-class retail partners.”

Redefine meat, which has featured on restaurant menus across Europe since 2022, has been available for commercial sale since July via the UK retailer, Ocado, which sells groceries under its joint venture with Marks and Spencers.

The online retailer was the fastest growing grocer in the UK for the seventh consecutive month in August, according to data analytics company, Kantar.

Ocado Senior Buyer, Zee Ahmad said: “We’ve expanded our Redefine Meat offering to Ocado customers by launching the first premium-quality plant-based steak in the Ocado range.

“We’ve been pleased with the performance since the launch in late 2023 and are really happy with the glowing shopper reviews. We hope they’ll enjoy the new Redefine Flank Steak just as much and look forward to seeing sales grow through the summer.”

The vegan steak, which has been endorsed by internationally reknowned chefs, Marco Pierre White and Ron Blaauw, is also available in Switzerland, with a roll-out in the Dutch supermarkets soon to follow.

The company also sells lamb, beef and burger substitutes, alongside its flank vegan steak.

According to statistics, the global food tech market which combines advanced technology with food science, of which Redefine Meat champions, is set to reach a value of $342.52 billion by 2027.

In 2024, the same data analytics company reported that 7% of the UK population are vegetarian while a further 4% identify as vegan.

https://www.agriland.co.uk/farming-news/3d-printed-vegan-steak-launches-in-uk-retailers/

Beyond Meat’s Vegan Steak Arrives In The UK

From plantbasednews.org

Beyond Steak will soon be sold to chefs and restaurants in Britain

Beyond Meat has announced that its award-winning vegan steak product will soon be available in the UK. 

The Beyond Steak launched in the US in October 2022 to huge acclaim. It became the first plant-based meat alternative ever to be certified by the American Heart Association, and it’s now sold at more than 14,000 locations in the country. 

It made its UK debut at the Casual Dining Show in London at the end of last month, winning Gold in the coveted Casual Dining Innovation Challenge 2023. Judges said that the steak pieces were a “sustainable gamechanger,” and they also praised its nutritional benefits. The Beyond Steak, which is made from wheat gluten and faba beans, offers 21g of protein per serving, is low in saturated fat, and contains zero cholesterol. From this month, it will be sold to chefs and restaurants in Britain. The company hasn’t confirmed if it will be sold at supermarkets.

“We’re delighted to be introducing the delicious Beyond Steak to the UK,” said Steve Parsons, UK & I Foodservice Manager at Beyond Meat, in a statement. “Beyond Steak has already convinced the expert innovation jury at the Casual Dining Show 2023, receiving the Gold Award for creating a product which delivers the taste and texture of sliced steak in a way that is better for you and the planet.”

The UK embraces vegan steak

                                                                                  Beyond Meat

                         Beyond Meat’s Steve Parson’s at the Casual Dining Show

A few years ago, the idea of ordering a vegan steak at a restaurant would have been almost unheard of, but there is now skyrocketing demand for such products. 

Earlier this year, it was reported that the vegan steak market is set to surpass USD $1,billion by 2033, almost doubling in 10 years (the current value is around $598.6 million). The UK was identified as embracing plant-based steaks faster than any other country. It was found to spend $52 million a year on the products, with forecasters predicting this spend will more than double to $126 million by 2033. 

In the UK, a number of restaurants are already stocking vegan steaks, including the world’s first 3D printed version from Israeli company Redefine Meat. UK customers can also buy a number of brands from supermarkets, with Slovenian start-up Juicy,Marbles selling its world-first marbled version in Waitrose. 

https://plantbasednews.org/lifestyle/food/beyond-meats-vegan-steak-uk/

UK: The Essex vegan restaurant that '3D prints' imitation steaks

From essexlive.news

"It's been a long old journey, but an exciting and interesting one along the way" 

A vegan restaurant voted one of the best in Essex in our Essex Eats Awards prides itself on its good food and local staff. The OakTree Vegan Restaurant in Leigh-on-Sea is one of the restaurants that have made the finals of EssexLive's inaugural foodie awards.

We spoke to James Anderson, who owns and runs the OakTree along with his wife Samantha. He said that while they're very proud of their vegan food, what's most important for them is that they serve good food that just happens to be vegan.

The restaurant serves both imitation meat - from mock steak and chicken through to calamari and prawns - and vegetable-based dishes. The owners are local, as are their staff, and after many challenges over the last 10 years the OakTree Vegan Restaurant continues to thrive.

                                                                   (Image: OakTree Vegan Restaurant)

The OakTree Vegan Restaurant is now in the running to be named the best restaurant in Essex. EssexLive readers sent in nominations for the first-ever EssexEats awards and the OakTree made it onto the shortlist.

We’re now profiling each pub, restaurant, cafe and takeaway on the shortlist. We’re finding out their story, what they have to offer and why think they deserve your vote.

Why did you decide to open the OakTree?

James said he and his wife opened the restaurant 10 years ago, in 2013. He said: "We're both vegan and we couldn't find anything locally.

"So we thought it would be a wonderful idea to open a restaurant and 10 years later here we are. Like everybody, we've been through the pandemic, we've gone through the energy crisis, we've gone through everything so it's been a long old journey, but an exciting and interesting one along the way."

What are the best dishes on your menu?

James said: "It's difficult because we've got we've got two strings to our restaurant. We've got a lot of imitation meats, which are really popular with a lot of people.

"So we sell steaks, prawn, chicken, calamari, all vegan versions. They're sort of 3D-printed steaks made from wheat and pea protein, and they're mind blowing, but to a lot of people, it's just too realistic.

"Our second biggest seller, funnily enough, is in fact a butternut squash curry. I invented it 10 years ago and it's still on the menu. So much has fallen by the wayside over the years, but that one has been there since day one."

                                                              (Image: OakTree Vegan Restaurant)

What sets you apart from other places to eat in Essex?

James said: "Being vegan sets us aside from a lot of places. But we've always prided ourselves on being a restaurant that serves vegan food rather than being a vegan restaurant.

"We don't want to be defined by our veganism. We've always just tried to be just a good restaurant owned by local people with lots of local staff.

"So what sets us apart I think, for me anyways is us and the staff. Since day one, it's been run by Sam and I, and we employ 22 local, enthusiastic staff members, and we just so happen to showcase the very best vegan food that we can."

Why do you think people should vote for you to be named best restaurant in Essex?

James said: "We've been here 10 years, and we've worked really hard. It's not easy working every day with your wife, and she'd say exactly the same thing, in fact, probably with a few more expletives, but we've come through it and you know, and we're so proud of what we do, and it's a passion project. It's always been a passion project.

"It would have been a lot easier to open a restaurant that sold you know meat because it's what 99 per cent of the world eats so we've thrown ourselves out there. We've suffered the trolls, we've suffered people storming out because they can't get a burger that they want.

"So we stuck with it for 10 years. I'm very proud, I'm very proud of of the restaurant."

OakTree Vegan Restaurant can be found at 75 Leigh Rd, Leigh-on-Sea, SS9 1JN. Opening times - 12pm to 10pm Tuesday to Saturday, 12pm to 6pm on Sundays.

https://www.essexlive.news/whats-on/food-drink/essex-eats-awards-essex-vegan-8551045

Welsh Pub Becomes “World’s First” Vegan Steakhouse

From vegconomist.com

This time last year, The Queen Inn pub in South Wales took the chance of going fully vegan for Veganuary and the success was so incredible that the traditional family pub made the decision to become permanently vegan, much to the surprise of most of its regular clientele.

To celebrate a phenomenally successful first year of being a 100% plant-based establishment, and to mark the pub’s second Veganuary; Ryan Edwards, who operates the pub with parents Jane and Gareth, came up with a ground-breaking concept which could very well be the first in the world.

A Welsh world’s first?

The theme for the month, and one which will continue in future depending on demand, is the World’s First Vegan Steakhouse. Since the Queen Inn was previously well-known amongst locals for its animal meat steaks before going vegan last year, Ryan decided that it would now focus on becoming famous for its animal-free steak dishes. Vegconomist went along to take a look.

© The Queen Inn

The pub is now offering a 100% vegan steak menu along with a range of steak sauces, featuring 3D printed steaks from Israel’s Redefine Meat, as well as the famous Juicy Marbles filet mignon which has been on the menu for a few months to huge success with customers driving for hours from all corners of the UK to try it for the first time.

“I believe we’ll be the first place in the world to serve Redefine’s Tenderloin and Striploin”

The steakhouse theme, which will run every Monday-Saturday (12:00 to 20:30) until 31st January, features a 5oz Redefine Flank, 10oz Redefine Tenderloin, 9oz Redefine Striploin, as well as the Juicy Marbles 4oz Filet. “I believe we’ll be the first place in the world to serve Redefine’s Tenderloin and Striploin,” says Edwards, who says his mission is to showcase the best plant-based meats from around the world.

Land and Sea sharing platter, image: vegconomist

The menu also now offers a mammoth Land & Sea sharing platter (pictured above) featuring a vast amount of plant meat:  Juicy Marbles and Redefine steaks, OmniFoods fish fillet, vegan salmon steak, and shrimp skewers. This joins a menu star-studded with vegconomist alumni such as Heura, Oumph!, and Future Farm.

Edwards explains that the menu focuses on demonstrating how incredible plant-based meats are, proving that there’s no need to eat animals. The menu still comes with a range of options that don’t replicate meats, for vegans who prefer a natural whole food diet.

© The Queen Inn

A triumph

The past twelve months have been continually astonishing to the Queen Inn family, having to recruit extra staff, including three vegan waiting staff and two meat-eating staff who are currently participating in Veganuary, as well as a trained vegan chef. Edwards describes how, for New Year’s Eve, customers drove for hours and parked up in their camper vans, saying how excited they were to sample this trailblazing menu.

Customers regularly come as far and wide as Liverpool, Manchester, and Brighton, and the pub even hosted a small summer vegan festival.

 When asked about his vision for the future and what he would like to achieve with the vegan pub and future Veganuary promotions, Edwards enthuses: “I’m really excited to see where this will go – I was almost expecting some backlash either from vegans or from meat eaters but there has been nothing but support for us from the beginning. 

“We want to be the biggest name in vegan food service in the UK and showcase the biggest and best names in plant based products. The sky’s the limit!”

https://vegconomist.com/food-and-beverage/welsh-pub-becomes-worlds-first-vegan-steakhouse/