From vegnews.com
This week’s food news sees vegan egg and oat milk sales increase, plus a meat giant backs mycoprotein and Bafta serves vegan caviar
In more positive news, Dunkin’ Donuts is the latest chain to drop its non-dairy milk surcharge, following in the footsteps of chains like Starbucks and Tim Horton’s. You can read all about that decision here. In more good news for dairy-free milk, Oatly’s sales are up and new products are launching. Find out more below. Plus we’ve got updates on new Easter chocolate at Walmart, Daily Harvest’s new sweet treats, and much more.
Vegan food news
This week in food news: PKN announces minimally-processed pecan milk and KiKi Milk hits Sprouts. One UK vegan egg brand is looking to crack the US market, Coyo launches the first oat and coconut yogurt in Australia, and Daily Harvest has new product news.
PKN
Pecan milk brand PKN has launched a new product with just four ingredients: PKN Zero. Made without additives or fillers, it consists of just filtered water, pecan butter, vanilla extract, and sea salt. According to the brand, the new product tastes like pecan pie and was developed in a bid to cater to the rising demand for minimally processed products. “Many of our early customers asked for a pecan milk option that brings out the pecan taste and nutrition made with simple ingredients,” said PKN’s founder and CEO Laura Shenkar in a statement. “Research shows that in 2024, more than 25 percent of consumers who choose to buy plant-based milks prefer simple ingredients they understand and can pronounce.”
Popular UK vegan egg brand to hit the US
With the US market looking up for vegan eggs, now is a good time for international brands to expand, and that’s exactly what UK brand Crackd is planning to do. The plant-based egg company will debut in the US at the Natural Products Expo West in March. “We are so excited to bring this beloved UK brand to American consumers,” Jonathan Traub, the president of Crackd producer Plant Heads Inc., said in a statement. “Because the egg industry shortage is expected to continue at least through 2025, we think this is the perfect opportunity to provide a versatile, delicious—and available—answer for barren egg shelves and soaring prices in supermarkets.”
Bettergoods
Walmart launches oat chocolate bunnies
Walmart is getting ready for Easter early. The grocery store chain, which has more than 4,600 stores across the US, has already launched plant-based chocolate bunnies made with oat milk under its Bettergoods range, per Instagram account Big Box Vegan. The line isn’t vegan, but it does include several plant-based offerings, including almond milk, oat milk ice cream, dairy-free chocolate bars, and more.
Coyo launches the first oat and coconut yogurt in Australia
Coyo, an Australian dairy-free company based on the Sunshine Coast, has launched the first vegan yogurt in Australia made with both coconut and oat milk. The new product, which is 74 percent oat milk with the rest comprised of coconut cream, will be available to buy from Woolworths stores in March. “Australians are embracing plant-based living like never before, and we’re excited to bring something truly unique to the table,” said Coyo co-founder Sandra Gosling in a statement. “Our oat and coconut yogurt is a game-changer—it’s light, creamy, and packed with the nutritional benefits consumers are seeking in today’s busy lifestyles.”
PlantBaby launches its organic, dairy-free milk for children in Sprouts
PlantBaby, a dairy-free brand that specializes in making organic, plant-based milk for children, is launching its Kiki Milk in Sprouts. The news comes just a few weeks after it announced a successful round of funding, which saw it raise $4 million to expand distribution. “Expanding into Sprouts Farmers Market is a pivotal moment for Kiki Milk,” said Alex and Lauren Abelin, co-founders of PlantBaby, makers of Kiki Milk. They added: “We’re proud to align with Sprouts’ commitment to health and wellness, and we look forward to becoming a staple in households across the nation.”
Daily Harvest
Daily Harvest debuts organic, plant-based sweet snack bites
Meal delivery platform Daily Harvest has launched a new range of organic snack bites made with sustainable, whole-food ingredients. The bites, which are available from the brand’s website, come in four flavors: chocolate chip cookie dough, fudgy hazelnut brownie, peppermint cacao truffle, and banana nut bread. Ricky Silver, CEO of Daily Harvest, said in a statement: “With our new line of USDA-certified organic Bites, we’ve reimagined what snacking can be—offering indulgence, convenience, and quality without compromise.”
Vegan restaurant and catering news
This week, Impossible Foods has teamed up with a British brewery pub chain to offer chicken burgers with IPA, and Bafta offers A-listers plenty of plant-based options.
BrewDog
British brewery pub chain BrewDog partners with Impossible Foods
Popular British brewery pub chain BrewDog has teamed up with US vegan meat brand Impossible Foods. Until the end of March, Impossible Foods’ vegan chicken will be available on the chain’s menu in various formats, including burgers and loaded fries. Brewdog’s chief marketing officer Lauren Carrol said: “We know lots of our beer-loving customers opt for plant-based meals, so we wanted to make it even easier to make the switch through this hook-up with Impossible.”
Bafta Awards serve up vegan caviar
February 16 saw A-listers and guests gather in London for the annual Bafta Film Awards. While there, they witnessed David Tennant sing, Mikey Madison win Best Actress, and Conclave take the prize for Outstanding British Film. They also got the chance to dine on vegan caviar. Catered by Matt Crow and a team of 60 chefs, this year’s event was focused on sustainable dining. It wasn’t a totally meat-free menu, but there were plenty of plant-based options for the stars, including pickled organic mushrooms, seaweed caviar, and vegetable root bhajis.
Rising vegan sales and funding
It’s been a promising week of rising vegan sales, not just for vegan eggs, but for oat milk, too. Plus German mycoprotein gets funding from an unexpected source: a European meat giant.
Eat Just
As the chicken egg industry continues to struggle and prices soar, vegan egg brands appear to be thriving. For example, in January, Eat Just—the producer of mung bean-based Just Egg—had sales that were five times what they had been in the previous year. As a result, the brand is planning to increase production and reduce its prices. “This is probably the most important moment for a plant-based market,” Josh Tetrick, Eat Just’s chief executive officer, told Bloomberg. Eran Groner, the CEO of the vegan brand Yo Egg, also told the publication he is looking to expand distribution, as well as reduce prices by as much as 10 percent.
Oatly reports rising sales and high hopes for 2025
It’s not just vegan egg sales that are on the up, oat milk brand Oatly has also revealed that its revenue is up five percent. This means that 2025 could be a profitable year for the Swedish company. If that happens, it will be Oatly’s first full year of profitable growth. “Over the past two years, we have executed a significant transformation of our company,” said Oatly CEO Jean-Christophe Flatin in a statement. “We have overhauled our supply chain, our overhead structure, and our mindset. We now have a much healthier business with clear strategies, clear accountability, stronger margins, and significantly improved profitability.”
German meat giant backs mycoprotein brand in $3.1 million funding round
PHW Group, a German meat processor and the fourth-largest poultry company in Europe has participated in a funding round for Kynda, an alternative protein company specializing in mycoprotein. Enjoy Ventures led the round, which raised more than $3.1 million, and Swiss Clima Now also participated. “This strategic partnership creates exciting synergies, accelerating the implementation and commercialization of our technology and superfood raw materials,” said Franziskus Schnabel, co-founder of Kynda. He added: “With PHW’s support, we are well-positioned to drive sustainable innovation at scale.”
