Fats & oils

ADM’s chief flavorist talks flavor in plant-based meat and seafood, and losing her sense of smell thanks to COVID-19: ‘There was a little bit of, Oh dear, this isn't good…’

26-Oct-2021 By Elaine Watson

Losing your sense of smell and taste - a common side effect of COVID-19 – is pretty unsettling for anyone, but if your job is chief global flavorist at one of the world’s leading ingredients companies, you could be forgiven for experiencing some existential...

Change Foods founder talks animal-free dairy formulation: ‘Within a few months I was getting calls from large dairy companies’

21-Oct-2021 By Elaine Watson

San Francisco-based Change Foods – one of a small group of startups making 'animal-free' dairy ingredients using microbes instead of cows - plans to launch its first consumer products (cheese) in 2023. FoodNavigator-USA got into the weeds with...

Mission Barns, and Silva Sausage test-drive hybrid sausages blending cell-cultured animal fat and plant-based protein

20-Oct-2021 By Elaine Watson

Berkeley-based startup Mission Barns – which has developed a platform to cultivate fat from animal cells, outside of the animal - has teamed up with gourmet sausage maker Silva Sausage Co to produce hybrid sausages combining cell-cultured fat and plant...

More fat means less hair, study suggests

04-Oct-2021 By Danielle Masterson

Heart disease, diabetes and sleep apnea are just a few of the conditions associated with unhealthy eating habits. New research suggests we can add hair loss to that list.

Sustainability at the source: How Unilever is addressing deforestation, living wages, and regenerative agriculture

30-Sep-2021 By Flora Southey

How is Unilever ensuring sustainability in sourcing regions? Hanneke Faber, President Foods & Refreshment at Unilever, weighs in.

GALLERY: Alternative protein startups to watch at the GFI Good Food Conference

29-Sep-2021 By Elaine Watson

From 'whole cuts' of seafood from fungi, to plant-based lamb, to highly functional proteins from brewers' spent grains, here's a quick snapshot of some of the alternative protein startups participating in a virtual pitch slam at last...

Cell-cultured meat: New Age Meats raises $25m, gears up for small scale launch in 2022, addresses 'vaporware' claims

27-Sep-2021 By Elaine Watson

New Age Meats has raised $25m in series A round* led by Hanwha Solutions of South Korea that will allow it to begin manufacturing sausage products combining cell-cultured and plant-based meat at a 20,000-square-foot pilot facility in Alameda, California,...

Soup-To-Nuts Podcast: Killer Creamery finds sweet-spot in sugar-free ice cream, frozen novelties

27-Sep-2021 By Elizabeth Crawford

Not many companies would be satisfied with or even strive to produce a food or beverage that tastes ‘normal,’ but the founder of the better-for-you frozen dessert company Killer Creamery couldn’t be happier that the taste of brand’s new ice cream sandwich...

Kraft Heinz to acquire Brazilian condiments and sauces company Hemmer

23-Sep-2021 By Mary Ellen Shoup

Kraft Heinz has entered into an agreement to acquire Brazilian condiments and sauces company Companhia Hemmer Indústria e Comércio (a.k.a. 'Hemmer').

Investing in the Future of Food: SIMPLi reimagines complicated, international supply chains to function as local ones

22-Sep-2021 By Elizabeth Crawford

Supply chain challenges exacerbated by the pandemic have bolstered consumer interest in buying local to better support farmers, ensure product quality and reduce environmental impact, but many do not want to sacrifice the savings or year-around variety...

'Our priority is innovation...' Sophie’s Kitchen raises $5.6m to expand plant-based seafood category

17-Sep-2021 By Elaine Watson

Sophie’s Kitchen has secured a $5.6m investment led by venture capital firm Billy Goat Brands to help it expand its plant-based seafood empire, which now extends into multiple categories including ‘toona,’ crab cakes, fish filets, smoked salmon, and shrimp....

Diverse investor base behind $3.8 m fundraise will help Asian American food startup immi go mainstream

16-Sep-2021 By Elizabeth Crawford

For the co-founders of the better-for-you Asian American food startup immi, the most exciting part of closing their seed fundraise wasn’t the $3.8m that will help them relaunch an improved version of their low-carb, high-protein, plant-based instant ramen...

Introducing the FoodNavigator-USA broadcast series: Disrupting the meat and dairy case -- from plant-based bacon to ‘real’ cheese (minus the cows)

16-Sep-2021 By Elaine Watson

Interested in meat, dairy, and seafood alternatives? Is all the hype - and the wads of cash - truly justified? Are some formulations (think plant-based cheese and yogurt) really ready for prime time? Are the purchase drivers for plant-based seafood the...

Givaudan, Bühler and Migros launch tie-up to accelerate cultured meat sector

16-Sep-2021 By Katy Askew

Givaudan, Bühler and Migros have formed a new company, The Cultured Food Innovation Hub, with the aim of accelerating the development and market penetration of cellular agriculture.

Cultivated meat, cell-cultured meat, cell-based meat? USDA seeks to nail down nomenclature as products get closer to market in the US

03-Sep-2021 By Elaine Watson

The USDA has issued an advance notice of proposed rulemaking (ANPR) to solicit comments on how to label cell-cultured meat and poultry as startups in the space edge closer to commercialization, but says it will review labels submitted before the rulemaking...

Quest Nutrition CMO: ‘Higher protein, lower sugar, lower carb snacking, is not a fad, it’s here to stay’

27-Aug-2021 By Elaine Watson

While Quest Nutrition may not have achieved its founders’ somewhat lofty goal of ‘ending metabolic disease’ just yet, the high-protein, low-carb, low-sugar positioning of the company – one of the runaway CPG success stories of the past decade – is continuing...

USDA predicts higher food prices on top of existing hikes – calling into question consumer reactions

26-Aug-2021 By Elizabeth Crawford

Food prices across categories are predicted to rise low- to mid-single digits this year and again next year – adding on to already higher prices in 2020 fueled in part by the pandemic and raising questions about how consumers will react in the long term,...

Study: Walnut consumption linked to improved life expectancy

20-Aug-2021 By Mary Ellen Shoup

New research from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health funded by the California Walnut Commission has found a possible link between higher walnut consumption and increase in life expectancy among older US adults.

Impossible Sausage hits retail market: ‘Everything we’ve brought to market in retail so far has been wildly well received’

11-Aug-2021 By Elaine Watson

Impossible Sausage made from plants – a soy-based ground sausage product in savory and spicy variants – will make its retail debut this month and should be in 13,000 stores by the year end, says Impossible Foods, which says retailers have been encouraged...

California olive oil warring parties reach compromise over controversial labeling bill AB 535

10-Aug-2021 By Elaine Watson

AB 535, a California bill that would have prohibited any reference to California on olive oil bottles that did not contain 100% California-sourced olive oil, has been amended such that supporters and opponents say they can both live with it.

‘No brand to date has really nailed Greek in plant-based yogurt, until now….’ Danone unveils Silk Greek-style

10-Aug-2021 By Elaine Watson

Danone is hoping to make a splash in the small but rapidly growing plant-based yogurt segment with a Greek-style product under its Silk brand boasting 10g of protein from peas and a thick, creamy texture from coconut cream it claims will be a game changer...

GALLERY: Food ingredients startups to watch, from rare sugars and prebiotic fibers to 'cell-free' biomanufacturing

31-Jul-2021 By Elaine Watson

From San Diego-based Debut Biotech, which is developing a range of high-value ingredients via a novel ‘cell-free’ biomanufacturing platform, to Virginia-based Bonumose, which has patented technology it claims could enable the “mass market adoption” of...

Soylent now profitable, firing on all cylinders, says CEO after rollercoaster year: ‘We had to make dramatic changes or we would have run out of cash…’

28-Jul-2021 By Elaine Watson

A brand described as “only slightly more appealing than an IV bag” by one uncharitable observer when it first gained a cult following among Silicon Valley programmers as a powdered meal replacement, Soylent has steadily evolved its format, product line...

SPECIAL REPORT: Plant-based meat formulation in focus, from Beyond Meat to Motif FoodWorks, Roquette, and Cargill: ‘The meat alternative space has the fastest iteration cycles out there’

27-Jul-2021 By Elaine Watson

If you look at the ingredients lists of most plant-based burgers, they’re not wildly different – a combination of extruded plant proteins, hard and liquid fats, natural flavors, yeast, methylcellulose, starch, seasonings and perhaps added vitamins and...

'We are actively looking at all major animal-protein categories...' NotCo raises $235m in series D to expand its global plant-based meat, dairy empire

26-Jul-2021 By Elaine Watson

Santiago-based food tech company NotCo has raised $235m in a Series D round led by Tiger Global and supported by DFJ Growth Fund, ZOMA Lab, athletes Lewis Hamilton and Roger Federer, and musician and DJ Questlove, taking its cumulative funding to $350m...

‘Amazing taste and texture, and unmatched nutritionals…’ Keto-friendly Nick’s Ice Cream on course to triple US revenues this year, expand into new categories

19-Jul-2021 By Elaine Watson

Swedish keto-friendly brand Nick’s – which entered the US in late 2019 with low carb light ice cream pints – is on course to triple its US sales in 2021 (vs 2020) with continued growth in bricks & mortar retail, sharp growth in its fledgling direct...

NuSkool Snacks finds growth in recovering snack and nutrition bar category: 'Our retail numbers are off the charts'

12-Jul-2021 By Mary Ellen Shoup

Despite overall declines of the snack and nutrition bar category over the past year, NuSkool Snacks (formerly MCTco) saw demand for its brand – and other low-sugar bar products like it increase – reports founder and CEO Joe Christensen.

Keto, a long-lasting trend? New keto product launches double in past year

28-Jun-2021 By Mary Ellen Shoup

Now a few years on the mainstream diet scene, the keto market continues to grow with an uptick in new product launches in the past year, according to Mintel data.

UPSIDE Foods brings in PepsiCo SVP as it gears up for commercial launch of cell-cultured chicken

24-Jun-2021 By Elaine Watson

Cell-cultured meat pioneer UPSIDE Foods (formerly Memphis Meats) has brought in high-flying PepsiCo exec Amy Chen as its chief operating officer as it prepares to launch its first consumer product – UPSIDE chicken – later this year, pending regulatory...

Unilever global ice cream leader talks plant-based formulation: First get the protein right…

24-Jun-2021 By Elaine Watson

Unilever experienced an “explosion” in the growth of non-dairy ice cream when it introduced products through mainstream brands such as Ben & Jerry's and Magnum, according to global ice cream EVP Matt Close. But getting plant-based proteins to...

Impossible Foods CEO on processed food, selling heme to other brands, and reaching price parity

24-Jun-2021 By Elaine Watson

Attempts to put plant-based meats “in the same category as Twinkies” because they are both “processed foods,” should be dismissed as “meat industry propaganda,” Impossible Foods CEO Dr Pat Brown told delegates at the Future Food Tech alternative proteins...

‘A solution in search of a problem…’ California olive oil row heats up as producers clash over labeling bill

21-Jun-2021 By Elaine Watson

California’s olive oil producers are clashing over proposed state legislation on olive oil labeling that supporters say is essential to ensure consumers are not being misled, and critics say is a blatant attempt to restrict competition.

Motif FoodWorks raises $226m in Series B, gears up for launch of ingredient to transform flavor and performance of plant-based meat

16-Jun-2021 By Elaine Watson

Motif FoodWorks – a Boston-based startup focused on high-impact ingredients that can be added to plant- based meat and dairy formulations in small quantities but make a significant difference to the eating experience – has raised $226m in Series B* funding,...

Animal-free dairy co Change Foods closes $2.1m seed round, gears up for 2023 launch

16-Jun-2021 By Elaine Watson

San Francisco-based Change Foods – one of a new breed of startups making 'animal-free' dairy ingredients using microbes instead of cows – has closed an oversubscribed $2.1m seed funding round,* and plans to launch its first consumer products...

Review points to effectiveness of keto diet, but also cites wide range of evidence quality

10-Jun-2021 By Hank Schultz

Do ketogenic diets work? A recently published review of scientific evidence on the subject came back with the answer: “Yes, but . . . “

Cell-cultured seafood pioneer Finless Foods gears up to launch its first product… plant-based tuna

08-Jun-2021 By Elaine Watson

Finless Foods – a pioneer in the nascent cell-cultured seafood space – is gearing up to launch its first product: plant-based tuna.

Grounded Foods adds novel twist to plant-based cheese category: ‘We’re not vegans ourselves, and we’re not willing to compromise at all when it comes to cheese’

06-Jun-2021 By Elaine Watson

Plant-based milk has captured 15% of the US fluid milk market. Plant-based cheese - which has been around for just as long - has captured less than 2%* of the market, because it's much more technically challenging to formulate, and consumers are...

Nowadays plant-based nuggets boast ‘unparalleled' nutritional profile: 'We don’t just need to remove animals, we need to create better products'

03-Jun-2021 By Elaine Watson

The plant-based meat category is not short of starry-eyed founders armed with me-too products and a lofty mission to fix the broken food system (spoiler alert, they probably won’t). But there is still room for new players with a genuine point of difference...

Designer fats: Nourish specialty 'animal-free' fats promise superior performance in meat and dairy alternatives

02-Jun-2021 By Elaine Watson

When it comes to meat alternatives, fat remains the final frontier for formulators, says Nourish Ingredients, which is harnessing the power of microbes to produce next-generation ‘animal-free’ fats it claims can deliver a ‘meatier’ experience than plant-based...

'Protect the liver, feed the gut…’ Dr. Robert Lustig takes fresh aim at processed food industry: ‘We’ve literally turned ourselves into foie gras’

25-May-2021 By Elaine Watson

One cigarette won’t kill you, observes pediatric neuroendocrinologist and sugar’s arch-nemesis Dr. Robert Lustig, but 10,000 cigarettes over 10 years just might. Processed food is also poisoning us, it’s just doing it much more slowly, contends Lustig,...

Oatly goes public, opens Utah factory: ‘We are going to prioritize growth over profit,’ says CEO

20-May-2021 By Elaine Watson

Oatly – which made its debut as a public company today (Nasdaq ticker: 'OTLY') after an IPO that raised $1.4bn – has started producing its first products from its new plant in Ogden, Utah, this month, opening up new capacity to meet surging...

Plant-based innovation: Terviva raises $54m, collaborates with Danone on foods using oils, proteins, from Pongamia trees

20-May-2021 By Elaine Watson

Terviva – a California-based firm commercializing ingredients from low-input, high-yielding Pongamia trees – has raised $54m in equity capital,* with an additional $24m in equity and debt capital to follow this quarter, and announced a collaboration with...

Plant-based cheese, meat, formulation gamechanger? Motif FoodWorks gains exclusive access to two ‘transformative’ technologies

13-May-2021 By Elaine Watson

Boston-based Motif FoodWorks has gained exclusive access to technologies designed to address two key challenges in plant-based formulations: achieving melt and stretch in plant-based cheese, and healthier fat that enables marbling in plant-based meat....

Memphis Meats rebrands as UPSIDE Foods, gears up to launch cell-cultured chicken by year-end: ’This is a big historic step for the entire industry’

12-May-2021 By Elaine Watson

Cell-cultured meat pioneer Memphis Meats is rebranding as UPSIDE Foods as it gears up for a small-scale consumer launch of its first product – chicken – by the end of the year, pending regulatory review.

Both sides claim victory in latest installment of bitter legal dispute between Beyond Meat and former co-manufacturer Don Lee Farms

11-May-2021 By Elaine Watson

Both sides have claimed victory in the latest installment of an increasingly acrimonious legal dispute* between Beyond Meat and its former co-manufacturer Don Lee Farms triggered by the early termination of an exclusive five-year supply agreement the...

Impossible Foods targets K-12 foodservice market after securing USDA Child Nutrition Label for its plant-based meat

06-May-2021 By Elaine Watson

Impossible Foods is heading into K-12 schools across the US this month via pilot programs in California, Washington, and Oklahoma ahead of a wider K-12 market entry in the fall, after securing a Child Nutrition Label for its burgers from the USDA's...

Brave new ‘animal-free’ world: When animal products are no longer made from animals, what do we call them? (And are they vegan?)

05-May-2021 By Elaine Watson

Thanks to advances in synthetic biology, with the right set of instructions, an army of microscopic little food factories (yeast, fungi, bacteria, algae etc) can now make animal proteins without animals, from collagen and egg albumin to whey protein if...

Tree nuts, a useful tool in weight management? Study identifies satiating benefits

04-May-2021 By Mary Ellen Shoup

Known as a source of healthy fats and protein, mixed tree nuts (almonds, Brazil nuts, cashews, hazelnuts, macadamias, pecans, pine nuts, pistachios and walnuts) may also be an effective weight management tool, finds a new study published by UCLA researchers.

Ben & Jerry's, Magnum, and Hellmann's lead Unilever Q1 2021 food sales: 'Foods and refreshments did have a very good quarter,' says CEO

03-May-2021 By Mary Ellen Shoup

Unilever – which has strong anchor portfolios across the CPG landscape including food & personalized nutrition, beauty & personal care, and home care – saw continued strong in-home consumer demand for its core ice cream brands and double-digit...

New kid on the plant-based block? TerViva to commercialize oils (2022) and proteins (2023) from Pongamia trees

29-Apr-2021 By Elaine Watson

TerViva – a California-based firm seeking to commercialize ingredients from low-input, high-yielding Pongamia trees – aims to have commercial quantities of 'golden buttery' oil available by mid-2022, with ‘highly soluble’ protein isolates to...