Future Food Quick Bites: Ben & Jerry’s Tour, Kids’ Protein Shakes & Blended Sausages

In our weekly column, we round up the latest news and developments in the alternative protein and sustainable food industry. This week, Future Food Quick Bites covers Ben & Jerry’s non-dairy ice cream tour, a cultivated seafood grant, and a trio of updates from India.

New products and launches

Unilever-owned ice cream giant Ben & Jerry’s is promoting its revamped vegan lineup (now with oat milk) with a Dreamy Non-Dairy Tour. The brand is touring seven US cities, showcasing all 19 flavours through a dreamscape experience.

Pea milk producer Ripple Foods has introduced a range of protein shakes for kids. Called Shake Ups, they come in chocolate and vanilla flavours, boast 13g of protein and 3g of fibre per 8oz bottle, and are available on its website and Amazon.

In more alt-dairy news, New York’s vegan bodega chain Plantega has partnered with Swedish vegan cheesemaker Stockeld Dreamery to add its fermented Cheddar slices on 18 menu items, including breakfast sandwiches, burritos, chopped cheese, and Philly cheesesteak.

In the UK, The Coconut Collab has rolled out Protein Yog, a coconut yoghurt packed with 10g of soy and almond protein, as well as Yog & Granola, an on-the-go snack featuring granola clusters.

Nordic dairy giant Arla has announced it will launch a barista version of its Jörd oat milk in the UK this month, which has been developed in collaboration with coffee professionals.

Vegan confectioner Catherine’s Originals has debuted sharing formats of its plant-based chocolate, with its Selection Tin containing 81 chocolates and Selection Box comprising 31 in nine flavours.

In Italy, KFC has debuted meatless versions of its Classic Veggie sandwich, Twister Veggie wrap, and Tender Crispy meals. But these contain milk and egg derivatives, so they’re not vegan.

Indian vegetarian restaurant chain Spice Grill Flame has introduced a new vegan menu at select locations. It’s divided into two categories, Vegan (based on whole foods) and 100% Plant-Based Protein (addressing India’s protein problem).

Fellow Indian company Plantaway has launched vegan sausage and pepperoni SKUs containing 22g and 16g of protein per serving, respectively, weeks after it rolled out a Chick’n Fillet.

Also in India, P A Footwear has partnered with the National Institute for Interdisciplinary Science and Technology to develop Vegan Virya, a biodegradable leather alternative made from 95% plant-based materials (mainly sugarcane), including 60% agri-waste content.

Back in the US, botanical drinks maker Jubi Brands has unveiled a three-strong range of plant-based shots at several retailers in the Tri-State Area, targeting focus, energy and relaxation.

Meanwhile, mycelium meat producer Mush Foods continues to make waves with its 50Cut solution for blended meat. It has now partnered with luxury meat purveyor Dufour Gourmet, which is using its mushroom root meat in a bratwurst, breakfast sausage, Italian-style sausage, and chicken sausage.

And in New York City, Neat‘s Nolita location has launched a Hot Honey Sando with Melibio‘s Mellody bee-free honey.

Finance developments

Sweden’s Veg of Lund has now rebranded to Dug Foodtech, reflecting the name of its brand of potato milks.

Agrifood funding dropped by 12.5% year-on-year in the first half of 2024, according to data from AgFunder. But Innovative Food, a category mostly comprised of alternative proteins, was one of the strongest segments, garnering $828M in investments.

Speaking of which, French plant-based startup The Very Food Co – which makes vegan analogues like aquafaba and butter – has secured €850,000 in a funding round, taking total investment past €1M.

In similar news, Spain’s Vanetta Food, producer of seitan and soy-based meat, has raised €400,000 in its latest financing round.

Two students at Canada’s University of Waterloo have received over $700,000 in grants from the Good Food Institute, Mitacs and New Harvest to scale their AI-led research into developing cultivated seafood.

Company and event updates

At UK tempeh startup Better Nature, co-founder Elin Roberts has moved from the role of chief marketing officer to co-CEO, sharing responsibilities with fellow co-founder Christopher Kong.

In its new impact report, Spanish plant-based meat startup Heura has announced that it reduced emissions by 23% per kg across its product lines between 2021 and 2023. It will soon bring out the fourth iteration of its packaging, which will cut transportation emissions by 31.5%.

South Korean cultivated meat ingredients producer Simple Planet‘s CEO Dominic Jeong has been named chairman of the Bio Future Food Industry Association under the Korea Biotechnology Industry Organization.

Industry association Cellular Agriculture Europe has seen its membership expand by 150%, welcoming 12 new members in Q3, including Mewery (Czech Republic), BrunoCell (Italy), Re:meat (Sweden), and Cell4Food (Portugal), among others.

Finally, Israeli cell-based chocolate maker California Cultured will be present at the 2024 World Confectionery Conference, with business development lead Alex Shandrovsky joining its lineup of speakers in Brussels on September 12.

Check out last week’s Future Food Quick Bites.