Future Food Quick Bites: Cheetos Goes Vegan, Plant-Based Lurpak & Sorghum Meat

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 Lurpak’s plant-based butter, Cheetos’ limited-edition vegan release, and Oatly and Kolkata Chai Co.’s ice cream block party.

New products and launches

Arla‘s market-leading butter brand Lurpak has finally entered the plant-based world with a non-dairy spreadable version made from rapeseed, coconut and shea oils, oats and cultures. It debuts in the UK today, and in Denmark on August 26.

Another dairy-free win comes from Premier Foods, whose canned custard brand Ambrosia has introduced a plant-based edition in the UK. The non-HFSS 390g tin is currently available at Morrisons for £1.95 (on par with the £2, 400g dairy and egg version), and will roll out at other retailers next month.

Irish vegan influencer duo David and Stephen Flynn – known as The Happy Pear – is bringing its range of dips, soups, ready meals, granolas and drinks to UK supermarkets following a successful €2.5M crowdfunding round in June.

Swedish vegan meat analogue startup Hooked Foods has brought out four new products – chicken bites, chicken filets, tuna bites, and salmon bites – with a refreshed packaging design. They will be available at ICA Gruppen and Coop Sverige from October.

German pet food startup VegDog has permanently introduced a potato-based vegan popcorn snack for dogs.

Frito-Lay‘s cult-favourite cheese puff brand Cheetos has at last gone plant-based with a new Vegan Vegetalien White Cheddar Blanc launched exclusively in Canada for a limited time.

Ingredients giant Ingredion has released a functional native cornstarch called Novation Indulge 2940, which holds distinct gelling properties for use in vegan cheese, among other applications.

UK vegan meat maker Shicken has rolled out its Tikka Kebab in Costco stores in the US, making it the only British plant-based meat brand currently available on its shelves.

Also in the US, Oatly has partnered with Kolkata Chai Co. to promote their Oat Milk Chai Soft Serve at a block party at the latter’s East Village location in New York City this Friday (August 22), which is National Soft Serve Day. It comes a week after Oatly’s soft-serve began appearing at Impossible Foods‘ Chicago pop-up.

Texas-based Kibo Foods has launched a new line of Veggie Crunch chips made from green peas. They come in three plant-based flavours: sour cream and onion, hot chipotle, and sea salt. They’re available on its e-store and on Amazon for $21.99 per 12-pack.

In Singapore, upcycled food startup The Moonbeam Co. has collaborated with coffee company Bettr to introduce the Resavour Mocha Siew Dai Cookies, made using spent coffee grounds.

Japanese restaurant operator Fujiya has announced a sorghum-based meat analogue brand called Nikugoe. The lineup, which includes Hamburg Steak, Meat Super Cheese Hamburger, and Meat Super Gyoza, is set to launch in the country in autumn, with future plans to take it to the US.

South Korean bakery chain Tous les Jours has added vegan cakes to its menu. The Plantastic raspberry-chocolate and blueberry-chocolate offerings are available nationwide.

And in Dubai, vegan café Seva is set to reopen on September 1 after undergoing renovations in the summer.

Research and company developments

Research by plant-based meat brand Meatless Farm has found that two-thirds of meat-eaters would swap beef burgers for a vegan option after learning that its meat-free burger has 85% lower emissions.

At the University of Lisbon‘s Técnico Lisboa, researchers have developed cultivated seabass via 3D bioprinting, a result of a five-year effort.

Inn Pakistan, the Institute of Agronomy at Bahauddin Zakariya University has launched an MSc (Hons) degree in Climate Change and Food Security.

Company and personnel updates

Sandhya Sriram, founder of cultivated seafood startup Shiok Meats (now acquired by Umami Bioworks), has been appointed as CEO of New Zealand-based food tech investor and accelerator Sprout Agritech.

In Canada, Danone’s plant-based milk brand Silk‘s coconut and almond milk ranges, and Walmart‘s private-label Great Value almond milks, have been recalled due to concerns of a Listeria outbreak.

Mercy for Animals president and CEO Leah Garcés is releasing her second book, Transfarmation: The Movement to Free Us from Factory Farming, on September 17. Currently available for pre-order, it is described as an “insightful and pointed exploration of the injustices perpetrated by factory farming”, and will be promoted via a six-city book tour in the fall.

Finally, Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport has joined the growing list of retailers and caterers to commit to making 60% of all protein sales plant-based by 2030, with the aim of halving emissions by this time. The international airport will also introduce Fairtrade standards for food and coffee, with all products being deforestation-free by 2025 (echoing the incoming EU regulations).

Check out last week’s Future Food Quick Bites.