The Week In Plant-Based: Impossible Launches A Delivery Restaurant, THIS Tricks Thousands Into Eating Plants & Veggie Murals in Chile

The vegan news never stops! Each week, the Green Queen team dives into the latest developments for plant-based foods around the world so you can catch up on what’s happening across the industry, from new products to special collabs and more. This week, we zero in on the latest awareness campaign from The Live Green Co., a delivery-only concept from Impossible Foods, and a prank by THIS that tricked thousands of Italians into eating meat analogues.

Chile: The Live Green Co.’s new campaign highlights the urgency of plant-based eating

Adopting plant-based diets is urgent, a point sustainable food tech startup The Live Green Co. hit home when it took to the streets of Santiago with a new campaign ahead of the holiday season. Colleagues and friends of the company could be heard chanting the mantra, “Eat clean, live green,” while the company also plastered posters around Santiago that read, “If we are what we eat… That’s not what I want to be.”  

The Live Green Co.’s “consciousness campaign” is meant to raise awareness around the many harmful additives in the foods we eat, including (but definitely not limited to) carrageenan, BHT, gums, and artificial colors. The company says these need to be replaced with plant-based alternatives as quickly as possible.

Italy: British alt-meat maker THIS tricks thousands of meat experts into eating plant-based foods

To test its plant-based meat products (and probably have a little fun in the process), British brand THIS recently showcased a fake business at the European Pizza and Pasta Show. THIS IS ITALY, as the faux-brand was dubbed,  served “thousands of visitors,” according to THIS, many of whom thought the products were actual meat. 

THIS, which announced a huge lineup of vegan meat products this year after an £11 million fundraise, said the fake business/undercover operation is “a testament to how far plant-based food has come. Even the most expert of palates believed THIS™ was meat.”

UK: A Upfield exec joins the Meatless Farm team

Meatless Farm, one of Britain’s leading plant-based meat brands, has appointed Dior Decupper, a former general manager of plant-based CPG, as its new global chief executive. Decupper will lead Meatless Farms’ global growth strategy, which already includes Germany, the Netherlands, the US and Canada.

With this addition to the team, Meatless Farm’s founder Morten Toft Bech will focus on the company’s long term sustainability impact agenda and investment.

US: Starburst is finally launching a plant-based candy

Candy-maker Starburst, whose chewy candies are practically iconic in the States, has finally unveiled a lineup of plant-based gummy candies called Plant Based Original Gummies.

The product lineup comes in four flavors — strawberry, cherry, orange, and lemon — and is meant to replicate Starburst’s original candy, which is not vegan because it contains gelatin. 

Vegan candies are the latest sustainability-focused initiative from Mars Wrigley, which owns Starburst and has a $1 billion Sustainable in a Generation Plan. Earlier this year, Mars Wrigley unveiled it was experimenting with biodegradable wrappers.

Canada: McCain Foods invests $55 million into Strong Rootsx

Frozen food giant McCain Foods has acquired a $55 million minority stake in Irish plant-based foods startup Strong Roots, which also specializes in frozen foods. 

Strong Roots produces only plant-based foods. The investment from McCain will allow the company to expand its geographical footprint across its current markets of Ireland, the UK, and the US. The deal will also enable Strong Roots to expand into McCain’s foodservice market channels.

This isn’t the first plant-based brand for McCain. Earlier this year, the company participated in plant-based chicken-maker SIMULATE’s Series B round.

India: GoodDot appoints Olympic gold medalist as brand ambassador

Plant-based food tech startup GoodDot announced the addition of Neeraj Chopra as a brand ambassador for the company. Chopra is the first-ever Indian to win an Olympic gold medal for track and field. The company shared the news on Linkedin.

GoodDot was one of India’s earliest pioneers of plant-based meat. Earlier this year, the company raised an undisclosed amount of funding from Sixth Sense as part of the startup’s pre-Series A round. 

“Partnership with a national hero like Neeraj gives us the added strength and visibility to spread our message of compassion far and wide,” the company said in a recent LinkedIn post.

US: Get ready for the world’s first plant-based po’boys!

Virginia-based startup The Plant-Based Seafood Company recently unveiled its plant-based oyster po’boy at an event in New Orleans. 

The mother-daughter-run company uses various plant proteins for its products, which currently include shrimp, scallop, and crab-cake analogues via The Plant-Based Seafood Company’s Mind Blown product line.

The plant-based po’boy will be available first in a foodservice setting in the second quarter of 2022, according to the company. 

US: Impossible launches a delivery-only restaurant

Plant-based foods heavyweight Impossible got into the popular delivery-only concept recently when it launched The Impossible Shop, its first-ever shop to deliver Impossible products to consumers. 

Impossible has chosen 10 markets in which to launch this concept, with this first one being in Texas. Shops in Arizona, Colorado, California, New York, Maryland, and Wyoming are slated to follow.

Goods from The Impossible Shop will be available on delivery platforms including UberEats, Uber-owned Postmates, Grubhub, and DoorDash. A special menu was developed in collaboration with Impossible Foods’ Head of Culinary, Chef J. Michael Melton and restaurant chain Dog Haus.

Impossible just raised another $500 million, bringing its total funding to date to a record $2 billion.

Spain: Pink Albatross launches an equity crowdfunding campaign

The plant-based ice cream maker publicly launched a crowdfunding campaign on the Crowdcube platform. Consumers who contribute will get the chance to own shares in the company.

Pink Albatross said in a press release that it will use the funds from the equity round to expand to new markets, including France and Germany. Funds will also go towards new product development such as new flavors and formats. 

Lead image courtesy of The Live Green Co.