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Daily news and analysis about the food tech revolution

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Peggs, a Plant-Based Egg Made From Chickpeas, Will Soon Launch on Kickstarter

The plant-based egg space is rapidly expanding, with the category growing 228 percent in the past two years. Eat JUST is one of the biggest names in this category, but other plant-based egg companies have begun making a name for themselves. California-based Peggs is one of the more recent companies to join this space, and the company will be launching a Kickstarter campaign on January 27th for its plant-based egg.

To learn more about Pegg’s product and upcoming Kickstarter launch, I spoke with the founder of Peggs, Grace O’Brien. Peggs comes in powder form, and can be used to make classic egg dishes like a scramble or omelet, and can also be used for baking. The main ingredients in Peggs are chickpea flour, potato, and flax.

Currently, the protein content of Peggs is not on par with real eggs; each serving of Peggs’ eggs contains about 2 grams of protein while real eggs have around 6 grams. O’Brien said that the company is focused on the flavor of the product, but are also working to increase the protein content of its plant-based eggs. The company hopes to soon use chickpea protein isolate, which is higher in protein than chickpea flour, as its main ingredient.

Chickpea is a promising ingredient in the plant-based space due to its versatility, protein content, and neutral flavor, and several other companies in the plant-based space are capitalizing on these characteristics. Israel-based company InnovoPro raised $15 million in funding last year for its chickpea-based protein powder for B2B use. ChickP, also located in Israel, produces a chickpea protein isolate and chickpea starch for different food applications.

When Peggs becomes available for direct to consumers purchase in late Spring of 2021, the retail price will be around $6 per bag, which equates to about a half dozen eggs. O’Brien said the goal is to eventually lower the price so Peggs’ eggs are equal cost to organic eggs. The product will be available for pre-order when the Kickstarter launches, and a two-bag minimum purchase, for $12, is required. Products purchased through Kickstarter will ship in May 2021. The company aims to raise $37K through the campaign.

Swedish Startup Sproud Raises £4.8M For Pea Protein Milk

Swedish-based Sproud, producers of pea protein milk, recently announced that it has raised £4.8 million (approximately $6.6 million USD) for the production of its pea protein milk (news from Dairy Reporter). The funding was led by UK-based early growth capital investor VGC Partners.

The funding will be used for brand building in core markets, increasing distribution, and expanding Sproud’s team, The company launched in Sweden in 2018, and since then, it has launched in 15 different markets globally, including core markets of the US, UK, and Canada.

Sproud’s plant-based milk uses pea protein as the main ingredient, as well as rapeseed oil and oat oil to provide a creamy consistency. To boost the nutritional content, Vitamin A, Vitamin B2, Vitamin B12, Vitamin D are added. The pea protein milk is offered in four different varieties: barista, original, unsweetened, and chocolate.

One concern plant-based milk skeptics hold is that non-dairy milk cannot compare to the nutritional value found in dairy milk. Certain ingredients like oat, coconut, and almond that are commonly used for plant-based milk may not contain the same high amounts of protein that dairy contains. Sproud boasts that its milk contains two times as much protein as oat milk; oat milk contains around 1 gram of protein while Sproud’s milk contains 2 grams per serving. However, dairy milk contains 8 grams of protein per cup, so there is still a disparity here.

Pea protein has become the beloved ingredient in the world of plant-based products and is commonly found in meat alternatives (like in Beyond Meat) and other dairy alternatives like milk, creamers, and ice cream. In the US, Ripple Foods also produces pea protein-based milk, as well as alternative dairy products including creamer and ice cream. Boulder, Colorado-based Good Karma makes a variety of flax and pea protein alternative dairy products, including milk, dips, and sour cream.

Sproud’s pea protein milk is available for purchase online on its website, as well as on Amazon or Vitacost. It can also be purchased in-store at UK retailers such as Waitrose and Ocado, and a variety of independent retailers and cafes.

Food Tech News: GROW Impact Accelerator 2021 Cohort, US Plastic Pact Sets 2025 Goals

Welcome to the weekend, and the weekly Food Tech News round-up. This week, we gathered news regarding GROW’s 2021 food and ag-tech cohort, the US Plastic Pact’s goals, Sonic’s international expansion, and Kind Healthy Snack’s free dietician program.

GROW Impact Accelerator accepting applications for 2021 Impact Accelerator Program

GROW is a Singapore-based agriculture and food tech accelerator backed by AgFunder, and it recently announced that it has opened its application for the 2021 cohort. Selected applicats will receive mentorship, funding of $200,000, and access to the accelerator’s network. The program is open to food tech and agriculture tech start-ups and will be held virtually for now. Applications close on February 28th.

Photo by tanvi sharma on Unsplash

US Plastic Pact sets goals for 2025

The US Plastic Pact, led by The Recycling Partnership (TRP) and World Wildlife Fund (WWF), is comprised of 84 public and private sector stakeholders in the plastics value chain. The pact recently set forth its upcoming goals for the next few years, which includes ensuring all plastic packaging is 100% compostable or recyclable, taking action to compost or recycle 50% of all plastic packaging, and guaranteeing that at least 30% of plastic packing is comprised of recycled content or bio-based content. The US Plastic Pact aims to achieve these goals by 2025.

Screengrab via Sonic

Sonic unveils plans to expand internationally with new model

Sonic’s president shared that the fast-casual restaurant chain currently has plans to expand internationally with an updated restaurant design.Sonic didn’t say which countries will be on the list, but the expansion will roll out in the next few years. Sonic debuted an updated restaurant model last summer, which included wider car docks, different drive-thru formats, and an “order ahead” option through its app.

Image via Kind Healthy Snack

Kind Healthy Snacks launches Kind RD Connect to link consumers with local dieticians

Kind Healthy Snacks, known for its bars and granola, recently announced the launch of its new platform called Kind RD Connect. The platform aims to assist customers who are looking to improve their diet and will match them with local registered dieticians. Three thousand, 15-minute virtual call sessions where customers can ask nutrition-related questions will be offered completely free of charge. Kind RD Connect is currently available and will be running until February 18th.

Redefine Meat Announces Distribution of 3D-Printed Meat Through Israeli Meat Distributor

Redefine Meat, producers of 3D-printed meat made from plant ingredients, announced this week its new partnership with Israeli meat distributor, Best Meister. This new partnership will enable Redefine Meats to distribute its 3D-printed meat products throughout Israel. Additionally, the two companies hosted a tasting through a food truck in a small town outside of Tel-Aviv, Israel to introduce the public to its products.

According to the press release, the strategic partnership with Best Meister will enable Redefine Meat to brings its 3D printed meat to market in Israel sometime in the first quarter of 2021. The company plans on first distributing its products to high-end restaurants and butchers.

The pilot tasting gave Redefine Meat an opportunity to receive feedback from consumers on its alternative meat product. The food truck tasting offered customers, who were unaware that the products were not animal meat, a variety of traditional Mediterranean dishes that showcased the 3D-printed plant-based meat. The dishes were served with minimal condiments and toppings so the flavor and texture of the 3D-printed meat could come through on its own. Around 600 customers came to the tasting and over 1,000 dishes were served, causing the tasting to sell out in five hours.

Redefine Meat creates its 3D meat from three different components, including what the company calls Alt-Muscle, Alt-Fat, and Alt-Blood. The company’s patented 3D printer layers these three ingredients to create the realistic texture of muscle and tissue. Through this process, the company can develop different cuts of beef, lamb, pork, and other species.

In Israel, Redefine Meat is not the only 3D-printed Meat company; SavorEats is another Israeli 3D meat startup that went public last year on Tel Aviv Stock Exchange. In Spain, NovaMeat produces 3D printed meat made from plant ingredients, with products ranging from steak and pork. Last summer, KFC Russia made the announcement that it would begin developing methods to produce 3D-printed chicken nuggets.

Although 3D-printed meat is currently not a permanent menu item in restaurants or a grocery store staple, Redefine Meat’s successful tasting and new partnership may bring this alternative meat closer to these channels.

Spanish Government Funds BioTech Foods’ Cultured Meat Project

The Spanish government granted BioTech Foods €5.2 million ($6.3 million USD) this week for the company’s cultured meat project. The project will investigate the health benefits of cultured meat, and determine if cultured meat lacks the common health concerns associated with animal meat, such as increasing the risk of high cholesterol and certain cancers.

Like other cultured meat companies, BioTech Foods extracts cells from living animals without causing harm to the animal. The cells are then multiplied in a controlled envrionment. As a result, the multiplied cells become muscle tissue, which can be used to create different meat analogs. BioTech Foods’ cultured meat brand is called Ethicameat, and it appears the brand produces multispecies cultured meat products. The brand’s first prototypes so far include meatballs and a chicken cutlet.

This is not the first time the Spanish government has provided funding for a cultured meat company. During the first week of 2021, the government granted 3D and cultured meat producers, Nova Meat, €250,000 (~$307,500 USD). In the U.S., UC Davis received a $3.5 million grant from the National Science Foundation (a government agency) to research cultivated meat and develop methods to amplify stem cells efficiently. With the Singapore government’s regulatory approval of Eat JUST’s first commercial sale of cultured meat, there now seems to be an opportunity for other cultured meat companies to ramp up R&D efforts to get their products to market.

It is currently unclear how long BioTech Foods’ project will take. However, by the end of the project, the company aims to have a cultured meat product containing healthy fats and functional ingredients that is healthier than traditional meat. The positive environmental impacts of cultured meat have often been touted by companies in this space, but the health benefits of cultured meat may also be an important selling point for hesitant consumers.

BlueNalu Secures $60M for Production of Cell-Based Seafood

San Diego-based BlueNalu, a startup building technology to make cell-based seafood, announced today that it has raised $60 million in convertible note financing from new and existing investors. Rage Capital led this round of financing, with other participants including Agronomics, Lewis & Clark AgriFood, McWin, KBW Ventures, and Siddhi Capital.

This most recent round of financing will enable BlueNalu to open its planned 40,000 square foot pilot production facility and begin producing its cultured seafood there. Additionally, the company will complete an FDA regulatory review for its initial cultured fish products. BlueNalu will be trialing these initial products in foodservice establishments across the US sometime this year.

BlueNalu creates a variety of different seafood species by extracting cells from fish and crustaceans and growing these cell samples in large bioreactors. The company said it will start by launching cell-based mahi-mahi later this year, and then cell-based bluefin tuna after.

Due to global concerns of overfishing and pollution in seafood stocks, cell-based seafood may play an important role in the next few years by offering an alternative to wild-caught and farmed seafood. Avant Meat is focused on satisfying the tastebuds of consumers in China and Hong Kong through cell-based fish maw and sea cucumber. Singapore-based Shiok Meats has so far produced cell-based lobster and shrimp, with plans to make the shrimp commercially available sometime in 2022.

BlueNalu’s new production facility will be used to produce commercial-grade cultured fish for restaurants and other food outlets, and the new facility will be capable of providing 200 – 500 pounds of cell-based seafood per week.

Food Tech News: Muniq Raises $8.2M for Protein Powder, Danone Launches Plant-Based Cheese

Welcome to this week’s Food Tech News round-up! This week, news that caught our attention included Muniq’s recent funding round, Danone’s new plant-based cheese, Torchy Taco’s new contactless services, and Zero Egg’s restaurant debut.

Muniq raises $8.2 million for blood sugar regulating protein powder

Muniq, a protein powder created specifically for blood sugar control and gut microbiome health, raised $8.2 million in its Series A round. The round was led by Alpha Edison and Acre Venture Partners, with participation from Baron Davis (former NBA star and investor) and Cathy Richards (founder of SimplyProtein). The protein powder contains a high amount of prebiotic resistant starch that can help regulate blood sugar and weight management, and it was developed specifically with those who live with diabetes or struggle with weight loss in mind. Muniq’s five flavors of protein powder include Chocolate, Vanilla Creme, Mocha Latte, Vegan Vanilla, and Vegan Chocolate. A bag of protein powder with 28 servings costs $99 and is available for purchase on the company’s website.

Photo from Danone’s website

Danone launches plant-based cheese through So Delicious Brand

Danone’s So Delicious brand recently announced the release of new dairy-free cheese products, which include plant-based shredded cheese, slices, and spreads. All of the cheeses are vegan, gluten-free, soy-free, and non-GMO, but it is currently unclear what the main ingredient in these new products is. The shredded and sliced cheese products are now available in stores such as Target, Walmart, Market Basket, Fresh Thyme across the US. The cheese spreads will be released sometime in March.

Photo from Torchy’s Taco website

CardFree and Torchy’s Taco partner to develop contactless services

Torchy’s Taco, a fast-casual taco chain, partnered with CardFree, a provider of modern ordering services, to revamp online ordering and contactless services in the restaurant’s location. Customers eating at Torchy’s will now be able to use the Text-to-Pay solution, which enables them to pay on a mobile phone for both phone-in and drive-thru orders. The new Order@Table solution allows customers to add to their order while dining in without getting back in line or interacting with a cashier. The taco chain is also trialing curbside pickup with “I’m Here” notifications for curbside pickups; the customer can simply send this notification from their phone to let the restaurant know they have arrived. These new features and services are now available in Torchy’s 83 locations across seven states.

Zero Egg makes debut in Birmingham, AL restaurant

Plant-based egg producer Zero Egg made its first restaurant debut at Tropicaleo, a Puerto Rican restaurant in Birmingham, Alabama. The restaurant created a special menu to celebrate Veganuary, and several of the menu items showcase Zero Egg’s soy, potato starch, and chickpea-based eggs. The speciality dishes include breakfast sandwich with vegan cheese, Zero Egg biscuit, and Beyond Meat patty, as well as a rice bowl with Zero Egg scramble, Beyond Meat sausage, and sweet plantains. These menu items are available now, and it is unclear if they will become permanent menu fixtures.

Google Cloud Team Uses AI to Develop Hybrid “Cakie” and “Breakie” Recipes

I remember at some point last year after the pandemic had started, I called three different grocery stores to check if they had yeast in stock. Of course, I had no luck at any location because our country had entered a baking extravaganza; ovens were fired up non-stop across the country to bake sourdough, banana bread, and chocolate chip cookies. Due to this baking frenzy that overtook our country in 2020, the Google Cloud team analyzed the ingredients and specific ratios used in favorite baked goods like cookies, bread, and cakes through the use of a machine learning program. The goal was to essentially determine what defined something as a cookie, cake, bread, and how each of these categories differ from each other. As a result, the team also used its AI to produced two new hybrid baked goods called a “Cakie” and a “Breakie”.

The team collected hundreds of different recipes for bread, cookies, and cakes to create a dataset and then used Google Cloud’s AutoML Tables tool to build a machine learning model. The model analyzed the amounts of key ingredients such as yeast, butter, eggs, and sugar, in the different recipes and was able to determine if the recipe was for bread, cake, or cookies. Bread recipes were accurately labeled about 90 percent of the time, but sometimes the model mislabeled cookie recipes for cake recipes.

Using this model, the team used ingredients and measurements that the algorithm determined were key for cookie, bread, and cake recipes to create two new hybrid recipes. The “Breakie” is half cookie and half bread, which turned out to be a fluffy, airy cookie with a texture similar to that of a muffin. The “Cakie” maintained a cake shape and sponginess but has a buttery flavor and crispy outside like a cookie.

Google Cloud’s project is just one neat example of how machine learning and AI (artificial intelligence) can be applied in food technology. Spoonshot recently launched a free version of its AI flavor-pairing tool that offers the user both novel and unique pairings for different ingredients. Brightseed created an AI platform called Forager, which detects hidden phytonutrients in different plants. Even companies like Starbucks, Sweetgreen, KFC, and McDonald’s use AI to some degree in order to streamline day to day operations.

As we still find ourselves in the pandemic early 2021, you may be looking for some new recipes to bake. You’re in luck; the Google Cloud team provided the two recipes created through the use of AI, the “Cakie” and the “Breakie”.

KFC Launches Plant-Based Zero Chicken Burger in Locations Across Singapore

KFC announced today the launch of its new plant-based burger, called the Zero Chicken Burger, in restaurants throughout Singapore (h/t VegNews). The new menu item is now available in 80 different KFC locations within the city-state for a limited time.

The Zero Chicken Burger is meat-free, but not fully vegan, making it more suitable for vegetarians and flexitarians. The “chicken-free” patty uses a mycoprotein base and is seasoned will KFC’s classic recipe of 11 herbs and spices. In addition to the patty, the burger will include cheese slices, mayo, lettuce, BBQ sauce, and a toasted sesame bun. The nutrition information has not been released for the new item yet, so it is currently unclear if this plant-based burger will contain as much protein as KFC’s regular chicken burger.

This is not the first time KFC has trialed a plant-based menu item. In the summer of 2020, the company served plant-based chicken sandwiches at 50 locations in Southern California for a limited time. In 2019, it sold plant-based fried chicken sandwiches at a location in Mississauga, Ontario for one day. Also in 2019, Beyond Meat fried chicken was available at a KFC location in Atlanta, Georgia, where it sold out in just five hours. The popularity of these trials makes one wonder when KFC will launch a permanent rollout of plant-based menu items.

It is also important to mention how Singapore is becoming a hot spot for food tech and alternative protein developments. Besides KFC’s plant-based burger launch, various other companies are developing and launching alternative protein products in this South Asian nation. Eat Just made its first commercial sale of its cultured chicken meat, called GOOD meat, in Singapore at the end of last year. Perfect Day is opening a new lab in the city-state in April 2021 to continue developing its flora-based alternative dairy products. Cell-based seafood producer Shiok Meats, which raised $12.6 million in its Series A round last year, is also located in Singapore.

KFC’s Zero Chicken Burger will be available for a limited time until supplies last. The plant-based burger costs $6.95 alone or $8.65 for a combo meal that includes a drink and fries.

Food Tech News: DeliverZero Reduces Food Delivery Waste, N!ck’s Ice Cream Partners with Perfect Day

Welcome to our weekly Food Tech News round-up. This week, we have stories on DeliverZero’s waste-free food delivery, a partnership between N!ck’s Swedish Ice Cream and Perfect Day, changes to Albertson’s delivery fleet, and Daily Harvest’s new product.

DeliverZero uses reusable packing for food delivery

DeliverZero is a third-party food delivery service (like DoorDash or GrubHub) based in NYC, but what differentiates the company is its use of reusable packaging. When the food is delivered to customers, it arrives in reusable clamshell packaging made from BPA-free polypropylene plastic. Customers won’t have to worry about a pileup of reusable to-go containers, though. For each order they make, a delivery driver will also retrieve the previous order’s packaging and return it to the participating restaurant. If the packaging is not returned within six weeks, the customer gets charged $3.25.

At the moment, DeliverZero has partnered with over 100 restaurants in NYC. The company also announced that it will soon be expanding to Amsterdam and Chicago.

N!ck’s Swedish Ice Cream uses Perfect Day’s tech to create vegan ice cream

N!ck’s Swedish Ice Cream shared in a press release that it recently partnered with Perfect Day to produce several new vegan flavors. The company will use Perfect Day’s animal-free dairy proteins and a plant-based fat called EGP (N!ck’s has 14 patents for this) to create an ice cream that boasts a smooth and creamy texture. The new line will contain seven vegan flavors, will be keto-friendly, and contain no added sugars. Three flavors, Swedish Mint Chip, Choklad Choklad, and Karamell Swirl, are currently available for purchase on N!ck’s website, and one pint goes for $9.99. The rest of the flavors will be available on the website in February, and several undisclosed retailers will carry the ice cream in Spring 2021.

Albertsons will stop operating its own delivery fleet in several markets

Albertsons announced this week that it will stop using its own delivery fleet to fulfill grocery deliveries in several markets starting February 27, 2021. Which states and markets this will affect remains to be announced, though it was confirmed that California-based Albertsons, Vons, and Pavilions will cease using their own delivery fleets. The grocer will instead transition to using an undisclosed third-party delivery service. In the past, the company has used a combination of third-party delivery services like Instacart and Shipt with its own fleet. Due to the increase in home deliveries, the company said this transition will allow Albertsons to compete more effectively in the home delivery market.

Daily Harvest adds plant-based Mylk as an option

Daily Harvest is a trendy subscription service that targets millennials with delivered boxes of pre-made smoothies, bowls, and flatbreads. Now, the company has added a new product called “Mylk.” The plant-based milk comes in two flavors, vanilla and plain, and contains no artificial flavors, fillers, or gums. Interestingly, the almond milk does not come in liquid form, but rather a triangular cube that must be blended with water to create liquid almond milk. One order of almond Mylk costs $7.99 and makes eight 8-ounce servings.

Female-Founded Commerical Kitchen Nimbus to Open in NYC

Nimbus, a commercial kitchen space for food businesses of all types, is set to officially open on January 11 in New York City. With it, the company’s founders, entrepreneurs Camilla Opperman and Samantha Slager, aim to provide a space for restaurants struggling from both the pandemic and high cost of rent in NYC.

To learn more about Nimbus and its upcoming launch, I spoke with Opperman and Slager this week. The two said they were inspired to provide an “on-demand” kitchen space to support restaurants and start-ups in their city, but also wanted to go above and beyond the standard ghost kitchen concept.

Nimbus offers a variety of flexible lease and rental options that allow food businesses to control how much they are spending on rent per month. A restaurant or food entrepreneur can rent space at Nimbus for a range of different time periods, from a few months to just a few hours. They can also choose a longer-term lease if desired. Space in the facility costs $20/hour for the prep-only kitchen and $35/hour for the shift-kitchens with a 20-hour minimum per month for both. The Nimbus model also allows businesses to use a convenient online dashboard to book kitchen time, rent storage space, pay invoices, and store permit and insurance information. The kitchen spaces are fully stocked with appliances, saving the food businesses money in start-up costs.

Since ghost kitchens are very much a “back-of-house” operation, what goes on inside them is never really witnessed by customers. To deviate from this and provide more transparency into its operations, the Nimbus facility will also include a front-of-house community space and show-kitchen. These spaces can be used for cooking demonstrations, community events, and workshops, Nimbus said.

The first Nimbus location will host a variety of both existing restaurants and food startups. Roberta’s Pizza (wood-fired pizza), Quinn (a meal delivery service), Alchemista (offers catering and food locker services), Brooklyn Batched Cocktails (pre-made batch cocktails), and Munch Hours Inc (a catering company) are just a few of the businesses that will start using the commercial kitchen space on January 11. Businesses using the space will partner will existing food delivery companies such as DoorDash and Caviar.

As ghost kitchens become more popular — Euromonitor predicted last year the market could be worth $1 trillion by 2030 — different types are emerging that deviate from the traditional commissary a la Kitchen United or Zuul. Nimbus’ concept provides not just an opportunity for restaurants looking for shorter-term leases, but also a way for non-restaurant food businesses to take advantage of the growing ghost kitchen concept.

Nimbus’ cofounders said they are currently looking into opening two new locations in different areas of New York City. The company also has plans to expand nationwide in the next five years, starting in major cities such as Los Angeles and Miami.

The LIVEKINDLY Collective Acquires UK-Based Alt-Meat Company No Meat

LIVEKINDLY Collective, collection of alternative protein entrepreneurs and businesses, announced in a press release this week that it has acquired UK-based No Meat. The frozen vegan meat and meal brand joins LIVEKINDLY Collective’s growing portfolio of plant-based food companies.

Prior to the acquisition, No Meat was owned by Iceland Foods, a British supermarket chain that focused on frozen foods. As part of the acquisition, LIVEKINDLY will bring the No Meat brand to new consumers globally, and starting April 2021, Iceland Foods will distribute all of LIVEKINDLY’s existing portfolio brands in Iceland and The Food Warehouse stores across the UK and Ireland.

No Meat produces a variety of frozen alternative meat products, including vegan mushroom steaks, chicken strips and fillets, lamb koftas, fish sticks, sausages, and burgers. Furthermore, the company has a line of ready-to-eat frozen meals like plant-based beef pasties, pizzas, a turkey Christmas dinner, and bolognese.

LIVEKINDLY Collective was founded by the Blue Horizon Group, a food-tech focused venture capital firm, in March 2020. Since its start, it has so far acquired four other plant-based brands including Fry Family Food Co., Like Meat, Oumph!, and media platform LIVEKINDLY.

Refrigerated plant-based meats account for 33 percent of all plant-based meat sales, but frozen plant-based meats actually account for 66 percent, so it seems logical for LIVEKINDLY Collective to add No Meat and its frozen alternative meat products to its portfolio. With the frozen plant-based meat sector is currently valued at $617 million, there is certainly a profitable opportunity for No Meat to expand globally.

With a total of five brands now in LIVEKINDLY’s portfolio, the company is taking steps towards reaching its goal of “making plant-based food the new norm by building a robust ecosystem of founder-led plant-based brands.”