It’s very possible that you will be staying inside this weekend, or else maybe you’ve got a trip planned to go support your local Chinatown. But first, catch up on one type of news that won’t make you want to bury yourself under a comforter and never come out: food tech news!
This week we’ve rounded up stories on self-heating coffee cans from La Colombe, PepsiCo’s newest waste-free packaging, and plant-based pork. Enjoy.
La Colombe debuts self-heating coffee cans
La Colombe is has something hot a-brewing. The Philadelphia-based coffee brand has teamed up with beverage tech startup HeatGen to create self-heating cans of java (via the Philadelpha Inquirer). Users twist the bottom of the can and wait two minutes, during which a chemical reaction heats the coffee to 130 degrees Fahrenheit. For now the self-heating coffee cans, which come in two flavors, cost $5 each and are only available at one La Colombe location in Philadelphia. La Colombe CEO Todd Carmichael told the Inquirer that the cans would soon have a larger rollout in Wegmans grocery stores.
PepsiCo trials soda rings made from molded pulp
In an effort to cut down on plastic rings (you know the ones that trap sea turtles), PepsiCo is trialing a new method of holding together its six-packs of soda cans. The new rings are made of molded wood pulp instead of plastic. According to FoodNavigator, the new packaging will be tested out over the next few weeks on 7.5-ounce mini six-packs of Pepsi and Sierra Mist. In addition to being recyclable, the pulp rings are also biodegradable and compostable.
Hormel’s Happy Little Plants rolls out plant-based ground “meat”
Happy Little Plants, the alternative protein brand by pork company Hormel Foods, recently expanded the footprint of its plant-based ground “meat.” The product, the first for Happy Little Plants, is now available at all 74 locations of the Midwestern grocery chain Fresh Thyme Farmers Market (h/t VegNews). Hormel launched Happy Little Plants back in 2019 at Hy-Vee supermarkets in six states and has plans to introduce new products in the coming months.
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