Welcome to this week’s Food Tech News round-up! With March just around the corner, we’re nearly at the “anniversary” of U.S. business shutting down due to the pandemic. We’re not sure if this is the kind of anniversary worth celebrating or crying over, but whatever mood you’re in, we have some news from the world food tech to make your day better.
This week we have news on H&M’s castor bean oil and cactus fiber fabrics, self-heating coffee cans, a plant-based innovation competition, and new vegan hot dogs from Meatless Farm.
H&M is making castor bean oil-based nylon fabric and leather from prickly pear fibers
Swedish multinational clothing company H&M has launched a sustainability concept called Innovation Stories, and recently debuted the first clothing line, Science Stories. In this new line, a castor bean oil-based yarn made by Fulgar will be used to create a fabric much like nylon, which is typically made from a group of plastics called polyamide. Additionally, H&M will be using Desserto’s vegan cactus leather for several clothing items. Pieces made from these fabrics will include women’s pants, shirts, and tracksuits, and will be available in select stores and on H&M’s website starting March 8.
High Brew Coffee now produces self-heating coffee cans
High Brew Coffee produces a variety of canned cold brew, espresso, and latte drinks, and the company’s latest innovation is a self-heating can of black coffee. BevNet reviewed the product this week and found that the temperature of the coffee reached around 120 degrees (which is moderately warm for a cup of coffee). The can is manufactured by HeatGen, and the coffee drinker simply needs to twist the bottom of the can and shake it a few times to activate the solid-state chemical reaction that warms the coffee. The self-heating can is available for High Brew’s 10.3 Oz Black & Bold flavor and costs $20 for a 4-pack.
ProVeg Asia to host plant-based innovation contest
ProVeg International is a non-profit that advocates for sustainable food system change, and this week it announced the Plant-based Food Innovation Challenge. The challenge is looking for students who have innovative ideas for plant-based foods and is open to students enrolled at universities in the ASEAN region. The event is supported by companies in the plant-based space like Oatly, Beyond Meat, HaoFoods, and Nestle. ProVeg is currently accepting applications for proposals from now and until March 13, 2021. Competition finalists receive up to $1,500, mentorship, and internship opportunities.
Meatless Farm to launch plant-based hot dogs during summer
Meatless Farm, a British-based producer of plant-based meat alternatives, announced this week that it will be launching vegan hot dogs during the summer of 2021. The hot dogs will be made from base ingredients of coconut fat and pea protein, and free of both gluten and soy. After launching this upcoming summer, the hot dogs will be available in retailers and foodservice operators throughout the U.S.
