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The Spoon

Daily news and analysis about the food tech revolution

plant-based protein

Eat Just To Launch Vegan Sous Vide Egg Bites in Grocery Stores

Food tech company Eat Just announced today it will expand its retail line of products with the launch of JUST Egg Sous Vide bites, which the company has created in partnership with sous vide food manufacturer Cuisine Solutions.

According to a press release sent to The Spoon, Cuisine Solutions will produce the Sous Vide bites, which will arrive in the frozen food section of grocery stores in March. Customers will be able to choose from four different varieties, each based on a different geographical region and flavored with plants known to that area. They include America (potato, dill, chives, red and black pepper), India (curry, broccoli, cauliflower, coconut milk, lemongrass), Japan (mushroom, yams, togarashi, soy, tamari), and Mexico (poblanos, chipotle chile powder, black beans, corn, lime). The bites will be sold in boxes of four.  

The other major ingredient, of course, is mung bean protein, which is the key ingredient for all of Eat Just’s plant-based egg products.

Yours truly got the opportunity to try all four flavors recently. The flavor variety — which is executed well — is probably the biggest draw, as the ingredients are a welcome change from the usual cheese-tomato-spinach-or-basil mix that’s in most sous vide egg bites out there. Also, if you’re like me and constantly forget to cook breakfast, they’re a very easy plant-based solution. (Personal fave flavor: Mexico.)

The bites can be heated in a toaster, microwave, or conventional oven.

Eat Just hasn’t yet said which retail stores the product will debut at come March, nor how much each box will cost. (Those interested in getting those details can get updates here.)

Alongside the continuing evolution of its plant-based products, Eat Just has also hit a couple major milestones where its cell-based protein business is concerned. At the beginning of December, the company got the world’s first-ever regulatory approval to sell cultured meat, specifically in Singapore. The company followed that news up with the first actual sale of its GOOD cultured chicken bites at an upscale restaurant in the city-state.

Eat Just CEO Josh Tetrick has suggested in the past that the company will continue developing both plant- and cell-based lines of business, rather than focusing solely on one approach over another.

A Leading QSR Chain in China Ditches Chicken Eggs for Eat Just’s Plant-Based Version

Eat Just announced this week its plant-based egg products have landed on the menu of Discos, one of China’s leading fast-food chains. More importantly, Discos won’t just be offering the JUST egg alongside animal-based eggs. According to a press release sent to The Spoon, the JUST egg will outright replace its traditional counterpart in several menu items.

Plant-based foods on QSR menus aren’t new — in fact, they’re arguably standard fare at this point. Eat Just’s news is, however, the first time a major quick-service chain has completely switched out an animal-based protein for a plant-based version, which could signal a new shift for the direction of QSR menus over the next several years.

Discos will start the switchover with 500 locations across Bejing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenyang, Dalian, Changchun, Harbin and Hainan provinces. (The chain has roughly 2,600 stores across 32 provinces in China.) The JUST egg will be in three different breakfast burgers, three breakfast bagel sandwiches, and on a western-style breakfast plate.

Discos’ full shift to plant-based eggs also seems a long-term strategic play for the brand. Demand for plant-based meat in China is expected increase by 200 percent over the next five years, according to a December 2020 study by DuPont Nutrition & Biosciences. According to the firm, the change is “driven by consumer values around health, taste, and sustainability.”

The JUST egg, meanwhile, has been available in China since 2019 in both retail and foodservice businesses, as well as through e-commerce sites Tmall and JD.com.

Discos’ chief marketing officer Xie Yahui suggested in today’s press release that the decision to swap out the chicken egg for a plant-based one was a decision driven by consumer preference: “The introduction of JUST Egg at Discos is a product and brand upgrade based on consumers’ increasing interest in nutrition, healthier diets and environmental awareness,” she said. She added that future menu offerings from Eat Just will be based on consumers’ reactions to these first dishes available.

This swap by Discos most likely isn’t a one-off occurrence. Worldwide, demand for plant-based protein has steadily grown for the last couple years, with 2020 being an all-out banner year for popularity and investment dollars. QSRs, meanwhile, are drastically changing, from their store formats to what’s on the menu. Overhauling the amount of animal-based protein on those menus seems a logical next step, for China and beyond.  

New Wave Foods Raises $18M for Plant-Based Seafood

New Wave Foods announced today it has closed an $18 million Series A round for its plant-based seafood alternatives. The round was led by New Enterprise Associates and Evolution VC Partners with participation from “other new and existing investors,” according to a press release sent to The Spoon.

The new round will enable New Wave Foods to scale up production and expand sales and marketing, as well as build out its team and plan for future products. Initially, the company will sell its products directly to restaurants and foodservice businesses, where it says roughly 80 percent of all shrimp in the U.S. is consumed.

Currently, New Wave Foods makes a shrimp alternative from seaweed and plant proteins, the idea being to provide a more planet-friendly version of the U.S.’s most popular seafood item. Deforestation and the permanent destruction of mangroves, increased greenhouse gases, and human rights abuses are just a few of the unsavory byproducts of traditional shrimp production. With its shrimp alternative, New Wave Foods wants to provide product that is “virtually indistinguishable from ocean shrimp in terms of taste and texture” but doesn’t come with the environmental and human consequences tied to parts of the traditional fishing industry.

Tyson Foods made an undisclosed investment in New Wave Foods in 2019, taking a minority stake of less than 20 percent.

Speaking in today’s press release, New Wave said that its shrimp product will be versatile enough to fit in a range of different dishes, though the company hasn’t yet publicly named any official restaurant or foodservice partners.  

Following the launch of its shrimp product, New Wave Foods plans to develop plant-based lobster, scallops, and crab. 

Pea, Soy, Fungi. We Break Down the Main Ingredients Used by Alt Protein Companies

Despite being bad in so many other ways, 2020 has been a huge year for alternative protein. According to the Good Food Institute, $1.5 billion has been invested in alternative protein companies in this year alone.

It can be difficult to keep track of all of the alternative protein companies and their innovations, and even more difficult to keep up with the main ingredients that are being used to create the products. So we decided to compile a list of the main ingredients being used by some of the biggest players in the alternative protein space to get a sense of what is actually coming to your plate. This isn’t an exhaustive list, but it includes companies that have received a significant amount of funding this year and incorporate unique food technology into their products.

PEA PROTEIN – This legume-based protein contains nine essential amino acids, iron, and some B vitamins. Just a quarter cup of the pea protein contains 23 grams of protein.

  • Beyond Meat – Available throughout the US and now China, Beyond’s products include alternative burgers, sausages, breakfast links, patties, and ground meat.
  • Meatless Farm Co. This UK-based company launched in the US last year, and its alternative burgers, patties, links, and ground meat can be found in Whole Foods across the country.
  • Good Catch Foods – Available in grocery stores throughout the US and now Europe, Good Catch produces alternative tuna and other seafood products from pea protein and five other legumes.

FUNGI/MYCELIUM – There are a variety of fungi that can be used to produce an umami taste in alternative protein products. Mycelium is essentially the roots of mushrooms, and provide a fleshy texture similar to meat.

  • Prime Roots – Koji, a type of fungus, is the main ingredient in this company’s alternative bacon, chicken, pork, beef, and turkey products.
  • AtLast – Mycelium is the key ingredient in the company’s alternative bacon. The product’s launch will be sometime in 2021.
  • Nature’s Fynd – Fy Protein is the name of the company’s fermented fungi protein product which is derived from a Fusar­i­um strain flavolapis, a microbe found in Yellowstone National Park’s geothermal hot springs.

SOY PROTEIN – Seemingly the most common ingredient for alternative protein, soy has been used for years to create alternative protein products. Soy is high in protein with a neutral flavor, making it an easy ingredient to work with.

  • Impossible Foods – Impossible Foods uses heme iron extracted from plants to give its alternative burgers and ground meat its extremely realistic flavor and texture. The products are available in grocery stores, restaurants, and retailers throughout the US and Canada.
  • Omnipork – The company’s ground pork, luncheon meat, and strips were specifically developed for the Asian market. Although soy is the main ingredient, the products also contain a blend of mushrooms, pea protein, and rice protein.
  • daring – Available in grocery chains like Sprouts, Gelson’s, and Bristol Farms throughout the US, the company produces several varieties (lemon herb, breaded, Cajun, and original) of soy protein-based chicken pieces.
  • THIS – Based in the UK, THIS produces chicken chunks, nuggets, and bacon fortified with iron and B12.
  • V2food – This Australian-based company raised $55M this year for its alternative burgers and mince.

WHEAT PROTEIN – Wheat gluten, also called seitan, is typically extracted to use as an ingredient for alternative protein. Gluten is the protein in wheat that provides elasticity and strength in different doughs, and this helps form a diversity of meat analogs.

  • Very Good Butchers – This Canadian company makes a plethora of alternative protein products like roast beef, steaks, and ribs from vital wheat gluten and a variety of vegetables.

PEANUT PROTEIN – This is a newer ingredient in the alternative protein space, and there is only one company we know of using peanut protein as a main ingredient. Peanuts are a fatty, high protein legume that provide B vitamins, iron, and magnesium.

  • HaoFood – One of the recent finalists of the VWS Pathfinder competition, China-based HaoFood produces plant-based chicken products from peanut protein.

POTATOES – Not a major ingredient being used for alternative protein, but a potato is a versatile ingredient that contains vitamin C, potassium, iron, and fiber.

Know of another startup using a unique ingredient for its protein? Drop us a line and let us know.

Food Tech News: Fake Meat Capital of Europe, Plastic Made From Citrus Peels

It’s your weekend food tech news wrapup!

Plant & Bean Ltd. opens massive plant-based meat factory in Europe

Plant-based meat makers Plant & Bean opened a new factory in Boston, England. The factory is capable of producing 55,000 tons of alternative protein products, which will make Boston the faux-meat capital of Europe. The company uses soy as its main ingredient to produce a variety of different plant-based meats such as sausages, burgers, nuggets, and more. Plant & Bean is looking to continue to expand and open more factories, with potential factory locations opening in the next few years in the US, China, Thailand, and Brazil.

VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland creates plastic from produce

A new technology was developed at VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland that uses agricultural waste to produce a more sustainable plastic, PEF (polyethylene furanoate). Agricultural waste such as citrus peels, sugar beet pulp, or other produce containing pectin can be used to develop the plastic. Fossil fuel-based plastic PET (polyethylene terephthalate) is commonly used for food and beverage packaging; according to the press release, replacing packaging with PEF would reduce the packaging’s carbon footprint by 50%.

Photo from Nestlé Japan

Whiskey barrel-aged Kit Kat bars to be released in Japan

Japan has released the most exciting flavors of Kit Kat bars over the years, with 400 different flavors like matcha, ube, yuzu, adzuki bean, and purple sweet potato to name a few. The newest flavor, a whiskey barrel-aged Kit Kat bar, will be released on December 15th in Japan. This new flavor was developed by Yasumasa Takagi, a pastry chef and former Iron Chef competitor The bar is made from Ghanaian cacao nibs that have been aged in Scotch whiskey barrels for 180 days, and will cost ¥300 ($2.88 USD).

Michael Jordan’s beer and snack- delivering drones

The Grove XXIII, Michael Jordan’s golf course that opened last year, now has drones that deliver boxes of beer and snacks to players. The drones bring beers in a box, while snacks come delivered in a brown paper bag. This new addition to the golf course allows golfers to avoid additional interactions with cashiers or employees.

A Plant-Based Egg Round-Up

According to the Good Food Institute, the plant-based egg industry is worth $10 million. This is a small number compared to the plant-based milk industry, which is worth a whopping $2 billion; however, the plant-based egg industry has grown by an impressive 228% in the past two years. With the entire plant-based food industry estimated to reach $74.2 billion by 2027, there is plenty of room for the plant-based egg category to continue to grow.

Plant-based eggs are poised to become the next big thing in the plant-based space, and it can be hard to keep up with all of the companies involved in this industry. We’ve pulled together some of the emerging and bigger players in this space.

Eat Just
Funding: $220M
About: After hitting the milestone of selling over 50 million plant-based eggs earlier this year, it is clear that Eat Just is one of the leaders in this industry. The company makes its liquid egg and folded egg patties with mung beans as the main ingredient. Eat Just products are available in retailers and restaurants nationwide (U.S.), and the company announced in October that it is expanding its products into Asia.

Zero Egg
Funding: $8M
About: Zero Egg launched its plant-based egg powder alternative earlier this year in October on World Egg Day. The egg alternative is crafted from soy protein isolate and pea flour and comes in two different varieties: EGG Basics as a direct replacement for scrambles or omelets and BAKE Basics for specialty baking. Zero Egg’s products are available globally to foodservice operators and manufacturers in the US, Europe, and Israel.

Float Foods
Funding: Undisclosed
About: According to Green Queen, Float Foods is the first company in Asia to create a plant-based egg white and yolk. This new product is called OnlyEg, and it is set to become available commercially in 2022. This plant-based egg was developed using a mixture of undisclosed legumes. In September of this year, Float Foods also launched an incubator for plant-based food innovators.

Evo Foods
Funding: $335K
About: This is India’s first plant-based egg start-up, and it has said it will be launching a plant-based liquid egg alternative sometime this year. Evo Foods uses biotechnology to extract protein from lentils for its formula. The product will first be made available D2C on its website and restaurants in India, and the company has plans to launch in the US by April 2021.

Crack’d
Funding: Unknown
About: The company recently announced at the beginning of November that it will be launching its liquid plant-based egg in the UK market. The egg formula is comprised of pea protein, nutritional yeast, and black salt. According to Crack’d, its liquid egg can be used for both baking and creating traditional egg dishes.

Beyond Q3 Earnings: The Company ‘Co-Created’ the McPlant, Will Launch Version 3.0 of Its Burger

Despite disappointing Q3 earnings that saw stocks slide yesterday, plant-based protein heavyweight Beyond made a number of noteworthy announcements on its investor call, including a new iteration of the Beyond Burger, expanded distribution, and involvement with McDonald’s recently announced McPlant product line. 

Beyond posted earnings below analysts’ expectations, reporting $94.4 million in revenues versus the expected $132.8 million. The company attributed slower sales in retail and foodservice brought on at least in part by the pandemic. However, Beyond CEO Ethan Brown said on the call that it was important “not to interpret this near-term pandemic induced drop in activity as a weakening in our long-term value proposition in this critically important space.” 

To that end Beyond made a few announcements on the call around forthcoming products and distribution channels. The biggest of these — or at least the one that grabbed the most headlines — is the company’s involvement with McDonald’s new line of plant-based meat products. Mickey D’s did not mention Beyond in its announcement yesterday. However, when asked about McPlant on its earnings call, Beyond’s Brown said, “Our relationship with McDonald’s is good.” After further confusion, Beyond made the following statement today: 

“Beyond Meat and McDonald’s co-created the plant-based patty which will be available as part of their McPlant platform.”

Why McDonald’s left Beyond out of its initial announcement is unclear. Also unclear is whether Beyond will be McDonald’s supplier for plant-based products going forward.

Less mysterious are Beyond’s plans for retail distribution. On this week’s call, the company announced the Beyond Burger will be available at 7,000 CVS locations in the U.S. in 2021. Beyond Meatballs, a newer entrant to the product portfolio, will be available at 5,000 CVS stores next year. The company also just announced a nationwide partnership with Pizza Hut and, overseas, has successfully trialed products at KFC locations in China. Q3 also saw the launch of Beyond’s direct-to-consumer e-commerce site, following a similar move by the company’s chief rival, Impossible.

Finally, Brown said his company will launch “Beyond Burger 3.0” (he did not provide a time frame) and that Beyond wants to make the current version of its burger “obsolete.” 

None of this was enough to keep Beyond’s stocks from dropping 8 percent after market close yesterday, though Brown again emphasized the long-term value of his company and mentioned the global opportunity for plant-based meats.

That opportunity is certainly huge. Recent numbers put alternative protein investment so far for 2020 well above $1 billion, with plant-based proteins grabbing the bulk of that sum. Part of this can be attributed to the pandemic. But as FAIRR pointed out when it reported the $1-billion-plus investment figure, the pandemic was just “the straw on the camel’s back.” Our reliance on traditional animal proteins was under scrutiny well before COVID-19, which suggests long-term demand for plant-based proteins even after the pandemic is under control.

Record case numbers suggest that day won’t arrive for a while. In the meantime, Beyond will need to boost its performance across both retail and food service in the coming months to keep a competitive edge in a very crowded plant-based meat market.

Eat Just Is Offering a Plant-Based Take on Meal Kit Deliveries for NYC

Two things we’ve seen increase during the pandemic: online food deliveries and demand for plant-based protein. Alt-protein company Eat Just is bundling those two ideas together with a new delivery offering that’s looks to be part meal kit and part virtual cooking session for homebound NYCers in need of brunch. The company is giving away free “Brunch in a Box” kits to residents of the Big Apple via a hotline users can text to get their meals.

Each kit contains ingredients for one of three recipes developed by Eat Just: eggs Florentine, eggnog French toast, and buckwheat crêpes. To get one, users text BrunchNYC to 35344, designating which of the above three meals they would like to cook. A spokesperson from Eat Just said all kits include every ingredient needed to create the recipe. The kits will be fulfilled by Amazon Prime Now.

An accompanying series of online cooking tutorials led by Chef Bec shows users exactly how to prep and cook the meals.

The idea is to help consumers recreate brunch at home, which I suspect will be happening a lot now that cold weather is here and the pandemic continues to restrict restaurant dining rooms. Bringing brunch indoors via delivery is one way to do that. “Our team wanted to help make the transition back indoors easier by sharing some new recipes featuring seasonal ingredients and healthier twists on brunch classics,” Eat Just’s spokesperson said of the new program.

The “Brunch in a Box” kits will be available for a limited time for free. Adding another virtual layer to the project, the company is working with local influencers to get the word out. Those include Priyanka Naik, NYC food blogger Dominek, and Vegan in the Hood.

The company’s most recent NYC outreach isn’t strictly limited to the online realm, though. Last week, Eat Just along with a handful of other alt-protein companies announced their Plantega project. Through it, the collective will offer grab-and-go options at the local bodega, with the goal of getting plant-based foods to areas of the city where they might otherwise be harder to access. 

“Everyone, regardless of their zip code, should have the opportunity to enjoy food that is good for their bodies and good for the planet,” Eat Just founder and CEO Josh Tetrick said in a statement emailed to The Spoon. “Growing up in the South, eating meals that were convenient and cheap but bad for my health, is what motivated me to start a company that could help bring meaningful change to the food system.” 

Plantega will include offerings from Eat Just as well as Beyond Meat, No Evil Foods, Miyoko’s Creamery, Good Catch, and several others. Goods are available now in Brooklyn at the Don Polo Meat Market and Gourmet Deli, as well as at My Deli Gourmet & Grill in the Bronx. 

Eat Just said it that the success of these initial locations will depend on whether the Plantega project expands to locations in the future, in both NYC and beyond. 

Muji Releases a Line of Shelf-Stable Plant-Based Meat Items

U.S.-based fans of Muji largely know the brand as a home goods store. But in other countries, including Muji’s home base of Japan, consumers can also purchase a variety of food and beverage items, making the brand more akin to IKEA than just another housewares store. Add plant-based protein to that list of edible goods one can purchase, as the company just released four soy-based dishes meant to take the place of regular ol’ meat.

The products are available right now to Muji customers in Japan via both the company’s brick-and-mortar stores and its website. Dishes include plant-based versions of a burger, minced meat, meatballs, and a thinly sliced meat. All products come ready to serve and are shelf stable, so they can be stored at room temperature and need no additional hydration. They cost roughly $2.75 USD per pack.

Muji hasn’t yet said if there will be an international expansion. Though given the company’s geographical reach at this point — the brand is in 35 countries — an overseas expansion would not come as a surprise.

International expansion also makes sense given the sheer demand right now for plant-based proteins. Global demand for plant-based protein options is on the rise, and some estimates expect the market to be worth $17.9 billion by 2025. 

That growth is happening around the globe. In Asia, Omnipork parent Green Monday just raised $70 million, and both Just Eat and Impossible — major alt-protein players in the U.S. — are opening production facilities in that region. Both Impossible and Beyond also released direct-to-consumer e-commerce ventures this year. Further south, Chile-based NotCo just expanded to the U.S., while over in Australia, V2food just raised $55 million. Those developments are a sampling of all the recent activity, which shows no signs of slowing down. 

Muji’s news is another example of plant-based protein’s reach not just geographically but also in terms of the types of settings in which consumers can now purchase these goods. Not so long ago, plant-based proteins were largely the territory of QSRs. Now they’ve infiltrated every type of restaurant, along with grocery stores, wholesale retailers, and chains like Muji that sell much more than food items.  

Eat Just and Impossible Foods Both Made Major Expansions to Asia This Week

Two alt-protein heavyweights in the U.S. took major steps this week in their expansions across Asia, underscoring the growing demand (and need) for alternatives to animal protein in that region.

At the tail-end of yesterday, San Francisco-based food tech company Eat Just announced a partnership with a consortium led by food investment fund Proterra to expand JUST Egg across Asia. Via the partnership, Eat Just will build its first production facility in Asia.

The consortium will invest up to $100 million and Eat Just will invest up to $20 million to build the production facility in Singapore. According to the press release from Eat Just, the factory will “generate thousands of metric tons of protein.” From this deal will also come the subsidiary Eat Just Asia, which will serve JUST egg manufacturing and distribution partners across the region. 

The new production facility is the largest of its kind in Singapore and will serve a growing demand for plant-based protein in Asia. Eat Just’s flagship plant-based egg product is already available in South Korea, Thailand, and Hong Kong. The company also mentioned, via the aforementioned press release, a “yet-to-be-announced” partnership in mainland China, where it already sells products via e-commerce. 

Eat Just and Proterra are also in talks to expand commercial production of cell-based meat, which Eat Just is already in the midst of developing.

Also at the end of yesterday, Impossible Foods announced that its plant-based meat products will be available in retail stores for the first time in Asia. Impossible’s Beef product is now available at 200 grocery stores across Hong Kong and Singapore. 

In Hong Kong, consumers can buy Impossible products at 100 ParknShop locations and ParknShop subsidiaries, as well as for delivery online at parknshop.com. Customers in Singapore can find the company’s plant-based beef at 100 FairPrice stores and on grocery e-commerce platform RedMart.

Impossible debuted in the Asian market at restaurants in 2018, but this week’s news marks the first time the company’s products will be available to home chefs.

But while Impossible may be expanding its plant-based empire, one area we shouldn’t expect to see the company branch into is cell-based meat. In fact, when asked about cell-based meat at last week’s Smart Kitchen Summit, Impossible CEO Pat Brown flatly said, “It’s never going to be a thing.” Brown called it “irreversibly expensive” and added that meat grown in a lab would never be a commercial endeavor.

Eat Just doesn’t share the same view. Company founder and CEO Josh Tetrick, who was also at SKS, shared his views on the eventual reality of cell-based meat and gave us a rough timeline and included steps his company and others have to take in order to go from prototype to retail shelves with cell-based meat. It won’t be soon. Tetrick said “north of 15 years” for cell-based meat, and others have cited similar timeframes.

Were cell-based meat to become a commercial reality, Asia is an obvious region to aim for. Increasing urbanization and population growth, particularly in Southeast Asia, has led to a growing demand for animal proteins. This demand has consequences both for the environment and for human health.

Those are challenges plant-based proteins can address, too, hence the quickly rising number of companies in Asia, from Omnipork to Black Sheep Foods and now Eat Just and Impossible. While we wait for cell-based proteins over the long terms, we can expect both demand for and production of plant-based products to continue rising in Asia and beyond.

Plant-Based Zero Egg To Launch On World Egg Day

Zero Egg will launch its plant-based egg powder alternative in the U.S. on October 9th, which, fittingly, is World Egg Day.

To celebrate the launch, Zero Egg invited me to join a virtual Zoom brunch and taste test products made with its plant-based egg replacement. It was certainly the highlight of my week to be shipped a large box filled with vegan brunch items; the delivery included muffins, a breakfast sandwich, cookies, caesar dressing, prosecco, OJ, and a sample of its flagship egg powder product.

The Zoom brunch included members of Zero Egg like co-founder and CEO, and Executive Chef, Mario Rodriguez, who explained how to use the Zero Egg products. Even though the breakfast sandwich sent to me came frozen, I was impressed that after warming up, the egg patty in the sandwich was fluffy and had the proper texture of a real egg.

The actual product that Zero Egg will be selling to foodservice operators and food manufacturers is a plant-based egg powder made mainly out of soy protein isolate and pea flour. The powder comes in two forms; EGG Basics as a direct replacement for scrambles or omelets, and BAKE Basics for specialty baking.

The company faces competition from Just Egg, which has been rapidly expanding this year. Just Egg has established itself with consumers through its plant-based liquid egg and frozen folded egg patties made from mung beans and has plans for international expansion. Zero Egg has partnered with Gordon Food Service for distribution to foodservice operators and food manufacturers, but will soon expand its offerings to directly target consumers.

Zero Egg has already partnered with several restaurants and bakeries in Israel, where the company was founded. Next year the company plans to launch a consumer version of the product at the retail level, as well as a plant-based egg patty sometime in the future. The company has raised an undisclosed amount of funding led by Unovis Asset Management-New Crop Capital, Strauss Group-The Kitchen Hub, and Valor Siren Ventures.

Good Food Institute: Plant-Based Food Consumers Spend 61% More in Food Retail

We’ve known for a while now that the current spikes and surges in demand for plant-based protein are in large part because of the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on our food system. Now there are some new numbers that back those claims up and give insights into just how big plant-based products have gotten in the food retail sector, thanks to the Good Food Institute (GFI). 

GFI’s new report, “Plant-Based Strategies for Retail: An overview of leading plant-based assortment, merchandising, and marketing tactics at top U.S. retailers,” lays out some of the growth statistics of the plant-based meat sector, and examines the forces driving such a rapid adoption in the retail space. 

For context, the report notes that U.S. retail sales of plant-based food were worth $5 billion in 2019. While we don’t yet have the full sales numbers for 2020, GFI notes in its report that “plant-based sales are growing 14 times faster than total food sales” and that consumers who buy plant-based food products tend to spend more: 61 percent of plant-based food shoppers are considered “valuable,” and spend 61 percent more than the average shopper. 

All of those numbers are pre-pandemic, which means this time next year, figures will likely be even higher. It’s an understatement to say the pandemic has had a major impact on plant-based meats. According to GFI’s report, nearly one quarter of consumers surveyed report eating more plant-based meals because of COVID-19, with Millennials and Gen Z being the largest age group in this percentage. Both groups (41 percent for Gen Z and 37 percent for Millennials) reported they “will be less likely to buy [traditional] meat” because of COVID-19 fears, compared to 25 percent for all age groups. The report cites health concerns (physical and mental), an intent to buy more health-related items, and general fears around the spread of COVID-19 as plausible reasons for this uptick.

Meat alternatives, in particular, saw positive increases. GFI’s report outlines some figures from some of the major plant-based meat companies: 

  • Beyond’s retail sales increased 194.4 percent over the second quarter of 2020; the company currently has products in roughly 25,000 retail stores across the U.S.
  • Impossible saw a 500 percent increase in grocery stores selling the Impossible Burger during the pandemic months, and the company’s products are available in 9,200 stores nationwide.
  • Morning Star farms saw a 66 percent increase in March sales.
  • Gardein sales increased by 65 percent from March 13 to April 19, 2020.
  • Tofurky sales increased 40 percent from February through April of 2020. 

It’s likely the plant-based foods sector would have seen these high numbers even without the pandemic — only over a much longer timeframe. For example, Impossible would probably have reached that 500 percent increase in grocery retailers eventually, but it likely would not have happened in a matter of a few short months had there been no pandemic.

Exactly how long it would have taken sans pandemic we’ll never know, but regardless, sales of plant-based foods aren’t going to subside once COVID-19 does. As GFI’s report notes, this demand for plant-based foods “is a consumer shift, not a fad.”

That in turn means we’ll see more food retailers (and restaurants) selling these products, more alt-protein companies setting up direct-to-consumer e-commerce stores like those of Beyond and Impossible, more food tech accelerators dedicated to alt-protein, and, of course, far more investment in the coming months.