Before you fire up the grill and bask under the glow of fireworks this weekend, we invite you to catch up on some food tech news. This week we have pieces on a new alternative egg product in Japan, a pricey item that fuses art and Wagyu beef, a new menu item for Just Salad, and a grant program aimed at supporting Black-owned restaurants.
Next Meat launches new egg alternative product
Next Meat, an alternative meat company in Japan, announced this week that it has developed a new fully plant-based egg alternative. The egg alternative is called NEXT EGG 1.0, and will first roll out as a B2B product in Japan and then be offered as B2C. Although Japan is one of the top consumers of eggs in the world, the country currently does not have a commercial alternative egg product. The ingredients of the NEXT EGG 1.0 and the release date were not disclosed. This announcement comes after Next Meat’s recent successful launch of its alternative BBQ ribs products in the U.S., which sold out within a day.
Highest-ranked Wagyu beef in Japan becomes art
Hyotana, a restaurant based in Shiga, Japan, partnered with Kaya, a creative firm, to create a fusion of food and art that represents Japan’s rich history. For the project, 700 grams of A5 grade Wagyu beef gets packaged in artwork, specifically famous images from Hokusai‘s “Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji” series of woodblock prints. Pieces of the artwork are cut out to showcase the bright red meat, as depicted above. After the beef is removed from the packaging and consumed, Hyotana recommends filling in the empty space by placing red paper behind the artwork. Called Art Beef Gallery, the item is priced at ¥13,000 JPY (~$108 USD) and can be purchased for consumers in Japan on the Hitotema Art Beef Gallery page.
Just Salad launches menu item to support regenerative ag
Just Salad has partnered with nonprofit Zero Foodprint and restauranteur Anthony Myint for a new menu item that will support regenerative agricultural practices. Fifteen percent of sales from the Zero Foodprint Salad will be donated to the nonprofit to help provide grants to farmers switching to regenerative soil practices that restore soil health and sequester carbon. The partnership marks Zero Foodprint’s first fast-casual restaurant partner on the east coast. The Zero Foodprint salad contains a vegan feta cheese alternative, mint, wheat berries, pickled red onions, pita chips and grape tomatoes on a base of mixed greens.
Violife and RZA launch Plant Grants
Violife, a plant-based cheese company, is partnering with RZA, hip hop artist and founding member of Wu-Tang Clan, to launch Plant Grants. This new grant program encourages plant-based eating through mentorship and funding, and this year’s program will focus on assisting Black-owned restaurants struggling from the aftermath of the pandemic. Two plant-based chefs involved in the program, Lemel Durrah and Laricia Chandler, will assist restaurants in introducing plant-based ingredients, menu development, and conversion of original recipes to a plant-based version. Grants of $20,000 will be awarded to five restaurants that meet the criteria, and applications for the program are open now until July 21, 2021.
