Tag: Plant based foods

McDonald’s China to train 75,000 restaurant workers in newly opened Hamburger University

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CHINA –  American multinational fast-food restaurant McDonald’s has said it expects to train and develop more than 75,000 restaurant workers in China at newly Hamburger University over the next five years.    The Hamburger University is housed in McDonald’s China new eight-story, sustainability-focused headquarters in Shanghai.  According to the fast-food chain,  the new headquarters was built with a focus on energy-saving and environmental responsibility, as well as promotion of cross-functional collaboration and flexible working.    The building has no fixed seating arrangements for employees. Instead, the building offers employees greater flexibility by providing desks,…

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Puris opens new pea protein facility to meat surging demand for plant-based proteins

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US — Puris has opened a new facility in Dawson, Minneapolis that more than doubles the company’s production capacity for pea protein.   According to a statement from the company, the facility will support continued growth for Puris Proteins, a joint venture between Puris and Cargill, and will enable the companies to supply roughly half of North America’s pea protein.  Cargill has invested more than US$100 million in the venture to support the construction of the 200,000-square-foot facility as well as the addition of substantial capacity at Puris’ Turtle Lake, Wis., production facility.  “This…

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Ornua acquires US cheese company Whitehall Specialties, French Dairy Savencia diversifies into plant-based foods

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USA – Irish dairy cooperative, Ornua, is set to expand its position in the US dairy ingredients space following the completion of a deal to acquire US cheese ingredients business, Whitehall Specialties Inc (WSI) from private equity firm, Mason Wells.    Headquartered in Wisconsin, WSI provides functional cheese solutions to its food manufacturing and food service customers.    The acquisition complements Ornua’s US Ingredients division, Ornua Ingredients North America (OINA), and is central to Ornua’s long-term growth strategy in the US cheese ingredients market.    According to OINA, the acquisition increases its current position in the US cheese ingredients market, expanding its production footprint across…

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Nestlé expands plant-based portfolio with launch of alternatives to eggs and shrimps

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SWITZERLAND – Nestlé, the world’s largest food company, has launched plant-based alternatives to egg and shrimp, further expanding its plant-based food portfolio.  The company said that the new product launches are testimony to its commitment to “offering people a variety of plant-based food and beverages that complement their daily diets, and that are good for them and good for the planet.”  Launched under Garden Gourmet vEGGie, the egg alternative is vegan, contains soy protein and omega-3 fatty acids, and achieves a Nutri-Score A in Europe.   “It is versatile for…

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Burger King SA becomes first African fast-food restaurant to serve plant-based meat

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SOUTH AFRICA – In a bid to cater to the growing demand for meat-free food options, Burger King South Africa has introduced an array of plant-based offerings in its menu, all made with 100% plant-based ingredients. Deemed to be the first fast-food chain to offer vegan-certified meat in all of Africa, Burger King created the new delicacies in partnership with Unilever Food Solutions and The Vegetarian Butcher. The new menu items include Whopper, Vegan Royale (a vegan chicken sandwich), and Vegan Nuggets. The quick-service restaurant chain says that vegan, vegetarian…

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Perfect Day set to expand operations after raising US$350 million in Series D funding round

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USA – California-based food technology startup Perfect Day has raised US$350 million in series D funding to enable it to expand its business operations.   The funding which will bring the startup’s total to US$750 million will be used to support current operations as well as create an “enterprise biology” arm of the company.  Some of the funds will also go towards Perfect Day’s affiliated CPG company, The Urgent Company which announced a new brand of animal-free dairy brand called Modern Kitchen.  According to the company, Modern Kitchen will initially roll…

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Beyond Meat’s plant-based chicken tenders to launch in US grocery stores

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US – Alternative proteins company Beyond Meat is launching its meatless chicken tenders in US grocery stores in October, two years after it discontinued its original chicken frozen strips to focus on the Beyond Burger.    The new tenders were first unveiled in July after more than of research on various protein sources and their attributes.  Unlike its other range of alternative proteins, the meatless chicken tenders uses faba beans as its protein source and contains half the saturated fat of a traditional chicken tender.  The product has already been tested by…

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Next Gen Foods appoints Rachel Konrad as first independent board member

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UAE – Next Gen Foods, one of Asia’s leading food startups, has named former Tesla and Impossible Foods executive Rachel Konrad as its first independent board member.  Konrad has more than a decade of experience in working with mission-driven and disruptive companies on Earth.  Animal-free proteins champion Impossible Foods and electric vehicle company Tesla are some of the next-generation companies where Konrad has held c-suite positions.  She joins NextGen Foods from Impossible Foods where she served as the Chief Communications Officer  From 2011-2016, she was head of communications and marketing at the…

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GFI invests US$5m alternative protein research as Hollywood star DiCaprio invests in cultivated meat

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US – The Good Food Institute has awarded US$5 million in grants to support research in alternative proteins – a “powerful and scalable climate solution” that lacks critical funding.   According to a statement from the organization, the funding will go to 22 research projects with potential to “get us closer to the holy grail of alt proteins – generating whole cuts of meat and seafood.”   GFI revealed that Thirteen of these projects are focused on cultivated meat, two are focused on fermentation, and seven are focused on plant-based…

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Impossible Foods bolsters animal-free protein campaign with planned launch of plant-based pork in Asia, US

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CHINA – Impossible Foods, one for the largest alternative protein companies, is rolling out its meatless pork product in Hong Kong in October and Singapore later in the year in what can be seen as the latest attempt yet to rid the world of animal proteins.   The California-based company said the ground minced pork substitute would be available in 120 restaurants in Hong Kong from Oct 4. The product will also be sold in some Hong Kong grocery stores as ready to eat meals.   Hong Kong market is a natural launching pad for Impossible Foods as…

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