Beyond The Headlines: Arla Foods debuts plant-based butter, Impossible Foods’ foodservice concept

16 Aug 2024 --- This week in industry news, Arla Foods forayed into the plant-based butter market in the UK and Denmark. Coca-Cola entered into an innovation partnership with Oreo. Meanwhile, Impossible Foods started its first in-person foodservice concept and PepsiCo brought its global potato chips flavors to the US.

Launches and innovation

Arla Foods launched its Lurpak plant-based butter into the UK and Danish retail markets to meet the changing consumer demands and new consumption habits, including dairy alternatives. The move indicates the dairy company’s efforts to strengthen the position of its brands and attract new consumers. With a simple ingredients list, the plant-based butter has the same functionality as the company’s dairy butter Lurpak Spreadable and is suitable for spreading, cooking and baking. The product will be available in UK stores next week and in Denmark from August 26.

PepsiCo rolled out its Lay’s Wavy Tzatziki, Lay’s Masala and Lay’s Honey Butter flavors inspired by Greece, India and Korea in the US for a limited time. Lay’s Wavy Tzatziki flavored potato chips are inspired by the Greek flavors of yogurt, lemon, dill and garlic, while the Masala flavored potato chips contain a fusion of spices including cumin, coriander, turmeric and pepper. Meanwhile, Lay’s Honey Butter flavored potato chips contain a blend of buttermilk honey and butter flavors. 

The products from the Coca-Cola and Oreo partnershop will be available in grocery stores in the US, Canada, China, Mexico, Brazil next month (Image credit: Mondelēz International).Coca-Cola and the Oreo brands joined forces to create two exclusive and limited-edition products: Oreo Coca-Cola Sandwich Cookie and Coca-Cola Oreo Zero Sugar Limited Edition. The products have sleek packaging, with distinctive OREO cookie embossments and stacked Coca-Cola bottles. The drink has flavorful hints of Oreo cookies, whereas the sandwich cookies consist of two signature chocolate base cakes paired with a Coca-Cola-inspired taste. The base cakes are embossed with Coca-Cola designs, with a smooth white-colored creme and studded with red edible glitter.

Australian brewer James Squire unveiled its latest culinary-inspired craft beer, Chef Blend. The pale ale beer is developed in collaboration with Australian chef and food personality Adam Liaw and is designed to pair well with food. The drink offers a robust mouthfeel to cut through rich food and joins James Squire’s portfolio, including Lashes, Stride, Shackles, Ginger Beer and Zero.

US-based Impossible Foods launched its first in-person foodservice concept, Impossible Quality Meats, in Chicago, US, to serve various dishes made with Impossible meat from plants, including beef, chicken and pork products. The outlet is located inside Chicago’s XMarket Food Hall, managed by VEG House and leased through PlantX Life and will serve dishes like breakfast sausage sandwich, Asian-style meatballs, grilled chicken caesar, bratwurst and more. It will also sell its retail products such as Impossible Beef, Impossible Hot Dogs and Impossible Chicken Nuggets.

Plant-based dairy manufacturer Elmhurst 1925 expanded into the plant-based meat category with its chicken substitute TerraMeat Plant-Based Chick’n. The product is formulated by food scientist Dr. Cheryl Mitchell using a single, sustainable ingredient: hemp protein. TerraMeat starts as a dry powder, allowing consumers to develop fresh plant-based chick’n cutlets by blending the powder into water, adding a little oil and a spice blend and heating it in the microwave. This develops the texture and layering similar to traditional meats without the need for filler ingredients, texturizing agents, whiteners and additives.

Business highlights

Elmhurst 1925's plant-based chicken has 26g of complete protein per serving and can be grilled, baked, braised, or fried (Image credit: Elmhurst 1925).Conagra Brands acquired Sweetwood Smoke & Co., which produces Fatty Smoked Meat Sticks, protein-packed, better-for-you snacks made with pork and beef smoked with real hickory wood. The move helps Conagra extend its snacking and frozen portfolios. Sweetwood launched its Fatty Smoked Meat Sticks in 2010 to address the challenge of finding high-quality protein snacks.

Consumer packaged goods company Tilray Brands entered into a definitive agreement to acquire four craft breweries from Molson Coors. The acquisition includes Hop Valley Brewing Company, Terrapin Beer Co., Revolver Brewing and Atwater Brewery. The move is expected to strengthen Tilray’s craft beer business in the US and solidify its presence in the Pacific Northwest. It also anchors Tilray in key markets like Texas and Michigan.

Sustainability highlights

Organic dairy manufacturer Horizon Organic and yogurt brand Wallaby received B Corp Certification for efforts in performance, accountability, transparency, employee benefits, supply chain practices, input materials and charity. The certification is the only third-party sustainability program of its type that considers the entire value chain. The companies were previously B Corp Certified under Danone North America’s B Corp Certification.

By Insha Naureen