Weekly Roundup: Plant-based meat expands in US, Picnic and food-to-go items soar as UK lockdown eases

30 Apr 2021 --- This week in industry news, the Impossible Burger debuted at 145 Lidl grocery stores in the US. Also in the meat-free space, Beyond Meat’s Beyond Burger is set to arrive in the US next month. Nestlé revealed its plans to help protect labor rights in the palm oil sector. Univar Solutions and Novozymes inked an agreement to expand into the US and Canadian food ingredients markets. Also, Gold Coast Ingredients extended its manufacturing capabilities to the east coast of the US.

In brief: Plant-based highlights
Impossible Foods’ flagship product is rolling out at Lidl’s 145 locations across the US, as both companies continue major expansion efforts. Lidl will be the largest discount grocer to offer Impossible Foods’ products. The award-winning Impossible Burger is being introduced into Lidl stores this week across Delaware, Georgia, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina and Virginia. Customers can find Impossible Burger in the fresh meat section of the store in 12-ounce packages or a recyclable package of two pre-formed, quarter-pound (4-oz) patties.

Beyond Meat’s iconic Beyond Burger will also arrive in US grocery stores next week. The new iteration will be available in a two-pack, the first-ever value four-pack and a 1 lb Beyond Beef pack. The meat-free pioneers claim their burger features “stronger nutritional wins” with 35 percent less fat and saturated fat and fewer calories than 80/20 beef. 

Nestlé is strengthening its plan to help protect labor rights in the palm oil sector.In brief: Business moves
Nestlé has presented its upgraded 2021-2025 action plan for addressing labor rights issues in the palm oil sector. Workers in the palm oil industry – in particular migrant workers – are vulnerable to labor rights abuses, including forced labor. They often face adverse working conditions such as excessive working hours, low wages, inadequate social security, unsafe working conditions, unreasonable movement restrictions and limited access to communication. Nestlé has developed a framework that will help the company prioritize supplier engagement and systematically take action based on suppliers’ risk profile and their capacity to address labor rights issues.

Univar Solutions and Novozymes have inked an agreement to expand their partnership into the US and Canadian food ingredients markets. The new deal takes effect one month after the companies announced a deal extending the partnership into the US and Canadian beverage production, homecare, and industrial cleaning markets. Novozymes’ enzymes and probiotics and microbes are designed to help improve product performance. They offer potential options for expediting production, boosting nutritional value, or addressing challenges in new markets such as plant-based foods and beverages. 

Flavor and color manufacturer Gold Coast Ingredients is expanding its manufacturing capabilities to the East Coast of the US. Gold Coast’s two facilities, including manufacturing and R&D, will remain in Los Angeles, California, while the company purchases a third facility in Gilbert, Pennsylvania. At its new facility, the company will produce liquid, powder and spray-dried flavors. Projected to open mid-2021, Gold Coast PA will also have a full quality control lab and application center. 

Angel Yeast is on track to establish a wholly-owned subsidiary in Singapore, named Angel Yeast (Singapore) Ltd. The subsidiary will be responsible for the businesses related to customer development, product sales, technology service, brand promotion, product research and development. The tentative registered capital of Angel Singapore is US$1 million and Angel Yeast wholly owns the subsidiary.Angel Yeast plans to invest US$67 million to expand yeast extracts in Dehong.

Meanwhile, Angel Yeast Dehong, a subsidiary of Angel Yeast company, plans to implement a green manufacturing project of yeast extracts with an annual output of 15,000 tons. In combination with the company’s “2025 strategy” on yeast industry planning and guaranteeing the supply of molasses raw material, the new project aims to ensure the supply of yeast extracts and satisfy the market demands. The project will be implemented in two phases according to the blueprint of expanding the capacity of 15,000 tons of yeast extracts, the first phase building 10,000 metric tons. It is expected to be completed and operational in December 2022. The second phase will be implemented according to the supply of molasses raw material.

Kemin Industries has added a new tool to its Kemin Food Technologies – North America website: an ingredient library designed to help customers identify ideal color, freshness and safety solutions for meat and poultry, baked goods, snacks and fats and oils. The ingredient library showcases the Kemin ingredient solutions, including, Acerola, green tea, rosemary and buffered vinegar.

In brief: NPD
General Mills’ :ratio line is introducing new :ratio PROTEIN. A dairy snack with the most protein in the yogurt aisle in a single-serve cup, packed with 25 g of protein and 3 g of sugar. The addition of :ratio PROTEIN enhances General Mills' growth in the yogurt category by providing a convenient, snack option. It delivers a creamy texture and also includes global research into new milk proteins, more than 50 pilot plant trials, and even a new processing system for the protein. 

With 25 g of protein, General Mills’ new :ratio PROTEIN packs the most protein in the yogurt aisle in a single-serve cup.In brief: Other highlights
EFSA’s latest advice on African swine fever (ASF) looks at the risk of the virus being introduced to non-affected regions of the EU via pathways such as feed, bedding materials and empty pig transport vehicles returning from affected areas. The opinion concludes that the potential for transmission through these pathways is lower than for several others – such as moving live domestic pigs or allowing contact between wild boar and domestic pigs – but that risk cannot be excluded entirely. A model was developed to rank the threat from the different pathways – or matrices – using results from an expert knowledge elicitation (EKE). The EKE was based on evidence from a literature search and a public consultation. Seventeen products and matrices were assessed and ranked for their relative likelihood of becoming contaminated with the virus in ASF-affected areas and infecting pigs in non-affected areas. 

The lifting of lockdown restrictions in the UK has marked the start of picnic season and UK grocer Waitrose reported a record week for sales of picnic and food-to-go items. Sales were 213 percent compared to last year. While 2020 saw a rise in the trend for carpet picnics, DIY charcuterie boards, and many practiced their baking skills, 2021 is set to be the year of the picnic as restrictions ease to allow dining al fresco. Driven by the lifting of lockdown and rise in outdoor eating, Waitrose saw sales of fresh antipasti (87 percent) and seafood antipasti (106 percent) and dips (82 percent) soar.

Meanwhile, research has shown that after a year of lockdowns, there has been a sharp rise in shoppers turning to organic food and drink. A quarter of those questioned increased the number of organic items in their shopping basket or bought organic produce for the first time over the past 12 months. The OnePoll research, commissioned for Waitrose’s weekly in-store newspaper also revealed that 61 percent of people would like to buy more organic products in the future. Top of the list of reasons for buying more organic food and drink was a concern about the environment and climate change, cited by 39 percent, closely followed by concerns about food standards, and a renewed interest in cooking, both cited by 36 percent. A third of respondents said reconnecting with nature and wildlife had also influenced their shopping habits.

By Elizabeth Green