And how can companies introduce sleep foods and beverages to bedtime routines?

Are consumers ready for sleep-support foods and beverages?

While weight management has always been somewhat of an evergreen market for supplements, this particular stage of the COVID-19 pandemic has created renewed demand for weight-loss products.

The weight-management supplements market is recovering from its pandemic slump

Spanish missionaries introduced grape-growing and winemaking knowledge to Mexico, California, and other parts of the United States in the 18th century. In addition to fresh grapes and wine, missionaries also made raisins from Muscat grapes. Eventually, due to its long hot growing season and abundant water supply, the San Joaquin Valley became the most desirable location for raisin production.

https://www.agmrc.org/commodities-products/fruits/raisins

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Fun fact! Spanish missionaries introduced grape-growing and winemaking knowledge to Mexico, California, and other parts of the United States in the 18th century. 

Origins of grapes, wine, and raisins in the U.S.

GNC (Pittsburgh, PA) is expanding RealEats, a weekly subscription meal delivery service, to all of its U.S. locations. The company 

 its partnership with and strategic investment in RealEats last July. Its pilot markets included pilot markets including Pittsburgh, Washington, D.C., Florida, and later Texas and New York.

"Helping consumers Live Well is a holistic mission and our partnership with RealEats has enabled us to offer complete nutrition and wellness solutions," said Nate Frazier, chief operating officer, GNC, in a press release. "Since launching RealEats, consumers have continued to gravitate toward convenient health and wellness solutions that fit their lifestyle. And now with our growing partnership, more people will have access to easy, healthy, personalized meals to help achieve their goals at home or on the road."

"From the beginning, our vision for RealEats was to offer personalized meals that allow consumers to make healthy choices," said Dan Wise, Founder, CEO, Real Eats. "Our meals are simple and convenient and include nutritious breakfasts, dinners, proteins, and sides that are delivered directly and cooked quickly. Partnering with GNC has created an important opportunity to connect with more consumers."

RealEats’ exclusive meal bundles total over 60 different assortments, including options for different dietary preferences. Meals include Homestyle Turkey Breast, Citrus Miso Salmon, Hearty Breakfast Hash, and Honey Sesame Chicken to name a few. RealEats continue to be available online at GNC.com and, with the expansion, can now be purchased for home delivery at GNC retail locations, too.

RealEats continue to be available online at GNC.com and, with the expansion, can now be purchased for home delivery at GNC retail locations, too.

GNC expands RealEats to all its retail locations

Florida Food Products (FFP; Eustis, FL), a leading formulator and producer of naturally sourced clean label ingredients, has reached an agreement to acquire Javo Beverage Company (Vista, CA), a leading natural extractor of clean label coffee, tea, and botanicals with a focus on beverage applications. In 2021, a leading private investment house, Ardian, acquired a majority stake in FFP from MidOcean Partners, and established a new partnership to accelerate the company’s long-term growth objects. Under this partnership, FFP has also completed acquisitions of Comax and T-Bev. FFP has been able to scale dramatically with the support of Ardian and MidOcean Partners, more than doubling in size over the last year, with revenue approaching $300 million.

”We’re ecstatic for Javo to join the FFP platform. Javo’s best-in-class products are supported by a talented team and unique manufacturing capabilities that will drive a series of innovative new product launches. As part of the FFP family, we’re confident that Javo can offer our customers compelling new solutions that build on our deep portfolio of clean label ingredients,” said Jim Holdrieth, CEO of FFP, in a press release.

“Javo is an impressive organization, which will play a critical role in our continued expansion in the beverage category,” said Christopher Sand, managing director in the Ardian Buyout Team. “Javo’s innovative products complement FFP’s portfolio of natural ingredients and will position the Company for accelerated growth. We intend to continue our strategy of building the world’s largest independent provider of clean label ingredients by expanding our portfolio of best-in-class products, acquiring additional clean label ingredient businesses, and investing in our talented team, advanced facilities, and innovative pipeline.”

”The addition of Javo to the FFP platform is a continuation of the exceptional growth that we have seen since our initial investment in 2018, and further solidifies our position in natural beverage ingredients and solutions,” added Steven Loeffler, principal at MidOcean Partners. “Building upon the solid foundation we have established over the last four years, FFP is poised to dramatically increase its scale as it launches exciting new systems and expands into a series of high-growth adjacencies. We’re thrilled to continue our partnership with Jim Holdrieth, the FFP management team, and Ardian as we progress in this exciting new phase for FFP.”

Florida Food Products, a leading formulator and producer of naturally sourced clean label ingredients, has reached an agreement to acquire Javo Beverage Company, a leading natural extractor of clean label coffee, tea, and botanicals with a focus on beverage applications. 

Florida Food Products to acquire Javo Beverage Company

Judy Blatman Communications LLC specializes in strategic counsel, media training, writing, and talent solutions. Blatman spent 16 years as senior vice president, communications, at the Council for Responsible Nutrition. 

It wasn’t that long ago that ingredients in the men’s health category were narrowly focused on testosterone boosters, sexual function improvers, hair restorers, and preworkout and postrecovery solutions. But according to Maggie McNamara, marketing director, Gencor (Irvine, CA), there’s been a relatively recent shift that is moving the men’s health category to respond to the expanded expectations of its customers.

“The men’s health category wasn’t immune to the great effects of a worldwide pandemic that turned not only the world on its head but the supplement industry inside out,” says McNamara. McNamara advises that, like all the others, men’s health is joining the ranks of the women’s health market and other non-gender–targeted categories in that it “is now embracing a much more holistic approach to health.”

She’s not suggesting that interest in the original benefits will go away, or that men will stop wanting to purchase those ingredients; she’s simply recommending that companies in this category consider offering products with more than one benefit. “The male consumer is not oblivious to his newfound supplement needs,” says McNamara, urging that “the new products in this arena need to also address things like immunity, stress, and sleep,” as examples.

She’s not alone in that viewpoint. Sébastien Bornet, vice president, global sales and marketing, Horphag Research (Hoboken, NJ), says that “the men’s health category continues to grow as it is an umbrella that encompasses so many aspects of health.”

One of those emerging aspects, according to Bornet, is skin health. Once a category occupied by women, lumped in with beauty and makeup, Bornet says “that is no longer the case. Skin health is a growth area in the men’s health category. Men are more concerned with their appearance than ever, and skin health is an entry point for younger men into the natural supplement market.”

He references sales statistics from Allied Market Research that demonstrate men’s interest in skincare products is on the rise, and that the men’s personal care market is expected to hit $166 billion this year.

 While those figures are focused on beauty skincare products like cosmetics and creams, they also suggest opportunity for companies to generate interest in skin-healthy supplements among those same men.

Pycnogenol Study Stresses Skin Health Benefits

And that’s one of the many reasons why Bornet keenly reports on a new study for Horphag’s branded ingredient, Pycnogenol, a French maritime pine bark extract, on its skincare properties.

Already well-established for its antioxidant assets, cardiovascular and cholesterol-lowering benefits, and anti-inflammatory effects, French maritime pine bark extract is one of the most well-researched ingredients on the market with more than 450 scientific publications, most of them specifically based on Pycnogenol, according to Horphag’s website.

 Horphag is the exclusive worldwide supplier of Pycnogenol.

A 2021 double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled crossover study

 examined the effects of Pycnogenol on skin health in 76 Han Chinese subjects with an average age of 41. Although 75% of the study’s population were women, Bornet advises that this study “offers important findings for those that are concerned with their skin health”—men included.

The results join other studies on Pycnogenol reporting benefits for the skin, according to the researchers. In this study, a variety of skin physiological parameters were studied at intakes, twice daily, of 50 mg Pycnogenol or placebo for 12 weeks. The first wave of the study was conducted from April to July, and then the interventions were switched. The second part took place between August and November.

Researchers evaluated skin moisture content, transepidermal water loss, and skin elasticity at baseline, during, and after the study. The subjects were working outdoors in Beijing under considerable environmental stress. According to information posted on Horphag’s website

, the study found that Pycnogenol “may help to significantly retain skin hydration, increase skin elasticity, and reinforce skin barrier function for those exposed to urban environmental pollution, as well as seasonal temperature and humidity variations.”

Bornet believes that this new research is just one more reason for men to make Pycnogenol French maritime pine bark extract a staple ingredient. “A deep catalogue of research supports Pycnogenol’s benefits for various areas of health that men are concerned about, such as cardiovascular, joint, sports performance, and cognitive function,” he says. “This new skin research further supports Pycnogenol’s ability to provide overarching benefits and a holistic approach to wellness.”

Lycopene Meta-Analysis Presents Heart-Hardy Results

Lycopene, a powerful, carotenoid-based antioxidant, is perhaps best known for its potential heart health benefits. Now, a new meta-analysis

 reaffirms those benefits as related to blood pressure.

The meta-analysis included 10 studies from 2006 to 2019, either randomized controlled or crossover trials, with lycopene doses between 5 and 30 mg. The results of the meta-analysis found the lycopene supplementation resulted in a significant reduction in systolic blood pressure, consistent with other recent systematic reviews on tomato and/or lycopene supplementation. The authors further noted that observational cohort studies have reported positive associations between higher tomato and/or lycopene intake and lower risk of CVDs.

According to the study authors, lycopene supplementation has beneficial effects on cardiovascular health because of antihypertensive actions. They urge that further studies, larger and longer, with well-controlled designs, are needed to identify the proper dosage of the ingredient to best access the benefits.

Abigail Heaton, global marketing manager, Sibelius (UK), says the meta-analysis’s conclusion “supported [that] lycopene supplementation can have a beneficial effect on blood pressure and heart health.” Sibelius supplies a patented, clinically backed lycopene complex, LactoMato, specifically targeted to the heart health and men’s health categories, she adds.

Although the meta-analysis was not focused specifically on LactoMato, Heaton touts systematic reviews and meta-analyses as “the studies with the highest level of evidence in research, as they don’t rely [on] just one study but collect the data from several.” She adds that “this gives more robustness and validity to the data, further supporting LactoMato in the market.”

Tongkat Ali, an Old Herbal Ingredient with a Host of New Studies

Annie Eng, CEO of HP Ingredients (Bradenton, FL), sees the sustainability story as just as important in the men’s health category as it is in all other categories. LJ100, her company’s proprietary tongkat ali 

ingredient for men’s health, has a powerful sustainability story, says Eng. HP Ingredients sources the herbal ingredient directly from Malaysia, the country Eng grew up in, and, she notes “it has a longstanding history of traditional use by indigenous people, the Orang Asli. I was always fascinated by the Orang Asli and their herbal traditions.” Eng tells the tale of how men would use the herb, called “Ali’s Walking Stick,” to boost their energy and stamina, as well as libido.

“The Orang Asli remains a strong community throughout the country,” Eng continues, “holding on to traditional ways of life.” She states that close to 14% of Malaysians are indigenous. It’s her viewpoint that “supporting these communities enriches the fabric of the culture and is also demonstrably humane. Therefore,” she adds, “we work with the Malaysian government to protect this population from exploitation and hire only the Orang Asli to procure the raw material from the rainforests for us.”

Eng states that “supporting the indigenous people from the points of origin of our materials is a pillar of our mission.” With four published studies on LJ100 demonstrating beneficial effects for men in 2021, it appears that science is another.

Lead author Alice Erwig Leitão and colleagues generated two publications recently, examining different effects. Both trials

 were randomized and placebo-controlled, lasting six months and conducted on 45 men screened via the Androgen Deficiency of Aging Males (ADAM) questionnaire. The study population, in each case, was split into four groups: 1) no training and placebo, 2) 200 mg of supplemented LJ100, 3) training only, and 4) training plus 200 mg of supplemented LJ100.

, the researchers investigated sexual performance results using the International Index of Erectile Function, Aging Male Scale, and total testosterone. They concluded that 200 mg of LJ100 combined with concurrent training for six months significantly improved the erectile function of men with ADAM. Both intervention groups saw improvement in erectile function; however, the most significant results were in the men who simultaneously trained and consumed LJ100. Sexual satisfaction scores significantly improved in the supplement-only group by 29%, and 35% in the training and supplement group reported a significant increase in sexual desire.

, says Eng, examined LJ100’s effects on muscle strength and cardiorespiratory fitness. For all participants, testosterone levels were correlated with isokinetic peak torque of knee extension, with the more significant effects found in both the training only and the training plus LJ100 groups.

With regard to the cardiorespiratory effects, Eng says the researchers reported a significant difference in heart rate between the control group (no training and placebo) and the training plus LJ100 group at six months. She adds that the men in both the training and training plus LJ100 groups had significant reductions in the total ADAM symptoms after six months (16.71 points and 16.51 points, respectively) compared to baseline.

A third randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial

 on LJ100 was published in May 2021 investigating the impact on men with Low T (low testosterone). The researchers gave the 105 male study population, aged 50-70 years, either LJ100 at 100 mg or 200 mg, or placebo, daily for 12 weeks.

The results: compared to placebo, there was a significant increase in total testosterone levels at week 12 in the LJ100 (100 mg) group, and at weeks 4, 8, and 12 in the LJ100 (200 mg) group. The LJ100 groups (at both doses) also experienced significant reductions in the Aging Males’ Symptoms Fatigue Severity Scale scores at all time points.

Further, dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) levels significantly increased in both LJ100 groups from week 2 onward, and muscle strength significantly increased at week 12. In addition, cortisol levels significantly reduced in the LJ100 (200 mg) group. The researchers concluded that supplementation of LJ100 at 200 mg was able to increase the serum total testosterone, reduce fatigue, and improve the quality of life in aging men within two weeks’ time.

In a fourth placebo-controlled double-blind study

, 32 healthy young men, says Eng, consumed either 600 mg of LJ100 or a placebo daily for two weeks. Eng advises that the main findings were that LJ100 significantly increased testosterone when LJ100 was consumed at that high dose, resulting in an increase in testosterone (14%) and in free testosterone (34%) after two weeks.

A Combination of Botanical Ingredients Breeds Benefits for Men

One of Gencor’s newest branded ingredients, Tesnor, a proprietary blend of two herbal extracts, pomegranate peel 

 that demonstrated the branded ingredient to be a tolerable herbal blend that increased testosterone levels and muscle strength in healthy young men. The randomized, placebo-controlled clinical study was conducted on 120 men, aged 21-35, over a 56-day period. The study population was divided into three groups: 1) 400 mg of Tesnor, 2) 200 mg of Tesnor, 3) or placebo.

The primary outcome showed that Tesnor significantly improved free testosterone compared with placebo, in both intervention groups. Additionally, the higher-dosed group showed significant increases in total testosterone and luteinizing hormone compared to baseline, with secondary outcomes of significant improvements in hand grip strength and mid-upper arm circumference.

There were no side effects in any participants, according to Gencor Marketing Executive Risha Gill. “While this particular study is specific to young males, other studies have shown that daily doses of Tesnor have improved testosterone levels as well as reduced aging male symptoms scores,” said Chase Shryoc, vice president of sales and business development, Gencor. Tesnor has been tested with NSF and LGC for the absence of WADA-prohibited substances.

Men’s Health to Move into Next Generation, Next Set of Benefits

According to Gencor’s McNamara, when it comes to the men’s health category, “There is always going to be a need for more energy, more sex, more muscle, and less fat, but just like the rest of us, men feel the need to add even more value to their supplemental intake.”

With information more readily available online, whether through social media, company websites, or more accessible exposure to research, Horphag’s Bornet thinks engaging in a personalized health and wellness routine is easier than ever.

Says Bornet, “Men are learning more about the importance of natural supplements to support their health goals. We see younger men entering the supplement market to treat specific concerns, such as hair loss, erectile dysfunction, or skin health. However, as they become more educated, they find supplements can complement a preventative approach to lessen the burden of health concerns later in life. We have Gen Xers and Boomers to thank for the size of the men’s health market. Gen Z will be the next to continue building that momentum.”

Men Are a Multibillion Dollar Growth Opportunity for the Beauty Industry.

” CNBC.com. Published online May 18, 2019.

Oral Pycnogenol® intake benefits the skin in urban Chinese outdoor workers: A randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind, and crossover intervention study

Pycnogenol may help protect skin from environmental stressors, says recent study.

Groundbreaking New Study Shows Pycnogenol to Retain Skin Moisture and Elasticity, Increase Skin Lightening, and Reinforce Skin Barrier Function.

Lycopene supplementation and blood pressure: Systematic review and meta-analyses of randomized trials

A 6-month, double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized trial to evaluate the effect of 

 (tongkat ali) and concurrent training on erectile function and testosterone levels in androgen deficiency of aging males (ADAM)

Exercise associated or not to the intake of 

 improves strength and cardiorespiratory fitness in men with androgen deficiency.

Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice,

 standardized aqueous root extract—Physta on testosterone levels and quality of life in ageing male subjects: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled multicentre study.

 on the regulation of reproductive hormones in young males.

A proprietary herbal blend containing extracts of 

 seeds increases serum testosterone level in healthy young males: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study

 Published online head of print February 6, 2022.

Recent study shows that proprietary herbal blend from Gencor may boost testosterone levels: Natural Products Expo West 2022 preview.

The men’s health toolbox is growing with ingredients for everything from skin and heart health to testosterone, muscle, and sex support.

Holistic Health for Him: The men’s health toolbox is expanding with new ingredient research

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF)

 has released its final recommendation statement on vitamin, mineral, and multivitamin supplementation for the prevention of cardiovascular disease and cancer. The Task Force concluded that with “moderate certainty” that there were harms to beta carotene supplementation that outweigh the benefits for the prevention of cardiovascular disease or cancer, and that there was no net benefit of supplementation with vitamin E to prevent cardiovascular disease and cancer. When it comes to multivitamin use, USPSTF concluded that there was insufficient evidence to determine the harms or benefits of supplementation. It drew the same conclusion for supplementation with single or paired nutrients for the prevention of cardiovascular disease and cancer. This recommendation replaces its 2014 recommendation, but the conclusion is the same, despite the assessment of new evidence.

Given the narrow scope of the Task Force’s review, advocates of the dietary supplement industry contend that USPSTF’s conclusions should not discourage supplement use given supplementation with vitamins and minerals fill nutrient gaps, and has been shown in research to impart numerous other benefits. Nor are dietary supplements designed to prevent or cure diseases.

“This is no surprise to anyone in the dietary supplement industry, because any manufacturer claiming that the products could have these kinds of effects would be in violation of laws against false claims," Daniel Fabricant, PhD, president and CEO of the Natural Products Association (NPA; Washington, D.C.), in a statement. "The USPSTF plays an important role in the federal government’s approach to health care and reimbursement considerations, but this research is akin to studying a hammer and concluding it is unsuitable for turning a screw. Dietary supplement manufacturers are prohibited from saying their products would help prevent cardiovascular disease or cancer because they cannot, plain and simple."

“The USPSTF found again what it found in 2014 and in 2021, that there is not yet enough evidence to determine if vitamin and mineral supplements help prevent cardiovascular disease (CVD) and cancer. However, dietary supplements should not be confused with drugs, and beyond the narrow focus of this review, the broader evidence base for the benefits of dietary supplements is growing rapidly,” said Duffy MacKay, ND, senior vice president of dietary supplements at the Consumer Healthcare Products Association (CHPA; Washington, D.C.), in a prepared statement. “The NIH Office of Dietary Supplements reminds consumers and healthcare providers that supplementation can be helpful for people including those over 50, those who could become pregnant, breastfed babies and toddlers, those who avoid certain foods or who have poor diets, and many others.”

“Numerous research studies support the use of multivitamins by most Americans for a range of benefits. First, multivitamins fill in significant nutrition gaps in Americans. Government data shows that most Americans fall short in many key nutrients. In fact, the Food and Drug Administration and the 

2020–2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans

 identified that under-consumption of calcium, potassium, dietary fiber, and vitamin D is of public health concern for the general U.S. population because low intakes are associated with numerous health concerns,” said Andrea Wong, PhD, senior vice president, scientific & regulatory affairs at the Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN; Washington, D.C.), in a statement.

Cocoa Supplement and Multivitamin Outcomes Study (COSMOS)

 is among the growing evidence that multivitamins help delay cognitive decline in older people,” Wong continued. “Finally, results of the Physicians’ Health Study II, a large-scale, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial showed an 8% reduction in overall cancer risk in older male physicians who took a multivitamin. These are just a few of the many benefits from multivitamins, not to mention the benefits from individual ingredients that are in the multivitamin like B vitamins, vitamin D, etc. The apparent limited evidence should not be misinterpreted as the absence of benefit.”

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) has released its final recommendation statement on vitamin, mineral, and multivitamin supplementation for the prevention of cardiovascular disease and cancer.

Industry responds to U.S. Preventative Services Task Force conclusion on vitamin supplementation

, which restricts minors from purchasing dietary supplements and OTC products marketed for weight management, has been passed by the state’s Senate Judiciary Committee on June 21, 2022 by a vote of 4 to 1. Advocates of the bill, such as the Strategic Training Initiative for the Prevention of Eating Disorders (STRIPED), believe that there is an association between “diet pills” and the development of eating disorders. Additionally, advocates state that dietary supplement manufacturers that sell weight management products use predatory marketing that attracts young people, and that because of a lack of FDA oversight of dietary supplements, many of these products are adulterated with drug ingredients that pose a danger to users.

Opponents of the bill, namely the Natural Products Association (NPA; Washington, D.C.), state that advocates are relying on a flawed premise to draw false conclusions about dietary supplements. According to NPA, research cited by advocates of the bill do not demonstrate a causal relationship between dietary supplements and eating disorders and that FDA’s own adverse events reporting system, called MedWatch, has not had any reports indicating that consumption of weight management products has resulted in eating disorders. This is in contrast to drugs like Topiramate, which was determined by FDA to increase the risk of developing or worsening eating disorder because of MedWatch reports. The adverse events reporting system has also flagged the development of other psychiatric disorders as a results of prescription drug use, such as depression and anxiety.

While the bill’s language has softened following 

, NPA is stil wary of the potential implications for manufacturers and retailers. “One: [the bill] still puts the authority in the hands of the eating disorder community to dictate what products will be prohibited, which is a major concern. Then, two: while it doesn’t list out specific ingredients anymore, there is still the opportunity for ingredients to get flagged,” explained Kyle Turk, NPA’s director of government affairs. For example, while the bill states that the restrictions only apply to products marketed for weight management, because certain ingredients such as L-carnitine or caffeine may be marketed for weight management in some products, other products such as protein powders not marketed for weight management may be subject to restriction as well if they contain the aforementioned ingredients.

Additionally, the bill states that weight management products cannot be sold to minors without a prescription from a physician. Well, not all brick-and-mortar retailers are currently set up to process prescriptions, and because of a law passed earlier this year in California, most prescriptions must be transferred electronically. This would be cost prohibitive for some small business owners to implement, says NPA.

With the bill’s passage in the Senate Judiciary, it has moved on to the Senate Appropriations Committee. If it passes Appropriations, the bill will go to the full Senate for a vote.

California Assembly Bill 1341, which restricts minors from purchasing dietary supplements and OTC products marketed for weight management, has been passed by the state’s Senate Judiciary Committee on June 21, 2022 by a vote of 4 to 1. 

California bill restricting access to weight management supplements has passed Senate Judiciary Committee

Photo © iStockphoto.com/Alasdair Thomson

Equinom (Indianapolis, IN) has announced that it has achieved a record 75% protein in an exploratory minimally processed pea protein ingredient. This breaks the company’s previous record of 70%, which is currently ready of commercialization. Equinom has achieved this by breeding new varieties of yellow peas using its Manna technology platform, which identifies desirable traits for food applications in the genetic structure of seeds and predicts the best crossbreeding matches to yield better varieties without the use of genetic engineering.

The high protein content of Equinom Pea Protein allows the product to deliver the desirable qualities of both pea protein isolates and pea protein concentrates. For example, Equinom Pea Protein has the emulsification, foaming and gelation of pea protein isolates, and the high solubility and light color of a concentrate. Its minimal processing offers lower production costs and sustainability. According to Equinom, unlike other protein isolates on the market Equinom Pea Protein is high in fiber, and lower in sodium. More advancements must be made to produce this level of protein at commercial scale.

For this in-house trial, Equinom utilized only dry fractionation, in contrast to wet fractionation used to make commercially available pea protein. Dry fractionation, says Equinom, is more sustainable and cost-effective, using only milling and air to separate protein from the pea.

“We’re proud of this significant achievement with our pea protein and are truly excited by the possibilities our innovative approach can unlock for food companies and consumers of plant-based foods,” said Sigal Meirovitch, senior director of Protein Research & Development at Equinom, in a press release. “As the need for heavy processing of pea protein is a major bottleneck for the sustainability and affordability of plant-based foods, we see this scientific discovery as a real game changer for the industry.”

Equinom has achieved this by breeding new varieties of yellow peas using its Manna technology platform, which identifies desirable traits for food applications in the genetic structure of seeds and predicts the best crossbreeding matches to yield better varieties without the use of genetic engineering.

Equinom achieves 75% protein content in exploratory minimally processed pea protein ingredient

 that it will be splitting its business into three companies that focus on cereals, snacks, and plant-based foods. According to a press release from Kellogg’s, the “Global Snacking Co” will focus on global snacking, international cereal and noodles, and North America frozen breakfast. The “North American Cereal Co” will focus on cereal in the U.S., Canada, and Caribbean, and the “Plant Co.” will be a “pure-play plant-based foods company, anchored by the MorningStar Farms brand.”

Snacks make up around 80% of Kellogg’s sales, with the snacking division, which makes products like Cheez-Its, Pringles and Pop-Tarts, generating $11.4 billion in 2021. Cereal accounted for another $2.4 billion in sales in 2021 while plant-based sales totaled around $340 million. The spinoff of the unnamed cereal and plant-based food companies should be completed by the end of next year.

"These businesses all have significant standalone potential, and an enhanced focus will enable them to better direct their resources toward their distinct strategic priorities. In turn, each business is expected to create more value for all stakeholders, and each is well positioned to build a new era of innovation and growth," said Steve Cahillane, Kellogg Company's chairman and chief executive officer. 

, CEO Steve Cahillane said on a conference call with investors that separating the businesses will make them nimbler and more capable of focusing on their own products, instead of competing for resources with the high-growth snacking business. On the other hand, Kellogg’s has spent years placing greater focus on its snacking business, which has been successful for the company. This makes the prospects of the cereal and plant-based food business less certain. For example, Kellogg’s said it would consider a sale of the plant-based food business. The category has seen years of strong, rapid growth, and is now highly competitive, but sales have plateaued in recent months.

Snacks make up around 80% of Kellogg’s sales, with the snacking division, which makes products like Cheez-Its, Pringles and Pop-Tarts, generating $11.4 billion in 2021. 

Kellogg's to split business in three companies that focus on snacks, cereal, and plant-based foods

Sweet Victory Ltd. (Ramat Yishai, Israel) is collaborating with Givaudan (Vernier, Switzerland) to create a flavorful botanical-infused chewing gum for children that is designed to curb cravings for sugary treats. Sweet Victory has already designed the gum for adults, but designing the gum for children has been more challenging. That’s why Givaudan helped the startup create a supplement that fit kid’s taste buds.

The gum stifles cravings by blocking sugar receptors on the tongue. According to Sweet Victory, the gum works within two minutes and can last up to two hours. During that time, sweet foods will taste bland, even sour, abating the binging of sweets. The development of the children’s version has been an extensive process, as Sweet Victory and Givaudan spent months designing a product that is child-safe, with tailored dosages of the active ingredient 

 The herb has been used traditionally for over 2000 years in Ayurvedic medicine.

The new gum will come in a tutti-frutti flavor, and Sweet Victory has already conducted trials with children to estimate the impact of the gum on children in Israel, France, and the U.S. Results showed that children enjoyed the gum, but could not eat confectionery products after chewing it because of the change to their receptors.

“The biggest challenge in developing this gum for kids was to create boldly fruit-flavored chewing gum to overcome the bitterness of the herb gymnema,” explained Shimrit Lev, co-founder of Sweet Victory, in a press release. “In the gum designed for adults we used strong mint, but in the kid’s product we had to come up with other solutions.”

“By producing a product so attractive to children that, regardless of its effect of blocking sweet taste, it can become a legitimate substitute for other sweets, simply because it's delicious,” said Gitit Lahav, co-founder of Sweet Victory. “We turned to Givaudan to help us with that challenge. As a flavor expert, using advanced technologies, they helped us refine the product and develop a very flavorful, yet highly effective product—a sweet treat that can change eating behavior and help parents control their kids’ daily sugar consumption.”

The gum stifles cravings by blocking sugar receptors on the tongue. According to Sweet Victory, the gum works within two minutes and can last up to two hours. 

Sweet Victory collaborates with Givaudan to develop chewing gum for children that helps curb cravings for sweets

Being a vegan at the summer barbeque has never been easier. Plant-based alternatives to meats and cheeses have gotten more sophisticated and plentiful, drawing in the flexitarian crowd, which wants to reduce its meat consumption but certainly has little interest in compromising the taste and texture of their favorite burger or hot dog. For vegans and vegetarians, having a wide variety of quality meat and dairy alternatives makes their shopping experience more equitable and creates less friction in families with mixed eating habits.

For many, reducing or eliminating their meat consumption is one way they can contribute positively to the environment. New product development in the alternative meat and dairy space has really helped consumers make an easier commitment.

“Using our food system to address the world’s climate issues is an extraordinary and untapped opportunity for positive, consumer-driven change,” says Laura Kilman, director of new product development at Impossible Foods (Redwood City, CA). “Replacing animals as a food source has the potential to reverse the trajectory of global warming; halt the extermination of nature, wildlife, and the ecosystems that keep earth viable; preserve precious resources like fresh water; and eliminate a massive threat to public health. Without any changes to our energy or transportation habits, eliminating animal agriculture in the next 25 years would offset 68% of the greenhouse gas emissions from the entire rest of the economy and give us a 30-year pause in the rise of greenhouse gasses.”

Replacing animal agriculture may be a longshot in some people’s minds, but based on the sales figures, consumers are interested in plant-based alternatives to meat and dairy. Aggressive innovation in this space will only make these more viable as a food source. According to the Plant-Based Foods Association—citing figures from market researcher SPINS on the 52-week, 104-week, 156-week, and 208-week period ending December 26, 2021—over the last three years, plant-based meat has seen 74% dollar growth. Currently, sales are at a steady $1.4 billion, which is flat compared to the previous year, but continues to maintain its position, accounting for 2.7% of retail packaged-meat dollar sales, or 1.4% of the total meat category. In the natural channel, the plant-based share of the meat category is 14%.

When it comes to household penetration, plant-based meat is at 19%. Despite steady sales, the category continues to change, diversifying and improving. While plant-based burgers remain popular, sales of plant-based meatballs grew 12% in 2021; sales of plant-based chicken varieties such as nuggets, tenders, and cutlets grew 9%; and sales of plant-based deli slices grew 8%. One of the biggest growth areas is plant-based seafood, whose sales grew 14% to $14 million in 2021 (although the category still only accounts for 1% of the entire plant-based meat category). The plant-based dairy category reached $2.1 billion in sales in 2021. Within the category, plant-based cheese sales grew by 7% while animal-based cheese sales fell 2%.

Clearly, the rewards of entering this burgeoning food space can be great, but it is not without its challenges. While in the past, vegans and vegetarians were willing to compromise on taste and texture in their commitment to an animal-free diet, the flexitarian is less likely to do so, and the new vegans and vegetarians have so much more to choose from.

“People don’t want to sacrifice the foods they love for unsatisfying alternatives,” says Kilman. “We’ve known this for a long time: When consumers are offered products that don’t taste as good, they’re not going to eat them just because they’re better for the planet.”

On top of plant-based foods, advancement in cell culture technology is making it possible for scientists to grow meat in the lab, potentially eliminating the need to slaughter animals entirely. The future is bright when it comes to meat and dairy alternatives. Here’s what you need to know to succeed in this category.

What may have started as a novelty is now an expectation as more consumers get to enjoy their favorite foods without the baggage of animal agriculture or having to compromise much in the way of taste and texture. Plant-based meats have certainly come a long way, and manufacturers continue to hone and perfect their techniques to properly replicate animal-based staples.

But one should also strive to elevate the experience.

“Consumers are looking for plant-based options that closely resemble the products that they are familiar with, but are also increasingly looking for a combination of taste and texture that creates a unique and new sensory experience,” says Olaf Kohnke, senior technical service manager for soups, sauces, and dressings at Tate & Lyle (London).

When someone is tasting a plant-based burger, for example, they want their expectations met, even exceeded. What they look for are specific qualities in taste and texture that are hallmarks of that familiar meatiness they are hoping for. A recent report based on a 2022 survey conducted by Kerry (Tralee, Ireland) on 1,500 consumers across the U.S., UK, Australia, and Brazil found that 79% of U.S. consumers said they were likely to buy an authentic chargrilled-tasting plant-based burger, 73% of U.S. consumers were likely to buy an authentic meat-tasting burger based on description alone, and 80% of U.S. consumers were likely to buy a plant-based burger described as rich and savory.

According to Kerry, an authentic flavor is something charred, smokey, or umami, with subtle notes of saltiness and pepper. Texture is just as important as taste. According to Kerry’s survey, U.S. consumers are more likely to buy a plant-based burger that is juicy and succulent, with a crust on the outside of it. A great deal of texture has to do with the way a product is cooked. The cooking process has its own sensory experience with aroma and sound. This translates across so many different plant-based meat types, from chicken tenders to sausages. Consumers’ life experiences dictate what the correct sensorial qualities plant-based meat needs to have, and manufacturers have the monumental task of delivering.

“Taste remains the most important factor in many consumers’ meat substitute choices, so this should undoubtedly be the foremost concern for manufacturers,” says Kohnke. “Increasingly there is a demand for options that replicate the full sensory experience of their original alternative, with the smell and texture also central to the perceived quality of the product. The all-round sensation must match the consumer’s expectations in every sense if it is something they are going to consider.”

Unfortunately, plant-based ingredients function differently from animal-based ingredients, meaning there will be an impact on taste, texture, and nutrition. Luckily there are a variety of solutions available to help mask off-flavor notes and improve texture. Ingredients like Kerry’s Tastesense Masking help manufacturers deliver the desired flavor profile, and Tate & Lyle’s Hamulsion Stabilizer Systems help improve mouthfeel, texture, and enrich protein content.

“The versatile [Hamulsion] range can act as a thickening or gelling agent, emulsifying component, or protein powder across a host of different formulations: in sausages, burgers, or snacks,” says Kohnke.

For its part, Impossible Foods has developed plant-based sausages, chicken nuggets, burgers, and pork. Each has its own important qualities consumers expect.

”Like ground meat from pigs, Impossible Pork is characterized by its savory neutrality, imparting depth and umami richness without being gamey or overpowering. It has a similarly delicious fatty mouthfeel to animal pork, and its lighter color mirrors that of ground meat from pigs, which is often referred to as ‘the other white meat’ in comparison to ‘true’ red meat from cows,” explains Kilman. “By contrast, Impossible Beef is very flavor-forward and bold. A key difference is it contains more of Impossible’s key ingredient heme, an iron-containing molecule found in both plants and animals. The higher heme content, when combined with simple nutrients like amino acids, fatty acids, and sugars, gives Impossible Beef its more pronounced flavor and vivid color—like that of ground beef from cows. It also has a firmer texture than our pork product, as animal pork is traditionally more tender than animal beef.”

When it comes to cooking these products, understanding the chemical reaction that takes place on the grill, skillet, or oven is another important aspect of product development, says Kilman. “Our products can…be prepared just as you would animal meat—pan-fried, baked, sauced, braised, grilled, you name it. We were able to achieve this by closely analyzing animal meat down to the molecular level to understand how we can replicate the same chemical reactions that occur when cooking, but by using plant ingredients,” she explains. “Through our rigorous culinary testing during the product development process, we did find that Impossible meat tends to cook faster than animal meat. However, not only is this a time-saver for home cooks, but it also helps to retain liquid during cooking so there is less mess and more meat to serve your family.”

Some of the greatest potential in the plant-based meat category is in plant-based seafood. Just like consumers are concerned about animal welfare and the environmental impact of animal agriculture, so too are they concerned about overfishing and the exposure to potential pollutants such as mercury and microplastics. However, fish and crustaceans pose their own challenges when it comes to formulating plant-based products. Therefore, achieving a successful product in this space can be exceptionally rewarding.

“The overwhelming trend in the plant-based seafood space is dramatic growth. The plant-based seafood sector is expected to grow to $1.3 billion in the next 10 years,” says Chad Sarno, co-founder and chief culinary officer for Good Catch, which is a subsidiary of Gathered Foods (Austin, TX). “We consume around 300 species of animals from the ocean, compared to around 30 from land, so we anticipate that more product formats will come to market. The impact opportunity to disrupt the seafood category is enormous and provides endless possibilities for innovation.”

Like with other plant-based meat alternatives coming to market, a huge component is clean-label positioning. “All Good Catch products are vegan and free of GMOs, mercury, and heavy metals, and are safe and enjoyable for those with shellfish allergies,” says Sarno.

“We tackle the challenges in R&D from the very start, sticking close to our core tenets of soy-free, gluten-free, and non-GMO, with a focus on simple flavor and ingredients,” adds Stephanie Laham, food scientist for Sophie’s Kitchen (Sebastopol, CA). “We’ve found creative ways to make authentic food that tastes great without using the crutches of soy and gluten, something our competitors have found elusive.”

One of the biggest challenges of manufacturing plant-based fish is replicating the flakiness inherent to many types of fish and fish preparations such as patties or cakes. “One of our biggest challenges was getting the delicate flaky texture of seafood correct. Cooked fish, especially tuna, has a distinct thin layering of protein. The team was laser-focused for 18 months to get this right,” says Sarno. “Good Catch products are created with our proprietary six-legume blend of peas, chickpeas, lentils, soy, fava beans, and navy beans. This provides comparable protein and a texture that resembles the flakiness of seafood with spices and herbs to amplify the flavor.”

Companies like Good Catch and Sophie’s Kitchen go a different route than plant-based beef. While Impossible Foods sells burger patties that mimic raw meat which is then cooked, these plant-based fish brands create specific fish dishes such as crab cakes, breaded shrimp, salmon burgers, and breaded fish fillets. This allows them to season their products with the ideal blend of spices that delivers the desired flavor profile. This is not too different from actual fish in the sense that while they do have their particular flavors, seasoning is typically crucial for a flavorful and satisfying culinary experience with seafood.

Of course, part of the culinary experience is the ability to cook a product and be creative with recipes. Animal-based fish products are often a blank canvas for cooks, but that doesn’t mean that plant-based fish can’t be used to deliver a quality meal.

“Cooking with our products is a rewarding and engaging experience whether you’re making a meal for one or sharing with friends and family,” says Laham. “Both prepping and cooking with Sophie’s Kitchen plant-based seafood offers a great alternative for a variety of delicious meals. Of course, they taste great on their own, but the products are simple enough to use in your go-to everyday recipes as well.”

Because Sarno is a chef, Good Catch really strives for its products to be engaging to cook with, and offers a great deal of resources to customers. “Our plant-based seafood is an easy swap for high-quality seafood, and we keep the seafood that we’re swapping out in mind while developing our products and recipes,” Sarno explains. “We have a recipes page on our website and recipe video inspiration on our YouTube channel that offer easy and delicious ways to include Good Catch products in daily meals. Our products are perfect for quick weeknight meals as well as more culinary-driven recipes. We encourage our consumers to be creative in the kitchen. With consumer interest in plant-based offerings at an all-time high, we’re excited to bring creative culinary experiences to all diners and home cooks, no matter their dietary preference.”

Engaging with customers and helping them make the most of their plant-based meat products is an important way to push the category forward and help make it an everyday staple in people’s kitchens.

People love their meat, but when it comes to cheese, people can be downright passionate. The sheer variety and versatility of cheese make it a potent challenge for plant-based food manufacturers to replicate. Immense progress has been made, and the options are pretty robust now, but are enough people willing to make the switch?

“Plant-based cheese is perceived as being more unique, environmentally friendly, and premium than dairy cheese, but consumers are skeptical that a plant-based cheese alternative can stack up to the taste and texture they love in dairy cheese,” says Takoua Debeche, chief research and innovation officer at Danone North America (White Plains, NY), which is the parent company of plant-based food brands So Delicious and Follow Your Heart. Citing 2019 figures from 

Debeche explains, “We know that approximately one quarter (22%) of prospective dairy-free cheese buyers assume dairy-free cheese would not taste good, so we worked hard to deliver the most delicious taste and texture experience possible by selecting and combining the best quality and sustainable plant-based ingredients.”

Across these two brands, Danone is delivering shreds, slices, spreads, and specialty alternatives to feta cheese and grated parmesan. Danone’s wealth of experience with dairy has helped with research and development of these products. “We use different ingredients to achieve the optimal qualities of plant-based cheese. A commonality across all So Delicious Dairy-Free Cheese Alternatives and many of our Follow Your Heart Dairy-Free Cheese offerings is a blend of filtered water, coconut oil, and modified starches (such as potato, corn, or tapioca, depending on the flavor) to support the base cheese-alternative product,” explains Debeche. “We select and combine top-quality plant-based ingredients that allow them to deliver the most delicious taste and texture experience they can. We’re still working through how to rival the high-fat, low-protein nutritional components of traditional dairy cheese, without sacrificing stretchability and melt—and view this as a long-term goal for our offerings.”

Tate & Lyle, through its Hamulsion Stabilizer System, saw a need to help manufacturers develop plant-based cheese products with less saturated fat. “Plant-based cheese alternatives often use coconut fat to replicate the sensory attributes of saturated fats found in their dairy counterparts. Coconut fat is a saturated fat and therefore delivers a less-favorable nutritional profile,” explains Thoralf Markow, technical service scientist, dairy, at Tate & Lyle. “Our objective was to create texturizing and stabilizing solutions easy to implement in the manufacturer’s process while delivering desired cheese texture attributes, securing consistent quality throughout shelf life, and limiting the use of saturated fats. We also paid particular attention to the list of ingredients, with the objective to shorten the declaration as much as possible. This resulted in a range of cleaner-label solutions supporting the formulation of plant-based hard cheese and semi-hard cheeses such as shredded mozzarella, gouda, cheddar, or feta-style alternatives.”

More than taste and texture, the versatility of cheese as a topping that melts and completely changes its texture when exposed to heat is crucial for that consumer experience. How else can someone make nachos or mac ’n cheese, or even just throw a slice on their favorite plant-based burger?

“A lot of progress has been made to rival the way dairy-based cheese melts with plant-based cheese alternatives! By combining the right blend of oils, starches, and proteins, we have created plant-based cheeses that melt on a pizza in your home oven, or on a grilled cheese sandwich, and even on tacos,” says Debeche. “There is certainly still a clear opportunity to further unlock growth and penetration in plant-based cheese with continued innovation.”

The fact that a dairy company is devoting time and energy to plant-based cheese is a profound testament to the demand and growth potential of plant-based cheese and other dairy alternatives. “At Danone North America, we don’t think that dairy and dairy alternatives need to compete with each other; rather, we want to reach consumers wherever they are, whether it be with plant-based or dairy offerings,” Debeche explains.

Flavor and texture may win over the consumer, but that only goes so far, because when it comes to switching from meat and dairy, plant-based products need to deliver the goods nutritionally as well. The most typical nutritional component we see in plant-based meat is protein, which is paramount for those who are removing meat from their diets.

“The health considerations in the meat alternative space are often focused on the overall nutritional value of food. Consumers are becoming more conscious about the functional ingredients that are in their product choices, including what’s taken out. For manufacturers, using the right mix of ingredients to fortify products not only caters to consumer demand for better nutrition; it can also improve their NutriScore ratings,” explains Kohnke. “Protein remains a key consideration for consumers, with a growing focus on the type and quality of the protein used. Using proteins from a combination of plant-based sources—such as combining grains and pulses—can enhance the nutritional profile of a product and enable it to have certain nutritional claims, as well as helping to maintain texture for a satisfying overall experience.”

Of course, protein is just one nutritional component you should seek to incorporate into your plant-based meat and dairy alternatives. “With all Impossible products, we aim to match or exceed the nutritional positives of meat from animals, reduce or eliminate nutritional negatives, and add new nutritional value whenever possible,” says Kilman. “For example, in comparison to 80/20 ground beef from cows, Impossible Beef offers the same amount of protein, 1.5 times the iron, eight times the calcium, and is a good source of fiber and contains 40% less total fat.”

While replicating taste and texture is important, when it comes to nutrition there is an opportunity to make even healthier products because there is inherently less fat, cholesterol, and contaminants in plant-based alternatives. On top of this, you can fortify the product nutritionally—but be careful not to impact taste and texture when you do.

Products like fish offer unique attributes such as omega-3s which may be more of a challenge to deal with. But existing brands are making headway in this area as well. “Our nutritional goals are the same as, if not greater than, animal-based counterparts in key areas like protein and omega-rich oils,” says Lesley Werbin, food scientist at Sophie’s Kitchen. “We want our customers to get the same positive nutritional benefits as animal-based foods but without the negative consequences.”

Good Catch’s propriety blend of six legumes delivers on the protein, but the brand continues to work on offering even more nutritional value. “Good Catch plant-based seafood is packed with protein and has the nutritional benefits of seafood—minus the pollution, overfishing, bycatch, mercury, and other toxins that may come with consuming fish,” says Sarno. “We are always seeking ways to improve our plant-based seafood, including exploring ways to introduce more omega-3s into our products.”

Recent innovations in the plant-based meat and dairy space have really allowed manufacturers to deliver high-quality meat and cheese analogues to consumers, but science is always pushing the envelope of what’s possible. One of the latest innovations in the animal-free meat and dairy space is cultivated, or cultured, meat and dairy. There are startups currently developing this technology to deliver lab-grown beef, chicken, fish, and dairy. This involves taking cells from animals and growing tissue in a controlled environment that mimics the biological environment of an animal’s body. It should be noted that this does not involve genetic modification.

“Cells are provided water and feed to grow. The nutrient-rich liquid feed (‘growth media’) contains energy (sugars, fats), vitamins and minerals, protein building blocks (amino acids), [and] growth stimuli (growth factor proteins),” explains Didier Toubia, co-founder and CEO of Aleph Farms (Rehovot, Israel), which creates cultivated beef products. “In combination, these growth media components reproduce the same cell environment as inside the animal’s body and enable the cells to multiply and mature inside the cultivator.”

To create a three-dimensional structure from the cultured medium, Aleph Farms and Wanda Fish Technologies (Nes-Ziona, Israel), which makes a cultured fish, use a plant-based scaffolding onto which the tissue can grow. Another way to create a structure for the tissue is 3D bio-printing, which brands like Aleph Farms and MeaTech (Rehovat, Israel) are developing. This technology will also help speed up production.

“We believe 3D bio-printing is the best technological option for recreating the complex tissue patterns characteristic in steak. MeaTech is investing significant money and time in developing systems capable of recreating complex structural protein to ultimately offer consumers the possibility of purchasing cultivated steak, chicken breast, and pork products that mimic what they might find in a butcher shop today,” explains Simon Fried, senior business development, strategy, and marketing executive at MeaTech, which is currently developing cultivated chicken. “Our unique bio-printing technology, developed in house, allows us to print everything directly from a digital file. From a manufacturing standpoint, we believe this is a more efficient approach than, for example, printing cells into a pre-made template structure. When the process is scaled for mass global production, manufacturers will presumably want to produce numerous—possibly hundreds—of different structures. Using pre-fab templates will likely be slower and more expensive than our digital approach.”

Plant-based dairy is a little bit different. For example, Imagindairy uses precision fermentation to “‘teach’ microorganisms how to produce dairy proteins,” says Eyal Afergan, co-founder and CEO of Imagindairy (Tel Aviv, Israel). “This process is similar to the way beer is brewed except we produce protein, which we can then purify and turn into a powder in a completely animal-free process.”

This protein can then be used to create a variety of dairy products, just without the need for animal agriculture. “The proteins that we produce are animal-free proteins [that] are identical in terms of structure, taste, smell, and function to their bovine counterparts,” explains Afergan. “Since proteins are responsible for the functionality and sensory properties of milk and dairy, the proteins we develop can be used to produce a variety of dairy products, including milk, cheese, yogurt, ice cream, and more.”

While the potential of these products is huge, there remain huge hurdles to the commercialization of cultured meat and dairy. “The biggest hurdles for commercialization are cost, scaling up production, and regulatory approvals,” says Fried. “Cell-based manufacturing is still prohibitively expensive and will take time before it reaches its full potential. What will be important is increasing output and reducing production costs to reach price parity with conventional meats. Equally important is regulatory approval of cultivated products so they can be sold in grocery stores. To that end, we are working closely with various regulatory bodies to ensure our proprietary technology will have the necessary approvals.”

“The main hurdles current to commercialization are the lack of a relevant fish cell source, limited scientific knowledge, and the costs of scale-up production necessary to produce the massive number of fish cells to make the product,” adds Malkiel Cohen, PhD, R&D director of Wanda Fish Technologies. “To overcome this, our company is developing our resources, scientific knowledge, materials, and technologies ourselves and contracting with other significant enablers and players in this industry.”

Companies are at various stages of ramping up to commercial production. For example, Aleph Farms recently moved into a 65,000-sq-ft facility to increase its operations sixfold. The move allowed the company to launch a pilot production facility and build an R&D center. “As we transition to our pilot production facility—one that will house some of the world’s most advanced technologies in cellular agriculture—it will not only better serve our efforts to gain regulatory approval for our first, thin-cut beef steak, but also help optimize processes for our larger-scale production facilities which are set to be built during 2022-2024,” says Toubia. “We are looking forward to our pilot facility being fully operational by summer this year, ahead of our initial market launch by 2023 in the Middle East and Asia, pending regulatory approvals for our cultivated beef steak.”

MeaTech is also in the process of optimizing its cultivated meat production technology to increase production and reduce cost and plans to open a cultured avian pilot plant and R&D facility in Belgium by 2023. In the meantime, the brand is taking an innovative approach of coming to market through a strategic partnership between its subsidiary Peace of Meat and Enough, a mycoprotein manufacturer, to develop hybrid products that incorporate both plant protein and cultured animal products.

“Adding cultivated fat ingredients to plant-based meat alternatives enhances their aroma, texture, flavor, as well as mouthfeel, and is a critical step in gaining acceptance for cultivated food products among consumers and food manufacturers,” explains Fried. “We’re expediting our market entry by leveraging Peace of Meat’s cultivated fat technologies. It’s also a great way to introduce the world to cultivated meat products. We believe the market for cultured meat will grow as consumers become accustomed to purchasing products that use cultivated fats in plant-based offerings.”

So, as cultured animal products continue to advance, it’s foreseeable that partnerships between cultured meat and plant-based food manufacturers will help drive product development and consumer recognition. It will also help make these products even better. However, where there is major scientific advancement there is also skepticism and misconceptions, so one must weigh the cost and benefits of consumer perception. Education is key.

“The question is not necessarily about misconceptions as much as it is about fear. The idea of ‘making’ a steak rather than ‘growing an animal’ is a wholly new concept for consumers. For the average person, the idea of food being created in a lab raises questions about whether it’s healthy or even safe,” says Fried. “As consumers, it is always important to raise questions about the source and contents of the food we eat. Most consumers are unaware of what goes on in slaughterhouses and meat-processing plants. Cultured meat is produced in a sterile environment with minimal human contact and no animals. This significantly minimizes the risk of foodborne pathogens, such as 

 and salmonella, which are commonly transmitted by factory-farmed animals.”

“Cultivated fish products will be made in highly controlled and hygienic facilities that will ensure the clean production of fish fillets without the usage of antibiotics,” adds Cohen. “Since they will not be exposed to contaminants from the oceans, the cultivated fish products will be free of harmful pathogens and pollutants.”

The benefits of food safety and the big picture of significantly reducing our reliance on animal agriculture or ecosystems, which has positive impacts on animal welfare and the environment, are what will ultimately give consumers the push toward accepting this new class of meat products. That—and taste, of course.

That said, consumers are certainly curious and largely willing to give cultured meat and dairy a try. “A segmentation study we recently commissioned in the UK and U.S., published in peer-reviewed journal 

showed that 8 in 10 people would consider cell-cultured meats when available. Additionally, it showed consumers would be alright with cultivated meat making up to 40% of their total meat intake,” says Toubia. However, engaging with consumers is also an important part of securing the future of cultured meat and dairy products. “Building trust with consumers is paramount and central to our strategy. From our Community Center to extensive market surveys worldwide, we listen to consumers and provide transparency into our business practices and production methodology. We’re constantly gaining new insights on our target demographics through research.”

Alternatives to meat and dairy products are getting more sophisticated—and, in turn, creating more demand from consumers.

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