3 Key Takeaways From Plant Based World Expo 2024

Innovation was rife at this year’s Plant Based World Expo; on display were breakout processes to better deliver on taste, texture, and even price.

Aloha Protein Bar Brand Riding Wellness Wave to Big Growth

Aloha CEO Brad Charron is bullish on plant-based products. And it’s easy to see why, considering his better-for-you protein bar brand experienced 500% growth from 2020 to 2023.

5 Innovations Shifting the Alternative Meat Landscape

In a recent webinar, Food Business News shared emerging data, trends, innovations, and consumer insights impacting the alternative meat, dairy, and seafood markets, a $1.03B industry attempting to recover from a sharp decline beginning in 2018. Here are five key takeaways.

Veganism Spurring Growth of Precision Fermentation

The precision fermentation category is projected to grow at a massive CAGR for the foreseeable future. While advancements are accelerating the production of animal-free ingredients, experts say a few key challenges could hold the sector back.

Expert Analysis: Nutrient-Dense Plants Could Reshape the Future of Nutrition

Consumers’ growing demand for healthier and sustainable options is propelling nutrient-dense plants like sorghum, spirulina, and aronia berries into the spotlight, redefining nutrition.

Circana: Consumers Increasingly Spending on Health and Wellness

The idea of health and wellness is evolving, as shown by a report that noted ways people are tapping into products to harmonize their lives.

Down to the Bones: Juicy Marbles’ Primal Plant-Based Meat Experience

Alt-meat brand Juicy Marbles’ Baby Ribs aim to capture “the primal eating experience” ribs are known for, while delivering improved nutrition.

Freeze Frame: Viral Frozen Grape Trend Illustrates Power of TikTok

The frozen grape food hack has been popular for three years now – and there’s still time for food businesses to take advantage.

Plant-Based Making Inroads at Breakfast Time

Plant-based foods are witnessing notable growth in the breakfast market, as more consumers seek alternatives to traditional items like eggs, bacon, and dairy-based products.

Disease, Weather Devastating U.S. Citrus Industry

Citrus, once the dominant crop in Florida, has declined 92% in the past two decades, the victim of disease and extreme weather.

Plant-Based Sweets and Snacks Enjoying Significant Growth

Plant-based sweets and snacks grew nearly 20% in dollar sales from 2022 to 2023, according to the Plant-Based Food Association.

Beyond Meat’s New Sun Sausage “Not Intended to Replicate Meat”

Beyond Meat has launched Beyond Sun Sausage, a “first-of-its-kind innovation” made with a blend of fruits, vegetables and legumes. The product is not intended to replicate beef, pork or poultry but rather be its own protein option.

Bayou Best Foods Aims to Jump Start Plant-Based Seafood Sector

While the U.S. alt-seafood market has been sluggish at best, Big Idea Ventures (BIV) has plans to change that. The agrifoodtech investor recently unveiled Bayou Best Foods, the newest entrant to the plant-based seafood sector.

Grass-Fed Beef Challenging Meat Alternatives

Growing support for products like grass-fed beef is creating new challenges for the meat alternative market, which continues to struggle with adoption and repeat purchases among its primary consumer base – flexitarians.

Mycelium-based Meat Intriguing Investors and Consumers

Alt-meat funding has all but dried up, but mycelium-based meats are still intriguing investors and consumers. From chicken and steak to deli meats, here’s what’s cooking in the world of mushroom roots.

Dr. Praeger’s Targeting ‘Nutrition-Curious’ Consumers

Dr. Praeger’s is enjoying double-digit growth across several product categories, including veggie-forward burgers and those that mimic traditional meat. What’s the secret behind their success?

Hummus: The Original Plant-Based Dip

According to Brightfield research group, the top need states searched online with hummus over the past three years are functional health, digestive health, and sustainability, while the top nutrition states are low sugar, low carb, and high protein – all benefits from the humble chickpea.

Innovation and Inflation: Dual Forces Shaping the Plant-Based Milk Market

Milk alternatives continue to hold the largest share of the plant-based category as innovations intrigue a broader group of consumers. But inflation remains a challenge and some varieties are facing more scrutiny from consumers.

Plant-based Consumers’ Favorite QSRs

U.S. consumers love fast food and those who follow a plant-forward diet are no exception. Which quick service restaurants (QSRs) are plant-based consumers seeking out this year?

A Fork in the Road to Sustainability: Nestlé’s New Plant-Based Fork

The innovation is a key part of its commitment to eliminate or reduce plastics in packaging while scaling reusable and refillable systems.

Can Limited Ingredients Boost Plant-Based Snack Sales?

Consumer demand for clean labels, convenience, and health continues to rise, and many plant-forward snack brands are tapping into this trifecta. Can limited ingredients boost plant-based snack sales?

COLUMN: Is There a New Vanguard of Plant-Based Companies?

It’s no secret that the plant-based sector has seen its fair share of turbulence the past few years, but some products on display at the 2024 National Restaurant Association Show may buck these current trends.

Ask an Athlete: Building Strength with Plant-Based Protein

Olympic cyclist Dotsie Bausch wants to set the record straight: Building strength with plant-based protein is a very accessible goal. Consuming plenty of vegetables, legumes, nuts, seeds, and grains is sufficient — the key is eating enough to fuel the body.

Sweetgreen Positions New Steak Offering as Sustainable, Rooted in Regenerative Grazing Practices

Sweetgreen is leveraging regenerative agriculture to position its new grass-fed steak offering as climate-friendly. Can expanding these agricultural practices offset beef’s massive carbon footprint?

States Are Banning Cultivated Meat; Do Consumers Want Novel Proteins?

Novel proteins including cultivated meat, mycelium, and dairy bioidenticals are advancing further into the market, and some state governments are pushing back. A new survey by McKinsey & Company explores how consumers perceive these ingredients—and their willingness to trial them.

Frozen Plant-Based Meals Gaining Loyalty

Shoppers seeking convenience are in the market for readymade plant-based meals — and the frozen food aisle is a prime target for innovation.

Could Daiya’s Latest Alt-Cheese Innovation Be a Game-Changer?

Daiya’s newest alt-cheese recipe utilizes proprietary fermentation technology to mimic the texture and meltability of traditional dairy cheese. Could it be a game-changer for the plant-based cheese category?

Plant-Based Milk Brands Take Aim at Coffee Category

Plant-based milks largely stole the spotlight at the recent Specialty Coffee Expo in Chicago. Along with the familiar oat and almond milks, exhibitors offered plant-based milks made with bananas, chickpeas, coconut, macadamias, and pistachios.

Mac and Cheese Gets a Plant-Based Makeover

CPG producers are veganizing macaroni and cheese by removing dairy ingredients, adding gluten-free pasta and, in some cases, boosting the nutritional value of the popular comfort food.

Chicken Nugget Sales are Soaring. Can Plant-Based Varieties Take Flight? 

Demand for frozen chicken nuggets is strong, giving alternative varieties a significant runway for lift off — but sales remain grounded. 

Wave of Success: Plant-Based Brand Konscious Foods Enjoying Rapid Ascent

Plant-based brand Konscious Foods has enjoyed a meteoric rise. Focusing on achieving price and taste parity with traditional meat has been key, the brand’s founder explained.

Clean Label Takes Center Stage as Ultra-Processed Stigma Grows

Clean-label initiatives continue to rise within the plant-based category and beyond as concerns surrounding ultra-processed foods intensify and more consumers prioritize what’s NOT in their products.

The Endless Promise of Pizza

Served as an LTO, in a restaurant, or at a ball game, fired in a brick oven at 800 degrees or reheated Sunday morning in a battered collegiate microwave after a late night, pizza is a tough business that can yield great rewards, revenue, and satisfaction.

Market Signals: Unpacking Bezos Earth Fund’s Alt-Protein Allocation

Bezos Earth Fund is allocating $60 million to build research centers that focus on improving the taste, cost and nutritional value of alternative meats. What does this financial traction signal for the future of alt-meat investments?

Why is Florida Trying to Ban Cultivated Meat?

The Florida House has approved a wide-ranging bill that would ban the sale and production of cultivated meat in the state. How will alt-meat innovations be impacted if it is signed into law?

Expo West Speakers Plot Plant-Based’s Path Forward

Last Friday at Expo West, industry leaders unpacked the plant-based category’s path forward. “Progress is not linear,” one CEO reminded the crowd, adding that getting consumers to try plant-based items “has to be a stepwise process.”