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. 

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?

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.”

Can Oscar Mayer Revitalize the Plant-Based Sausage Market?

Last week, The Kraft Heinz Company unveiled plant-based hot dogs and sausages under the Oscar Mayer brand. Could this launch be a bellwether for the struggling alt-meat sector?

Who’s Buying Alt-Meat? Unpacking Consumer Motivations

When it comes to consumers, the alt-meat category has more than its fair share of challenges — and supporters. Who’s buying meat alternatives today and why? Here’s the latest stats from Brightfield Group’s quarterly shopper survey.

FI Fast Break audio news: Sept. 27, 2023

The latest Food Institute Fast Break news podcast updates the global sugar shortage.

Alt Meat No Longer Sizzles While Plants & Fungi Grow

A recent confluence of headlines reporting a shift in sales and venture-backed capitalism indicate a change in consumer mindsets surrounding alt meat products and their pseudo-competitors – particularly seafood, fungi, and the versatile mushroom.

FI Fast Break audio news: Sept. 20, 2023

The latest Food Institute news podcast touches on unfortunate news for a pair of alt-meat startups.

Global Expansion Tips for Plant-Based Businesses

Worldwide demand for animal and dairy protein is slated to reach $1.2 trillion by 2030, reflecting significant opportunities for plant-based brands eyeing global expansion.

Can Microalgae ‘Ghost Proteins’ Resurrect Alt-Meat?

Food tech startups are developing new techniques to transform microalgae into “ghost protein,” a powerful alternative protein source with an undetectable, completely neutral flavor.

Cleaner Labels Could Renew Interest in Alt-Meat as Sales are Dropping

The meat alternative market is slowing down after years of explosive growth: dollar sales fell 18.5% to $370.2 million for the 52 weeks ended June 18, according to data from Circana. Without the perception of …

How Soon Will Cultured Meat Impact Plant-Based Sales?

As the gate to cell cultured meat sales swings open in the U.S., what’s in store for the alt-meat sector? The Food Institute checked in with Jennifer Bartashus at Bloomberg Intelligence to discuss potential market implications in the months ahead.

FI Fast Break audio news: July 19, 2023

The latest Food Institute news podcast touches on the future of cultivated meat products.

FI Exclusive: UPSIDE Foods COO Sees Meat’s Future as Cultivated

Amy Chen, CEO for UPSIDE Foods, feels the company’s process for cultivating meat could have not only a major impact on food production, but also on the environment.

Report: Plant-Based Stuck in Neutral While Bowls are Accelerating

A new report by Brandwatch shows the plant-based category is largely idling while QSRs serving bowls are gaining traction.

5 Plant-Forward Alt-Meat Innovations

Innovators are shaking up the alt-meat category with plant-forward creations that contain more whole foods and less processed ingredients. Here are five companies to watch.

American Jerk: The Salty, Smoky, Spicy, and Thriving Business of Jerky

There are many notable jerky and meat snack companies out there and most are thriving as the snackification of America continues apace. Jerky in any form has been a staple snack since navigators used sextets to sail the seven seas and discover more jerky, as John Smith is purported to have in the early 1600s when he marked a map of Virginia and wrote, “as drie as their jerkin beefe in the West Indies.”

5 Healthy Alt-Meat Products

The Food Institute spoke with two dietitians to outline some of the healthiest alt-meat products available today and break down best practices for reading nutrition labels.

Study Suggests Plant-Based Category Losing Luster

The Food Institute spoke with Rob Dongoski, Agribusiness Leader at EY, about the future of alternative proteins and whether consumers have moved on.

Top Trends from Expo West Include Evolving Plant-Based Protein

Natural Products Expo West 2023 put plant-based innovation on display. Here’s a look at the trends that were most apparent.

Q&A: Nestlé Targets Plant-Based at University Dining Halls

The success of plant-based in food service will come down to making foods “attractive and craveable so that they are the choice and not the compromise to a meal experience,” according to one Nestlé executive.

Cell-Cultured Snapshot: How to “Make” Meat

Cell-cultured meat continues to expand on a global scale as start-ups and major meat producers target the category. But how exactly are cuts of cultivated meat created — and how soon can consumers purchase these products?

COLUMN: Answer to Plant-based Segment’s Issues Found in Forests, Biotech

Clean, natural, plant-based proteins could help strengthen the industry segment amid market volatility, according to one CEO.

Impossible Challenge? Are Alt-Meat Company’s Layoffs an Ominous Sign?

Impossible Foods recently laid off 20% of its employees. Is this the beginning of the end for alt-meat?

FI Fast Break audio news: Feb. 8, 2023

The latest Food Institute weekly news podcast touches on the demise of the supermarket advertising circular.

Could ‘Molecular Farming’ Become a Plant-Based Game-Changer?

Moolec Science is infusing crops with animal genes to create a unique meat alternative, in a process it calls molecular farming. Now, it’s looking to partner with major players in the plant-based category.

Analysis: Beyond Meat Earnings Indicate Alt-Meat Category in Trouble

Beyond Meat reported third quarter earnings on Wednesday afternoon, and they were disastrous. Revenue declined 22.5% year-over-year … and that wasn’t even the worst news.

Investment in Lab-Grown Meat Intensifying

Investments in plant-based meats have cooled off in the last year with many venture capitalists turning their attention to lab-grown meat.

FI Fast Break audio news: June 29, 2022

This week, in The Food Institute’s quick-hitting, audio news podcast, we examine inflation’s impact on small-business owners, and how much 4th of July cookouts could cost this year. The Food Institute Podcast · FI Fast …

FI Fast Break audio news: April 27, 2022

This week, in The Food Institute’s quick-hitting, audio news podcast, we examine: the prospects of an economic recession, the Great Regret labor trend, and more. The Food Institute Podcast · FI Fast Break News – …

FI Fast Break audio news: April 27, 2022

This week, in The Food Institute’s quick-hitting, audio news podcast, we examine: the prospects of an economic recession, the Great Regret labor trend, and more. The Food Institute Podcast · FI Fast Break News – …

FI Fast Break audio news: April 13, 2022

This week, in The Food Institute’s quick-hitting, audio news podcast, we examine the expansion plans of both Beyond Meat and ADM. The Food Institute Podcast · FI Fast Break News – April 13, 2022 The …

Analysts Expect Plant-Based Food Trend to Continue

As plant-based food continues to make inroads, industry observers expect the category to become a larger part of our diet in the years to come. That was a key theme during The Food Institute’s recent …

Plant-Based Alternatives Push Further into Fast-Food

Plant-based offerings continue to expand across restaurant menus, as major players like Impossible Foods and Beyond Meat broaden their partnerships with fast-food chains. McDonald’s recently announced plans for a major U.S. expansion of its plant-based …

Health-Focused Consumers Aiding Expansion of Meat Alternatives Market

This article is written and sponsored by Transparency Market Research. The global meat alternatives market is projected to expand at a growth rate of 10% through 2031. High demand for the products in the global meat …

What’s Driving Beyond Meat’s Slide?

What’s going on at Beyond Meat? A week ago, the company’s stock price fell 12% after it warned that third-quarter revenue should come in at $106 million—far lower than its prior outlook and the nearly …