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Plant Based World Expo Engages Food Industry

The third Plant Based World Expo North America returned to the Javits Center in New York on Sept. 8-9. Attendees at the 100 percent plant-based B2B industry event enjoyed innovative new plant-based products, speakers and networking opportunities. There were 3,722 attendees, up roughly 20 percent from 2021, and 232 exhibitors.

“The response to this year’s Plant Based World Expo has been tremendous,” said Chris Nemchek, general manager. “One of our goals this year was to improve the audience quality and increase the number of retail and foodservice buyers at the show, and we are thrilled to report that we increased the number of buyers by 20%.”

Trends on display included:

● Mushroom-based meats, snacks and jerky from Fable, Popadelics and Eat the Change.

● Plant-based meats and seafoods from companies such as Atlas Monroe, Hoya, Unlimeat, The Blue Butcher, Mind Blown Seafood and Finless Foods.

● Functional foods and beverages from Broma, True North, Remedy and Purposefuel.

● Snacks galore from Rule Breaker Snacks, Lupii, Mozaics and Fat Badger.

● Global culinary creativity and chef-crafted products.

● Convenient and accessible frozen and prepared entrees from companies such as Strong Roots and Wicked Foods.

● Elevated plant-based cheeses from Good Plant Foods, Bedda Cheese, Selfish Cow Plant Based Cheese, Plant Perks, Nuts for Cheese, Wildbrine and Miyoko’s Creamery.

“The success of this year’s Plant Based World Expo demonstrates the continued excitement around the plant-based foods industry,” said Rachel Dreskin, CEO of PBFA and The Institute. “Thanks to the strength of our partnership with the PBW team, we were able to put on a fantastic show featuring impactful conference sessions and so many meaningful opportunities for our members to connect with industry leaders and buyers. We look forward to continued growth and the expansion of our joint mission to showcase the power of plant-based.”

The show’s exhibitors were enthusiastic about their experiences at the show, citing great connections and the chance to showcase their products to a highly qualified audience as reasons why they plan to return next year.

“This was Mind Blown’s first year exhibiting at the show and it was incredible start to finish,” said Monica Talbert, co-founder of Mind Blown Plant Based Seafood Company. “The energy and excitement from attendees and other exhibitors was truly electric and so many quality connections really makes PBW a show not to miss!”

Whether they were sampling delicious plant-based frozen desserts and mouth-watering plant-based entrees or learning from expert speakers, celebrity chefs, and industry leaders, attendees agreed that this was the best PBW yet.

“The show has been incredible. We’ve made a lot of good contacts with all the right people to get our product into the right places. We’re looking forward to next year,” said Marc Elkman, co-founder, Mighty Yum.

“This was our first time coming to the show and we have made many amazing connections here–it gives me goosebumps–and we’re excited about following up and our future,” said Camille Holder-Brown, co-founder, Kale Cafe.

Read more about plant-based food in the October issue of Gourmet News. Subscribe today so you don’t miss it!

Alaska Airlines Cooks Up Vegan, Plant-Based Options

Alaska Airlines’ Soy Meets World vegan salad includes roasted broccoli, fresh cucumber slices, scallions, pickled carrots, fried tofu and brown rice served over a bed of crisp romaine and baby lettuce greens, topped with roasted cashews, fried onions and paired with a Tamari Chili-Lime dressing.

This summer, Alaska Airlines guests can veg out on board with more gluten friendly, plant-based and vegan meal options available in all cabins. The new vegan option, “Soy Meets World,” is a vegan salad developed in partnership Evergreens, a West Coast-based company that makes gourmet, freshly chopped salads.

“We’re thrilled to offer our guests more healthy and nutritious choices when they fly with us,” said Todd Traynor-Corey, managing director of guest products. “We built our menu thoughtfully to offer more plant-based, vegan and gluten-free options, which include a range of fresh, bright flavors inspired by the West Coast and ingredients that are authentically healthy by nature such as roasted broccoli, crisp romaine and baby lettuce greens, quinoa, fresh fruit and more.”

Alaska Airlines offers three meal options in First Class, including its Signature Fruit & Cheese on flights as short as 550 miles.

It also offers ample food options in Premium Class and Main Cabin, which include up to four fresh options on flights over 1,100 miles and up to five snack items on flights over 223 miles, such as the Mediterranean Tapas Pack (vegan and gluten-free).

Now through October, guests can enjoy fresh summer flavors that include berries, summer squash, corn, citrus and tomatoes. To see all of our food and beverage offerings, visit alaskaair.com.

Travelers can enjoy fresh ingredients inspired by the West Coast, from snacks to freshly prepared meals, by pre-ordering favorites ahead of a flight using the reservation on the airline’s app or alaskaair.com.

Meal orders can be made starting 14 days before the flight, and up to 20 hours before departure.

Snacks and Picnic packs do not require pre-order and are available on board most flights over two hours. Mileage Plan members can store a method of payment in their Mileage Plan account for touch-free inflight purchases, including food and beverages.

For updates on the specialty food industry, mostly on the ground, subscribe to Gourmet News.

Impossible Foods Launches Nuggets, Patties in UK

California-based Impossible Foods, the fastest-growing plant-based meat company in the United States, is making its European debut in the United Kingdom this week with the launch of two of its latest products — Impossible “Chicken” Nuggets Made From Plants and Impossible Sausage Patties Made From Plants.

Both products will be available starting May 19 at restaurants across the country — including many of the UK’s best-loved chicken shops. Impossible “Chicken” Nuggets are preferred two-to-one by UK consumers, according to the company.

“The UK has a unique and unrivalled chicken shop culture that we’re confident our nuggets will compete in because first and foremost they taste better, and they’re also better for you and better for the planet,” said CEO Peter McGuinness. “And there’s more to come — later this year, we’ll be expanding to supermarkets and rolling out additional products. We can’t wait for our friends and fans in the UK to finally taste our products.”

Impossible “Chicken” Nuggets launched in the United States late last year and quickly became one of the company’s top-selling products and the fastest-growing brand of plant-based chicken nuggets in the category. Impossible Foods’ expansion to the UK marks the international plant-based chicken debut of Impossible “Chicken” Nuggets outside of the United States.

This is the fourth new market the company has expanded to in nine months, following the launch of its flagship Impossible Burger in Australia, New Zealand and the United Arab Emirates last fall. The company plans to launch its full product portfolio in the UK, including products containing heme (soy leghemoglobin) — a key ingredient in the Impossible Burger and other Impossible products — at a later date.

Impossible products will be available in thousands of restaurants and foodservice establishments in the UK within a year, starting with more than 300 this month. The country’s first Impossible dishes will appear exclusively on the menus of select restaurants and chicken shops, including Chicken Cottage, Halo Burger, Le Bab, MEATliquor, Patty&Bun and others.

Later this month, Impossible products will launch at more than 250 Hungry Horse pubs owned by Greene King, the UK’s leading pub company and brewer.

“At Hungry Horse, we’re big on getting together, and our customers come to us for the generous and unique food creations in a ‘home away from home’ environment,” said Robert Calderbank, business unit director for Hungry Horse. “We’re so excited to bring the Impossible ‘Chicken’ Nuggets to our pubs and really believe these will deliver on that promise, tantalising the taste buds of our customers across the country, we can’t wait!”

Impossible Foods celebrated its UK debut with a launch party hosted by fictional TV character and bossman Chabuddy G, played by Asim Chaudhry, a star on BBC’s hit mockumentary “People Just Do Nothing.” The company invited hundreds of \Impossible fans to be among the first to taste Impossible products on UK soil at its “Chicken Paradise & Sausage Palace” themed event emceed by Chabuddy at Maison Bab, a popular London restaurant offering modern gourmet kebabs.

“From the beginning, our goal at Le Bab was to offer a new kind of kebab, fusing global influences with amazing ingredients, always with a mind to sustainability,” said Stephen Tozer, co-founder of Le Bab, Maison Bab and Kebab Queen. “Impossible’s products are extraordinary. I first tried Impossible years ago and it blew my mind. I’ve wanted to collaborate with them ever since, so this is a bit of a dream come true! I’m absolutely certain that their plant-based meats are going to fundamentally change the way the world eats.”

Chicken is the most commonly consumed meat per capita in the UK, with three-quarters of consumers reporting that they eat animal-based chicken on a weekly basis, and nearly 90% saying they eat it on a monthly basis, according to an Impossible Foods study.

Made for chicken-lovers everywhere, Impossible “Chicken” Nuggets require far less resources to produce: 55% less water, 24% less land, and 24% less GHG emissions than animal chicken nuggets. They feature a golden, crispy breadcrumb coating on the outside and a tender, juicy bite on the inside, with 13 grams protein per 100-gram serving and 25% less salt than animal chicken nuggets.

Impossible Sausage Patties Made From Plants are also better for consumers and for the planet, designed to be conveniently slipped into a breakfast sandwich or enjoyed as a center-of-plate delicacy. In addition, they’re produced using 88% less water, 77% less land and 47% less greenhouse gas emissions than animal pork sausages. They’re also packed with 5.6 grams protein, 2.5 grams fiber, and 1.1 milligrams iron per patty.

For updates on plant-based foods, subscribe to Gourmet News.

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