Sprouts Reaches Cage-Free, Better Eggs Commitment
Phoenix-based Sprouts Farmers Market is sourcing all shell and liquid eggs sold across its more than 370 stores from cage-free, organic or free-range farms. The specialty grocer’s Our Brands eggs have been cage-free or better since 2016.
“Sprouts shoppers are conscious of where their food comes from and we’re pleased to now offer cage-free or better eggs across the category as part of our ongoing commitment to improved animal welfare,” said Kim Coffin, SVP of Grocery at Sprouts. “We’re continuously engaging with suppliers, NGOs and stakeholders to ensure our policies and targets for continuous improvement are meaningful and help drive the industry forward.”
Across Sprouts’ dairy category, organics made up more than 40 percent of the sales volume in 2021. During the year, 81 plant-based products and 82 organic items were added, alongside 51 products that were both organic and plant-based.
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US Company Impossible Foods Ranks 1st in Global Funding Survey
To no one’s surprise, the U.S. company Impossible Foods is the best-funded vegan company of 2021, a new study shows, with more than $1 billion in funding. Another U.S. company, Eat Just, came in fourth with $450 million in funding.
The study, conducted by professional kitchen suppliers Maxima Kitchen Equipment, analyzed funding available to more than 400 companies that specialize in the production of vegan and plant-based food.
Impossible Foods, founded in 2011 and based in California, takes top spotwith a whopping $1,591,537,000 of funding, coming from 54 investors. The company specializes in plant-based substitutes for meat, dairy and fish products.
The top five continues with three more American companies: LIVEKINDLY, based in Los Angeles and founded in 2017 is second with $535,000,000 from just eight investors; Chicago-based Nature’s Fynd is third with funding totaling $508,000,000 from 17 investors. In fourth comes Eat Just, founded in 2011 and based in San Francisco, with $450,435,000 in funding.
“Plant-based is the future of nutrition, with more people switching to a vegan diet in order to preserve the planet and decrease their carbon footprint,” a Maxima Kitchen Equipment spokesperson said. “Our study shows how much effort there is behind this pledge, with plenty of investors – 134 among our top five alone – confident that making sure plant-based alternatives are available for everyone, everywhere is a lucrative business strategy.”
The research was carried out by Maxima Kitchen Equipment, which has more than 40 years of experience in the supply and maintenance of professional kitchen equipment.
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PlantPlus Acquires Plant-Based Food Makers Sol Cuisine, DEW
Chicago-based PlantPlus Foods, maker of plant-based foods with a joint venture between a leading global food solutions and nutrition company, ADM, and one of the leaders in the protein sector, Marfrig, announced its portfolio expansion in North America with the acquisition of Sol Cuisine following the recent acquisition of DEW Drink Eat Well, which has the Hilary’s brand.
These strategic acquisitions further position PlantPlus Foods as an industry enabler in the plant-based space as the company seeks to deliver more high-quality plant-protein choices for flexitarian, meat-eating and vegan consumers alike across the Americas, according to the company.
Sol Cuisine further expands the company’s portfolio to include plant-forward and meat analogue products in appetizers, entrees and meat analogue components to better meet the needs of consumers and their lifestyle choices across multiple categories. PlantPlus Foods is able to augment its scaled raw materials, high-capacity production and distribution capabilities from parent companies and strategic partners. These capabilities enable an end-to-end, vertically integrated ecosystem to support enriching plant-based protein choices.
The high demand for accessible and nutrition-forward products in the rapidly growing North American plant-based market provides the opportunity for PlantPlus Foods and its newly acquired partners to satisfy the needs of consumers while capitalizing on the potential of where the industry can grow. PlantPlus Foods looks to expand production and commercialization for plant-based protein products as it builds capabilities and infrastructures that will benefit the industry as a whole. PlantPlus Foods will continue to identify and address the industry’s white spaces while providing solutions to increase accessibility to more plant-based protein choices – enabling the industry to realize its enormous potential.
“The plant-based industry is an exhilarating space and we are excited for this next phase with our new acquisitions as we continue to build, lead and innovate with plant-forward meat alternatives across the Americas,” said John Pinto, PlantPlus Foods CEO. “We look forward to growing our presence in the North American market while nurturing our South American customer base and leading accounts. As we leverage the passionate communities across the plant-base, flexitarian and meat industries, we intend to provide them with better-for-you ingredients when experiencing our products, such as those expertly crafted by Sol Cuisine and Hilary’s.”
Sol Cuisine is a fast-growing producer of branded and private label, consumer-preferred plant-based protein offerings across key center-of-plate and appetizer categories. The Company’s products are offered through an established omni-channel distribution platform in Canada, the United States and Mexico.
Hilary’s cooks craveable plant-based foods that are packed with whole veggies, grains, and beans that are always non-GMO and free from the top 12 common food allergens including wheat/gluten, soy, dairy, egg and nuts. The product portfolio consists of plant-based burgers and sausages and is distributed in the United States and Canada.
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