Adrianne DeLuca

In this roundup: Home Chef expands business with new East Coast facility; Poppy raises $3M for handcrafted popcorn; Afresh expands to new areas of the store and Renegade Foods unveils shelf-stable vegan deli meat.

Gut health-focused snack bar brand BelliWelli announced this week it raised $15.4 million in a funding round that closed in January, led by New York-based private equity firm The Invus Group.

Plant-based food company Eat Just recently laid off about 40 of its over 300 employees, totaling 18% of its JUST Egg division. The California-based company’s cultured protein business, GOOD Meat, was not impacted.

A new study in the scientific journal Nature Medicine is drawing links between popular sweetener erythritol and blood clotting, stroke, heart attack and death.

In this week’s roundup: JBS fights BBB National Ad Division over net zero claims; Flower Foods completes acquisition of co-manufacturer Papa Pita; USDA appeals to WIC for updated guidelines and Red Lobster looks to CPG to salvage sales.

Glancing at the ingredient deck for plant-based proteins, you’re likely to find some familiar names, but there’s another ingredient that might soon be universal: konjac. The ancient root veggie found its way into alt-seafood despite not offering any protein content itself.

As Pop Up Grocer’s (PUG) business has evolved, its goal to merge spontaneous new product discovery and grocery shopping has remained at the forefront. On March 3, PUG will open the doors to its first, permanent home.

In this week’s roundup: Little Spoon expands with new Biteables lines; American Spice Trade Association believes spices and herbs earned healthy status; Kraft Heinz puts price increases on hold and Project Potluck doubles in size.

Vegan dairy brand Miyoko’s Creamery has seen its namesake, founder and CEO Miyoko Schinner, formally depart the company, according to an announcement from the brand today.

While hummus is an inherent part of the brand’s identity, Ithaca Hummus founder and CEO Chris Kirby doesn’t believe its first line extension – Fire Roasted Salsa – will be the source of too much consumer confusion.