Adrianne DeLuca

Plant-based meat sales continue to trend downward for Beyond Meat during the second quarter, with revenue declining 1.6%. As a result , the company has cut back manufacturing costs and laid off approximately 4% of its workforce.

In this week’s Checkout: Whole Foods settles breach of contract suit with former dairy supplier with $15M payout, Del Monte acquires Kitchen Basics brand amid heightened soup sales, Naturally Network and NielsenIQ launch national fellowship to support minority CPG entrepreneurs and Tabasco and Instacart foray into fashion with new swag.

Vegan cheese has long been associated with highly-processed, non-fermented oil-starch-flavor concoctions. While artisan iterations have emerged within the category, they face a conundrum. What’s the role of these products, given that slices and shreds still lead sales in the category?

Despite a rising consumer interest (+40%) in meat, dairy and seafood alternatives, a new report released by the Food Industry Association (FMI) last week – titled The Power of Plant-based Food and Beverage – revealed that shoppers are still confused about what products are considered plant-based.

In this week’s Checkout: Giant Foods brings with circular waste platform Loop to D.C.-area stores; Stone’s Throw Foods announces its acquisition of Swapples; Morningstar Farms factory workers file to unionize; Shinsegae Foods invests $6 million into U.S. subsidiary Better Foods; and Ginkgo Bioworks and Bayer expand AgBio partnership.

Global food giant Kraft Heinz reported a 10% increase in organic net sales this quarter, despite retail volumes decreasing approximately 4%. During a call with investors this morning, CEO Miguel Patrico attributed the performance to three core pillars – GROW brands, Foodservice and Emerging Markets – “hitting on all cylinders.”

The protein-packed legume has roots that date back thousands of years and served as a key protein source for indigenous populations spanning from ancient Egypt to the Andes Mountains. So why is the CPG world now giving this ancient legume a second look?

Plant-based cheese maker formerly known as Conscious Cultures announced today it has dropped its former moniker in favor of the more “playful” name Bandit, in an attempt to better highlight its scrappy origin, said founder and CEO Bo Babaki.

Less than two years after its opening, organic frozen food company Amy’s Kitchen has shut down its production plant in San Jose, California according to multiple reports this week. Paperwork filed with the state indicates that manufacturing operations stopped on July 18, but the factory will not officially cease operations until September 16, eliminating 331 jobs.

In this week’s Checkout: Catalina publishes report on post-pandemic consumer trends, SPINS partners with Naturally Network, Talenti supports Black Food Folks fellowship for third year running and FDA issues a review of human foods programs.