Adrianne DeLuca

Canadian independent grocer Organic Garage has rebranded its parent company as ORAGIN Foods, stating that the change will clarify the goal of the publicly-traded business for shareholders as it works to build out an independent, M&A-driven CPG platform alongside the expansion of its retail division in Ontario.

Canadian quick-service restaurant chain Odd Burger is expanding its reach in the foodservice industry with the introduction of Preposterous Foods, a line of fast-food style plant-based proteins and dairy-free sauces.

In this People Moves: Alt-dairy company Kite Hill names Blair Cornish as SVP of Sales, Chris Lansing steps down as Nature’s Bakery CEO, Future Meat appoints Nicole Johnson-Hoffman as CEO; Planet Based Foods names new CFO and VP of Sales; and more.

With the introduction of a jerky-like Chicken Stick product line the Wisconsin-based startup, Ovation Foods, is attempting to use its proprietary beaded “whole egg” ingredient, Eggsentials, as the foundational piece of a new CPG platform.

In this week’s Checkout: instant coffee and tea maker Waka jumpstarts growth with pre-seed funding; California Cultured receives investment from food tech investment platform CULT Food Science Corp; Kodiak partners with Pro Athletes Joe Burrow, Travis Kelce, among others; and ice cream manufacturer recalls dozens of SKUs due to Listeria contamination.

Whether it’s for the good of the planet or for a specific health benefit, consumer demand for animal-free proteins continues to increase, according to food company ADM. Here are a few updates from the alt-protein market this week.

Plant-based meat maker No Evil Foods introduced a new look, updated its packaging and entered the alt-beef category this week with the launch of a line of vegan beef strips called “Best Life.” These changes arrive after a year of financial challenges for the North Carolina-based company.

In this distribution roundup: GummiShot enters brick-and-mortar retail with new partnerships; ZEGO rolls out specialty oat line nationwide; Chia Smash expands to Sprouts; Harmless Harvest reaches Canada and Rowdy Bar launches two flavors at Meijer.

In this week’s Checkout: Vital Proteins founder steps out of CEO role as former CRO takes the lead, IRI finds snack sales spike leading up to the Super Bowl, Sunbasket adds Fresh & Ready bowls to menu offerings and PepsiCo reports Q4 earnings.

Since introducing its Heat & Eat line in September and closing a $78 million capital raise in November, the company’s President and CEO, Linda Findley, said Blue Apron is now positioned to accelerate through the third prong of its growth plan: scaling marketing infrastructure.