The Checkout: Former NFL Player Sued For Promoting Nestle’s Plant-based Protein Brand; Laird Superfood Announces New CEO

Welcome to The Checkout: an express lane for the weekly news you need to know, always 10 items or less.

Former NFL Player Sued For Promoting Nestle’s Plant-based Protein Brand

The Texas Beef Council this week filed a lawsuit against former NFL-player-turned-celebrity-chef Eddie Jackson in Texas Southern District Court accusing him of a breach of contract after Jackson also announced a partnership with Nestle’s Sweet Earth brand to promote its plant-based Chik’n products. Jackson has been a partner of Beef Loving Texans, the consumer-facing brand of the Texas Beef Council, since 2020 and also serves as the brand’s Chief Recipe Office.

Jackson’s partnership with Beef Loving Texans was intended to increase the demand for beef and maintain its position as “the world’s most preferred and trusted protein,” the complaint states. Jackson, who also hosts multiple cooking shows on the Food Network, was tasked with developing beef-centric recipes with his initial partner.

However, in mid-January Sweet Earth announced its Veganuary sweepstakes competition accompanied by “meatless game day recipes” with Jackson as the face of the campaign.

“I couldn’t be more excited to work with Sweet Earth Foods to bring a new lineup of veggie-forward recipes to people’s game day tables this year,” said Jackson in a release announcing the Sweet Earth partnership. “Usually in January, people feel a sense of restriction, and we want to change that perception. This is all about savoring the plant-based upgrade, so it’s anything but a sacrifice.”

Jackson renewed his contract for another year with Beef Loving Texans in November which restricts him from partnering any competing protein-based foods, the suit claims. According to the complaint, Jackson’s team notified the Texas Beef Council of the new partnership, but Jackson’s team did not “respond or comply” to demands from the council to end the partnership.

Laird Superfood Announces New CEO and Business Update

Laird Superfood named Jason Vieth, former EVP of Sovos Brands, as the company’s new CEO. The announcement comes six months after the brand’s founder, Paul Hodge, resigned from the role of President and CEO. Vieth brings over two decades of executive level CPG experience and has held a range of executive-level positions at companies including Whitewave Foods and Poppi.

“Laird Superfood has developed a distinct and compelling food & beverage brand and its powerful omni-channel platform provides multiple pathways for delivering substantial long-term growth by reaching consumers everywhere that they shop,” said Vieth, in a press release. “I joined Laird Superfood because of the incredible potential of this company, and I look forward to working closely with this talented team to achieve that potential.”

Alongside this announcement, Vieth gave an update on the business and its earnings on a call with investors: the company’s Q4 net sales are expected to reach $9.4 million and full year sales are anticipated to hit about $36.8 million. He said his first priority as CEO is to expand the reach of Laird products, particularly the brand’s wholesale distribution. Vieth also stated that the company is working toward completing the integration and expanding its Picky Bars business which it acquired in May.

“[Jason’s] breadth of experience and impressive track record of leading high-growth CPG brands, particularly in the wholesale channel, will be a powerful accelerant to our digitally native brand,” said Geoffrey Barker, Chair of the Board of Directors, in a press release. “Paul Hodge, our founding CEO, built a remarkable brand and platform, and Jason’s strong operational background, experience with plant-based beverages and strategic mindset make him the ideal candidate to lead Laird Superfood and make it a nationally recognized brand.”

Zero Acre Farms Raises $37 Million

Food company Zero Acre Farms announced it raised $37 million during a Series A funding round co-led by Lowercarbon Capital and Fifty Years and included participation from S2G Ventures, Virgin Group, Collaborative Fund, Robert Downey Jr.’s FootPrint Coalition Ventures, and Chef Dan Barber, among others.

The company said it will use the capital to develop an alternative-vegetable oil product using fermentation technology and create “a new category of healthy oils and fats.” Zero Acre Farms said its mission is to reduce the environmental impact and increase the health benefits of vegetable oils and cited “record rates of deforestation and carbon emissions,” caused by vegetable oil crops such as soybean and palm oil.

“Fermentation is the original culinary art, after fire,” says co-founder and CEO Jeff Nobbs. “We use this ancient technique to produce oils and fats with significantly lower levels of the bad fats that have been linked to inflammation and disease while having a fraction of the environmental footprint. We’re proud to be the first company stepping up with the mission to completely remove industrial ‘vegetable’ oils from our food system.”

Food and Agriculture Organization also released its Food Price Index report this week, finding that vegetable oil prices rose 4.2% last month and are a driving factor behind global food price increases. The report highlights supply chain constraints around palm, soy, sunflower seed and rapeseed oil along with labor shortages and extreme weather conditions damaging crops and attributes these supply shortages as a primary cause for food price inflation.