The Checkout: GoPuff Launches Pizza Brand; Evo Foods and Ginkgo Bioworks Team Up On Animal-free Egg

GoPuff Launches Pizza Brand Through Kitchen Platform

E-commerce delivery platform GoPuff announced the launch of its new prepared food brand, The Mean Tomato, marking the first expansion of its prepared set since the company first opened Gopuff Kitchen in July. The kitchens operate within, or adjacent to, Gopuff’s micro-fulfillment centers meaning orders are delivered in the same under 30-minutes window offered by its flagship platform.

The Mean Tomato will offer “NYC-style pizzas with unexpected flavor combinations” including co-branded products with TRUFF and Mike’s Hot Honey. Additionally, the brand will offer bacon and cheddar tater tots and chocolate and caramel waffles, according to the release, with additional menu items to be added later this year.

“As a customer-first tech company, we are the best at delivering bold and unexpected experiences that we know our customers will love,” said Daniel Folkman, SVP of Business at Gopuff, in a press release. “Gopuff Kitchen’s success has shown that high-quality, Gopuff-made fresh products have immense staying power with our customers.”

Alongside the announcement, Gopuff has ramped up the leadership team for its Kitchens platform naming Amelia Riba as VP of Gopuff Kitchens (former Pizza Hut Chief Brand Officer) and Alan Morgan as Director of Culinary (former Culinary Director at Whole Foods). The new leadership will be focused on developing new menu items and refining the production and delivery process to ensure “consistency, quality and an overall experience rivaling consumers’ favorite establishments,” according to the release.

“This is an exciting new category for Gopuff with great potential – we’re just beginning to test the waters in terms of what we can do in the fresh, made-to-order food space with instant delivery,” said Amelia Riba, Vice President of Gopuff Kitchens, in a press release. “Gopuff Kitchen’s will continue to expand its menu by launching new brands, providing more opportunities for customers to enjoy new experiences with Gopuff time and time again.”

Evo Foods and Ginkgo Bioworks Team Up to Develop Animal-Free Egg Products

Consumer packaged goods company Evo Foods announced it has partnered with Ginkgo Bioworks, a biotech company specializing in cell development, to develop a method for producing animal-free egg proteins for use in Evo’s products.

Founded in 2020, Evo’s goal is to end animal agriculture by leveraging India’s crop biodiversity to create alternative options to animal-derived products . Through its new collaboration with Gingko, the company hopes to create next-generation egg substitutes with improved texture, taste and cooking properties.

“As consumers and food brands alike call for more sustainable food options, we are excited to collaborate with Gingko to pioneer a new class of animal-free ingredients,” Evo Foods CEO, Kartik Dixit, said in a statement. “Evo is committed to playing a part in feeding our ever-growing world, and this partnership will support us as we develop next-generation products in this market.”

For this project, Evo Foods will use Gingko’s Cell Development Kits, which are designed to cut the cost of launching a cell program and speed up development timelines to build engineered proteins.

“Gingko is always looking for new ways to help developers solve massive societal challenges through the use of biology, and partnering with Evo Foods to create more sustainable food is the perfect opportunity,” said Jason Kelly, CEO and founder of Gingko Bioworks.

Ben & Jerry’s Launches Pilot Program to Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions 

Ice cream maker Ben & Jerry’s announced this week its new pilot program, dubbed “Project Mootopia,” which is designed to minimize the company’s contributions to climate change. According to the company, dairy ingredients account for 50% of Ben & Jerry’s greenhouse gas emissions, so it is implementing the program on 15 of its dairy farms to reduce its carbon footprint.

As part of the initiative, Ben & Jerry’s received $9.3 million to prove and scale regenerative practices on dairy farms from the Climate and Nature Fund of Unilever, its parent corporation. The company plans to use the funding to address enteric emissions by managing methane-producing cow burps, managing manure with methane reduction technology and using regenerative practices to grow more grass and other feed crops.

“This approach to dairy farming could be a game changer,” said Jenna Evans, global sustainability manager for Ben & Jerry’s. “It has the potential to make a meaningful reduction to its emissions on dairy farms to help fight the worst effects of climate change. All of us, especially businesses, must take action before it’s too late and the climate crisis makes our world uninhabitable.”

The 15 participating dairy farms will be split between members of the Dairy Farmers of America cooperative in the U.S. CONO Kaasmakers in the Netherlands, according to the company. Through the initiative, Ben & Jerry’s hopes to reduce greenhouse gas emissions on these farms to half of the industry average by the end of 2024.

FDA Announces Plan to Improve Supply of Infant and Specialty Formula Products

This week the FDA outlined the steps it is taking to improve the supply of infant and specialty formula products following the voluntary recall of several infant formula products produced at the Abbott Nutrition’s Sturgis, Michigan facility in April.

Through the multi-step plan, the FDA aims to expedite the review of manufacturing changes to increase supply; use the agency’s 21 Forward food supply chain continuity system to monitor the status of formula supply; and expedite certifications to allow already permitted products from abroad in the U.S. These steps are intended to increase formula supply at both the regional and national levels.

“We recognize that many consumers have been unable to access infant formula and critical medical foods they are accustomed to using and are frustrated by their ability to do so. We are doing everything in our power to ensure there is adequate product available where and when they need it,” Robert M. Callif, commissioner of the FDA, said in a press release.

At the heart of the plan is an emphasis on increasing the national formula supply and ensuring production can safely resume at Abbott Nutrition’s Sturgis facility. To achieve these goals, the FDA has also established an Incident Management Group to coordinate longer-term activities.

“Ensuring the availability of safe, sole-source nutrition products like infant formula is of the utmost importance to the FDA. Our teams have been working tirelessly to address and alleviate supply issues and will continue doing everything within our authority to ensure the production of safe infant formula products,” said Callif.

Kraft Heinz Looks To Develop Paper-based Ketchup Bottle

Heinz ketchup is looking to ditch its plastic bottles, announcing this week it has partnered with sustainable packaging tech company Pulpex to develop a paper-based, recyclable bottle made entirely from sustainably-sourced wood pulp.

“Packaging waste is an industry-wide challenge that we must all do our part to address,” said Miguel Patricio, Kraft Heinz CEO, in a press release. “That is why we are committed to taking steps to explore sustainable packaging solutions across our brands at Kraft Heinz, offering consumers more choices.”

The companies are currently in the process of creating a prototype which will then go through performance testing before it is tested with consumers and brought to market.