News Roundup: The EVERY Co. and Alpha Foods Team Up to Develop ‘Next-Gen’ Alt-Meat; Oatly Hits a Home Run with MiLB

The EVERY Co. Teams Up with Alpha Foods to Develop ‘Next-Gen’ Alt-Meat

Food tech company The EVERY Co. and plant-based food brand Alpha Foods have entered a joint development agreement with the goal of accelerating improvements in the taste and texture of alternative meat products.

According to Alpha Foods – whose product portfolio includes alt-meat burritos, breakfast sandwiches, chicken nuggets, strips and crumbles, patties and meatballs – EVERY’s EggWhite offering is better at binding its vegan protein products and has been shown to create the textures and flavors desired in plant-based foods.

Founded as Clara Foods in 2015, The EVERY Co. began rolling out its animal-free pepsin, egg whites and egg proteins, which are made through precision fermentation, just last year. In February, the food tech company received an investment from actress Anne Hathaway as it prepares to scale its business.

“We’re thrilled to partner with Alpha Foods to work hand-in-hand to craft better-than-ever alt meat offerings, unlocking the mass potential of this category to drive the next generation of kinder consumer-favorite foods,” said EVERY Co. founder and CEO Arturo Elizondo in a press release.

Despite significant gains in recent years, mass-market adoption of plant-based meat remains limited by taste and texture, according to the Good Food Institute’s recent State of the Industry report. During a webinar earlier this week, GFI corporate engagement product manager Maille O’Donnell said taste “appears to be both a perception issue and a real shortcoming.”

In alt-meat products, EVERY and Alpha Foods claim, EVERY’s EggWhite brings out “next-level” gelation qualities that enables foods to more closely resemble their traditional counterparts without the use of synthetics or overly processed binding agents. Alpha Foods plans to utilize the product to create the “meatier” texture that consumers often find lacking in plant-based meat offerings.

Alpha had previously partnered with Zero Egg for a plant-based breakfast bowl.

“At Alpha Foods, we believe everyone, meat eaters and non-meat eaters alike, should be welcomed to enjoy their plant-based products without any ‘labels’ or judgment, savoring all the health and environmental benefits they provide” said Alpha Co-Founder and CEO Cole Orobetz in the release.

Oatly Hits a Homerun with MiLB

Oatly is loading the bases at 50 select Minor League Baseball (MiLB) stadiums across the U.S. and Canada with its frozen plant-based milk and plant-based, non-dairy dessert offerings. Additionally, the brand will have branding and media touchpoints across all 120 MiLB stadiums.

“We’re thrilled to partner with MiLB and for Oatly to play a greater role in an American institution like the Minor Leagues,” said Mike Messersmirth, president of Oatly North America, in a press release. “Our mission at Oatly is to make it easier for people to eat better and live healthier lives without heavily taxing the planet’s resources.”

As part of the partnership, a signature offering at the select MiLB concession stands will be Oatly’s non-dairy frozen dessert bars in Vanilla and Chocolate Fudge flavors. The deal will also feature product samplings and a content series.

The brand’s newly-inked deal with the MiLB builds on its existing partnerships in professional baseball, as its products are currently available at Yankee Stadium (home of the New York Yankees), Wrigley Field (home of the Chicago Cubs) and Globe Life Field (home of the Texas Rangers). According to the release, the MiLB partnership formed in collaboration with the commercial arm of Diamond Baseball Holdings, whose goal is to “create meaningful business partnerships to benefit all MiLB clubs.”

“This partnership enables us to elevate our concession menus in select stadiums with delicious plant-based frozen dessert items, something we know many of our fans are looking for to meet their dietary needs,” said Uzma Rawn, Major League Baseball SVP, Global Partnerships, in the release.

The MiLB isn’t the only sports league adding plant-based offerings to its menus – in October, Wicked Kitchen announced it would open its first sports venue concession stand at the Target Center in Minneapolis in partnership with the NBA’s Minnesota Timberwolves.

Tennessee Announces New Regulations for Hemp-Derived Cannabinoids

What may become Tennessee’s most substantive cannabis regulatory legislation to date has headed to Gov. Bill Lee’s desk to be signed into law.

House Bill 403/Senate Bill 378, which passed the full General Assembly, would create critical regulations on producing, selling and distributing products containing hemp-derived cannabinoids in The Volunteer State. Cultivate Tennessee, a coalition of industry leaders, helped garner support for the legislation.

“This is a huge step forward for Tennessee in terms of helping define the industry by creating needed safety, accountability and consumer protection guard rails,” said Volunteer Botanicals co-founder and Cultivate Tennessee board member Jason Pickle in a statement.

According to a press release from Cultivate Tennessee, the comprehensive bill would help the hemp industry grow by:

• Requiring a privilege tax of 6% of the sales price for the products, with revenue going to the state general fund
• Requiring that manufacturers and sellers obtain a license from the Department of Agriculture
• Requiring hemp-based cannabinoid products to be tested for safety and toxicity by an accredited laboratory
• Creating child-resistant effectiveness standards for cannabinoid products, as well as requiring label warnings, disclaimers and one-year expiration dates on all products
• Introducing new offenses for selling to or assisting someone under 21 to buy hemp-derived cannabinoids

“The common-sense requirements of this new bill will ensure that residents and resellers can feel comfortable with the safety and efficacy of help-derived products, as well as in the responsibility of the companies that produce them,” said Pickle in the release.

If passed, the Department of Agriculture will enforce the new provisions and report annually to the general assembly.

Mondelēz Announces 2023 CoLab Class

Mondelēz has announced the nine “deliciously disruptive” snack brands slated to participate in its third annual CoLab program.

Launched in 2021, the 12-week program consists of virtual curriculum, in-person workshops, customized problem solving and 1:1 mentorship, expertise from the company’s external network across venture, distribution, design and innovation and a final showcase during which brands present to key stakeholders. Additionally, each participating snack startup receives a $20,000 grant to support its business.

This year’s CoLab class includes tabletop chocolate maker CocoTerra, plant-based ice cream producer Dream Pops, on-the-go frozen cheesecake brand Freezecake, edible cutlery maker incrEDIBLE Eats, cookie brand Legally Addictive Foods, better-for-you bar producer Mezcla, vegetable and fruit-based wrap maker NewGem, Steiner’s Coffee Cake of New York and cookie dough bar brand Whoa Dough.

Past participants include brands such as Oat Haus, GoNanas, Moonshot and Wonder Monday.