Innovation

While scale may be a near-term limitation to the success of alt-proteins, marketing to mainstream consumers remains the category’s most significant roadblock to achieving the its stated missions.

GOOD Meat Inc. has received the go-ahead from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to begin producing its cell-cultivated chicken product stateside.

As more Americans continue to work from home and look to cut extraneous expenses — say, a stop at the juice bar on the way to the gym — lockdown-era habits have entrenched themselves into consumer routines. In turn, many frozen fruit producers have embraced smoothie kits, with some innovative brands managing to outpace the category and maintain strong growth despite the headwinds facing the CPG industry today.

After bringing in $31 million in financing over the past year, Chinese food brand Xiao Chi Jie (XCJ) is preparing for its retail debut, beginning with a new name: MiLa.

Glancing at the ingredient deck for plant-based proteins, you’re likely to find some familiar names, but there’s another ingredient that might soon be universal: konjac. The ancient root veggie found its way into alt-seafood despite not offering any protein content itself.

Looking to meet demand for clean label sports nutrition products, Boston-based food innovation lab Chew announced this month the launch of its first in-house brand, Fastfood.

In this week’s roundup: Little Spoon expands with new Biteables lines; American Spice Trade Association believes spices and herbs earned healthy status; Kraft Heinz puts price increases on hold and Project Potluck doubles in size.

While hummus is an inherent part of the brand’s identity, Ithaca Hummus founder and CEO Chris Kirby doesn’t believe its first line extension – Fire Roasted Salsa – will be the source of too much consumer confusion.

Cell-cultivated protein companies appear to be locked in a race to build commercial-scale production plants, even as the industry awaits full regulatory approval from both the FDA and the USDA, reflecting the long and complex road towards widespread commercialization and price-parity with conventional meat and seafood.

Less than a year after it bought out its former investment partner, the company is rapidly scaling operations, introducing fresh innovation and entering new channels as it projects to grow sales 5x this year.