Innovation

JPG Resources has acquired RodeoCPG’s Brooklyn-based R&D team allowing JPG to better serve brands in the Big Apple, while Rodeo pivots toward becoming a targeted, tech-forward sales management platform.

Grillo’s is taking Wahlburgers to court over pickles, a data company unveils its cattle carbon credits at the CES Convention, Jenny Craig launches a ready-made, meal delivery platform and precision fermentation company Liberation Labs closes seed funding round.

A new generation of coffee alternative brands are pitching themselves as the solution to coffee’s sustainability problems. Food tech operations say their processes and products use less land, less water and have a lower carbon footprint but still produces a cup that looks, smells and tastes like the real thing.

Regardless of what it’s called – plant-based, alternative, animal-free, fake meat – 2022 saw plenty of money and movement in the category of non-animal-derived protein. Check out the timeline for highlights from the emerging and tumultuous industry.

New label certifications, calls for transparency of environmental impact and innovative products targeting sustainability-minded and health-conscious consumers showed how shoppers prioritized CPG food in 2022.

In this week’s roundup of new products, Van Leeuwen pays homage to Netflix’s newly released movie Glass Onion and TiNDLE brings plant-based chicken tenders to foodservice.

The vegan cheese market has aged; enough so that conventional dairy cheese makers are looking to the category as an opportunity to innovate. But can these products help solidify the category’s long term growth?

Backed by $70 million in new growth capital, plant-based food and beverage company NotCo is aiming to build a business-to-business food technology platform “that operates like Coca Cola.”

Snack manufacturer Maine Crisp Company is eying new baked goods categories as it seeks to scale with the support of a new production facility, distribution gains, updated packaging and an expanded leadership team.

Plant-based, bee-free honey brand MeliBio announced the close of a $2.2 million capital raise last week, bringing the company’s total funding to over $9 million to-date.