In this excerpt from our Cold Corner Podcast, we go one-on-one with Nestlé’s Ryan Riddle about R&D strategies for plant-based foods.

Plant-based food brand Heura has made an in-kind donation to leading UK food charity Refettorio Felix to help provide nutritious plant-based meals to Londoners in need during January. The donation was made to celebrate Veganuary, the global challenge started in the United Kingdom that encourages people around the world to go vegan for the month of January. 400,000 people from 192 countries joined this initiative last year, and over one million people have taken part in the challenge since its inception. 

This month, many fitness enthusiasts are setting new wellness goals and adopting a more flexitarian diet. Silk, America’s No. 1 plant-based beverage brand, is here to help with Silk ULTRA, a NEW protein beverage with 20 grams of complete plant-based protein for muscle maintenance and repair.

Jimmy Dean, part of the Tyson Foods portfolio, is meeting the growing demand for meat alternative options with the launch of two new sandwiches featuring a plant-based patty: Jimmy Dean Plant-Based Patty, Egg & Cheese Croissant Sandwich and Jimmy Dean Delights Plant-Based Patty & Frittata Sandwich.

How Greenleaf Foods has evolved its Lightlife and Field Roast brands to stand out in a crowded plant-based foods category.

FiveStar Gourmet Foods is setting the trend by partnering with Beyond Meat to bring more salad protein choices to consumers. FiveStar, the nation’s premier salad brand, is introducing a new Simply Fresh Taco Salad made with Beyond Meat, featuring plant-based beef crumbles from Beyond Meat, a leader in plant-based meat. The new 7.5-oz complete salad recently debuted in Publix supermarkets. Available to retailers nationwide starting in January, the salad is just one of the many new product possibilities for the culinary giant.

As coffee lovers look for new ways to get the most out of their morning cup, natural bliss is introducing two plant-based creamers with functional benefits: Vanilla Flavored Creamer with Prebiotic Fiber, and Sweet Almond Flavored Creamer with Protein & MCT Oil. Each made with a simple blend of oat and almond milk – plus ingredients like inulin, pea protein and MCT oil – these creamers will make prioritizing your health easier than ever this new year.  

Heura, Europe’s fastest-growing plant-based meat brand, has withdrawn a provocative advertising campaign following legal action from the meat industry, which had taken initial measures to sue Heura after it launched a provocative campaign highlighting the pollution caused by the livestock industry entitled ‘One beef burger pollutes more than your car.’ The campaign quickly went viral, prompting major meat industry associations to sue the brand.

Califia Farms, an independently-owned, plant-based food and beverage company, is announcing national distribution for its new Plant Butters. The plant-based alternative to dairy butter is the first product outside the company's current beverage portfolio of plant-based milk, creamers, drinkable yogurts and cold brew coffee. Plant Butters are now available nationally at Whole Foods Market, Kroger, Stop & Shop, Target and other natural and major retailers.

Franklin Farms has entered a partnership with Purple Carrot, the 100% plant-based meal kit company. As a consumer brand and leading supplier of meatless offerings, Franklin Farms brings more than twenty years of expertise in plant-based protein foods and innovation to Purple Carrot’s meal kit offerings.