The Week In Food Tech: Brave Robot Expands Product Lineup, Blue Tribe Launches Alt-Chicken In India

Just a few short years ago, it was unusual to get more than a handful of stories each week about meat analogues, dairy alternatives, and other alt foods. Nowadays, the opposite is true. In fact, there are so many developments in the alt-protein and food tech space we decided to create a weekly column that gathers all the various bits of news out there into one single place for easy reading. 

This week, Brave Robot goes from ice cream to cake mixes, Oatly tries its hand at upcycled clothing in the US, and India’s Blue Tribe launches plant-based meats in Jaipur.

US: Brave Robot expands product lineup to cake mixes

The Urgent Company’s Brave Robot brand, best known for its pints of dairy-free ice cream, is set to expand its product lineup with the Climate Hero Super Cake mix, a shelf-stable cake mix made with Perfect Day’s animal-free milk protein. Customers can order the mix via the Brave Robot website at $18 for 1 bag or $36 for 3, inclusive of shipping. 

UK: London gets another KFC-inspired vegan chicken restaurant

Brighton, UK-based restaurant brand Really Happy Chicken has opened its second shop in London, this latest being at Waterloo pub Vaulty Towers. Really Happy Chicken features KFC-inspired dishes made with 100% vegan ingredients, including Mac n Cheese, Kentucky popcorn, and, of course, chicken. 

Chile: Food expert Dr. James Marsden joins The Live Green Co.’s board

Food industry veteran Dr. James Marsden has joined the board of Chilean alt-protien startup The Live Green Co. Dr. Marsden brings his expertise in biosecurity, food safety, public health, processed meat technology, and many other areas to the company, which uses biotech, machine learning, and plant-based ingredients to find natural replacements to animal protein.

US: Oatly pilots an upcycled clothing program

Oatmilk heavyweight Oatly is helping raise awareness about the environmental dangers of fast fashion through its new program, ReRuns. Working in partnership with rising female artists, the company revamped multiple t-shirts and vintage denim jackets already in circulation. All proceeds go to The Lower East Side Girls Club.

Canada: Eat Just’s pourable egg analogue heads to Canada

Eat Just’s pourable JUST Egg product is heading to Canadian retail stores like Loblaws, Metro, Walmart, and Whole Foods. The product, a liquid, plant-based egg analogue that’s been hugely popular in the US, uses mung-bean protein as its key ingredient. It’s Canadian launch follows the release of Eat Just’s folded egg product at retailers earlier this year. 

The Netherlands: The Protein Brewery builds large-scale demonstration plant

The plant will be used to scale up the company’s Fermotein® brewing process in the factory, which is slated to be 1,500 square meters and with a production capacity of “thousands of tons per year,” according to a press release. The Protein Brewery says its first commercial-scale plant-based proteins will roll off the production line in late 2022.

US: Plant Power Fast Food heads to Vegas

California-based vegan restaurant chain Plant Powered Fast Food just opened a new flagship store in Las Vegas, Nevada. This is the brand’s first location outside of California, and will include traditional counter service, self-order kiosks, and a drive-thru late. Plant Powered Fast Food offers vegan takes on traditional QSR fare like burgers, fries, and shakes.

India: Blue Tribe launches alt-chicken products to Jaipur residents

Food tech company Blue Tribe is set to launch its plant-based Chicken Nuggets and Chicken Keema products to the public in Jaipur. The company already has products available to residents of several other cities in India, including Delhi, Mumbai, Pune, Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, and Kochi. Products can be purchased through the Blue Tribe website.

US: vKind planning a travel show about the vegan lifestyle

Vegan-focused online platform vKind will debut the first episode of its vKind Vibes in December. The show is a travel series that promotes the vegan/plant-based lifestyle and aims to break through stereotypes about who vegans are and how they live. The debut episode will explore the city of Los Angeles. 

US: Field Roast readies national launch at Whole Foods Stores

Chicago, Illinois-based Field Roast, owned by Greenleaf Foods, plans to bring its Field Roast Plant-Based Pepperoni and Chao Creamery Creamy Original Shreds to Whole Foods stores around the US. Both products are 100% plant-based and dairy free.

Taiwan: Vegefarm to expand to Europe, Middle East

Taipei, Taiwan-based Vegefarm plans to expand availability of its plant-baed food products to the European and Middle Eastern markets. The 25-year-old company currently exports to North and Central America as well as Southeast Asia, and has over 300 kinds of vegetarian and vegan products. 

Lead image courtesy of Brave Robot.