Future Food Quick Bites: Beyond Chicken, Mini Babybel & Shake Shack
Our weekly column rounds up the latest sustainable food innovation news. This week, Future Food Quick Bites covers Beyond Meat’s new chicken products, Upside Foods’s cultivated meat tasting, and Shake Shack’s vegan menu.
New products and launches
Beyond Meat has launched two new flavours of its vegan chicken pieces, Lemon & Herb and Spicy Buffalo, which are available for a limited time on its Beyond Test Kitchen platform.
Cultivated meat pioneer Upside Foods held tastings for its chicken as part of sliders and tacos at the NYU Stern School of Business.
US vegan shrimp producer Bayou Best Foods has expanded nationwide, securing listings with Sysco, US Foods and Performance Food Group, three of the largest foodservice distributors in the country.
Clean-label dairy alternative brand Malk Organics has introduced a new line of coconut-based coffee creamers in unsweetened, vanilla, and sweet cream flavours. They’re available at Alberstons for $6.99 per 16oz bottle, with expansion into Sprouts, Target, and Whole Foods planned for early 2026.
Finnish gas protein startup Solar Foods has received yet another order for its Solein ingredient from the US, with nutrition brand Ambrosia Collective aiming to launch a ready-to-mix protein powder during Q1 2026.
Speaking of seafood, Estonia’s Mati Foods has unveiled whole-muscle Fishless Fillets made from mycoprotein. They can be found at Prisma and Coop stores.
Dairy giant Bel Group has launched a dairy-free version of its snacking cheese, Mini Babybel, which is available in classic and smoky barbecue flavours in French supermarkets.
Fellow French company La Vie, a leader in the national plant-based meat category, has debuted vegan sliced sausages in original and pepper flavours at Carrefour.
In the UK, Shake Shack has introduced a new plant-based Crispy Shallot menu, which features a vegan burger, shallot fries, cauliflower bites, brownie batter shake, and cherry lime lemonade. It’s running until February 25, and can be found at all its sites.
British plant-based meat maker Meatless Farm has redeveloped its Signature Burger, which now has a superior flavour, juicier bite, and improved texture. It is being introduced at Sainsbury’s, alongside the launch of its new Crispy Nuggets at Asda.
UK vegan brand Gosh! has partnered with Urban Eat. to roll out a new Falafel & Houmous Wrap and a Falafel, Lettuce and Tomato sandwich.
After the initial rollout of its precision-fermented New Milk, Israel’s Remilk has announced its plan to expand the product’s footprint into all major retailers in the country.
And South Korea’s Daddy Food has launched Congpam, a clean-label plant-based ham with 50% less sodium than Spam.
Company and policy developments
Beyond Meat has appointed Tony Kalajian as its new chief accounting officer, following the departure of Yi Luo last month.
In honour of Veganuary, British supermarket Tesco is offering a 20% discount on all chilled plant-based foods until January 27, spanning 190 product lines across all its large stores.
US mycelium meat maker Meati Foods‘s facility in Thornton, Colorado has been seized by the Adams County sheriff over the non-payment of nearly $7M in property taxes, capping off a torrid few months for the company.
Amy’s Drive Thru, the fast-food arm of meat-free company Amy’s Kitchen, is closing its final location in Rohnert Park, Sonoma County.
Dairy-free formula maker Else Nutrition plans to relaunch its Canadian business this year, following a decline in revenue last year due to temporary out-of-stock conditions and reduced marketing investment.
Dutch alternative fat startup Time-Travelling Milkman, meanwhile, is on the hunt for a new CEO to help the company scale commercially and gear up for its next investment round.
Germany’s Planethic Group (formerly Veganz Group) has extended its supply agreement with Jindilli Beverages, which has committed to purchasing a minimum of 10 million litres of the former’s Mililk line of plant-based milk products during the first full year of operations of its upcoming facility. This will rise to 50 million litres in the second year.
Finally, Future Ocean Foods, an association of alternative seafood companies, is eyeing an acquisition, with founder Melissa Bronfman looking for new leadership for the network of 50+ companies.
Check out last week’s Future Food Quick Bites.