Future Food Quick Bites: Beyond x Starbucks, Alpro Matcha & Savoury Protein Shakes
Our weekly column rounds up the latest sustainable food innovation news. This week, Future Food Quick Bites covers Beyond Meat’s Starbucks return, Quorn’s ready-to-go bites, and a host of Indian alternative protein launches.
New products and launches
In response to scores of consumer requests, plant-based giant Beyond Meat has renewed its partnership with Starbucks in the UK, bringing back the Beyond Meat Breakfast Sandwich to the coffee chain’s menu, which features an egg-like tofu scramble and a slice of vegan cheese.
Danone-owned plant-based milk leader Alpro has become the latest to embrace the unstoppable matcha trend, unveiling a ready-to-drink, foamable coconut matcha SKU across Europe.
Meanwhile, Finnish alt-dairy startup Oddlygood has expanded its line of barista oat milks in the UK with three new flavours: hazelnut and nutty vanilla (each with no added sugars), and low-fat Delight. They will join its original barista edition at Sainsbury’s stores starting March 15.
To celebrate B Corp month, UK vegan meal kit startup Grubby has teamed up with Bold Bean Co, Sproud, Merchant Gourmet and Tracklements. It will introduce two new recipes each week with their products, including dishes like orzo e ceci with lemony cavolo nero, ‘nduja and corn chowder, and cheeseburger-loaded fries.
British cocoa-free chocolate maker Win-Win has signed a distribution deal with Dutch hospitality wholesaler Hanos, giving foodservice operators access to its 2.5kg bags of milk, white and dark chocolate alternatives.
Mycoprotein giant Quorn has launched Protein Bites in the UK, its first single-serve snack range. They will be available in 70g grab-and-go packs (with 15-16g of protein) and 40g food-to-go formats, each in two flavours, on the shelves of Sainsbury’s, Tesco and Morrisons.
In more mycoprotein news, Austrian startup Revo Foods has expanded to Ukraine, where its salmon fillet, black cod alternatives, and minced protein will be stocked at Silpo stores.
Mycelium innovation continues across the Atlantic, with US startup Prime Roots debuting its koji-based deli meats in Canada through a partnership with foodservice distributor Dot Foods.
In the US, Danone‘s plant-based milk brand Silk has collaborated with basketball star Monique Billings to create a custom smoothie with its high-protein soy milk for the Big Ten Conference.
At the Natural Products Expo West in Anaheim, California, Kay Dudley – one-half of influencer duo Kay & Tay Official – debuted Heynu with a flagship line of plant protein bars called Heybar. They come in chocolate-sea salt, oatmeal-chocolate chip, and lemon flavours, with 14-15g of protein and 6-7g of fibre per serving.
Also at Expo West, Remedy Organics unveiled Pro Power, a line of ready-to-drink plant protein shakes with 35g of protein and 6g of fibre per 12oz bottle. It’s available in chocolate, vanilla and strawberry flavours at leading retailers including Sprouts Farmers Market.
Speaking of which, Indian firm Not Rocket Science has introduced a new Plant Power line of ready-to-go protein shakes, which includes a Gazpacho, the country’s first savoury drink in this category.
Fellow Indian startup SuperYou, co-owned by Bollywood actor Ranveer Singh, is building on its yeast protein powder range with the launch of a vegan creatine monohydrate line, which is available in unflavoured, orange, and lemon flavours.
In more news from India, Shandi Global has expanded its plant protein chunks product, Chanza, to Gold’s Gym centres nationwide, following a rollout on the Singaporean company’s e-commerce platform, The Clean Source.
And after a successful debut in Singapore last year, Japanese food conglomerate Ajinomoto‘s Atlr.72 brand has relaunched its climate-friendly GRe:en Drop Coffee drinks with food tech startup Prefer‘s beanless coffee extender and Solar Foods‘s gas-derived Solein protein. The climate-friendly drinks are paired with three Solein-powered mochi creations at Ajinomoto’s Takashimaya pop-up from March 5-23.
Company and finance updates
French startup Nūmi, which is developing cultivated breast milk, has achieved a production milestone, reaching a 50-litre bioreactor scale in-house.
Danish food waste app Too Good To Go has appointed Chelsea Kerr as its new managing director for the UK and Ireland. She replaces Sophie Trueman, who moved to a global commercial director role in December.
Meanwhile, Swedish food tech startup Millow, which produces a mycelium and oat protein, has hired former Sodexo Nordic chief Fredrik Öhrn as its new CEO, and confirmed that founder Mohammad J Taherzadeh, a professor at the University of Borås, is joining the business full-time as CSO.
Research, policy and awards
The US Food and Drug Administration is holding a public meeting on dietary supplements, exploring new technologies to produce proteins, enzymes, and microbials, like precision fermentation and cell culture, and whether they fall under the framework of the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994.
Veganuary has released its 2026 campaign review, revealing that an estimated 30 million people participated in this year’s challenge (breaking the record set last year), with brands and restaurants launching 1,187 new products and menu items to coincide with the drive globally.
The Aspen Impact Foundation has announced its first cohort of grantees advancing local and regional food systems in Malaysia and the Philippines, partnering with Kongsi Co-operative, Zero Foodprint Asia, Saving Graze, and ARK.
Check out last week’s Future Food Quick Bites.