Plant-Based Partnerships and Regulatory Progress Drive Food
A weekly roundup highlights the mainstreaming of plant-based and fermented foods, featuring new product launches from Alpro-McDonald's and Leon-Fable Food
Plant-based dairy leader Alpro, owned by Danone, has extended its collaboration with McDonald's in Germany. The partnership offers an in-app coupon for the fast-food chain's iced strawberry matcha latte made with Alpro oat milk, alongside branded sports socks.
French startup Green Spot Technologies is supplying its Féveroat innovation, made from upcycled food waste under the Milatea brand, to dairy-free ice cream maker Sÿba. The resulting tonka, vanilla and straciatella flavour is available for foodservice in 120ml tubs.
UK restaurant chain Leon has teamed up with Australian mushroom innovator Fable Food to launch a new Love Burger. The burger features a shiitake mushroom patty with a signature sauce, vegan cheese, lettuce, tomato, and pickles.
British supermarket Sainsbury's has launched kid-friendly soy and oat milk under its private-label brand. These milks are fortified with calcium, iodine, iron, and vitamins A, D, B2, and B12, and are suitable for children aged one and above. The retailer's food-to-go section is also now stocking Tiba Tempeh's protein bites as part of a meal deal.
Retail and Foodservice Expansion
Vegan food influencer Giuseppe Federici is opening a plant-based tiramisu store called Giuseppe's Tiramisu at London's Boxpark Shoreditch. In the US, food tech startup Abbot's has partnered with Kroger to bring its plant-based beef mince and chorizo crumbles to several of the retailer's store banners.
Vegan seafood maker Oshi has gained a listing with Whole Foods Market, which will begin carrying its salmon and whitefish alternatives in the US in December. In Canada, plant-based dairy brand Earth's Own has rolled out protein-boosted oat and barista soy milks nationwide, delivering 3.2g of soy protein per 100ml.
South Korean budget airline Eastar Jet has introduced biodegradable containers for in-flight meals made from bamboo and sugarcane pulp. Singaporean startup Prefer has signed a distribution deal with Freemen Nutra Group for its bean-free coffee drinks, launching the partnership at the Vitafoods Asia trade show in Bangkok.
Market Growth and Brand Evolution
UK plant-based meat company This has reported significant sales growth over the last year. According to the source, its value sales rose by 19% in the last 12 months, 23% in the last 12 weeks, and 28% in the last four weeks compared to the same period in 2025.
| Time Period | Sales Growth |
|---|---|
| Last 12 months | 19% |
| Last 12 weeks | 23% |
| Last 4 weeks | 28% |
HappyVore is now France's best-selling plant-based meat brand. The source states its sales are twice as large as Nestlé's meat alternative business in the country, representing over a quarter of the market.
New Zealand's Andfoods has completed the first production run of its lentil-based whipping cream, demoed it in Singapore, and sold its sidestream to a CPG giant. Dutch startup Vegan Visboer has changed its name to Lou Foods to reflect a diversified portfolio beyond plant-based and blended meat products.
Regulatory and Industry Recognition
Israeli firm Amai Proteins has secured regulatory clearance in Israel for Sweelin, a precision-fermented sweet protein. This follows earlier approvals in Singapore and the US.
Australian precision fermentation startup Eden Brew has progressed in its regulatory application for animal-free beta-casein. Food Standards Australia New Zealand has found no public health or safety concerns and is considering consultation feedback, with approval potentially coming by January 2027.
US non-profit Vegan Hospitality, which works with hotels on plant-based dining, won a Gold Award in the International Centre for Responsible Tourism's Adapting to Climate Change category. Dutch startup Fooditive Group, which makes animal-free casein, is the only European finalist in New York state's $3M Grow-NY food and agriculture competition for 2026.
The regional government of Galicia in Spain has named alternative proteins and cultivated meat as areas for support under its €805M biotech strategy running until 2030. Finally, the Korea Food Research Institute has opened an online resource bank for companies to request microbial strains from traditional fermented foods like kimchi.
