Gerber launched a new line of plant-based baby foods to meet the growing demand from parents. Big Mountain Foods partnered with Prairie Fava and opened a 70,000-square-foot production facility as part of their commitment to lower their waste output. And Melt & Marble announced their latest creation – a non-animal fat that behaves just like beef fat!
Joey Thurman: Welcome to Talking Plant Protein. I'm Joey Thurman. And these are this week's trending topics. With the rise in demand for plant-based foods, parents are looking for healthier options for their kids. Leader in the child nutrition market, Gerber, is answering that demand. The brand announced the launch of their new Plant-tastic line late April, offering a range of pouches, snacks and meals made with nutrient dense plant-based ingredients. The release follows the company's 2021 announcement committing to carbon neutral foods. Parents can find the Plant-tastic line online at gerber.com and retailers nationwide. Family and female owned plant-based production company, Big Mountain Foods is putting in the work to reduce their carbon footprint after building a new 70,000 square foot, zero-waste manufacturing facility. In order to make this possible, the company spent six years in R&D on more sustainable products, partnered with fava bean company, Prairie Fava and invested $10 million in factory equipment.
Their upcycling process includes reusing all of their waste water and several byproducts in their products. Swedish food tech company Melt&marble, is using precision fermentation to create a non-animal fat with the same properties as beef fat, securing them a €5 million Series seed financing round. Their customized fat allows for ingredients delivering the flavor, melt and mouth feel of real animal fats, a potential game changer for plant-based meat applications. The company plans to use their new funding to scale up production and expand their team. From Talking Plant Protein, I'm Joey Thurman, and those are this week's trending topics.