The latest news, trends, analysis, interviews and podcasts from the global food and beverage industry

EU negotiators have agreed to go ahead with a ban on the use of animal-associated names for plant-based products, restricting 31 words in total including ‘chicken’ and ‘steak’.

Those Vegan Cowboys, a Belgian start-up specialising in precision fermented dairy, has celebrated record-breaking progress since launching its crowdfunding campaign last week.

M2 Ingredients has announced the launch of M2Brew, an ingredient solution engineered for mushroom coffee applications to ensure bioactive compounds survive the brewing process.

Bunge has completed its acquisition of International Flavors & Fragrances (IFF)’s soy protein concentrate, lecithin and crush businesses.

Urban Farm-Produce has unveiled Prepared Mane, its first range of ready-to-cook, organic lion’s mane mushroom products targeting the meat alternatives category.

Aqua Theon has secured a $13 million seed funding round, including $5 million directly invested into its marine plant-based drink brand, OoMee.

Beyond Meat has expanded its recently launched range of functional beverages, Beyond Immerse, with the addition of four new flavours.

US plant-based functional beverage brand Cure Hydration has added a new Peach Mango flavour to its electrolyte drink line-up.

Forager Project has expanded its Greek Style Yogurt line-up with four new single-serve flavours and a vanilla multi-serve tub, building on strong demand for its plant-based, high-protein products.

The new appointment comes as the foodtech firm looks to scale production of its plant-based fat system in Europe and compete directly with butter on cost.

On 11 February 2026, the Supreme Court handed down its decision in the long-running Dairy UK v Oatly AB case, unanimously dismissing Oatly’s appeal and finding that Oatly’s trade mark 'Post Milk Generation' was invalid.

The ingredient is positioned as a clean-tasting isolate that enables formulators to avoid flavour masking systems or processing aids