The startup’s vegan chicken debuted globally back in March 2021. It features a blend of soy, wheat, and gluten, and the distinctive taste of traditional chicken is made possible by Tindle’s proprietary plant-based fat, Lipi.

“Tindle is a fantastic example of how the food choices we make can create positive change for our planet—without sacrificing amazing flavor or any of the memories created around the dinner table,” said Zimmern. “Tindle’s ability to mirror the flavor, aroma and texture of chicken and take center stage in any dish is remarkable and makes it a true stand out among plant-based companies.”

In addition to Zimmern, Tindle’s plant-based chicken has received praise from a slew of chefs, including Rocco DiSpirito and Chad Rosenthal. 

According to the company, its plant-based chicken is the first to be “created specifically by chefs and for chefs.” The company now works with nearly 110 chefs and its vegan chicken is on the menus of more than 400 restaurants around the world.

Andrew Zimmern embraces vegan meat

In addition to his new role as Tindle’s culinary advisor, Zimmern is embracing plant-based meat in his personal life as well.

In an interview with Fast Company, the television personality revealed he was cutting back on his meat intake in order to reduce his environmental footprint. “We can’t take the horse and buggy back, we can’t take fossil fuels back, but we’re smart enough to make a difference,” he said.

A 2021 study published in Nature Food found that factory farming accounts for 60 percent of the food sector’s greenhouse gas emissions. Moreover, meat production causes ​​twice the amount of pollution than that of plant-based foods.

Zimmern’s joining of Tindle’s advisory board is a sign of its burgeoning success. The company has been steadily gaining momentum in the world of vegan meat. Since its debut, it’s become popular in a number of countries, including Singapore, Hong Kong, Dubai, and Amsterdam.

It recently raked in $100 million in Series A funding, bringing the startup’s total funding to more than $130 million. And in February, the company expanded into the US, launching its plant-based chicken in restaurants across the country.

The restaurant is a collaboration between the company’s co-founders, serial entrepreneur Pat McAuley, vegan investor Sebastiano Cossia Castiglioni, and head chef Mary Dumont, in partnership with celebrity vegan chef Mathew Kenney.

Created to make plant-based food more appealing and accessible to everyday sports fans of all kinds, the new PlantPub will serve burgers, Buffalo cauliflower wings, nachos, and pizza. This location will also include beloved New England desserts like Boston cream pie and sundaes.

PlantPub’s new branch is over five times the size of the original location, which launched in Cambridge last year, at 8,000 square feet. It can seat nearly 300 people and Dumont told the Boston Globe that having access to a bigger kitchen means she can create more new menu items, including vegan hot dogs “with all the toppings.”

PlantPub Boston: the largest vegan sports bar in the world

In addition to launching a plant-based take on the iconic “Fenway Frank” hotdog, PlantPub will serve a range of alcoholic and non-alcoholic craft beers and cocktails, all from New England-based brewers and producers.

“We are mimicking all of the flavors that people know and love in a complete plant-based form,” says Dumont. “We have an opportunity to expose so many people to a new way of eating that is becoming more and more mainstream.”

Kenney’s partnership came about as he had already signed a lease on the former Boston BeerWorks building, then decided to collaborate rather than “create a new concept.” He is now also a partner in the Cambridge location, and they plan to expand to other cities in the future.

“I loved what they were doing—the product, the brand… It just seemed like a perfect fit,” says Kenney. “Fenway is ground zero in Boston and we couldn’t think of a better location to showcase the fact that plant-based cuisine can be really crave-able and fulfilling and satisfying.”

The celebrity chef now owns or operates 60 different restaurants worldwide and has authored over a dozen cookbooks. Kenney is known for his pioneering of plant-based cuisine in the mainstream. He debuted a new, sustainable, fully vegan restaurant at Selfridges earlier this year.

McAuley described partnering with Kenney as a “dream,” adding that “he is the leader in the plant-based culinary world… He has blazed a path for everybody else.”

It’s the first product from the companies’ joint venture, “PLANeT Partnership,” and will be available in stores nationwide by the end of March.

The Beyond Meat jerky is “marinated and slow-roasted,” available in three different sized packs, and comes in three different flavors: Original, Hot & Spicy, and Teriyaki. Each serving contains 10g of protein per serving, but no cholesterol, no soy, and no GMOs.

“We are thrilled to introduce the first product from […] our joint venture with Beyond Meat and PepsiCo,” says Dan Moisan, CEO of PLANeT Partnership. “The nationwide launch of Beyond Meat Jerky will make plant-based meat accessible to millions of households.”

Moisan adds: “It tastes great, it’s a good source of protein, and it’s convenient to eat whether you’re on the go, at the office, or out on adventures.”

The first glimpse of Beyond Meat vegan jerky

Blogger Amber Criste first leaked the new product in a video shared to YouTube back in January, where she described the Beyond Meat x PepsiCo vegan jerky as “good” and very close to beef.

“It’s one of those things where it’s like ‘maybe this tastes a little too real, can I handle this,’ but it’s nice and kind of spicy, and really chewy,” says Criste in her video.

PepsiCo and Beyond Meat first announced their PLANeT Partnership collaboration one year ago with a view to “develop, produce and market” innovative snacks and beverages made with plant-based protein. PepsiCo is one of the single largest companies in the world by market value, while California’s Beyond Meat is a leading brand in the plant-based meat industry.

In a release published in January 2021, PepsiCo’s Chief Commercial Officer Ram Krishnan said: “Plant-based proteins represent an exciting growth opportunity for us, a new frontier in our efforts to build a more sustainable food system and be a positive force for people and the planet.”

Beyond Meat and Pepsi join the vegan jerky market

It’s worth noting that, despite PepsiCo’s relative progressiveness when compared to rivals such as Coca Cola, activists and advocates have repeatedly criticized the company for its poor working conditions. (U.S. workers were striking as recently as last summer.)

Pepsi’s astronomical environmental impact, which includes everything from deforestation in the supply chain to its excessive water useage, has also come under close scrutiny. 

Overall, PepsiCo’s 2019 carbon footprint was almost 60 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent, and the company was recently named one of the world’s top plastic polluters for the fourth year in a row alongside Coca-Cola and Unilever.

Learn more about PepsiCo’s plans for carbon neutrality—and if they go far enough—here.

Big companies embrace vegan pop-ups

Cadbury’s move is bold, but it isn’t unique. More and more, big companies are seeing the benefits in heavily promoting their vegan options.

Just last week in London, Burger King opened its second fully plant-based location. (The first was in Madrid.) Just like Cadbury, the vegan location is opening for a limited time. The menu includes more than 15 meatless burgers and Whoppers.

“The limited-edition menu is a direct result of our focus on vegan and plant-based innovation and goes hand in hand with our target of a 50% meat-free menu by 2030,” said Katy Evans from Burger King UK. “It absolutely delivers on big taste with no compromises.”

While not vegan, McDonald’s recently decided to respond to the UK’s demand for more sustainable options by opening its first net-zero emissions restaurant in Shropshire. The new spot includes chairs made from recycled plastic bottles and a drive-thru made from old tires. At the time of the launch, Beth Hart, a spokesperson for the fast-food chain, implied that more plant-based options could be on the way.

Cadbury’s vegan pop-up will be open for five days, starting from March 22.

The move represents the chain’s overall goal to reduce its environmental footprint and to become “resource positive” in the coming years. Its launch coincides with the retirement of current CEO Kevin Johnson, announced earlier today, who has spearheaded many of the company’s recent eco-conscious pledges.

Starbucks now plans to make every store in the US and Canada reusable cup-friendly—including at drive-thrus and for mobile orders—by encouraging customers to bring their own. If required, Starbucks will provide a “Borrow Cup” for a $1 deposit, and plans to also introduce similar programs in Japan, Singapore, and the UK. (The UK’s Boston Tea Party chain of stores has already introduced a similar “Ecoffee” cup system with great success, despite some brief, initial pushback from single-use devotees.)

Starbucks UK already charges 5p for a single-use cup and even offers a 25p discount for customers who supply their own reusable container. As with many cafes, the company temporarily paused the use of “keep-cups” in response to hygiene and COVID-19 concerns.

Starbucks ditches single-use cups

Starbucks announced the new-and-improved reusable cup initiative ahead of its upcoming annual shareholder meeting in order to reinforce its broader environmental goals and pledges of sustainability, specifically a 50 percent reduction in overall waste by 2030.

As part of this announcement, Starbucks has also debuted the new Partner Waste Recycling App, designed to help employees navigate each store and area’s recycling guidelines.

“We have a bold long-term sustainability vision and ambitious goals for 2030,” said Johnson. “Starbucks partners around the world are passionate about protecting our planet and are at the very center of driving the innovation that enables us to give more than we take.”

Starbucks remains the single largest international coffee chain with more than 32,000 stores worldwide. It sells several billion beverages every year, 98.7 percent of which baristas serve in single-use, disposable cups. The vast majority of these are then not disposed of properly.

In 2018, Starbucks produced 868 kilotons—twice the weight of the Empire State building—of waste, including single-use cups. The same year, it used one billion cubic meters of water and produced 16 million tons of greenhouse gases.

Starbucks and sustainability

The majority of Starbucks’s environmental footprint comes from its reliance on meat and dairy products, both of which are resource-intensive, inefficient, and high-impact. However, the company is increasingly incorporating plant-based foods and beverages into its supply chain in order to counter this.

Starbucks also plans to “expand its roster of renewable energy and decarbonization projects” in the coming years. For example, today’s announcement also includes an upcoming pilot program between Starbucks and car manufacturer Volvo to promote and facilitate electric vehicles. By the end of 2022, up to 15 Volvo-branded EV chargers (powered by ChargePoint) will be placed at Starbucks stores along the 1,350-mile route between Denver and Seattle.

Ready access to vehicle charging stations is just one of the obstacles preventing people from embracing electric cars, as is the time they take to “refuel.” (According to Volvo, its electric cars can go from 20 percent charged to 90 percent in 40 minutes.) Building charge points roughly every 100 miles along this route will support both travelers and local residents.

By building its own infrastructure, Starbucks will be able to encourage reduced-impact transportation and potentially gain new customers in the form of waiting motorists. The company is not alone in recognizing this unique opportunity in a changing industry, and Taco Bell recently installed six new charging points at a San Francisco restaurant.

Amazon Fresh responds to more demand for vegan meat options

“Despite use of plant-based meat-alternative or dairy-alternative products being highest among those following vegan, vegetarian, or pescatarian diets, omnivores and flexitarians make up the lion’s share of consumers who eat these products due to their sheer numbers,” said Jennifer Mapes-Christ, a food and beverage publisher for Packaged Facts, when the report was published.

She added: “This reveals that both the current and addressable market for plant-based products depends on omnivores and flexitarians using more of these products.”

Amazon Fresh is by no means alone in responding to this demand. From Burger King to IHOP to Kroger, plant-based items are becoming the norm. Recently, the latter, which is the US’s biggest supermarket chain, revealed it was working with plant-based meat giant Impossible Foods to develop new products for its Home Chef brand.

According to Amazon Fresh, its new plant-based range is already receiving rave reviews. To celebrate the launch, it’s offering all of its new meat alternatives at 20 percent off for the rest of the month.

Parent company Diageo just announced the start of a three-year pilot program to cut carbon emissions emitted during the production of Guinness by changing the way its primary ingredient, barley, is farmed. The project aims to partner with at least 40 farms across Ireland, employing regenerative agricultural techniques throughout the coming season.

Guinness is one of the most recognizable beverages in the world, thanks to its dark pour, cream-colored foam, and distinctive, almost chocolatey flavor. It uses approximately 130,000 tons of barley per year to brew its Irish dry stout, and Diageo predicts that almost all of the grain produced during the pilot period will be used for Guinness alone.

The company notes that the new program will drive “positive outcomes,” for the environment, for the agricultural workers it partners with, and for the industry at large.

“This pilot is the first such program being implemented by Diageo and the outcomes will help inform other potential opportunities, not just in Ireland, but in other countries where we source raw materials,” says Diageo Europe President John Kennedy. “We are only 263 years into our 9,000-year lease and we will never settle in pursuit of a more sustainable future.”

‘Regenerative agriculture leads to much better outcomes’

So what is regenerative agriculture? This is a catch-all term that can be used to describe everything from increased crop diversity to no-till farming. Overall, “regenerative” refers to farming practices that benefit the soil, crops, the ecosystem, and the planet.

These techniques are typically employed holistically to work in conjunction with the needs of the natural environment, rather than in opposition to them—as is all-too-often often the case within large-scale commercial operations and mainstream, monoculture farming.

In this instance, Diageo’s specific goals include enhanced biodiversity, reduction in synthetic fertilizers, enhanced water quality, soil health improvements, increased carbon sequestration; and improved farmer livelihoods. (Regenerative practices are generally thought to be more profitable, better for the longevity of the land, and more cost-effective for farmers overall.)

“The great thing about regenerative agriculture is the simplicity of the approach. It’s not a complicated process—it works in harmony with nature whilst providing a commercial benefit for farmers,” explains Walter Furlong Junior, one of the agricultural workers involved in the pilot. “It is a highly effective approach that leads to much better outcomes.”

Guinness embraces sustainability

Cutting out synthetic fertilizers alone will be a significant step towards achieving all of Diageo’s goals above. Studies show that many artificial pesticides produce emissions, harm wildlife, harm the soil, and create additional expenses for the farmers themselves.

But in the second phase of the project, Diageo is also considering the planting of hedgerows—a proven boon for ecosystems—to further boost carbon sequestration and biodiversity. The company hopes that many more farmers will choose to take part following the conclusion of the pilot program around April 2023, when the sowing process is complete.

This commitment to emphasize sustainability is part of Diageo’s ongoing 10-year action plan, which aims to achieve net-zero carbon emissions across all direct operations and a 50 percent reduction in scope 3 emissions, both by 2030.

As of 2017, all varieties of Guinness have been free from isinglass (a filtering ingredient derived from fish swim bladders), and are therefore vegan-friendly. In 2019, the Irish stout brand announced the removal of unnecessary plastic packaging in the particularly dangerous form of six-pack “yokes.” (Learn more about plastic waste and the environment here.)

Most recently, the brand introduced its first zero emission “Guinness Quality” vans, which it will be rolling out this summer. Guinness simultaneously revealed plans to make 70 percent of its fleet zero emissions by 2025 and 100 percent by 2030.

In the US, the Swedish furniture giant has launched plant-based chicken nuggets as part of a Kids Meal, served with broccoli. In the UK, IKEA updated its menu with plant-based chicken strips, available as part of the Chickenless Strip Meal with fries and a drink.

While IKEA typically produces its own alternative proteins, the company worked with unnamed foodservice partners on the vegan chicken.

IKEA’s introduction of new plant-based menu items is nothing new. Speaking at the pre-event for the UN Food Systems Summit in 2021, representatives announced that 50 percent of its main restaurant meals will be vegan by 2025 in order to improve on sustainability.

In addition to offering more vegan options, IKEA will also ensure 80 percent of its meals are free from red meat by the same date. Furthermore, 80 percent of packaged foods will be plant-based.

“We have already made significant progress towards having more plant-based and non-red meat meals in our restaurants’ global range,” said an IKEA spokesperson at the time. “We know we need to make significantly more progress in terms of a healthier range in global, regional, and market-specific offers.”

From a global perspective, this will mean adding more plant-based ingredients in main meal plates and IKEA’s packaged food. But the company will also evaluate its offers on a regional and local level as well in order to determine modifications it can make and “what delicious new products” it might be able to offer (such as vegan chicken nuggets).

Vegan food at IKEA

IKEA already has a head start on reaching its new sustainable food goals. It launched vegan meatballs—featuring an even meatier texture than its classic vegetable-based meatballs—back in 2020. Since then, the retailer has even hinted at the possibility of a 3D-printed version of its popular, signature dish coming at some point in the future.

But IKEA isn’t just interested in stocking these items. The company also aims to make its sustainable and plant-based options more affordable and therefore more desirable to a broader range of its customers, from vegans and vegetarians through to flexitarians and meat-eaters.

Its popular “veggie dog,” introduced back in 2018, is sold at a lower price than the meat-based version at its restaurants. It launched a dairy-free soft serve at its European cafes, priced at just €1 per serving, back in 2019—the same year that UK branches chose not to serve turkey for Christmas in favor of meat-free root vegetable tart and vegan mince pies.

“IKEA wants to make healthy and sustainable choices the most desirable option, by, for example, demonstrating that plant-based food can be really delicious,” said Lena Pripp-Kovac, Chief Sustainability Officer at Inter IKEA Group. She added: “the more sustainable choice shouldn’t be a luxury for the few. It should be part of people’s everyday life.”

People and planet positive

As well as a strong emphasis on plant-based food, IKEA has introduced several other initiatives to lower its carbon footprint. It kicked off its People & Planet Positive initiative all the way back in 2012, and aims to drastically reduce carbon emissions throughout its entire value chain by 2030.

In order to accomplish this, IKEA has made several pledges with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals in mind, including relying more on renewable energy, moving toward a circular economy, eliminating single-use plastic, and sourcing recycled materials for its furniture.

In October of last year, IKEA revealed a new initiative to buy back used furniture—the announcement for which pointedly coincided with Black Friday—across 27 countries.

“We are passionate about making sustainable living easy and affordable for the many, and want to be part of a future that’s better for both people and the planet,” Jennifer Keesson, IKEA sustainability manager, said.

Is IKEA really sustainable? Read on here.

Alongside existing options such as the Vegan Royale, Plant-based Whopper, and the recently launched vegan katsu range, Burger King is also introducing more than 15 new meat-free menu items as part of its rebranding and relaunch of the Leicester Square location.

These include a Cheeeze & Bakon burger, Plant-based Bakon Double Cheeeze XL, and Chicken Royale Bacon & Cheese, as well as a Vegan Nugget Burger, Plant-based Double Cheeezeburger, and Plant-based Cheeeze & Bakon Whopper.

Furthermore, for the first time ever, Burger King is launching a meat-free kids’ menu, with Jr versions of its plant-based Whopper, Cheeeze Whopper, Hamburger Meal, and Cheeezeburger Meal. Based on customer response to these options, the chain plans to introduce some of the top sellers at additional stores nationwide.

“The limited-edition menu is a direct result of our focus on vegan and plant-based innovation and goes hand in hand with our target of a 50% meat-free menu by 2030,” says Katy Evans from Burger King UK. “It absolutely delivers on big taste with no compromises.”

All of the fast-food company’s meat-free options are produced in partnership with The Vegetarian Butcher, a Dutch vegetarian and vegan meat brand acquired by Unilever in 2018.

Burger King launches vegetarian locations

The vegan Leicester Square location isn’t Burger King’s first foray into meat-free restaurants. In October of last year, a location on one of Madrid’s most iconic boulevards, Paseo del Prado, was rebranded as “Vurger King” and served 100 percent meat-free food for a limited time.

In addition to plant-based Whopper and vegan chicken nuggets, Vurger King stocked the Long Vegetal, a plant-based take on Burger King’s Long Chicken sandwich that was previously available at a similar meat-free concept in Cologne, Germany.

The breaded plant-based chicken sandwich features vegan mayonnaise and shredded lettuce on a long sesame seed bun. Burger King Spain has since announced that this option will be available in all locations nationwide.

​​”We want to reach both people who base their diet on vegetable products and those who do eat meat but want to reduce their consumption,” Borja Hernández de Alba, general director of restaurant brands in Iberia, Spain, and Portugal, said.

Burger King goes meat-free

Burger King’s move to include more plant-based options is prevalent in all parts of the globe. Studies show flexitarianism is on the rise. And to meet the demand, Burger King has been including more vegan and vegetarian menu offerings worldwide.

“Now more than ever, we believe that fresh, good quality food is vital to the quality of our lives and the health of our planet. Being good to the planet, our people and guests [are] central to our values at Burger King UK,” the chain’s CEO Alasdair Murdoch said.

In July last year, the chain launched the Vegan Chicken Royale. The vegan chicken sandwich features a meatless chicken fillet, iceberg lettuce, vegan mayo, and a sesame seed bun. Burger King UK also launched an improved vegan Rebel Whopper around the same time, which features a similar vegan patty from the Vegetarian Butcher. 

Burger King has now launched vegan Whoppers in a number of other countries, including Singapore, Canada, China, Latin America, Mexico, and Japan.

For a complete guide to eating vegan at Burger King, click here.

Editor’s note March 11, 2022: This article has been updated to note that the new meat-free Burger King in London is completely plant-based. A previous version identified it as vegetarian.

For now, neither company has revealed the specific details about what type of products are in the works. But, what we do know so far (based on what was said at Kroger’s investor day) is that they will be made for the supermarket’s Home Chef brand. Kroger acquired Home Chef for $200 million in 2018 and today, it’s worth $1 billion. The delivery service features more than 500 products including meal kits, heat-and-serve meals, ready-to-eat products, and seasonal meals. 

Theoretically, Impossible Foods could fit into any of those categories. The Silicon Valley company is experienced with developing products for the food industry, ranging from the wildly popular Burger King Impossible Whopper to ready-made Buitoni ravioli. Its own product line includes plant-based burgers, meatless ground beef, and vegan chicken nuggets.

Kroger is also no stranger to the plant-based food industry. The retailer, which is the biggest supermarket chain in the US, launched its Simple Truth Plant Based line in 2019 to court vegan, vegetarian, and flexitarian customers. It now includes more than 50 vegan products such as oat milk ice cream, plant-based cheese, and dairy-free yogurt, plus vegan burgers, nuggets, and deli slices. 

Is co-branding the latest plant-based food trend?

Robert Moskow, a food and food retail analyst at Credit Suisse, New York, speculated that the line could feature co-branded plant-based meat products, “similar to the co-branding strategy that Costco’s Kirkland brand uses in the fresh meat case with big suppliers like Tyson.” 

He added: “We view this test as a threat to Beyond Meat, because it demonstrates the willingness of a big competitor to ‘margin down’ into co-branded private label products in order to maximize its products.”

The partnership between Impossible Foods and Kroger is yet another recent example of co-branding in the plant-based food industry. Competitor Beyond Meat revealed its partnership with PepsiCo, the second-largest food and beverage company in the world, last year. It has also developed plant-based meat for major chains including McDonald’s, KFC, and Pizza Hut. Earlier this month, Chilean food tech startup NotCo and Kraft Heinz announced their own co-branding team-up.

Co-branding may be shaping up to be the industry’s next big trend. Working with bigger brands helps companies like Beyond Meat, Impossible Foods, and NotCo get more plant-based food in front of people. And this is vital at a time when UN reports suggest an urgent transition away from industrial animal agriculture, which is responsible for 14.5 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, for the sake of the planet.

Impossible Foods’ and Kroger’s co-branded products could potentially launch in the chain’s nearly 2,800 stores in 35 states. It’s a small step, but the planet needs every step it can get.