Vestar Capital Partners, a US middle-market private equity firm, announced that it has made a majority growth investment into Dr. Praeger's Sensible Foods, a fast-growing brand specializing in nutritious plant-based frozen and refrigerated foods made from simple ingredients. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Beyond Meat, Inc. announced its plans to enter a 12-year lease in a new, nearly 300,000 square foot space at 888 N. Douglas St.in El Segundo, Calif. The building is currently under development by Hackman Capital Partners with anticipated completion in spring 2021.

Organic Garage Ltd., announced that it has entered into a binding letter of intent to acquire all of the issued and outstanding securities of The Future of Cheese Company Corp., a private Canada corporation. FoC is a Toronto, Ontario based organic, vegan premium plant-based company in the business of developing, manufacturing and marketing plant-based cheeses and plant-based cheese products.

Americans are drinking less milk. Milk consumption has dropped by 40% since 1975 and the trend is accelerating as more people embrace plant-based milk alternatives such as oat, almond, rice, and coconut milk. According to the USDA annual milk consumption data, in 2018, the average person in the US consumed 146lb (17 gallons) of milk, down from 247lb (almost 29 gallons) in 1975.

Despite use of plant-based meat or dairy products being highest among those following vegan, vegetarian, or pescatarian diets, it's omnivores and flexitarians who make up the lion's share of consumers who eat these products due to their sheer numbers, reports market research firm Packaged Facts in the report Vegan, Vegetarian, and Flexitarian Consumers.

The investment round is being led by world-class foodTech investor PeakBridge VC, Malta, together with Arancia Group, a privately owned Mexico-based food ingredient/food service conglomerate, Minrav (the company’s largest investor) and additional private investors.

Modern Meat Inc., a plant-based meat manufacturer, announced the launch of its dairy alternative milk line featuring an Oat M*lk, Almond M*lk and Barista Edition Alternative M*lk. The ingredients used in the milks are all natural, vegan, and GMO free.

Maple Leaf Foods announced that its wholly-owned subsidiary, Greenleaf Foods, SPC, a leader in plant protein products, is advancing plans to increase tempeh production capacity through the acquisition and planned build-out of a food processing plant in Indianapolis.  

After infancy, approximately 65% of people have a reduced ability to digest lactose, a sugar found in many dairy products. Although milk and dairy products are a staple in many populations, increased awareness of lactose intolerance has led many people to reduce dairy consumption, avoid dairy altogether, consume plant-based dairy alternatives, and look for dairy products without lactose.

FiveStar Gourmet Foods partnered with Beyond Meat® to bring more salad protein choices to consumers. FiveStar introduced a new Simply Fresh Taco Salad made with Beyond Meat®, featuring plant-based beef crumbles from Beyond Meat, a leader in plant-based meat. The new 7.5oz complete salad debuted in Publix supermarkets.