Van Cleve-Talbert grew up around seafood as a family member-employee in The Van Cleve Seafood Co. in Spotsylvania, Va. The company dates back to 2001 when her mom, Shelly, opened a small seafood “shack” to source and sell better quality seafood in the area. From the start, Monica and her sister, Allie, were involved in every step of the business. 

While several factors have been driving interest in plant-based analogs of meat, poultry, seafood, and dairy, the phenomenal explosion in such options that the market is experiencing today came from a perfect convergence of two indispensable factors, technology and demand.

For the last half century, US animal agriculture has focused primarily on improving productivity, efficiency and throughput, resulting in increasing supplies of commodities that have helped assure a safe, abundant US food supply and growing export markets. However, a new report from The Center for Food Integrity (CFI) shows a pivotal shift in cultural and market expectations for animal protein, and four emerging trends where the industry can innovate. 

To help brands keep food and drink fresh in a natural and sustainable way, Blue California announced jointly with biotech innovator Conagen, the commercialization of Rosavel®, a next generation natural preservation solution with 98% high-purity rosmarinic acid made by bioconversion without the color or flavor associated with rosemary.

The Good Food Institute and Animal Legal Defense Fund filed a lawsuit on behalf of Tofurky challenging a Louisiana law that would impose fines of up to $500 per day for every plant-based meat product marketed or sold with terms like “burger” and “sausage” on their labels. The terms would be illegal even with clear modifiers such as “vegan,” “veggie,” or “plant-based” on their labels. The challenged law became effective on October 1, 2020.

American Key Food Products (AKFP) has introduced an organic version of its pioneering King Lion Premium Cassava Flour, which will enable gluten-free and grain-free bakers to now offer high-quality organic products to their consumers.

La Tortilla Factory recently introduced new Authentic Mexican Side Dishes. Always passionate about innovating in the Mexican food category, La Tortilla Factory has expanded beyond the tortilla aisle, introducing three new microwavable pouches.

The company is partnering with Beyond Meat®, a leader in plant-based meat, to create a new Veggies Made Great Frittata Line made with Beyond Meat, which will be available at select retailers in the coming weeks, and available for sale online at www.veggiesmadegreat.com and Amazon.

Through the end of the year, Veggie Grill will add a limited-edition exclusive Tuna Melt to the menu featuring Good Catch's Plant Based Tuna, giving conscious consumers the opportunity to enjoy a classic and indulgent tuna melt without contributing to known issues like overfishing or exposure to harmful heavy metals.

Mediterranean cuisine often brings to mind classical examples like Italian food, and easily adaptable ingredients such as olive oil and pasta. But today's Mediterranean is represented by less familiar dishes and ingredients from all over the region.