This May, the National Restaurant Association recognized VMG’s frittata line as a FABI award winner. This July, Prepared Foods’ Spirit of Innovation Award judges also named VMG’s Spinach Egg White Frittata as best new entry in the alternative channel.

Food scientists—at least a small handful of them—now have the both the skills and the ingredient toolbox to manipulate and combine fibers, gums, and proteins into plant-based analogs of hen eggs that look, feel, cook up, and taste like the real thing.

“One-hundred grams of SimpliGood microalgae provides the equivalent of 200g of real chicken in protein load," noted Baruch Dach, SimpliiGood's founder and CTO. "Each cut packs in 30% highly bioavailable protein. Combined with its rich natural makeup of micronutrients, it offers a potent alternative to animal protein with exceptional nutritional value.”

A successful product formula needs just the right ingredients in the right proportions. The same axiom applies to a great company and/or a disruptive innovation. It requires just the right combination of people, process, product and consumer appeal—which in this case, involves protein, an essential dietary macronutrient.

Don’t look now but plant-based eggs are changing the landscape. In fact, a plant-based sunnyside up egg from Los Angeles’ Yo Foods Inc. (dba Yo Egg) earned recognition as “Judges’ Selection / Most Innovative Product” in Prepared Foods’ 2022-2023 Spirit of Innovation Awards.

Although it didn’t take long to add up those insights, General Mills admits it took a while to formulate, test, and ultimately develop new Pillsbury Freezer-to-Oven Chocolate Swirled Croissants from General Mills Foodservice. Equally suited to both commercial and non-commercial operations, the croissants debuted this January 2023 after two years in development.

Consumers simply snip a pouch, pour the contents into a cup and microwave it for 45 to 60 seconds. Afterward, they pour the contents into a glass over a cup of ice and then add in a cup of regular or plant-based milk to suit. Flavors introduced since 2021 now include Brown Sugar, Strawberry, Coffee, Mango, Milk Tea, Matcha, and Taro.

Looking ahead to 2030, the food and beverage color palette will almost exclusively contain vibrant, naturally-derived hues that offer clean-label charm, as consumers continue to seek better-for-you products.

Solely says it used its signature, patented cold-pressing process to transform dried green bananas into a traditional fusilli shape and texture. The dark-colored Organic Green Banana Fusilli Pasta cooks to an al-dente texture in just four minutes and is ready to be topped with a sauce or other ingredients.

They say necessity is the mother of invention. Yet here’s the story of an innovation father figure. Meet David Jones, creator of plant-based Bakon and co-founder of Thrilling Foods Inc. in Portland, Ore.