TRENOS.ai

The latest U.S. Dietary Guidelines represent a quiet but decisive move away from the “replacement era” of food policy. While plant-based proteins remain endorsed, they are no longer positioned as nutritionally equivalent to animal-derived proteins in general dietary guidance. Instead, the framework emphasises nutrient density, amino acid completeness, bioavailability of iron, B12, calcium, and long-chain fatty acids, areas where animal products maintain structural advantages

Juicy Marbles has extended its whole-cut credibility into the burger category with Umami Burger, a high-protein, whole-food-forward patty now live in 225 UK locations via Tesco. The product deliberately targets the middle ground between traditional veggie burgers and ultra-realistic meat analogues, using fermented ingredients and seitan to deliver texture without leaning on heavy flavour masking or aggressive processing.

The global move away from the word “vegan” reflects a deep shift in how consumers perceive identity-linked food choices. Viral social proof shows that taste bias isn’t sensory, it’s psychological. Anonymous plant-based products routinely outperform animal-based benchmarks when the vegan label is removed, indicating that terminology, not technology, is the barrier. This is reshaping branding, menu engineering, and front-of-pack strategy across major markets.

Seaweed chips, lentil crackers, chickpea protein bites, millet-based snack bars, and adaptogen-fortified munchables are becoming the new defaults, driven by busy urban consumers seeking quick nutrition without compromising flavour. With 2025 purchasing data showing India's plant-based snack boom surges in plant-based, fortified, and “mini-meal” snacks, India effectively becomes the world’s largest behavioural sandbox for plant-forward convenience foods.

Plates London received its Michelin star in July 2025, validating plant-based fine dining at the highest culinary level. But the new data changes everything: 95% of its diners still eat meat. This recasts the star itself as less of a milestone and more of a catalyst, showing plant-based cuisine is not only culturally acceptable but commercially magnetic among mainstream diners. It confirms a behavioural shift where diners don’t need to be vegan to choose plant-based.

Air India has a new global menu marking a meaningful operational shift: a full integration of vegan, allergen-conscious, and gut-friendly plant-based dishes across cabins. The airline isn’t dabbling, it’s standardising. With a new chef (Sandeep Kalra), refreshed aircraft, and a transformation programme underway, the menu reflects India’s domestic habits and global palate rather than Western plant-based marketing tropes.

Recent data from the Radar consumer panel (n ≈ 20,638) shows overwhelming clarity around plant-based naming conventions: 96% of Dutch consumers instantly recognise “vegaworst” is a vegetarian sausage and 74% prefer terms like “veganburger” over the proposed generic descriptors such as “plant-based patty.”

Investor-driven assessment says global FMCG and retail heavyweights are under-invested and under-prepared on plant-based protein, constraining growth and resilience. Investor pressure from FAIRR (The Farm Animal Investment Risk and Return Initiative) is rising for clear sales targets, portfolio rebalancing, and board-level nutrition competence. FAIRR manages more than $90 Trillion in investor network funds with more than 70 investors valued at $11.5T involved in this study.

The rise of plant–plant hybrids marks a quiet but decisive shift in alternative proteins. As meat–mushroom blends fade under regulatory and identity fatigue, companies like Canada's, Maia Farms are creating a new middle ground, hybrids that combine two complementary plant systems to overcome flavour fatigue and texture failure. By merging oyster mushroom mycelium with Canadian yellow pea, The Shred demonstrates fungi can be an ingredient architecture, not just an additive.

Impossible Foods’ NSF Certified for Sport listing is the strongest institutional validation yet for plant-based meat. It extends the brand’s consumer reach from flexitarian households into the multi-billion-dollar performance-nutrition and sports-catering markets. The move sets a precedent other alternative-protein makers will likely follow, pushing the category toward pharmaceutical-grade quality standards and more robust supply-chain transparency.

Anuga 2025 has just wrapped up and revealed an industry maturing beyond novelty. Plant-based and alternative proteins remain central, but the spotlight has shifted to integration: hybrid systems, fermented and microbial inputs, as well as nutrient-dense whole foods. Clean-label transparency and climate resilience now drive procurement, while personalised nutrition and functional benefits re-shape NPD briefs. The consumer signal is clear: “make it natural, make it traceable,

Thailand's Swees is pushing beyond cheese and into the harder game of meat substitutes, a clear signal Thailand’s domestic market is maturing. CleanBean is the core play - minimal ingredients, strong protein claims, and local culinary adaptability. It’s not just tofu 2.0; it’s a deliberate grab at flexitarian eaters who want something “meaty” without the baggage.

The inclusion of FROOM in Delidoor’s 12,000 meals-a-week, national frozen meal service marks a subtle yet powerful signal: plant proteins are entering the mass-convenience space. This isn’t niche vegan retail, it’s a trusted family meal service building credibility and volume. By embedding plant protein into normal purchasing behaviour, Fascin8foods demonstrates how ingredient brands can scale by partnering with established foodservice operators rather than chasing supermarke

McDonalds Canada has decided to take the McVeggie nationwide signaling a cautious but meaningful re-entry into plant-based proteins for Quick Service Restaurant (QSR) giants. The global contrast with Kit Kat’s vegan withdrawal illustrates the uneven consumer uptake across categories. Fast-food chains are testing longevity, while confectionery multinationals show shorter patience cycles. In addition, the plant-based pattie is from BEYOND, which must help it's revenue.

The THIS pastrami deli slice launch signals that deli cuts are now fair game in the plant-based wars. High protein, smoky taste, and familiar format make this a consumer-friendly gateway product. Layered with two veg-centric SKUs, THIS is testing breadth and resilience in a market wobbling between indulgence and “clean eating.”

Gruppo Tonazzo’s decision to shutter its meat division after 136 years marks one of the most symbolic shifts in Europe’s protein landscape. Kioene is no longer just a brand extension, it's the new company. Kioene Mini burgers act as a flagship product, embodying the move from traditional butchery to modern, plant-forward convenience.

Waitrose has rolled out its 2025 Christmas range and doubled down on vegan centrepieces rivalling the turkey. The No.1 Mushroom, Malbec & Port Wellington layers chestnut, portobello and pulled shiitake mushrooms in a wine-rich sauce takes pride of place. So too their Cauliflower Cheese Galette Crown arrives looking very Christmasy, all rustic and hand-crimped from a Cornish bakery with 125 years of history. These are not token meat-free afterthoughts, they’re positioned as th