![]() ![]() However, sales of plant-based meat alternatives have been slowing over the past year, with double digit declines in dollars and volumes in the refrigerated segment, where the OZO brand made its debut (although it has since launched frozen products) with Macken telling us last summer that fresh plant-based meat was not delivering the same kinds of turns or profitability for retailers as conventional meat, although they recognized the need to create plant-based sets in the meat case from a strategic perspective. It is not clear when the decision was made internally at JBS to pull the plug on Planterra, which has been attending trade shows and announcing new products and commercial partnerships throughout 2022, most recently issuing a press release on September 22 about collaborations with Gregory's Coffee and Veggie Grill locations across the US. While the planned April 2020 launch was slightly delayed owing to the pandemic, the brand moved into key accounts including Kroger and Safeway in late summer 2020 and formed partnerships with several foodservice accounts as its expanded its range, entering the Canadian market and opening a new HQ and innovation center in Lafayette, CO, in summer 2021, and switching production from co-packers and a JBS plant in Riverside, CA, to a newly renovated plant in Denver that opened in December 2021. ‘The competition is incredible…’ Standing out in a sea of plant-based optionsĪttempting to stand out a category that was already getting crowded, OZO's first products were soy-free, and made with textured pea protein and MycoTechnology’s pea and rice protein fermented by Shiitake mycelia (the roots of Shiitake mushrooms), with less saturated fat and fewer calories than rival offerings. Within that, frozen meat alternatives, which account for two-thirds of category sales, are faring significantly better (dollars +6.9%, volumes +1.3% in Aug '22 vs Aug '21) than refrigerated meat alternatives (dollars -16.2%, volumes -16.7%). To place this in context, total food & beverage sales were up +8.7% with unit sales down -5%, according to IRI data crunched by 210 Analytics. US retail sales of meat alternatives (frozen and refrigerated combined) were flat (-0.9%) in August 2022, with unit sales down -7.2% year on year. Speaking to FoodNavigator-USA in early 2020, she said: “You see time and time again that companies try to establish new brands and they get compared to different P&Ls and not run properly, so it had to be independent, but rely on JBS from a support standpoint, so shared services on the back end, SAP, and utilizing procurement from a supplier relationship standpoint.” While all of the major meat players from Cargill, Tyson, Smithfield and Maple Leaf Foods, have made moves into the plant-based meat category in recent years, JBS went all-in with Planterra Foods, a standalone operation run at arm’s length from JBS by Darcey Macken, who had previously worked in senior management roles at Kellogg and Noosa Yoghurt, in October 2019. “We are actively working with the Planterra workforce to provide employment opportunities at other JBS locations.” ‘It had to be independent’ ![]() JBS will focus its efforts on its plant-based operations in Brazil and Europe, which continue to gain market share and expand their respective customer bases. Head of communications Nikki Richardson told us: “We continue to believe in the potential of plant-based options for consumers and remain committed to the alternative protein market. JBS – which has a plant-based business in Brazil and acquired plant-based meat company Vivera (with a presence in the Netherlands, Germany and the UK) last year - did not provide further details but said in a statement to FoodNavigator-USA that it had “ made the decision to discontinue operations in its US-based Planterra business unit.” The move was first reported by the Denver Business Journal on Saturday, two days after the company filed a notice of its plans with the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment explaining that the decision would impact approximately 121 employees, with the site to close " within the next 60 to 75 days." ‘We continue to believe in the potential of plant-based options for consumers’ Emulsifiers, stabilizers, hydrocolloids.Chocolate and confectionery ingredients. ![]() Carbohydrates and fibers (sugar, starches).Plant-based, alt proteins, precision fermentation.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |