Breakfast just got a colorful upgrade thanks to a mash-up of Thomas’ mini bagels and Froot Loops cereal. If you’re ready to leave summer behind, Califia Farms just announced its lineup of fall and winter beverages, including a Maple Waffle Almond Creamer that adds a little maple syrup flavor to your coffee. Plus, a new lemon curd from Good Good leaves out all the animal products for a vegan option that we can’t wait to use in fall-themed baked goods.
Read on for more.
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Food news
With fall just around the corner and cooler temperatures on the way, heartier meal options are becoming more appealing. This week, Tindle Foods launched a drool-worthy Stuffed Chicken line that perfectly fits the bill.
Available in Parmigiana and Tikka Masala varieties, each stuffed plant-based chicken pocket is designed to deliver a satisfying meal in just 10 minutes while featuring a crispy breadcrumb exterior and a juicy, tender interior.
Tindle Foods
The idea is to pair it with rice, pasta, or vegetables for a complete and satisfying plant-based meal.
This launch is part of Tindle’s broader expansion into retail, with its products now available at 160 Giant and Martin’s stores across Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia. In addition to the Stuffed Chicken, these stores will also carry Tindle’s core range of products, including its best-selling Boneless Wings, Nuggets, Popcorn Chicken, and Tenders.
Craving more Chicken Tikka Masala? Head to Costco where this week, United Kingdom-based, family-owned company Shicken is launching its award-winning Tikka Kebab. This move comes after the brand’s success in Costco stores across the UK, Iceland, Sweden, and France, where its Tikka Kebab saw a 15-percent increase in sales over the past year.
Shicken
Earlier this year, Shicken already made its mark in the US with its debut in 380 Sprouts Farmers Market stores across 23 states, offering products like Tikka Masala, Jalfrezi, Butter Curries, and Tikka Kebab Skewers. Its entry into Costco US will start at stores in the northwest with the potential to expand to other regions.
“We are thrilled to take this major step with Costco,” Shicken co-founder Parm Bains said in a statement. “Expanding into the US is a game-changer, not just for coverage across the US, but also for further global markets, including Canada, Mexico, Australia, Japan, and Korea.”
Shicken’s growth has been supported by Veganuary, an organization that encourages people to try veganism for the month of January. “From the start, we saw the huge potential in Shicken,” Matthew Glover, co-founder of Veganuary, said in a statement. “Their dedication to quality and innovation has truly set them apart.”
Good Good
For some sweet news, lemon curd is getting a plant-based makeover thanks to Good Good. Traditionally, lemon curd is not vegan because it contains eggs and butter, ingredients used for its texture and flavor. However, Good Good has innovated by creating a vegan version—using ingredients such as fava bean protein and pectin—that eliminates these animal products while maintaining the classic taste and texture people love. What’s more, this new lemon curd is sugar-free, offering just five calories per serving—93 percent fewer calories than the traditional version.
“We’re proud to introduce the first no-added sugar, vegan lemon curd to the US market—offering a delightful treat for everyone, from ingredient-conscious consumers to vegans,” Gardar Stefansson, CEO & co-founder of Good Good, said in a statement.
Good Good’s new vegan lemon curd is now available online through Amazon and the company’s website, priced at $9.99 per 12-ounce jar. We’re already dreaming about vegan lemon curd cheesecake bars for breakfast.
Speaking of morning meals, there’s a new mashup in the breakfast aisle that we never knew we needed until now: a bagel dotted with Froot Loops. While Froot Loops are typically not considered vegan due to the inclusion of vitamin D3 (derived from wool), the ingredient labels for these mini bagels do not include this animal-derived ingredient.
Thomas’
Bimbo Bakeries USA has teamed up with WK Kellogg Co. to create Thomas’ Froot Loops Mini Bagels. These limited-edition, pre-sliced mini bagels bring the familiar fruity flavor of Kellogg’s Froot Loops to a new format, making breakfast even more fun.
“As the most important meal of the day, we believe that breakfast is an occasion to be savored,” Jinder Bhogal, senior brand manager for Thomas’, said in a statement.
“Through this exciting collaboration, Thomas’ wants to inspire more delicious ways to enjoy moments spent together at the kitchen table, especially for our younger fans,” Bhogal said.
These mini bagels are available at Walmart and Kroger through October 10, with a suggested retail price of $5.49.
Beverage news
To hold on to that last sip of summer, there’s a new La Croix flavor that’s begging to be popped open poolside. The new Strawberry Peach flavor captures the essence of both fruits with that hit of fizz the sparkling water company is known for.
La Croix
Watch out Pamplemousse, you’ve got stiff competition.
For new beverages to bridge the gap between summer and fall, Pop & Bottle just added two new flavors to its bottled latte line. Served chilled or over ice, you can ease into the flavors of fall with an Organic Pumpkin Spice Almond Milk Latte which is sweetened with coconut nectar, loaded with pumpkin purée, and spiced with cinnamon extract.
Joining the almond milk PSL is the Snickerdoodle Cold Brew Oat Milk Latte, which blends organic cold brew coffee, housemade oat milk, coconut nectar, and sweet cinnamon and spice—reminiscent of its namesake cookie.
Califia Farms also has some new cozy options for you with its 2024 seasonal lineup, which includes both returning favorites and exciting new flavors.
The returning favorites include the Pumpkin Spice Almond Creamer and Pumpkin Spice Almond Latte, both bringing the classic fall flavor to your coffee with almond milk, real pumpkin, and spices. The Pumpkin Spice Oat Barista Blend is also back, providing a dairy-free option for making lattes at home.
Califia Farms
New additions to the lineup include the Caramel Apple Crumble Oat Creamer and Caramel Apple Almond Latte, each offering a twist on the traditional caramel apple flavor. Another newcomer is the Maple Waffle Almond Creamer, which adds a maple syrup note to your coffee.
“Our latest festive flavors give consumers the opportunity to recreate trending, seasonal coffee drinks for a café-quality experience at home,” Suzanne Ginestro, Chief Marketing Officer at Califia Farms, said in a statement.
These products are available at retailers nationwide, with certain items like the Caramel Apple Almond Latte and Maple Waffle Almond Creamer available exclusively at Target, and the Sugar Cookie Almond Creamer at Kroger.
Looking ahead to the winter season, Califia is introducing Holiday Blend Black Iced Coffee, an unsweetened option with a cinnamon spice kick, and the Sugar Cookie Almond Creamer, perfect for adding a touch of cookie flavor to your coffee. The Holiday Nog, a dairy-free and egg-free nog alternative, also makes its return.
Restaurant news
In New York City, corner stores are known as “bodegas” and serve as a crucial part of mealtimes for many. Plant-based concept “Plantega” has been redefining bodega fare in recent years, serving vegan versions of classic sandwiches such as chopped cheese, bacon egg and cheese, and fried chicken, along with giving bodega customers access to more plant-based products and innovators.
Plantega
Building on this success, Plantega just launched its first fully Plantega-managed and -staffed flagship kitchen, Plantega Kitchen & Catering (PKC). This new kitchen is designed to cater to large group orders, corporate catering, and events across New York City.
The kitchen is optimized for local direct-to-consumer delivery and for serving city-wide catering clients, allowing NYC-based organizations to source and serve authentic deli classics for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
“This launch is a significant step in our mission to make plant-based food more accessible and to show that plant-based options can be just as satisfying and culturally relevant as traditional fare,” Nil Zacharias, co-founder of Plantega, said in a statement.
“PKC enables us to bring our beloved New York deli-style classics to a broader audience while helping organizations make more sustainable choices in their catering,” Zacharias said.
Looking ahead, this kitchen will also serve as a blueprint for scaling the Plantega brand and operations beyond NYC.
Oshi
Also in NYC, the celebrity-backed chain Neat—which counts Leonardo DiCaprio and Lewis Hamilton among its investors—has unveiled new menu items in collaboration with fish-free seafood company Oshi. Oshi’s plant-based salmon is now a prominent feature on Neat’s menu with offerings such as vegan fish tacos, rice bowls, and Caesar salad with avocado.
This partnership is a significant milestone for both brands as it marks the first time Oshi’s plant-based salmon is being showcased in a restaurant chain in New York City.
Oshi’s plant-based salmon is made from mycoprotein, algae, and vegetable oils, and replicates the texture and flavor of conventional salmon.
“It’s fantastic to see our products featured in more and more NYC restaurants, making sustainable dining options accessible to all,” Oshi’s co-founder Ofek Ron said in a statement, “We can’t wait for you to try our salmon and experience the incredible flavors for yourself.”
Veggie Grill by Next Level Burger
Plus, Veggie Grill got a menu update this week, thanks to its parent company, Next Level Burger (NLB), which acquired the plant-based chain earlier this year. The updated menu introduces eight new items that have been fan favorites at NLB. This marks the largest menu change since the acquisition, featuring five new burgers, two new chik’n sandwiches, and a new salad.
“We’re stoked to add these delicious Next Level Burger fan-favorites to Veggie Grill’s menu,” Matt de Gruyter, CEO of both Next Level Burger and Veggie Grill, said in a statement.
“These 100-percent awesome, 100-percent plant-based dishes are road tested at NLB, and we’re confident our VG guests are going to love them,” de Gruyter said.
The new offerings include the Signature Veggie Burger with a housemade organic quinoa and mushroom patty, the Maverick Burger with a beefy patty and crispy onion rings, and the SoCal Veggie Burger with organic tempeh bacon and avocado.
Veggie Grill by Next Level Burger
The menu also adds two new chicken sandwiches: the Crispy Chik’n Sandwich and the Chik’n Bacon Ranch, as well as the Avocado Bacon Cobb Salad.
These additions follow Veggie Grill by Next Level’s transition to using all-organic produce earlier this year, aligning with NLB’s commitment to sustainability and providing high-quality, plant-based food.
For more plant-based stories like this, read:
Anna Starostinetskaya is the Senior News Editor at VegNews and is always keeping an eye on all things vegan in her home city of San Francisco, CA and everywhere else.
Here at VegNews, we live and breathe the vegan lifestyle, and only recommend products we feel make our lives amazing. Occasionally, articles may include shopping links where we might earn a small commission. In no way does this effect the editorial integrity of VegNews.
