It’s that time again during the summer when everyone wants an ice-cold treat. Lucky for us, there are exciting new options to beat the heat from some unlikely partners. First, Ore-Idea potatoes and GoodPop’s dairy-free ice cream come together in a new sweet-and-salty fudge bar meant to evoke the flavor of dipping fries into milkshakes.
Oatly/Malibu
Next, rum brand Malibu and oat milk legend Oatly join forces on the Piña Oatlada, a limited-time boozy soft serve that detours your European vacation.
Plus, frozen treat connoisseurs can even earn a degree from Dole Whip University.
Read on for more.
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Food news
This week, potato company Ore-Ida and vegan ice cream brand Goodpop launched vegan French fry-covered, fudge-dipped ice cream bars. These capture that nostalgic combo of dipping salty French fries into milkshakes but without any of the dairy.
Goodpop
The Fudge n’ Vanilla French Fry Pop features a vanilla oat milk frozen base in a chocolate fudge shell rolled in crispy potato bits.
“For over 70 years, Ore-Ida has offered Americans delicious and crispy French fries in the comfort of their homes,” Jackie Britva, Senior Brand Manager for Ore-Ida at The Kraft Heinz Company, said in a statement.
“In partnership with GoodPop, we put a unique and convenient spin on the American classic, bringing it to home freezers everywhere. Put simply, we dipped it, so our fans don’t have to,” Britva said.
The Ore-Ida x GoodPop Fudge n’ Vanilla French Fry Pops are available while supplies last on GoodPop’s website for $9.99 per 4-pack.
While Goodpop is pushing the boundaries on ice cream, a classic summertime treat is offering a fun new initiative. This week, Dole Whip, which is best enjoyed while galavanting around Disney parks, just launched Dole Whip University, where you can become a certified expert in the plant-based frozen treat.
The launch marks the 40th anniversary of Dole Whip, originally introduced at Disneyland in 1984.
Dole Whip University offers fans the chance to earn a diploma in “Dole Whipenomics” by completing a curriculum that includes making 13 of the 14 Dole Whip recipes available on the Dole Whip Wonderland webpage.
“Sure, Dole Whips are a lot of fun and loved by just about everyone—but at Dole Whip U, we take the study of the iconic frozen treat seriously,” Rachel Young, Dole’s Senior Manager of Digital Marketing, said in a statement.
Dole
Additionally, Dole released a new recipe, the Strawberry Coconut Lime Dole Whip, created by Rachel Anderson, winner of Dole’s #DoleWhipLife Creator of the Year contest in 2023.
This recipe, along with others such as pumpkin spice, dark chocolate, blue Hawaiian, and Mexican hot chocolate, is vegan and made with fresh ingredients.
Sweet Lorens
Sweet Loren’s, known for its popular allergen-friendly vegan cookie dough, has some good news this week with two new products.
First, a gluten-free Thin Pizza Crust that provides a thin and crispy base, perfect for rolling out, topping, and baking into a fresh pie. The second new offering is a first-of-its-kind vegan, gluten-free Puff Pastry that is flaky and layered with a crunchy yet airy texture, bringing a timeless classic into the modern era.
Founder Loren Castle started Sweet Loren’s after surviving cancer in her early 20s and wanting a cookie dough that satisfied her sweet tooth while supporting her anti-inflammatory diet during her healing journey. After conquering the cookie dough aisle—Sweet Loren’s is currently outselling Pillsbury and Tollhouse at a major retailer—and listening to consumer demand, the brand expands into these new categories.
Both the pizza crust ($7.99) and the puff pastry ($8.99) are available in Whole Foods and Kroger nationwide in the refrigerated section.
Grocery news
If you’re headed to Whole Foods this week, there’s something new and exciting from Violife: a big block of cream cheese. While tub formats of dairy-free cheeses are common these days, this 8-ounce block means that making a cheesecake this summer will be a breeze.
Violife
If cheesecake isn’t your thing, these blocks—retailing $5.99 each—are perfect for melting down into creamy pasta or spicing up with herbs for Game Day dips. Spreading it on bagels is also encouraged.
Outside of Whole Foods, you can find the new Violife Like Cream Cheese Block in your local Albertsons, Safeway, and Wegmans.
Califia Farms
Over at Target, shoppers will find a new line of kid-centric milks from Califia Farms, featuring a protein blend of peas, chickpeas, and fava beans.
This launch follows Califia Farms’ recent introduction of nutritionally enhanced plant-based milk containing all nine essential amino acids and three new flavors of its plant-based creamers—Lavender, Brown Sugar, and Vanilla.
Complete Kids milk is priced at $5.99 and can also be purchased online through Amazon and Instacart.
Redefine Meat
This week, Europeans got something to get excited about with the launch of Redefine Meat’s plant-based flank steaks at Ocado in the United Kingdom and Coop in Switzerland. The award-winning Redefine Flank Steak, known for its fibrous texture, meaty flavor, and culinary versatility, is now available for home use.
“Today marks a historic milestone in our journey, expanding the fast-growing new-meat category to give consumers direct access to chef-quality steaks,” Eshchar Ben-Shitrit, CEO and Co-Founder of Redefine Meat, said in a statement.
The Redefine Flank Steak is produced using a patented additive manufacturing process developed through years of research and development at the company’s state-of-the-art factory in the Netherlands. This process involves layering premium plant-based ingredients and natural flavors to mimic the texture and taste of traditional beef.
“Having focused much of our journey to date on refining our products to meet the quality standards of the highest echelons of the culinary world, we’re proud to bring the fruits of this labor directly to consumers through our best-in-class retail partners,” Ben-Shitrit said.
Redefine Meat plans to expand further in the Netherlands through Jumbo, Albert Heijn, and Crisp. The company is also set to introduce its products in Germany and Italy.
Restaurant news
This week, not one, but two, exciting announcements have emerged in the plant-based chicken category. First, vegan fast-food chain Neat, backed by Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton, has introduced a new menu item featuring MeliBio’s bee-free honey, which is made using precision fermentation to replicate the taste and texture of traditional honey without involving bees.
@sabrina.the.vegan/Instagram
Neat’s new Hot Chicken Sando combines its signature plant-based chicken with the unique, spicy-sweet flavor of Mellody Spicy Habanero. The sandwich features a crispy, juicy plant-based chicken filet, topped with a generous drizzle of Mellody’s bee-free hot honey, adding a kick of habanero heat that perfectly balances the savory elements of the sandwich.
“This collaboration highlights the versatility and quality of Mellody,” Darko Mandich, CEO of MeliBio, said in a statement. “We are excited to see Mellody featured in Neat’s new Hot Chicken Sando.”
“This collaboration aligns perfectly with our mission to create sustainable honey alternatives that help save the bees and protect biodiversity,” Mandich said.
Meanwhile, Eurest, a leading business and industry food service provider, has partnered with The Plant-It Food Co. to grow its plant-based protein alternatives in the US non-commercial foodservice market.
“We are committed to culinary innovation that is good for people and the planet and prioritize sourcing ingredients and products from companies that align with our Food with Purpose wellness and sustainability goals,” Suzanne Landry, Eurest VP of Wellness and Sustainability, said in a statement.
The Plant It Food Co.
Eurest’s culinarians and dietitians led extensive research and development, adapting the innovative plant-based chicken into new and existing recipes to give guests more choices. This partnership supports Eurest’s plant-forward strategy and commitment to reach net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.
The Plant-It Food Co.’s plant-based chicken will be launched in five markets, including Seattle, San Francisco, Chicago, Boston, and Philadelphia, before scaling nationwide.
Oatly/Malibu
Do you need last-minute summer travel plans? Oatly and Malibu have some inspo to get you to the UK pronto. From now until August 2, you can experience the “Piña Oatlada” in London’s popular Shoreditch district.
This new dairy-free piña colada-flavored soft serve with a touch of alcohol is being offered at Paradise Arches, a pop-up venue created to celebrate the collaboration. Here, the ticket price includes a complimentary Piña Oatlada in an edible glass-shaped waffle cone, along with Malibu and Oatly-inspired cocktails and snacks.
The venue will also host DJ sets, drag bingo, a vegan Caribbean feast, fitness classes, and cabaret throughout the 16-day event.
“We’re so excited to be launching the new Piña Oatlada soft serve,” Malibu’s Vice President of Marketing Craig van Niekerk said in a statement. “Our delicious new Piña Oatlada combines two great-tasting brands to create the ultimate taste of the season, it’s the perfect way to unplug and enjoy the summer.”
The Piña Oatlada soft serve will also be available at select bars across the UK, the All Points East festival in London, Superbloom in Munich, and the VIP Bar at Way Out West in Gothenburg, Sweden.
“Malibu is a perfect partner to launch our glorious oats into the nightlife scene,” Oatly’s Creative Executive Director Martin Ringqvist said in a statement. “Just be sure to lick responsibly!”
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.
