Food News of the Week: Caviar Croissants, Travis Barker’s Mushroom Gummies, and Target Kicks Off Pumpkin Spice Season

Croissants are top of mind with the Olympics in full swing in Paris. For a more luxe and savory approach, we’re turning to New York City’s Urban Dessert Lab, where a caviar-topped croissant just hit the menu.

This weekend, Travis Barker is heading to Lollapalooza, and his brand, Barker Wellness, is headed to Sprouts with a new product line of adaptogenic mushroom gummies. 

And while we’re still scorching our way through summer, Target is already getting into the flavors of fall. Read on for more. 

Food news

If you love scallops and tuna but don’t eat animal products, there’s good news for you. This week, Chicago’s Aqua Cultured Foods has announced that its fish-free seafood, created through fermentation, has been deemed safe for human consumption.

Aqua Cultured Foods

The company’s cellulose-based products, including tuna and scallops, have been self-affirmed as Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) by an independent panel of experts. This allows Aqua Cultured Foods to sell its products in the United States.

“Achieving self-GRAS status brings us one step closer to feeding the world’s growing population and healing our oceans,” Brittany Chibe, co-founder and CEO of Aqua Cultured Foods, said in a statement.  Aqua has been years in the making, and this milestone allows us to finally share the delicious products that our team has been working so hard on creating.”

Aqua’s seafood alternatives replicate the texture and appearance of traditional seafood. The scallops are made from water, cellulose, and plant-derived flavors, while the tuna includes a beet-derived color to mimic ahi or bluefin. Both products are vegan, allergen-free, and have a shelf life of six weeks.

“Fermentation is a growing pillar of the alternative protein industry, and biomass fermentation in particular is poised to scale,” Chibe said. “Aqua’s products not only match the taste and texture of traditional seafood but will be sold at or below price parity to raw seafood at wholesale.”

Aqua plans to sell its products directly to restaurants from its pilot facility in Chicago at a lower cost compared to traditional raw seafood. 

Birch Benders

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For some sweet news, we turn to Birch Benders, a pancake and waffle brand that’s shaking things up this week with the launch of a new, on-trend flavor. 

Birch Benders has introduced Ube Mochi Pancake & Waffle Mix, featuring the vibrant purple yams known as ube from the Philippines. This mix creates colorful and uniquely sweet pancakes and waffles that are gluten-free and vegan.

The Ube Mochi Pancake & Waffle Mix combines the exotic flavor of ube with the fun, chewy texture of mochi, using sweet rice flour. The instructions call for just the addition of water to the mix, which transforms it into a vivid purple batter. 

“We are thrilled to bring our Ube Mochi Pancake & Waffle Mix to breakfast tables across the country,” Dan Anglemyer, Chief Operating Officer, said in a statement. 

“This innovative addition not only offers a delightful burst of color and flavor but also caters to the growing demand for gluten-free breakfast options,” Anglemyer said. 

You can find the Ube Mochi Pancake & Waffle Mix at Whole Foods, Sprouts, and online through the Birch Benders website. 

Minor Figures

While we’re still in the thick of summer, fall is just around the corner and its spiced-up flavors are already making their way into new products. This week, oat milk company Minor Figures is getting into the fall game with a new addition: Barista Chai. 

This sweet, spicy, and organic concentrate combines perfectly with the brand’s flagship milk, Barista Oat, to create the ultimate chai latte experience. Each carton of Barista Chai yields 17 lattes when mixed in a 1:4 ratio with Barista Oat. 

Crafted from loose-leaf teas and natural spices, Barista Chai is slow-brewed to capture the full intensity and depth of each ingredient, promising a flavorful journey with every sip. 

Grocery news

Target is also already getting into the fall spirit this year by adding the season’s classic flavor, pumpkin spice, to its shelves early. This month, the retailer will begin to stock a limited-edition batch of Pumpkin Spice milk by animal-free product innovator Bored Cow. 

The new Pumpkin Spice flavor, part of Bored Cow’s first “Limited Batch” release, brings a seasonal twist to the shelf-stable milk set with its lactose-free, protein-packed, and vitamin-rich formula.

Bored Cow

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Bored Cow’s Pumpkin Spice milk will be available in convenient 11-ounce 4-packs exclusively at select Target stores nationwide. The brand is known for its use of fermentation to create dairy-free products that cook, bake, freeze, froth, foam, and steam just like traditional dairy. 

This fall-inspired flavor combines the warm spices of pumpkin pie with the creamy texture of Bored Cow’s milk alternative, making it perfect for morning lattes, fall recipes, or an evening treat.

“We are excited to partner with Target to bring Pumpkin Spice dairy to the world that doesn’t require cows to be milked,” Ben Berman, Founder & CEO of Bored Cow, said in a statement. “With this launch at Target, we have the chance for more people to try the product—and we believe they’ll make the switch for good once they do.”

In addition to Pumpkin Spice, Target will also carry Bored Cow’s popular Chocolate and Strawberry flavors in 11-ounce 4-packs and the Original flavor in 32-ounce cartons. 

Popadelics

From lion’s mane steaks to adaptogenic drinks, mushrooms are still having a moment. If you love snacks and mushrooms as much as we do, head to Whole Foods Market, which just started stocking a combo of both. Popadelics’ crispy mushroom chips are now available in three flavors: Trippin’ Truffle Parm, Twisted Thai Chili, and Rad Rosemary + Salt. 

While we love a good potato chip, these vegan snacks are made from shiitake mushrooms and their protein and fiber content make them a perfect better-for-you midday bite.

In addition to Whole Foods, Popadelics’ mushroom chips are already available at Sprouts, SoCal Ralphs, The Fresh Market, and CVS.

Barker Wellness

In other mushroom news, Travis Barker’s wellness brand just launched its new mushroom gummies at Sprouts, the first nationwide retailer to carry Barker Wellness products. Inspired by Barker’s own wellness journey, the new Mushroom Adaptogen Gummies come in two blends: a Daytime Blend for energy, focus, and immunity, and a Nighttime Blend for rest, recovery, and relaxation.

“I’m proud to announce our partnership with Sprouts, making Barker Wellness products available in their stores nationwide,” Barker said. “I’m also excited to announce the introduction of our new Mushroom Adaptogen Gummies, a great addition to our wellness lineup.”

Barker Wellness offers a variety of products aimed at supporting holistic health. Alongside the new Mushroom Adaptogen Gummies, the product lineup at Sprouts will include Muscle Therapy and the Kourtney x Barker Wellness collection. 

Restaurant news

This Sunday, Barker and his Blink-182 bandmates will headline Lollapalooza in Chicago. Before the vegan drummer hits the stage, a new birria taco will welcome guests to the show courtesy of plant-based steak company Chunk Foods and restaurant Blue Agave Chicago. 

Chunk Foods

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At Lollapalooza, Blue Agave will operate a tent where it will serve a variety of authentic Mexican dishes, including birria tacos made with Chunk’s pulled plant-based beef. The tacos will be offered for $12 each and come with a side of birria consomé for dipping. 

“This year, we decided to upgrade our plant-based options at Blue Agave,” Mario Gonzalez, Owner of Blue Agave Chicago, tells VegNews. “At the National Restaurant Show in Chicago, we interviewed several companies and selected our top three, with Chunk Foods standing out as our number one choice. We’ve since added their delicious products to our menu.”

Urban Dessert Lab

While birria tacos get a plant-based makeover in Chicago, croissants are getting a unique spin in New York City at oat milk dessert shop Urban Dessert Lab.

The dessert shop’s new savory vegan croissant, known as The Cavissant, features truffle oil, seeds, and seaweed caviar, offering a gourmet twist on a classic pastry.

The caviar-topped croissant is part of a new selection of desserts at the shop, which also added The Brûléesant—a croissant with a brûlée topping served with mousse-inspired crème for dipping. Urban Dessert Lab’s summer menu also includes a Bakery Collection with classic crème cakes and signature cookies, and Deconstructed Waffle Cone Cereal in Original, Cinnamon, Chocolate, Coffee, Strawberry, and Matcha flavors.

Founded by sisters Courtney Blagrove and Zan B.R., Urban Dessert Lab opened its first NYC location in 2020 and a second in West Hollywood, CA, in February 2024.

Urban Dessert Lab

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The shop’s core menu focuses on oat milk-based “ice crème” presented in elegant combinations, each with a gooey core and perfectly placed coatings. 

For those not in NYC or LA, Urban Dessert Lab offers nationwide shipping of its Brûléesants, cookies, ice crème, and deconstructed cone cereals, with plans to begin shipping cakes soon. 

Goatlandia

In the meantime, does cuddling reduced farm animals while eating delicious plant-based food sound like your ideal weekend? If so, head over to the Goatlandia Farm Animal Sanctuary in Sebastopol, CA.

The sanctuary has been operating Goatlandia Kitchen for more than a year and recently, the limited concept became a full-service restaurant. 

“We are thrilled to bring Goatlandia Kitchen to the Sebastopol community,” Goatlandia founder Deborah Blum said in a statement. “Our goal is to create a welcoming space where people can enjoy delicious, healthy food while knowing that every bite supports a healthy community as well as animals in need.”

In addition to cuddly goats and other rescued animals, here, you will find a menu of seasonal, plant-based, organic dishes made with locally sourced produce from FEED Sonoma and Little Saint Farm. Every meal is crafted with care and compassion and can be complemented with a selection of wines and beers.

Goatlandia Kitchen is now open for dinner Thursday through Sunday, offering a welcoming space for the Sebastopol community to enjoy healthy and delicious food while supporting a good cause.

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.