Food News of the Week: Coca-Cola Oreos, Dole Holds a Banana Eating Contest, and Pumpkin Patch Baby Buns

This year, Nathan’s Famous dropped the ball on its hot-dog eating contest when it booted Joey Chestnut for his association with Impossible Foods. However, the Dole Food Company is picking up the slack with a plant-based eating contest that’s fun for all.

For a dream collab we never knew we needed, we’re turning to Oreo and Coca-Cola teaming up to launch a new drink and cookie that combines their iconic flavors. Oh, and there’s a Coca-Cola Oreo-flavored Slurpee in the works at 7-Eleven, too. 

And, of course, we’re slowly getting into all of the pumpkin spice food and beverages as fall approaches.

Read on for more. 

Food news

If you love a good BLT, then plant-based food company Squeaky Bean has just the thing: the first ready-to-eat plant-based bacon strips to launch at major retailers.

Squeaky Bean

RELATED: Starbucks’ New Dairy-Free Chai Is Like a PSL Without the Pumpkin

Rolling out to major supermarkets in the United Kingdom next month, these strips feature an authentic sweet and salty taste with a satisfying crispy texture. Perfect for adding to sandwiches, salads, and pasta dishes, they aim to satisfy the 50 percent of consumers who do not eat meat but miss bacon.  

“Research shows that bacon continues to come out top of the list of the foods that vegans and vegetarians miss the most, but until now there hasn’t been a plant-based ready-to-eat bacon that can dare to compare to its meat counterpart,” Jen Herbert, Head of Marketing for Squeaky Bean, said in a statement. 

In addition to the new bacon, the brand offers an array of ready-to-eat plant-based products, including beef, steak, chicken pieces, and sandwich slices like NYC Pastrami and smoked ham.

“At Squeaky Bean, we are all about creating delicious plant-based alternatives that taste just as good as meat,” Herbert said. 

With autumn on horizon, we’re all looking for those pumpkin treats and snack company Bobo’s is delivering with its limited-edition line of Pumpkin Spice Oat Bars and Bites, made with a base of whole grain oats blended with anti-inflammatory cinnamon, cloves, and pumpkin spices. And while the orange gourd is a fall classic, Bobo’s is also Pecan Pie Bites, made to invoke the spirit of the classic seasonal pie flavor. 

Cinnaholic

Over at vegan chain Cinnaholic, fall flavors are coming in cozy with a new seasonal menu of treats. Available from now until Halloween, the new Cinnamon Apple Cobbler Roll offers a sweet combination of Cinnaholic’s Old Skool roll topped with maple frosting, homemade apple cobbler, and Cinnadoodle cookie dough, all finished with a sprinkle of festive sprinkles. 

There’s also a classic Pumpkin Spice Roll featuring pumpkin spice frosting, homemade pumpkin bread, Cinnadoodle cookie bites, and a dash of cinnamon sugar.

Adding to the seasonal lineup is a one-pound loaf of Pumpkin Bread, infused with brown sugar and cinnamon, promising a moist and perfectly spiced flavor. For those looking to share or entertain, the Pumpkin Patch Baby Buns come as a dozen mini cinnamon rolls topped with pumpkin spice frosting and pieces of pumpkin bread.

Beverage news

In the beverage world, fall flavors are also making a splash. Plant-based meal company Daily Harvest is getting into the PSL game with a DIY version that features a slightly fancier gourd. 

Daily Harvest

Available in September, the company’s PSL features the same pumpkin spice flavors but is built around kabocha squash, a popular Japanese pumpkin. Ready in minutes, all that you need to do is add your milk of choice and blend. 

Superfood beverage company Blume is also getting into the seasonal spirit with its new Limited Edition Pumpkin Spice Superfood Latte. This drink mix features pumpkin dressed up with maple sugar, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, ground cloves, and cardamom.

Use your favorite dairy-free milk to craft the latte and add a shot of espresso or two, if you wish. 

To shake up fall flavors we turn to Koia, another superfood beverage company, which is rolling out its seasonal lineup starting in September. The collection features four protein shakes, each tailored to capture the essence of autumn in a health-conscious way. Leading the lineup is the Pumpkin Spice shake, which offers a dairy-free alternative to the classic seasonal favorite. This flavor will hit the shelves at Publix and Kroger starting September 3.

Koia

Another fall-inspired option, the Maple Pecan shake, will launch on September 16, bringing a sweet and nutty profile to Wegmans stores. For those who enjoy a bit of matcha in the fall, the Matcha Latte shake blends the earthy taste of matcha with a creamy, dairy-free base, also launching on September 16, available at Whole Foods, Bristol Farms, and Lazy Acres.

Business news

With its plant-based meatballs, hot dogs, and soft serve, it’s safe to say that Ikea is far more than a furniture store and has become a veritable destination for sustainable, plant-based foods. 

New School Foods

Ikea is reinforcing its commitment to sustainability with a new investment in New School Foods, a Toronto-based company focused on developing plant-based seafood alternatives. This week, New School Foods announced a $6 million Seed Extension round, bringing its total funding to $18 million.

The funding will help New School Foods ramp up production at its newly unveiled 28,000-square-foot facility in Toronto, which will support the commercial launch of its whole-cut, plant-based salmon.

“New School Foods is a true pioneer in the alternative protein industry, and we were impressed by the team, their products, and the production technology they’ve developed,” Robert Carleke, Innovation Ventures Manager at Inter Ikea, said in a statement. 

“Through our investments, we aim to support companies that are leading the next generation of sustainable products and materials,” Carleke said. 

This investment aligns with Ikea’s broader sustainability goals, including the aim to make 50 percent of its restaurant menu plant-based by 2025. Coincidentally, that is exactly when New School Foods plans to launch its next-level fish-free salmon in restaurants across North America. 

Oreo/Coca-Cola

For another exciting partnership, we turn to two unlikely besties: Coca-Cola and Oreo. Next month, the duo will release two products: Coca-Cola Oreo Zero Sugar and Oreo Coca-Cola Sandwich Cookies. 

The Coca-Cola Oreo Zero Sugar combines the classic soda’s refreshing taste with hints of Oreo cookie flavor, while the Oreo Coca-Cola Sandwich Cookie features chocolate Oreo cookies filled with Coca-Cola-flavored creme, accented by red edible glitter and popping candy. 

The ingredient label for this limited-edition Oreo is similar to that of the original, accidentally vegan cookies with the exception of Coca-Cola syrup and carbon dioxide, which is responsible for that popping sensation. 

And while milk (the dairy-free kind, of course) is always a great pairing with Oreos, nobody can stop you from dipping the cola-flavored cookies in Coke Zero. Plus, participating 7-Eleven stores are getting in on the fun with a Slurpee made with Coca-Cola Oreo Zero Sugar.

“We took careful steps to ensure we delivered the Oreo experience in a Coca-Cola, and vice versa,” Oana Vlad, Global Vice President of Brand Strategy at The Coca-Cola Company, said in a statement. “Both products went through several iterations, and we look forward to following the public conversation of what each tastes like.” 

“At the end of the day, our mutual commitment to product quality and technical excellence—and our willingness to have fun and work together as one team—made this possible,” Vlad said. 

These new offerings are part of Coca-Cola’s Creations platform, which aims to create innovative flavor experiences. Fans can engage with the products through “Bestie Mode” by scanning QR codes on the packaging, which allows them to create personalized Spotify playlists. 

Starting September 9, the Coca-Cola Oreos and the Oreo Coca-Cola will be sold in 35 markets worldwide, including the United States, Canada, China, Mexico, and Brazil, at major retailers such as Walmart. 

Dole Food Company

In other news, Dole banana eating contest is taking on Nathan’s Famous, a hot dog chain, which dropped its top competitor, Joey Chestnut, due to his endorsement of plant-based Impossible Foods. But Dole is making a bet on the plant-based future of eating competitions through 2027, which is how long it is sponsoring the Dole Great American Banana Challenge. The inaugural contest was held on August 24 during the Great American Banana Split Celebration in Latrobe, PA.

As part of celebrating its 125th anniversary in the banana business, Dole challenged participants to peel and eat as many Dole bananas as possible in 125 seconds. The winner, Leo Sun, who peeled and ate 11 bananas in the allotted time, received the Dole Banana Challenge Belt, specially designed by Wildcat Championship Belts, known for creating belts for other major eating contests. 

“When we had the chance to help create a new, more nutrient-dense version of the quintessentially American eating contest that doesn’t sacrifice the fun, we were eager to participate,” William Goldfield, the company’s director of communications, said in a statement.

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.