• 🧀 Misha’s Acquires Vertage
• 🔖 Our 2025 Content Calendar
• 🟥 FDA Bans Red Dye No. 3
• 💡 Calbee Innovates In Cali
• 🔁 People Moves Across Food 
• ♥️ How To Help: L.A. Fires Relief Efforts

Are aquatic plants the next hot ingredient in the plant-based space? Chipotle seems to think so. 

Through its VC arm Cultivate Next, the fast-casual Mexican grill chain has made minority investments in food tech outfit Plantible along with methane-reducing solutions provider CH4 Global. These investments are said to help scale the production of sustainable food and accelerate the chain’s plans to operate 7,000 locations in North America, according to a press release. 

Since its inception in 2022, Chipotle’s Cultivate Next fund has bet on startups innovating across the farming, robotics and plant-based food sectors; its investments tend to lean into simple-ingredient approaches rather than food tech-heavy or incredibly novel processes. 

• Check out Cultivate’s portfolio, which includes mycelium-based alt-meat maker Meati Foods (which recently secured a $100 million investment) and clean cooking oil producer Zero Acre Farms.  

What is Plantible? The vertically-integrated platform produces Rubi Protein – a plant-based protein that mimics the taste and texture of animal proteins. It hails from duckweed, a small flowering aquatic plant found on ponds or wetlands. (Let us be the first to claim it: It’s only a matter of time before Swamp Steaks show up on menus) 

• Plantible is gaining ground, having shared the news late last year that it closed a $30 million Series B round co-led by Siddhi Capital and Piva Capital, with participation from Cultivate. 

Chipotle’s investment in Plantible is just the latest example of how the restaurant ecosystem has taken a supporting role in growing sustainability within the CPG space. In 2023, burger chain Shake Shack partnered with Zero Acre Farms to test its oil at two of its New York City locations. 

• Additionally, both Zero Acre Farms and Meati have garnered support from Sweetgreen, with the chain incorporating the former’s oils into its salads and bowls in 2023 and using the latter’s plant-based meat analogue in its Miso Meati Bowl. 

These partnerships have played a key role in giving relatively early-stage, sustainability-focused CPG products a channel for generating consumer awareness and driving trial. 

While we can’t be sure these partnerships will pay higher dividends than what alt-meat giants like Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods experienced with McDonald’s and Burger King – we’re willing to bet Chipotle and Sweetgreen consumers might be a tad more receptive of these wellness and climate-supporting product plays. 

Go Deeper: Why Plant-Based Brands Are Building in Foodservice.

Plant-based foods company Misha’s has acquired dairy-free cheese maker Vertage for an undisclosed sum. The deal expands Misha’s portfolio with the addition of shredded and sliced offerings crafted from cashews, pea protein, coconut oil and other simple ingredients.

🚚 The transaction also leverages Vertage’s partnership with Fresh Del Monte Produce, providing access to its comprehensive logistics network and capabilities. 

🛒 Misha’s produces premium soft cheese alternatives using cashews, olive oil and vegan cultures that are sold in over 1,100 retail outlets, including Kroger, Walmart, Erewhon and Whole Foods Market.

🗣️ What they said: “By integrating Vertage's expertise and leveraging Fresh Del Monte's infrastructure, we're not only scaling our operations but also evolving our product offerings to meet consumer demand." – Aaron Bullock, founder and CEO of Misha's Inc.

Nosh Insiders can read the full story for all of the insight.

Explore our upcoming food industry reporting and insights, including editorial deep dives, data reports and analysis, event coverage, and buyer guides highlighting new products. These resources build on the daily industry reporting trusted by Insiders from BevNET, Nosh, and Brewbound.

Have some news that aligns with an upcoming story? Reach out to our editorial team at news@nosh.com. 

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has officially moved to ban the use of Red No. 3 from many food, beverage and medication formulations “due to studies showing that the dye caused cancer.”

⚠️ Reports of a potential ban first leaked in December and a White House Fact Sheet memo released yesterday signaled that the agency was readying itself to revoke the additive’s authorization. 

🥁 California has already been beating the drum on this for years including a recent executive order banning the additive’s use at the beginning of the month.

🔀 Industry groups are mixed on the announcement. Reactions range from applause to calls for additional FDA transparency and funding.

Stay tuned for more insight on the decision later today on Nosh.

Japanese Snack manufacturing subsidiary Calbee America is ramping up innovation in the U.S. with the opening of a new R&D Innovation Center in Madera, Calif., this early next week. 

🫛 The site is expected to help grow the company’s Harvest Snaps line and accelerate its product development to bring more Asian-flavored offerings to mainstream markets. 

🏭 The facility will host 15 researchers and is complete with a “state-of-the-art kitchen.” It can produce everything from tortilla and potato chips to popcorn and crackers, all with organic, gluten free, non-GMO and kosher certifications. 

🔊 R&D Director Takuro Kris Tatsumi said in a statement that the company will use the facility to experiment with different ingredient bases, flavors and shapes as well as improve textures. Products will be sold under its Harvest Snaps banner as well as its flagship Calbee brand. 

🍫 The Hershey Company announced a pair of appointments this week, with former Keurig Dr Pepper executive Andrew Archambault named president of U.S. Confection and 22-year Hershey veteran Veronica Villasenor promoted to president of Salty Snacks. 

🥓 James P. Snee, chairman, president and CEO of Hormel Foods Corp., will retire at the end of fiscal 2025 following a 36-year tenure. 

🍇 Welch’s has tapped Christine Kwiat as chief research and development officer. Prior to joining the company in 2020, she held various leadership roles at Schwan’s Food Company, Kraft Foods, Oscar Mayer and Nabisco.

As the L.A. area continues to reel from the ongoing firestorm, here are fresh ideas for helping both the citizenry and the food and beverage community.

• Lifeway Foods is organizing a community drive that will take place at the brand’s Niles and Waukesha facilities and collect non-perishable food, water and baby food. 
• Contribute here to GoFundMe raises specifically for the LA CPG Community. 
• Regarding Her is collecting donations to help women-owned food and beverage businesses recover. 
• Frontline Impact and Global Empowerment Mission is collecting CPG food donations to distribute to displaced individuals and frontline workers. Businesses can learn more about how to donate here.
• West Side Food Bank is accepting donations at its 1710 22nd St.location in Santa Monica and also accepts donations of large collections of food by appointment. 
• L.A. Community Fridges operates 15 locations around the city. Food donations can be left at any of the locations.
• Los Angeles Regional Food Bank is also accepting food donations at its two distribution centers.