​Towering cakes, all the vegan doughnuts, and a dozen Twinkies is how we're celebrating the best day of the year.
At the VegNews HQ, National Dessert Day (today!) is the official launch of the holiday season. This year, there is no shortage of decadent vegan treats to celebrate the sweet holiday—case in point: our Top 50 Desserts in America list in VegNews’ current print issue. Between giant cakes, pies, truffles, and doughnuts that now populate the plant-based world, we don’t know where to start (or end) our celebration. That’s why we’re letting our sweet tooth lead us to five places where brilliant vegan bakers are creating desserts fit for such a great holiday.

Source : ​http://vegnews.com/articles/page.do?pageId=10221&catId=2

Being vegan is totally different these days. Not only is there a ton of great information on how to do it—like these 12 expert tips on going vegan—but the faux vegan foods are getting more and more creative. If you love cheese, there’s a dairy-free cashew version. If you’re craving a big juicy burger, you can get a vegan burger that bleeds—beet juice, mind you—that looks just like the real deal. You can even get recipes for vegan comfort foods that everyone will love. And now Impossible Foods, the company behind the burger, has come up with an alternative to fish.
The company is working diligently to find replacements for all animal-based products by 2035. Their Beyond Burger is constructed of pea protein, canola and coconut oil, and, of course, beet juice to achieve a meat-like product that even carnivores can get behind. When our editorial team tried the final product, the kitchen fell silent,” Tasting Table writes. “Nobody could believe how good it was. The texture may have been a little soft, but overall, everyone was seriously impressed.”
For the fish alternative—still under development—Impossible Foods will use an iron-containing molecule called heme that is extracted from soybeans to mimic the heme content of bluefin tuna, company CEO Pat Brown told the San Jose Mercury News. The company’s scientists were the first to figure out that heme is key to making food seem meat-like—it’s also in their burgers—and that it can be found in soy.
Brown, a biochemist, has already patented the technology to extract heme. The fish alternative is much needed, considering bluefin tuna, which is a hot commodity at sushi markets, is one of the three species considered threatened as a result of overfishing. And with the average person in the U.S. eating about 225 fish a year, plant-based alternatives could help lower that number to restore marine populations.
Brown started his business in 2011, receiving venture capital from Microsoft founder Bill Gates to develop his bleeding burger. Impossible Foods opened a commercial-scale plant in Oakland, California, this year in order to meet restaurant demands for one million pounds a month of their Beyond Burgers. The burger’s success is a good sign for the future of healthy, easy-on-the-environment vegan foods.

Source : https://www.rd.com/food/fun/impossible-foods-veggie-fish/

By Anna Starostinetskaya | October 15, 2017

UK-based Carluccio's will offer a 20-item vegan-friendly menu featuring classic Italian dishes with vegetables at the forefront.
United Kingdom-based Italian food chain Carluccio’s—with more than 100 locations in several countries—recently developed an expansive vegan-friendly menu in response to customer demand. “Vegetables are very important in Italian food culture and are often the stars of the show,” chain founder and chef Antonio Carluccio told media outlet Metro UK. “It’s not uncommon for dishes to be exclusively plant-based.” The new vegan menu items—which Carluccio developed with the help of blogger Anna Barnett—include appetizers such as the Crostini al Funghi (which features mushrooms and garlicky kale on ciabatta bread); Spaghetti con Polpette di Pane (which comes topped with tomato sauce with meatless meatballs made from bread, semi-dried tomatoes, garlic, capers, and olives); and Orecchiette al Cavolfiore (a creamy, cauliflower-based pasta dish served with sautéed kale, chili, and roasted turmeric cauliflower florets.) The 20 new vegan-friendly dishes will debut October 23 at the restaurant's flagship Covent Garden location, which will convert the first floor into “Cucina Verde” for four consecutive Mondays.

​Source http://vegnews.com/articles/page.do?pageId=10222&catId=1

ST. LOUIS, Oct. 12, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- In his keynote address, Mark Cotter, CEO of The Food Group, will illustrate to attendees at the Organic & Non-GMO Forum here, November 6-7, how breakthrough thinking, trendspotting and data-driven insight can help navigate the challenges of the $47 billion U.S. organic marketplace, where food sales grew 8.4 percent last year, according to a recent Organic Trade Association survey.


The growing market for organic, non-GMO and healthier food products is being driven by macro trends related to health and wellness, along with major shifts in retail food marketing. These trends also are supported by both the current and the next wave of food shoppers, such as Millennials and Gen Z'ers, who are demanding healthier and more sustainable food choices, as well as the details on how, where and when their food was grown.  
The Food Group, with clients such as Mondelēz, Kraft Heinz, and Delmonte, has helped build some of the world's most iconic brands and directed them through this new food transition. Putting years of experience to use, Cotter will speak on Agriculture at the Crossroads: Emerging Opportunities for Producers and Processors at this third annual Organic & Non-GMO Forum. This dynamic presentation will cite quantifiable research and data on food purchasing habits that illustrate why agricultural and food production practices are at the crossroads, with transparency, quality and sustainability as the new measurements of success. This sea change is expected to provide ample opportunities for farmers, midstream processors and food marketers for the foreseeable future.
Furthering this discussion will be a presentation on Sustainability, Climate Change and Other Concerns for the Future. Lead by Ryan Sirolli, agriculture director at DanoneWave – the new organization of the renowned Dannon brand – and Elizabeth Reaves, program director at the Sustainable Food Lab, this session promises to delve deeper into how companies address the challenges of climate change, how and where water rights and access can make or break an opportunity, and how investments in technology and infrastructure can reap benefits.
At this gathering for buyers, processors and handlers that covers both the practical and business end of the organic, non-gmo and conventional supply chain, the conversation would not be complete without an update on labeling initiatives in the sector. This will be addressed during a breakout session with Kristina Bierschwale of Where Food Comes From, Inc., Marni Karlin of Karlin Strategic Consulting, and Mark Zovodnyik of HighQuest Group.
Learn more at www.ongforum.com, or join us using this $100 off discount code: ONGF-EB.
About the Organic & Non-GMO Forum
The Organic & Non-GMO Forum is the only U.S. event that covers both the practical and business end of the organic, non-GMO, and conventional supply chain and addresses the growing opportunities and significant challenges in the sector. It is hosted by Danvers, Mass.-based HighQuest Group, a strategic advisory, conference, and media firm serving the ag investing and agribusiness industries. The company also hosts the Global AgInvesting series, GAI AgTech Week, AgTech Nexusand the Women in Agribusiness Summit series. www.highquestgroup.com

SOURCE Organic & Non-GMO Forum :http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/sustainability-and-transparency-catalysts-for-success-in-burgeoning-organic--non-gmo-sector-300535851.html


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AUSTIN, Texas — Whole Foods Market has issued a recall for 365 Everyday Value Organic Raisin Bran because the product contains undeclared peanuts, a known allergen.
“The issue was discovered after Whole Foods Market determined the packaging contained Peanut Butter Cocoa Balls instead of Organic Raisin Bran,” the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said.
No one has reported have any adverse reactions to the product.
The recalled cereal was sold in stores across the United States and online through Amazon.
The 365 Everyday Value Organic Raisin Bran product has a UPC code 9948243903 and a best-by date of June 4, 2018.

Source http://kdvr.com/2017/10/12/allergy-alert-whole-foods-recalls-organic-raisin-bran/