Over Half of Young Americans Describe Themselves As 'Flexitarian' as Plant-Based Food Popularity Explodes

PALM BEACH, Fla., March 9, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- FinancialNewsMedia.com News Commentary - AdWeek says "It's a great time to be a flexitarian in America, where consumers who mix and match a diet of animal protein with faux meat and dairy alternatives can find plant-based options at popular mainstream chains like KFC, Burger King, Starbucks and even McDonald's (which has finally joined its rivals with a trial run of the McPlant burger)… As 71% of Americans Dabble in Plant-Based, 2022 Will Be a High-Stakes Brand Battleground - Faux poultry, potato milk and more will fuel billions in sales for alternatives to meat and dairy."  An article in Plant Based News echo's the good news for the Flexitarian markets and consumers. The article said that:  "More than half of young Americans (aged 24-39) identify as 'flexitarians', according to a new poll… It revealed that 47 percent of respondents overall describe themselves as such.  In addition, 63 percent said they'd be 'willing to swap meat for a plant-based alternative if it met certain criteria'.  The article continued: "Flexitarians – or meat reducers – tend to consciously cut down on meat and replace it with plant-based foods. The poll showed that 43 percent of respondents see it as a 'permanent lifestyle change'.  Of those quizzed, 68 percent said they would swap meat for a plant-based alternative if it tasted the same. 60 percent would make the switch if it had the same nutritional value.  Nearly two-thirds (63 percent) would swap because the plant-based alternative is 'more ethical'. However, over a third (36 percent) were 'completely unaware of what being a flexitarian means or what's involved. This is even if they classify as one'."  Active Companies in the markets today include Nepra Foods Inc. (OTCQB: NPRFF) (CSE: NPRA), Beyond Meat, Inc. (NASDAQ: BYND), Oragin Foods Inc., (OTCQX: OGGFF) (TSX-V: OG), The Hain Celestial Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: HAIN), PlantX Life Inc. (OTCQB: PLTXF) (CSE: VEGA).

Plant Based News continued: "In a statement sent to Plant Based News, Sprouts Chief Executive Officer Jack Sinclair, said: "The interest in plant-based foods and a flexitarian diet is evident.  "Shoppers are more engaged with their food than ever. [They] are seeking innovative and alternative products to mix up the meals they prepare for themselves and their families.  We believe consumers will remain focused on incorporating healthy foods into their lifestyles to support immunity and overall wellbeing in (the future). This includes introducing consumers to things they never considered before, like plant-based foods and meat alternatives."  He added: "Plant-based product sales grew exponentially last year, indicating consumers are craving innovative items to try at home."

Nepra Foods Inc. (OTCQB: NPRFF) (CSE: NPRA) BREAKING NEWS:  Nepra Targets American Flexitarians at Natural Foods Expo West with a New Lineup of PRO Delicious, PRO Nutritious Plant-Based Meals - Nepra Foods Inc. (the "Company" or "Nepra"), the creator of nutritious plant-based and allergen-free food, is pleased to announce the debut of its PROPASTA™ line of heat-and-eat plant-based meals, targeting American Flexitarians wanting to reduce their consumption of animal-based products as well as their impact on the environment. PROPASTA™ will launch at the Natural Foods Expo West in Anaheim, California March 8-12 with attendance estimated to top 80,000 visitors, marking the events' 21^st year serving the natural and organics industry.

"Launching our latest PROPASTA™ brand at Expo West couldn't come at a better time for consumers eager for nutritious, allergen-free, and plant-based comfort meals that the whole family can enjoy," said David Wood, Co-Founder and CEO of Nepra Foods. "Our team of food scientists and chefs, led by Chadwick White, Co-Founder and CTO, worked tirelessly over the past year to develop recipes and formulations that are unmatched in the industry today. PROPASTA™ is a bold category-leading brand that meets people where they are in the frozen food aisle with great tasting, animal-free meals that deliver true nutrition for everyone."

Nepra has strategically positioned its PROPASTA™ brand at the intersection of consumer appeal, environmental impact, and optimized nutrition to capture the American Flexitarian segment, representing over 45 million weekly shoppers and 41% of the U.S. population. Made from proprietary formulations of hemp hearts, PROPASTA™ Spaghetti and Meatballs, Ricotta Ravioli with Marinara, and Macaroni and Cheese provide a complete protein source that is rich in healthy fats, easy to digest, non-GMO, and free from the top 8 allergens. With the ready-made frozen meals market estimated to reach USD $156 billion by 2025, Nepra is poised to take advantage of a fundamental shift in consumer demand for plant-based options that allow people to reduce their consumption of animal products without compromising taste, texture, or nutrition.  CONTINUED…  Read this full release for Nepra Foods at:  https://www.financialnewsmedia.com/news-npra/ 

Other recent developments in the markets of note include:

Beyond Meat, Inc. (NASDAQ: BYND) ("Beyond Meat" or "the Company"), a leader in plant-based meat, recently reported financial results for its fourth quarter and full year ended December 31, 2021.  Beyond Meat President and CEO Ethan Brown commented, "In 2021 we saw strong growth in our international channel net revenues, as well as sporadic yet promising signs of a resumption of growth in U.S. foodservice channel net revenues as COVID-19 variants peaked and declined. These gains, however, were dampened by what we believe to be a temporary disruption in U.S. retail growth, for our brand and the broader category. Despite the variability and challenges of the year, we did not deviate from building the foundation for our long-term growth. The investments we made in our team, infrastructure, and capabilities across the U.S., EU, and China, as well as extensive product scaling activities for key strategic partners, weighed heavily on operating expenses and gross margin during a fourth quarter and year that were already impacted by lower than expected volumes. However, we believe these investments will be instrumental in driving our long-term growth."

Oragin Foods Inc., (OTCQX: OGGFF) (TSX-V: OG) recently announced that it has changed the company name from Organic Garage Ltd. to ORAGIN Foods Inc. This comes following the successful growth of both its retailer Organic Garage, one of Canada's leading independent organic grocers, and the Company's newly acquired plant-based cheese company Future of Cheese, which successfully launched its first line of products in the last quarter of 2021 and has gained significant consumer interest and traction including its latest product, a plant-based ripened Brie, which was recently named "World's most realistic vegan Brie!" – by US based VegNews.

"This is a very exciting time for our Company and our shareholders as we evolve into ORAGIN," said Matt Lurie, President of ORAGIN. "Our vertically integrated ecosystem will allow us to develop, acquire and commercialize new and existing CPG brands, led by what we view as some of the brightest minds in the industry, and get those products directly into the hands of consumers through our own wholly owned retail locations, as well as through third party distributors and retailers globally."

The Hain Celestial Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: HAIN) recently announced its participation and support of Cornerstone for Natural's Smart Shelf Tag™ solution.

Hain will begin updating the content displayed on their ELI Codes for more than 300 of their most popular items and will continue to update more ELI Codes as more retailers adopt Smart Shelf Tags. Additionally, Hain will use its reputation and position within the natural products industry to encourage retailers, distributors, and suppliers to adopt Smart Shelf Tags. Smart Shelf Tags have been shown to increase retail sales by engaging and educating in-store shoppers with rich and exciting digital content such as videos, PDFs, web content, images, and product content & attributes in the aisle at the point of purchase. Smart Shelf Tags are built on QR code technology featuring ELI Codes™ powered by ELI Technology™. ELI Codes and Smart Shelf Tags can be read natively by most modern smartphones without requiring a separate app.

PlantX Life Inc. (OTCQB: PLTXF) (CSE: VEGA) recently announced that its wholly owned subsidiary, Bloomboxclub Limited ("Bloombox Club") has expanded its indoor plant selling business to Austria. Bloombox Club now operates e-commerce websites in the United States, Germany, the United Kingdom and Austria.

Bloombox Club's new Austrian e-commerce presence comes under a new domain, https://bloomboxclub.at/, which reflects Bloombox Club's interactive, intuitive and educational online presence. For purchases made through the Austrian platform, orders will be shipped from a distributor in the Netherlands using the same centralized fulfilment and distribution system as other Bloombox Club operations in Europe.

"We are beyond pleased with the welcoming reception among our consumer base in Austria, as well as the immediate feedback that we are seeing with this latest e-commerce site going live," said PlantX CEO, Lorne Rapkin. "As we look ahead to the future, we are committed to capitalizing on this growth market opportunity by prioritizing customer satisfaction as we continue to share the Bloombox Club experience with our Austrian community."

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