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| name = Lightlife Foods, Inc.
| name = Lightlife Foods, Inc.
| logo = Lightlife_Foods_Logo_2021.jpg
| logo = Lightlife_Foods_Logo_2021.jpg
| type = [[Subsidiary]]
| type = Wholly-owned
| genre = [[Food manufacturing]]
| genre = [[Food manufacturing]]
| fate =
| fate =
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| locations =
| locations =
| area_served =
| area_served =
| key_people =
| key_people = {{Unbulleted list | Dan Curtin (President) }}
| industry =
| industry = Food
| products = {{Unbulleted list | Vegan [[meat substitutes]]}}
| products = {{Unbulleted list | Vegan [[meat substitutes]] | plant-based foods}}
| production =
| production =
| services =
| services =
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| assets =
| assets =
| equity =
| equity =
| owner = [[Maple Leaf Foods]]
| owner = {{Unbulleted list | Greenleaf Foods SPC}}
| parent =
| parent =
| divisions =
| divisions =
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}}
}}
[[File:Smart Tenders 1.jpg|thumb|Lightlife "Smart Tenders"]]
[[File:Smart Tenders 1.jpg|thumb|Lightlife "Smart Tenders"]]
'''Lightlife Foods''' is a company that produces [[vegetarian]] and [[vegan]] [[meat substitute]]s. Lightlife was founded in [[Greenfield, Massachusetts|Greenfield, MA]] in 1979 before relocating to [[Turners Falls, Massachusetts|Turner Falls, MA]] in 1998.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news|url=http://www.foodnavigator-usa.com/Manufacturers/ConAgra-sells-meat-alternatives-brand-Lightlife-to-Brynwood-Partners|title=ConAgra sells meat alternatives brand Lightlife to Brynwood Partners|last=Watson|first=Elaine|date=2013-09-17|newspaper=Food Navigator USA|access-date=2017-02-23|language=en}}</ref> It was first founded as Tempeh Works in an old, converted car wash.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://lightlife.com/our-story|title=Our Story {{!}} Lightlife|website=lightlife.com|language=en|access-date=2018-06-28}}</ref> In the summer of 2000, [[ConAgra Foods]] acquired LightLife Foods, which was generating about $25 million in annual revenue at the time.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite book|title=History of Meat Alternatives (965 CE to 2014): Extensively Annotated Bibliography and Sourcebook|last=Shurtleff|first=William|last2=Aoyagi|first2=Akiko|publisher=Soyinfo Center|year=2014|isbn=9781928914716|location=Lafayette, CA|pages=1164}}</ref> [[Brynwood Partners]] acquired the company, which had roughly 90 employees at the time, from ConAgra Foods in September 2013.<ref name=":0" /> In 2017, [[Maple Leaf Foods]] bought Lightlife Foods for $140 million plus related costs.<ref name="fc">{{cite news |last1=Wilson |first1=Mark |title=How an old veggie dog company is learning new tricks |url=https://www.fastcompany.com/90354518/how-an-old-veggie-dog-company-is-learning-new-tricks |accessdate=30 September 2020 |work=Fast Company |date=30 May 2019}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-lightlifefoods-m-a-maple-leaf-foods-idUSKBN1602M5|title=Canadian meat processor Maple Leaf to buy U.S.-based Lightlife Foods|last=Lahiri|first=Diptendu|date=2017-02-21|newspaper=Reuters|access-date=2017-02-23|last2=Sadam|first2=Rishika}}</ref> In 2019, LightLife introduced a plant-based burger produced with textured pea protein, beet powder, and engineered yeast.<ref name="fc"/>
'''Lightlife Foods''' is a company that produces plant-based foods for [[Plant-based diet|plant-based diets]]. In 2018, its worth was estimated at $80 million<ref>{{Cite web|last=Buss|first=Dale|date=2020-10-19|title=Chicago Meatless-Burger Maker Takes On The Giants|url=https://chiefexecutive.net/chicago-meatless-burger-maker-takes-on-the-giants/|access-date=2021-04-21|website=ChiefExecutive.net|language=en-US}}</ref>. It is best known for its top-selling [[Vegetarian hot dog|plant-based veggie dog]], Smart Dog, which launched in 1993<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|last=Breslouer|first=Lee|title=The Best Veggie Hot Dogs and Sausages to Grill With Right Now|url=https://www.thrillist.com/eat/nation/best-vegetarian-vegan-hot-dogs-meatless-sausage-grill|access-date=2021-04-21|website=Thrillist|language=en}}</ref> but the company more recently launched a [[Veggie burger|plant-based burger]] to compete with [[Impossible Foods]] and [[Beyond Meat]] in 2019<ref name=":2">{{Cite web|last=Wilson|first=Mark|date=2019-05-30|title=How an old veggie dog company is learning new tricks|url=https://www.fastcompany.com/90354518/how-an-old-veggie-dog-company-is-learning-new-tricks|access-date=2021-04-21|website=Fast Company|language=en-US}}</ref>.
== History ==
Lightlife was founded in [[Greenfield, Massachusetts|Greenfield, MA]] in 1979 before relocating to [[Turners Falls, Massachusetts|Turner Falls, MA]] in 1998.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news|url=http://www.foodnavigator-usa.com/Manufacturers/ConAgra-sells-meat-alternatives-brand-Lightlife-to-Brynwood-Partners|title=ConAgra sells meat alternatives brand Lightlife to Brynwood Partners|last=Watson|first=Elaine|date=2013-09-17|newspaper=Food Navigator USA|access-date=2017-02-23|language=en}}</ref> It was first founded as Tempeh Works in an old, converted car wash.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://lightlife.com/our-story|title=Our Story {{!}} Lightlife|website=lightlife.com|language=en|access-date=2018-06-28}}</ref> In the summer of 2000, [[ConAgra Foods]] acquired LightLife Foods, which was generating about $25 million in annual revenue at the time.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite book|title=History of Meat Alternatives (965 CE to 2014): Extensively Annotated Bibliography and Sourcebook|last=Shurtleff|first=William|last2=Aoyagi|first2=Akiko|publisher=Soyinfo Center|year=2014|isbn=9781928914716|location=Lafayette, CA|pages=1164}}</ref> [[Brynwood Partners]] acquired the company, which had roughly 90 employees at the time, from ConAgra Foods in September 2013.<ref name=":0" /> In 2017, [[Maple Leaf Foods]] bought Lightlife Foods for $140 million plus related costs.<ref name="fc">{{cite news |last1=Wilson |first1=Mark |title=How an old veggie dog company is learning new tricks |url=https://www.fastcompany.com/90354518/how-an-old-veggie-dog-company-is-learning-new-tricks |accessdate=30 September 2020 |work=Fast Company |date=30 May 2019}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-lightlifefoods-m-a-maple-leaf-foods-idUSKBN1602M5|title=Canadian meat processor Maple Leaf to buy U.S.-based Lightlife Foods|last=Lahiri|first=Diptendu|date=2017-02-21|newspaper=Reuters|access-date=2017-02-23|last2=Sadam|first2=Rishika}}</ref> In 2019, LightLife introduced a plant-based burger produced with pea protein, garlic powder and beet powder for color<ref>{{Cite web|title=Plant-Based Burgers|url=https://lightlife.com/product/plant-based-burger/|access-date=2021-04-21|website=Lightlife|language=en}}</ref>.<ref name="fc" />

== Production & Technology ==
Lightlife Foods is a [[Carbon neutrality|carbon-neutral]] company<ref>{{Cite web|date=2020-12-12|title=Plant-Based Proteins for People and the Planet|url=https://foodtank.com/news/2020/12/innovating-for-the-future-of-plant-based-protein/|access-date=2021-04-21|website=Food Tank|language=en-US}}</ref>.

'''Tempeh Plant'''

In January 2021, Lightlife Foods' parent company, Greenleaf Foods, subsidiary of Maple Leaf Foods, announced that it would purchase a food processing plant in Indianapolis, Indiana to exclusively produce [[tempeh]] products. The cost of the purchase was estimated at $100 million<ref>{{Cite web|title=Maple Leaf spends $100M for Indianapolis tempeh plant|url=https://www.fooddive.com/news/maple-leaf-spends-100m-for-indianapolis-tempeh-plant/593253/|access-date=2021-04-21|website=Food Dive|language=en-US}}</ref>. Dan Curtin, the President of Greenleaf Foods, claimed that "Lightlife Tempeh accounted for about 80% of total US tempeh dollar sales" in 2020.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Lightlife® Strengthens Walmart Partnership by Expanding Tempeh to 3,500 Stores to Meet Growing Demand for Plant-Based Protein|url=https://money.yahoo.com/lightlife-strengthens-walmart-partnership-expanding-130000063.html|access-date=2021-04-21|website=money.yahoo.com|language=en-US}}</ref> The tempeh product line is available at over 18,500 retail locations, after Lightlife expanded the line into 3,500 Walmart stores in November 2020<ref>{{Cite web|title=Lightlife expands to more Walmart stores|url=https://www.meatpoultry.com/articles/24124-lightlife-expands-to-more-walmart-stores|access-date=2021-04-21|website=www.meatpoultry.com|language=en}}</ref>.

'''Pea Protein and Plant-Based Burger Development'''

In 2019, Lightlife Foods launched its [[Veggie burger|plant-based burger]] in [[foodservice]] before bringing it to retail stores.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Forgrieve|first=Janet|title=Lightlife Serves A Beefier Plant-Based Burger For Its 40th Birthday|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/janetforgrieve/2019/01/31/lightlife-serves-a-beefier-plant-based-burger-for-its-40th-birthday/|access-date=2021-04-21|website=Forbes|language=en}}</ref> Known for making products from [[soy protein]] and [[tempeh]], the Lightlife Plant-Based Burger was instead developed with [[pea protein]], [[coconut oil]], and beet powder<ref name=":3">{{Cite news|last=Moskin|first=Julia|date=2019-10-22|title=How Do the New Plant-Based Burgers Stack Up? We Taste-Tested Them|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/22/dining/veggie-burger-taste-test.html|access-date=2021-04-21|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> because pea protein provided a meatier texture than soy protein. <ref name=":2" />Competitor [[Beyond Meat]] also uses pea protein in its plant-based burger.<ref name=":4">{{Cite news|date=2019-05-14|title=The Mighty Pea Is Everybody’s New Favorite Plant-Based Protein|language=en|work=Bloomberg.com|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-05-14/the-mighty-pea-is-everybody-s-new-favorite-plant-based-protein|access-date=2021-04-21}}</ref>

To meet the heightened demand of production, Lightlife Foods' parent company, Greenleaf Foods, broke ground of a new food processing plant in Shelbyville, Indiana<ref name=":5">{{Cite web|title=Field Roast and Lightlife will double production capacity with new $310M facility - The Good Food Institute|url=https://gfi.org/blog/greenleaf-foods-new-production-facility/|access-date=2021-04-21|website=gfi.org|language=en-US}}</ref> in 2019 and bought more than a year's worth of the pea protein the same year<ref name=":4" />. At the time, the Shelbyville plant was reported to be "North America's biggest plant-based protein facility" by the time is was fully operational. The plant cost $310 million and would double the production capacity of Lightlife and Field Roast, another Greenleaf Foods brand, with a forecasted output of 60 million pounds of plant-based meat annually<ref name=":5" />. The construction of the plant was put on hold when Lightlife's parent company purchased a tempeh plant in Indianapolis, Indiana in January 2021.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Maple Leaf Foods weighing options for Shelbyville plant|url=https://www.wattagnet.com/articles/42336-maple-leaf-foods-weighing-options-for-shelbyville-plant?v=preview|access-date=2021-04-21|website=www.wattagnet.com|language=en}}</ref>

== Plant-Based Foods ==
'''Post-Pandemic Growth'''

In March 2020, before the [[COVID-19 pandemic]], the [[Meat analogue|plant-based meat]] category was reported to have experienced 18% growth year over year. <ref name=":6">{{Cite web|title=Plant-based food retail sales hit $5 billion - The Good Food Institute|url=https://gfi.org/blog/plant-based-food-retail-sales-hit-5-billion/|access-date=2021-04-21|website=gfi.org|language=en-US}}</ref>By May 2020, sales for fresh meat alternatives increased 255%, <ref>{{Cite web|last=Sternlicht|first=Alexandra|title=Alternative Meat Sales Soar Amid Pandemic|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/alexandrasternlicht/2020/05/04/alternative-meat-sales-soar-amid-pandemic/|access-date=2021-04-21|website=Forbes|language=en}}</ref>accelerated by an unavailability of traditional meat that was created by supply chain issues during the COVID-19 pandemic. <ref>{{Cite web|date=2020-12-05|title=How COVID-19 Is Changing the Way We Eat|url=https://foodtank.com/news/2020/12/has-covid-led-to-a-plant-forward-revolution/|access-date=2021-04-21|website=Food Tank|language=en-US}}</ref>In June 2020, Lightlife Foods reported that, despite a loss of [[foodservice]] business because of the pandemic, it expected sales to grow 30% in 2020. <ref name=":6" />In its 2020 annual report, the company reported increased sales of about $25 million compared to the previous year.<ref>https://www.greenleaffoods.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/greenleaf-spc-report-to-shareholders-january-2021.pdf</ref>

'''Plant-Based Products'''

Lightlife Foods produces an assortment of [[tempeh]], [[soy protein]], and [[pea protein]] products.

* Smart Dogs - Launched in 1993, <ref>{{Cite web|title=Our Story|url=https://lightlife.com/our-story/|access-date=2021-04-21|website=Lightlife|language=en}}</ref><ref name=":1" />Lightlife Smart Dogs are [[Vegetarian hot dog|plant-based veggie dogs]] that were originally developed with soy protein, before being relaunched in 2012 with a new formula that included pea protein in addition to soy protein.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Chaker|first=Anne Marie|date=2012-01-25|title=The Veggie Burger's New Dream: Be More Like Meat|language=en-US|work=Wall Street Journal|url=https://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203806504577180983550057616.html|access-date=2021-04-21|issn=0099-9660}}</ref>
* [[Veggie burger|Plant-Based Burger]] - Launched in 2019, the Lightlife Plant-Based Burger is made with pea protein, coconut oil and beet powder. <ref name=":3" />The burger is sold at [[Harvey's]] restaurant locations across Canada<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bizjournals.com/chicago/news/2020/07/20/greenleaf-lightlife-plant-based-burger-harveys.html|access-date=2021-04-21|website=www.bizjournals.com}}</ref> and at [[Dave & Buster's]] restaurant across the United States and Canada.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2019-10-17|title=Dave & Buster’s Upgrades to Lightlife® Burger in New Partnership|url=https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20191017005233/en/Dave-Buster%E2%80%99s-Upgrades-to-Lightlife%C2%AE-Burger-in-New-Partnership|access-date=2021-04-21|website=www.businesswire.com|language=en}}</ref>
* Plant-Based Chicken - Lightlife Smart Tenders are plant-based chicken made with soy protein. <ref>{{Cite web|title=Smart Tenders® Plant-Based Chicken|url=https://lightlife.com/product/smart-tenders-savory-chicken/|access-date=2021-04-21|website=Lightlife|language=en}}</ref>In August 2020, Lightlife plant-based chicken became a permanent menu item at [[KFC]] restaurant locations in Canada.<ref>{{Cite web|title=KFC Canada Has a Plant-Based Chicken Sandwich — Will the U.S. Ever See It?|url=https://www.foodandwine.com/news/kfc-canada-plant-based-chicken-sandwich-lightlife|access-date=2021-04-21|website=Food & Wine|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=August 6|first=Caitlin MucerinoPublished:|last2=2020|title=KFC Adds Plant-Based Chicken Sandwich to the Menu Permanently|url=https://thebeet.com/kfc-permanently-adds-plant-based-lightlife-chicken-sandwich-to-menu-in-canada/|access-date=2021-04-21|website=The Beet.|language=en}}</ref>[[File:KFC Canada Plant-Based Chicken.jpg|center|thumb|KFC Plant-Based Chicken in Canada]]

== Recent Campaigns ==
Lightlife launched a campaign called "A Taste of Honesty" with actors [[Kristen Bell|Kristin Bell]] and [[Dax Shepard]] in 2019. The campaign was promoted across social media with a two-minute video and the hashtag #ATasteOfHonesty. <ref>{{Cite web|last=October 10|first=Michael Heusner|last2=2019|title=Ad of the Week: Lightlife tells it like it is in hilarious new spot|url=https://www.campaignlive.com/article/ad-week-lightlife-tells-hilarious-new-spot/1661883?utm_source=website&utm_medium=social|access-date=2021-04-21|website=www.campaignlive.com}}</ref>The ad was chosen by AdWeek as the ad of the day on October 8, 2019. <ref>{{Cite web|title=Hollywood’s Most Fun-Loving Couple Gets Hilariously Uncomfortable With Their Kids in New Ad|url=https://www.adweek.com/agencies/hollywood-fun-loving-couple-dax-shepard-kristen-bell-kids-lightlife/|access-date=2021-04-21|language=en-US}}</ref>When a commenter on Instagram was concerned about possible exploitation of the children in the ad, Kristin Bell responded to clarify that the children in the ads were actors and not her own.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Woodward|first=Ellie|title=Kristen Bell Was Accused Of &quot;Exploiting&quot; A Child Actor In Her New Commercial And She Had The Best Response|url=https://www.buzzfeed.com/elliewoodward/kristen-bell-criticism-kids-commercial|access-date=2021-04-21|website=BuzzFeed|language=en-gb}}</ref>
[[File:Open letter- plant based protein curious.jpg|left|thumb|Clean Break Ad]]
'''Clean Break Campaign'''

On August 25, 2020, Lightlife published an open letter advertisement in ''[[The New York Times]]'' and ''[[The Wall Street Journal]]'' to challenge competitors Impossible Foods and Beyond Meat about their use of "unnecessary additives, fillers, and fake blood" in their plant-based burgers. <ref>{{Cite web|title=Clean Break|url=https://lightlife.com/cleanbreak/|access-date=2021-04-21|website=Lightlife|language=en}}</ref>In response, Impossible Foods published a blog post on the website [[Medium (website)|Medium]] calling Lightlife's Clean Break campaign a "disingenuous, desperate disinformation campaign attempting to cast doubt on the integrity of our products".<ref>{{Cite web|last=Foods|first=Impossible|date=2020-08-25|title=Setting the record straight: An open letter to Lightlife in response to its false claims about…|url=https://medium.com/impossible-foods/setting-the-record-straight-an-open-letter-to-lightlife-in-response-to-its-false-claims-about-8e7193e9847b|access-date=2021-04-21|website=Medium|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Bradley|first=Diana|title=‘Someone is getting fired in Lightlife marketing today’: Impossible Foods hits back at Clean Break campaign|url=https://www.prweek.com/article/1693075?utm_source=website&utm_medium=social|access-date=2021-04-21|website=www.prweek.com}}</ref>

Lightlife Foods partnered with vegetarian late night host [[Lilly Singh]] to create an [[Instagram]] campaign called "Make a Clean Break with Lilly Singh" in October 2020. <ref>{{Cite web|title=Lilly Singh's 2020 has had a lot of ‘crying and cooking’ — like all of us|url=https://www.today.com/tmrw/lilly-singh-s-2020-has-had-lot-crying-cooking-all-t196172|access-date=2021-04-21|website=TODAY.com|language=en}}</ref>The social campaign was featured on Lightlife's Instagram profile as a continuation of its Clean Break Campaign. <ref>{{Cite web|title=Lightlife teams up with LILLY SINGH for a Clean Break|url=https://www.thedrum.com/profile/160over90/case-studies/lightlife-teams-up-with-lilly-singh-for-a-clean-break|access-date=2021-04-21|website=The Drum}}</ref>In the campaign, Singh provided advice to followers looking to "make a clean break from something in their lives".

== Recent Events ==
A partnership between [[Soldier Field]] in Chicago and Lightlife Foods was announced in 2019. As part of the partnership, Lightlife's plant-based burgers would be sold at home games for the [[Chicago Bears]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Chicago Bears Stadium to Serve Vegan Lightlife Burgers at Home Games|url=https://vegnews.com/2019/9/chicago-bears-stadium-to-serve-vegan-lightlife-burgers-at-home-games|access-date=2021-04-21|website=VegNews.com|language=en-US}}</ref>

In October 2020, Lightlife announced a deal with [[Bowlero Corporation]], which operates bowling lanes in North America. As part of the deal, Lightlife's plant-based burger would be sold at Bowlero and [[Bowlmor Lanes]] locations and Lightlife sponsored the 2020 [[PBA Tour]].<ref>{{Cite web|last=Corp|first=Bowlero|title=Lightlife® Announced as Official Plant-Based Food Partner of Bowlero Corp and the 2020 PBA Tour|url=https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/lightlife-announced-as-official-plant-based-food-partner-of-bowlero-corp-and-the-2020-pba-tour-301150660.html|access-date=2021-04-21|website=www.prnewswire.com|language=en}}</ref>


==See also==
==See also==

Revision as of 19:15, 21 April 2021

Lightlife Foods, Inc.
Company typeWholly-owned
IndustryFood
GenreFood manufacturing
Founded1979[1]
Headquarters
Turners Falls, Massachusetts
,
USA
Key people
  • Dan Curtin (President)
Products
Owner
  • Greenleaf Foods SPC
Websitewww.lightlife.com
Lightlife "Smart Tenders"

Lightlife Foods is a company that produces plant-based foods for plant-based diets. In 2018, its worth was estimated at $80 million[2]. It is best known for its top-selling plant-based veggie dog, Smart Dog, which launched in 1993[3] but the company more recently launched a plant-based burger to compete with Impossible Foods and Beyond Meat in 2019[4].

History

Lightlife was founded in Greenfield, MA in 1979 before relocating to Turner Falls, MA in 1998.[5] It was first founded as Tempeh Works in an old, converted car wash.[6] In the summer of 2000, ConAgra Foods acquired LightLife Foods, which was generating about $25 million in annual revenue at the time.[5][7] Brynwood Partners acquired the company, which had roughly 90 employees at the time, from ConAgra Foods in September 2013.[5] In 2017, Maple Leaf Foods bought Lightlife Foods for $140 million plus related costs.[1][8] In 2019, LightLife introduced a plant-based burger produced with pea protein, garlic powder and beet powder for color[9].[1]

Production & Technology

Lightlife Foods is a carbon-neutral company[10].

Tempeh Plant

In January 2021, Lightlife Foods' parent company, Greenleaf Foods, subsidiary of Maple Leaf Foods, announced that it would purchase a food processing plant in Indianapolis, Indiana to exclusively produce tempeh products. The cost of the purchase was estimated at $100 million[11]. Dan Curtin, the President of Greenleaf Foods, claimed that "Lightlife Tempeh accounted for about 80% of total US tempeh dollar sales" in 2020.[12] The tempeh product line is available at over 18,500 retail locations, after Lightlife expanded the line into 3,500 Walmart stores in November 2020[13].

Pea Protein and Plant-Based Burger Development

In 2019, Lightlife Foods launched its plant-based burger in foodservice before bringing it to retail stores.[14] Known for making products from soy protein and tempeh, the Lightlife Plant-Based Burger was instead developed with pea protein, coconut oil, and beet powder[15] because pea protein provided a meatier texture than soy protein. [4]Competitor Beyond Meat also uses pea protein in its plant-based burger.[16]

To meet the heightened demand of production, Lightlife Foods' parent company, Greenleaf Foods, broke ground of a new food processing plant in Shelbyville, Indiana[17] in 2019 and bought more than a year's worth of the pea protein the same year[16]. At the time, the Shelbyville plant was reported to be "North America's biggest plant-based protein facility" by the time is was fully operational. The plant cost $310 million and would double the production capacity of Lightlife and Field Roast, another Greenleaf Foods brand, with a forecasted output of 60 million pounds of plant-based meat annually[17]. The construction of the plant was put on hold when Lightlife's parent company purchased a tempeh plant in Indianapolis, Indiana in January 2021.[18]

Plant-Based Foods

Post-Pandemic Growth

In March 2020, before the COVID-19 pandemic, the plant-based meat category was reported to have experienced 18% growth year over year. [19]By May 2020, sales for fresh meat alternatives increased 255%, [20]accelerated by an unavailability of traditional meat that was created by supply chain issues during the COVID-19 pandemic. [21]In June 2020, Lightlife Foods reported that, despite a loss of foodservice business because of the pandemic, it expected sales to grow 30% in 2020. [19]In its 2020 annual report, the company reported increased sales of about $25 million compared to the previous year.[22]

Plant-Based Products

Lightlife Foods produces an assortment of tempeh, soy protein, and pea protein products.

  • Smart Dogs - Launched in 1993, [23][3]Lightlife Smart Dogs are plant-based veggie dogs that were originally developed with soy protein, before being relaunched in 2012 with a new formula that included pea protein in addition to soy protein.[24]
  • Plant-Based Burger - Launched in 2019, the Lightlife Plant-Based Burger is made with pea protein, coconut oil and beet powder. [15]The burger is sold at Harvey's restaurant locations across Canada[25] and at Dave & Buster's restaurant across the United States and Canada.[26]
  • Plant-Based Chicken - Lightlife Smart Tenders are plant-based chicken made with soy protein. [27]In August 2020, Lightlife plant-based chicken became a permanent menu item at KFC restaurant locations in Canada.[28][29]
    KFC Plant-Based Chicken in Canada

Recent Campaigns

Lightlife launched a campaign called "A Taste of Honesty" with actors Kristin Bell and Dax Shepard in 2019. The campaign was promoted across social media with a two-minute video and the hashtag #ATasteOfHonesty. [30]The ad was chosen by AdWeek as the ad of the day on October 8, 2019. [31]When a commenter on Instagram was concerned about possible exploitation of the children in the ad, Kristin Bell responded to clarify that the children in the ads were actors and not her own.[32]

File:Open letter- plant based protein curious.jpg
Clean Break Ad

Clean Break Campaign

On August 25, 2020, Lightlife published an open letter advertisement in The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal to challenge competitors Impossible Foods and Beyond Meat about their use of "unnecessary additives, fillers, and fake blood" in their plant-based burgers. [33]In response, Impossible Foods published a blog post on the website Medium calling Lightlife's Clean Break campaign a "disingenuous, desperate disinformation campaign attempting to cast doubt on the integrity of our products".[34][35]

Lightlife Foods partnered with vegetarian late night host Lilly Singh to create an Instagram campaign called "Make a Clean Break with Lilly Singh" in October 2020. [36]The social campaign was featured on Lightlife's Instagram profile as a continuation of its Clean Break Campaign. [37]In the campaign, Singh provided advice to followers looking to "make a clean break from something in their lives".

Recent Events

A partnership between Soldier Field in Chicago and Lightlife Foods was announced in 2019. As part of the partnership, Lightlife's plant-based burgers would be sold at home games for the Chicago Bears.[38]

In October 2020, Lightlife announced a deal with Bowlero Corporation, which operates bowling lanes in North America. As part of the deal, Lightlife's plant-based burger would be sold at Bowlero and Bowlmor Lanes locations and Lightlife sponsored the 2020 PBA Tour.[39]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c Wilson, Mark (30 May 2019). "How an old veggie dog company is learning new tricks". Fast Company. Retrieved 30 September 2020.
  2. ^ Buss, Dale (2020-10-19). "Chicago Meatless-Burger Maker Takes On The Giants". ChiefExecutive.net. Retrieved 2021-04-21.
  3. ^ a b Breslouer, Lee. "The Best Veggie Hot Dogs and Sausages to Grill With Right Now". Thrillist. Retrieved 2021-04-21.
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  11. ^ "Maple Leaf spends $100M for Indianapolis tempeh plant". Food Dive. Retrieved 2021-04-21.
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  18. ^ "Maple Leaf Foods weighing options for Shelbyville plant". www.wattagnet.com. Retrieved 2021-04-21.
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  22. ^ https://www.greenleaffoods.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/greenleaf-spc-report-to-shareholders-january-2021.pdf
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  24. ^ Chaker, Anne Marie (2012-01-25). "The Veggie Burger's New Dream: Be More Like Meat". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 2021-04-21.
  25. ^ www.bizjournals.com https://www.bizjournals.com/chicago/news/2020/07/20/greenleaf-lightlife-plant-based-burger-harveys.html. Retrieved 2021-04-21. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  26. ^ "Dave & Buster's Upgrades to Lightlife® Burger in New Partnership". www.businesswire.com. 2019-10-17. Retrieved 2021-04-21.
  27. ^ "Smart Tenders® Plant-Based Chicken". Lightlife. Retrieved 2021-04-21.
  28. ^ "KFC Canada Has a Plant-Based Chicken Sandwich — Will the U.S. Ever See It?". Food & Wine. Retrieved 2021-04-21.
  29. ^ August 6, Caitlin MucerinoPublished:; 2020. "KFC Adds Plant-Based Chicken Sandwich to the Menu Permanently". The Beet. Retrieved 2021-04-21. {{cite web}}: |last2= has numeric name (help)CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  30. ^ October 10, Michael Heusner; 2019. "Ad of the Week: Lightlife tells it like it is in hilarious new spot". www.campaignlive.com. Retrieved 2021-04-21. {{cite web}}: |last2= has numeric name (help)CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  31. ^ "Hollywood's Most Fun-Loving Couple Gets Hilariously Uncomfortable With Their Kids in New Ad". Retrieved 2021-04-21.
  32. ^ Woodward, Ellie. "Kristen Bell Was Accused Of "Exploiting" A Child Actor In Her New Commercial And She Had The Best Response". BuzzFeed. Retrieved 2021-04-21.
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  35. ^ Bradley, Diana. "'Someone is getting fired in Lightlife marketing today': Impossible Foods hits back at Clean Break campaign". www.prweek.com. Retrieved 2021-04-21.
  36. ^ "Lilly Singh's 2020 has had a lot of 'crying and cooking' — like all of us". TODAY.com. Retrieved 2021-04-21.
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  38. ^ "Chicago Bears Stadium to Serve Vegan Lightlife Burgers at Home Games". VegNews.com. Retrieved 2021-04-21.
  39. ^ Corp, Bowlero. "Lightlife® Announced as Official Plant-Based Food Partner of Bowlero Corp and the 2020 PBA Tour". www.prnewswire.com. Retrieved 2021-04-21.
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