To drive further growth and accelerate innovation within the plant-based foods market, AAK AB, Malmö, Sweden, said it joined the MISTA innovation platform, based in San Francisco.

Bel Brands USA, Chicago, said it introduced Boursin dairy-free cheese spread alternative in the fan-favorite Garlic & Herbs flavor.

Schuman Cheese, Fairfield, N.J., said it is unveiling four new specialty products, brands at the inaugural online product marketplace, Specialty Food Association Live!, on Sept. 21-24, 2020.

Toward the end of 2018, I penned a column defending Dairy Foods' coverage of the plant-based dairy-alternative space. The column was in response to reader feedback suggesting such coverage was harming dairy farmers and the dairy processing industry.

Plant-based dairy alternatives are certainly nothing new. Soy "milk" for example, has been available commercially for years and years.

Back in 1977, milk, the genuine dairy kind, was still a mealtime staple for most families. In fact, per-capita fluid milk consumption stood at 247 pounds, a whopping 101 pounds more than the tally in 2018, according to data from the USDA Economic Research Service.

Kite Hill, Hayward, Calif., said it debuted two new plant-based products.

Sweet Nothings, Anaheim, Calif., said it released a line of plant-based ready-to-eat frozen smoothies made with seven or fewer ingredients.

Merit Functional Foods, Manitoba, Winnipeg, and its technology partner Burcon NutraScience, Vancouver, British Columbia, said they have entered into a joint development agreement with Vevey, Switzerland-based Nestlé.