Food News of the Week: Elijah Wood Backs Vegan Fast Food, Salt & Straw Debuts Pickled Sorbet, and Loma Linda Finds New Home

The food industry saw some major developments this week, with Eleven Madison Park announcing its decision to reintroduce animal products to its menu, citing financial concerns and a desire to be more inclusive. However, many companies are still committed to plant-based options, with Loma Linda finding a new home with Century Pacific North America and Revo Foods raising funds to expand its innovative plant-based seafood and meat offerings.

In other news, actor Elijah Wood showed support for the vegan fast-food restaurant Face Plant in Portland, while Salt & Straw introduced new vegan ice cream flavors, including Pickled Cucumber Sorbet. Fall also brought new plant-based product launches, with Silk releasing a Maple Brown Sugar Cold Foam Creamer and Malk Organics bringing back its Pumpkin Spice Almond Malk. Additionally, Sweet Loren's debuted a vegan gluten-free Monster Cookie Dough, Publix bakery launched vegan cookie options, and Plantible opened a new factory in Texas to produce duckweed protein for plant-based meat products. Revo Foods also raised $1.8 million in crowdfunding to further develop its 3D-printing technology for hyper-realistic vegan alternatives.