Vegan Chicken Nugget Startup Nowadays Ceases Operations Amid US Plant-Based Meat Decline

US vegan chicken nugget brand Nowadays has decided to cease operations due to challenges in raising venture funds in a tough plant-based meat market. The startup, which launched its pea-protein-based frozen nuggets two years ago and raised nearly $10M in funding, struggled with the unit economics of distributing frozen foods on a startup scale. The decline in plant-based meat sales in the US, including a 12.6% decrease in vegan meat alternative retail sales, also contributed to the decision to shut down.

Nowadays is not the only plant-based meat company facing challenges, with other brands like Tattooed Chef and Plant & Bean also encountering financial difficulties. Besides the wider sales issues, Nowadays was also competing in an oversaturated US vegan chicken nugget market with numerous brands offering similar products. The closure of Nowadays highlights the intense competition in the plant-based meat industry and questions about consumer demand for so many different nugget brands.