Haifa, Israel-based ingredient company Meala FoodTech has more than tripled production of its texturizing pea protein at manufacturing sites in France and Germany. The company says the expanded output will be enough to replace 1,400 tons of eggs in 2027, which it puts at around 82,000 eggs per day.
According to Meala, the scale-up follows rising demand from food manufacturers. The company is working with dozens of food businesses across several product categories, and branded products containing its texturizers are already on retail shelves.
“The future of food formulation lies in making each ingredient deliver more”
CEO and co-founder Hadar Ekhoiz-Razmovich stated, “Manufacturers seek ingredients that deliver this experience alongside reliable performance, competitive costs, and a stable supply chain. Meala’s texturizing pea protein brings these benefits together, replacing eggs or hydrocolloids while supporting a shorter, more recognizable ingredient list.
“Our expanded manufacturing capacity enables us to support customers’ new product launches and reach more applications and markets. The first plant-based meat alternatives featuring Meala’s protein have already been successfully launched by customers and are now commercially available across Europe.”
Meala sells its ingredients to manufacturers through two distribution partners. For savory products, dsm-firmenich markets the protein as Vertis PB Pea, which the companies introduced for plant-based meat in Europe in 2025. In bakery, Spanish ingredients firm Lasenor Emul sells it as LASENOR VP-100, an egg replacer that debuted at Fi Europe in Paris last December. Three months earlier, Meala had unveiled its own bakery egg replacer, Groundbaker.
The ingredient appears on labels as pea protein. Meala has also obtained self-affirmed GRAS (Generally Recognized as Safe) status for use in US foods after review by an independent panel of experts.
Meala pitches the protein as a way for manufacturers to reduce exposure to egg supply disruptions and volatile ingredient prices, citing cost savings of 30–40% across bakery applications. In an assessed sponge cake formulation, the company reported a formulation cost reduction of more than 40% against an egg-based reference. It adds that the ingredient cuts the need for refrigerated transport and storage of liquid eggs.
Dr. Tali Feldman Sivan, co-founder and chief business officer, explained, “For innovation to translate into commercial adoption, it needs to work within manufacturers’ recipes, processes, and economics. In meat alternatives, our texturizing protein provides binding and structure while replacing conventional texture additives. In bakery applications, it typically accounts for just a few percentages of the formulation, replacing egg functionality and enabling meaningful cost-in-use savings.”
Meala will offer tastings of egg-free baked goods at Fi Europe in Frankfurt from November 17 to 19, at booth 51SU53.
Feldman Sivan stated, “The future of food formulation lies in making each ingredient deliver more. Meala gives formulators a simpler starting point: one ingredient that delivers multiple texturizing functions, reducing the need to rebuild recipes around complex combinations of substitutes.”
