Not on the evidence available. A January 2025 forecast said foods made without plants or animals could reach U.S. restaurants and food service that year, but the sources reviewed do not confirm sales to U.S. consumers by the end of 2025 or identify a restaurant or retailer where they were available. The forecast covered two different products: Solar Foods’ microbial protein ingredient Solein and Savor’s alternative fats.
What “food made without plants or animals” means here
The phrase describes two distinct ingredient-making approaches, not one new kind of food. Solar Foods makes Solein, a protein ingredient derived from a single-cell organism. Savor develops fats for familiar foods such as butter. Neither should be confused with cultivated meat, and Solein is not a plant-based ingredient.
The January 2025 BGR article presented U.S. sales as an expectation: it said Savor was seeking FDA approval and planned a select-restaurant launch, while Solein was expected to reach the United States after FDA clearance, initially through restaurants and food service. Those plans do not by themselves establish that a launch happened.
What is Solein made from?
Solar Foods describes Solein as a food ingredient originating from a single-cell organism, rather than a plant or animal. The company says it can be incorporated into different foods and contains all nine essential amino acids. Its product page lists these typical dry-weight values:
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#1 Best Overall
- Made from plants for people who love meat
- For all your favorite ground beef recipes
- Each 4 oz serving has 19 g of protein
- 0mg of cholesterol (13g of total fat per serving)
- No animal hormones or antibiotics
| Component | Typical share of dry weight |
|---|---|
| Protein | 80% |
| Fat | 6% |
| Dietary fiber | 10% |
| Mineral nutrients | 4% |
These are Solar Foods’ reported typical figures, not an independent nutrition analysis. They describe the ingredient on a dry-weight basis, not the nutrition facts for a finished food containing Solein. Solar Foods’ Solein product page says the ingredient requires regulatory approval before it can be sold.
How do Solein and Savor’s fats differ?
| Solein | Savor fats | |
|---|---|---|
| Company | Solar Foods | Savor |
| Ingredient function | Protein ingredient for use in foods | Fats intended for familiar foods, including butter and palm-oil applications |
| Production description | Derived from a single-cell organism | Made without animals, farmland, or fertilizers, according to Savor |
| Regulatory status reported by the company | Solar Foods reports Singapore novel-food approval in September 2022 and U.S. self-affirmed GRAS status in September 2024 | The January 2025 article said Savor was seeking FDA approval; the current company homepage does not establish a completed U.S. approval |
| Production scale | Solar Foods says its first commercial-scale facility, Factory 01, started production in spring 2024 | Not stated on the Savor homepage |
| Verified U.S. consumer route to market | Not established by the available sources | Not established by the available sources |
The companies describe different ingredients and production approaches. Claims about reduced land use or other environmental benefits should be read as company aims unless supported by independent lifecycle analysis; no comparative emissions figure is established here.
Rank #2
- Contains one 13.7-ounce bag of Gardein Vegan Plant-Based Gluten Free Ground Be'f
- Gardein Ground Be'f is a tasty, tender and versatile vegan alternative to ground beef
- This plant-based beef is an easy gluten free substitute in tacos, sloppy joes, pasta dishes and more
- In 4 minutes, this Gardein beefless ground makes a delicious dish to enjoy whenever you want your favorite foods meat free
- This beefless ground is dairy free and certified vegan
What regulatory status does—and does not—tell you
Solar Foods reports that Singapore’s Food Agency granted Solein its first novel-food approval in September 2022, allowing foods containing it to be imported, manufactured, and sold in Singapore. The company also reports self-affirmed GRAS status in the United States in September 2024. These are separate milestones in different jurisdictions; neither proves that a U.S. consumer product was on sale.
Self-affirmed GRAS is not the same as FDA approval. The FDA GRAS notice inventory lists notices, notifier information, intended conditions of use, and FDA response letters, including “FDA has no questions” letters. A company’s self-affirmed conclusion should not be described as an FDA review outcome. The available sources do not establish a product-specific FDA response letter for Solein.
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Rank #3
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- VEGAN, VEGETARIAN & FLEXITARIAN FRIENDLY – Whether you're reducing meat intake or fully plant-based, this TVP is a convenient and ideal vegetable protein replacement.
Was Solein or Savor fat actually available in the U.S.?
That remains unverified. Solar Foods’ pages document company-reported product details, regulatory milestones, and the start of production at Factory 01. Savor’s homepage describes its fat products and intended applications. But the available sources do not name a U.S. restaurant serving either product, identify a retailer selling them, or confirm consumer sales by the end of 2025.
Production, regulatory status, and consumer availability are different steps. An ingredient may be produced or cleared for certain uses without being offered in a finished product that U.S. consumers can buy or order. The defensible retrospective conclusion is narrower than the original headline: both companies advanced commercialization, but the forecast of a consumer-facing U.S. launch in 2025 is not confirmed by the sources available.
Quick Recap
Rank #4
- No hydrogenated fats or high fructose corn syrup allowed in any food
- No bleached or bromated flour
- No synthetic nitrates or nitrites
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
