La Loma Foods
La Loma Foods is a historic vegetarian and vegan food brand whose products are now produced and sold primarily under the Loma Linda name by Atlantic Natural Foods.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
La Loma Foods is the former corporate name and continuing product lineage of a long-running vegetarian and vegan food business associated with the Loma Linda brand. Its roots extend to 1905, when The Sanitarium Food Company began operations in Loma Linda, California, producing baked goods such as crackers, breads, and cookies. The business developed within the commercial food activities connected to the Seventh-day Adventist Church, whose health teachings helped create demand for meatless and health-oriented foods. The company broadened its range over time. Alongside bakery products, it produced foods including the Ruskets breakfast cereal, infant formula, and meat analogues made from ingredients such as soy and wheat. In 1933, the Loma Linda Food Company was established and opened a production facility in La Sierra near Riverside, California. This period marked an important step in the development of commercially manufactured meat substitutes in the United States. Loma Linda was among the early American producers to offer soy- and wheat-based alternatives to meat at commercial scale. The company’s historical importance is particularly associated with canned vegetarian foods and shelf-stable meat analogues. Its products included alternatives designed to resemble sausages, chicken, tuna, scallops, steak, burgers, and other familiar foods. By the 1960s, Loma Linda Foods and the related Worthington Foods business were described as the largest manufacturers of soy-based foods in the United States. The product portfolio served both vegetarian consumers and Seventh-day Adventist communities, while also reflecting an early form of the broader plant-based food category that later expanded into mainstream retail. The business changed names and ownership during the late twentieth century. The company name became La Loma Foods in 1989. That same year, its infant-formula brand and production line were sold to N.V. Nutricia, a Dutch company. In 1990, the Seventh-day Adventist Church sold La Loma Foods to Worthington Foods of Ohio. Worthington was subsequently acquired by The Kellogg Company in 1999. Kellogg later sold the business to Atlantic Natural Foods Company in 2015. Under Atlantic Natural Foods, the former La Loma and Worthington product lines have generally been marketed under the Loma Linda or Loma names rather than as a standalone La Loma Foods corporate brand. The range has included canned and shelf-stable vegetarian products such as chili, taco-style fillings, burgers, sausages, chicken-style products, tuna-style products, cutlets, steaks, and scallops. Some historical products are no longer manufactured, while other legacy products remain associated with the Loma Linda portfolio. La Loma Foods is therefore best understood as both a former food-manufacturing company and an active brand lineage. Its present identity is tied to Atlantic Natural Foods, while its historical identity reflects the transition from church-associated health-food manufacturing to commercial ownership and modern plant-based food distribution. In April 2025, Atlantic Natural Foods filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, citing financial and supply-related challenges. The filing introduced uncertainty around the operating environment for the Loma Linda and related product lines, although the brand itself remains classified as active in the available reference material.
History
La Loma Foods developed from a Seventh-day Adventist-associated food manufacturing operation in Loma Linda, California. The predecessor business, The Sanitarium Food Company, began operations in 1905 and initially made bakery products, including crackers, breads, and cookies. Its development was connected to a health-oriented food tradition that encouraged vegetarian diets and created a market for meatless products. In 1933, the Loma Linda Food Company was created and established a production facility in La Sierra near Riverside, California. The company expanded beyond bakery goods into breakfast cereal, infant formula, and meat analogues. Its soy- and wheat-based products were among the early commercially available meat substitutes in the United States. The business became known for canned and shelf-stable vegetarian foods, including products formulated to resemble sausages, chicken, tuna, scallops, steak, and burgers. The company’s product development paralleled the growth of organized vegetarian food manufacturing in the United States. Together with Worthington Foods, Loma Linda was identified during the 1960s as one of the country’s leading producers of soy-based foods. Its primary customers included vegetarian consumers and Seventh-day Adventist communities, but its products also established a durable commercial presence in the wider health-food market. In 1989, the business changed its name to La Loma Foods. It also sold its infant-formula brand and production line to N.V. Nutricia, a Dutch company. In 1990, the Seventh-day Adventist Church sold the company to Worthington Foods of Ohio. Worthington was acquired by The Kellogg Company in 1999. Kellogg sold the business to Atlantic Natural Foods Company in 2015. After the Atlantic acquisition, products inherited from La Loma and Worthington were primarily marketed under the Loma Linda name, with some products also using the Loma designation. This portfolio included legacy lines such as Big Franks, Linketts, Little Links, Redi-Burger, Tender Bits, FriChik, Choplets, Super Links, Vegetable Steaks, and vegetarian chili. Some products listed in the historical portfolio, including Dinner Cuts, Nuteena, and Multigrain Cutlets, were identified as discontinued. The modern brand is thus distinct from the former company structure. La Loma Foods is historically the name of a food manufacturer, while Loma Linda and Loma are the principal consumer-facing labels associated with the acquired product lines. In April 2025, Atlantic Natural Foods entered Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, citing financial difficulties and supply problems. The available material does not establish the long-term effect of the filing on every product or market.
- 2025
Atlantic Natural Foods files for Chapter 11
[1]Atlantic Natural Foods files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, citing financial challenges and supply issues.
- 2015
Atlantic Natural Foods acquires the business
[1]Kellogg sells the company and associated product lines to Atlantic Natural Foods Company.
- 1999
Worthington Foods is acquired by Kellogg
[1]The Kellogg Company acquires Worthington Foods, bringing the La Loma product heritage into Kellogg's ownership.
- 1990
Ownership transfers to Worthington Foods
[1]The Seventh-day Adventist Church sells the company to Worthington Foods of Ohio.
- 1989
Company renamed La Loma Foods
[1]The company changes its name to La Loma Foods and sells its infant-formula brand and product line to N.V. Nutricia.
- 1960
Loma Linda becomes a major soy-food producer
[1]During the 1960s, Loma Linda Foods and Worthington Foods are described as the largest manufacturers of soy-based foods in the United States.
- 1933
Loma Linda Food Company is established
[1]The Loma Linda Food Company is formed and opens a production facility in La Sierra near Riverside, California.
- 1905
The Sanitarium Food Company begins operations
[1]The predecessor to Loma Linda Foods begins operating in Loma Linda, California, producing crackers, breads, cookies, and other food products.
Products and positioning
A heritage vegetarian and vegan food brand centered on shelf-stable meat analogues and plant-based alternatives, with historical roots in Seventh-day Adventist health-food manufacturing and a present-day identity primarily expressed through the Loma Linda and Loma labels.
Plant-based sausage
Big Franks
A legacy vegetarian frankfurter-style product associated with the La Loma product family and later marketed under the Loma Linda name.
Chicken-style meat analogue
FriChik
A legacy plant-based product designed as a chicken substitute. It is part of the historical Worthington-related range later associated with Loma Linda branding.
Plant-based sausage
Linketts
A vegetarian link-style product in the inherited La Loma portfolio, positioned as a meatless alternative to small sausages or breakfast links.
Plant-based burger
Redi-Burger
A meatless burger product from the historic La Loma range, intended to provide a convenient vegetarian alternative to conventional ground-meat patties.
Meat analogue
Tender Bits
A legacy plant-based product made in small pieces for use as a meat substitute in prepared dishes. It is associated with the Loma Linda product family.
Plant-based cutlet
Choplets
A Worthington-origin vegetarian product later associated with the Loma Linda range, representing the brand's long-standing use of formed plant-based alternatives.
Plant-based sausage
Super Links
A legacy vegetarian sausage-style product inherited from Worthington Foods and subsequently marketed within the Loma Linda portfolio.
Plant-based steak analogue
Vegetable Steaks
A formed vegetarian entrée designed to resemble a steak-style serving, reflecting the brand's historical emphasis on familiar meat alternatives.
Meat analogue
Dinner Cuts
A former La Loma product line consisting of meatless prepared food portions. The available reference identifies Dinner Cuts as no longer manufactured.
Plant-based food
Nuteena
A historic product in the La Loma-related portfolio. The available reference identifies Nuteena as no longer manufactured.
Plant-based cutlet
Multigrain Cutlets
A former Worthington-origin product associated with the later Loma Linda range. The available reference identifies Multigrain Cutlets as no longer manufactured.
Brand decisions
2025
Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing by Atlantic Natural FoodsOtherBackground
Atlantic Natural Foods reported financial challenges and supply issues affecting its business.
Action taken
The owner and producer of the Loma Linda-related product lines filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in April 2025.
Aftermath
The filing created uncertainty about the future operation and availability of products associated with the La Loma and Loma Linda heritage.
2015
Sale from Kellogg to Atlantic Natural FoodsM&ABackground
After Kellogg acquired Worthington Foods in 1999, the legacy vegetarian product business was later divested.
Action taken
Kellogg sold the company and associated product lines to Atlantic Natural Foods Company.
Aftermath
The products continued under the Loma Linda and Loma labels within Atlantic Natural Foods' portfolio.
1990
Sale to Worthington FoodsM&ABackground
The Seventh-day Adventist Church ended its ownership of the food company after decades of association.
Action taken
The company was sold to Worthington Foods of Ohio.
Aftermath
La Loma became part of a larger commercial vegetarian-food business and later moved into Kellogg ownership through Worthington.
1989
Sale of infant-formula business to N.V. NutriciaM&ABackground
As part of the company's late-1980s restructuring, the infant-formula brand and product line were sold to the Dutch company N.V. Nutricia.
Action taken
La Loma Foods divested its infant-formula business while changing its corporate name from Loma Linda Food Company to La Loma Foods.
Aftermath
The transaction narrowed the company's product scope around vegetarian and meat-analogue foods.
Recent events
- 2025
Atlantic Natural Foods files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection[1]
Bankruptcy
Atlantic Natural Foods, the owner and producer of the Loma Linda and related legacy product lines, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in April 2025. The company attributed the filing to financial challenges and supply issues.
Sources1 sources
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