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Category: Alt Protein

  • UK Govt Opens First-of-A-Kind ‘Sandbox’ to Fast-Track Cultivated Meat Approval

    lab grown meat uk
    7 Mins Read

    The UK’s Food Standards Agency has launched a regulatory ‘sandbox’ to accelerate the regulatory approval pathway for cultivated meat, with eight startups participating in the two-year programme.

    Weeks after cultivated meat hit pet food shelves in the UK, the government has launched a first-of-its-kind regulatory programme to help cultivated meat producers get to market faster – and for cheaper.

    The Food Standards Agency (FSA) – which oversees food safety and novel food regulation in the UK – has picked eight cultivated meat startups to participate in the regulatory ‘sandbox’, where they will work with scientists, regulatory experts, and academic bodies to overhaul the regulatory framework around these products.

    It comes months after the Department of Science, Innovation and Technology awarded £1.6M to the FSA to create the Cell-Cultivated Products Regulatory Sandbox, as part of the first round of its Engineering Biology Sandbox Fund.

    Sandboxes comprise controlled environments for situations where scientific and technological innovation has outpaced existing regulation – many companies are currently making cultivated meat, but the UK’s authorisation process (modelled on the EU’s) is slow and congested. These sandboxes run for a limited period to help startups, researchers and regulators work together to develop new rules, standards and guidance.

    lab grown meat regulatory approval
    Courtesy: Hoxton Farms

    The two-year programme includes startups from across the world: Hoxton Farms, Roslin Technologies, Uncommon Bio (all UK), BlueNalu (US), Vow (Australia), Mosa Meat (The Netherlands), Gourmey (France), and Vital Meat (France) – the latter two, along with British startup Ivy Farm Technologies and Israel’s Aleph Farms – are already waiting on approval for cultivated meat in the UK. London-based Meatly is the only one to have received the green light, though this is for pet food.

    “By participating in the sandbox, we aim to accelerate our regulatory timeline for the UK market, reducing potential delays and strengthening our submission,” said Mosa Meat. Its founder and CSO, Dr Mark Post, added: “These are exactly the kind of public-private partnerships we envisioned when we debuted the world’s first cultivated burger right here in London in 2013.”

    Prof Robin May, chief scientific advisor at the FSA, noted: “Safe innovation is at the heart of this programme. By prioritising consumer safety and making sure new foods, like cell-cultivated products are safe, we can support growth in innovative sectors. Our aim is to ultimately provide consumers with a wider choice of new food, while maintaining the highest safety standards.”

    How the regulatory sandbox will help cultivated meat startups

    fsa lab grown meat
    Courtesy: Food Standards Agency

    For years, food safety regulation in the UK was stuck in the pre-Brexit novel food regulations, which are slow and expensive for companies. Currently, regulatory filings cost between £350,000-£500,000 per product, and can take more than two-and-a-half years to be approved.

    Over the last year, the government has made concerted efforts to put the UK at the front of the protein transition race. The FSA first announced plans to create a sandbox in February 2024, after a report it commissioned revealed that speeding up novel food regulation could help it meet national climate plans.

    Regulatory sandboxes allow companies to test new concepts with real customers under the supervision of a regulator, as designed by the UK’s Financial Conduct Authority. The Cell-Cultivated Products Regulatory Sandbox will be jointly run by the FSA and Food Standards Scotland (FSS), and provide application guidance to startups, expand the safety and nutritional knowledge of novel foods, and reduce approval timelines.

    The FSA will gather “rigorous scientific evidence” about the technology behind cell-cultured food products to better understand and regulate these products. They will address important questions – including about labelling – and apply up-to-date insights when clearing novel foods for sale.

    The regulator has previously said it expects at least 15 more applications in the next two years, and predicts that many more cultivated protein startups could crop up thanks to the development.

    “By supporting the safe development of cell-cultivated products, we’re giving businesses the confidence to innovate and accelerating the UK’s position as a global leader in sustainable food production,” said science minister Sir Patrick Vallance.

    UK steps up its protein transition efforts

    national alternative protein innovation centre
    Courtesy: National Alternative Protein Innovation Centre

    The regulatory sandbox is among a number of developments that signal the UK’s intention to spearhead sustainable protein innovation. It has invested £75M for the development of these foods, an important outlay considering it is behind its net-zero target, and meeting this would require Brits to cut 35% of their meat consumption by 2050, according to the national Climate Change Committee (CCC).

    Since 2023, four major research centres have cropped up – the Cellular Agriculture Manufacturing Hub (CARMA), the National Alternative Protein Innovation Centre (or NAPIC, helped by a £15M injection from the government), the Microbial Food Hub, and Bezos Earth Fund‘s Centre for Sustainable Protein.

    The FSA is working with CARMA, NAPIC and the Centre for Sustainable Protein as part of the sandbox, with non-profit the Good Food Institute (GFI) Europe and trade body the Alternative Proteins Association also involved.

    Additionally, the regulator will set up a system of international cooperation, which would see the UK greenlight cultivated meat products approved in other countries. And it’s creating a new public register to replace the existing system of requiring a statutory instrument (which adds up to six months to the assessment process), and removing the need for renewals of approvals every 10 years.

    fsa novel foods
    Courtesy: Ivy Farm Technologies

    Further, cultivated meat is on the radar of the newly opened Regulatory Innovation Office, whose engineering biology focus involves reducing red tape and helping regulators bring these products to market faster.

    “We are very pleased that the UK is moving forward with this two-year programme and are excited about the prospect of a full safety assessment of two cultivated meat applications within that time,” Valentina Gallani, health and nutrition manager at ProVeg International, told Green Queen.

    She added that this will allow the UK to catch up with other countries that have greenlit cultivated meat and ensure it’s ahead of the pack. “Cultivated meat can be a promising way to diversify protein consumption, boost the economy and increase food security towards a more sustainable food system. To do so, it is important to have a rigorous regulatory approval process to protect the consumer and support the industry.”

    Challenges remain, but sandbox a big step forward

    lab grown meat pet food
    Courtesy: Meatly

    Last month, Meatly and fellow London startup The Pack debuted dog treats featuring cultivated meat and plant-based ingredients at Pets At Home, marking the first time Brits could buy cell-cultured products, albeit for their pets.

    Cultivated meat has been cleared for sale in Singapore, the US, Israel and Hong Kong, while Regulators in the EU, Switzerland, Australia and Thailand are evaluating applications too. And just last week, the US issued its third approval, for cultivated pork producer Mission Barns.

    Several European countries – some bound by EU regulations – have already held public tastings for cultivated meat, a feat yet to be achieved in the UK. Plus, some citizens on a CCC panel said they’re uneasy about cultivated meat, though they added the government could still support these to ensure a larger range of products. The committee itself associated these proteins with “potential positive nutrition and health impacts”, while even farmers are open to the idea of cell-cultured meat.

    “While the sandbox is a welcome measure, other challenges still remain. The FSA has been under-resourced for a number of years – resulting in lengthy delays for product approvals – and the detailed guidelines for alternative protein startups first proposed in 2022 have yet to be published, meaning some companies lack the clarity needed when preparing dossiers,” Linus Pardoe, senior UK policy manager at GFI Europe, told Green Queen last month.

    uk food strategy
    Courtesy: GFI Europe

    “The UK has also not yet introduced a modern approach to holding safe, limited taste testing for novel foods, similar to the protocol introduced by the Netherlands – another area that could enable startups to demonstrate progress and engage with consumers as they develop their products.”

    “The sandbox will only be considered a success if the FSA also receives the support and funding to complete its assessments within faster timelines. Without this speed, it risks losing out on creating a competitive homegrown industry which can power low-carbon economic growth, boost food security, and ensure the UK becomes a leader in net-zero within the food industry,” said Jim Mellon, executive chairman of cellular agriculture investor Agronomics (a Meatly shareholder).

    Still, the launch of the sandbox and the collaboration with leading cultivated meat players – chosen to represent a “diverse, international range of technologies, processes, and ingredients” – is a major step in the right direction for the UK.

    “We’ve seen in a recent report that the UK is falling behind in terms of agritech funding, yet houses leading companies in this industry,” added Mellon. “We’re certain that with a modern and efficient regulatory framework, we could easily match if not surpass rival markets and the reward will be increased food security from a sustainable and durable source.”

    The post UK Govt Opens First-of-A-Kind ‘Sandbox’ to Fast-Track Cultivated Meat Approval appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • Mission Barns Gets FDA Approval to Sell Cultivated Pork in US Supermarkets & Restaurants

    lab grown meat approved
    6 Mins Read

    Californian food tech startup Mission Barns has become the third cultivated meat firm to receive regulatory approval in the US, with a planned rollout at Sprouts and Bay Area restaurant group Fiorella.

    Mission Barns has earned US regulatory approval to sell its cultivated pork fat in the US, after securing a ‘no questions’ letter from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Friday.

    It is the third company to have received the green light to sell cultivated meat in the US – after fellow Californian firms Upside Foods and Eat Just in 2022 and 2023, respectively – and the first to be cleared to sell cultivated pork anywhere in the world.

    The cell-cultured fat will be mixed with plant-based ingredients in Italian-style meatballs and applewood-smoked bacon, which will be debuted at San Francisco restaurant group Fiorella and Sprouts Farmers Market – marking the first time cultivated meat will be sold in a US supermarket.

    lab grown meat sprouts
    Mission Barns’s hybrid meat products will feature a mix of its cultivated pork fat with plant proteins | Courtesy: Mission Barns

    According to its letter, the FDA “did not identify a basis” to conclude that Mission Barns’s process would result in substances or microorganisms that would adulterate the food.

    “We have no questions at this time regarding Mission Barns’ conclusion that foods comprised of or containing cultured pork cell material resulting from the production process […] are as safe as comparable foods produced by other methods,” the agency wrote, concluding a consultation process that began in May 2022 and underwent 18 amendments.

    Before it is officially launched, Mission Barns would require approval from the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) for its pilot plant and product labelling, in addition to the FDA letter.

    The FDA approval comes during a period of turbulence for the cultivated meat industry, which has faced both financial and political challenges in the US – over 20 states have attempted to ban or restrict these proteins, and two of them have been successful. And with Robert F Kennedy as health secretary, there have been suggestions that the regulatory pathway for cultivated meat is now harder to chart.

    New bioreactors a precursor to large-scale facility

    mission barns
    Courtesy: Mission Barns

    Founded in 2018 by CEO Eitan Fischer, previously the cultivated meat head at Eat Just, Mission Barns uses belly fat cells from domestic Yorkshire pigs and grows them in bioreactors to make cultivated pork fat for hybrid meats like bacon, meatballs, pepperoni and chorizo.

    It has a pilot plant in the Bay Area that can “produce enough product to supply a handful of restaurants and retailers”, according to Bianca Lê, head of special projects and external affairs at Mission Barns.

    She had hinted about the startup’s approval and market entry plans in an interview with Green Queen in October, revealing: “We have a number of exciting partnerships confirmed with major US grocery stores, restaurants and food distributors who we have partnered with to sell our products.”

    The company had developed a novel bioreactor that makes a departure from the single-cell suspension tanks of the biopharma sector, making cultivated meat production more efficient, easier to scale, and cheaper. Its appliance recreates the same adherent growth conditions inside an animal’s body, and can cultivate both muscle and fat cells, or tissue, from any species.

    It is now looking to build a commercial-scale manufacturing facility. “Our current plan involves having bioreactors with working volumes in the tens of thousands of litres at commercial scale, when we’ll be outputting tens of millions of pounds of final product per year,” explained Lê.

    mission barns fat
    Courtesy: Mission Barns

    Mission Barns is among a number of companies taking the cultivated fat route, which is seen as a more viable way to commercialise cell-cultured meat in the medium term. This includes Hoxton Farms, Steakholder Foods, Genuine Taste, and Mosa Meat (which has applied for approval in the EU).

    “Consumers won’t eat food that isn’t absolutely delicious, which is why we chose to pursue a fat-first approach,” explained Fischer. “Not only is fat the main driver of flavour and juiciness, but it is also less costly and faster to produce than lean meat.”

    He added: “We believe in giving consumers more choice – people looking for delicious, healthy, and responsibly produced meat are excited to try our products. By advancing cultivated meat production, we are helping to create a more resilient and reliable food system and reinforcing American leadership in food innovation.”

    A win for cultivated meat amid political upheaval

    mission barns fda approval
    Courtesy: Mission Barns

    According to a scientific memo published by the FDA, Mission Barns’s ingredient has similar unsaturated and saturated fatty acid content to conventional pork fat, and no trans fats. The agency said it will conduct another inspection after the company begins commercial production to “help ensure that potential risks are being managed and that the food is safe and not adulterated”.

    Only a handful of firms have been able to climb the regulatory ladder to be cleared to sell cultivated meat globally – Mission Barns is only the sixth. Aside from Upside Foods and Eat Just, the list comprises Aleph Farms (in Israel), Vow (in Singapore and Hong Kong), and Meatly (in the UK). Regulators in the EU, Switzerland, Australia and Thailand are evaluating applications too, and judging from its inventory, the US FDA seems to have received at least five others.

    Cultivated meat is undergoing a trough of disillusionment. After VCs pumped $1.3B into the category in 2021, investment has dipped dramatically. In 2023, funding fell by 75%, followed by another 40% drop in 2024, reaching just $137M, according to Net Zero Insights data obtained by the Good Food Institute. It has forced some cultivated meat startups to shut down, and others to make cutbacks.

    cultivated meat investment
    Graphic by Green Queen

    At the same time, a host of legislative efforts to ban or restrict cultivated meat in the US and Europe are ongoing. Italy decided to ban these proteins in 2023 (before other EU attempts were thwarted), while Florida and Alabama followed suit last year. Several states have floated similar bills in the current legislative session, though some have hit a snag, mirroring the fate of bills introduced in a number of other states over the last two years.

    “Unlike other meat production, cultivated meat has federal regulatory oversight by both the FDA and USDA,” the Association for Meat, Poultry, and Seafood Innovation, a cellular agriculture trade group, said in a statement.

    “As more companies progress through this rigorous regulatory pathway, the United States has an opportunity to be a global leader in the emerging industry. American-made cultivated meat and seafood will create high-skilled jobs throughout the value chain, enhance US food security, and expand consumer choice [by] filling gaps in supply shortages,” it added.

    Fiorella co-founder Brandon Gillis also touched upon the “vulnerability of our global food supply chain”, which has impacted the restaurant’s ability to source ingredients and increased menu prices: “I’ve been keeping tabs on the cultivated meat industry as a potential solution, and after meeting with Mission Barns and tasting its products, I wanted to make sure we created a partnership for this historic moment.”

    The post Mission Barns Gets FDA Approval to Sell Cultivated Pork in US Supermarkets & Restaurants appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • Why Israel Must Swap Meat for Animal-Free Proteins to Battle Hunger & Climate Change

    israel alternative protein
    5 Mins Read

    Meat and dairy should only account for a maximum of 40% of Israel’s protein supply by 2050 to ensure food security amid the climate crisis, according to a new study.

    One of the world’s largest meat consumers, where food security is threatened due to high import levels and the changing climate, Israel needs to accelerate the shift away from animal proteins to safeguard its food supply.

    A new report by the Samuel Neaman Institute for National Policy Research suggests that by 2050, between 60% and 80% of the country’s protein supply must come from alternatives like plant-based, cell-cultivated or fermentation-derived products. This would boost local production, lower greenhouse gas emissions, and strengthen long-term food security.

    “In general, Israel is a net importer – meaning it imports most of its food and feed,” Prof Eyal Shimoni, the report’s lead author, tells Green Queen.

    “Therefore, to increase food security, we need to produce much more locally, which is challenging due to our geography (many arid lands, climate change, etc.). Replacing animal-derived protein with plant/alternative sources will significantly reduce the reliance on animal feed imports.”

    Israel’s dietary guidelines need an overhaul

    israel dietary guidelines

    The research notes that there are immediate risks to the supply of foods like nuts, legumes, cereals, seeds, and fish in Israel. And by 2050, population growth estimates suggest that the demand for food will increase by up to 89%.

    “Israel’s meat consumption is among the highest per capita globally, ranking second in poultry consumption and fifth in beef,” says Shiri Heffer, sustainability and food security senior manager at the Good Food Institute (GFI) Israel, an alternative protein think tank that supported the report.

    The government’s current dietary guidelines, presented in the form of a “nutritional rainbow”, emphasise a Mediterranean diet rich in plant proteins, with a lower amount of red meat (up to 300g a week). The recommendations are based on the level of processing, rather than the ingredients themselves.

    But since animal proteins are highly resource-intensive, and with numerous studies proving the health benefits of a plant-rich diet, the “dietary guidelines should advise the public” to move even further towards alternative proteins, says Shimoni.

    israel protein diversification
    Courtesy: Samuel Neeman Institute

    Previous research by the Samuel Neaman Institute shows that as things stand, animal protein will account for 52% of protein intake in Israel by 2050. But this report outlines that the appropriate target “is a reliance of no more than 40%” of meat and dairy.

    It also looks at scenarios that would limit animal protein intake to 30% or even 20%. Between the three options, meat consumption would need to be slashed by 23-61%. Shimoni explains that the three ratios don’t differ in their principles. “We proposed that they provide perspectives on different depths of change. The level of uncertainty is extremely high,” he says.

    “We do, however, believe that certainly, with the right effort, the reduction to 40% is attainable,” he adds. “It should be a combined effort in several fronts: supporting the construction of manufacturing facilities for alternative protein, investment in agricultural solutions to produce more legumes, and an education system that affects the next generation to adopt this diet and these solutions,” he explains.

    How Israel can accelerate the protein transition

    lab grown meat israel
    Courtesy: Aleph Farms

    Israel is already home to several leading alternative protein firms, including cultivated meat players Aleph Farms and SuperMeat, precision fermentation players Remilk and Imagindairy, and plant-based pioneer Redefine Meat. In 2023, the country attracted 10% of all VC funding in the sector, which could create 10,000 more jobs and contribute $2.5B to the national economy by 2030.

    “Consumer interest in alternative proteins is strong,” says Heffer. “Currently, Israelis consume approximately 9% of their protein from plant-based sources like tofu and meat alternatives. About 5% of the population identifies as vegan, while there’s a growing segment of flexitarians, particularly in certain demographic groups with higher awareness about meat reduction.”

    A majority of Gen Z and millennial consumers say they’re willing to pay more for plant-based meat and dairy. “As these generations come into their buying power, meeting their needs will be a critical part of any CPG, retail, or foodservice strategy. Product development and enhancement opportunities remain, including to improve taste and lower prices in the still-developing plant-based meat category,” she says.

    Shimoni calls on the government to support R&D in both alternative protein and agriculture, implement education programmes for the next generation, and back first-of-a-kind (FOAK) manufacturing facilities and agricultural trials.

    food security israel
    Courtesy: Samuel Neeman Institute

    The report recommends allocating at least $2B for manufacturing infrastructure for animal-free proteins, and $100-200M every year for pilot production and public-private partnerships. Additionally, the government should provide financial incentives, invest in breeding programmes for local legumes tailored to Israel’s climate, and develop a national strategy for protein diversification.

    Shimoni warns that failure to do so would see Israel “fall short of the required self-sufficiency ratio, leaving it vulnerable to unstable global supply chains, extreme weather events, and other external disruptions”.

    “As food security becomes an increasingly urgent challenge worldwide, the role of alternative proteins in diversifying and stabilising national food systems is gaining attention,” says Alla Voldman-Rantzer, VP of strategy and policy at GFI Israel. “This report offers valuable insights for other nations looking to enhance food resilience, reduce reliance on imports, and leverage innovation and agriculture to secure sustainable protein sources for the future.”

    The post Why Israel Must Swap Meat for Animal-Free Proteins to Battle Hunger & Climate Change appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • Global Agrifood Tech Funding Rebounds After Two-Year Slump

    food tech funding 2024
    5 Mins Read

    Global agrifood tech investment reached $16B in 2024, a mere 4% drop from 2023, with the US and India scoring big wins amid Europe’s continued decline.

    The alarming declines in venture capital flows to agrifood tech innovators are finally being stemmed, according to a new report by AgFunder.

    In 2022, the amount of capital invested in the sector fell by 39% compared to the record highs of 2021. This was followed by a 51% year-on-year decline in 2023. In 2024, however, this trend appeared to slow down, with agrifood tech only down by 4%, reaching $16B.

    While that is a seven-year low, many investors believe the market is bottoming out, and increased investment in markets like the US and India “hint at better days to come”.

    agrifoodtech funding
    Courtesy: AgFunder

    “The sector has been in free fall for the last few years, pulled down by macroeconomic trends and venture capital investor disenchantment, not to mention a pullback across venture capital more broadly,” the report reads. “All of that still exists, now compounded by geopolitical tensions, trade wars, and the ever-present threat of climate change. But in 2025, there are some signs of recovery.”

    Investors surveyed by AgFunder suggest that following a year of market corrections and recalibration, 2025 could be fraught with “chaos”, “uncertainty”, and “short-term decision-making”, while the volatility of US President Donald Trump’s tariffs could breed further unpredictability.

    “Protectionism combined with investors seeking a faster cash return will lead to short-term decision making, while higher tariffs will likely push [interest] rates back up if markets are impacted,” says Mark Durno, agrifood managing partner at Scottish VC firm Rockstart. “And continued political instability will put pressure on commodity markets.”

    US and India among 2024’s winners

    agfunder agrifoodtech investment report
    Courtesy: AgFunder

    The US once again retained its top spot, attracting $6.6B in funding – more than two-fifths of the global total. It represented a 14% increase from 2023, making it one of the only countries to attract more investment from the previous year.

    Meanwhile, India leapt up two places to the second spot in 2024, thanks in large part to its eGrocery sector. The world’s most populous country witnessed a 215% hike in investment to close the year at $2.5B – of this, $1.4B was raised in several rounds by rapid grocery startup Zepto. This propelled South Asia to the top of the heap as the only developing market to post growth (202%) last year.

    One of the countries India overtook was China, where funding fell by 51% to reach $848M. The UK, meanwhile, recorded a similar 45% decrease, totalling $616M in dollar investment.

    However, the Netherlands was among the nations that enjoyed a fruitful 2024, with investment up by 118% at $614M. Fellow European country Finland was home to the biggest hike among the top 10 (403%), attracting $389M. And in Asia, Japanese agrifood tech startups secured $290M from VCs, a 76% improvement on the previous year.

    Though investment is showing signs of recovery, deal count still plunged by 24% to fall below 2017 levels, “signalling the bottom of the dramatic drop in funding to the sector and the rest of venture capital more broadly”. “While it’s hard to be upbeat about the quantity of deals closing,” the report notes, “the quality of many of the companies raising decent-sized rounds is promising.”

    Meanwhile, upstream companies (which operate on the farm or in primary production) continued to dominate, taking up 51% of the funding share with over 1,265 deals – this is despite a 22% drop in year-on-year funding. Investment in downstream startups (involving technologies removed from the primary sector) was up by 20%, albeit with much fewer deals, signalling larger rounds.

    agrifoodtech investment
    Courtesy: AgFunder

    Alternative proteins see 20% decline, and Trump could cause further chaos

    According to the report, the Innovative Food category – which involves alternative proteins and novel foods – was the third-largest upstream vertical in terms of investment, and the fifth-largest overall, with startups in the space raising $1.4B over 227 deals in 2024.

    This, however, was 20% less than the year before, reflecting the bleak investment landscape for companies making plant-based food, cultivated meat, or precision-fermented proteins. This is similar to the 27% decline for alternative protein startups identified by Net Zero Insights and the Good Food Institute in 2024.

    And while Innovative Food dominated seed-stage funding in the upstream category (totalling $191M), “the numbers are not all that they seem, with several startups delaying their Series A with convertible bridge rounds, no doubt putting off an inevitable valuation reset”, AgFunder points out.

    That said, while Europe saw funding decline by 32% (including Israel), Innovative Food – in fact, mostly alternative protein – startups raised $608M, accounting for 47% of the total developed market investment in the category. In the UK too, this category accounted for a fifth of the deals, the highest in the agrifood tech sector.

    alternative protein funding
    Courtesy: AgFunder

    In the US, though, Innovative Food continued its decline from a high of over $3B in 2023, attracting just $574M in 2024, while accounting for 12% of all deals. These startups are set to face further uncertainty under the Trump administration, especially with the anti-ultra-processed-food movement helmed by health secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr.

    Gil Horsky, founding partner at Flora Ventures, believes that the White House could create “chaos” at the Food and Drug Administration and “further complicate regulatory frameworks and approvals for new bio-based food ingredients”.

    Across all industries, VC funding reversed a three-year decline in 2024, increasing by 3% to reach nearly $314B. Agrifood tech companies, however, make up just around 5% of global investments, which is disproportionate to the industry’s contribution to the global economy and climate crisis.

    The food industry is responsible for at least 15% of the world’s GDP, employs more than half of its workforce, and generates at least a third of all greenhouse gas emissions. In fact, a new analysis suggests that agriculture is the leading cause of climate change – putting a sharp spotlight on where investors’ priorities should be in the coming year.

    The post Global Agrifood Tech Funding Rebounds After Two-Year Slump appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • Global Agrifood Tech Funding Rebounds After Two-Year Slump

    food tech funding 2024
    5 Mins Read

    Global agrifood tech investment reached $16B in 2024, a mere 4% drop from 2023, with the US and India scoring big wins amid Europe’s continued decline.

    The alarming declines in venture capital flows to agrifood tech innovators are finally being stemmed, according to a new report by AgFunder.

    In 2022, the amount of capital invested in the sector fell by 39% compared to the record highs of 2021. This was followed by a 51% year-on-year decline in 2023. In 2024, however, this trend appeared to slow down, with agrifood tech only down by 4%, reaching $16B.

    While that is a seven-year low, many investors believe the market is bottoming out, and increased investment in markets like the US and India “hint at better days to come”.

    agrifoodtech funding
    Courtesy: AgFunder

    “The sector has been in free fall for the last few years, pulled down by macroeconomic trends and venture capital investor disenchantment, not to mention a pullback across venture capital more broadly,” the report reads. “All of that still exists, now compounded by geopolitical tensions, trade wars, and the ever-present threat of climate change. But in 2025, there are some signs of recovery.”

    Investors surveyed by AgFunder suggest that following a year of market corrections and recalibration, 2025 could be fraught with “chaos”, “uncertainty”, and “short-term decision-making”, while the volatility of US President Donald Trump’s tariffs could breed further unpredictability.

    “Protectionism combined with investors seeking a faster cash return will lead to short-term decision making, while higher tariffs will likely push [interest] rates back up if markets are impacted,” says Mark Durno, agrifood managing partner at Scottish VC firm Rockstart. “And continued political instability will put pressure on commodity markets.”

    US and India among 2024’s winners

    agfunder agrifoodtech investment report
    Courtesy: AgFunder

    The US once again retained its top spot, attracting $6.6B in funding – more than two-fifths of the global total. It represented a 14% increase from 2023, making it one of the only countries to attract more investment from the previous year.

    Meanwhile, India leapt up two places to the second spot in 2024, thanks in large part to its eGrocery sector. The world’s most populous country witnessed a 215% hike in investment to close the year at $2.5B – of this, $1.4B was raised in several rounds by rapid grocery startup Zepto. This propelled South Asia to the top of the heap as the only developing market to post growth (202%) last year.

    One of the countries India overtook was China, where funding fell by 51% to reach $848M. The UK, meanwhile, recorded a similar 45% decrease, totalling $616M in dollar investment.

    However, the Netherlands was among the nations that enjoyed a fruitful 2024, with investment up by 118% at $614M. Fellow European country Finland was home to the biggest hike among the top 10 (403%), attracting $389M. And in Asia, Japanese agrifood tech startups secured $290M from VCs, a 76% improvement on the previous year.

    Though investment is showing signs of recovery, deal count still plunged by 24% to fall below 2017 levels, “signalling the bottom of the dramatic drop in funding to the sector and the rest of venture capital more broadly”. “While it’s hard to be upbeat about the quantity of deals closing,” the report notes, “the quality of many of the companies raising decent-sized rounds is promising.”

    Meanwhile, upstream companies (which operate on the farm or in primary production) continued to dominate, taking up 51% of the funding share with over 1,265 deals – this is despite a 22% drop in year-on-year funding. Investment in downstream startups (involving technologies removed from the primary sector) was up by 20%, albeit with much fewer deals, signalling larger rounds.

    agrifoodtech investment
    Courtesy: AgFunder

    Alternative proteins see 20% decline, and Trump could cause further chaos

    According to the report, the Innovative Food category – which involves alternative proteins and novel foods – was the third-largest upstream vertical in terms of investment, and the fifth-largest overall, with startups in the space raising $1.4B over 227 deals in 2024.

    This, however, was 20% less than the year before, reflecting the bleak investment landscape for companies making plant-based food, cultivated meat, or precision-fermented proteins. This is similar to the 27% decline for alternative protein startups identified by Net Zero Insights and the Good Food Institute in 2024.

    And while Innovative Food dominated seed-stage funding in the upstream category (totalling $191M), “the numbers are not all that they seem, with several startups delaying their Series A with convertible bridge rounds, no doubt putting off an inevitable valuation reset”, AgFunder points out.

    That said, while Europe saw funding decline by 32% (including Israel), Innovative Food – in fact, mostly alternative protein – startups raised $608M, accounting for 47% of the total developed market investment in the category. In the UK too, this category accounted for a fifth of the deals, the highest in the agrifood tech sector.

    alternative protein funding
    Courtesy: AgFunder

    In the US, though, Innovative Food continued its decline from a high of over $3B in 2023, attracting just $574M in 2024, while accounting for 12% of all deals. These startups are set to face further uncertainty under the Trump administration, especially with the anti-ultra-processed-food movement helmed by health secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr.

    Gil Horsky, founding partner at Flora Ventures, believes that the White House could create “chaos” at the Food and Drug Administration and “further complicate regulatory frameworks and approvals for new bio-based food ingredients”.

    Across all industries, VC funding reversed a three-year decline in 2024, increasing by 3% to reach nearly $314B. Agrifood tech companies, however, make up just around 5% of global investments, which is disproportionate to the industry’s contribution to the global economy and climate crisis.

    The food industry is responsible for at least 15% of the world’s GDP, employs more than half of its workforce, and generates at least a third of all greenhouse gas emissions. In fact, a new analysis suggests that agriculture is the leading cause of climate change – putting a sharp spotlight on where investors’ priorities should be in the coming year.

    The post Global Agrifood Tech Funding Rebounds After Two-Year Slump appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • 5 Minutes with A Future Food VC: Solvable Syndicate’s Daniel Skavén Ruben

    daniel skaven ruben
    4 Mins Read

    In our new interview series, we quiz future food investors about the solutions that excite them the most, their favourite climate-forward restaurant, and what they look for in successful founders.

    Daniel Skavén Ruben is the Founding Partner at Solvable Syndicate.

    What future food technologies/solutions most excite you?

    Our modern food system was built to deliver high yields and cheap calories, and it has been highly successful at that; we now need to transition to a nourishing, environmentally sustainable food system. Any technology or solution that can get us closer to that goal – in a big way – is exciting to me.

    What are three future food verticals you are actively looking at for 2025?

    Regenerative agriculture, supply chain data/digitisation, and sustainable alternatives to agrochemicals.

    What do you consider the food tech sector’s greatest achievement in the past five years?

    Frankly, I think the sector to some degree has overpromised and underdelivered both in terms of financial returns for investors, but also in terms of the real world impact these new technologies have had so far. So from this perspective, perhaps the greatest achievement is that we haven’t given up on the sector, and the potential it holds.

    If you could wave a magic wand, how would you fix plant-based meat?

    Make it truly craveable and irresistible on all key aspects; taste, texture, convenience, and nutrition. 

    What’s the top trait you look for in a founder?

    I’m not sure it can be distilled to a single trait. It seems to me that top entrepreneurs are obsessed with solving real problems for real customers, and generating revenue and eventually profit throughout that process.

    They are often great storytellers, and can successfully sell the company vision to customers, employees, investors, and other key stakeholders. They don’t let perfect stand in the way of good; they act, they execute, they get things done. They are curious and humble, and can push through the sea of rejection and uncertainty that comes with being a founder. They are honest and transparent; they deliver on their promises.

    The One That Got Away: What is the deal you wish you had gotten into, but didn’t?

    Have you heard the story of the Zen master and the little boy? Just a few years ago, some food tech companies and verticals raised billions, leading many people to think they’d take over the world; today, many of these companies are gone.

    Sometimes, we have FOMO for missing out on investing in companies that eventually turn out to be nothing-burgers; sometimes we invest in things that we later regret. So, as the Zen master says: We’ll see.

    What do you consider your most successful future food investment so far?

    From a ROI or MOIC perspective, there are a couple of companies that look great so far – on paper. But it’s all air guitar until there’s an exit event. I’d like to hope it’s possible to balance profitability with purpose, and we only invest in purpose-driven startups.

    One example is Nilus, which brings affordable groceries to low-income people in Latin America while cutting food waste in the process. Last year, the company served 250,000+ people and helped them save 21% on average on their daily grocery expenses. This allows people in these vulnerable communities to spend more of their precious money on essential resources like medical care or educational supplies for their children.

    If that’s not a successful investment, I don’t know what is.

    What has been your most disappointing investment so far?

    Most startups fail, for various reasons. It’s tuition money for the future. It’s disappointing whenever a startup fails, and I haven’t learned enough around why that startup failed. Then I risk making the same mistake twice.

    What do people misunderstand/get wrong most about VC?

    VCs don’t necessarily look for good businesses; they want to find scalable businesses tackling big markets where there can be outsized financial returns. You can have a great company that is growing profitably, but it may not be a fit for the VC model. And that’s okay!

    Another important thing to remember is that raising VC money is not the same thing as achieving success. I’ve seen companies raise huge amounts of VC money and eventually fail because they focused on growth at all costs. They would likely have been better off not raising money from VCs.

    What is the most ‘future food’ thing you have eaten this month?

    The plant-based whole cut loin from Juicy Marbles!

    Where is your favourite climate-forward restaurant/dish/place to eat anywhere in the world?

    I was once lucky and privileged to be part of a small group that was served some fantastic, sustainable dishes prepared by Chef Dan Barber of Blue Hill at Stone Barns in Pocantico Hills, New York. We also got to experience the farm and tour the Stone Barns Center, a world-leading hub for food innovation, research, and sustainability. It was truly special.

    What’s your ‘why’? What motivates you to do what you do?

    The food system has a massive impact and is tightly linked to some of the greatest challenges facing humanity (e.g. climate change, environmental degradation, pandemics, diet-linked disease). We can and must solve these challenges in our lifetime; technology and innovation are part of the answer, and it feels incredibly meaningful to get to support the entrepreneurs and scientists that are building the future we want to see.

    The post 5 Minutes with A Future Food VC: Solvable Syndicate’s Daniel Skavén Ruben appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • Two Sessions: Why China is Betting on Alternative Proteins in Its Annual Political Summit

    china alternative protein
    6 Mins Read

    China’s annual Two Sessions summit is underway, and two documents released in the lead-up indicate drummed-up government support for alternative proteins.

    As political leaders from across China convene at the annual Two Sessions summit, alternative proteins have received another significant boost in documents released ahead of the meetings.

    Over 10 days, the Two Sessions – so named for the annual meetings of the National People’s Congress and the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference – will see decision-makers ratify legislation, review government work, and set an economic agenda for the forthcoming year.

    Already the global leader in renewable energy, China has been expanding its support for alternative proteins like plant-based or cultivated meat, with experts suggesting that if the country wants to decarbonise, half of its protein consumption must come from alternative sources by 2060.

    Leaders in the US have already highlighted fears of being overtaken by China’s biotech prowess. The government’s current five-year agriculture plan encourages research in cultivated meat and recombinant proteins, while the bioeconomy development plan aims to advance novel foods too. And President Xi Jinping has called for a Grand Food Vision that includes plant-based and microbial protein sources.

    cellx bacon
    CellX’s mycelium bacon prototype | Courtesy: CellX

    Building on this, one of the new documents is an official notice from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, which outlines key areas for national agricultural science and tech innovation through to 2028.

    The second document came just over a week later. Dubbed the No. 1 Central Document, it is published every February as the year’s first policy statement released by the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the State Council.

    According to alternative protein think tank the Good Food Institute (GFI) APAC, this is the single most influential document signposting what China considers its top policy goals for agriculture.

    We spoke to Mirte Gosker, managing director of GFI APAC, to break down what the new documents mean for the alternative protein sector in China and the wider Asia-Pacific region.

    This interview has been lightly edited for clarity and concision.

    Green Queen: What did last year’s Two Sessions conference say about alternative proteins?

    Mirte Gosker: Shortly before the kickoff of last year’s Two Sessions conference, China’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs (MARA) convened the first meeting of its new Science and Technology Innovation Strategic Advisory Committee, which has been tasked with supercharging food innovation nationwide.

    A few days later, National People’s Congress deputy Xiong Tao, who is also chairman of the publicly traded Angel Yeast Co., submitted a formal proposal to accelerate the development of microbial proteins – an emerging category that harnesses the power of fermentation to create everything from Quorn nuggets to animal-free dairy. His proposal is now under review at MARA.

    lab grown meat china
    Courtesy: Eat Just

    GQ: What is GFI APAC’s take on the official notice issued by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs?

    MG: This can be interpreted as a blueprint from the highest ranks of China’s agricultural authorities about what they believe are top domestic priorities.

    Among the priority areas identified were:

    1. “Agricultural processing and food manufacturing”, including “research on novel food resource development technology”, which the document says can “create a new generation of food to meet new scenarios and special needs”;
    2. “Agricultural product quality and safety”, including studies to assess the safety and nutritional efficacy of alternative proteins and other novel resources.

    These explicit mentions of novel foods are expected to drive more R&D funding towards alternative proteins. Reading the full document in context, analysts anticipate a special emphasis on the development of technologies like microbiomics and AI, which can optimise food production processes, identify new protein formulations and raw materials, and reduce costs.

    GQ: What does the No. 1 Central Document say about alternative proteins? What’s your take on this?

    MG: Among this year’s goals outlined in the No. 1 Central Document is “building a diversified food supply system” including efforts “to cultivate and develop biological agriculture and explore novel food resources.”

    (“Biological agriculture” in this context can be interpreted as agriculture enhanced by biotechnology, rather than conventional farming methods.)

    The document’s authors specifically mention a need for “expanding food sources through multiple channels”, including fungal and algae-based protein extraction techniques used in the development of many plant-based and fermentation-derived products.

    Additionally, the No. 1 Central Document calls for strengthening “supervision” of food safety and agricultural product quality – a step seen as important to establishing broad consumer trust and market adoption of new protein sources.

    The fact that food safety was specifically referenced in both documents sends a clear message to national regulators: Now is the time to develop comprehensive approval frameworks that can enable emerging food categories to thrive.

    plant based milk china
    Courtesy: Viee

    GQ: How do you view China’s alternative protein ecosystem and the government’s support?

    MG: As the world’s single largest meat market, China has huge incentives to transition towards smarter ways of satisfying soaring protein demand. Conventional methods are highly inefficient: feeding up to 100 calories of crops to a cow produces just one calorie of beef.

    This squandering of resources also creates an uneasy dependence on the West, as millions of tonnes of soybeans and corn are imported to satisfy the demand for animal feed. 

    In other words, by mastering the art of making delicious and affordable protein from plants, microbes, and other novel sources, China can produce a whole lot more of it, while bolstering its self-sufficiency.

    GQ: Do you expect any novel food approvals in the country this year?

    MG: While there is currently no regulatory process through which Chinese companies can apply for the market approval of novel proteins like cultivated meat, representatives from the corresponding regulatory body, the China National Center for Food Safety Risk Assessment, have mentioned at recent conferences that they are paying close attention to international developments and working to create a robust framework for cultivated meat safety assessment. 

    In the meantime, the development of cultivated meat has continued to accelerate across the country. Last August, GFI APAC worked with Chinese partners to co-organise the first-ever China-Singapore scientific symposium, which brought together dozens of experts from academia, industry, and government.

    At the closed-door event, Chinese and Singaporean scientists exchanged insights on techniques to scale up alternative meat industrialisation, including layering flavour pockets from cultivated animal cells into plant-based protein sheets to make hybrid products, and designing innovative bioreactors that reduce cultivated meat production costs by leveraging computer simulations to test for optimal growth conditions.

    GQ: What makes you hopeful about the APAC future food system in 2025?

    china new protein centre
    Courtesy: Fengtai District Media Integration Center

    MG: Across Asia, countries are investing in R&D and manufacturing infrastructure that could thrust the alt protein sector into commercial viability – pulling from the proven playbook used to scale up solar energy and electric vehicles.

    South Korea is expected to issue its first cultivated meat approvals this year, and Thailand is hot on its heels. China just opened its first alt-protein innovation centre in Beijing; Malaysia’s prime minister commissioned a cultivated-meat industry feasibility study; and GFI is leading efforts to coordinate regional regulatory frameworks, so that startups can simultaneously roll out products in multiple markets. 

    Just as renewables are central to satisfying soaring energy demand, there is enormous economic opportunity in producing protein more efficiently. As our planet warms, countries will need innovative ways to make more meat with fewer resources – and Asia is once again laying the groundwork to sell the world what it needs.

    The post Two Sessions: Why China is Betting on Alternative Proteins in Its Annual Political Summit appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • ‘A True Asset’: Allplants Meals to Return As Fellow Vegan Brand Grubby Acquires Recipe IP

    allplants grubby
    5 Mins Read

    British vegan meal kit startup Grubby has bought the recipe IP of ready-meal brand Allplants, aiming to relaunch the latter’s products shortly after its brand assets were acquired by Deliciously Ella’s founders.

    The revival of popular plant-based meal company Allplants continues, with its frozen product range set to be relaunched by fellow British brand Grubby, which has acquired the rights to its recipes and manufacturing processes.

    It comes nearly four months after Allplants fell into administration, which resulted in the firm’s components being broken up into three areas. Its brand, trademark, consumer database and online assets were bought up by the founders of Deliciously Ella and combined with their Plants label last month, while details about its warehouse facility haven’t been disclosed.

    The recipe IP for its vegan meals, desserts, breakfast pots and sides, however, had not been part of the Plants deal, and has now been snapped up by Grubby, an extension to its existing meal kit range.

    “The Allplants range is a true asset, with real consumer love and value, stretching across multiple meal occasions,” Grubby founder and CEO Martin Holden-White told Green Queen. “The products are a testament to the years of dedication from [Allplants co-founder] Jonathan Petrides and his team, and we couldn’t overlook this exciting opportunity to bring them back to the market.”

    Asked when and where Grubby expects to roll out the products, he said: “We’re currently [in] discussions with a range of manufacturers and we aim to do this across multiple channels, as soon as we find the right solutions to bring the products back as consumers know and love them, under the Grubby brand.”

    A win-win for both Plants and Grubby?

    allplants
    Courtesy: Allplants

    Founded in 2016 by brothers Alex and Jonathan Petrides, Allplants capitalised on the meal delivery boom during the Covid-19 lockdowns, and sold six million meals within the first three months of its retail debut in November 2022.

    Such was its popularity, the brand amassed nearly 200,000 followers on social media, and attracted £67M in investment, with backers including professional footballers Chris Smalling and Kieran Gibbs.

    However, the business recorded a loss of nearly £10M in the seven months to March 2023, which it ascribed to inflation, post-Brexit supply chain disruptions, rising interest rates, and the pursuit of profitability.

    The business went into administration last November, making 65 employees redundant and working with advisory firm Interpath to find a buyer. Last month, Ella and Matthew Mills – who sold their Deliciously Ella brand to Hero Group in September – took over Allplants’s brand assets and merged it with their Plants label.

    allplants deliciously ella
    Courtesy: Allplants

    Rather than re-release Allplants’s vegan meals, though, Plants looked to capitalise on its established brand and social media following to push forward its own line of plant-based staples like pasta, sauces, kombucha and soups. It also sells two frozen ready meal SKUs in retail, and plans to expand the range and offer delivery, in response to consumer demand online.

    But with Allplants’s own recipes set to return to the market under Grubby, it begs the question: which brand will be able to retain Allplants’s customers and gain access to new ones?

    “The Allplants team spent years perfecting this range and there is real consumer love for the products – we simply could not let that all go to waste, and we’re delighted that they will live on,” said Holden-White.

    Interpath director Natasha Harbinson added: “Allplants had a loyal following, so we’re sure their customers will be thrilled at the prospect of this range being brought back into production.”

    Grubby plans to break even in 2026

    grubby bosh
    Courtesy: Grubby

    Grubby’s takeover of the Allplants IP comes right after the launch of its debut cookbook and a new online marketplace where people can add grocery items to their recipe boxes.

    “Our recent product expansions, including the Grubby Marketplace and our debut recipe book, have already shown strong demand for more varied plant-based options,” said Holden-White. “Integrating these products into our ecosystem creates a seamless experience for customers who want plant-based choices across all meal occasions.”

    The company, founded in 2019, has sold over 100,000 meal kits, and has enjoyed a 21% year-to-date growth in revenue. Holden-White ascribed this primarily to improved customer retention, with one-year retention up by 140% in the last 12 months.

    He added that the company’s EBITDA – revenue excluding all non-operational expenses – has improved by 56% year-on-year, with Grubby aiming to break even in 2026.

    vegan ready meals
    Courtesy: Allplants

    Although UK sales of plant-based ready meals plunged by 10% last year, the Allplants deal is part of this growth strategy, with its meals, desserts and breakfast pots making a “seamless addition” to Grubby’s ecosystem. But is Holden-White confident Grubby can achieve its goals without Allplants’s sizeable online following?

    “Social media is just one piece of the puzzle. At Grubby, we’ve built a highly engaged customer community and an even larger email database, giving us direct access to a passionate audience who already love plant-based meals,” he said. “With this acquisition, we’re not just bringing back these much-loved recipes – we’re expanding our own range to offer even more convenient plant-based options.”

    He added: “By leveraging our core acquisition channels, including direct-to-consumer expertise, performance marketing, and strong partnerships, we see this as a huge opportunity to attract new customers looking for high-quality, time-saving meal solutions while continuing to serve our loyal Grubby community.”

    Allpants’s revival is the latest example of plant-based companies that have been rescued from the brink recently, joining the likes of Meatless Farm, VBites, Plant & Bean, and Mycorena.

    The post ‘A True Asset’: Allplants Meals to Return As Fellow Vegan Brand Grubby Acquires Recipe IP appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • Impossible Foods Steaks Its Claim with ‘Meatiest’ Plant-Based Product Yet

    impossible steak
    4 Mins Read

    US plant-based leader Impossible Foods has unveiled its first new product of 2025, Steak Bites, which it describes as its “meatiest” innovation.

    Joining the ranks of its fellow meat-free innovators, Impossible Foods has introduced its first steak product, a pre-cooked offering with 80% less saturated fat than beef flank.

    The new Steak Bites SKU was unveiled at the ongoing Natural Products Expo West in Anaheim, California (March 5-7), and is rolling out at grocery stores across the US for $8.99 per 10oz pack. It will also be made available to restaurants in the months ahead.

    Impossible Foods is positioning its steak as a marker of the “unparalleled acceleration” of its R&D capabilities, leveraging its flavour and ingredient science and innovative methods to create what the company says is its “meatiest” product ever released.

    Aside from taste and texture, it’s going big on nutrition, reflecting two of its biggest marketing priorities in recent months. The Steak Bites contain 21g of protein per serving (from soybeans), 3g of fibre, and just 0.5g of saturated fat, and are rich in iron, B vitamins, and calcium. This will appeal to the 65% of Americans who eat plant-based foods because they’re healthy.

    Can Impossible steak beat its rivals?

    impossible steak bites
    Courtesy: Impossible Foods

    Impossible Foods is far from the first company to offer a meat-free steak analogue to Americans. Companies like Chunk Foods, Juicy Marbles, Tender Food, Meati, The Better Meat Co, and Beyond Meat are some of the leading innovators in this space.

    The latter would likely be its closest competitor, which offers similar pre-cooked steak chunks. While Beyond Meat’s steak uses a base of faba bean protein and wheat protein, Impossible Foods’s version centred around its trademark soy protein isolate. But both companies are likely to raise questions from those looking for shorter ingredient lists, since the products contain over 20 ingredients (though many of those are nutrients to fortify the meat alternatives).

    That said, Impossible Foods promises to be the best of the lot, suggesting that its steak bites “significantly outperform the competition” when it comes to flavour and texture. It offers consumers a “juicy, savoury” experience, including a “tender, fine-grained texture” akin to the muscle structures found in animal-derived meat.

    “Our steak bites are first and foremost delicious,” says CEO Peter McGuinness. “They’re also packed with protein, no cholesterol, and less saturated fat versus the animal. You’re not going to find a better plant-based steak option than that.”

    He adds: “It’s a real testament to our advancements in R&D. Achieving the right balance of amazing taste and great nutritional value is what people want and need, whether you’re a meat-eater or not.”

    The Impossible steak comes pre-seasoned, and can be prepared on the stovetop or – meeting today’s at-home cooking trends – in the air fryer. The brand is hoping that this will widen appeal to consumers with busy weeknight schedules, as well as the steak-and-eggs-for-breakfast crowd.

    In addition to the taste and nutrition virtues, the Steak Bites come with environmental benefits – they use 94% less land and water, and generate 93% fewer emissions than a conventional sirloin steak.

    ‘Animal-free’ label in spotlight amid FDA guidance

    vegan steak
    Courtesy: Impossible Foods

    The product launch comes amid a heightened backlash against ultra-processed foods (UPFs) – and by extension, plant-based meat – in the US. With Robert F Kennedy Jr now part of the Trump administration, these foods are set to face even more scrutiny, given the new health secretary had promised to ban UPFs in schools.

    Amid the fallout, some of the country’s biggest UPF producers are facing a false marketing lawsuit, and California is figuring out the best way to crack down on these products. At the same time, annual sales of meat analogues continued to fall in 2024, with the decline remaining around 9% throughout the year. And now, there’s a new Non-UPF Verified certification for companies looking to capitalise on this shift.

    Speaking of which, labelling is in focus for plant-based producers. The FDA’s latest guidance suggests companies can use terms like ‘burgers’ and ‘steak’, with ingredient-focused qualifiers like ‘soy-based nuggets’ preferred over descriptors such as ‘meat-free’.

    The FDA’s proposed guidance is in the public consultation stage, but the recommendation that ‘meat-free’ should be used in conjunction with the source ingredient is noteworthy – Impossible Foods’s Steak Bites feature an ‘animal-free’ label next to its ‘Meat from Plants’ phrase on the front of the pack, a first for the company.

    With consumers increasingly averse to terms like ‘vegan’ and ‘plant-based’, it could prove to be an interesting move for a product charting new territory for what is a well-established brand. According to Impossible Foods, it is the US’s leading plant-based company in the foodservice channel, and ranks second in terms of retail share.

    To accelerate this growth, it recently hired Meredith Madden as its new chief demand officer. A former Chobani exec and most recently CEO of The Kraft Heinz Not Company, she is overseeing Impossible Foods’s sales, product and marketing operations, and has been given a mandate to “galvanise and simplify the company’s commercial operations”.

    “It’s no secret this category has its share of challenges, but we’re building a team that is truly up for fighting the good fight. I’m really excited and proud Meredith is on our team,” McGuinness said.

    The post Impossible Foods Steaks Its Claim with ‘Meatiest’ Plant-Based Product Yet appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • Make America Cheap Again: How Trump’s Tariffs Will Impact Food Tech & Alternative Protein

    trump tariffs food
    7 Mins Read

    Food prices are skyrocketing in the US, and President Donald Trump’s tariffs on its neighbours and China could make it harder to access alternative proteins when they’re needed more than ever.

    The continued discourse against ultra-processed foods, legislative efforts to ban cultivated meat, and rollback of key climate policies have all been signs that alternative proteins may not have it easy under Donald Trump’s second stay in the White House.

    Now, with his tariffs on imports from Canada, Mexico and China officially coming into effect, things might just get even bleaker.

    All products imported to the US from China now carry a 20% tax (versus 10% previously), rising to 25% for all Mexican products and most Canadian ones. In response, outgoing Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has announced a retaliatory tariff of 25% to be placed on over $100M worth of products over the next three weeks.

    China, too, is imposing an additional 10-15% tax on a range of foods. And Mexico President Claudia Sheinbaum confirmed her country will also impose tariffs on the US, with the affected products set to be announced this weekend.

    Trump isn’t stopping his trade war here, though. He has teased another 25% levy on imports from the EU, and announced additional tariffs on “external” agriculture products starting next month.

    Inflation continues to bite consumers. Take eggs, for example, which have never been more expensive in the US, a crisis that has highlighted the supply potential of plant-based alternatives. However, these tariffs could further complicate matters for the alternative protein industry, impeding its efforts to provide a solution to food shortages and sky-high prices.

    From oat milk to plant-based meat, get ready for even higher prices

    vegan meat price
    Courtesy: Anay Mridul/Green Queen

    Food already cost 2.5% more this January than 12 months prior, and the US Department of Agriculture predicts that overall food prices will rise by a further 3.4% in 2025.

    The tariffs will most likely worsen things – analysis from Congressional Democrats on the Joint Economic Committee has found that food costs might increase by 2% as a direct result of Trump’s decision, costing American families up to an extra $2,000 per year.

    Mexico, China and Canada are the US’s three largest trading partners, accounting for 42% of the latter’s imports. The tariffs may not directly impact the price tag of a packaged food product – but they will raise the cost of imported raw materials and equipment for domestic manufacturers, which in turn would lead to higher on-shelf markups.

    A recent report from Pitchbook explains that the tariffs would impact alternative protein companies too. This is because China supplies raw materials, processing equipment, and packaging materials, while the EU provides specialised ingredients and machinery. Moreover, restaurant and grocery e-commerce in Mexico and Canada supply fresh produce and packaged goods.

    “Tariffs are expected to increase operational costs for food tech companies due to higher prices for imported goods and materials. Such an increase could lead to reduced profit margins and potential price increases for consumers,” outlines Pitchbook.

    For example, most of the oat supply in the US is imported from Canada – in fact, Oatly too uses Canadian oats for its US market. Since grains are one of the categories impacted by the tariffs, consumers could end up paying more for oat milk.

    Likewise, meat alternative makers that use avocado or canola oils (such as Beyond Meat and Tofurky, respectively) could also face higher costs thanks to the levies on Mexican and Canadian imports.

    With egg prices breaking records, plant-based alternative manufacturers like Eat Just have seen sales and demand grow quickly over the last few weeks, proving to be a crucial solution to empty egg shelves and prohibitive costs. Again though, for its Just Egg, the company sources mung beans from various parts of the world, including Asia and Africa – could Trump’s upcoming tariffs on international agricultural products threaten its momentum?

    egg crisis
    Courtesy: Eat Just

    A supply chain overhaul incoming?

    Farmers will arguably be even worse off with the tariffs. Greater levies on potash and fertilisers – imported in large quantities from Canada – will make it more expensive for American farmers to grow crops.

    Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar, the highest-ranking Democrat on the Senate Agriculture Committee, believes the tariffs “will make it harder for Americans to put food on the table and will squeeze farmers who will lose valuable export markets and see higher input costs”.

    And while retaliatory tariffs from China could weaken demand (and thus prices) for crops like soybeans, corn and wheat, the impact wouldn’t necessarily be reflected in grocery costs. It is farmers who will be affected, compounding their ongoing struggles to sustain income levels.

    trump food policy
    Courtesy: Trump White House/Flickr/CC

    Many manufacturers, meanwhile, may need to shore up their domestic supply chains to stay ahead of the tariffs’ repercussions, either by switching or acquiring suppliers. This may also impact employment – analysis from the Federal Reserve found that manufacturing jobs were among the biggest casualties of Trump’s 2018 tariffs, thanks to higher input costs and retaliatory tariffs.

    All this raises an important question: who do the Trump tariffs benefit here? Companies that have their ducks in a row with their sourcing and supply chain – with local raw materials and a domestic manufacturing setup – could stand to win.

    With the US having poured tens of millions of dollars to ramp up biomanufacturing, there is an opportunity here – although as a business, having deep pockets will become even more important.

    Arturo Elizondo, co-founder and CEO of animal-free egg maker The Every Company, told Green Queen last month: “The biggest risk is any retaliatory tariffs which might affect our supply chain, but we’ve planned ahead by building redundancy.”

    Tariffs could scare off investors

    And that takes us to another important implication of the tariffs: private investment. Venture capitalists’ interest in climate tech is waning fast, with funding down by 38% last year. Financing of food and land use solutions, meanwhile, only makes up 18.5% of climate tech capital, despite the industry causing a third of all emissions globally.

    Alternative proteins had it even worse. After investment dropped by 44% in 2023, it fell by a further 27% last year, thanks to large declines in venture capital for plant-based food (-64%) and cultivated meat (-40%). Only fermentation startups saw a funding increase in this sector (43%).

    alternative protein investment
    packaeCourtesy: GFI

    With the tariffs creating further uncertainty for these companies, investors may become even more cautious with their cash this year, threatening businesses working to safeguard the future of food.

    VCs have highlighted how the trade war between the US and these countries is likely to lower valuations, decrease exits, and give investors pause in terms of deployment – and this would cause a ripple effect on the food tech ecosystem too. Stock market volatility is also likely to continue as the fallout from the tariffs takes shape.

    And it’s not just American companies that will feel the effects. The US is Canada’s largest export market, taking up over 77% of the share, so the tariffs are likely to hit both economies hard. Public financing represents a much larger chunk of food tech funding in Canada (30%) than in the US (8%), and plant-based food accounts for 12% of all investments in the category, making it “central to the country’s broader food tech ecosystem”, a recent report suggested.

    canada food tech funding
    Courtesy: Canadian Food Innovation Network

    Plant-based foods are also often costlier to produce, thanks to specialised ingredients and smaller-scale processing. So private investment needs to be significantly stepped up, since the gap with public funding carries “profound implications, including challenges in scaling operations, building supply chains, meeting regulatory requirements, and achieving strong exit opportunities”.

    All said, the tariffs have promised an even more uncertain period for alternative proteins and food tech – with farmers, manufacturers and consumers all left worse off, for the most part. How they will make America cheap again, only time will tell.

    The post Make America Cheap Again: How Trump’s Tariffs Will Impact Food Tech & Alternative Protein appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • Future Food Quick Bites: Expo West, Tom Brady & Lidl Vegan Meat

    tom brady vegan
    5 Mins Read

    Our weekly column rounds up the latest sustainable food innovation news. This week, Future Food Quick Bites covers a range of product showcases at Expo West, Valsoia’s new gelato lines, and Lidl’s upgraded meat alternatives.

    New products and launches

    The world’s largest tofu maker, Pulmuone, is debuting new Korean-inspired plant-based products at Natural Products Expo West (March 5-7) in California, including cilantro-garlic potstickers, pineapple-teriyaki glazed tofu, black garlic cream noodles, and bulgogi-style rice balls.

    expo west vegan
    Courtesy: Pulmuone

    More from Expo West, Before the Butcher will showcase its just-launched The Original Butcher Sticks, a range of meat snacks in pepperoni and beef variants.

    Vegan free-from brand Whoa Dough has announced its newest product, Brownie Batter Ready-to-Bake, which it will exhibit at Expo West and launch into retail this week.

    Whole-cut meat producer Chunk Foods is debuting the latest additions to its US retail lineup at the show, rolling out four new flavours of its pulled steak: barbacoa, Texas BBQ, Korean BBQ, and teriyaki.

    chunk foods
    Courtesy: Chunk Foods

    South Korean-American vegan cheese company Armored Fresh has announced truffle as the third flavour of its oat-milk-based Zero-Dairy parmesan, set to be launched in May in the US.

    Speaking of plant-based cheese, Stockeld Dreamery has launched Spring Scallion and Midsummer Strawberry as its two new cultured cream cheese flavours, after moving its manufacturing to North America. They can be found at Essa Bagel, Zaro’s, Kismet, and Bergen Bagels, with more than 50 other shops to join the list soon.

    NFL legend Tom Brady has launched a new vegan sweets brand called Goat Gummies, as part of the former quarterback’s multi-year partnership with Gopuff. The gummies are available at the online grocer’s platform in Sweet Rush, Sour Burst, and Tropic Fusion flavours.

    goat gummies
    Courtesy: Goat Gummies

    Italian plant-based dairy Valsoia has announced two gelato lines to its portfolio: a no-added-sugar version with a rice and coconut base, and an oat milk range in lemon cake, stracciatella, and pistachio flavours. They’ll soon be available in Spain, the Netherlands, Sweden, the Baltics, Czechia and other markets.

    And British clean-label alt-milk brand Plenish has introduced Enriched Oat milk, which contains three ingredients and is fortified with calcium, vitamin D, iodine, riboflavin, vitamin B12, and fibre. It’s available at Tesco for £2.25 per litre.

    Company and finance developments

    US startup Jord BioScience has secured $7M in a Series B round to commercialise microbial technologies to enhance crop inputs and advance sustainable and regenerative farming practices.

    jord bioscience
    Courtesy: Jord BioScience

    Israeli alternative protein innovator Steakholder Foods has entered an agreement with Alumni Capital to receive a $1.25M private placement, as well as an $8M equity line of credit.

    Mushroom jerky maker Madarch Cymru (Mushroom Garden) has become one of nine recipients of British national agency Innovate UK‘s £400,000 New Innovators fund.

    Japanese cellular agriculture company IntegriCulture has secured ¥200M ($1.3M) in a non-dilutive bank loan, which will be used to invest in an upcoming deal and accelerate R&D.

    Vegetal Food, a distributor of vegan products for foodservice professionals in France, has raised €1.2M ($1.26M) in investment from the FPCI Food Invest II fund, in partnership with food consultancy FoodXpert.

    Indian plant-based supplements brand Earthful landed a $570,000 investment from Srinivasan Namala and Ritesh Agarwal on Shark Tank India.

    Spanish firm Allbiotech has completed the first production run of its Genesys V1 bioreactor, which is a lower-cost solution for early-stage precision fermentation research.

    According to a life-cycle assessment, Finland-based Enifer‘s Pekilo mycoprotein for pet food produces 86% fewer emissions than soy protein concentrate, and five times fewer than lamb meat.

    beyond meat lawsuit
    Courtesy: Beyond Meat

    Plant-based leader Beyond Meat has been handed a legal victory by the US District Court for the Central District of Florida, which has thrown out a class-action lawsuit brought by some of its investors.

    Policy and regulation

    The University of North Texas has committed to making 60% of its campus menus plant-based by 2027, building on its 50% target by the end of this year. It comes after the institution ranked second on the Protein Sustainability Scorecard by Humane World for Animals (formerly the Humane Society of the United States).

    university sustainability rankings
    Courtesy: UNT Dining Services

    Aussie agrifood company Wide Open Agriculture has received General Administration approval to export its lupin protein isolate to the Chinese market, where it will be initially sold as an ingredient in protein powders, dairy alternatives, and a lupin bean tofu.

    In the US, the Plant-Based Foods Association and its sister Plant-Based Foods Institute have unveiled a six-pillar strategy for 2025-27, spanning membership, marketplace, policy, research and education, consumer engagement, and agriculture.

    To promote vegan-friendly products in sub-Saharan Africa, certification body V-Label has partnered with food awareness organisation ProVeg Nigeria.

    lidl plant based meat
    Courtesy: Lidl Nederland

    Discount retailer Lidl is continuing its plant-based progress by improving the taste, texture and nutritional value of its own-label meat analogues in the Netherlands, with two-thirds of the products now meeting the Dutch dietary guidelines.

    In state legislature, the Colorado House has passed a bipartisan bill to reduce food waste in schools, businesses, universities, and local government institutions. Measures of the legislation include a switch to ‘best if used or frozen by’ instead of ‘sell by’ dates.

    Finally, Vegan Events UK has announced the first Swansea Vegan Festival, which will take place at LC Swansea on May 31.

    Check out last week’s Future Food Quick Bites.

    The post Future Food Quick Bites: Expo West, Tom Brady & Lidl Vegan Meat appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • The Cost of Climate Change: 6 Foods You Love Are About to Get More Expensive

    climate change food prices
    7 Mins Read

    Climate change is already disrupting food supplies across the world, causing shortages and raising prices for consumers – here are six staples under threat.

    For those who find it sexy, your morning mocha could be in trouble. Or if, like Elon Musk, you like to eat steak and eggs, but don’t have the wallet to match, your breakfast is also in jeopardy.

    People like Musk have been trying to disassociate climate change from the food system, despite the latter accounting for a third of all global emissions – in fact, one recent study suggests it’s the leading cause of global warming.

    You only have to look at the price of eggs, chocolate or coffee to know that food production adversely affects the planet, and climate change in turn is ravaging our food supply.

    As inflation continues to hit consumers, making affordability a bigger concern than even health for many, food prices are set to continue rising in the near term. And if we don’t address factory farming and climate-harming agriculture, things are going to get progressively worse.

    Here are six charts that illustrate as much.

    Eggs

    egg prices
    Consumer price index for eggs | Courtesy: Bureau of Labor Statistics

    Egg prices are at an all-time high in the US – consumer price index (CPI) data by the Department of Labor shows that the average retail Grade A eggs cost $4.95 per dozen in January 2025, surpassing the previous high recorded in January 2023. In fact, in some places, Americans are paying more than a dollar per egg.

    With bird flu leading to the culling of over 160 million birds, the Trump administration has pledged an additional $1B to stem the outbreak, on top of the $2B already spent. Despite that effort, the USDA predicts the cost of eggs to increase by another 41% in 2025, meaning eggs could cost as much as $7 per dozen based on the consumer price index.

    This has necessitated the need for alternatives like plant-based liquid or powdered formats, or precision-fermented egg proteins. Think the vegan sunny-side-ups from Yo Egg, the recombinant EggWhite protein from The Every Company, or the pourable mung bean egg from Eat Just, whose sales grew five times faster this January than last.

    Cocoa

    cocoa prices
    Courtesy: Sylvie Husson/Sabrina Blachard/AFP

    Chocolate is sweet on the tastebuds but bitter on the planet, thanks to the industry’s high emissions (linked to deforestation) and water use. Climate change itself has also hurt cocoa crops, with global cocoa stocks dropping to their lowest levels in a decade.

    Last year, human-caused climate change added six weeks of days above 32°C in over 70% of cacao-producing areas across Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Cameroon, and Nigeria.

    As a result, cocoa prices shot up by three- to fourfold in 2024, reaching all-time highs. In New York, cocoa futures reached an all-time high of $12,565 per tonne in mid-December, following weather-induced low supplies for the fourth successive season in West Africa, which produces the majority of the world’s cocoa.

    These hikes meant cocoa surpassed the growth of every other commodity in the value chain in 2024 – and prices are likely to stay high this year. Low supplies and skyrocketing costs have had an impact on the bottom lines of chocolate giants like Hershey’s too, whose profit forecast for 2025 is below analysts’ expectations.

    It’s a good time to look at alternative chocolate companies like Voyage Foods, Planet A Foods, Food Brewer, and Foreverland, which are futureproofing the industry with cocoa-free and cell-based versions.

    Coffee

    coffee prices
    Courtesy: MacroTrends

    Coffee wasn’t far behind cocoa in its price hikes last year, becoming the second-largest gainer last year. With 60% of coffee species endangered and the area suitable for cultivating arabica shrinking, this should come as no surprise.

    Extreme-weather-induced crop failures and shortages pushed up arabica prices by 80% last year, with wholesale prices reaching a nearly 50-year high. In February, coffee futures in New York hit an all-time high of $4.34 per pound – already this year, prices are up by 35%.

    The severe drought in Brazil – the largest coffee producer – in 2024 is a major factor behind this rise, and this year too, the upcoming harvest is set to be 4.4% smaller, according to food supply agency Confab.

    This is why several companies – from Atomo and Minus Coffee in the US to Prefer in Singapore – are making beanless coffee, positioned as a supplementary product to reduce the strain on conventional beans.

    Beef

    beef prices
    Consumer price index for beef | Courtesy: Bureau of Labor Statistics

    It is the most polluting food on the planet, and yet we eat too much of it. Governments across the world are advising citizens to eat less beef for the good of both the climate and their own health – but that argument can now be extended to their wallets too.

    The cost of beef, both in retail and wholesale, already broke records in 2024, and it’s coming close to breaching those highs again. CPI data in the US shows that sirloin steak prices reached $12.01 per lb in November, and were at $11.97 in January. Likewise, ground beef cost $5.55 per lb in January, down from $5.67 in September.

    According to the USDA, beef and veal prices rose by 5.5% in January compared to 12 months prior, and they’re expected to grow by another 3.2% in 2025. Prices of wholesale beef, meanwhile, jumped by 14.8%, and are set to rise by a further 4.6% this year.

    Beef is more expensive now because of historically low levels of cattle inventories in the US, as well as a temporary import ban on cattle from Mexico (due to concerns over parasites). While the debate over ultra-processed food continues to make headlines, it marks a key opportunity for alternative beef makers like Impossible Foods, Beyond Meat, Meati, Chunk Foods, and more.

    Dairy

    milk prices
    Courtesy: Federal Reserve Economic Data

    Dairy is another major food group that’s harmful to the planet and is being harmed itself by climate change. Prices of milk in the US reached a record-high of $4.22 per gallon in November 2022, and while they have decreased slightly since then, they were still at $4.05 in January this year, a 10% year-on-year increase.

    Lower production levels in the US (a result of the bird flu) and New Zealand – the largest milk exporter – have also caused a hike in the cost of dairy products like butter. In the EU, butter was 19% more expensive in October 2024 than 12 months prior. Similarly, in the UK, government data shows that the price for a 250g tub of butter was 18% higher this January than at the start of 2024.

    Back in the US, the Department of Agriculture predicts dairy prices to “remain nearly unchanged” this year, and noted that “rising prices for cheese and whey may have reflected falling stocks and increased global competition, as well as lower-than-expected milk production in the second half of [2024]”.

    Class III milk, which is used to make cheese in the US, is expected to become slightly more expensive in 2025, and cheese prices are forecast to increase by 1%. The cost of whey, meanwhile, is set to approach the record labels seen in 2022 after a 36% hike last year.

    It highlights the need for further investment and government support (via promotion and subsidies) for non-dairy milk producers, whether it’s companies like Oatly or Silk making oat, almond or soy milk, vegan cheese players like Violife and Stockeld Dreamery, or even whey proteins and products from fermentation startups like Perfect Day and Nature’s Fynd.

    Fish

    seafood prices
    Courtesy: EU Commission

    An industry marred by overfishing, microplastic pollution, and disease outbreaks, seafood hasn’t been spared by inflation either.

    In the UK, an order of fish and chips cost £9.88 in July 2024, a 58% increase from July 2019. In Norway, fresh fish is 42% costlier than it was five years ago too. And fresh seafood prices rose by 2.2% in the US this January, driven by a hike of 5.1% in shellfish.

    Meanwhile, Europeans are decreasing the amount of fish they put on their plates due to high prices. It’s perhaps best illustrated by data from the EU Commission: despite households spending 6% more on seafood in 2023, at-home fish consumption decreased in Europe that year, a trend it directly attributed to the “current economic and geopolitical climate”, and the ensuing inflation.

    This has continued too, with the latest Eurobarometer survey – published last week – revealing that the number of Europeans who eat seafood at home at least once a month declined by six percentage points between spring 2021 and autumn 2024. There’s also a four-point decrease in the number of people who never eat fish (totalling 15%).

    But it isn’t environmental or ethical concerns that drive these behaviours – it’s the markup. More than half (55%) of Europeans are deterred by the high prices of seafood. Again, this leaves a gap that can be filled by fish-free seafood startups like Revo Foods and Oshi, which are less polluting, don’t contribute to declining fish stocks, and can offer a stable supply – as long as policymakers support them with the investment they need.

    The post The Cost of Climate Change: 6 Foods You Love Are About to Get More Expensive appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • The Cost of Climate Change: 6 Foods You Love Are About to Get More Expensive

    climate change food prices
    7 Mins Read

    Climate change is already disrupting food supplies across the world, causing shortages and raising prices for consumers – here are six staples under threat.

    For those who find it sexy, your morning mocha could be in trouble. Or if, like Elon Musk, you like to eat steak and eggs, but don’t have the wallet to match, your breakfast is also in jeopardy.

    People like Musk have been trying to disassociate climate change from the food system, despite the latter accounting for a third of all global emissions – in fact, one recent study suggests it’s the leading cause of global warming.

    You only have to look at the price of eggs, chocolate or coffee to know that food production adversely affects the planet, and climate change in turn is ravaging our food supply.

    As inflation continues to hit consumers, making affordability a bigger concern than even health for many, food prices are set to continue rising in the near term. And if we don’t address factory farming and climate-harming agriculture, things are going to get progressively worse.

    Here are six charts that illustrate as much.

    Eggs

    egg prices
    Consumer price index for eggs | Courtesy: Bureau of Labor Statistics

    Egg prices are at an all-time high in the US – consumer price index (CPI) data by the Department of Labor shows that the average retail Grade A eggs cost $4.95 per dozen in January 2025, surpassing the previous high recorded in January 2023. In fact, in some places, Americans are paying more than a dollar per egg.

    With bird flu leading to the culling of over 160 million birds, the Trump administration has pledged an additional $1B to stem the outbreak, on top of the $2B already spent. Despite that effort, the USDA predicts the cost of eggs to increase by another 41% in 2025, meaning eggs could cost as much as $7 per dozen based on the consumer price index.

    This has necessitated the need for alternatives like plant-based liquid or powdered formats, or precision-fermented egg proteins. Think the vegan sunny-side-ups from Yo Egg, the recombinant EggWhite protein from The Every Company, or the pourable mung bean egg from Eat Just, whose sales grew five times faster this January than last.

    Cocoa

    cocoa prices
    Courtesy: Sylvie Husson/Sabrina Blachard/AFP

    Chocolate is sweet on the tastebuds but bitter on the planet, thanks to the industry’s high emissions (linked to deforestation) and water use. Climate change itself has also hurt cocoa crops, with global cocoa stocks dropping to their lowest levels in a decade.

    Last year, human-caused climate change added six weeks of days above 32°C in over 70% of cacao-producing areas across Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Cameroon, and Nigeria.

    As a result, cocoa prices shot up by three- to fourfold in 2024, reaching all-time highs. In New York, cocoa futures reached an all-time high of $12,565 per tonne in mid-December, following weather-induced low supplies for the fourth successive season in West Africa, which produces the majority of the world’s cocoa.

    These hikes meant cocoa surpassed the growth of every other commodity in the value chain in 2024 – and prices are likely to stay high this year. Low supplies and skyrocketing costs have had an impact on the bottom lines of chocolate giants like Hershey’s too, whose profit forecast for 2025 is below analysts’ expectations.

    It’s a good time to look at alternative chocolate companies like Voyage Foods, Planet A Foods, Food Brewer, and Foreverland, which are futureproofing the industry with cocoa-free and cell-based versions.

    Coffee

    coffee prices
    Courtesy: MacroTrends

    Coffee wasn’t far behind cocoa in its price hikes last year, becoming the second-largest gainer last year. With 60% of coffee species endangered and the area suitable for cultivating arabica shrinking, this should come as no surprise.

    Extreme-weather-induced crop failures and shortages pushed up arabica prices by 80% last year, with wholesale prices reaching a nearly 50-year high. In February, coffee futures in New York hit an all-time high of $4.34 per pound – already this year, prices are up by 35%.

    The severe drought in Brazil – the largest coffee producer – in 2024 is a major factor behind this rise, and this year too, the upcoming harvest is set to be 4.4% smaller, according to food supply agency Confab.

    This is why several companies – from Atomo and Minus Coffee in the US to Prefer in Singapore – are making beanless coffee, positioned as a supplementary product to reduce the strain on conventional beans.

    Beef

    beef prices
    Consumer price index for beef | Courtesy: Bureau of Labor Statistics

    It is the most polluting food on the planet, and yet we eat too much of it. Governments across the world are advising citizens to eat less beef for the good of both the climate and their own health – but that argument can now be extended to their wallets too.

    The cost of beef, both in retail and wholesale, already broke records in 2024, and it’s coming close to breaching those highs again. CPI data in the US shows that sirloin steak prices reached $12.01 per lb in November, and were at $11.97 in January. Likewise, ground beef cost $5.55 per lb in January, down from $5.67 in September.

    According to the USDA, beef and veal prices rose by 5.5% in January compared to 12 months prior, and they’re expected to grow by another 3.2% in 2025. Prices of wholesale beef, meanwhile, jumped by 14.8%, and are set to rise by a further 4.6% this year.

    Beef is more expensive now because of historically low levels of cattle inventories in the US, as well as a temporary import ban on cattle from Mexico (due to concerns over parasites). While the debate over ultra-processed food continues to make headlines, it marks a key opportunity for alternative beef makers like Impossible Foods, Beyond Meat, Meati, Chunk Foods, and more.

    Dairy

    milk prices
    Courtesy: Federal Reserve Economic Data

    Dairy is another major food group that’s harmful to the planet and is being harmed itself by climate change. Prices of milk in the US reached a record-high of $4.22 per gallon in November 2022, and while they have decreased slightly since then, they were still at $4.05 in January this year, a 10% year-on-year increase.

    Lower production levels in the US (a result of the bird flu) and New Zealand – the largest milk exporter – have also caused a hike in the cost of dairy products like butter. In the EU, butter was 19% more expensive in October 2024 than 12 months prior. Similarly, in the UK, government data shows that the price for a 250g tub of butter was 18% higher this January than at the start of 2024.

    Back in the US, the Department of Agriculture predicts dairy prices to “remain nearly unchanged” this year, and noted that “rising prices for cheese and whey may have reflected falling stocks and increased global competition, as well as lower-than-expected milk production in the second half of [2024]”.

    Class III milk, which is used to make cheese in the US, is expected to become slightly more expensive in 2025, and cheese prices are forecast to increase by 1%. The cost of whey, meanwhile, is set to approach the record labels seen in 2022 after a 36% hike last year.

    It highlights the need for further investment and government support (via promotion and subsidies) for non-dairy milk producers, whether it’s companies like Oatly or Silk making oat, almond or soy milk, vegan cheese players like Violife and Stockeld Dreamery, or even whey proteins and products from fermentation startups like Perfect Day and Nature’s Fynd.

    Fish

    seafood prices
    Courtesy: EU Commission

    An industry marred by overfishing, microplastic pollution, and disease outbreaks, seafood hasn’t been spared by inflation either.

    In the UK, an order of fish and chips cost £9.88 in July 2024, a 58% increase from July 2019. In Norway, fresh fish is 42% costlier than it was five years ago too. And fresh seafood prices rose by 2.2% in the US this January, driven by a hike of 5.1% in shellfish.

    Meanwhile, Europeans are decreasing the amount of fish they put on their plates due to high prices. It’s perhaps best illustrated by data from the EU Commission: despite households spending 6% more on seafood in 2023, at-home fish consumption decreased in Europe that year, a trend it directly attributed to the “current economic and geopolitical climate”, and the ensuing inflation.

    This has continued too, with the latest Eurobarometer survey – published last week – revealing that the number of Europeans who eat seafood at home at least once a month declined by six percentage points between spring 2021 and autumn 2024. There’s also a four-point decrease in the number of people who never eat fish (totalling 15%).

    But it isn’t environmental or ethical concerns that drive these behaviours – it’s the markup. More than half (55%) of Europeans are deterred by the high prices of seafood. Again, this leaves a gap that can be filled by fish-free seafood startups like Revo Foods and Oshi, which are less polluting, don’t contribute to declining fish stocks, and can offer a stable supply – as long as policymakers support them with the investment they need.

    The post The Cost of Climate Change: 6 Foods You Love Are About to Get More Expensive appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • Most Restaurants Fail to Offer Diners Healthy Meat-Free Options, Finds Study

    vegan restaurants healthy
    4 Mins Read

    A large chunk of restaurants – particularly those that serve meat – don’t offer healthy plant-based meals, according to a new study.

    In places like the US, Europe and Australia, seeing a vegan-friendly dish on restaurant menus is increasingly common, as the foodservice industry works to adapt to widening dietary preferences.

    But many of these options may not be great for you, according to a new study by researchers at the University of Louisville and the University of Chicago.

    Over the course of three years, the authors visited over 560 restaurants with vegan offerings – a majority located in the US, followed by Australia, England, Germany, Italy and Spain – analysing plant-based entrées for healthfulness.

    They found that there are many unhealthy plant-based foods found on the menus of both omnivorous and meat-free restaurants. “There is minimal transparency in the disclosure of nutritional facts that would help health-conscious patrons distinguish between healthful and unhealthful plant-based items,” they wrote.

    Published in the Nutrients journal, the findings come at a time when health becomes the central focus for many plant-based brands, in response to consumer demand for products that better serve their wellbeing. For example, Beyond Meat revamped its plant-based beef recipe last year to cut saturated fat content by 60%, replacing coconut and canola oils with avocado oil.

    Meat-free restaurants tend to have healthier options for vegans

    vegan food unhealthy
    Courtesy: Nutrients

    The researchers analysed up to a maximum of 10 vegan mains on restaurant menus, with each scoring one point if they were free from what they classed as unhealthy ingredients.

    These included refined grains like white rice or refined flour, saturated fats such as palm oil or coconut cream, and deep-fried foods – each of which carried a negative point. Even products like meat analogues from Impossible Foods and Beyond Meat were classed as unhealthy, although the latter was no longer identified that way after its reformulation.

    “If an entrée with an unhealthy ingredient had a healthier option listed on the menu – e.g., brown rice instead of white rice, whole-grain bun vs white-flour bun, or steamed tofu vs fried tofu – the healthier option was credited to that entrée,” the study explained.

    There was an almost equal split of omnivore and meatless eateries, with the number of plant-based mains on offer similar in the US (6.6) and elsewhere (6.2). That said, the average number of healthful vegan entrées trended slightly higher stateside (3.4, versus 2.9 in other countries).

    Vegan or vegetarian restaurants had a slightly higher number of healthy plant-based dishes on offer, with 24% having a score of seven or above, versus just 13% for eateries that also serve meat.

    Meanwhile, 14% of meat-free establishments were found to have zero options without refined grains, saturated fat, or deep-fried components, rising to 26% of omnivore outlets.

    Refined grains represented the “largest source of unhealthfulness in entrées”, reducing the scores of dishes in 40% of omnivore eateries and 26% of meatless ones. Following that, meat-serving restaurants were more likely to be penalised for saturated fat (12%), and vegan/vegetarian establishments for deep-fried foods (28%).

    Restaurants have the responsibility to ‘promote health over profit’

    is vegan food healthy
    Courtesy: Nutrients

    “There is minimal transparency in the disclosure of nutritional facts that would help health-conscious patrons distinguish between healthful and unhealthful plant-based items. Since most restaurants do not provide detailed information on portion size, calories, sodium, total fat, saturated fat, total sugar, or added sugar content, even knowledgeable consumers may struggle to make informed choices,” the authors said.

    “Given the well-established relationship between unhealthful dietary patterns, chronic illness, and mortality – and the relative ease with which nutritional information could be provided – we propose that detailed nutrition facts be made publicly available for every restaurant.”

    The researchers advised restaurants to reevaluate the healthfulness of their entrées by using recipes and ingredients driven by dietary guidelines – more and more countries are recommending citizens eat plant-based whole foods and cut back on meat.

    “Restaurants have the power, if not the responsibility, to promote health and sustainability rather than profits at the high cost of chronic disease and premature mortality,” the study added.

    Consumers are increasingly looking for healthier food options as the battle against ultra-processed food rages on. In the US, nearly half of consumers are eating more plant-based foods because they feel they’re better for their health than meat and dairy.

    In Australia, too, two in five people are cutting back on meat, primarily out of health concerns. This is also the main driver for their consumption of plant-based alternatives, with 53% citing it.

    The post Most Restaurants Fail to Offer Diners Healthy Meat-Free Options, Finds Study appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • With Salmon Under Threat, Canada Pumps $5M into Plant-Based Seafood

    yves potvin
    4 Mins Read

    The Canadian government has pumped C$5M in funding for plant-based seafood startup Konscious Foods, amid rising threats to British Columbia’s salmon trade.

    Konscious Foods, the vegan seafood startup founded by Yves Potvin (of Gardein fame), has received a C$5M ($3.5M) injection from the Canadian government.

    The funding was announced by Rechie Valdez, the federal small business minister, via PacifiCan, the economic development agency dedicated to British Columbia. “Just like so many communities across Canada, Richmond is home to entrepreneurs who are developing the creative, sustainable products that the world demands,” she said.

    “PacifiCan’s support means that businesses such as Konscious Foods can continue to grow locally, creating quality jobs here at home, feeding our communities, and competing on the global stage.”

    It comes at a time when the province’s famous salmon industry is under pressure, with disease outbreaks wrecking the fish population in Canada’s largest wild salmon migration route. Last summer, the national government banned open-net farming to protect the species, though the law wouldn’t come into effect until almost the end of the decade.

    Konscious Foods looks to expand jobs and go global

    konscious foods
    Courtesy: Konscious Foods

    Based in Richmond, British Columbia, Konscious Foods was set up in 2021 by Potvin, 18 years after he founded plant-based meat leader Gardein. The company makes frozen vegan sushi, onigiri and poke bowls, using seafood analogues like plant-based tuna, salmon and snow crab.

    They’re available in the freezers at 4,500 supermarkets in Canada and the US, including Whole Foods Market, Sprouts Farmers Market, Target, and Albertsons-Safeway, among others. The products are adaptable to foodservice formats, including catering, micro-markets, vending, in-flight service, sushi bars and quick-service restaurants.

    The startup, which raised C$26M in a seed funding round in 2023, uses several ingredients grown and processed in Canada – including quinoa, tomatoes and carrots – with a focus on non-GMO and organic certifications where possible.

    With this financial support from the government, it will now look to scale up manufacturing and bring its products to global markets, in addition to creating new jobs.

    The funding was provided through PacifiCan’s Business Scale-up and Productivity programme, which makes strategic investments in key economic sectors to help companies accelerate their growth and expansion.

    As an agency, PacifiCan works with companies that are building innovative businesses, creating quality jobs, and supporting inclusive growth in British Columbia.

    “As an innovative startup, we disrupted the sushi world with the first great-tasting plant-based frozen sushi,” said Konscious Foods Canada president and COO Michael Watt. This investment has allowed us to grow quickly, win on a global stage and accelerate the next wave of innovation, including plant-based Smoked Salm’n, Sno’Crab Cakes and Shr’mp.”

    Public funding and plant proteins key to Canada’s food tech sector

    vegan sushi
    Courtesy: Konscious Foods

    From the government’s perspective, the investment in Konscious Foods will help create more than 40 jobs in British Columbia, generate demand for its Canadian suppliers while growing exports, and subsequently boost the local economy.

    It’s also aimed at building prosperity for British Columbians, who have been directly impacted by the decline in Pacific salmon populations due to climate change and disease outbreaks. The BC Salmon Farmers Association last year suggested that the ban on open-net farming could cost up to 6,000 jobs, hindering an industry that generates C$1.2B ($880M) for the province.

    First Nations and coastal populations rely on open net-pen aquaculture for their livelihoods, but the government released a draft transition plan to support these communities and identify opportunities in “clean aquaculture technology” months later.

    And there was a recognition that this move to restrict open-net farming was crucial. “This date will serve the longer-term needs of protecting wild Pacific salmon from the impacts of the open-net pen fish farm industry, and is a positive step in that regard,” said Bob Chamberlin, chairman of the First Nation Wild Salmon Alliance.

    This is not the first time the federal government has invested in an alternative seafood project. In November 2023, it contributed C$4.5M to a C$11.4M project involving vegan seafood maker New School Foods, precision fermentation startup Liven Proteins, and dehydration solutions provider NuWave Research to develop a whole-cut vegan wild salmon analogue.

    canada plant based protein
    Courtesy: Canadian Food Innovation Network

    This effort was led by Protein Industries Canada, a public-private partnership for alternative proteins and one of the country’s economic clusters. It has invested more than $105M into projects that promote sustainable protein production and innovation, encouraging collaboration across the value chain.

    In fact, unlike the US or the UK, public funding represents a much larger chunk of food tech funding in Canada (30%), and analysis shows that plant-based food accounts for 12% of all investments in the category, making it “central to the country’s broader food tech ecosystem”. The government’s faith in Konscious Foods is further proof of that.

    The post With Salmon Under Threat, Canada Pumps $5M into Plant-Based Seafood appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • Shark Tank Vegan Pet Food Startup Wild Earth Files for Bankruptcy, Founder Says ‘It’s Not the End’

    wild earth bankruptcy
    4 Mins Read

    Vegan pet food startup Wild Earth, which shot to fame after landing a Shark Tank deal with Mark Cuban, has filed for bankruptcy. But co-founder Ryan Bethencourt says it’s not the end of the brand’s story.

    Wild Earth, one of the leading plant-based pet food brands, has filed for Chapter 11 reorganisation bankruptcy in North Carolina.

    The company, which made national headlines after finding success on ABC’s Shark Tank in 2018, reported $2.4M in assets and $12.6M in liabilities in the court filing. The business will continue to operate, with the Chapter 11 filing allowing it to restructure its debt.

    “We just couldn’t find any venture investors,” co-founder and CEO Ryan Bethencourt told Triangle Business Journal, which first reported the news. He noted that Wild Earth couldn’t keep up with its venture debt despite months of negotiations, with its largest creditor, Espresso Capital, set to take over the business.

    Bethencourt, who owns 9.2% of the company, hopes to stay at the firm, which will become a “leaner, meaner” operation. “I don’t think this is the end of the Wild Earth story,” he said.

    Wild Earth CEO predicted challenges last year

    wild earth dog food
    Courtesy: Wild Earth

    A serial investor in the alternative protein ecosystem, Bethencourt established Wild Earth in 2017 after he “obsessed about pet food” and learnt about the industry’s environmental and health harms.

    A year later, he appeared on Shark Tank and convinced Cuban to invest in the startup. The Dallas Mavericks owner agreed to pay $550,000 for 10% of the company – and unlike many deals that fall through after airing on the TV, this one came good. (Cuban still owns about 0.5% of the business.)

    Its portfolio is dominated by dog food, treats and supplements, but it recently diversified into cat food too, launching a Unicorn Pate SKU in August. The company has dabbled with cultivated meat as well, working to develop a chicken broth topper for dogs – but it paused development efforts due to financial challenges, Bethencourt revealed in an interview with Green Queen last year.

    Plant-based meat had already seen sales and investment slump by then, which he called “brutal, but inevitable”. “I think one of the biggest challenges for all of us is competing with some of the planet’s largest companies in the food category,” he said at the time.

    “Most plant-based food companies are tiny in comparison to today’s food giants, but if we focus on making incredible products, with great customer benefits and very competitive prices, we can win.”

    He added: “People will want to buy tasty, healthier and cost-competitive products – we just have to push our industry harder to deliver on these, and that’s a hard challenge for us all,” he notes.

    Wild Earth has raised nearly $50M from investors since its inception, and at the time of the interview, had sold about $42M worth of pet food, according to Bethencourt. The company was targeting $15M in annual sales in 2024, though he stressed that the focus was on cost-efficient growth.

    What led Wild Earth to file for bankruptcy

    wild earth cat food
    Courtesy: Wild Earth

    According to the Chapter 11 filing, Wild Earth had made $10.7M in revenue in 2023, which dipped to just under $7.6M in 2024. So far this year, it has recorded $590,000 in sales. Moreover, Bethencourt had told Triangle Business Journal in 2024 that the company was profitable.

    Currently, it owes $259,000 to Animal Nutrition for a trial production of kibble, $319,000 to Barrett Petfood Innovation for inventory supplies, and $110,000 to entrepreneur Scot Wingo’s Triangle Tweener Fund. And the company’s largest venture investors are VegInvest Trust (a 25% share) and At One Ventures ($12.8%).

    The bankruptcy document suggests that the business’s supply chain was disrupted due to COVID-19, while sales have been down due to inflation (its products cost 20-30% more than conventional pet food). Wild Earth has also been looking to expand into big-box retailers and expand into 300 stores, for which it was planning a costly rebrand and packaging redesign.

    “Despite the debtor’s profitability, the debtor was unable to generate sufficient capital to address its outstanding secured debt,” the filing reads. “When it became clear that the Debtor would not be able to raise sufficient funds to address its outstanding obligations, while continuing to operate, the Debtor began seeking potential purchasers for its business.”

    Wild Earth’s struggles mirror the larger investment landscape in the industry, with plant-based startups receiving 64% less venture capital in 2024 than the year before. In the last 12 months, several companies have been forced to cease operations or declare bankruptcy before being rescued, including Akua, Sunfed Meats, Willicroft, Mycorena, and Allplants.

    The post Shark Tank Vegan Pet Food Startup Wild Earth Files for Bankruptcy, Founder Says ‘It’s Not the End’ appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • Plant-Based Struggles: Unilever, Nestlé & Monde Nissin Reassess Meat-Free Ambitions

    unilever the vegetarian butcher
    5 Mins Read

    Unilever’s struggle to sell The Vegetarian Butcher and Nestlé and Monde Nissin’s slowing meat alternative sales are bad news for the plant-based market.

    In the span of seven months, the CEOs of Nestlé, Monde Nissin, and Unilever have all left their roles amid weak sales, as the company’s boards look to accelerate strategy executions with fresh leadership.

    Each of these Big Food companies owns some of the largest plant-based meat brands in the world, which have been a talking point in their financial discourse. The bottom line is, it feels like they’re not getting what they want out of meat alternatives.

    Quorn, the mycoprotein pioneer that Monde Nissin acquired a decade ago, has been struggling for several years now, posting double-digit losses in the last quarter after sales hit a six-year-low the year before.

    Nestlé, which pulled its Garden Gourmet brand from the UK in two separate instances, has been forced to slim its meat-free offerings under the Sweet Earth brand.

    And Unilever, whose CEO Hein Schumacher is stepping down this weekend, is in a bind with The Vegetarian Butcher. The CPG giant has been looking to offload the vegan meat brand as part of its strategy to “prune” its vast portfolio, and is facing an uphill battle to find buyers at attractive prices.

    It paints a dim picture of the plant-based meat industry. Big Food hopped on the bandwagon in the late 2010s on the back of the explosive success of Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods, but now, it’s stuck in limbo with meat alternatives.

    Quorn sales shrink further as Nestlé withdraws alt-meat offerings

    quorn sales
    Courtesy: Quorn

    In September, company accounts showed that the pre-tax losses of Marlow Foods – the parent division of Quorn and Cauldron Foods – quadrupled in 2023, surpassing £60M. And while the business slashed its selling and distribution costs by nearly half, the soaring cost of goods caused its gross profit to plunge from £65M in 2022 to just £1.4M in 2023.

    Shortly after, Quorn CEO Marco Bertacca stepped down and was replaced by former Heineken UK managing director David Flochel, who called 2025 a “reset year” for the firm.

    However, according to Monde Nissin’s latest earnings report published on the Philippines Stock Exchange, Quorn’s losses kept widening in the latter half of 2024, from single-digit declines in Q3 to a decrease in the mid-teens in Q4, compared to the corresponding periods in 2023. The company said it “continues to operate in a challenging environment”, but in spite of the topline weakness, it expected to achieve positive EBITDA – revenue excluding all non-operational expenses – in Q4.

    Still, Monde Nissin noted that it may book £80-100M in impairment charges for Quorn – these are reductions in the recoverable value of an asset. “Although substantial, this figure is notably lower than last year’s impairment,” the company said. (It wrote down £145M in 2023 and £290M in 2022, and has pledged to make up the impairment value for Quorn every year until 2032).

    Quorn remains one of the best-selling meat-free brands in the world, though its financial turmoil in recent years is a marker of the troubles that befall plant-based companies today.

    It’s a problem illustrated by the world’s largest food company too. Nestlé CEO Laurent Freixe – who was appointed in August – has said that the business excessively focused on meat alternatives, subsequently finding that the market wasn’t as big as initially thought, according to Reuters.

    A Nestlé representative told the news agency that its Sweet Earth label now only sells bowls like General Tso’s tofu and bulgogi, having discontinued items like plant-based chicken strips and bacon.

    Can Unilever find the right price for The Vegetarian Butcher?

    the vegetarian butcher sale
    Courtesy: The Vegetarian Butcher

    Faltering sales have also decreased the value of industry-leading brands. You’d think the plant-based meat supplier to Burger King and Subway in multiple markets would be hot property for potential buyers, but Unilever is finding it hard to offload The Vegetarian Butcher at the price it wants.

    Sky News reported in November that Unilever had hired Piper Sandler to run an auction for the sale of the Dutch vegan business, with “a number of potential buyers” in talks for the deal. Unilever declined to comment on “market rumour or speculation” when approached by Green Queen.

    The move followed the consumer goods company’s decision to scale back a number of its key climate goals and focus on its “power brands”, which collectively represent over three-quarters of its turnover. It had already begun demerging its ice cream units in India and Indonesia, and is mulling a sale of its global ice cream division, which includes Ben & Jerry’s and Magnum.

    But Reuters reports that The Vegetarian Butcher – which Unilever bought in 2018 – only records around €50M in annual sales and is loss-making, according to analysts, who suggest that it may appeal to trade buyers like meat producers looking to diversify into plant-based alternatives.

    Unilever this week ousted Schumacher who said the board was keen to “step up the pace of our strategy execution and realise swift value creation underscored by a change in leadership”, installing CFO Fernando Fernandez as the new chief executive.

    Big Food losing faith as UPF discourse heats up

    rfk food policy
    Courtesy: Ben Curtis/AP

    These are the latest signs of uncertainty for plant-based companies, whose sales and valuations have been hurt by the ultra-processed food (UPF) debate. Consumers have been moving towards fresher, more ‘natural’ foods, leaving processed meat analogue makers like Quorn and The Vegetarian Butcher scrambling.

    These sentiments have been heightened by new US health secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr’s anti-UPF rhetoric, and sustained misinformation campaigns led by meat lobby groups.

    All this has led several commentators to mourn an apparent demise of the industry, which they ascribe to an “anti-vegan backlash”. But for all the criticism, while retail sales of meat alternatives have continued to decline in the US, they grew by 3% between 2022 and 2023 in Europe’s largest markets.

    For the world’s biggest food companies, plant-based meat still remains an impediment to their aggressive growth strategies, and that’s a problem for the alternative protein sector.

    Could a sales turnaround for Quorn and a successful exit for The Vegetarian Butcher convince investors and businesses otherwise?

    The post Plant-Based Struggles: Unilever, Nestlé & Monde Nissin Reassess Meat-Free Ambitions appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • 5 Minutes with A Future Food VC: PeakBridge’s Nadav Berger

    nadav berger
    5 Mins Read

    In our new interview series, we quiz future food investors about the solutions that excite them the most, their favourite climate-forward restaurant, and what they look for in successful founders.

    Nadav Berger is a Founding General Partner at PeakBridge.

    What future food technologies most excite you?

    AI applications in food tech, but not just for the reasons you might expect. The food industry has relatively low gross margins – it’s not even in the ballpark of software, pharma and biotech. Artificial intelligence applied right has potential to make all the highly complex (and sometimes archaic) processes in the food system far more efficient and accurate.

    That means a huge potential change, from a better topline, to better processes across the value chain to more precisely-tailored products. And bigger margins mean more money to put into innovation. Into food tech. Right now, that’s a hurdle. 

    Solid-state fermentation is another technology I’m excited about, already being used by MFL for example to create thousands of taste and aroma molecules from real food ingredients. SST requires less capex and production is more efficient, but does deal with complex ingredients so you need the knowhow to master the composition. 

    What are three future food verticals you are actively looking at for 2025?

    I’m excited about health & nutrition, specifically the intersection of health tech and food tech. That includes several directions, like AI for fully personalized nutrition and natural GLP-1 inducers. I’m also always looking at companies that address food security, because that’s a massive issue that nations around the world are grappling with and will only become more urgent – climate change, population growth, geopolitical tension and more are all at play. Scalable agri-food technologies are absolutely key in addressing that. 

    What do you consider the food tech sector’s greatest achievement in the past five years?

    It might surprise you, but I’d say alternative proteins – no question. The alt-protein market was around $8B in 2016, and worth around $80B seven years later. And I think it’s not just here to stay, but will always grow, because there’s simply not enough water and land to sustain the animals we raise for our food. That’s without mentioning the ongoing shift in consumer preferences around health and our food.

    Think about just alternative dairy; plant-based milk is a $17B market that’s growing, and add to that fermentation and now cell-based technologies to replace real milk proteins. It’s not about if a particular company fails or succeeds. It’s about the greater shift in tech that’s undeniable, and critical given the reality we face. 

    If you could wave a magic wand, how would you fix plant-based meat?

    Easy. I’d make it 20% cheaper than real meat. If it’s a really magic wand? 40% cheaper. Texture and flavour are the other keys, but that’s already well on its way. The technology is there. 

    What’s the top trait you look for in a founder?

    I’d say the ability to raise money, because you simply can’t survive without it. What’s behind a founder who’s great at fundraising? At the core, it comes from selling something they wholeheartedly believe in, and are deeply invested in themselves. 

    The One That Got Away: What is the deal you wish you had gotten into, but didn’t?

    InKind, an Austin-based company doing financing solutions for restaurants. Restaurants are ultimately small, risky businesses that struggle for backing – banks aren’t interested in that risk. They have an interesting model with a lot of potential. 

    What do you consider your most successful future food investment so far?

    Since you’re limiting me to one here, I’d say BE WTR. It’s a company with an exceptional, mission-driven founder (and two-time unicorn builder); a worthy mission of taking plastic bottles out of the equation along with global shipping of water; a killer application, IP, and beautiful design; JVs and partnerships all over the world, and a deep understanding of what the customer is looking for. PeakBridge was their first investor. 

    What has been your most disappointing investment so far?

    Prenexus Health, the only company in our portfolio that’s had to file for bankruptcy. They had a great team, great tech, and strong backers, but we failed to understand the magnitude of scale-up costs, especially capex. But of course, there’s a lesson in everything, and that one was valuable. We’ve since been far more cautious with capex-intensive investments because at the end of the day, you need to scale. 

    What do people misunderstand/get wrong most about VC?

    Founders often don’t understand a VC’s agenda and thinking: that there are specific multiples that need to be achieved, according to a specific timeline. Founders need to do due diligence on their investors just as much as investors do on them. 

    What is the most ‘future food’ thing you have eaten this month?

    I got a chance to taste Forsea’s unagi, or cultivated eel, for the second time – and it did not disappoint. The taste of real (endangered) eel that you find in Japan is something chefs are really looking for, and they’ve done it. Incredible taste, a breakthrough technology behind it and soon at price parity. 

    Where is your favourite climate-forward restaurant/dish/place to eat anywhere in the world?

    The first that comes to mind is one of my favourite spots in general, Au Père Lapin just outside Paris. Au Père Lapin was one of the first restaurants to fully integrate Mediterranean Food Lab’s SHO stocks in all kinds of dishes – meat, fish, vegetables. Their stocks are super flavorful, those kinds of meaty flavours that stick with you – but are plant-based and made from real food without all the junk. 

    What’s your ‘why’? What motivates you to do what you do?

    Where do I begin? Think about where we gather with the people we love most: around the table. Food is a fundamental language, and also one that’s brought me to meet the most inspiring people to whom I’ve become closest to.

    On a broader level, the food industry is the only one in the world that touches literally everyone on the planet, in one way or another. And there’s so much to improve. All of that combined gives me (so far!) endless energy to do what I do.

    The post 5 Minutes with A Future Food VC: PeakBridge’s Nadav Berger appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • Beyond Meat to Suspend China Operations, Cut 9% of Its Workforce As Q4 Earnings Improve

    beyond meat earnings
    7 Mins Read

    Beyond Meat is making cutbacks and suspending its China business after revenues jumped in Q4, with the plant-based leader taking aim at regenerative agriculture.

    Californian plant-based pioneer Beyond Meat will lay off 9% of its global workforce, including most of its China employees and “changes to the executive leadership team”, after increasing revenues and narrowing losses in Q4 2024.

    The company will reduce its North American and EU headcount by 44, in addition to making 20 employees redundant in China, where it will suspend operations by mid-2025. The move is part of its strategy to reduce operating costs, and one that “is not done lightly”, according to CEO Ethan Brown.

    It comes after the firm posted $76.7M in revenues in Q4, a 4% hike from the corresponding period in 2023 – it was Beyond Meat’s second consecutive quarter of year-on-year revenue growth, following two years of declines. It simultaneously cut losses by 71% in the final quarter of 2024, reaching $45M.

    For the full year of 2024, too, net losses shrunk to $160M, a 52% improvement from the year before. And while overall revenues were down by 4.9% at $326.5M, “the rate of decline slowed substantially versus the previous two years”, noted Brown. Moreover, the Beyond Burger maker recorded a gross profit of $41.7M, versus a loss of $82.7M a year prior, thanks to a major reduction in selling costs.

    beyond meat revenue
    Graphic by Green Queen

    This year, Beyond Meat predicts its revenues for Q1 to be comparable to the corresponding period last year, and expects full-year sales between $320M and $335M.

    The business has outlined four priorities for 2025: delivering comparable annual top-line revenues, improving gross margin to 20% (versus 13% last year), further reducing operating expenses over the next two years, and improving liquidity and optimising its capital structure to strengthen its balance sheet.

    “[We] remain highly confident in our ability to lead the category through what has been a challenging correction born in manufactured ambiguity, and believe unequivocally in the inevitable and central role that plant-based meat will play in our global future,” Brown told investors in an earnings call.

    Price hikes and international foodservice deliver wins

    beyond meat wendy's
    Courtesy: Lika Shalikashvili/LinkedIn

    Beyond Meat’s improvement in performance was driven by growth in the US retail and international foodservice channels. The company saw an increase in net revenue per pound due to lower discounts and price hikes on certain products, though its volumes were down due to ” weak category demand” in the US and “lower sales of ground beef and chicken products” in global supermarkets.

    In its home country, retail sales were up by 5.7%, representing its biggest channel. Foodservice revenues decreased by 2%, meanwhile, largely due to “lower burger sales to a large QSR customer”.

    Internationally, revenues in the retail channel trimmed slightly by 1.7%, while climbing by 9% in foodservice, thanks to an increase in sales of Beyond Chicken to a large QSR chain.

    Brown was optimistic about Beyond Meat’s fortunes in France, where it introduced Veggie McPlant Nuggets at over 1,500 McDonald’s locations. “Moreover, in France, beginning this month, we launched Beyond Steak in retail,” he said.

    Other areas of international expansion came via the debut of its Smash Burger at Tesco and the rollout of its steak at Mexican-inspired chain Tortilla in the UK, alongside the introduction of the Plant Burger at Wendy’s in Georgia.

    Misinformation won’t deter Beyond Meat’s health push

    plant based meat health
    Courtesy: Beyond Meat/Green Queen

    Asked what a Beyond Meat customer looks like today, Brown said the company is “getting much more focused on the health-oriented consumer”, reflecting its renewed nutrition focus in product development and marketing. “It is extraordinarily important to me that this product furthers human health,” the CEO said.

    He highlighted the numerous “puts and takes” about where the plant-based category is headed – particularly with the ultra-processed foods debate, which has magnified since the appointment of Robert F Kennedy Jr as health secretary – though he underlined that consumer interest in Beyond Meat remains “extremely high”.

    “There’s also a very strong countercurrent, which is this narrative around being highly processed and full of questionable ingredients, which is a manufactured narrative,” said Brown. “It’s not one that actually has science behind it or much truth to it.”

    He added: “But it is a very powerful incumbent industry campaign that’s gotten picked up by certain punnets and what we call the carnivores on Instagram and podcasts that are misinformed. And so our consumer is increasingly […] more educated, someone who can see through that noise, and they are the ones that are carrying us back to growth.”

    While misinformation and misdirection “do a serious disservice” to consumers looking to make positive changes, Brown is resolute that Beyond Meat would stay its course and ultimately prevail.

    “I’m very confident over time that percentage will continue to increase where […] Beyond Meat makes sense,” he said. “I can have a burger and I can have 75% less saturated fat. I can have fat from avocado oil versus stuff that’s going to fill my arteries and require me to have my chest opened up when I’m 60 years old.

    “I mean, knock yourself out if that’s the outcome you want, but if you want a different outcome, come over to Beyond Meat and have a burger that tastes great and has a clean source of oil… Again, if you don’t want that, don’t have it. But if you’re concerned about your health and want to have a great dinner, go ahead and get Beyond Steak and have it. I mean, it just makes sense.”

    beyond steak
    Courtesy: Beyond Meat

    Beyond Meat CEO slams ‘regenerative beef’

    The cost of plant-based meat has become increasingly important over the last couple of years, even surpassing taste or health for some consumers. In the US, meat alternatives have a 77% price premium over conventional meat, with the smallest gap seen in beef (20%).

    Beyond Meat itself raised prices with its new Beyond IV lineup of products last year. Brown pinpointed volume as the major factor behind the difference in costs. While the company did reach price parity for a product line “with a particular customer in a particular market”, it’s focusing on providing “very clean, very simple, very healthy ingredients to the consumer”, according to Brown.

    “There are other products that lend themselves more to reaching [price parity] and primarily in the food service category,” he said. “So it does remain a goal, maybe it’s a little more differentiated and sector-specific than it was at the onset.”

    Expanding on the cost question, Brown noted that animal agriculture is facing some existential threats: “If you look at the beef prices today, they’re starting to rise. What’s that about?” US consumer price index data shows that beef was 13% more expensive in January than it was two years ago. “In part, that’s about drought,” he said. “So that’s not something that a government or industry can solve.”

    Speaking of the government, RFK Jr has been a major proponent of regenerative farming, which can have several benefits for soil and nature. However, the Beyond Meat CEO pointed to Big Beef’s misuse of the term, which climate activists have outlined as a greenwashing tactic.

    “All of this posturing around: ‘We’re going to do regenerative agriculture.’ Any serious scientists around regenerative beef will tell you that’s just a non-starter. Sure, you can have some beef out on the pasture, but you have to have far, far less,” said Brown. “So that’s not going to serve to provide a global protein solution.”

    beyond meat lawsuit
    Courtesy: Beyond Meat

    Would Beyond Meat embrace cultivated fats?

    During the call, Brown addressed a question about whether Beyond Meat would consider ‘hybrid’ or ‘blended’ proteins, mixing its plant-based meat with cultivated fats. “We certainly look at everything. We’re agnostic to technology. It’s really about the outcome,” Brown said.

    “But I think the trend is actually in the opposite direction. How simple can we make these products? How much can we assure the consumer that the noise they’re hearing about being processed is an incumbent industry trying to protect itself?”

    He continued: “We’re coming out of the trough where we’re starting to go up what they call the slope of enlightenment in innovation literature. And what will bring the consumer back is a fundamental understanding that this is a very simple and clean product, tastes great, and it’s really good for you. And the more and more consumers understand that, the more you see the market come back.”

    The post Beyond Meat to Suspend China Operations, Cut 9% of Its Workforce As Q4 Earnings Improve appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • Rewe Group Unveils Plant Protein Strategy, Calls for Policy Reform

    rewe group protein split
    5 Mins Read

    German retailer Rewe Group has developed a protein strategy to increase its share of plant-based sales and has called for a shift in policies to encourage investment in the sector.

    While investors and Big Food are turning their backs on plant-based food, Europe’s retailers are leading the charge towards the protein transition.

    Rewe Group, whose stores include Rewe, Penny and Billa, has become the latest supermarket company to announce a protein strategy in favour of plants.

    While details of the plan are still under wraps, the group’s public affairs director, Emilie Bourgoin wrote on social media: “As one of the retail companies in Europe with an ambitious climate goal, we have committed ourselves to a holistic protein strategy.”

    She added: “One thing is certain: our food production must become more climate- and resource-friendly. At Rewe Group, we align ourselves with the Planetary Health Diet, a scientifically backed nutrition plan. And we have developed an ambitious protein strategy.”

    Bourgoin stressed the need for a change in Germany’s “political framework” to support greater investment in alternative proteins, the same week the country elected a new conservative government, with the far-right making major gains.

    European retailers go nuts for plants

    plant based supermarkets
    Courtesy: Madre Brava

    Climate activists have been pushing for Europe’s retailers to more fully embrace plant proteins. In Germany, the continent’s largest market for plant-based food, the national dietary guidelines advocate a diet where 75% of food intake comes from plants and meat consumption is halved.

    Research by climate advocacy group Madre Brava and consultancy firm Quantis revealed that the best way for German retailers to meet their climate targets without breaking the bank is to replace 30% of their meat and dairy offerings with plant-based alternatives.

    The study focused on the Big Four supermarket groups in Germany: Edeka, Rewe, Lidl, and Aldi. Discount grocer Lidl has been spearheading the shift, having announced a ‘protein split’ target in several markets, before committing to increase the share of plant-based sales by 20% in all 31 countries it operates in.

    Dutch retailer Ahold Delhaize followed up with its own goal to achieve 50% of its protein sales from plant-based foods across Europe by 2030. Now, Rewe Group – which has over 3,800 stores in Germany – has indicated that it’s joining that list.

    To help more retailers make the shift, the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) recently released a methodology to measure plant-based sales and increase their impact on the bottom line, suggesting that 74% of supermarket sales should come from plants.

    Rewe Group extends vegan leadership

    rewe voll pflanzlich
    Courtesy: Christoph Grosse/Pivopex

    Rewe Group was the first German supermarket to pledge a reduction in its Scope 3 forest, land use and agriculture (FLAG) emissions, and aims to reach net zero by 2050. It has also committed to cutting food waste in half by the end of the decade.

    When it comes to vegan products, it’s already a leader. In its 2023 sustainability report, it acknowledged that plant-based private-label offerings “save emissions during production” when compared to “similar animal products”.

    Between its own labels and third-party brands, Rewe Group offers over 1,900 vegan products in Germany and was recognised as the ‘vegan-friendliest store’ by the Albert Schweitzer Foundation. It has opened the country’s first fully plant-based grocery store in Berlin, which stocks over 2,700 products and is serving as a testbed for future vegan stores.

    “This is a hugely significant move from Rewe. As Germany’s second-biggest food retailer with branches across Europe, the company has the potential to help shape food systems,” Florian Wall, Madre Brava’s senior associate for Germany, said of the new plant protein strategy.

    “We can see real competition building here, as companies vie to offer healthier food to their customers while reducing their climate emissions. With Rewe and Lidl both pushing on this, it is clear rebalancing protein offerings is not limited to a niche market. With their actions, it is becoming mainstream. We’re eager to see how the likes of Aldi and Edeka react to this news.”

    Policymakers need to step up

    rewe group protein strategy
    Courtesy: Rewe Group

    Rewe Group’s investment into animal-free food comes at a time when venture capitalists are turning their back on it – plant-based startups received 64% less funding in 2024 than the year before. Meanwhile, giants like Unilever and Nestlé are looking to sell off their plant protein businesses and withdrawing meat alternatives from shelves.

    It’s why Bourgoin is calling for a policy transformation for alternative proteins. She believes the WWF’s methodology should be established as an industry standard – Rewe Group will evaluate its own product range and set clear targets based on those results.

    In addition, she advocated for a standardised labelling strategy to guide consumers (think the V-Label), and support for new product and tech innovations to strengthen the food tech ecosystem.

    “Our goal is a conscious and resilient food system, with strong local agriculture at its core. We will support bold businesses that embrace diversification by increasing the use of regionally and domestically sourced ingredients for our plant-based private-label products,” Bourgoin said.

    This requires support from the German Food and Agriculture Ministry’s protein strategy, which can help open up new sales channels. “Policymakers should create the right conditions to encourage private investment in alternative proteins,” she stressed. “This includes providing additional research funding, supporting startups, simplifying and accelerating approval processes for novel foods, and establishing clear, science-based regulations with minimal bureaucracy.”

    Bourgoin said the playing field for plant-based and other innovative proteins should be levelled to give consumers “genuine freedom of choice”. For example, milk alternatives should have the same reduced VAT rates as dairy – currently, the former carry a 19% levy, compared to just 7% for the latter.

    “A comprehensive food transition is only possible if all stakeholders – industry, retailers and policymakers – work together,” added Bourgoin. “Sustainable and diversified protein production and consumption in the EU require more collaboration, not polarisation.”

    The post Rewe Group Unveils Plant Protein Strategy, Calls for Policy Reform appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • Explainer: Why Climate Change Experts Are Asking the UK Govt to Replace Meat with Plant-Based Alternatives

    uk climate change committee meat
    8 Mins Read

    Brits need to drastically reduce their meat and dairy consumption to help the country meet its climate goals, and experts say plant-based and alternative proteins are the key to this shift.

    Sunday roasts will need a major makeover if the UK is to make good on its environmental promises, according to its Climate Change Committee (CCC).

    As part of a Balanced Pathway in its seventh carbon budget, climate experts have urged the UK government to introduce measures that encourage Brits to cut back on meat and dairy, and pointed to plant-based alternatives as a critical lever for this shift.

    The emissions reduction roadmap, which would begin this year and bring the UK in line with its net-zero target for 2050, suggests that meat intake in the UK needs to fall by 35% by mid-century, with a steeper 40% decline in red meat consumption “to reflect the higher carbon intensity of ruminant livestock”, from a 2019 baseline.

    Average dairy consumption, meanwhile, must come down by 20% in the next 10 years, a level that would need to be maintained through to 2050.

    The CCC’s pathway sees meat products mainly being replaced by existing alternative proteins, some plant-based whole foods, and in time, novel foods made via precision fermentation or cell cultivation.

    “We are absolutely not saying everyone needs to be vegan,” Emily Nurse, head of net zero at the Climate Change Committee, told the Guardian. “But we do expect to see a shift in dietary habits.”

    At a time when alternative proteins are seeing sales and investment drop amid a backlash against ultra-processed foods, the latest climate advice to the UK government is a ringing endorsement of these foods and their potential to safeguard the planet’s future.

    Why is the Climate Change Committee calling for meat reduction?

    is kier starmer vegetarian
    UK Prime Minister Kier Starmer, a pescetarian, and his vegetarian wife Victoria | Courtesy: Number 10/Flickr/CC

    Animal agriculture is a highly resource-intensive industry, taking up a lot more land and water than plant-based foods, and generating far higher emissions.

    A landmark UK study in 2023 found that plant-based diets can reduce land use, water pollution, and greenhouse gas emissions by 75% compared to diets rich in meat.

    Ruminant livestock particularly emits high amounts of methane, a gas 28 times more potent than carbon dioxide over a 100-year period. The CCC’s pathway would see the UK achieve net-zero methane emissions by 2045, falling steeply in the late 2020s and early 2030s mainly due to on-farm measures and shifts away from red meat and dairy.

    Around half of the country’s methane emissions come from agriculture, but reductions from other sectors would occur more quickly, underscoring the need for a rapid shift away from meat and dairy.

    The health implications of meat and alternative proteins

    this isn't chicken
    Courtesy: THIS

    This goes beyond just climate impacts. The CCC notes that many of its measures can deliver health benefits while improving the climate resilience of agriculture. The pathway’s suggested substitution relies more heavily on alternative proteins than legumes or pulses, but these can reduce the risk of death from colon and rectum cancer, ischaemic heart disease, and type 2 diabetes.

    The recommended alternative proteins can have estimated health impacts with a net benefit of £900M in 2040. While the biggest benefits come from swapping meat for plant-based whole foods, this will “only happen some of the time”.

    Replacing processed meats with processed plant-based alternatives still delivers health and nutritional gains. And while the effect of precision-fermented or cultivated proteins will “depend on their overall ingredients and processing methods”, the CCC says they’re associated with “potential positive nutrition and health impacts”.

    Importantly, it states that reducing meat consumption will only make your health worse if your diet is unbalanced, or if it isn’t substituted with alternatives at all, allaying concerns that cutting back on animal protein can be detrimental.

    It’s also a vote of confidence for plant-based meat products, which have been criticised for being ultra-processed, despite the term being unrelated to the nutritional value of a product.

    “Changes to diets are expected to have minimal impacts on household food costs in the short term and lead to slight reductions in food costs in the longer term as alternative proteins develop that are cheaper to buy than meat and dairy,” the report notes.

    What do British citizens think?

    uk lab grown meat
    Courtesy: Ivy Farm Technologies

    The CCC convened a citizens’ panel to explore what an accessible and affordable vision of net zero would look like for households.

    Overall, Brits accepted the need for dietary change, though what was considered possible or acceptable varied from person to person. They were surprised about the emissions impact of certain foods, and conceded that government-backed awareness schemes would be key to supporting a shift to plant proteins.

    There was a clear preference for a shift towards healthier, home-cooked options, with greater education around plant-based meal preparation as another measure to help the transition.

    Some of the members tried plant-based meat for the very first time as a result of the panel, and there was a consensus that there needs to be a variety of meat and dairy alternatives available. Some were uneasy about precision-fermented proteins and cultivated meat, but thought the government could still support these to ensure a larger range of products.

    One of their biggest concerns was about a potentially negative impact on farmers. But they were surprised to learn about the share of subsidies directed to livestock farmers, and wanted to see public spending going to plant-based producers too, which would lower end costs. Separate research has found British farmers to be receptive to cultivated meat.

    “Livestock farmers face some reduced demand for their products, while some farmers have new opportunities in land stewardship,” the report says, but adds that the replacement of meat and dairy with alternative proteins, fruits and vegetables “could support new jobs and industrial opportunities”.

    Brits were also open to replacing a small amount of meat in pre-prepared meals with other ingredients, like plant-based whole foods or alternative proteins, but expressed concerns about the impact on taste and the wallet.

    UK government must make alternative proteins more affordable

    lab grown meat pet food
    Courtesy: Meatly

    The climate change experts emphasised the need for lowering the cost of animal-free proteins, which would encourage more consumers to buy them, and help the country slash its emissions.

    “Reducing the costs of plant-based alternatives to meat that are comparable in taste, texture, and preparation method could enable more people to choose these options for some of their meals,” the CCC says. “There is potential for innovation to make some low-carbon alternatives (for example, alternative proteins) more substitutable for high-carbon choices and to bring down prices.”

    Other promising policy levers include increasing the choice and availability of low-carbon foods in public procurement settings, restaurants, and supermarkets, and supporting innovations in novel foods to improve taste and texture.

    The UK government has invested £75M towards the development of sustainable proteins, and has been overhauling its regulatory framework to allow novel food companies to get to market faster. And earlier this month, it became the first European country where people could buy cultivated meat on supermarket shelves, with Meatly and The Pack co-launching cell-cultured dog treats at Pets At Home.

    Sales of meat fell by 10% between 2020 and 2022 in the UK, representing a faster rate of decline than even what’s outlined in the CCC’s Balanced Pathway. “It is too early to tell whether this steeper-than-projected trend will continue in the long term or is a temporary response to the cost-of-living crisis, which saw an 11% decrease in overall food purchases by weight between 2020 and 2022,” the report reads.

    Carbon budget advisors hail CCC’s recommendations

    uk alternative protein
    Courtesy: Hoxton Farms

    Experts from the Food and Trade Advisory Group (FTAG), an independent advisor for the seventh carbon budget, echoed the CCC’s calls for alternative-protein-led dietary transition.

    They called on the government to invest in technical innovation and scale up the supply of alternative proteins, which could disrupt the food system in two ways. “Plant and precision-fermentation derived products that displace dairy and processed meat, and cellular meat that displaces complex cuts. The former is much more likely to be cheap and displace the volume end of the market,” they wrote.

    The food advisory group further urged policymakers to raise the prices of meat and dairy while simultaneously lowering the costs of plant-based alternatives. This can be done through carbon taxes – as Denmark has shown – which can regulate higher agriculture standards to achieve climate goals.

    “For this not to adversely affect farmer livelihoods, it implies a more regulated import policy… or an overtly protectionist trade policy. In the absence of the trade barriers and acceptance of higher costs, raising domestic standards may simply mean citizens switch to cheaper imported goods, farmer livelihoods are affected, with the political costs associated,” the FTAG added.

    The Vegan Society welcomed the CCC’s report. “The more meat and dairy we cut, the greater the benefits are, and these recommendations can and should go further,” a spokesperson for the charity said. “Dietary change is a win-win solution that improves people’s health and offers the opportunity for billions of pounds of savings to the NHS, as well as cutting emissions and protecting nature.”

    They added: “As it prepares to develop a new food strategy, this government has the opportunity to implement practical policies which encourage dietary change.”

    The FTAG acknowledged that food is highly political – and for every potential intervention, there will be winners and losers: “Ultimately, though, without tackling climate change, everyone becomes a loser.”

    The post Explainer: Why Climate Change Experts Are Asking the UK Govt to Replace Meat with Plant-Based Alternatives appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • Future Food Quick Bites: Vegan Magnum, Airline Ramen & Dairy-Free Popcorn

    magnum vegan
    5 Mins Read

    Our weekly column rounds up the latest sustainable food innovation news. This week, Future Food Quick Bites covers Magnum’s revamped vegan recipe, Heura’s new Tex-Mex Chunks, and a cultivated seafood tasting in Japan.

    New products and launches

    Unilever has changed the recipe for its vegan Magnum ice cream range, replacing pea protein with soy. It has also refreshed its packaging to a more premium design, after sales of the dairy-free ice creams grew by more than 75% in the UK last year.

    vegan magnum
    Courtesy: Magnum

    Shortly after raising $4M from investors, California’s PlantBaby has gained a listing at Sprouts Farmers Market for Kiki Milk, its kid-friendly plant-based milk line. The 32oz packs are now available at all 440 locations nationwide for $6.99.

    Also in the US, Nepra Foods has developed a proprietary hemp protein initially targeted for the egg-free baking sector, with early production already underway. The technology, set to be patented, is shared with an unnamed industry expert.

    San Antonio-based Good Eat’n, owned by NBA star Chris Paul, has launched Dairy Free White Cheddar Popcorn. After debuting at Expo West in March, it will be available on its website and GoPuff for $4.99 per 4.40oz bag and $1.99 for 1oz bag.

    heura tex mex chunks
    Courtesy: Heura

    Spanish plant-based meat leader Heura has added a Tex-Mex flavour to its chicken chunks, which contain 27% of the daily recommended intake of protein.

    British meat-free brand Cock & Bull has secured a listing with wholesaler Cotswold Fayre, with six of its products – from a Traditional Porky Pie to a Saus-ish Roll – sold unbaked and frozen, alongside a packaged range for retail.

    Dutch retailer Jumbo has rolled out a range of dairy-free yoghurts made from whole soybeans, which help retain a greater amount of protein and fibre. Produced by De Nieuwe Melkboer, they’re marketed under the supermarket’s Direct van de Boerderij label, and come in natural, vanilla, and first fruit flavours.

    all nippon airways vegan
    Courtesy: All Nippon Airways

    Japan’s largest airline, All Nippon Airways, has introduced two vegan ANA Original Ramen options for First and Business Class flyers on international routes. Flights departing from Japan will serve the Negi Miso Ramen, and those coming from overseas will feature the Tonkotsu Style Ramen.

    Company and finance updates

    French firm SeaWeed Concept has received €2M from investors to develop its lacto-fermentation process, which would be able to produce 5,000 tonnes of algae per year.

    Scottish biotech startup uFraction8 has raised £3.4M in a financing round for its microfiltration technology, which optimises cell and biomass production and provides an energy-efficient alternative to conventional manufacturing methods for bio-based food products.

    Israeli startup Forsea Foods hosted a tasting for its cultivated unagi in Japan, the world’s largest market for freshwater eel, with support from the Israeli embassy in Japan and the Israel Export Institute.

    Fellow cultivated meat producer Simple Planet – based in South Korea – has successfully developed a serum-free culture medium that can potentially reduce costs by 99.8%. It is also working with the Halal Science Center at Thailand’s Chulalongkorn University to achieve halal certification for its cultured meat products.

    Germany’s Esencia Foods, which makes whole-cut seafood analogues from mycelium, has received €2M in funding as part of the European Innovation Council’s blended finance scheme. It comes months after it won a €50,000 grant at EIT Food’s Next Bite event.

    impossible burger eu
    Courtesy: Impossible Foods

    Plant-based meat giant Impossible Foods has appointed Meredith Madden as its new chief demand officer. She previously worked at Chobani with current Impossible Foods CEO Peter McGuinness.

    Its chief rival Beyond Meat is looking to borrow up to $250M from private credit lenders to shore up liquidity and tackle some of its $1.15B of convertable bonds due in 2027. It is the firm’s second such attempt in 12 months.

    Finnish gas protein pioneer Solar Foods has begun pre-engineering work on its Factory 02, which is set to be operational by 2028. Along with the Factory 01 opened last year, it will produce Solein protein on a commercial scale.

    i am nut ok
    Courtesy: I Am Nut OK

    British artisanal vegan cheesemaker I Am Nut OK has experienced a 24% hike in year-on-year sales in 2024, with a 39% uptick in January 2025 thanks to Veganuary.

    Plant-based ingredients supplier Nutraland USA has joined the National Animal Supplement Council as a Preferred Supplier, which recognises its dedication to ingredient quality, safety and efficacy for pet food.

    After being selected in Nestlé’s Unleashed by Purina 2025 accelerator programme, Singaporean firm Umami Bioworks has introduced a cultivated seafood protein platform to tackle supply chain instability, nutrition and sustainability challenges in the pet food sector.

    oatly fashion week
    Courtesy: Iggy Diez/LinkedIn

    Swedish oat milk giant Oatly has collaborated with Madrid’s East Crema Coffee to set up a coffee bar at the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Madrid (February 20-23).

    Policy and research developments

    Austrian precision fermentation startup Fermify has submitted a regulatory dossier for its animal-free casein to the Singapore Food Agency. It comes months after it earned self-determined GRAS status in the US.

    fermify casein
    Courtesy: Fermify

    In Europe, the number of alternative protein patents has surged by 960% since 2015, surpassing 5,300 in total. In 2024 alone, 1,200 patents were published, according to analysis by the Good Food Institute Europe.

    British food producer Ark34‘s Tater Cheezz Nuggetz, made from Dutch supplier Aviko Rixona‘s potato-based cheese alternative, has won the Best Frozen Product award at Gulfood 2025.

    Meat-free diets are among the most affordable in the US, with the average vegan shopper saving $34.24 per month on groceries, according to research by CouponBirds.

    plant based diet expensive
    Courtesy: CouponBirds

    Scientists in Israel have developed a way to use aloe vera as a natural scaffold to grow bovine fat tissue for cultivated meat production, which could address cost and scalability issues.

    Check out last week’s Future Food Quick Bites.

    The post Future Food Quick Bites: Vegan Magnum, Airline Ramen & Dairy-Free Popcorn appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • Cautious, Excited: US Future Food Leaders React to RFK Jr Confirmation as Health Secretary

    rfk food policy
    8 Mins Read

    With Robert F Kennedy Jr becoming the new Health and Human Services Secretary, alternative protein leaders exhibit optimism, as well as caution.

    Stakeholders in the alternative protein ecosystem are largely optimistic about the confirmation of Robert F Kennedy Jr as the new US health secretary, at least on the surface.

    The former environmentalist has been given free rein of the American food and health system by President Donald Trump, and has pledged to clamp down on genetically modified (GMO) and ultra-processed foods (UPFs), categories directly associated with sustainable proteins like plant-based meat or precision-fermented eggs.

    Other novel foods like cultivated meat face a threat too. The category is already weathering a storm of legislative measures trying to ban these proteins in over 20 states. There are suggestions that RFK Jr won’t push forward for a nationwide ban – though his appointment could make the regulatory pathway for these foods much more complicated, with multiple sources telling Green Queen they believe the sector will be dormant for the next four years.

    Still, alternative protein leaders say they have promised to work with RFK Jr to drive their industry forward and welcome many of his policy positions on the food system.

    “While I won’t agree with every policy, I believe RFK Jr will push for much-needed reforms in our food system. It’s broken and overdue for an overhaul, and I see him taking steps in the right direction,” says Robert Dupree, general partner at VC firm Alwyn Capital.

    make america healthy again
    Courtesy: MAHA

    Arturo Elizondo, co-founder and CEO of animal-free egg maker The Every Company, welcomes the government’s “commitment to improve the health of Americans through RFK’s confirmation and the new Executive Order establishing the Make America Healthy Again Commission”.

    “With over 88,000 employees and the largest department in the federal government by budget, we are optimistic that the escalating health crisis can be routed,” he says.

    In an exclusive op-ed for Green Queen, Daily Harvest CEO Ricky Silver wrote: “While RFK and the MAHA movement gained momentum by joining forces with President Trump and his campaign, I’m sceptical that the new administration – which governs and recently campaigned on massive deregulation, climate change scepticism, and a cosiness to billionaires and massive corporate interests – will remain committed to the movement and act accordingly.”

    How will the UPF debate fare for plant-based meat?

    UPFs have been one of RFK’s most heavily criticised categories, having vowed to remove them from school lunches. Plant-based meat has been caught in the crossfire, subjected to biased criticism amid misguided connections of processing with nutrition.

    Food awareness organisation ProVeg International believes any new US health secretary presents a chance to promote healthy and sustainable diets, citing RFK Jr’s statement at his confirmation hearing: “Our country will sink beneath a sea of desperation and debt if we don’t change course and ask: ‘Why are healthcare costs so high in the first place?’ The obvious answer is chronic disease.”

    Josh Bisig, senior policy research manager at ProVeg, agrees. At the same time, he notes that in the past, RFK Jr has “over-emphasised” the role of UPFs in chronic disease, while “ignoring the importance” of cutting back on meat and eating more plants. “We hope RFK Jr will see the importance of plant-based diets in enhancing the health of US citizens,” he says.

    meati mycelium steak
    Courtesy: Anay Mridul/Green Queen

    “He has framed [UPFs] as a root cause of modern health crises and is pushing for stricter controls, including labelling and ingredient bans,” Chiara Cecchini, business development director at Bill Gates-backed company Savor, wrote in an opinion piece for Green Queen. “If his vision shapes future food policy, synbio companies have the opportunity to prove their products belong in a different category – one that delivers both undeniable health and sustainability benefits.”

    One company leader is embracing the scrutiny on UPFs and “misleading health claims in the plant-based space”. Phil Graves, CEO of mycelium meat maker Meati, says: “Consumers are demanding real, whole-food nutrition, and we see this as an opportunity to differentiate Meati from both factory-farmed meat and ultra-processed plant-based alternatives.”

    He sees it as an opportunity for his products – which he describes as “functional, whole-food protein with prebiotic fibres that support gut health” – to help “change the protein paradigm”.

    However, he adds: “Consumer scepticism towards plant-based foods could impact the entire category. It’s on brands like Meati to lead with transparency and science-backed benefits to gain trust.”

    AI vs agriculture makes biomanufacturing more critical

    Jessica Almy is the senior VP of policy and government relations at the Good Food Institute, an alternative protein think tank. She believes the US now has a “unique opportunity” to lead the world in agricultural innovation and “build the bioeconomy of the future”.

    “We remain committed to engaging with the administration on policies that strengthen food safety, safeguard public health, and empower consumers with more food choices,” she says.

    Elizondo, whose company received a $2M biomanufacturing grant under the Biden administration, points out that Trump has “always been an advocate for biotechnology and advanced bioindustrial manufacturing”. He says: “We’re hopeful what was true during the first administration and allowed us to move confidently forward in obtaining regulatory approval for our products remains true in this second administration as we look to build our first biomanufacturing facility here in the US.”

    the every company
    Courtesy: The Every Company

    For investment firms like Alwyn Capital, RFK Jr being health secretary doesn’t change their strategy. Dupree says the growth of artificial intelligence (AI) and subsequent energy demand has ushered in a new arms race, with both the US and China racing to secure stable power and water supply.

    “Water, alongside food, can become a strategic weapon. In drought-prone US states, scarce water supplies will pit agricultural interests against AI development,” he explains.

    Most water from the Colorado River is currently used for agriculture, particularly for animal feed. “Data centres and their energy sources will directly compete with agriculture for this vital water supply. Adding to the tension, states with the highest farm revenue are also offering tax incentives to attract new data centres,” Dupree says.

    He continues: “A conflict is brewing between AI development and animal agriculture. If we believe AI is key to maintaining global leadership, we must prioritise resources for that industry. But how can we achieve this while continuing to feed our nation’s citizens? The answer is biotechnology.”

    A blow for factory farming

    RFK Jr’s turn as health secretary could spell trouble for factory farms. He has spoken of his wish to “reverse 80 years of farm policy and end our reliance on industrial meat production, factory farming, and chemical-based agriculture”.

    “He seems to be aware of how industrialised systems of animal farming wreak havoc on the environment and our health,” says Josh Tetrick, co-founder and CEO of Eat Just, the company behind plant-based egg maker Just Egg and cultivated meat pioneer Good Meat.

    “He’s talked about antibiotic usage. He’s talked about how when you need to pack animals in tiny spaces, you need to vaccinate the heck out of them, and how it’s indicative of a broken system – and I think all those things he’s right on. I couldn’t agree with him more on all that,” Tetrick outlines.

    His company’s recent success is an example of the ills of animal agriculture. Sales of his mung-bean-based Just Egg grew five times faster this January than 12 months prior, as retailers and restaurants ramp up their demand for the product amid the national egg crisis.

    vegan eggs
    Courtesy: Eat Just

    “This creates an opportunity for technologies that can bring back egg supply quickly,” notes Dupree. “By building redundancies in the food supply with alternative proteins, we position ourselves for strong market opportunities.”

    Tetrick hopes RFK Jr’s run as the health secretary “really focuses on moving us away from these large industrial systems” where you need to over-vaccinate animals and put antibiotics in their food. “I think those are all things that he’s looking at really clearly, and it’s very evidence-based,” he says. “Anything that we can do to support him in that, we’ll stand by and work with him to do so.”

    The risks and opportunities of RFK Jr’s confirmation

    Meati is looking to capitalise on the UPF backlash and emphasise “functional, clean-label nutrition”, as Graves puts it. “While some plant-based brands rely on isolates, artificial additives, and complex processing, Meati is made from a single, minimally processed whole-food ingredient – mycelium,” he says.

    “We’re doubling down on educating consumers about why food processing matters just as much as ingredients,” Graves adds.

    With the US plant-based market set to triple by 2023, ProVeg’s Bisig expects the new HHS secretary to support policies that will further accelerate this growth. “We were encouraged to hear incoming RFK Jr’s promise in his confirmation hearings that his ‘approach to administration at HHS will be radical transparency’ and that he wants ‘to make sure that science is unobstructed by vested economic interests’,” he says.

    “In this spirit, he should guide HHS to develop the dietary guidelines to reflect the committee’s recommendations in their scientific report to increase plant sources of protein, and to prioritise plant sources of protein above animal sources.”

    rfk jr food tech
    Courtesy: Alex Brandon/AP

    For The Every Company’s Elizondo, RFK Jr’s charge of HHS could increase demand for its chicken-free egg proteins, which “help eliminate the use of gums, fats, oils, salt and other harmful or non-clean label ingredients in line with the objectives of this administration’s attack on chronic disease”.

    Under Trump, though, there’s also a big risk in “any retaliatory tariffs which might affect our supply chain”, he says. “But we’ve planned ahead by building redundancy.”

    Dupree, meanwhile, feels time is of the essence. “The greatest challenge is aligning urgency with action. Educating people and driving real implementation is slow, but the need for change is undeniable,” he says. “Regardless of RFK Jr’s views on precision fermentation, plant-based proteins, or cultivated meat, these technologies will be essential and strategically advantageous for the US.”

    The post Cautious, Excited: US Future Food Leaders React to RFK Jr Confirmation as Health Secretary appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • Aleph Farms: Cultivated Meat Startup Hits Funding Woes, Adjusts Valuation to ‘Reflect Market Conditions’

    aleph farms funding
    4 Mins Read

    Israel’s Aleph Farms, a pioneer of cultivated meat, has lowered its valuation by 73% in its upcoming funding round, but the firm says adapting to “changing market conditions” is necessary.

    As food tech companies feel the pinch, Israeli cultivated beef producer Aleph Farms has been forced to slash its valuation as part of an “emergency fundraising” round, according to tech publication Calcalist.

    The company has reportedly been aiming to secure $25M from investors “to stay afloat”, but is so far expected to raise only $10M in the coming weeks, based on reports from shareholder Millennium Food-Tech.

    As per Calcalist, this new round would be based on a valuation of $80-100M, representing a 73% drop from the $300M valuation in its Series B funding round in 2021. Millennium Food-Tech itself slashed the value of its stock in the company by 75%, suggesting that Aleph Farms “does not have sufficient cash reserves to continue its operations in the coming year”.

    “Aleph Farms is in the final stages of closing the first round of a fundraising cycle that began in 2024, adding to the bridge investment secured in 2023 – a testament to the company’s resilience and the confidence of its investors,” the company said in a statement sent to Green Queen.

    “This funding will strengthen financial stability, extend cash reserves, and enable the launch of the world’s first cultivated beef steak in restaurants, in collaboration with Chef Eyal Shani.

    “Like all companies in our industry, Aleph Farms is adjusting its valuation to reflect market conditions in 2024-25, proactively aligning with broader market trends. We view [this] as a natural and healthy adjustment following the enthusiasm of 2020-21.”

    ‘Our situation isn’t unique’

    cultivated meat investment
    Graphic by Green Queen

    Since it was established in 2017, Aleph Farms has raised over $118M from investors. This included the $105M Series B round in 2021 (with Leonardo DiCaprio joining as an investor), reflective of the mid-pandemic venture capital boom in alternative protein.

    But inflation – a result of both Covid-19 and the ensuing wars in Gaza and Ukraine – and misinformation campaigns from the meat lobby have scuppered the momentum since. In 2021, cultivated meat startups raised $1.3B globally. Last year, however, they secured just over a tenth of that, raising $137M (and only $6M in the second half), according to Net Zero Insights data obtained by the Good Food Institute.

    Several firms have ceased operations, while others have been forced to make cutbacks – this includes Aleph Farms, which made 30% of its domestic staff redundant last summer as part of an “asset-light” strategy.

    “Like any organisation, and especially one developing innovative and groundbreaking technology from Israel, we are also affected by market conditions and the geopolitical situation. We must adapt to the global economy while focusing on leaner budget management,” the company said.

    A spokesperson for Aleph Farms told Green Queen: “I don’t believe our situation is unique – companies in our field must demonstrate a clear path to short-term profitability, alongside low-cost production, and strong customer demand.”

    They added: “As we anticipated a few years ago, consolidation is inevitable and represents a natural evolution for an industry like ours. Those who can adapt to changing market conditions will be the ones who thrive in the long term.”

    Aleph Farms tightens focus with three-pronged strategy

    aleph farms
    Courtesy: Aleph Farms

    In the last year, Aleph Farms has been looking to expand its operations globally, after receiving the go-ahead to sell its cultivated beef steak in Israel in December 2023. That was contingent on the company clearing a Good Manufacturing Practices inspection for its production facility, on which there has been no public update yet.

    The startup, which has previously outlined its aim to reach $1B in revenue by 2030, is currently awaiting regulatory approval in Singapore, the UK, Switzerland, and Thailand, and has also been in “advanced pre-submission consultations” in countries including the US. It has plans to eventually expand into Japan, South Korea, Australia, China, and Hong Kong too.

    In 2022, it opened a 65,000 sq ft plant in Rehovot, Israel, allowing it to initially produce 10 tonnes of cultivated steak annually, before acquiring another manufacturing facility in Modi’in and signing co-manufacturing deals with ESCO Aster in Singapore and biotech firms in Thailand.

    However, it is now focusing on three strategic priorities: optimising production and reducing costs, commercialising its first product and demonstrating market demand, and achieving profitability. “These goals now take precedence over the aggressive expansion of production capacity, which was a central part of our plan in 2021,” the company said.

    eyal shani lab grown meat
    Courtesy: Aleph Farms

    “In recent months, Aleph Farms has achieved significant breakthroughs, including a 97% reduction in production costs compared to 2022, signing commercial agreements with leading global food corporations, and demonstrating market demand through collaborations with chefs in four countries,” it added.

    “Additionally, following regulatory approval from the Israeli Ministry of Health, we are preparing to launch our product in Israel, leveraging an improved production platform and building our brand in collaboration with key industry players.

    “Aleph Farms continues to lead the field of cellular agriculture worldwide, driving meaningful change in food systems – towards a safer, more sustainable, and resilient future.”

    The post Aleph Farms: Cultivated Meat Startup Hits Funding Woes, Adjusts Valuation to ‘Reflect Market Conditions’ appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • Study From Beef-Loving Brazil Suggests Regional Disparities Shape Cultivated Meat Consumer Attitudes

    cultivated meat brazil
    5 Mins Read

    How do regional differences and economic disparities affect interest in cultivated meat in the world’s largest beef exporter?

    Brazil is the world’s largest beef exporter, second-largest meat producer, and third-largest consumer of beef per capita. But with the food system making up nearly three-quarters of its GHG emissions, a protein transition is crucial in the country.

    Home to meat giants like JBS, Minerva and Marfrig, several of these companies have joined startups like Fazenda Futuro (Future Farm), The New, and Vegabom in offering alternative proteins to Brazilians.

    In fact, retail sales of meat and seafood analogues increased by 38% in 2023, reaching $226M. And a third of Brazilians are either flexitarian, pescetarian, or meat-free.

    brazil vegano
    Courtesy: Quorn

    Does the growing interest in plant proteins extend to technologies like cultivated meat? It’s a question explored by researchers at the Federal University of Paraná, who examined how regional disparities impact attitudes towards such novel foods in a study published in the PLOS One journal this month.

    “As agriculture and animal production constitute a major component of the country’s GDP, the introduction of meat alternatives nationally, e.g. cultivated meat, seems essential to maintain its market share in the future, requiring careful planning to maximise the benefits and mitigate the disadvantages,” wrote the authors.

    Health awareness gap a major barrier for cultivated meat

    The 800-person study focused on two vastly different Brazilian cities, São Paulo and Salvador. The former is the most populous and economically developed area in the country, while the latter is ranked with the weakest economic and employment indicators among Brazilian state capitals.

    Nearly two in five (38%) of respondents had heard of cultivated meat, with familiarity higher in São Paulo (45%) than in Salvador (32%).

    This trend extended to consumption too. A third of survey participants said they’d eat cultivated meat, while 41% were unsure. In São Paulo, 41% were interested in trying these proteins, versus 24% in Salvador.

    Among those who showed a willingness to eat cultivated meat, nearly a third said they were simply curious about it, a quarter cited animal welfare, and one in 10 said they were motivated by health reasons.

    On the other hand, 26% indicated they wouldn’t consume these foods, with neophobia – a fear of the new – the strongest detractor. These respondents also cited “artificiality”, a lack of knowledge about the product and the process, and health impacts as factors holding them back.

    lab grown meat brazil
    Courtesy: PLOS One

    Aligning with this, the study found that interest in consumption increases with knowledge. Half of those who had heard of cultivated meat wanted to try it, and 29% were uncertain. But among those unfamiliar with it, only 22% said they’d eat it, and nearly half (49%) were unsure.

    While a majority of those aware of cultivated meat believe it’s better for the animals and the planet, only a third say the same about human health, highlighting the knowledge gap about the health implications of these proteins. This worsens among people who haven’t heard of these products – only 15% of them see benefits for human health, while 23% believe they’re harmful, and a third say they don’t know.

    Regional and cultural context key for marketing and policies

    The study showed that men (37%) are more interested in eating cultivated meat than women (30%), and these foods are more popular among Gen Z (39%)and millennials (32%) than those aged 50 and above (22%). Meanwhile, interest in cultivated meat remains similar across education and income levels, though higher-earners are more likely to eat cultivated meat.

    However, there’s a significant disparity between people who eat meat frequently and those who don’t, with folks who eat meat more often more likely to be interested in trying cultivated meat. Only 9% of non-meat-eaters want to try cultivated meat, but this rises to 29% for people who eat meat up to three times a week, and 38% for those who consume meat four to seven times a week.

    Respondents associated cultivated meat more positively with the environment than they did conventional animal proteins, even those who hadn’t previously heard of cultivated proteins. This is an important finding, considering that meat makes up the majority of Brazil’s agrifood emissions. Beef alone is responsible for 78% of this footprint.

    brazil beef emissions
    Courtesy: Getty Images/Billion Photos

    The researchers highlighted the importance of regional considerations for cultivated meat stakeholders. They noted that São Paulo has a more diversified economy and greater access to technologies and innovation. Combined with higher purchasing power and greater climate awareness, its residents are more likely to be informed and accepting of cultivated meat.

    “In contrast, citizens of Salvador, facing economic challenges such as a higher unemployment rate and lower purchasing power, may encounter barriers to accessing information about these new products, which could result in a lower intention to consume,” the study stated.

    The researchers argued that public policies can be made more efficient through targeted educational initiatives that address the specific concerns of different regions, and industry stakeholders should adapt their marketing to be more culturally sensitive. “In addition, collaborating with local institutions is likely to foster a more productive approach to introducing cultivated meat,” they added.

    The study comes just as Brazilians cut back on beef. According to the Good Food Institute, 36% of consumer have reduced their red meat intake between 2023 and 2024, mainly due to health detriments and high costs. It also chimes with a 2021 study, which found that 66% of Brazilians are interested in trying cultivated meat.

    The post Study From Beef-Loving Brazil Suggests Regional Disparities Shape Cultivated Meat Consumer Attitudes appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • Opinion: How Will the Ultra-Processed Fight Affect Synbio Foods?

    ultra processed foods synbio
    5 Mins Read

    Synbio must prove itself as a superior alternative and win consumer trust to succeed amid the battle against ultra-processed foods, writes our columnist Chiara Cecchini.

    By Chiara Cecchini

    Ultra-processed foods (UPFs) are under fire, and as policymakers crack down, synthetic biology (synbio) foods risk being caught in the crossfire. In the rush to overhaul the American food system, are we discarding innovation along with industrial excess? As regulatory scrutiny tightens around artificial ingredients and processing techniques, synbio faces an urgent challenge.

    The reality is sad: over half of Americans’ caloric intake comes from UPFs, a cultural problem that cannot be ignored. The rise of UPFs was not accidental – it was an industrial response to feeding an ever-growing global population. UPFs enabled human expansion to over 8 billion people, a scale unimaginable even just 100 years ago. But this came at a global health cost. The challenge now is not just to reject UPFs but to find better alternatives that ensure precision, scalability, consistency, and efficiency – without sacrificing human health and planetary stability.

    The ultra-processed villain narrative

    The war on UPFs is intensifying. Major media outlets, including the Guardian and the Times, have reinforced the growing consensus that UPFs fuel chronic disease. Policymakers are responding aggressively.

    California Governor Gavin Newsom’s executive order calls for measures to restrict UPF purchases, possibly requiring warning labels. This move could set a national precedent, broadening regulatory scrutiny beyond junk food to include all processed foods – including synbio innovations.

    Robert F Kennedy Jr, now confirmed as Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, has made UPFs a central battleground. He has framed them as a root cause of modern health crises and is pushing for stricter controls, including labelling and ingredient bans. If his vision shapes future food policy, synbio companies have the opportunity to prove their products belong in a different category – one that delivers both undeniable health and sustainability benefits.

    plant based meat health
    Courtesy: Beyond Meat/Green Queen

    So, is synbio all ultra-processed food?

    One of the biggest risks to synbio’s future is its classification. As the crackdown on ultra-processed foods intensifies, many are questioning whether synbio belongs in the same category. While synbio foods undergo industrial processing, they do not necessarily share the problematic characteristics of traditional UPFs – namely, reliance on artificial additives, refined sugars, and hyper-palatable formulations designed for overconsumption. Instead, synbio represents a number of production approaches that enable the precise engineering of food ingredients, making it very distinct from traditional ultra-processing.

    It is fundamental that the industry actively defines its position before regulators do. If synbio is perceived as just another form of processed food, it risks being caught in the sweeping regulatory backlash against UPFs. However, by prioritizing rigorous nutritional research, transparency, and clear communication, synbio can establish itself as a separate category – one focused on health, precision, and sustainability rather than industrialised over-processing. This also represents an opportunity for leaders in the space to leave the sustainability cocoon and address the real question: how do synbio ingredients impact human health at scale? 

    The stress of broadening the message beyond sustainability is an important one. Besides clear positioning against UPF, sustainability alone doesn’t sell. The consumer reality is clear: taste, price and health drive food choices. Without a compelling safety and health-centric value proposition, synbio risks being dismissed as just another form of industrialised food.

    Preserving small, hyperlocal, diverse food systems is essential, and feeding a global population of 8 billion requires also scalable, climate-efficient solutions. Synbio now has the opportunity to provide that global reach, jointly with safety, nutritional value, and a distinct advantage over UPFs. And it will be a matter of communication.

    Earning consumer trust

    But yet, consumer scepticism towards synbio exists. While younger demographics, particularly Millennials and Gen Z, show greater openness to these innovations, many consumers remain wary. Multiple studies indicate that many consumers view cultured meat as unnatural, which negatively impacts their acceptance of these products. Meanwhile, research from the Good Food Institute confirms that while sustainability is valued, it is not the key driver of purchasing decisions.

    To overcome this, synbio companies must embrace transparency and third-party validation. Certifications such as the Non-GMO Project’s Non-UPF Verified label have helped distinguish minimally processed foods from industrially engineered ones. Synbio must take a similar approach – educating consumers and regulators, demonstrating its health benefits, and ensuring it is seen as an advancement, not just another iteration of processed food.

    Investing heavily in nutritional studies, safety research, and clear communication is a non-negotiable. Without robust, independent data proving health benefits and safety, synbio will struggle to gain consumer trust and regulatory approval. The companies that prioritise scientific rigour and transparency will define the next era of food systems.

    non upf
    Courtesy: Food Integrity Collective/Non-GMO Project

    A defining moment

    The UPF backlash is forcing a cultural shift in American food policy, and synbio companies cannot afford to be passive. The term “natural” remains one of the most powerful marketing claims in the industry, driving billions in consumer spending, yet it has no regulatory definition. Synbio companies must proactively define their place within this evolving landscape – aligning with consumer trust, prioritizing clear health benefits, and ensuring their innovations do not get swept away in the fight against UPFs.

    The message is clear: the future of food systems will not be determined by sustainability claims alone. Synbio must prove itself as a superior alternative – not just to industrialised food, but to the very system that made UPFs dominant in the first place. If it fails to make this case, it risks being cast aside with the processed foods of the past. If it succeeds, it could become the defining food innovation of our era – a legitimate, forward-thinking solution for healthier humans and a thriving natural ecosystem.

    The post Opinion: How Will the Ultra-Processed Fight Affect Synbio Foods? appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • Protein Politics: An ‘Anti-Vegan Backlash’ Is Brewing. Why?

    anti-vegan backlash
    7 Mins Read

    Some headline writers and critics suggest an “anti-vegan backlash” is growing – protein and politics are key factors, but these narratives are missing the point.

    Veganism is dead, long live veganism!

    This month, the Daily Telegraph and Financial Times both suggested that an “anti-vegan backlash” has begun, one that has “made Britain fall back in love with meat” and is a clapback from carnivores. In response, The Spectator came out with its own take: “Blame vegans for the ‘anti-vegan backlash’.”

    It comes just as research shows that the popularity of veganism today has “returned to pre-2020 levels”, according to food magazine Chef’s Pencil.

    That assertion is based on Google Trends data, which found that the searches for related topics fell to levels last seen in 2016. Social media analysis also showed that the Instagram account for Veganuary witnessed a “dramatic slowdown in growth” from 49,600 new followers in January 2020 to just 5,500 in January 2025.

    is veganism declining
    Courtesy: Chef’s Pencil

    To make matters worse, sales of plant-based meat fell by 9% between July 2023 and 2024 in the US (though it’s still selling better than pre-pandemic levels), and 7% in the UK. And yes, a host of vegan restaurants have closed, including those owned or backed by celebrities, while others have put meat on their menu and then closed.

    Moreover, investment in plant-based startups is down. Compared to 2022, when vegan companies raised $1.2B, venture capital flowing into this category has fallen by 74%, attracting just $309M last year.

    So how have we got to this point? And is it truly all over for vegans?

    People seem to want more protein, and not from plants

    non upf foods
    Graphic by Green Queen Media & Robbie Lockie.

    One of the biggest criticisms of vegan meat alternative products today is that they’re processed. The same way hot dogs and whiskey are.

    In the US, 73% of the food supply is made up of ultra-processed foods (UPF), contributing to 60% of the country’s calorie consumption. Plant-based meat has suffered due to its classification as a UPF, even though the real problem lies with fizzy drinks, sugary bakes, and salty snacks.

    But as Americans try to eat healthier in the Ozempic era, questions about the health impacts of meat alternatives are louder than ever – however unfounded they may be.

    Then there’s the protein brigade. For as long as they’ve been around, plant-based products have been attacked for not having enough protein. It doesn’t matter that most meat analogues actually match the protein levels of the products they’re trying to replace, and some overtake them.

    Americans already eat too much meat – red meat consumption alone is 10 times higher than what scientists recommend. In fact, most of the Global North does. At the same time, we’re not eating enough fibre, a crucial nutrient for the gut microbiome and overall wellness (which conveniently, many plant-based meat products have in spades, along with equivalent amounts of protein). For some reason, though, we want more protein than ever.

    eat lancet meat
    Courtesy: Madre Brava/Profundo

    In 2024, protein was the nutrient Americans were most interested in consuming, as cited by 71% of respondents to a large survey. However, we’re not turning to plants for this – instead, online influencers have us gorging on meat, raw milk, and beef tallow.

    In the UK, too, more youngsters are increasing their meat intake (19%) than reducing it (16%) – despite half of them acknowledging that it causes harm to the planet. Meanwhile, only 45% of Brits say they trust plant-based proteins.

    Across Europe, less than one in five people (18%) avoid animal products. And moving forward, only a quarter would like to phase out meat and dairy, while 12% would like to increase their consumption.

    We’re eating crisps made from chicken breast, tortilla chips fried in tallow, shakes containing bone broth, and unpasteurised milk. And we’re doing so in the name of freedom and nutrition, it seems – despite experts warning about bird flu, saturated fat intake, and fibre deficiencies.

    Politics plays its part

    elon musk meat
    Courtesy: Wikimedia Commons/CC | Composite by Green Queen

    Spearheaded by figures like Elon Musk – never one to shy away from a culture war – the pro-meat movement is reflective of the larger political landscape, one where wokeism is unwelcome and DEI policies are blamed for plane crashes.

    But it’s not just alpha males and ultra-masculine gym bros who are leading the carnivorous diet charge – women from their late 20s to early 40s make up the majority of the market for brands like Equip Foods, which sells products like grass-fed beef protein and colostrum gummies, as per the Financial Times.

    Then there’s the backlash against climate change. With President Donald Trump back in the White House, the US is once again pulling out of the Paris Agreement, which should come as no surprise given that the climate-denying president did so in his first term too. Moreover, Trump has demanded all mentions of the climate crisis be scrubbed from government websites.

    He may be flanked by former environmentalists in Musk and Robert F Kennedy Jr, but these two are figureheads for the people who’ve put personal power over the planet. The former has raised doubts over the scientifically established climate harms of animal agriculture and added information from a climate alarmism think tank on his Department of Government Efficiency website. The latter, now the health secretary, has railed against “fake meat” products despite their environmental superiority.

    It aligns with the narrative pedalled by the meat industry, which would have you believe that plant-based food isn’t sustainable, despite animal agriculture accounting for up to a fifth of global emissions. In addition, the meat lobby will dupe you into thinking that overlong ingredient lists are 1. universally bad (they’re not) and 2. only found in vegan products (they’re not).

    Vegan numbers have remained steady, and it’s not all about diet

    These arguments have been successful in turning people against and away from meat alternatives, gutting sales and sometimes entire businesses. But it doesn’t mean veganism is dead.

    “We are definitely in an adjustment phase. Health-conscious consumers are also seeking less processed meat alternatives, so we are seeing natural protein sources such as tofu, tempeh, chickpeas, and lentils grow in popularity,” Toni Vernelli, Veganuary’s head of communication and policy engagement, told Chef’s Pencil.

    That’s just it though – plant-based isn’t all about meat analogues. Heck, these products aren’t even the largest part of the market. That distinction goes to non-dairy milk, which is bought by nearly half (44%) of homes in America, and over 35% in Germany and the UK.

    And in any case, vegan population numbers have remained steady over the years. In the UK – where these headlines have originated from – between 2-3% of consumers say they follow a vegan diet, a trend that has been consistent since 2019, according to YouGov surveys. Government data, meanwhile, puts this at 1.5%, according to The Vegan Society.

    number of vegans
    Courtesy: YouGov

    Veganism has been growing in Asia too. In 2021, a tenth of Indians identified as vegan, and this has remained steady this year too. Similarly, the number of vegans in Singapore has grown from 7% in 2020 to 9% today.

    But perhaps the most crucial misconception of this argument is that veganism is all about diet – it’s not. Veganism is, as The Vegan Society explains, a “philosophy and way of living” that excludes all forms of animal exploitation – for food, clothing and other purposes.

    It’s why we see companies making animal-free leather and silk, cruelty-free cosmetics, and vegan toothpaste and shampoos. Veganism isn’t dead – if it were, investors and companies wouldn’t still be spending hundreds of millions of dollars on these products.

    Most of the population may not change their way of living. But as media investigations and social media continue to shine a harsh light on how we treat animals – which remains shocking, cruel and inhumane – and the true environmental impact of farming them, it’s likely the philosophy of veganism will continue to attract adherents.

    The post Protein Politics: An ‘Anti-Vegan Backlash’ Is Brewing. Why? appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • In Some US States, Efforts to Ban Lab-Grown Meat Hit A Snag

    lab grown meat ban
    5 Mins Read

    As anti-cultivated-meat legislation heats up in the US, Nebraska and South Dakota’s efforts to ban these proteins are facing opposition from some policymakers – and farmers.

    For Americans in government office, it’s almost become fashionable to attempt a ban on cultivated meat.

    The ball went rolling with Ron DeSantis and Florida, which outlawed the production and sale of cultivated meat last summer, followed shortly by its neighbour, Alabama.

    These bills got through state legislature pretty quickly, positioned as efforts to safeguard the local cattle industry and public health. But they’re also so far the only instances of such efforts being successful.

    More than 20 states across the US have floated measures to ban cultivated meat or restrict how these proteins are labelled. A lot of it feels like a publicity stunt – some of it probably is.

    A few of these legislative attempts have come and gone without posing any real threat of being passed. This week, two bills in Nebraska and South Dakota hit a snag too, facing pushback from fellow legislators, and surprisingly, cattle farmers.

    South Dakota votes against cultivated meat ban

    south dakota lab grown meat
    Courtesy: South Dakota Governor’s Office

    There are three anti-cultivated-meat-bills of note in South Dakota, all introduced in January. The first originated in the House, and requires cell-cultured proteins to be clearly labelled as such to prevent any “misbranding”. This passed unanimously, and was signed into law by Governor Larry Rhoden – it will come into effect on July 1.

    The second bill sought to prohibit the state from financing any research, production or distribution of cultivated meat. This was unanimously passed on Thursday, and is on its way to Rhoden’s desk – but it includes an exception for public universities conducting research on these proteins.

    However, the same day, HB 1109 also went to a vote in the Senate. This bill went the furthest, replicating Florida and Alabama’s measure to put an outright ban on the sale of cultivated meat within the state. Anyone found violating the law – if the bill became one – would be charged with a Class 2 misdemeanour.

    Unlike the other two bills, this last one failed to pass through the Senate. Previous votes in the House and agricultural committees were also far from unanimous. On Wednesday, there was a 17-17 in the Senate, and upon reconsideration a day later, senators voted 19-16 against the legislation.

    It came after two Republican senators who had previously voted in favour of the ban chose to oppose it in the subsequent vote. One of them, Amber Hulse, told South Dakota Searchlight: “I think the constitutionality of the bill, if I’m being quite honest, is questionable.”

    Nebraska bill faces pushback from the meat industry

    nebraska lab grown meat
    Courtesy: Governor Jim Pillen/X

    In Nebraska, Governor Jim Pillen’s mission to outlaw cultivated meat has been particularly aggressive. He introduced an executive order back in August to put restrictions on these proteins and named a ban one of his top priorities for 2025.

    At his request, Senator Barry DeKay brought forward LB 246 last month to keep cultivated meat from being manufactured or sold in Nebraska, and requiring it to be labelled as an “adulterated food product” under the Pure Food Act.

    The bill is still in its early stages, with the Agriculture Committee hearing the proposal earlier this week. It’s already encountering pushback – and not from who you expect.

    According to the Associated Press, some of its most prominent opponents are the very people Pillen said he’s trying to protect. Nebraska’s ranchers and farming groups say they don’t need the government’s help to compete with cultivated meat.

    One farmer told the AP that he welcomes cultivated meat producers to “jump into the pool” and try to compete with his Waygu beef, going on to describe his disdain for lawmakers’ efforts to stifle competition in a free market.

    He noted that governments should only be limited to regulating product labels and facility inspections – something that the US Department of Agriculture already does when assessing novel food dossiers. “After that, it’s up to the consumer to make the decision about what they buy and eat,” said the beef farmer.

    Latest in a long list of failed cultivated meat bills

    lab grown meat banned
    Courtesy: Eat Just

    These are just the latest examples of industry criticism and failures of bills hoping to ban cultivated meat. In Ohio, for example, two House Representatives introduced HB10 to prohibit the sale of “misbranded” alternative proteins; this came after their previous bill designed to restrict labelling, which died in the House Agriculture Committee last year.

    Similar bills in Kentucky, New York, Tennessee, Pennsylvania, Texas, Arizona, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Illinois have also failed to get anywhere. In fact, even the one that eventually succeeded in Florida came after a doomed proposal months earlier.

    And even in Congress, a bipartisan bill to ban cultivated meat in schools – co-sponsored by Democrat Jon Tester and Republican Mike Rounds – never made it past the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.

    This year, a spate of new proposals from legislators in states including South Carolina, West Virginia, Montana, Georgia (among others) have come under consideration – though based on the path of these other bills, they just feel like a waste of time and resources.

    Florida is already facing legal action against its ban, after receiving criticism from the country’s oldest and largest trade association, which represents 95% of the US’s meat output. In a letter sent to DeSantis in March 2024, the North American Meat Institute called the ban “bad public policy”.

    “These bills establish a precedent for adopting policies and regulatory requirements that could one day adversely affect the bills’ supporters,” it said, emphasising the importance of consumer choice.

    The post In Some US States, Efforts to Ban Lab-Grown Meat Hit A Snag appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • Explainer: ‘Death of Farm to Fork’ – What Does EU Agrifood Vision Meant For Plant-Based Proteins?

    eu plant protein strategy
    7 Mins Read

    The EU has published its much-anticipated food and farming vision, raising alarm bells among climate experts and ignoring calls for a shift to plant-based proteins.

    “A near-total failure.” “Very timid.” “Tunnel vision.” “The death of Farm to Fork.”

    These are just some of the reactions to the EU’s new vision for agriculture and food, unveiled yesterday by ag commissioner Christophe Hansen.

    The policy document is set to define how the future of food and farming is governed in the region and is centred on simplification, digitalisation, and research and innovation.

    What it doesn’t focus on is the climate, a marked departure from Commission president Ursula von der Leyen’s first-term flagship European Green Deal, which included the Farm to Fork strategy.

    While von der Leyen promised that the agrifood vision would be based on the conclusions of the Strategic Dialogue on the Future of EU Agriculture, in which stakeholders including farmer lobby groups and climate activists advised the Commission to shift towards a more sustainable agrifood sector and create an EU-wide action plan for plant-based foods.

    But the final vision ignores the outcome of the Strategic Dialogue, despite calls for the EU to stick to it by everyone from doctors, consumer groups, climate experts, and even some of the largest food companies.

    It leaves the EU’s protein diversification in limbo, and keeps out future food innovation (like alternative proteins), at the same time its member states are actively encouraging citizens to eat less meat and more plants, and implementing carbon taxes on livestock farming.

    What did the Strategic Dialogue recommend?

    eu vision for agriculture and food
    Graphic by Green Queen

    The 29 organisations behind the Strategic Dialogue had five broad recommendations to advance the EU’s food system: creating a more competitive future, advancing towards a sustainable agrifood sector, promoting climate resilience, building agricultural diversity, and broadening access to knowledge and innovation.

    The document acknowledged that meat consumption is too high in the EU, and called for a transition from animal proteins to plant-based options. “The sustainable choice needs to become the choice by default,” the report said, asking the Commission to develop a plant-based strategy to strengthen the agrifood chain “from farmers all the way to consumers”.

    It also namechecked other alternative protein technologies like precision fermentation and products such as cultivated meat, as part of a range of “concrete technological innovations” that stakeholders debate over – whether to call for faster approval or raise questions about their potential safety risks.

    The spotlight on sustainable diets didn’t set any targets for cutting back meat production, though the report advised policymakers to update food labelling regulations to let consumers make informed food choices around sustainability and animal welfare – the EU currently doesn’t allow food producers to use terms like ‘milk’ and ‘cheese’ on alt-dairy labels.

    These recommendations came in light of the fact that agriculture is responsible for 11% of the EU’s greenhouse gas emissions, and 84% of these come from livestock. That’s despite animal-based foods providing 35% of calories and 65% of proteins in the region.

    The meat and dairy sector is also heavily subsidised, receiving four times as much public money as plant-based farming, and around 82% of the subsidies under the Common Agriculture Policy (CAP).

    What does the agrifood vision include?

    eu common agriculture policy
    Courtesy: Getty Images | Composite by Green Queen

    Essentially, none of the above.

    Despite the Dialogue’s strong focus on plant-based proteins and diversification, these terms don’t appear in the agrifood vision at all. ‘Livestock’, however, appears 19 times.

    “Livestock is and will remain an essential part of EU agriculture, competitiveness and cohesion,” the Commission wrote, acknowledging that “sustainable livestock” is crucial to the bloc’s economy.

    The only reference to protein production and consumption imbalances reads: “We need to consider both the way protein is produced and consumed in the EU.” The Commission promised to deliver a “comprehensive plan” to address these challenges.

    The document noted that the European Food Safety Authority would need reinforcements to speed up safety assessments and clear regulatory bottlenecks – at the same time, there was a pointed dig at novel technologies like cultivated meat.

    “Keeping Europe’s innovation edge in such new technologies is paramount for the sector to remain competitive and for the EU to remain a world leader in food innovation,” the report stated. “At the same time, certain food innovation is sometimes seen as a threat to the traditions and culture across Europe.”

    It added: “This calls for an enhanced dialogue on this matter and better knowledge, to make sure that these innovations can be assessed in an inclusive way that also considers social, ethical, economic, environmental and cultural aspects of food innovation.”

    The EU will also hold a Food Dialogue every year with stakeholders across the value chain, as part of which it will launch a study on the consumption of ultra-processed foods (UPFs) – this could have a knock-on effect on meat alternatives too, which have been misleadingly criticised by some as unhealthy because they’re UPFs.

    As for the much-criticised CAP, the EU promised to better reward farmers who “actively engage” in climate-friendly food production, an approach that would prioritise agricultural products essential to the EU’s strategic autonomy and resilience.

    “This could indicate increased support for plant protein production (whether just feed or also food is to be seen),” Rafael Pinto, senior policy manager at the European Vegetarian Union, tells Green Queen. “Overall, it mentions the need for a fairer distribution of subsidies, especially for small and medium farms – something that is needed but is mentioned in almost every CAP document since the beginning of the policy.”

    Why does the agrifood vision ignore the Strategic Dialogue?

    eu agriculture commissioner
    Courtesy: European Parliament

    If you’ve been following EU food policy for a while, this may not have come as a surprise to you. At his confirmation hearing, farm commissioner Hansen hinted at this outcome, calling the Strategic Dialogue “rather a vague formulation” and suggesting more detailed discourse was needed.

    He added that meat was “part of a balanced diet”. And though he noted that the EU was “massively underproducing” plant proteins, his focus was on producing more soybeans to feed animals, who would then be fed to humans.

    The EU also has a history of giving in to lobby pressure and flip-flopping on its own proposals, including several aspects of the Green Deal. Most recently, the Commission was set to unveil a sustainable food systems framework to support the protein transition at the end of its previous mandate and ended up abandoning the plan after backlash from interest groups.

    Something similar happened with the agrifood vision too. “Right after the end of the Strategic Dialogue, some of the biggest industry representatives decided to detach themselves from something they previously agreed on and cherry-pick only the policies that reflected their views – contrary to NGOs that would gladly accept the conclusions as a whole,” explained Pinto. “It seems like the Vision was highly and disproportionately influenced by some key economic interests.”

    He added that the release of the vision “officially marked the death of the Farm2Fork Strategy”, the EU’s plan for sustainable agriculture: “With this new approach, it seems like decarbonising agriculture and promoting healthier diets are not priorities for the Commission. The over-reliance (and naivety) on tech fixes for the livestock sector risk under-delivering and undermining our broader sustainability goals.”

    What happens now?

    eu plant based report
    Courtesy: Dimarik/Getty Image, Alessandro0770/Getty Images, Canva AI | Composite by Green Queen

    Pinto suggests that the EU Commission isn’t necessarily against promoting the protein transition in itself. “[I’d] rather, maybe hopefully, believe that the Commission showed a neutral stance towards protein diversification,” he said.

    “Protein transition is required for sustainability, health, animal welfare and food security and this has been recognised several times by the Commission. However, the lack of policies to that effect shows that current political will is low and pressure from strong interest groups is high.”

    Both the European Council and Parliament will be reacting to the vision in the weeks to come, so there’s still time to address the shortcomings in the agrifood vision.

    “We hope the EU agriculture and food policies don’t limit themselves to this vision. There’s a lot of room for progress in other areas, and the vision leaves the door open to have a dialogue on innovation and alternatives. The vision is a framework that hopefully will expand over the mandate to better align with other policies and targets,” says Pinto.

    He adds: “Protein diversification is a key solution for the polycrisis. It can support environmental and climate goals, reduce disease burden, improve EU food security [and] competitiveness, diversify farmers’ portfolios, and ensure long-term farm sustainability. This is clear for most stakeholders, but we need more political will to address the issue.”

    The post Explainer: ‘Death of Farm to Fork’ – What Does EU Agrifood Vision Meant For Plant-Based Proteins? appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • 5 Minutes with A Future Food VC: Alwyn Capital’s Heather Courtney

    heather courtney
    4 Mins Read

    In our new interview series, we quiz future food investors about the solutions that excite them the most, their favourite climate-forward restaurant, and what they look for in successful founders.

    Heather Courtney is General Partner at Alwyn Capital.

    What future food technologies most excite you?

    Technologies that can be applied across multiple markets. Many early-stage companies in alternative protein have struggled to raise funding over the last 18 months, as investors have shifted from prioritizing growth at all costs to focusing on revenue.

    If companies have technology that can be applied to existing industries while keeping an eye on serving frontier industries as they scale, they can generate early revenue while capturing the upside of future innovations.

    What are three future food verticals you are actively looking at for 2025?

    1. Technologies that reduce COGS and improve quality in plant-based, fermentation, and cultivated products (e.g., media recycling in cultivated meat, continuous bioprocessing in fermentation).
    2. Advanced manufacturing machinery and techniques for alternative proteins.
    3. Precision fermentation—yes, this is probably a popular answer right now, but there’s a good reason. There is immense opportunity in strain engineering, cheaper feedstocks, more efficient bioreactors, and continuous bioprocessing to drive costs down and yields up. One of our portfolio companies, Sunflower TX, is developing precisely this kind of technology. Sunflower has created the first microbial perfusion fermentation system designed for continuous protein production, enabling more protein to be produced with less space and lower costs.

    What do you consider the food tech sector’s greatest achievement in the past five years?

    Bringing truly “future food” products to market – Upside Foods’s cultivated chicken filet, Perfect Day’s precision fermentation whey, GOOD Meat’s cultivated chicken, and EVERY’s hen-less egg, to name a few. Yes, there is still much work to be done, and no, these products aren’t perfect yet. But let’s take a moment to appreciate them for what they are: significant milestones in food innovation.

    If you could wave a magic wand, how would you fix plant-based meat?

    A serious magic wand? I’d abolish subsidies for animal agriculture so that plant-based meat could compete on a level playing field.

    Beyond that, plant-based meat has a messaging problem. We’ve spoken to Sonalie [Figueiras, Green Queen’s founder and editor-in-chief] about this at length, and I agree with her—our industry has forgotten that women, specifically moms, make the majority of household purchasing decisions. We need to focus on what moms care about: their family’s health, saving time, and making life easier. We need to fix our messaging.

    What’s the top trait you look for in a founder?

    Tenacity. (There’s a lot more than one, but you only wanted one.)

    The One That Got Away: What is the deal you wish you had gotten into but didn’t?

    The one we missed knows who they are—we’re still in touch and tracking the company. We were deep in diligence when the lead investor decided they wanted the entire round.

    What do you consider your most successful future food investment so far?

    It’s too early to tell with most of our portfolio, but Cultured Decadence was acquired in 2020, so that was a clear win! We have other high-performing portfolio companies, but we’ll only know they’re real successes when they achieve an exit. Ultimately, true success will come when the industry takes off across all verticals, creating a win for people, the planet, and animals.

    What has been your most disappointing investment so far?

    We had a company shut down in 2022. It was one of our favourite products, and the founder had a great work ethic and the right team, but COVID wreaked havoc on them, and they couldn’t recover. Robert and I did everything we could to create a better outcome for the company, but in the end, they folded. That one still hurts.

    What do people misunderstand/get wrong most about VC?

    Not every business is a good fit for VC dollars, and that’s completely fine. We look for companies that, if everything goes to plan, could return the entire fund through that one investment—not every company is built for that kind of trajectory. You might have a solid business that could grow into a very large enterprise, but if it can’t do that within 10 years or less, VC funding might not be the right fit.

    What is the most ‘future food’ thing you have eaten this month?

    It wasn’t this month, so maybe I’m cheating a little here, but a few months ago, Robert and I tasted the latest iteration of New School Foods‘ plant-based salmon filet. It was so spot-on that it was unsettling. I even heard a fish eater say they thought it was virtually indistinguishable from conventional salmon. Seafood has been notoriously difficult to replicate with plant proteins—until now. New School Foods has changed the game.

    Where is your favourite climate-forward restaurant/dish/place to eat anywhere in the world?

    There’s a great spot near my mum’s house in St. Petersburg, FL, called Good Intentions. They make a plant-based dish called Crab Fries—a pile of fries with shredded hearts of palm and jackfruit, Old Bay, garlic butter, parsley, shredded parmesan, and aioli. I didn’t know I needed Crab Fries in my life until I had them, and now I’m obsessed.

    It’s a tough time for restaurants right now, especially those sourcing local, sustainable ingredients. So many of my favorite plant-based restaurants in NYC and beyond have closed. If there’s a spot you love, please support them.

    What’s your ‘why’? What motivates you to do what you do?

    My love for animals drives everything I do. I envision a future where they are no longer treated as expendable.  At Alwyn Capital, we are working to make that vision a reality—one that benefits animals, people, and the planet.

    I began my career as a pharmaceutical researcher—I loved working in a lab and learning how biological systems function. Now, I have the privilege of collaborating with founders operating at the frontiers of biotechnology to build a more sustainable future.

    The post 5 Minutes with A Future Food VC: Alwyn Capital’s Heather Courtney appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.