Green Queen talks to Californian biotech startup Triplebar’s CEO Maria Cho about how the company’s product design engine helps make precision fermentation and cultivated meat proteins more scalable and more affordable on a shortened timeline.
Powered by AI and machine learning, Triplebar has closed a $20M funding round to expand its biomanufacturing platform and portfolio in food and pharmaceuticals. The company has developed a high-throughput screening platform that combines microfluidics and hyperspeed testing with AI and machine learning to develop biomanufacturing platforms for microbial or animal cells. It’s described as a “microprocessor for biology”, which integrates hardware, software, biology and biochemistry to miniaturise and accelerate evolution.
Its latest $20M investment round, which takes total funding to $25M, was led by Synthesis Capital, with participation from Essential Capital, Stray Dog Capital, iSelect Fund, and existing investor The Production Board. Triplebar is a foundry business of the latter, the startup’s first and major investor.
“For truly disruptive adoption to take place, alternative products need to at least match animal-based proteins on taste, price, convenience, and nutrition,” said Synthesis Capital co-founder and partner Rosie Wardle in a statement. “We believe Triplebar’s technology platform has the potential to bring entire portfolios of bioproducts to market, helping a wide range of companies, from incumbents to startups, to scale up production while reducing cost.”
Courtesy: Triplebar
An advanced platform for alt-protein production
Triplebar works on two kinds of animal proteins, derived from precision fermentation (via yeast or bacteria) and cell cultivation. For the former, it focuses on bioactive proteins that provide health benefits when consumed, but whose natural source (dairy or otherwise) constrains the supply and limits access to this ingredient,” explains Cho. “We make the production system that allows for low-cost, animal-free scaling of these ingredients to provide access for everyone.”
As for cultivated meat, the startup addresses a key bottleneck: the evolution of animal cells so they can grow effectively in a fermentation vessel similar to those used for brewing beer. “Once this is achieved, critical barriers associated with cost and production volume can be overcome,” says Cho.
A growing number of companies are using synthetic biology – already a $13.4B market – to create alt-proteins. Boston-based Ginkgo Bioworks provides its cell-programming platform to a host of startups, for example. What advantage does Triplebar provide? “Triplebar makes it possible to use evolutionary design to optimise the cell lines (bacterial, fungal or animal) that are the foundation of alt-protein technology,” explains Cho.
A biotech veteran and a biochemist by training, Cho has amassed over 15 years of experience building industry-leading teams in industries such as therapeutics and cosmetics. In 2019, Cho founded Phage microbiome product company Phi Therapeutics, which debuted the Phyla system- the first-ever probiotic skincare range.
Courtesy: Triplebar
“We do this by dramatically increasing test throughput compared to other methods, allowing us to scan every base pair every day in an entire genome of these cell lines for improvements that occur randomly. This rapid cycle of insight-free improvement builds on itself exponentially to quickly deliver cell line performance that makes alt-protein products affordable and scalable.
“By contrast, traditional methods have a test throughput three or four orders of magnitude less than ours, meaning these methods rely on [a] poor understanding of how cells work to make progress. This traditional route is slow and expensive, leading to the incredibly high capital barrier and low success rate of alt-protein products getting to market historically.”
Solving the cost and speed issues
Triplebar boasts a much faster rate of testing and discovery. “Because we can look at every base pair in a genome in a day, we can find improvements quickly and do so without relying on humanity’s incomplete understanding of how organisms actually function,” notes Cho. “This means that we can hit performance targets in months that would normally take years.”
Additionally, the startup claims its platform can develop biological systems that enable low-cost manufacturing, another bottleneck of the alt-protein sector. “We make progress using evolutionary design, which does not rely on a rational understanding of how a cell works. This means that we can optimise a cell to be maximally efficient at producing a protein regardless of the cell type or protein,” says Cho.
Courtesy: FrieslandCampina
“This maximal efficiency translates to a low-cost production system for precision fermentation or cultivated meat. It also means that cell lines can be evolved to fit into current at-scale processes, reducing process innovation requirements that impact cost and timeline to scale.”
She adds that cellular agriculture faces a host of issues, including cost, taste, consumer acceptance and scale. A 1,018-person survey commissioned by the Good Food Institute found that 45% of respondents are willing to try cultivated meat once explained to them. Meanwhile, a 1,930-person poll by the UK Food Standards Agency – the body responsible for regulatory approval of these proteins – found that only a third (34%) of Brits are open to eating cultured meat, with only 30% considering it safe.
“We help companies find the right cell lines with which to make their products,” says Cho. “The right cell line makes a massive contribution to cost and scale, and can even have impacts on taste and consumer acceptance.”
Collaborations and ultimate mission
Triplebar has established multiple undisclosed partnerships with manufacturers across sectors like food, healthcare and more. Two prominent publicly known collaborations are with Singaporean cultivated seafood producer Umami Bioworks and global ingredients giant FrieslandCampina Ingredients (FCI).
With Umami Bioworks, Triplebar is co-developing optimised cell lines suited to large-scale production of cultivated seafood, starting with one of the most critically endangered fish species, Japanese eel. The link-up will include improving the “fitness and performance” of cell lines to enable lower-cost, more efficient manufacturing of cultured proteins.
Umami Bioworks will leverage Triplebar’s ‘Hyper-Throughput’ platform to discover solutions, testing “millions of potential phenotypic solutions in the time it normally takes to search mere hundreds” to accelerate cell line development and optimisation without the need for genetic modification.
Courtesy: Umami Bioworks
The FCI partnership focuses on bringing multiple protein ingredients to market via precision fermentation, a technology it has been using since 2016 to produce human milk oligosaccharides. The collaboration with Triplebar involves multiple programmes, including many elements “like product testing, strain engineering, scale-up manufacturing, regulatory approval, and commercialisation”, says Cho. “So we will be working with them for years. We are thrilled to partner with FCI to make a lasting impact on the way protein ingredients are produced.”
By helping companies release low-cost products that change our food system’s impact on the climate and human health, Cho says the startup’s mission is to “feed and heal people and planet”. “We envision a future where a mature bio-economy can deliver to humanity products that allow us to live sustainably at scale,” she adds.
“This mature bio-economy, like other mature markets, is an ecosystem where companies work together in stratified supply chains to increase the flow and value of products to consumers. We want to play our part in the mature bio-economy and enable others to do the same.”
Impossible Foods has announced that its Beef Lite alternative has been certified by the American Heart Association’s (AHA) Heart-Check Food Certification Program, becoming just the second plant-based meat company to have an accredited heart-healthy product, weeks after adding Ruby Tuesday to its list of long-running F&B collaborations.
Impossible Foods’ Beef Lite – launched earlier this year – is now certified as a heart-healthy meat alternative by the AHA, a “major milestone” for the company in an era of misinformation and confusion surrounding plant-based meat.
With the certification, Impossible Foods becomes just the second alt-meat brand to be featured on the AHA list after fellow Californian plant-based meat giant Beyond Meat. The Beef Lite is the third product to be accredited with the Heart-Check mark, followed by the Beyond Steak and Crumbles range.
Impossible Foods’ Beef Lite caters to health-conscious Americans
Courtesy: Impossible Foods
“As more and more consumers are seeking to make choices that are better for themselves and for the environment, we need to make sure they understand the holistic benefits of meat from plants,” said Impossible Foods CEO Peter McGuinness. “The Heart-Check Mark is an important validator and we’ll wear it proudly.”
Impossible Foods’ Beef Lite, which is intended to be an alternative to 90/10 lean conventional beef, has 75% less saturated fat and 45% less total fat than the latter. Plus, it features 21g of protein per serving, low saturated fat content, and no trans fats or cholesterol.
This extends to the brand’s wider portfolio, all of which contain no trans fats or cholesterol and almost no added sugars. A majority of its beef, chicken, pork and sausage analogues contain 25% less total fat and saturated fat than their conventional counterparts, with many also boasting less than 20% of the daily recommended value of sodium per serving.
It speaks to the growing focus on health within the alt-meat category. A Food Marketing Institute study last year found that 50% of Americans believed plant-based meats were healthy in 2020, but that number dropped to 38% in 2022. Marketing campaigns like Beyond Meat’s This Changes Everything have sought to dispel misconceptions about these products.
Health is a regular topic in mainstream consciousness in the US, given the alarming rise in rates of obesity and type 2 diabetes – over two-thirds (69%) of Americans are overweight and 36% are obese. But the focus on heart health is even stronger, given that heart disease is the leading cause of death in the US – one American dies from cardiovascular disease every 33 seconds.
Meanwhile, earlier this year, research found that more American Gen Zers want to go vegan for their health than the environment. A 1,022-person survey by the International Food Information Council (IFIC) in May found that health is the major factor behind Americans eating vegan or vegetarian diets, with six in 10 choosing it. In terms of plant-based meat products like Impossible Foods, ‘healthy’ is the most appealing labelling description to these consumers.
Read between the clean labels
One major criticism of this sector is the often overly long ingredient lists, an aspect constantly attacked by meat lobby groups. One of these organisations, the Center for Consumer Freedom (CCF), which has run multiple ads targeting the plant-based meat industry, unveiled a commercial at the 2020 Super Bowl that featured Spelling Bee participants struggling with words like methylcellulose and propylene glycol (which it claimed were “chemicals” used for “synthetic meats”). “If you can’t spell it or pronounce it, maybe you shouldn’t be eating it,” the ad claimed.
In response, Impossible Foods parodied this with its own advert, where a child is confused after being asked to spell “poop”. The judge goes on to explain how there’s “lots of poop in the places where pigs and chickens are chopped to pieces to make meat”, with a voiceover citing research that found 300 samples of ground beef to contain “faecal bacteria”. In a nod to the CCF’s concluding line, Impossible’s ad states: “Just because a kid can spell ‘poop’, doesn’t mean you or your kids should be eating it.”
But cleaner labels still remain a major concern. ‘Natural’ is the second-most favourable labelling description of meat alternatives for Americans, according to the IFIC survey. This is a global trend: ingredients manufacturer Ingredion has found that 78% of consumers would spend more money on products with ‘natural’ or ‘all-natural’ packaging claims.
Impossible Foods’ Beef Lite has a larger ingredient list than the flagship beef alternative. Would that deter consumers? “Beef Lite is designed with ingredients to enhance the flavour for this application, including onion powder, garlic powder and spices,” an Impossible Foods spokesperson told Green Queen. “When evaluating a product for health, what matters most is the quality and nutritional value. The reality is that Beef Lite is a healthy and nutritious option.”
The representative compares this to the health perceptions of cereals, pointing to how whole-grain Cheerios meet the FDA’s health guidelines and are accepted as a healthy breakfast option despite having over 15 ingredients (although about 10 of those are vitamin and mineral fortifications).
Besides, Impossible Foods says the less fatty flavour profile of the leaner Beef Lite means it pairs well with dishes like chillies, tacos and pasta, and has been received positively by consumers. The company cites one review to illustrate this point: “I was excited to have a lighter option to the original to help support my health goals. I’ve used this to make a few different dishes and they’ve all turned out great. I didn’t miss the additional fat from the original at all.”
Health or taste? Impossible says both
Courtesy: Impossible Foods
The alt-meat maker isn’t just banking on the health aspects of its newly certified product: taste is still paramount. A recent Mintel survey showed that nutrition is actually the second-biggest reason (35%) for Americans’ reticence to try alt-meat, after flavour (48%).
Impossible Foods’ spokesperson agrees: “Taste is the #1 reason why consumers will decide to purchase a product again or not. Many consumers have unfortunately had a less-than-positive first impression of various plant-based products, and that casts doubt on the rest of the category as a whole.”
But then, how would people respond to products marketed as ‘lite’? “We have other products in our lineup for consumers who are looking for a truly gourmet, decadent experience,” they note, pointing to the new Indulgent Burger designed “to be juicier, meatier and all-around more ‘indulgent’”.
“That said, some health-conscious consumers tend to prioritise nutrition over taste, which is why we created a product like Beef Lite,” the representative explained. Having products on both ends of the spectrum adds differentiation to its portfolio and suits a variety of consumer needs – from taste and nutrition to everyday cooking. “This allows us to better meet consumers where they are and make meat from plants feel more accessible.”
The company claims that consumers “consistently prefer” its products over competitors’ offerings. It cites multiple blind taste tests to validate this. In Chicago, 91% of the 100 meat-eating participants chose the Impossible Sausage over another leading vegan counterpart, and 71% of 105 consumers in another trial favoured its meatballs. Meanwhile, 80% of 206 Atlantans preferred its chicken nuggets and 63% of 105 people in Denver picked its beef over competitor products.
Impossible Foods’ taste tests have also extended to animal-derived meat. In a 205-participant test in Chicago, 82% of consumers said the indulgent Burger tasted as good as or better than cow-based beef. Two-thirds of 136 Americans surveyed said the same about the Impossible Sausage in a home usage trial. Meanwhile, seven in 10 Americans preferred the brand’s foodservice chicken nuggets over conventional ones, with the product scoring higher in every category, including flavour, texture and overall appearance.
There’s a clear precedent for consumers liking the company’s meat analogues. Asked if Impossible Foods planned to hone in on health in future marketing campaigns – à la Beyond Meat – the spokesperson kept details under wraps, but offered: “Marketing continues to be a focus for us as we work to bring more meat eaters into the category.”
Americans can buy Beef Lite in grocery stores nationwide, but so far, that seems to be the limit of the product’s footprint for now, with no plans to bring the product to international markets as of yet.
Building on foodservice sector in a volatile sector
Courtesy: Impossible Foods
The heart-healthy certification comes just a week after Impossible added Ruby Tuesday to its foodservice roster. It will be the largest US chain to carry Impossible Foods’ gourmet Indulgent Burger, which will appear on the menu at all 214 Ruby Tuesday locations nationwide.
It extends the plant-based giant’s exemplary record of foodservice partnerships. Impossible Foods has long-running collaborations with American chef David Chang (seven years), hamburger chain White Castle (five years), Burger King, Starbucks (four years each) and Disney (three years).
It’s a great streak, and the company will hope to have similar success with Ruby Tuesday. Until December 26, diners can get the Impossible Indulgent Burger with a side of tater tots or fries for $6.99 as part of the restaurant’s Tuesday Daily Deal – marking an affordable way to get your hands on a premium plant-based meat product.
The category itself has been in turmoil recently, hit hard by a combination of Covid-19 after-effects, supply chain disruptions, the cost-of-living crisis, and low investor confidence. According to insights firm Circana, retail sales of meat alternatives declined by 12.6% to $106.8M in the five weeks to July 2, 2023, with units down by 19.8% year-on-year. And for the year to July 2, 2023, sales declined by 7.3% year-on-year, while units saw a 15.6% fall.
It has meant that some companies have folded, while others have suffered revenue losses. Just this week, Beyond Meat announced a 26.5% decline in quarterly sales in Q3, following a 30% year-on-year fall last quarter. There have been a bunch of layoffs too, including at mycelium meat maker Meati, and multiple times at both Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods itself, which laid off 20% of its workforce (132 employees) in February, after a 6% cut last October.
But McGuinness told AFN in September that the company’s retail performance is strong: “In the 52-week Nielsen [data], we’re still growing high single-digit, low double-digit in retail, which is great. We have a 50% repeat [purchase rate]… so every two people we get to try our product, one repeats, which is quite strong.”
“Impossible is doing its part to introduce meat from plants that rivals the animal and as a result, we’re responsible for driving a majority of the category’s growth,” the company’s spokesperson told Green Queen. “However, we need to increase the availability of products that taste as good or better than their animal counterparts across the category. Doing so will increase the probability that a consumer will have a positive experience and turn a sceptic into a believer.”
There have been a host of developments in the cultivated pet food sector of late, headlined by Czech startup Bene Meat Technologies earning the first EU regulatory approval for the use of cultured meat in pet food.
Prague-based Bene Meat has become the EU’s first cultivated meat company to be cleared for sale in pet food after receiving approval from the European Feed Materials Register. The milestone is the latest development in the burgeoning cultured pet food sector, which has witnessed new tech, new brands, as well as rebrands.
Bene Meat becomes the first to receive EU regulatory approval
Courtesy: Bene Meat Technologies
The Czech startup was founded in 2020 to make cultivated meat for human consumption but has pivoted to pet food for now, providing cultured meat as a raw material to global pet food manufacturers. It has been developing its own FBS-free growth factors since 2021, and now plans to boost production to produce several tonnes of cell-cultured meat daily by mid-2024.
“Thanks to the obtained certification, nothing prevents us from taking further steps,” said Tomáš Kubeš, Bene Meat’s head of strategic projects. “We’re negotiating with feed manufacturers to get this wonderful product into production.” Its tech can be adapted according to manufacturers’ requirements, offering an ingredient that can be fully used in the making of any pet food product.
“We look forward to working with manufacturers, as we’re doing it for them and their customers,” added managing director Roman Kříž. “Manufacturers have a unique chance to gain an unprecedented competitive advantage in the market, thanks to the existence of our product.”
Kříž told Reuters that Bene Meat is the first company globally “that has an official authorisation for the production and sale of cultivated meat for cats and dogs”. He added that the startup is able to scale up its manufacturing at prices that make its meat commercially viable on par with premium and super-premium pet food products.
Bene Meat is emerging in a market with strong acceptance of cell-cultured pet food. A Czech survey by NMS Market Research found that 48% of citizens prefer cultivated meat in pet food for health and safety reasons, while 27% cited ethical and ecological factors as purchasing drivers for cultured meat for their furry friends.
The startup now plans to test how the meat tastes to pets, and will scale up production in its Prague lab as well as a new facility it’s on the lookout for. Bene Meat expects to introduce the first cultured meat for pet food in the EU in early 2024.
Meatly takes on the UK
Courtesy: Meatly
Another company planning to launch cultivated pet food in Europe – starting with its home market in the UK – is Meatly. If you’ve never heard of it, it’s because this is the new name of the startup formerly known as Good Dog Food.
The company, which raised £3.5M in seed funding earlier this year, has just rebranded as it prepares to launch in the UK. Its chairman Jim Melon, executive director of Agronomics – who created the startup in collaboration with Roslin Technologies – has previously said that it would be easier to earn regulatory approval for cultured meat for the pet industry, rather than for human consumption.
Meatly was only launched last year, and makes cultivated chicken by “taking a sample of cells from a chicken egg just once”. It has already secured “key partnerships with manufacturers” – including with petcare retailer Pets at Home – to get its pet food on shelves soon.
“Our pets love meat, but old-fashioned meat – produced through factory farming – requires a huge amount of land, water, and antibiotics and is a key cause of environmental degradation,” said Meatly CEO Owen Ensor. “We need cultivated meat now more than ever. Pet food is the natural starting point, given consumers’ excitement. We’re thrilled to be at the heart of the future of meat production in the UK.”
A kinder seafood brand for pets
Courtesy: Marina Cat
More recent developments include the formation of Marina Cat, a cultivated pet food brand born out of a collaboration between Canada’s Cult Food Science and Singapore-based cultured seafood producer Umami Bioworks.
Marina Cat will combine Umami’s cultivated red ocean snapper and Cult’s patented nutritional yeast ingredient, Bmmune, to make a “high-protein, low-calorie” feline treat that “provides benefits to a cat’s cognitive function, based on its high levels of omega 3, 6 and 9 fatty acid chains”.
The startup aims to begin production this year, and expects its product to have widespread availability in 2024. “My vision for the future is that we no longer have to slaughter other animals to feed our cats,” said Joshua Errett, Cult’s VP of product. “This brand brings me one very great step closer to making that a reality.”
The AI opportunity
Courtesy: BioCraft Pet Nutrition
More recently, Vienna-based BioCraft Pet Nutrition (formerly Because Animals) unveiled its proprietary AI and machine learning tool to accelerate R&D for optimal cell proliferation and nutrient production. The tool processes publicly available data and synthesises it into “a picture of the biochemical machinery inside a cell”. It then analyses the data to identify nutritional inputs that can enhance cell growth, nutrient biosynthesis, or other biological processes key to cultivated meat production.
“The main costs and time sinks on the way to commercialization are R&D-related, and our AI has substantially streamlined this process, accelerated our progress, and reduced costs,” said BioCraft founder and CEO Shannon Falconer. “In this application, AI can surpass the human brain for speed and efficiency, and helps us derive more complex conclusions by making more connections between more facts.”
This came a few months after BioCraft had developed a chicken cell line for both cat and dog food, with the cultured chicken ingredient containing all essential nutrients found in conventional pet food, including high protein content, key vitamins, fats and amino acids like taurine.
With the help of AI, BioCraft – which has previously unveiled cell-based mice meat – is engaging in fewer, more targeted experiments, to fine-tune its cell proliferation process and improve the health credentials of its meat. Additionally, it can identify less expensive inputs and ingredients, including those less likely to raise regulatory concerns. (So far, no company has received approval from the US Centre for Veterinary Medicine.)
Why alternative pet food is crucial
Courtesy: Bene Meat Technologies
Pet food is a $144B market and one that’s set to grow annually by 5.3% until 2028. But the industry carries a massive environmental burden. In the US alone, for example, manufacturing cat and dog kibble is equivalent to 25-30% of all animal-consumption-related emissions. And globally, dog and cat food emit around 64 million tons of carbon per year – that’s the equivalent of over 13 million cars.
In fact, according to one study, if cats and dogs were considered their own nation, they would rank as the world’s fifth-largest meat-consuming entity. Moreover, health is an increasing priority for humans, and the continued humanisation of pets has led to a crossover of habits.
This is where cultured pet food comes in. A 729-person study last year found that while 32.5% of Brits would be willing to eat cultivated meat themselves, they’d be more willing to feed it to their pets (47.3%). Of those who would try these proteins themselves, 81.4% would be happy to give them to their four-legged friends.
A recent study exploring the environmental impact of vegan pets can provide an insight into the climate-friendly nature of cultured pet food too. The research suggested that if all dogs and cats went plant-based globally, it could help feed nearly 520 million people, save more greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to those produced by entire nations, and free up land the size of several countries.
Further research found that vegan diets can be just as healthy for cats as meat-based ones, shedding the ‘obligate carnivores’ universally associated with felines. It followed another study published last year that found that vegan diets are the healthiest and least hazardous choice for dogs.
In fact, vegan cat food is a $9.2B market that’s expected to nearly double by 2030, while the vegan dog food market is currently valued at £11.5bn ($14.1B), and projected to reach £21bn ($25.8B) by 2033, according to the Guardian.
All the signs are there for the continued growth of alternative pet food, a category that also includes brands like Wild Earth (cell-based dog food) and Bond Pet Foods (cultured chicken for dogs and cats). These latest developments – notably the approval in the EU – are major markers of what’s to come for this sector.
A new 10-country survey has found that 51% of Europeans are eating less meat annually, with health being the biggest reason for the decrease in consumption. However, taste and price are the largest detractors of plant-based intake for these consumers, signalling the opportunity for brands in this space.
In 2021, a pan-European poll titled What Consumers Want – funded by the EU’s Smart Protein project – provided an in-depth look into consumers’ eating habits. At the time, 46% of respondents said they were reducing their meat intake, 30% called themselves flexitarians, 45% wanted more information about plant-based meat, taste (40%) and health (34%) were the biggest factors for choosing vegan food, and price (52%) the biggest deterrent.
Two years on, a follow-up survey of 7,500 consumers conducted by ProVeg International in partnership with Innova Market Insights, the University of Copenhagen, and Ghent University, has revealed how consumer attitudes around plant-based foods have evolved in Austria, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Spain and the UK.
Today, 51% of consumers say they’re cutting their annual meat consumption, but a higher number of consumers (7%) have also increased their yearly intake compared to 2021 (5%). Meanwhile, fewer Europeans (27%) identify as flexitarian, but only 25% want more information about vegan alternatives, indicating that awareness has increased, though there’s still some way to go.
Price remains the biggest barrier towards increased plant-based consumption, though the share of consumers citing this concern has reduced to 38%. And three in 10 say alternatives don’t match their conventional counterparts in terms of flavour.
Here are the key takeaways from the Smart Protein report:
Health is the biggest driver for eating less meat
Courtesy: ProVeg International
With 51% of Europeans reducing their meat intake – Italy and Germany have seen the largest fall at 59% – health is the primary reason (47%) cited by Europeans for eating less meat. This is echoed the most in Romania (57%) and Italy (54%).
Animal welfare comes next, being a reason for 29% of Europeans. Here, the Netherlands and Germany lead with 40% and 39% of consumers mentioning this factor, respectively. Environment comes in third at 26%, with Denmark (37%) and the Netherlands (34%) standing out.
This is despite multiple studies showcasing the environmental superiority of plant-based foods. Research has shown that vegan diets can reduce emissions, land use and water pollution by 75% compared to meat-rich diets, and that replacing 50% of our meat and dairy consumption can double climate benefits.
But post-pandemic, a renewed focus on health has led to an increasing number of plant-based meat brands putting the nutritional credentials of their products front and centre, including Beyond Meat, THIS and Meati.
Taste is the top factor for purchasing plant-based alternatives
Courtesy: ProVeg International
While health may be the key reason for reducing meat consumption, taste is an even more important factor when it comes to buying vegan alternatives, with 53% saying it’s the main reason influencing their buying decisions. it’s followed by health (46%) and affordability (45%). Freshness, meanwhile, has become more important too, with 29% citing it as a purchasing factor in 2021, and 34% doing so now.
The UK is the country most influenced by flavour and price (66% and 53%, respectively), while France and Romania lead the way in terms of health (51%), and Poland (48%) and Romania (47%) citing freshness as key.
Inflation and the cost-of-living crisis have increased food prices across the board. Despite that, more Europeans find plant-based alternatives affordable now than they did in 2021, when only 21% selected it as a factor for purchasing these.
Price remains the biggest barrier
Courtesy: ProVeg International
Having said that, price remains the biggest barrier – as it was two years ago – towards choosing vegan alternatives: 38% of Europeans selected this reason.
This was followed by taste (30%), wanting more information (25%) and concerns about health inadequacies (24%). While price and flavour are the two major reasons for the adoption of plant-based alternatives in the UK, they’re also the biggest factors why people avoid them (37%).
In contrast, people in Italy and Austria are the least affected by the flavour of these products (26% each), while Denmark ranked the lowest in terms of price concerns (26%). Meanwhile, Romanian, German and Austrian consumers are most concerned about health (26% each), and France the least (20%).
“Financial considerations and perceptions could potentially be a significant hindrance to widespread adoption of plant-based diets, regardless of whether plant-based food items are actually more expensive than their animal-based equivalents, or if it is simply an issue of perceptions,” reads the report.
There are fewer flexitarians in Europe
Courtesy: ProVeg International
The number of flexitarians across these 10 countries has witnessed a 10% drop to 27% in 2023. Germany leads the flexitarian market, with 40% identifying as such, followed by Austria (37%). These two are the only countries with fewer omnivores than other diets. Only 45% of Germans identify as frequent meat-eaters, rising to 48% of Austrians.
The latter also boasts the highest percentage of vegans (5%), followed by Germany (4%) – the total number of vegans is 3%. Meanwhile, the UK has the highest number of vegetarians, at 7%.
With 29% of boomers, 27% of Gen Xers, 28% of millennials and 26% of Gen Zers identifying as flexitarians, “the intention to reduce meat consumption transcends generational boundaries and represents a cross-generational interest”, the report says. Additionally, flexitarianism appears to be more popular among women (31%) than men (23%), while omnivore diets are more common among men (66% vs 58% for women).
Similarly, veganism is more common among women and girls (6%) than men (3%), but more men (3%) are vegetarian than women (2%).
28% of Europeans eat one vegan alternative weekly, with alt-milk most popular
Courtesy: ProVeg International
The number of Europeans who eat at least one vegan alternative each week (28%) has risen from 2021 (21%). Within the wider context, legumes are these consumers’ favourite plant-based food, with 66% eating these occasionally or regularly and 53% wanting to do so more frequently.
In the realm of alternatives, plant-based dairy is the most popular category. When it comes to alt-milk, 12% of Europeans consume these products daily, and 36% do so weekly. Similar numbers appear for vegan yoghurt (33%) and cheese (31%).
In terms of meat, plant-based poultry is the most regularly eaten meat by Europeans (27%), followed by beef (24%), fish (24%) and pork (22%). These numbers are higher than traditional protein products like tofu (20%) and tempeh (16%).
Most Europeans like eating plant-based at home
Courtesy: ProVeg International
Two-thirds (67%) of Europeans prefer eating vegan alternatives at home, compared to 22% at omnivore restaurants and 17% at exclusively vegan eateries. “There is an opportunity for food companies and retailers to focus on promoting the appeal of plant-based alternatives for home cooking,” notes the report.
As for where they buy these products, supermarkets top the list with 60%, with discount retailers coming second at 41%. In terms of what people want to buy, vegan sweets and snacks (like cookies, chips and chocolates) as well as meat alternatives are the wishes of 30% of respondents. This is followed closely by plant-based milk (29%), baked goods like bread and pastries, and yoghurts (both 28%).
Consumers trust vegan food more, and social media plays a huge role
Courtesy: ProVeg International
Consumers are 46% more trusting of plant-based alternatives than three years ago. The highest-scoring metrics here are safety (57%), accurate labelling (56%), and reliability (55%), while there’s less confidence about traceability (47%) and overall integrity (47%).
While 43% of consumers find plant-based protein trustworthy, this falls to 20% for cultivated proteins, 17% for fungi, and 11% for algae. “Brands that prioritise clear labelling, transparency about sourcing, and product integrity are likely to build stronger consumer trust and thus gain a competitive advantage,” says the report.
Social media plays a major role in shaping consumer opinions about plant-based foods, with 36% saying their viewpoint is influenced by the presence of a food product on social media. 37% are interested in foods and dishes shared by influencers – this can be seen in action with UK vegan fast-food chain Neat Burger’s partnership with British influencer Clare Every (The Little London Vegan) on a new product earlier this week.
Overall, 44% experience an increased desire to eat products and dishes they see on social media. However, their perceptions around the health aspects of these dishes aren’t as influenced, with only 36% selecting that reason.
Largely, online forums like Reddit (25%), blogs (28%) and social media platforms (29%) are the least trustworthy components for consumers looking for the health benefits of a plant-based food product. Health and nutrition websites (45%) and search engines like Google (44%) are the most trusted sources.
Europeans want equal subsidies and sustainable food taxes removed
Courtesy: ProVeg International
When it comes to policymaking, more than six in 10 Europeans support removing taxes on food that’s healthier and more sustainable. Additionally, 45% want to see the playing field levelled in terms of subsidies – in the EU, meat and dairy farmers receive 1,200 times more public funding than plant-based producers, and 50% of the income of livestock farmers comes directly from subsidies.
The survey also found that 63% of consumers want more transparency in product certifications (such as environment, health, welfare, organic, etc.) – this ties into the EU’s recent efforts to curb greenwashing. Its proposed Empowering Consumers for the Green Transition directive will ban companies from promoting misleading claims about their products’ eco credentials.
Moreover, 58% support measures that help farmers transition from animal to plant-based agriculture, and 49% are in favour of using conventional terms like ‘milk’, ‘meat’ and ‘cheese’ to refer to alternatives. “There is a clear and resounding response from a vast majority of European consumers for policymakers to support the shift of Europe’s food system in a more sustainable and healthy direction,” concludes the report.
Time for governments to step up
“As stated in the Farm to Fork Strategy, alternative proteins, such as plant, microbial, or marine proteins, is one of [the] key areas of research for a sustainable, healthy and inclusive food system,” said Cindy Schoumacher, policy officer at the EU Commission, the legislative arm of the bloc.
It must be noted that the body was recently the subject of an investigation by journalists, which found that it faced intensive pressure from meat lobby groups on the EU’s proposed ban on caged farming, which has subsequently been put on hold and in limbo.
“The aim is to stimulate food consumption that is sustainable in both health and environmental aspects, highlighting the importance of plant-based diets,” added Schoumacher. “The Smart Protein project is providing key information to fill knowledge gaps on alternative proteins and contributes to the achievement of the objectives of the European Green Deal.”
In a separate investigation, however, climate media outlet DeSmog revealed how deep ties between agriculture lobby groups and a group of influential EU politicians are attempting to suppress two key pieces of legislation from the Green Deal.
On the new Smart Protein report, Helen Breewood, research and resource manager at the Good Food Institute Europe, said: “With so many people still saying these products are too expensive and aren’t tasty enough, businesses and governments need to invest in the research and infrastructure needed to bring prices down and improve quality, making plant-based foods more appealing and putting them within the reach of a wider group of consumers.”
ProVeg International CEO Jasmijn de Boo added: “Increasing numbers of people are choosing to reduce their meat intake, and policymakers and industry can use this knowledge to make respective decisions on the production and promotion of plant-based foods.”
Nūmi, a French startup making breast milk from cell-cultured mammary glands, has raised €3M in pre-seed funding to expand its R&D and recruit new scientists. It plans to file for regulatory approval in the US first, followed by Europe and Asia.
Founded in 2022 by duo Eugénie Pezé-Heidsieck and Eden Banon-Lagrange, Nūmi makes cultivated breast milk using mammary gland cell cultures, in a process it claims “strictly imitates the phenomenon already at work in women’s bodies”. The startup recreates the optimal environment for the development of mammary glands and feeds them with essential nutrients to produce breast milk for infants.
Its €3M pre-seed funding round included support from Heartcore Capital, HCVC, Financière Saint-James, Kima Ventures and Kost Capital. “We are passionate advocates for transformative innovation at the nexus of health and food manufacturing,” said Alexis Hossou, founder and managing partner of HCVC. “Nūmi stands as a prime example of this, with their technology poised to revolutionise accessibility to breastmilk for millions of women globally and advance human health in unprecedented ways.”
Pezé-Heidsieck, Nūmi’s chief technology officer, said the investment will enable the startup to “recruit the best talents for this ambitious project”. In addition to expanding its scientific team, the company aims to use the new funds to further its R&D capabilities and make progress toward regulatory approval and commercialisation.
Keeping its cultivated cards close to the chest
Courtesy: Nūmi
Nūmi, which was formerly called MUMilk, argues that current substitutes to breast milk – mainly based on cow’s milk – aren’t “nutritionally suited to the growth of infants”. Plus, many babies are intolerant to proteins found in dairy, which can further complicate things. The company says that breast milk’s unique composition means it can boost immunity, regulate metabolism, and aid in brain development.
About 5-10% of women are physiologically unable to breastfeed, but many more say they’re not producing enough or have nutritional deficiencies in their milk. In the US, less than half of women continue to exclusively breastfeed after three months, and only a quarter keep doing so at six months, which is the recommended period by the American Academy of Pediatrics.
In 2019, a study of 552 mothers found that about 70% experienced breastfeeding difficulties (mostly within the first month) like “cracked nipples, perception of insufficient amount of milk, pain and fatigue”. Many women also choose not to breastfeed, and Nūmi hopes to cater to all these mothers with its tech, providing them with a solution that is “as close as possible” to human breast milk.
According to the team, breast milk comprises over 1,500 constituents and Nūmi is looking to replicate as many of these as it can. While some alternative breast milk startups have initially focused on specific proteins – for example, Israel’s Wilk makes cell-cultured lactoferrin and Helaina produces a precision-fermented version of the same – Pezé-Heidsieck told Green Queen Nūmi is “working towards reproducing as many constituents of breast milk as possible, including different proteins”.
Pezé-Heidsieck declined to disclose specifics about which exact proteins the company is working on, the formulation or the composition of the rest of the milk, or whether the cultivated proteins would be complemented by plant-based ingredients. The company remains tight-lipped on a number of matters as it navigates a “key stage of development”. While Pezé-Heidsieck confirmed that Nūmi has developed different sourcing strategies to develop its cell lines, she didn’t go into detail here either.
Aiming for US regulatory approval before global expansion
Co-founders Eden Banon-Lagrange (L) and and Eugénie Pezé-Heidsieck (R); courtesy: Nūmi
Before it’s ready for infant use, Nūmi’s breast milk needs to be purified. “Dowstream processing to harvest and purity our cultivated breast milk is a key step of our R&D. We have developed different strategies to best purify breast milk and its constituents,” Pezé-Heidsieck revealed, but added: “It constitutes part of our intellectual property, and until we have filed our patents, we can’t share more information.”
CEO Banon-Lagrange said the team has “enthusiastic first results in our lab”, but can’t share a comparison with conventional breast milk at the moment. “Our goal using cell culture techniques is to bring as many high-value constituents of breast milk, accessible to all,” she added.
But one thing Nūmi was happy to talk about was its go-to-market plans. “The US is our first target market as they have developed a clear regulatory framework for innovations like ours,” said Banon-Lagrange. “We believe Europe will follow and would like to make our product accessible to European families as well as soon as possible.”
While the US will be the first country Nūmi will file for regulatory approval in, the CEO hinted at further expansion past North America and Europe: “We believe the Asian market will be an interesting opportunity for us.”
The idea is to become a trailblazer in this space across the globe. “The support of major investors in new technologies supports our ambition to become a leader in this sector,” noted Banon-Lagrange. “All families want to give their children the best: we want to help them achieve this, thanks to science.”
In our weekly column, we round up the latest news and developments in the alternative protein and sustainable food industry. This week, Future Food Quick Bites covers a host of plant-based dairy news, a bunch of awards and a Chilean vegan pizza collab.
New products and launches
Ahead of the launch of its Series A funding round – as exclusively revealed by Green Queen – Californian alt-honey startup MeliBio has entered the D2C segment with its Mellody plant-based honey, which is available for pre-order now. It’s priced at $19.99 for a 340g bottle and will ship out in January.
Courtesy: MeliBio
Weeks after being spotted at Whole Foods in the US, Slovenian whole-cut plant-based meat brand Juicy Marbles has officially appeared on the shelves of Whole Foods stores in the UK with its filet mignon.
London-hosted Plant Based World Europe (November 15-16) will see a host of gourmet brands unveiling their plant-based creations, including Dream Farm’s vegan mozzarella balls, Purezza’s stracciatella, Aberyne Foi Green and Isauki Seafood’s plant-based alternative to baby eels, a Spanish delicacy.
Speaking of Spain, vegan cheese brand Väcka and mycelium meat startupLibre Foods have begun a Veggie Burger Warriors campaign offering plant-based burgers in eateries from November 6-12, which feature the former’s pumpkin Cheddar and the latter’s bacon. The aim is to find the best vegan burger in Spain.
One company that won’t make more vegan burgers anytime soon, though, is Burger King, which is one of the leading fast-food chains for its inclusivity of plant-based food. In an interview with Bloomberg, its parent company’s CEO Josh Kobza said that the demand for plant-based was stable, but the chain will focus on core offerings in the US for the foreseeable future.
Vegan fast-food chain Neat Burger, however, has been expanding rapidly. It has collaborated with influencer Clare Every (The Little London Vegan) and vegan health inequality charity Made in Hackney to launch a Kimchi Crunch Burger featuring TiNDLE’s chicken patty. All burgers sold in November, which is World Vegan Month, will see £1 donated to Made in Hackney.
Courtesy: Neat Burger
Another influencer making waves in the plant-based food industry is Mi-Lyung Cho, whose Korean vegan food enterprise INSTELLA has launched a Veggie Dynamite ramen SKU under its flagship Playful Foodie brand. It will be available on Amazon in the US this November.
Meanwhile, Hong Kong vegetarian fast-food eateryWOW Burger has unveiled a range of plant-based bowls in Katsu, Mediterranean and Korean variants, which use its chicken, lamb and beef alternatives, respectively.
In the US, vegan brand Abbot’s Butcher has extended its partnership with FireRoad Foods to launch plant-based egg cups using Abbot’s pea protein chorizo and FireRoad’s mung bean egg.
Elsewhere, fresh off a $33.5M Series B fundraiser, US-cultivated seafood maker BlueNalu has inked an MoU with Saudi Arabia’s planned urban development Neom to commercialise, market, and distribute the former’s cell-cultured seafood. Neom revealed that it was the lead investor in BlueNalu’s Series B round, injecting $20M.
UK-cultivated meat company Ivy Farm has roped in biotech and biopharma expert Dr Harsh Amin to deliver its R&D strategy and scale-up plans for commercialisation.
In the ingredients space, Ingredion has debuted Novation Indulge 2940, a functional gelling starch made from native corn for application in dairy and alternatives like yogurts, puddings and cheeses.
Meanwhile, on the heels of its University of Cambridge partnership, US upcycled food producerThe Supplant Company has now released desserts using its Supplant Sugars from Fibre ingredient at the University of California, Los Angeles. The desserts concocted by UCLA chefs will contain up to 50% less sugar, 30% fewer calories and eight times more fibre than those with regular sugar.
Courtesy: NotCo/Melt Pizzas
In Chile, vegan food brand NotCo has collaborated with restaurant chain Melt Pizzas to release two plant-based pizzas with the former’s NotCheese mozzarella alternative. The two varieties are called Pesto Margherita and the Vegan Veggie, and there’s 20% off until November 12.
Research and markets
The above is probably a shrewd move, given there’s been a 45% yearly increase in the amount of vegan food delivery orders on Uber Eats in Chile, according to a study by the delivery giant and Veganuary.
Eating a more plant-forward Mediterranean diet can help reduce body fat and prevent muscle loss in older adults, according to a new peer-reviewed study analysing 1,521 individuals.
In the UK, corporate finance advisor Oghma Partners published a report saying that interest in cultivated meat has skyrocketed as the industry looks to scale and become more viable, but a shakeout akin to that of plant-based meat is likely and could see key players consolidate.
Meanwhile, New York-based biomanufacturing development platform Synonym has released an updated State of Global Fermentation report, which covers production costs for specific elements and at certain scales, production capacities in each region, and predicted demand.
In other news, a sea lice outbreak on an Icelandic salmon farm has been labelled as an “animal welfare disaster” by a vet, who was reacting to images of “severely diseased, dead and dying salmon” obtained by the Guardian.
A drone investigation by animal advocacy group Mercy For Animals has found that drinking water in parts of Wisconsin has traces of nitrates and E. coli, as a result of manure from dairy cow farms seeping into the water supply of the nearby residential areas.
It’s probably a good thing then that plant-based dairy holds the highest market share for vegan food, according to a new report by Research and Markets. But egg alternatives are set to have the highest growth rate per year.
Policy and manufacturing
Staying in the alt-dairy realm, Chinese fermentation startup Changing Bio has raised the largest alt-protein investment in the country this year with a 104M RMB ($14.2M) Series A+ round, following its record-breaking $22M Series A fundraiser last year. Its microbial yeast protein was featured in a whipping cream and parmesan powder unveiled earlier this year.
Meanwhiel, food giant Danone has put a €2 price cap on the price of its Alpro oat and almond milks in Belgium, which means a price cut of 20-40% depending on the retailer.
In neighbouring Netherlands, the municipalities of Bloemendaal and Utrecht have voted to ban meat and dairy advertising in public spaces like billboards, posters, and other ad spots. The ban also includes fossil fuel-dependent products.
Courtesy: Changing Markets Foundation
Speaking of ads, US sustainability campaigner Changing Markets Foundation commissioned ad agency Nice and Serious to design a marketing campaign calling out Nestlé’s lack of methane commitments. No newspaper approached wanted to run it, so maybe social media could help?
Meanwhile, Sweden’s Veg of Lund – maker of DUG potato milk – has filed for a patent in the country for plant-based red and white meat, which could add to its current patents for milk in Europe, US and Canada, and smoothies, ice cream and cream in its home nation.
Elsewhere, Taiwan’s Food Industry Research and Development Institute has opened a Plant Milk Research and Development Center to develop alt-milk products with drinks brand Ah Zh Wei. It is supported by the Ministry of Economic Affairs, which is already working on vegan meat alternatives.
In sadder news, US plant-based dairy pioneer Miyoko’s Creamery has closed its Petaluma, Sonoma County factory headquarters and switched to a co-manufacturer, a move that has seen between 40 to 50 employees lose their jobs.
Courtesy: Atlantic Fish Co.
Fellow US company Atlantic Fish Co., which makes cultivated seafood focused on overfished species, has been awarded a Small Business Research loan by the North Carolina Biotechnology Center.
Also in the US, meat giant Tyson Foods has recalled nearly 30,000 lbs of its dino chicken nuggets due to fears of contamination with metal pieces. The USDA says there has been one minor oral injury associated with the consumption of Tyson’s nuggets.
ADM has partnered with climate tech startup Solugen to improve the production of plant-based organic acids. To do so, ADM will build a 500,000 ft manufacturing facility adjacent to its corn complex to scale up Solugen’s unique chemoenzymatic process.
And in the EU, the think tank EIT Food has released policy recommendations for protein diversification for a healthier and more sustainable food system that’s less reliant on animal agriculture.
Media and awards
Still waiting for your favourite podcasts to release their new episode? Add another to your list. VegTech Invest has launched an Upside & Impact, a twice-monthly impact investment podcast available on the NYSE’s website ETF Central.
Weeks after the launch of a cultured meat book, there’s another one. Cultivated Meat to Secure Our Future – edited by animal rights advocates Michel Vandenbosch and Philip Lymbery, with a foreword from KindEarth.Tech co-founder Ira van Eelen, daughter of cultured meat pioneer Willem van Eelen – features essays celebrating the progress and discussing the challenges facing the industry.
Speaking of which, South Africa’s Newform Foods (formerly Mzansi Meat) was named a regional winner and overall runner-up in the Green Tech category at the Global Startup Awards Africa in Addis Ababa.
Courtesy: Newform Foods
Australian plant-based meat company v2food, meanwhile, won an InnovationAus 2023 Award for Excellence in the Food and Agritech category for its meat alternative. The startup exhibited its bleeding burger ingredient at SXSW Sydney last month.
At last week’s Asia-Pacific Agri-Food Innovation Summit, seafood giant Thai Union named UK seaweed startup Oceanium as the winner of its Innovation Challenge to support the SeaChange 2030 Sustainability Strategy.
In more awards news, V-Labelannounced its 2023 International V-Label Awards winners on World Vegan Day (November 1). These included Heura, TiNDLE, Lidl’s Vemondo, Desserto and Plenty Reasons, among others, in four categories.
Finally, UK vegan dog food brand The Pack has announced that it is now a Certified B Corp, becoming Europe’s first plant-based pet food startup to do so.
Weeks after opening its D2C online marketplace, Colorado-based mycelium meat startup Meati has expanded its line of meat alternatives with new vegan chicken nuggets and spiced takes on its existing steaks and cutlets. The brand has also released two bundles in time for the holidays.
In September, Meati opened its new webstore, where it promised to offer never-seen-before products through a subscription service, allowing customers to give feedback. Now, it is launching four new SKUs and two bundles to mark the holiday period.
Meati’s current lineup includes chicken cutlets (regular and crispy), steaks (classic and carne asada) and jerkies made from its MushroomRoot ingredient. Now, it’s entering the crowded plant-based chicken nugget market with Crispy Bites, and adding spiced and herby twists to its existing portfolio with a Garlic & Pepper Steak, Spicy Crispy Cutlet and Italian Seasoned Cutlet.
As for the holiday bundles, The Merry Mixer includes the four original cutlets and steaks plus the four new products in Meati’s portfolio that adds up to 19 servings, with a $99 price tag. The Fresh Five contains the Crispy Bites, the three new cutlets and steak, and the jerky in 23 services, which will set you back $119.
The Crispy Bites are available as a standalone on its marketplace starting today, with a 1lb bag prices at $25 and giant 5lb bag at $135. The other three new products are available as part of the bundles on the webshop, and can be purchased individually from December. Alongside the online store, these products will also make their way into retail locations, with consumer feedback key to informing Meati’s R&D for new products.
“We’re looking forward to hearing reactions to each of these products geared toward convenient nutrition and the simple idea that flavour, nutrition and ease of cooking can be of equal prominence at the table,” said Meati president and COO Scott Tassani.
The products are touted to have an “extraordinary nutritional profile” including high protein and fibre content thanks to the mycelium base. Last month, Meati shared results from an AI-led study into the health benefits of its MushroomRoot ingredient, revealing that it contains some “exceedingly rare/non-existent” compounds in food that present “pointed” health benefits that could address “prevalent nutritional deficiencies” and enhance “cardiovascular health”.
“We knew MushroomRoot was nutrient-dense based on our early research to find a species ideal for food,” said Meati co-founder and CSO Justin Whiteley. “However, we did not know exactly what benefits we could claim to make it easier for consumers to understand why it is unique.”
Whiteley added that the goal is to “crystallise what health benefits are yielded by regularly consuming Meati”, and sharing this information with Meati’s customers: “Ultimately, we want to make claims about specific benefits, short- and long-term, addressing specific health needs and also overall health and longevity.”
“It’s easy for nutrition to fall by the wayside in favour of convenience and flavour when consumers are constantly on the go,” said Tassani. “Like all Meati products, Crispy Bites, Spicy Crispy Cutlet, Garlic & Black Pepper Steak and Italian Seasoned Cutlet are designed to make it turnkey to enjoy nutrient-rich and convenient meals that fit a range of taste preferences.”
Meati’s focus on health mirrors that of other plant-based meat companies as consumers prioritise taste and health over other factors when it comes to eating or avoiding plant-based meat. Beyond Meat’s latest ad campaign, for example, zeroes in on the heart-healthy aspect of its Beyond Steak.
Matthew Kenney, the vegan author and celebrity chef behind Plant Food + Wine, is expanding his empire to China with food halls inspired by his Plant City F&B concept, with the help of global scale-up firm The Wellness Agency.
The man behind Double Zero, Plant Food + Wine, Besina, New Burger, Make Out and Plant City – whose business spans five continents and 22 major cities – is now embarking on one of his largest projects yet. Teaming up with The Wellness Agency, a firm that helps wellness brands to scale globally, vegan celebrity chef Matthew Kenney is bringing his empire to China.
Kenney is working on five food halls with a similar concept to his Providence, Rhode Island-based Plant City – touted to be the world’s largest vegan food hall, co-founded with entrepreneur Kim Anderson) – in five markets: Guangzhou, Shanghai, Chengdu, Shenzhen and Macau. Each of the food courts will have 12 to 14 plant-based restaurants, with some individual concepts including VEG’D (vegan fast food), Double Zero (wood-fired pizza) and Ayre (Ayurvedic cuisine).
In addition to the restaurants, there will be food and lifestyle retail experiences, as well as experiential concepts. “As the public perception of plant-based eating continues to evolve and gain popularity around the world, I look forward to expanding Plant City across China,” said Kenney. “Our goal is to provide a one-stop destination for plant-based eating that will be appreciated by vegans, omnivores and carnivores alike.”
Celebrating local chefs and flavours
Courtesy: Matthew Kenney Cuisine
“With talented chefs like Matthew Kenney leading the charge, millions of people around the world are adopting plant-based diets for ethical, environmental, and health reasons,” added The Wellness Agency founder and CEO Jay Faires. “The Chinese market, in particular, is seeing massive growth… We’re excited to expand Matthew Kenney’s Plant City across China, offering an array of new healthful, innovative, and delicious plant-based culinary options to the country’s denizens.”
Faires said that Kenney will be significantly involved, “if not in operations, then in the partnership”, adding that the chef will be “a big part” of the creative process of the food halls (alongside Anderson), which “will likely integrate some local plant-based chefs”. And there will be a big focus on Asian cuisines through their interpretation. The food courts are set to begin opening by 2025.
In terms of funding, investors are yet to be determined and may be involved on a project-by-project basis. “We met with several large real estate and retail developers while we were there, specifically in Hong Kong, Shenzhen and Chengdu,” said Faires, adding that the project will potentially be open to collaborations with local food brands, chefs and food personalities.
Matthew Kenney’s celebrity status
Courtesy: Matthew Kenney Cuisine
Kenney rose to fame in the 90s with his namesake restaurant Matthew’s, a year after whose opening he was named Food & Wine magazine’s Best New Chef in 1994. He opened further restaurants Mezze, Monzu Canteen, Commune and Commissary, which closed down due to the post-9/11 economic crisis.
A pioneer of the raw food movement, he was a founding partner of Pure Food and Wine, the raw vegan eatery that attracted controversy in the 2010s for failing to pay its staff (Kenney left the restaurant in 2005). Since then, he has established his culinary academies and lifestyle brand Matthew Kenney Cuisine. Most recently, Kenney – who has authored 14 books – partnered with entrepreneur Max Koenig to launch Earth Company, a whole-food plant-based ready meal brand.
In 2016, Kenney told Green Queen about his ‘Crafting the Future of Food’ mantra. “The work we’re doing is part of something larger… a mission to change the way the world thinks about its food choices,” he explained. “We are educating ourselves and our students to make sound ingredient choices, to support more sustainable processes and to promote a plant-based lifestyle that’s delicious, healthful, innovative and accessible. This is the future of food.”
Kenney’s Plant Food + Wine at the Four Seasons in Los Angeles is frequented by famous personalities like Taylor Swift, Oprah Winfrey and James Cameron, while his Double Zero pizzeria counts the likes of Jay-Z and Chris Martin as regulars. Could the China expansion see a touch of celebrity too?
Faires met with Margaret Zhang, editor-in-chief of Vogue China, who approached Matthew to head up the culinary side of some major events that would involve over 100 celebrities and influencers. Vogue has a new spot in the Forbidden City palace complex in Beijing, where a tentpole event on November 24 is set to be attended by Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour. Kenney has cooked for her events going back to the mid-90s in New York City, said Faires.
Might there be a rekindling?
The China plant-based opportunity
Courtesy: Dicos x Eat Just
Recent reporting by China Dialogue, a non-profit “dedicated to promoting a common understanding of China’s environmental challenges”, suggests that Chinese consumers are increasingly interested in “safer and more sustainable foods”. A 2022 survey of 579 Chinese consumers in four major cities showed that 85% of respondents had tried plant-based meat alternatives and “were willing to pay more for these products”.
According to analysis published by Singapore-based social enterprise Asia Research and Engagement, “to align with a climate-safe scenario, by 2060 China would rely on alternative protein sources for 50% of its protein consumption”, which it breaks down as follows: plant-based proteins (24%), fermentation-derived protein (16%), and cultivated meat/seafood (10%).
Previous data from Euromonitor projected the vegan and vegetarian food sector would be worth $12 billion this year (2023) and a 2020 Dupont study predicted a 200% increase in demand for meat alternatives within five years. These early estimates have not quite materialised and China’s plant-based meat market remains small, with only a handful of plant-based meat alternative brands on shelves.
However, data about other types of plant-based products is encouraging. In a 2022 report by Asymmetrics Research about China’s Alternative Protein Landscape, the authors identified plant-based milk and RTD beverages, plant-based yoghurts, plant-based ready meals, plant-based functional foods and plant-based “meat” snacks” as the most promising product categories for brands looking to target an urban Chinese consumer demographic that was willing to spend on healthy and safe food products.
In the same report, Green Monday and OmniFoods co-founder and CEO David Yeung said that Chinese customers love to explore new food products to buy and are looking for new and trustworthy brands, while Haofood CEO Astrid Prajogo said that while consumer awareness about plant-based meat was improving, taste and price remained the major purchasing drivers. Xiaomin Zhang, cofounder and CE) at MetaMeat said that “the combination of plant-based meat products and prepared dishes is an important direction for the B2C market.” This bodes well for Kenney and Co.
With additional China reporting and research by Sonalie Figueiras.
Greenhouse gas emissions from the world’s 20 largest meat and dairy producers increased by 3.28% in the last year, according to new analysis from the investor network FAIRR Initiative. The findings come just as global leaders prepare for a food-focused COP28, with the high climate footprint of animal agriculture front of mind.
While companies have become slightly better at showing their cards, they’re still not playing the game any better. A new report by the $70T-backed investor network FAIRR initiative has found that 20 of the largest meat and dairy producers globally have seen their GHG emissions rise by 3.28% from 2022-23, despite increased transparency over the disclosure of Scope 3 emissions.
Scope 3 emissions refer to those from across the supply chain: for meat and dairy producers, for example, this would mean emissions from animal feeding operations too. FAIRR’s analysis shows that eight (40%) of the top 20 companies now publicly report their Scope 3 emissions. These include Danone, Almarai, Saputo, JBS, Charoen Pokphand Foods, Emmi, Tyson Foods and WH Group (owner of Smithfield Foods), with the latter two doing so for the first time.
The analysis covered 60 of the largest publicly traded animal protein companies worth a combined $364B, assessing them against 10 environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) factors. A total of 29 companies from this overall list disclose their Scope 3 emissions, up from 23 last year, which FAIRR’s senior research and engagement manager Thalia Vounaki calls an “important improvement”.
The 1.5°C question
Courtesy: Tyson Foods
While the overall emissions of the top 20 increased, some of these producers have reduced their individual emissions. Danone and Tyson Foods, for example, saw their emissions fall, but their progress was negated by rises from other meat and dairy giants. These include Hormel Foods (US) and New Hope Liuhe (China), which supply to fellow food giants Walmart and McDonald’s.
“The failure of leading meat and dairy companies to reduce emissions underlines the urgent need for more policy focus on the food and agriculture sector,” says FAIRR chair and founder Jeremy Coller. “Food system emissions deserve a place at the top of the table, alongside energy and transport, as they represent an estimated third of greenhouse gas emissions and 40% of methane. Investors hope the first-ever publication of a food and agriculture roadmap at COP28 this month will catalyse the transition to 1.5°C and a more sustainable food system.”
COP28, which starts November 30, is being hosted by the UAE, which has announced that two-thirds of all food served at the summit will be vegetarian or vegan. This year’s conference is expected to finally focus on the food system, with the UN Food and Agriculture Organization set to include a roadmap to limit global temperature rises to 1.5°C – although the body has been under scrutiny of late after an investigation revealed it censored the publication of livestock farming’s true environmental impact following intense pressure by the animal lobby.
That 1.5°C is key, as Vounaki points out: “The sector is not currently on track to align with the 1.5-degree pathway. A critical priority lies in addressing emissions from land use change [principally deforestation, caused by converting land for growing crop feed and raising livestock]. Based on the FAO’s GLEAM database for livestock emissions, the emissions from land use change account for 11% for pork, 14% for beef, and 23% for poultry. Hence the urgency to address deforestation and land conversion.”
Comparing emissions with targets is key
Courtesy: Danone
FAIRR’s analysis also found that only four of the 20 largest companies in the sector have net-zero targets approved by the Science-Based Targets initiative (SBTi). These are Emmi, Danone, Tyson and JBS (which has the highest emissions on the list). Three others – Marfrig, CPF and Inner Mongolia Yili – have committed to such goals, but they haven’t yet been validated.
Danone, which reduced its emissions by 2.05% and is the parent company of plant-based dairy brands Alpro and Silk, was highlighted by FAIRR as an example of good practice in the sector. It says the company is among the first to set SBTi-aligned Forest, Land and Agriculture (FLAG) targets, and has committed to a 30% reduction in its methane emissions from fresh milk by 2030, in line with its efforts with the Global Methane Pledge.
Danone has developed “cutting-edge initiatives” like herd management, feed fundamentals and manure management projects too. But despite the emissions reduction, it still ranks high in terms of absolute emissions, which amount to 24,207,000 tonnes of CO2e. What does it say about a company that houses leading vegan brands?
“While emissions data provides a useful steer on how the sector as a whole is performing when comparing companies, it is particularly interesting to compare whether they have targets and what approaches they are taking [or plan to take] to reduce their emissions and align to a 1.5-degree pathway as companies vary in their production capacity and the type of protein they produce,” explains Vounaki.
“For example, Danone has set rigorous climate reduction interim and long-term targets while also reporting on the actions it takes, such as regenerative agriculture projects and how it progresses against its targets. Indeed, it has seen a decrease in emissions year-on-year.”
The importance of accurate Scope 3 emissions
Courtesy: Getty Images via Canva
“What you can measure, you can manage, so investors will welcome the increased disclosure of Scope 3 emissions by the meat and dairy sector,” said Coller. “The FAIRR Protein Producer Index highlights the ESG risks and opportunities in the global food system, enabling investors to engage their portfolio companies in more meaningful conversations, underpinned by data.”
Oshni Arachchi, head of active ownership at Danske Bank, added: “We welcome increasing transparency in the sector, but with time running out to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement we also need to see sector-wide action.”
Vounaki said that while it’s encouraging to see more companies disclosing their Scope 3 emissions, there’s a long way to go yet, given that 60% of the top 20 still don’t. For example, Guangdong Haid Group Co., Fujian Sunner Development Co. (both China) and Seaboard Corporation (US) offer no emissions disclosures whatsoever.
“Investors must continue to engage with the sector with a clear message that to manage climate risk they need comprehensive disclosures which include supply chain emissions and full inventories that split which emissions come from feed and which come from animals,” explained Vounaki. She noted that this is a crucial step for companies, as the majority of their emissions lie within Scope 3. “For some, disclosing will require finding a process to gather data for up to 100,000 farmers.”
She added: “A significant hurdle for companies is calculating their Scope 3 emissions as their supply chain can be extensive. Once they know what these account for, the next challenge is to engage with key suppliers to set Scope 3 reduction targets. This applies to their suppliers of animals, but also of feed.”
Last week, the third edition of the Asia Food Challenge Report outlined the importance of Scope 3 emissions too. The lack of reporting and data around these emissions is often a major barrier to businesses’ decarbonisation progress, and the paper called on agrifood leaders to invest in better and more accurate emissions mapping and measuring.
Another report last week by the Climate Policy Initiative revealed that while climate action finance has reached an all-time high of $1T, it needs to be increased by fivefold annually by 2030 to avoid the worst impacts of climate change. Furthermore, a study earlier this year found that only 4.3% of all climate funding goes to agrifood systems, despite them accounting for a third of all emissions.
“The agriculture sector is not only essential for food production, it uses around half of the world’s habitable land and, if not carefully managed, can drive deforestation, biodiversity loss and greenhouse gas emissions,” said Arachchi. “A significant portion of those emissions and the majority of deforestation globally comes from the meat and dairy sector and FAIRR’s research underlines the urgency with which the livestock producers should act to transition to more sustainable production.”
Silicon Valley startup The Every Co, which makes precision-fermented egg proteins, recently collaborated with Colombia’s largest CPG food company. It signposts the company’s increased retail focus, which its CEO Arturo Elizondo and partnerships head Nick Toriello outline in an interview with Green Queen.
Last month, The Every Co announced a partnership with Grupo Nutresa, the largest FMCG food company in Colombia and one of Latin America’s most influential players in the sector. Every, which has been operating since 2014, makes animal-free egg proteins from precision fermentation. In 2021, it introduced its ClearEgg protein, a bioidentical egg white protein that has since featured in smoothies, macaroons and canned cocktails through various partnerships.
But with Nutresa, Every is targeting another vertical, and showcasing its ambition via a new partnership that will make use of Every’s EggWhite protein, a functional replacement for egg whites, as a binding agent in meat alternatives under Nutresa’s Zenú and Pietran brands. This is not Every’s first time working with a food giant: the startup has collaborated with ingredients giant Ingredion and drinks conglomerate AB InBev in the past.
Courtesy: The Every Co/Pulp Culture
Every says its proteins are nature-identical and allow manufacturers to avoid disease risks, price fluctuation issues, and the environmental footprint of conventional animal proteins. The EggWhite is described as a “hyperfunctional protein”, which will be leveraged by Nutresa’s formulations to deliver “next-level binding and gelation qualities” that allow analogues to resemble their traditional counterparts more closely, without the use of “overly processed ingredients”.
It’s an important aspect, given that a 2020 global survey by Ingredion found that more than half of respondents find it important for products to have a short ingredient list. Following up on this, Ingredion’s latest data revealed that 78% would spend more money on products with ‘natural’ or ‘all-natural’ packaging claims.
“We expect Every’s protein to solve a key need for egg white replacement in our alternative meat formulations, with additional benefits including bringing delicious, high-performing foods to consumers,” explained Oscar Alberto Ochoa González, meat R&D director at Nutresa.
While Every isn’t the only company working on precision fermentation eggs – Formo and Onego Bio are doing the same in Europe – it is by far the largest in the space, having raised over $233M after closing an oversubscribed $175M Series C fundraiser in December 2021 and an undisclosed investment by American actress Anne Hathaway.
Green Queen spoke to Every CEO Arturo Elizondo and partnerships head Nick Toriello, touching upon egg prices, retail focus, manufacturing abilities, and the environmental impact of its proteins compared to chicken eggs.
This interview has been edited for clarity and concision.
Courtesy: The Every Co
Green Queen: You’ve mentioned how Every provides stability among price fluctuations for conventional eggs – could you expand on the production cost of your egg whites and price comparison with chicken eggs?
Arturo Elizondo: Each day that passes, we are marching down the cost curve. We’ve spent years developing our technology, and we continue to optimise. At this point in time, the next step is capturing economies of scale with dedicated manufacturing.
The good news is that there are a number of tailwinds at our backs. Our recently inked collaboration agreement with Grupo Nutresa is evidence of accelerating customer demand. This comes at a time of upward pricing pressure on conventional eggs, driven by global cage-free commitments from the world’s largest food companies, and severe and worsening egg price and supply volatility.
Considering the low cost of inputs for precision fermentation and our demonstrated progress in manufacturing scale-up – we are actively producing at manufacturing-scale fermentation runs of over 100,000 litres – this backdrop sets a clear path to positive unit economics at scale for Every. We are laser-focused on driving large-scale manufacturing to meet the needs of customers like Nutresa, whose products reach more than 80 countries around the world.
History supports this forecast, with precedent well established for the rapid and steep adoption of superior products from microbial fermentation such as citric acid, insulin, vitamin B2 and rennet following their introduction to market.
GQ: Are you looking to expand into retail too, as well as other countries?
Courtesy: Pietran
Nick Toriello: We’re leveraging our capacity as the intel inside a wide array of foods to ultimately drive mainstream adoption through large volumes at retail, where our customers’ brands are present. This approach aligns with our purpose to remake the food system from within, delivering mass impact alongside mass adoption of our more humane, hyperfunctional ingredients.
For example, Grupo Nutresa’s significant market reach affords Every an onramp to deliver increasing volumes of our products across channels and geographies. Our agreement with Nutresa complements core R&D initiatives in Nutresa’s cold-cuts business, with an initial focus on the Zenú and Pietran brand lines, which are well-established retail brands within the company’s portfolio.
GQ: You moved to a new headquarters in April, dubbed ‘The Hatchery’. What’s your manufacturing capacity now?
AE: The purpose of The Hatchery is not to manufacture large volumes of protein: it’s to optimise the manufacturing process and transfer those learnings to our current scaled manufacturing sites. That said, we’ve quintupled our on-site fermentation capacity with the introduction of The Hatchery, our built-for-purpose pilot plant driving targeted manufacturing optimisation. It’s the ideal site to perfect our protein platform and continue improving the blueprint for scaled sites.
We recently hired Dr Konrad Mueller-Auffermann, one of the world’s leading experts in beverage, food and biotech process design, to spearhead Every’s preparation for further large-scale manufacturing at purpose-built sites. The Hatchery directly supports this work.
GQ: How’s your life cycle assessment (LCA) validation process going – when will the results will be published?
NT: We will be publishing more on LCA next year, and look forward to doing so. In the meantime, check out [Every scale-up partner] BioBrew’s LCA summary, which includes an overview of outcomes for poultry egg protein from fermentation, compared to conventional animal sources.
Courtesy: The Every Company
GQ: What are your plans for the next year – any further collaborations or new products in the works?
AE: We are always working on new products and collaborations, and have executed several yet-to-be-announced commercial partnerships that will continue to advance our mission to transform the broken food system. We are excited to share more in the near future.
Partnering with Nutresa is a pivotal move in our mission to transform the food system and deliver high-quality protein to consumers around the world.
Replacing 30% of meat consumption with plant-based alternatives could offset almost all of global aviation emissions, free up a carbon sink the size of India, and save all the cows alive in the US today, according to a new report by Profundo.
“The benefits of a modest switch to plant proteins are huge,” says Nico Muzi, managing director of Madre Brava, who commissioned the report by Profundo. “The current food system incentivises producing and selling huge amounts of industrial meat, rather than more sustainable, healthier proteins. We need to turn the tide for our health and the health of our planet.”
His words come following the study’s findings that a small switch (30%) in the consumption of beef, pork and chicken with whole foods and plant-based analogues from Impossible Foods (against a 2021 baseline) could save 728 million tons of CO2e annually, which is equal to nearly all global emissions from the aviation industry last year.
Courtesy: Madre Brava/Profundo
Over three-quarters (77%) of the world’s habitable land is used for animal agriculture. Cutting just under a third of our meat consumption would free up 3.4 million sq km of farmland – which is an area bigger than India – and restore it to nature to boost biodiversity and absorb carbon emissions. In addition, the report highlights the high water footprint of livestock farming, with the 30% switch saving 18.9 cubic km of water, equivalent to 7.5 million Olympic-sized swimming pools per year.
And it’s not just the environment, of course. Doing so would help save 420 million pigs, over 22 billion chickens and 100 million cows, which would be the same as sparing all cows alive in the US today.
“A 30% reduction in meat is in line with the widely shared goal of a global 50% reduction by 2040,” says Muzi. “While this goal is global, the exact meat reduction targets will need to be tailored to specific regions or countries based on the relative consumption and emissions.”
The report chimes with similar research published last month, which found that swapping 50% of meat and dairy for plant-based alternatives could reduce agricultural and land-use emissions by 31%, halt deforestation and double overall climate benefits.
North America leads red meat consumption, followed by Europe and South America
Courtesy: Madre Brava/Profundo
The proposed 30% shift model only applies to countries where meat consumption is higher than the recommended daily intake by scientists and organisations like the Eat-Lancet Commission. Profundo’s analysis of Eat-Lancet data found that Americans eat over six times more red meat than advised by the commission – by far the higher of all other regions.
There are two main issues here, according to Muzi. The first is the severe underreporting of the “climate-meat nexus” in US media – a Faunalytics report found that only 7% of all climate stories mention animal agriculture. “It’s hard for the public to know about the oversized role of meat in driving climate change if they are not informed about it,” he says. That perhaps explains why 40% of Americans don’t believe eating less red meat would help climate change, a number that rises to 74% for overall meat consumption according to a separate study.
The other problem is the power of the meat lobby. Livestock farming receives 800 times more funding than plant-based companies in the US, according to a study that suggests the “gigantic power” of the meat and dairy lobby is blocking the rise of sustainable alternatives. “There is a well-funded communications machine coming from the meat and dairy industry to promote the sustainability of livestock, and even to push misinformation,” says Muzi.
“Borrowing heavily from the playbook of the oil industry, media reporting and exposés have shown that big meat processors and dairy corporations use their abundant financial resources to manipulate the facts and sow doubts about climate science on animal products,” he adds, pointing to research revealing that the 10 largest livestock companies in the US “have contributed to research that minimises the link between animal agriculture and climate change”.
North America is followed by Europe and Latin American countries Argentina and Brazil, which eat more than four times the recommended amount of red meat. So even with a 30% switch to plant-based alternatives, people will still be able to consume more red meat than is advised.
Overall, meat consumption has increased globally in the past few decades, with high intakes concentrated in a few regions, according to the study. The US, Australia, Argentina and Brazil accounted for over 100kg of meat eaten per capita each year, as opposed to an average of 75kg in the EU and the UK, and less than 5kg in India, Bangladesh or Burundi.
Meat consumption is set to increase
Courtesy: Madre Brava/Profundo
In the sea of reports outlining the graveness of continued meat-eating rates, counter research by the livestock lobby, and consumer confusion from contradictory research and misinformation, meat consumption already rose by 19% from 2011-21. Now, an ever-growing global population, higher incomes in developing economies, and better life expectancy rates to a further rise in meat intake, according to Profundo.
According to the OECD-FAO, global poultry consumption is set to increase by 15% by 2032, with pork consumption expected to grow by 11% and beef by 10%. Profundo stresses that the only way to achieve the Paris Agreement’s 1.5°C goals is to reduce industrial meat consumption and production. Strategies to address this have included reducing livestock’s emissions intensity by, for example, changing the digestive fermentation process in methane-producing ruminant animals.
But these measures don’t do much. “Even the most optimistic estimates of emissions reductions from intensification and efficiency measures are not enough to bring protein production in line with climate goals. As such, structural solutions focused on making sustainable proteins the cheapest, easiest choice for consumers are critical,” explains Muzi.
“Greater attention needs to be paid to a protein transition, alongside exploring sustainable intensification and methane mitigation technologies,” he adds. How can we do so? “We need to incentivise these products by ensuring they are as cheap, healthy, and convenient as industrial meat products. To do that, we need to level the playing field between animal-based and plant-based products in terms of public and private sector support.”
Muzi continues: “For example, in most countries around the world, meat and dairy production is heavily subsidised and receives public funding for promotion and advertising. In some cases, value-added tax is higher for plant-based foods than it is for meat and dairy products by an order of magnitude.”
He points to how public investment in alt-protein R&D is “significantly lower” (97% in the EU and 95% in the US) than it is for livestock. “Such policy choices run counter to all corporate and governmental efforts made to reverse the triple crisis of climate change, biodiversity loss and water scarcity.”
Going meatless twice a week in the EU & UK has tremendous benefits
Courtesy: Heura
If people stop eating meat for two days a week – “Meatless Mondays… and Tuesdays”, as Profundo puts it – in the UK and EU, replacing it with a mix of whole foods and vegan analogues, it could wave 81 million tons of CO2e. This is the same as removing about a quarter (65 million) of all cars in the UK and EU. Doing so would free up land larger than the UK and save 2.2 cubic km of water – or 880,000 swimming pools worth of water per year.
The problem, however, is that Europeans eat 1.4kg of meat each week, which is 80% higher than the global average. Factory farming plays a big role in the region’s emissions, over a third (36%) of which are linked to food, with animal products accounting for 70% of this. Alongside dairy, meat production in the EU – which is set to grow until 2030 – is the single largest source of methane emissions.
Muzi outlines how it’s not just meat-eating that needs to be reduced. Dairy is a massive issue too, and cutting down its intake is necessary to “achieve climate stability” and will be key to ensuring “food security for a growing global population, protection for biodiversity, water availability, reduced air pollution, human health improvements, and better animal welfare”.
“Part of our theory of change is that reducing total beef production and consumption will also support reducing production and consumption of dairy since the industries are linked,” he notes. “For example, in the US and the EU, a major portion of beef – particularly for low-quality meat – comes from dairy cows. As such, driving down demand for beef will reduce the offtake demand for dairy cattle, and impact the profitability of the dairy industry.”
And while a 30% reduction will still mean Europeans will eat more meat than recommended, “it’s in line with a progressive reduction in the decades to come to achieve net-zero by 2050 in the EU”.
Big Food has a big role to play
Courtesy: McDonald’s
The report looked at the role of meat producers, foodservice giants and retailers in meat consumption too. In 2021, Cargill, Tyson, JBS and National Beef Packing alone controlled between 55-85% of the beef, pork and chicken markets in the US. The top 20 meat producers account for 15% of the global slaughtering of cattle, chickens and pigs.
But a 30% reduction in the production of meat from these animals by these companies could result in a reduction of 150 million tons of CO2e – nearly the annual GFG emissions of the Netherlands. Moreover, about a million sq km of land would be freed, and 3.6 cubic km of water would be saved.
In terms of retailers and foodservice companies like Carrefour, Lidl, Tesco, Ahold Delhaize, CP All and Sodexo, substituting half of all meat sales with plant-based foods like tofu, pulses, mycoprotein or fermentation-based alternatives could save 31.6 million tons of CO2e, 102,000 sq km of land, and 0.67 cubic km of water.
Meanwhile, a 50% substitution of beef sales at McDonald’s, which is responsible for 1.5% of global annual beef production, with a mix of alt-proteins would save 15 million tons of CO2e (the equivalent of the annual emissions of Slovenia), free up 84,000 sq km of land (equalling the surface area of Austria), and conserve 0.2 cubic km of water (over 80,000 swimming pools’ worth).
But a big problem with meat companies is aggressive political lobbying to thwart the alt-protein sector, as evidenced by recent investigations into the effect of the animal agriculture lobby on work by the UN FAO and the EU. Muzi cites research uncovering how “taken as a share of each company’s total revenue over those time periods [2000-18], Tyson has spent more than double what Exxon has on political campaigns and 21% more on lobbying.”
Switching from meat to plant-based could produce 14 times more protein
Courtesy: Madre Brava/Profundo
Profundo modelled two uses of farmland to find out how protein production could be impacted by a moderate shift from animal-derived to plant-based meat: it assessed the production of beef and a mix of brands, oats, peas and soybeans.
The report found that the same area of land can yield enough beef to satisfy the needs of 2% of the global population as it can produce plant protein crops that could satisfy 28% of the world. It aligns with similar research that revealed how 63% of the world’s total protein supply comes from plant-based food.
As some cattle-rearing land is unsuitable for crop cultivation (like pastures in hilly areas), the shift from beef to plant proteins could additionally free up 1.3 million sq km of land, an area the size of France, Germany and Italy combined, which can help absorb carbon and boost biodiversity.
“Meat is a very inefficient way of producing cheap sustainable proteins for a growing world population,” says Muzi. “For food security reasons, world leaders should be looking at boosting the production of protein crops and reducing the production of beef.”
He posits public procurement in schools as an example: “Governments can ensure plant-based proteins are offered to schools to help students understand healthy diets, and reduce consumption of high processed foods high in fat, sugar, and sodium. In many cases, plant-based offerings can also be cheaper to support the high volume needs of public schooling.”
Some companies are coming up with blended and hybrid meat products, mixing conventional meat with vegetables or plant-based alternatives. Could these innovations help drive the transition? Definitely, says Muzi: “Blended products are an important way of introducing plant-based and alternative proteins without having to introduce entirely new products. Ultimately, we want meat eaters to reduce their meat consumption,” he adds. “Ideally, blends are a gateway for dedicated meat-eaters to increasingly reduce their meat consumption and move towards more sustainable diets.”
Muzi touches upon how people’s attitudes and choices have been shaped by the food industry for decades, and implores these corporations to encourage the selection of alt-protein. “Currently, companies and governments incentivise widespread purchasing of cheap, high-emission, unhealthy meat products through pricing, advertising, and product placement among others,” he says.
“The onus should not be put on consumers to choose these products out of their own good will – and such an approach will continue to make plant-based and alternative proteins a niche product for wealthy consumers,” Muzi adds. “Instead, we can view the issue as a systemic problem in which subsidies, taxes, public procurement and corporate strategies can shift to newly incentivised plant-based and alternative proteins.”
Singapore is host to Rethink’s Asia-Pacific Agri-Food Innovation Summit this week, where it’s bolstering its role as a leader in the APAC food tech ecosystem. Off the back of a newly announced food safety bill that will advance novel food regulations, a host of new announcements are taking the city state’s food tech sector to new heights.
In his keynote speech to a crowd of investors, big food corporates and future food startups at the Asia-Pacific Agri-Food Innovation Summit (October 31 to November 2) this week, Singapore Trade and Industry Minister Alvin Tan outlined the country’s reputation as a hotbed for food tech and progressive regulation. One line summed it all up: “Come to the best place in the world for food innovation.”
And so many are. During the conference, the nation-state cemented its position as the regional hub of food system innovation with a wave of announcements including rebrands, new facilities and offices, as well as collaborations across sectors like precision fermentation and other novel proteins. Here’s what’s going on:
Belgian precision fermentation company Paleo announces Singapore office
Courtesy: Paleo
Belgium precision fermentation startup Paleo has opened an office in Singapore to serve as a base for future operations in the APAC region. “We aim to also market our animal-free proteins in the Asia-Pacific in the near future,” says CEO Hermes Sanctorum.
The company makes animal-free myoglobin, the protein responsible for the colour and iron content of meat and fish. Paleo calls Singapore a “global hotspot for the meat and fish of the future”, with Sanctorum explaining: “If we wanted to expand anywhere as a growing food tech startup, it had to be here first. Our promising, cutting-edge technology can simply not be lacking over here.”
The startup’s precision-fermented yeast myoglobin is ready for use in plant-based meat and fish applications, and it hopes the Singapore expansion will help drive growth in the medium and long term. “Especially the wider APAC region is of great interest for us, as it proves that the demand for plant-based and non-conventional meat products is on the rise,” says Sanctorum.
He adds: “And, albeit small, also Singapore is investing in sustainable and future-oriented ways of food production. I am glad to see that specifically precision fermentation is being acknowledged both by investors as well as by governmental action plans.” Last year, for example, Californian precision fermentation giant Perfect Day launched Very Dairy in Singapore supermarkets, marking the first animal-free milk to be released in Asia.
Australia’s Nourish Ingredients picks Singapore as APAC hub
Courtesy: Nourish Ingredients
Paleo isn’t the only precision fermentation company setting up in Singapore. Australia’s Nourish Ingredients – just off the back of showcasing its breakthrough plant fat at SXSW Sydney – announced an expansion to the island nation to scale up its fat production during the Rethink Summit.
It has partnered with ScaleUp Bio, a joint venture between ADM and Temasek-owned Nurasa, which is Singapore’s first end-to-end contract development and manufacturing organisation service helping food tech companies process optimisation and scale up. The collaboration will support 10,000-litre batches of fermentation capacity and 100 litres of thermal processing to successfully scale the production of Nourish’s animal-free fats.
The Australian company says its fats – which include Tastilux – provide “the authentic taste, smell and cooking experience” of conventional meat, without the “cost or chemicals”. It adds that its precision fermentation process is designed to be scalable and affordable due to the relatively low volumes required, which enables it to work with large food producers.
Through its Singapore outpost and research collaborations with the Agency for Science, Technology, and Research (A*STAR), Nourish will support the government’s 30 by 30 initiative, which aims to reduce import reliance by producing 30% of all food consumed in the island nation by 2030.
“Singapore’s highly enabling ecosystem – from regulatory and legal support to production capabilities – and commitment to innovation and sustainability makes it an ideal hub for showcasing our groundbreaking natural fats to investors and customers in the Asia Pacific region,” said Nourish founder-director and CTO Anna El Tahchy. “We know that if we can improve the taste of alternative proteins, Nourish Ingredients can spur the category’s mainstream consumer adoption for greater food security in Singapore.”
Food tech co-man ScaleUp Bio signs multiple LOIs, announces two facilities
Courtesy: ScaleUp Bio
While Nourish is ScaleUp Bio’s first major customer, it will be far from the only one in the near future. It has signed letters of intent with New York-based C16 Biosciences (which makes a fermented palm oil alternative), Malaysian alt-meat brand Ultimeat, and fellow Singaporean food tech startup Allium Bio, which co-cultures algae and mycelium to turn into functional ingredients like protein isolates.
“We are truly excited to announce our first group of customer partners who are joining us in building the future of food through microbial precision fermentation,” said ScaleUp Bio CEO Francisco Codoñer. “These companies recognise the significant growth opportunities for novel foods across Asia and understand the truly unique advantages ScaleUp Bio offers, enabling them to achieve their strategic business objectives and together, empowering the next food revolution.”
In addition, the company announced that it is in the final pre-operational phase of opening Singapore’s first dedicated food-grade submerged microbial and precision fermentation facilities. The two plants will support the startup’s growth vision with R&D and pilot-stage manufacturing.
The Fermentation Joint Lab is an R&D hub jointly developed and operated by ScaleUp Bio and A*STAR’s Singapore Institute of Food and Biotechnology Innovation, located in Nurasa’s Food Tech Innovation Centre. The second facility – a pilot plant – is fully owned by ScaleUp Bip and will serve as its new headquarters situated in the high-tech manufacturing district of Tuas in the west, with full operations expected to begin in early 2024.
Singapore agrifood fund rebrands to Clay Capital and closes second $145M fund
Courtesy: Cook-e
Singaporean agrifood investor VisVires New Protein has rebranded as Clay Capital and announced the close of its second fund, which is worth $145M. “The idea behind our former name was a novel insight at that time and held broader meaning than the category-specific connotations it holds today,” the firm told AFN. It chose ‘Clay Capital’ as “clay soil is known to be fertile; a rich canvas upon which to grow healthy food”. “Healthy, fertile soil is the foundation of a healthy food system; we invest from the soil up.”
The new fund will see the VC firm invest in up to 15 companies across Asia, Israel and Europe, which are “applying technology to remedy fundamental problems in the food system”. Initial checks will range between $3M and $8M, with added cash kept for return investments.
Launched in 2014, Clay Capital is backed by government-linked funds, intergovernmental bodies, banks, insurers, and prominent agrifood families. It has made initial investments in biostimulant producer Toopi, kitchen robot startup Cook-e (both French), and Israeli bioherbicide company WeedOUT.
“As part of the larger climate tech market, food remains a major source of emissions and natural capital destruction,” said Clay Capital co-founder and partner Matthieu Vermersch. “What’s changed in the sector over the last nine years is that tailwinds have increased, the maturity of the technology ripened and, of late, a focus on business fundamentals returned.”
Industry think tank GFI APAC launches comms initiative to tackle alt-protein misinformation
Alt-protein think tank the Good Food Institute (GFI) APAC launched the Communication Leadership in Future Foods (CLIFF) initiative at Rethink’s summit, via a workshop hosted by Andrew D Powell and Paul Teng from the Agri-Biotech Knowledge Centre Ltd, GFI APAC managing director Mirte Gosker, and Mengxue Ou from the Nanyang Technological University.
With misinformation about alt-protein on the rise, consumer adoption can be hindered and delayed without effective messaging. To safeguard the industry from these challenges, CLIFF will provide training and implementation strategies on risk communication tools and techniques for the future food sector. The initiative will be a resource for the entire sector, but especially for early-stage companies with limited resources.
“Risk communication is neither PR nor corporate communication,” explained GFI APAC in a LinkedIn post. “It is a science-based approach for communicating effectively in high-concern, low-trust, sensitive, or controversial situations. Risk communication strategies are used to enhance knowledge, build trust and credibility, encourage dialogue, and influence attitudes, decisions, and behaviours.
“It is important to understand that consumers are being asked to change their behaviours, and perhaps even their food cultures. Change brings concerns and risk perceptions. These must be addressed through clear and understandable information. Risk communication is a vital tool in delivering these messages.”
Multi-step training programme for Singapore fresh grads aiming to join plant meat industry unveiled
The Summit also saw GFI reveal details about a multi-step training programme for fresh graduates and mid-careerists to address plant-based meat industry talent gaps. It will prepare people for three specific job roles within Singapore’s vegan sector: protein texturisation specialist, plant-based meat product specialist, and extrusion specialist. The aim is to eliminate a major industry bottleneck and ensure the required R&D and manufacturing facilities are fully staffed by highly skilled local employees.
“Singapore has long been a leader in innovation of all kinds, from information technology to biologics to now leading the world in building a healthier, safer food system.” These were the words of Josh Tetrick, CEO of GOOD Meat parent Eat Just, back in 2020 when it won the world’s first regulatory approval for cultured meat in Singapore.
Three years on, this remark seems just as accurate. These new developments at the Asia-Pacific Agri-Food Innovation Summit in Singapore outline just how potent the country’s food tech sector is. With the new food security bill, its regulatory advancements with cultivated proteins and precision fermentation, and government support via funding and legislation, Tan’s words couldn’t be truer: it really feels like the “best place” for food innovation.
In our weekly column, we round up the latest news and developments in the alternative protein and sustainable food industry. This week, Future Food Quick Bites covers an upcycled pasta partnership at Cambridge, the UK getting into Christmas mode, and anti-dairy advertising that’s sure to ruffle some feathers.
New products and launches
Happy World Vegan Day (and Month)! To kick it off, upcycled food producerThe Supplant Company is putting its Grain & Stalk Flour pasta on the catering menus of the University of Cambridge – a sweet homecoming for the brand that has its roots in the Department of Biochemistry, where founder Tom Simmons was a research scientist. Magdalene College will be subbing regular pasta for Supplant’s in a vegetarian mac and cheese and a meat-based carbonara, starting tomorrow.
Speaking of carbonara, Finnish ready meals brand REBL Eats has partnered with French vegan bacon brand La Vie to launch a ready-to-eat plant-based carbonara featuring the latter’s lardons at Kesko K-Group stores in Finland.
In more bacon news, Spanish companies Foodys and Cocuus have launched a 3D-printed vegan bacon SKU. It will be available in 120g packs at Carrefour fridges in the country starting this month.
Fellow Spanish brand NuVeg, meanwhile, is marking World Vegan Day by officially launching today with a range of dehydrated vegan dishes. Think vegan eggs, chicken curry, crepes, protein broth and bolognese.
In the US, meanwhile, New York-based vegan Italian restaurant Coletta is now servingOshi‘s 3D-printed salmon in a limited-edition Seared Balsamic Salmon dish with vegan parmesan, chive polenta, thyme-roasted broccoli and lemon.
Courtesy: Daiya
Also in New York’s plant-based Italian scene, Daiyaopened the Slice Club, a vegan pizza slice pop-up at the Two Boots in the West Village last Friday, serving free pizza to 500 customers. It will bring the concept to other US cities in the future.
If you’re looking got more vegan fast food, Canada’s Odd Burger has entered retail with a line of burgers, sausages and fillets featuring beef, pork and chicken analogues. They can be found at all Odd Burger locations, as well as stores in Toronto, London (Ontario), Hamilton and Kitchener.
Elsewhere, in Malaysia, retail and foodservice operator Berjaya Food has announced an expansion of its vegan offering across its sites. The company operates all Starbucks stores in the country, as well as a vegan Latin American restaurant and two alt-dairy brands.
If you’re in the UK, you might be familiar with the immediate post-Halloween Christmas craze. It has already begun, starting with its largest supermarket Tescounveiling its Christmas 2023 range, which features a bunch of vegan products. There’s Butternut Wellington, Battered Bangers with Curry Sauce, Mushroom and Chestnut Festive Wreath, Stem Ginger Tiffin Crackers and two roast turkey SKUs.
Courtesy: Tesco
Then there’s the Upfield-owned cream brand Elmlea, which has launched a brandy-flavoured vegan cream made from lentil protein and vegetable oils. But it doesn’t contain any booze, so anyone can have it.
And vegan deli meat maker Shocken Foods will release its plant-based foie gras, ‘nduja and meatballs in time for Christmas. The brand was co-founded by Emma Bowe, a former chef at Heston Blumenthal’s Mandarin Oriental restaurant.
Funding, manufacturing and finance news
German vegan seafood maker Happy Ocean Foods, which makes products like plant-based tuna, seafood and shrimp, has raised €1.5M in a seed funding round from Companisto.
WebrestaurantStore, an online foodservice retailer in the US, has reported a 110% year-on-year growth ($3B) in revenue in 2022, with plant-based consumables a key growth factor.
Cellular agriculture as a category has raised double the investments of Q3 2023 within the first few weeks of Q4. While a total of $40.2M was raised in Q3, five fundings disclosed this quarter have amounted to $81.5M, including Eden Brew, Bon Vivant and BlueNalu.
Meanwhile, the chicken nugget market is expected to grow by 12% annually by 2029, and the snack bars segment is set to surpass $16.5B by 2032. And the global plant-based milk sector is anticipated to expand annually by 6.38% to 2028.
Courtesy: Jumbo
In the Netherlands, supermarket chain Jumbo has committed to make 60% of all its protein offerings plant-based by 2030, with plans to expand its Lekker Veggie vegan brand in 2024.
Former Impossible Foods executive Don DiMasi has joined Californian food tech company Yali Bio as a senior VP for engineering and biomanufacturing. The company engineers precision-fermented lipids and fats for the plant-based industry.
Aussie startup Nourish Ingredients, meanwhile, which creates animal-like fats for plant proteins, has expanded its manufacturing processes to Singapore, joining hands with ScaleUp Bio, a joint venture between Temasek-owned Nurasa and ingredients giant ADM.
However, ADM has “re-scoped” its plant protein investment in its Decatur, Illinois facility in the US to “better match” the weakening demand for meat alternatives and an explosion at its West plant.
Also in Illinois, the Illinois Fermentation and Agriculture Biomanufacturing Hub, which works on precision fermentation crops like soy and corn, was named as one of 31 new Regional Innovation and Technology Hubs by the Biden-Harris administration.
Courtesy: Illinois Fermentation and Agriculture Biomanufacturing Hub
Elsewhere, German equipment manufacturer Bühler says it will open five application and training centres in Switzerland, two of which will complement its plant-based protein processing infrastructure.
In the US, two women-owned startups, Taimat Scienses and Biomilq, have collaborated on a project to show how a plant-based recombinant protein can be just as effective as its commercially available alternative, and 10 times more affordable.
Policy, research and events
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency has updated its labelling policies on meat alternatives, clarifying that substitutes that don’t have the appearance of conventional meat don’t need to be labelled as ‘simulated’, and terms like ‘veggie burger’ and ‘soy sausage’ are fair game.
In the UK, Adfree Cities – a group challenging corporate outdoor advertising – is calling for a ban on meat advertising in the UK, arguing that it should be prohibited just as tobacco commercials were for their detrimental effects. The campaign is called The Cows Aren’t Laughing.
Courtesy: Switch4Good
The US is seeing a similar rhetoric played out. Switch4Good, the dairy-free advocacy group founded by Olympian Dotsie Bausch, has launched a Killer Milk billboard ad campaign, citing a 2021 study revealing that cow’s milk is the “leading cause of fatal anaphylaxis among school children”.
Along the same lines, Bausch joined two other women – Marielle Williamson and Yen Ang – to support the ADD SOY Act (Addressing Digestive Distress in Stomachs of our Youth) proposed by four senators to give schoolchildren a dairy-free snack choice.
In Germany, Europe’s leading vegan market, a study by sustainable food advocacy group ProVeg International has revealed that plant-based food is approaching price parity, with the cost difference between vegan and conventional products dropping from 53% to 25% in one year. Recently, supermarkets Lidl and Kaufland announced they were matching the cost of plant-based alternatives to their animal-derived counterparts.
New research by Burger King and The Vegetarian Butcher has found that 73% of Brits would choose meat over plant-based options if given the choice, with 48% citing taste as the major reason. Nearly three in 10 (30%) say they want to live a flexitarian lifestyle.
Courtesy: Burger King
In event news, VegFest UK is taking place this month in London (November 18-19). The conference will play host to Vegan Business Tribe Live, which will see speakers from leading plant-based brands in the UK, including THIS, One Planet Pizza, and Better Nature.
Finally, with another round of Veganuary fast approaching, a six-month survey found that 28% of the participants who responded stuck to a plant-based diet post-January, while 52% claimed to have reduced animal product consumption by 50% or higher. It comes a week after the campaign launched a trailer for its upcoming documentary.
Two projects funded by the European Space Agency have looked at the viability of producing cultivated meat in space to provide more sustainable food for astronauts. The results are promising.
There is so much regulatory red tape around cell-cultured meat, it’s hard to know which country will follow Singapore and the US to allow people to try cultivated meat. It almost feels like the next best option would be to just disregard all countries and focus on another sphere altogether.
Past the exosphere, that is. Two research projects in the UK and Germany, supported by the European Space Agency (ESA), have been looking into ways to make cultivated meat in space. The two teams – made up of German company Yuri and Reutlingen University, and UK firms Kayser Space, Cellular Agriculture and Campden BR – have found promising results for astronauts.
Courtesy: European Space Agency
Cultivating potential for future meat
The idea is that cultivated meat can provide an opportunity to produce fresh and familiar food products in situ. Typically, packaged supplies have a shelf life of two years, which makes them unsuitable for astronauts needing nutritious food on longer-term projects, explains ESA engineer Paolo Corradi. “Given the limited resources in space, growing fresh food in situ would be necessary to increase the resilience and self-sufficiency of a mission, and could also provide psychological support to the crew,” he says.
The British and German teams worked independently and compared existing plant- or algae-based protein alternatives in space with cultured meat in terms of nutritional value. Both came up with different production methods and bioreactor technologies. “After their analysis, both teams have come to similar conclusions and suggest that the idea of producing cultivated meat in space is not far-fetched and calls for further research,” says Corradi.
ESA is additionally developing tech that enhances bioprocesses and metabolic resources onboard spacecrafts, which could help with the cultured meat project. “ESA is investing significant efforts in researching advanced life support systems,” says Christel Paille, an ESA life support engineer and member of its cultivated meat team.
“We are creating ground prototypes to investigate, for instance, closed-loop systems that recover nutrients and recycle metabolic wastes. This could also be applied to cultivated meat production to recover the nutrient medium that we give to the cells.”
The agency adds that there’s still a lot of work to be done before astronauts can begin eating cultured meat. “It’s something that is still in its infancy, so we proposed a roadmap that outlines the steps required to progress the necessary technologies and fill current knowledge gaps,” says Corradi.
“This includes understanding how cells adapt to altered gravity and radiation,” adds ESA cultivated meat researcher João Garcia. “By using facilities available at ESA, we will soon start experiments to understand these effects.”
Courtesy: European Space Agency
Cultured meat in space
ESA is far from the only space agency investing in alt-proteins like cultivated meat. In 2019, Israeli cultured meat leader Aleph Farms grew beef from bovine cells on the International Space Station, nearly 400km away from any natural resources. “We are proving that cultivated meat can be produced anytime, anywhere, in any condition,” said Aleph Farms co-founder and CEO Didier Toubia. “We can potentially provide a powerful solution to produce the food closer to the population needing it, at the exact and right time it is needed.”
This was followed by another experiment by Aleph Farms last year when it collaborated with SpaceX, whose crew members conducted experiments on microgravity’s effects on muscle tissue growth. They carried beef cells harvested on Earth by Aleph Farms.
NASA has already shown interest in the alt-protein space (pun unintended), with its Deep Space Food Challenge, whose finalists included startups making food using carbon dioxide, algae and fungal proteins, such as Finland’s Solar Foods, which uses gas fermentation to make single-cell proteins. Canada’s space agency is a collaborator on this project too.
NASA has actually been conducting cultured meat experiments since 2001, the same year Willem van Eelen, Wiete Westerhof and Willem van Kooten filed for a patent on cultivated meat production. It has partnered with fungal protein startup Nature’s Fynd as well, focusing on research to develop a micro-gravity biofilm-biomass reactor, which would bring a nutrient-dense vegan protein to astronauts.
Meanwhile, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency has been working with Tokyo-based Integriculture Inc. and the Tokyo Women’s Medical University on a project involving cellular agriculture and cultivated meat production in space. JAXA is part of Space FoodSphere too, a programme that includes cultured meat and microbial proteins.
And last year, Mexican cultured meat producer Micro Meat teamed up with US-based space parks developer Orbital Assembly to install meat production equipment in the latter’s space stations. Micro Meat said that working with cultivated meat in zero gravity will help it scale its protein systems on Earth.
Courtesy: Aleph Farms
Calling on the EU to step up
The ESA is now imploring the European Food Safety Authority – the EU’s regulator – to follow the lead of its counterparts in Singapore and the US and grant approvals to companies to sell cultivated meat. In the bloc’s framework, cultivated meat is classed as a ‘novel food’ and requires premarket authorisation.
Its stringent safety regulations have meant that there have been no known applications by cultured meat producers in the region. Aleph Farms did, however, file for clearance earlier this year in Switzerland and the UK (which retains the EU’s novel foods regulations post-Brexit).
“The feeling is that we are at the beginning of a process that could transform the industry, making the conventional meat production model obsolete,” says Corradi. “Developed countries have the historical opportunity to move away from farming and killing animals, being a very inefficient process to produce food, unsustainable for the planet, dangerous for our health and raising more and more ethical concerns among the population.”
Singapore is working on a Food Safety and Security Bill that would offer greater clarity on regulatory frameworks for novel foods like cultivated meat and help prevent foodborne illnesses like the ones suffered from raw seafood, which offers multiple opportunities for cultured meat producers.
At Rethink’s Asia-Pacific Agri-Food Innovation Summit which starts today in Singapore, the nation state’s trade and industry minister Alvin Tam gave a keynote speech to smart protein startups that summed up the city state’s food tech pedigree: “Come to the best place in the world for food innovation.”
Singapore is host to a number of alt-protein startups, and it’s no surprise, given that it was the first (and, for three years, the only) country to approve the sale of cultivated meat when it granted regulatory clearance to Eat Just’s GOOD Meat and its cell-cultured chicken in 2020. The move cemented the island nation’s reputation as a hotbed of food tech innovation with a highly supportive government.
And a year later, there was another world first with Singapore’s granting of a food processing license to Esco Aster, a contract development and manufacturing organisation, for the production of cultured meat.
“Singapore has long been a leader in innovation of all kinds, from information technology to biologics to now leading the world in building a healthier, safer food system,” Eat Just CEO Josh Tetrick said at the time. “I’m sure that our regulatory approval for cultured meat will be the first of many in Singapore and in countries around the globe.”
Greater clarity on cultured meat regulation
Courtesy: Eat Just
Providing further clarity on regulatory frameworks for other companies is part of Singapore’s proposed Food Safety and Security Bill. It will combine food-related provisions from across eight existing Acts – like the Wholesome Meat and Fish Act and the Sale of Food Act – into a single Act.
According to the Straits Times, the bill was first mentioned in 2021, with the then sustainability and environment minister Desmond Tan saying it would be tabled later that year. Now, while there is progress on its status, Tan’s successor Grace Fu added that she doesn’t know when the bill would be tabled.
Speaking at the relocation of the Singapore Food Agency’s National Centre for Food Science (which introduced the regulatory framework for risk assessments of novel food), Fu said: “Innovations in food science are introducing novel foods, offering new opportunities to feed the world. Ensuring that such novel food is safe is critical to protect public health.”
She added: “The Bill will provide greater legal clarity on the regulatory framework for new food innovations, such as novel food and gene-edited crops. We will also – in consultation with the industry – look into enhancing the requirements on food safety systems and processes.”
Fu explained that the SFA is already in talks with industry stakeholders to discuss “how we can all work together to collectively ensure a resilient supply of safe food for Singapore”. “I look forward to hearing from and co-creating with our industry and community partners, to shape our new food legislation,” she said.
Food safety and the cultivated opportunity
Courtesy: Shiok Meats
The new bill will look to boost the country’s food security too. One way it plans to do so is by bringing over existing powers for the Rice Stockpiles Scheme, which says rice importers must keep a stockpile of the grain in government-designated warehouses to ensure an adequate supply. It goes hand-in-hand with Singapore’s 30 by 30 initiative, which aims to improve food security by producing 30% of all food consumed in the nation by 2030, thus limiting its reliance on imports.
The new National Centre for Food Science premises combines the SFA’s two food safety and science labs, as well as “streamlines operations, improves accessibility for inspectors to submit samples for testing and provides greater accessibility for external collaborations and industry partnerships”, the regulator said.
One of the key goals of the centre – which will serve as a WHO Collaborating Centre for Food Contamination Monitoring – is to prevent and contain the spread of foodborne illnesses. Fu cited a recent food poisoning outbreak, where NCFS used whole genome sequencing to reveal how the same bacteria detected in the sick was also found in raw seafood.
Moreover, the centre’s radioactivity department has been doubling down on its testing of seafood imported from Japan to look for traces of radioactive contamination, as Japan has begun releasing wastewater from the now-shut Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.
These foodborne illnesses combined with Singapore’s regulatory framework can be a great opportunity for cultivated meat and seafood companies to capitalise. Some of the leaders in this space include Shiok Meats, Umami Bioworks and Meatiply. Meanwhile, Dutch cultured pork producer Meatable is eyeing regulatory clearance and a 2024 launch in Singapore.
Launching this week, a new platform of industry stakeholders across nine Asia-Pacific countries is looking to facilitate collaboration to advance the regulatory approval of cultivated meat in the region.
Established by the APAC Society for Cellular Agriculture and the Good Food Institute APAC, the APAC Regulatory Coordination Forum is described as a platform for cross-border dialogue between cell-cultured food producers, industry associations and think tanks, and government agencies and regulators in multiple jurisdictions.
Launching at Singapore International Agri-Food Week (October 31 to November 2), the forum aims to help develop nations’ regulatory frameworks via increased data and knowledge sharing between countries, streamlined review processes for companies hoping to enter multiple markets at once, and reduced trade barriers.
A group of 11 stakeholders from nine countries – including APAC-SCA and GFI APAC – have signed a memorandum of understanding to mark the platform’s formation. These include GFI’s India and Israel chapters, Cellular Agriculture Australia, Japan Association for Cellular Agriculture, Cell AgriTech (Malaysia), University of Brawijaya (Indonesia), Future Ready Food Safety Hub (Singapore), Society for Food Sustainatech (South Korea), and law firm Dentons’ China branch.
Courtesy: The Good Food Institute
More companies and organisations may be added as signatories in the future (on an invitation-only basis), pending approval from GFI APAC and APAC-SCA. At least 37 companies are known to be working with cultivated meat and seafood in Asia, according to GFI. Mirte Gosker, managing director at GFI APAC, says global distribution must expand beyond early adopters for cultured meat to reach its full potential. Currently, only two countries allow the sale of cultivated meat in the world. Singapore was the first to do so in 2020, followed by the US earlier this year.
“By bringing together industry leaders and regulatory officials from countries across Asia Pacific, we are working to reduce duplication of efforts, streamline international approval processes for novel food producers, and create a clear pathway to market for innovative new products,” said Gosker.
Collaboration on regulatory criteria and ‘fast lanes’
“Member entities will be invited to participate in regularly scheduled discussion sessions about the latest developments in regulatory processes, as well as unresolved questions in need of further consideration. They will also have access to private discussion platforms where best practices, advice, and confidential insights can be shared among regional stakeholders,” Gosker adds.
“Through this increased knowledge-sharing and cross-border coordination, we aim to develop clear and effective pathways to commercialisation of cultivated foods, reduce time to market for producers, and create a level playing field when it comes to imports and exports.”
Courtesy: Eat Just
APAC Regulatory Coordination Forum lays out six key goals in its MoU. The first involves facilitating the coordination of regulatory efforts across APAC to build an effective regulatory environment for cultivated proteins, as well as minimise hurdles and bottlenecks.
The platform is also seeking to set up a mechanism for continuous, systematic cross-country dialogue between stakeholders. “Our aim is to transparently share information, collaborate on inputs such as data or safety assessments, and provide open discussions and viewpoints between partners across the region,” the MoU states.
Another goal is mutual recognition of coordinated regulatory frameworks in the region, such as aligning on criteria for safety testing, labelling and inspections. This would help reduce the time and resources needed for approval, and minimise trade barriers and costs for consumers. “These efforts could potentially culminate in the development of trust between authorities to create ‘fast lanes’ for approval of companies already authorised for sale in another regional country.”
Ensuring religious standards and defining novel approaches
The APAC Regulatory Coordination Forum wants to ensure cultured meat and seafood adhere to religious rulings and standards (like halal and kosher), where it noted that coordinated efforts are required to build consensus around the topic. Last month, three Shariah scholars told alt-protein leader Eat Just – the parent company of GOOD Meat, the producer that earned regulatory approval in Singapore – that cultured meat can be considered halal if it meets certain criteria.
The group also aims to standardise regulatory approaches on new approaches yet to be looked into, such as novel cell cultivation technologies and the definition of hybrid and blended meat. Finally, it plans to coordinate information to all participants transparently, bringing each member up to date with current developments and trends in the sector.
“The regulatory forum is established to bring forth a platform to facilitate open and transparent discussions regarding regulatory matters in cellular agriculture,” said Peter Yu, programme director at APAC-SCA. “We hope to build a repository of information that can aid in regulatory coordination across the APAC region while providing a pathway for new jurisdictions to quickly get up to speed.”
Courtesy: Aleph Farms
In addition to GOOD Meat, Australia’s Vow Food is another cultivated meat company that has filed for regulatory approval in APAC, applying to the bilateral Food Standards Australia New Zealand for its cell-cultured quail. But it’s unknown if other companies have filed for approval anywhere, as Gosker explains: “Several companies have publicly discussed their submissions for regulatory approval in Singapore (for example, Meatable), but unlike in Australia/New Zealand, this information is not required to be publicly disclosed by the government.”
She adds: “Japan and South Korea will likely be next in line among APAC countries to develop such frameworks, as both nations are proactively seeking input from industry groups to craft clear and efficient safety review processes. No timeline has been set for when this work will be completed.” Meanwhile, Israel’s Aleph Farms is waiting to hear back from regulators in Switzerland and the UK for its application.
“The biggest barrier to cultivated meat approvals in emerging markets is the need for regulators to adapt existing regulatory frameworks or develop new standards,” Gosker says. “This will vary country-by-country, based on their existing regulatory regimes, but by sharing best practices and proactively facilitating conversations between industry leaders and regulators, the APAC Regulatory Coordination Forum aims to streamline and accelerate this process in a way that is beneficial for governments and innovators alike.”
“Ultimately, we envision a clear and effective contingency for the industry as a whole towards commercialisation of cultivated food products across the region,” said Yu. “We encourage the participation of any potential new members vested in these matters, located among any of our APAC member countries.”
A new report by the APAC Society for Cellular Agriculture (APAC-SCA) has revealed that an overwhelming majority of South Koreans are willing to try cultivated meat at least once, while price and taste remain key barriers. Regulatory breakthroughs, better labelling and industry collaboration are key to advancing this industry.
The Good Food Institute recently called South Korea a “global hotbed of alternative protein innovation”. In February, 28 industry stakeholders signed an MoU to advance the country’s cultured meat industry, while a month later, the North Gyeongsang province opened a 2,309 sq m Cellular Agriculture Industry Support Center.
There are at least nine companies working with cultivated meat in South Korea. These include the likes of CellMEAT, which has created prototypes of cultured Dokdo shrimp and caviar, TissenBioFarm, Simple Planet, CellQua, Space F, and SeaWith. Meanwhile, Korean noodle giant Nongshim invested $7.4M in food tech venture funding, with a focus on cultivated meat, and CJ CheilJedang has partnered with KCell Biosciences to build a cell culture facility in Busan.
Now, a new 1,110-person survey by APAC-SCA – a 2022-founded coalition working to advance the cultivated meat and seafood industry in the region – has found that consumer attitudes in the country back up the growing number of companies and developments in this sector.
Consumer attitudes towards cultivated meat in South Korea
Courtesy: Cellmeat
APAC-SCA’s poll revealed that 90% of respondents say they’re willing to try cultivated meat at least once (though only 5% say they’d definitely eat it regularly). On top of that, 39% of Koreans are supportive of cell-based meat being sold at supermarkets and restaurants (with 14- to 29-year-olds leading the way) – only 10% are opposed to its commercialisation.
Meanwhile, 55% of consumers consider cultured meat to be similar to plant-based alternatives, while 19% would actually prefer cultivated proteins over vegan versions. This is especially true for people aged 20-29. And when it comes to motivators, price tops the list with 65% of South Koreans citing it as a factor, which is closely followed by taste and texture (62%). Health/nutrition (48%) and environmental reasons (47%) are important as well – but animal welfare is a factor for only a third of the respondents.
Interestingly, while 84% of consumers would favour a plant-based growth culture for cell-based meat, 35% wouldn’t mind seeing fetal bovine serum (FBS) being used to make these products. In fact, for a fifth (21%) of Koreans, FBS would be the most preferred option. This could indicate a lack of understanding about the different mediums on the part of consumers, prompting them to choose FBS over other cultivation mediums in their primary selection,” says Carisa Lim, project manager at APAC-SCA.
“However, we see that FBS ranks lower in the preferred cultivation medium overall, suggesting that negative perception of FBS still remains among the surveyed South Korean population,” she added. Meanwhile, 62% and 57% would be happy to see a serum based on marine microalgae or yeast, respectively.
Price is key
CellMEAT’s caviar prototype | Courtesy
Only 1% of people in the survey say they don’t eat meat or seafood in some form, with two-thirds consuming it between three to five times per week, and 13% doing so daily. Meat remains the largest source of protein for the country, followed by eggs and dairy – and consumption of the former is also set to steadily rise over the next decade. On average, 36% of Koreans spend less than ₩30,000 ($22) weekly on meat products for their entire household, while 31% spend between ₩30,000-50,000 ($22-37).
But people aren’t willing to pay too much more when it comes to cultivated meat. In fact, only 12% say they’d be happy to pay ₩1,000-3,000 (74c-$2.2) more per 100g of cultured meat, and an even fewer 6% would be willing to pay more than that.
However, 57% claim they’d eat cell-cultured pork if it’s cheaper than its conventional counterpart (if taking ₩10,000/$7.4 per 100g as its average price), and 25% said the same for beef that costs ₩15,000/$11.1 per 100g. This suggests price parity – and thus scalability – is amongst the biggest obstacles for the cultivated meat industry in South Korea.
“Hybrid products and scaling up production are key factors to achieve price parity – and it is at the forefront on many of the companies’ agenda either today or in the near future,” explains Lim. “We need combined synergies and efforts through investors, contract manufacturers, established stakeholders, startups, and government bodies to facilitate a thriving ecosystem for cultivated meat and seafood in South Korea.”
Report recommendations
Courtesy: TissenBioFarm
Last year, South Korea’s Ministry of Food and Drug Safety included official guidance for alt-protein in its national plan last year, which included a focus on the safety, manufacturing processes and regulatory approval of cultivated meat. It has also amended the Food Sanitation Act to recognize cultivated food as an ingredient within the legal framework, pledged its support towards bringing these products to market, and prioritised the establishment of regulatory frameworks for these foods.
Such legislative support is key, as one of APAC-SCA’s report recommendations points out. Clear guidance and a robust regulatory framework will provide much-needed clarity on the safety of these products to consumers, while coordination of regulatory efforts would help make better-informed decisions and support evidence-based policies for the growth and acceptance of cultured meat and seafood. Additionally, tasting guidelines on regulator-approved cultivated meat can help manufacturers test the safety of their products.
APAC-SCA points out the importance of industry collaboration too, as knowledge-sharing can help support the development of a consistent approach towards cultivated meat production. It adds that setting an industry standard can help reduce risks, establish consistency, and provide a reliable framework of reference for these products across the supply chain.
“Well-conceived industry standards are important to ensure a level playing field for players along the cultivated meat and seafood supply chain, and can serve as a frame of reference for regulatory bodies,” notes Lim, adding that APAC-SCA is developing the first industry standard for labelling, safety and manufacturing of cultured meat in Singapore. “This will provide a framework of best practices for new and existing players, thereby supporting the growth and acceptance of cultivated foods as a sustainable and safe food source.”
Finally, unified messaging for consumer awareness and education is paramount to gain their confidence, as are simple and clear product labels to identify cultured meat in South Korea. “At the moment, there is no label to differentiate cultivated food products from its conventional animal counterparts. As more cultivated meat and seafood companies look to commercialise their products, a simple and clear label can help consumers make informed purchasing decisions, and boost their confidence in consuming these products.”
“With the rapid advancements in cultivated food technology over the past decade, many companies have – or will soon possess – the capacity to go to market,” added Peter Yu, APAC-SCA programme director. “Hence, the ability to demonstrate it can be done safely and efficiently is now a primary consideration for the industry.
“Considering [that] close to eight in 10 consumers indicate that they consume meat or seafood three or more times a week, there is a great opportunity and incentive for the close collaboration between the government and industry to overcome key regulatory challenges, which will in turn drive growth and commercialisation efforts.”
Agrifood tech startups in Asia-Pacific saw an investment of $6.5B in 2022, a 58% fall from the year before – but agtech funding for farmers and primary novel food production increased by 24% year-on-year, according to a new report by AgFunder.
A new report by AgFunder – in collaboration with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, venture capital fund Omnivore, and AgriFutures Australia – has revealed that downstream food tech funding in APAC has been hit by the global VC fallout from 2022. However, the financing of startups supporting farmers and primary production (upstream) has increased.
‘Upstream’ generally refers to agricultural biotech, farm management and robotics systems, as well as novel farming tech, while ‘downstream’ covers technologies removed from farms and primary production – i.e., food delivery, restaurant, meal kit startups, etc. The latter usually attracts much higher amounts of cash injections in the region, though that is no longer the case.
Meanwhile, companies working with midstream technologies – which connect farmers and food producers to retailers, agro-processors and other clients – raised $620M million in 2022, with India’s Waycool and China’s Mojia Biotech receiving big checks.
As for this year’s trends, the report found that total agrifood tech financing in the first half of 2023 ($2.6B) was down by nearly 50% from the same period last year, but the number of deals remains similar.
Overall funding decline
AgFunder’s analysis showed that agrifood tech startups received $6.5B in funding in 2022 – a 58% decline from the $15.2B they raised in 2021, which was a record-breaking year. A report published by AgFunder and Temasek earlier this year highlighted that the global agrifood tech sector saw record-breaking raises of $51.7B that year thanks to “cheap money” and “increasingly outlandish tech valuations”.
In terms of upstream startups, year-on-year funding grew by 24% from 2021-22, marking the first time in years that upstream funding ($3.2B) overtook downstream investment ($2.7B). This is a win for the over 450 million smallholder farmers who are responsible for 80% of APAC’s food production.
Courtesy: AgFunder
Within the downstream sector, e-groceries continue to be the largest category, attracting $1.6B in funding. Indian startup Blinkit – an app-based instant grocery delivery service – received an injection of $150M, before being acquired by restaurant aggregator and food delivery giant Zomato.
The decline in downstream deals mirrors global trends analysis by Pitchbook last month, which found that in Q2 this year, food tech VC funding dropped by 75.1% year-on-year, while the number of deals (1,207) was down by 39.3% annually. But while quarterly funding also dropped by 13.9%, the deal count grew to 268 in Q2.
Pitchbook suggested that this could indicate a “return of investment activity after a pause due to caution surrounding the closure of Silicon Valley Bank at the end of Q1”. However, the declining deal sizes “may reflect a new, more careful paradigm”.
According to the AgFunder-Temasek report, the global decline between 2021 and 2022 could be short-lived as many of the world’s macro challenges – including inflation, food insecurity and labour shortages – are driving interest in agri-food tech investments. “With more discipline from founders (and investors too!), the industry can capitalise on the growing interest in using technology to transform our food and agriculture system to be better for people and our planet,” read the report. “[2023] could be a vintage year to invest in agrifoodtech.”
Upstream on the up
Courtesy: AgFunder
Within APAC, upstream agtech companies attracted 1.6% more investment in the first half of 2023 compared to the same period the year before as well, reaching $1.7B.
In 2022, agricultural biotech startups received the largest share of upstream financing, commanding $813M of the total – that’s nearly half of the overall investment in this category globally. “While a couple of very large deals contributed to these totals, there was also greater deal activity in this segment, which includes on-farm inputs for crop and animal agriculture, confirming investors’ growing interest in this space,” AgFunder says. China’s Zhongxin Breeding – which provides breeding services for pigs – secured the year’s largest deal with its $327M seed round.
Meanwhile, Innovative Food – the segment that includes alternative protein – “bucked the global decline in funding to the segment”, with year-on-year investment increasing to $527M, albeit with a smaller deal count. This aligns with industry think tank the Good Food Institute APAC’s recent report that revealed that sector funding in the region grew by 43% from $293M to $562M – though the two largest funding rounds took place in Q1 2021.
Startups working with farm management software, sensing and IoT ($334m), farm robotics ($252m) and novel farming systems ($254m) – which include indoor farming, aquaculture and insect farming – brought in more investment across fewer deals as well.
Country-wide figures
Courtesy: AgFunder
Across APAC, India ($2.3B) surpassed China ($1.3B) as the country with the highest cash injection in this sector last year, largely due to the loss of downstream mega-deals that propelled China’s agrifood tech industry in 2021. These nations were followed by Indonesia ($716M) and South Korea ($461M).
But this looks to be short-lived, with China overtaking India to grab the top spot with $861M in investment in the first half of 2023. Indian startups have received $712M, followed by Hong Kong ($400M) and Australia ($146M).
Overall, Southeast Asian startups commanded $1.7B in funding in 2022, while Australian companies saw total investment reach $316M – a rate that was maintained in the first half of 2023 with $146M in financing. Meanwhile, agrifood tech startups in Japan brought in $212M in 2022.
Finally, while debt, early and growth-stage deals numbers have increased steadily since 2018, late-stage funding declined from 2021.
“Few readers will be surprised that funding for Asia-Pacific’s food and agriculture startups has fallen significantly over the past year and a half, much like the rest of the world,” said AgFunder Managing Editor & Head of Media & Research Louisa Burwood-Taylor. But she added: “Seeing the rise of categories like Ag Biotech, which haven’t typically been a strength across the region, as well as growing early-stage deal activity, is promising.”
South Korea becomes the second nation in the space of two weeks to announce a national plan dedicated to boosting local plant-based food production and promoting alt-protein consumption.
South Korea’s Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs unveiled its plan to foster the development of the country’s plant-based industry, with a comprehensive strategy set to be launched in December.
The national plan has a broad scope and covers various initiatives, including setting up a dedicated research centre for alt-protein and expanding the export potential of these products. It also lays out steps to use more locally produced ingredients in the production of plant-based alternatives to meat and dairy.
The Korea Institute of Rural Economics forecasts that South Korea’s vegan substitute market will reach ₩280B ($207.4M) by 2026, as these products become increasingly popular amongst Koreans in their 20s and 30s, according to Korea Bizwire.
South Korea’s expanding vegan industry
Courtesy: Unlimeat
The announcement comes a year after the country’s Ministry of Food and Drug Safety included official guidance for alt-protein in its National Plan 2022, which included a focus on the safety, manufacturing processes and regulatory approval of cultivated meat.
The Good Food Institute, which called the nation a “global hotbed of alternative protein innovation” in its latest State of the Industry report, pinpointed the government’s selection of Intake, a startup making plant-based pork belly, for technology commercialisation support as a sign of administrative support for alt-protein South Korea.
And according to the Korean Vegetarian Union, in 2020, there were around half a million strict vegans in the country – a threefold increase from 10 years ago. Likewise, 1.5 million Koreans followed vegetarian or plant-forward diets, while about 20% of the population (around 10 million) were flexitarians.
Companies innovating in its plant-based sector include Unlimeat – which makes meat and seafood analogues and has partnered with US vegan egg giant Just Eat to develop plant-based kimbaps. There are also vegan cheese producers Armored Fresh and Yangyoo, meat analogue maker Lotteria, and CJ CheilJedang, the maker of Bibigo dumplings. And last week, food giant Nongshim (which is behind the Shin Ramyun noodle brand) committed ₩10B ($7.4M) in venture funds aimed at incubating future food tech startups.x
Plant-powered policies across the planet
Courtesy: OmniPork
South Korea’s new strategy makes it the second country to introduce a national action plan to boost plant-based food production, following a similar announcement by Denmark two weeks ago. The Danish government detailed its goal to transition to a plant-based food system as part of its overall climate agricultural plan to cut food emissions.
It will involve training chefs in both public and private kitchens on the preparation of vegan meals, as well as a higher focus on plant-based diets in schools and the education system. The plan further outlines initiatives to increase the exports of locally produced vegan food, and invest more in R&D for this sector.
Last month, the European Parliament’s Agriculture Committee proposed implementing a strategy to increase the production of plant proteins in the EU, emphasising that these would increase the “circularity in the food and feed value chains” and benefit the climate, while it voted in favour of the Plant Protein Strategy last week.
However, the bloc has been the subject of multiple investigations – one revealed that some MEPs have deep ties with livestock lobby groups that are attempting to halt green legislation, while another found that intensive pressure from the meat lobby resulted in the EU abandoning its proposed ban on caged farming.
Other European countries that have earmarked plant-forward plans include Germany’s National Nutrition Strategy, the Netherlands’ six-year master plan to increase plant protein production and consumption, and Switzerland’s climate strategy to make its food system more sustainable.
Elsewhere, Canada recently changed its Food Guide to encourage greater consumption of plant-based over animal-derived foods, Taiwan is promoting plant-forward, low-carbon diets as part of its 2050 net-zero plan, and the UAE – which hosts COP28 next month – is promoting plant-based eating in the country as part of its Year of Sustainability.
The below conversation is the transcript of the first episode of the podcast miniseries Green Queen in Conversation: Cultivated Meat Pioneers featuring Josh Tetrick, founder and CEO of Eat Just and GOOD Meat, interviewed by show host Sonalie Figueiras. This conversation has been edited for clarity and length.
In the first episode of the Green Queen in Conversation podcast miniseries, Cultivated Meat Pioneers, I talk to Josh Tetrick, founder and CEO of Eat Just and GOOD Meat. I don’t know if you can have a conversation about cultivated meat without talking to Josh. This is someone who set himself a goal to be the first cultivated meat company in the world to gain commercial approval and who achieved it in a very short amount of time. I think that really changed the narrative and changed the game for the entire industry; it really brought cultivated meat to mainstream attention.
I’ve known Josh for a long time now. And he’s a force to be reckoned with, he’s extremely clear on his vision, and he’s unwavering in his execution. So, I’m really excited to share our conversation. We cover a lot of ground, including how it felt to make history, why he went for cultivated meat when he was already doing really well with plant-based eggs, and whether the industry has progressed enough. I’m sure you’re all going to love it. It’s hard not to be wowed by his dedication to the mission of creating a food system that is sustainable, nutritious, ethical, and slaughter-free.
Sonalie Figueiras: Hey, Josh, how are you? Thanks for joining me today.
Josh Tetrick: Hey, good to be with you.
Sonalie Figueiras: It’s been a really long time since we first met. I was thinking about it, I think it’s at least five or six years now.
Josh Tetrick: We met before the world commercialized cultivated meat before cultivated meat was ever sold.
Sonalie Figueiras: Absolutely, we met back in Hong Kong, and we were really meeting about Eat Just and all your work and plant-based eggs. So, I wanted to dive in on that front. Why did you decide to go into cultivated meat when you had Eat Just already, and you already had great traction? It’s a great product, I have it in my freezer at all times, and it seems like a big enough problem to solve. Why go for the cultivated meat challenge?
Josh Tetrick: “Why eggs?” – that’s a big enough problem to solve – about 2 trillion eggs were laid last year, and most of them were laid in a way that is not very good for our health, nor for the planet’s health, nor for the bird who’s laying the eggs’ health; but we thought we could do something else too. So, we wanted to have a “what’s next” after the egg and decided that making real meat without slaughter was a good “what’s next”, and we’d learned a lot about how to think about commercializing a food technology product. We’ve learned a lot about how consumers think about eating these different approaches to making everyday foods, and we thought those lessons about scaling up and consumer insights could put us in a place where we could make cultivated meat happen.
Sonalie Figueiras: Sure. Now, I want to dig a little deeper – when was the first time you came across cultivated meat technology?When did that moment happen where you went, “I think we can pursue this?”
Josh Tetrick: Well, probably the first time I came across it was 20 years ago. I think I was reading a paper about how NASA was exploring the technology for long-term space travel, and it was about six years ago that we decided to pursue it as the next product in the company; but it really just came from this understanding that people seem to like meat, they liked the taste of it, they liked the texture of it, they liked the smell of it, they liked the feeling of it. Is there a way to make that [meat] the same texture, the same taste, the same composition, but in a way that’s a lot better? Then we spent about eight months to a year talking to folks around the world about whether the technology was viable, about what needed to be done if we decided to pursue it, and then we decided to go after it and make it the thing that we focus on.
Courtesy: Eat Just
Sonalie Figueiras: How different is it to scale a plant-based egg versus pioneering a piece of cultivated chicken meat?
Josh Tetrick: The things that are similar are that you need food scientists, food engineers, product developers, and regulatory professionals, and people who are really smart with consumer insights, branding, awareness, and communications. That’s similar. The idea of making it is completely different. With a plant-based egg, you’re starting with a mung bean, then you’re separating protein from the mung bean, and you’re making the egg. With this, you’re starting with a cell. You’re identifying feed for the cell, think amino acids, vitamins and minerals, and salts and sugars, and then you’re scaling it up in a stainless-steel vessel. So, the kinds of talent that you need are pretty similar, but the whole process of making it is pretty different.
Sonalie Figueiras: So, the way you’ve explained it right there sounds really intuitive and makes sense, but when you first approached your board of investors, did they get it? Were they like, “Okay, yes, you were doing plant-based eggs, and now you’re going to do cultivated chicken, and these are different ways to solve essentially, the same broken food system problems?”
Josh Tetrick: I think some people did, some people didn’t. I think you can look at one hand and say, “If you want to do chicken or beef, why not just do plant-based chicken or beef? Why do cultivated meat? Our response is that we’re not a plant-based company. We’re a company that’s attempting to develop technology to displace conventional animal agriculture, and if that means that we’re going to separate protein from a mung bean, we’ll do it. If that means we’re going to cultivate meat, we’ll do it. If that means we’re about precision fermentation, we’ll do it. So, we’re not locked on a specific technology path, we’re more so locked on a specific effective path, and sometimes, I think plant-based can be a better approach, and sometimes I think cultivating can be a better approach. So that’s what we tell people.
Sonalie Figueiras: So again, that makes total sense intuitively; but what about consumers? Marketing is usually about distilling one idea, one product, one concept. Do you feel like there’s confusion, and especially as you get up to the point where you may eventually have your chicken in a store, or in more countries? Is it confusing to a consumer?
Josh Tetrick: Well, today, we don’t need to worry about it, because we just sell our cultivated meat, under our brand GOOD Meat in Singapore in a single butcher shop today. So, the only people that are buying it are people who live in Singapore, who are going to Huber’s Butchery. We’re still the only company in the world that has ever received regulatory approval to actually go on and sell it. Now, when we expand much wider – let’s say when GOOD Meat is in 40,000 points of distribution, when it is in thousands of Walmarts, Whole Foods, Shoprites, Publix’s, and restaurants all across the country, then I think you have a higher probability of confusion, but that’s why we decided to develop the GOOD Meat brand, and not call it “Just Meat”. So, it’s called GOOD Meat – it’s about cultivating meat, just like Just Egg is specific to what we’re doing on the eggs side. So, that’s just one way of differentiating the plant-based side from the meat-based side. However, it’ll be a good bit of time, I mean, you’re talking years out, until we actually have the manufacturing be able to get it across that many points of distribution. So, we’ve got some time to sort out how people think about it and whether they’re confused or not.
Cultivated meat comes to its first butcher shop in Singapore | Courtesy Eat Just
Sonalie Figueiras: It sounds like you have given this a lot of thought when you’re describing all the points of distribution. Do you have specific goalposts that you want to hit?
Josh Tetrick: It starts with what we want in the long-term, and what we want in the long-term is for cultivated meat to be the majority of meat that is produced on the planet. That’s the long-term [plan], and that’s not going to happen in 10 years. That’s a much longer lifetime, potentially a project over many lifetimes. Closer in, we want to continue selling products in Singapore at Huber’s Butchery, and we want to expand to more restaurants. As the year continues, and we already received FDA approval in the US, now it’s about USDA approval. Once we get that we want to launch with Jose Andres at one of his restaurants in DC [Editor’s Note: this already happened in July 2023, a few weeks after this episode was recorded]. And then as we build more infrastructure, meaning larger and larger vessels before the end of the decade, we want to make tens of millions of pounds of cultivated me at a cost that’s below conventional meat.
Sonalie Figueiras: So, tell me, for people who are not in the food industry. What percentage is tens of millions of pounds of cultivated meat compared to how much chicken is being consumed in the United States, for example?
Josh Tetrick: Much, much less than 1%? I would look at the trajectory of cultivated meat as being somewhat similar to electric cars. So, you can look at electric car production today, and depending on how you look at it, you can draw different conclusions. So, on the one hand, only 1% of the cars on the street right now are electric. That’s it, only 1%. With all the funding around electric cars, all the consumers and all your friends who might be driving around, globally, today, only 1% are electric cars.
However, double-click on that, and then you say – well, what about in certain areas like Norway and Sweden? So, over 60% of the cars on the road over there are electric. Then what about new cars that are manufactured? I think that’s roughly about 20% of new cars that are manufactured electric. Then, you look at announcements of big companies like Ford, GM, etc., and they say they’re moving entirely away from conventional gasoline-produced cars by 2032-2035. So, the seeds of change are being planted, and I think you’ll see the same thing with cultivated meat. So, even though by the end of the decade, we’re talking tens of millions of pounds, and even though that is a lot less than 1%, that’s how stuff starts, right? That’s how you build a foundation to ultimately cultivated meat being the only kind of meat that’s produced.
Sonalie Figueiras: Does it ever feel too daunting? When you think in terms of multiple lifetimes, for example? Do you ever think it’s just so hard, and will we ever get there?
Josh Tetrick: Well, it is very daunting. It is very hard. It is very challenging. It is very uncertain, and it is very long-term. If you don’t accept those things, you should not be in the cultivated meat business, that is for sure. Those things are very true.
However, what I think is also true is that the alternative is less palatable: The alternative where meat production continues to grow, and more and more people are eating meat. Now, I’m plant-based myself, except for the fact that I eat cultivated meat (I had a piece of cultivated chicken this afternoon), but we live in a world where I think the majority of people are eating meat. As much as I wish that they would choose beans instead of meat, which is so much healthier, and I wish that everyone would right now, and we wouldn’t even be needed, that’s a hard world to imagine.
However, yes, this is a very long-term, very uncertain project. Sometimes, when folks are asking a hard question where they’re criticizing it, they might say this is very challenging, very long-term, and very uncertain. So, what do you say to them? I say, “That’s right, I agree,” and they say “Therefore, what? We and others shouldn’t do it?” Then our response is, “Let’s give it a try. Let’s see what we’ve got. Let’s see what we can do.”
Sonalie Figueiras: Absolutely! You’re human, and it just sometimes might feel like this is really hard, but it sounds like you accept it as a part of the rules of the game, which I think is probably the way to see it.
Josh Tetrick: I wish you could build the infrastructure faster. I wish that instead of tens of millions of pounds before the end of the decade, it was billions of pounds before the end of the decade. I wish instead of costing billions to build the infrastructure, it was millions to build the infrastructure. I do wish all those things, but you know, that’s not the reality of it. So, we’ve got to deal with it and realize that just because something takes many decades, all those things have to start somewhere. And the sooner we get started, the sooner they’ll get done.
Chef José Andrés cooks GOOD Meat’s chicken | Courtesy: GOOD Meat
Sonalie Figueiras: What can make it go faster? Is it is it more money? Is it the government putting money behind this? If you had more billions, could you build the infrastructure faster?
Josh Tetrick: Yeah, a lot of things can make go faster. So, certainly, more capital invested in the industry, so if you had instead of hundreds of millions, you had hundreds of billions, you would go faster. You could build infrastructure faster, you could design and engineer the vessels. You could hire more people, you could accelerate research and development, for sure more capital would make it go faster, and that additional capital could come from private investors or certainly come from the government. So, I think governments getting behind it could also make it go faster: The US government, China, governments in the Middle East, those governments deciding that cultivated meat is more than just about mitigating climate change, it’s about food security, that could help it go faster. So yeah, certainly it doesn’t have to be, you know, many lifetimes.
Sonalie Figueiras: Okay, so more money and more attention and more governmental support would accelerate this, 100%.
Josh Tetrick: No question.
Sonalie Figueiras: This is not just a technology-specific problem to solve, it’s more of a resources problem as well.
Josh Tetrick: Yeah, I think the technology is here for simpler products. So, for our chicken that people eat at Huber’s Butchery: it’s good-tasting chicken, and people like it. Could it be better? Sure. Could it be on a bone? Sure. Could we have, you know, delicious Kobe steak instead of the chicken? Might that be better? Sure, but the chicken is good. So, we know how to manufacture meat and convert it into a finished product that people will like. So, for the simpler products, it’s here now, but for more complicated stuff – bluefin tuna, and more complicated textures, the technology is not here yet, but you know, roughly half the meat that is sold is simple stuff: ground beef, sausages, chicken nuggets, and chicken strips, you know, we can do all that now.
Sonalie Figueiras: You’ve mentioned Huber’s Butchery a few times and we’re talking about, you know, many lifetimes of progress to go, but you did do this one incredible thing: you made history in December 2020, just a couple of years after you announced that you were working on GOOD Meat, you got the world’s first cultivated meat regulatory approval! People in Singapore could go and buy chicken at that point, it was in restaurants, and even at hawker stalls. Now, it’s at the butchery. How did that happen? When did you decide that you were going to go for that, and did you consciously decide you wanted to be the first to get that regulatory approval and get that commercialization?
Josh Tetrick: Yeah, definitely, we definitely consciously wanted to be the first, and we thought about places that would be the most likely to approve it, and Singapore was at the top of the list, just knowing that Singapore is a very forward-thinking country who cares a lot about food security; they have an initiative called “30-by-30”, where they aim to get 30% of their food produced in the country by the end of the decade. So, knowing all these things, we felt that Singapore was a good first place to apply to. So, we applied sometime in 2018, and then we waited and answered questions from their regulatory body about, “where the cell came from?”; What do you feed the cell? How do you manufacture it? How do you ensure the safety? What is the microbiological profile? How is it different than conventional chicken? “How do you know it’s safe?”, and 90 other questions like that, and then we got the approval in November 2020. We went on to actually serve it at a restaurant in a restaurant called 1880, and that was the first time that cultivated meat had ever been sold in the world. We definitely wanted to be the first. We thought it would send out a message to the food industry, and to consumers around the world that this idea of making meat without slaughter is not science fiction, but it is on plates right now, even at that very small scale.
Sonalie Figueiras: So, you went in there, chose Singapore, and thought, that’s the country?
Josh Tetrick: We did. Yeah, we didn’t think the US was the place.
Sonalie Figueiras: Right, that was my follow-up. I mean, you’re American, you know, you’re from the US. So why not the US as the first country?
Josh Tetrick: It just didn’t seem like the USDA or the FDA at the time were really looking at this. In that way, it felt like Singapore was in a place where they were more than ready to address it. We ended up also applying to the FDA, but it just felt like Singapore was ahead of the curve, and we wanted to get to the market sooner.
Sonalie Figueiras: What do you think makes the difference between governments that are ahead of the curve, and others that are not so much? For example, seeing what’s going on in Italy where they’re thinking about passing a ban, or with the EU, where they are a little bit more conservative, even though the first cultivated meatball was actually created in the Netherlands, in Europe. How do you look at governments’ attitudes, and why are some governments just pro-cultivated meat and want to support the industry, and others are thinking of passing bans?
Josh Tetrick: Yeah. Well, I still think that we’re very, very early in the industry. So, it definitely is to be determined how a lot of these governments decide to look at it. I think that typically, when you have governments that are pro-innovative, and there’s a food security issue, they’re going to want to be the first to jump, and Singapore was the first to jump at this, right? They’re very pro-innovative, developing new technologies in the country, and they’ve got a food security issue. So, that’s the combination that’s going to get you cultivated meat regulated sooner.
The US has now been ahead of the curve on it too, the FDA has approved two companies, including ours, and the USDA is actively engaged in this [Editor’s Note: GOOD Meat received USDA regulatory approval a few weeks after this conversation took place]. So, I think sometimes people look at the US and think it’s behind the curve, but at least our experience with regulators, they’ve been ahead of the curve on this. I think it’s a mindset of people who are in government about how they think about innovation, how they think about tradition versus developing new things, and how open they are to new technologies.
Sometimes, you know, being conservative about new things is a good thing. There are a lot of food products that are not sold in Europe today that I think are rightfully not sold in Europe today, and that’s a good thing. However, I think you have to have a balance of really understanding when to lean into innovation and when to be a bit more cautious, but I think when we look at the regulatory landscape, even if we were approved by every country in the world today, we’re going to be producing exactly the same amount of cultivated meat this year. It’s not as if twenty more approvals mean millions of more pounds, we got approval in America, or at least the FDA and waiting on the USDA, and Singapore, and we have got our hands full with just those two markets, but I definitely want more countries to open up to it, and I think they will.
Sonalie Figueiras: What do you think people are getting wrong about the science of cultivated meat? Let’s talk about consumer perception because the media has been a little messy around this, and as you say, it’s human to question you and to be cautious. However, there’s also been, I would say, an unhealthy degree of misinformation to some extent. If you were talking to a sceptic, what are people getting wrong?
Josh Tetrick: Yeah, really good question. I think there are a number of things that people are getting wrong. So, in no particular order: Sometimes people think cultivated meat is plant-based meat, and I’m a big fan of plant-based meat, but cultivated meat is different from plant-based meat, and plant-based meat is different from conventional meat. Those are three different approaches to making to making meat. So, that’s one [thing people get wrong]. Sometimes I’ll do a whole presentation in front of a group of people, and they’ll ask what plants are we using to make this. So, it’s important to understand that cultivated meat is from a cell, not a bean. If you have a chicken allergy and you have our chicken at Huber’s, you’re going to have an allergic outbreak, it’s still real meat.
The second thing that people get wrong about it is that they’ll say it is this moniker of lab-grown. Now, when we make meat today, both in Singapore and when will produce it for the US market, we do lab research, but we don’t make our products in the lab. Just like Danone does research for yogurt in the lab, they don’t make yogurt in a lab. So, I think in the really early days of cultivated meat, and we’re still in the early days, this whole idea of, you know, taking it out of a petri dish and serving it on a plate was right. That’s not how it is today. Now, these manufacturing facilities I’m talking about are very small, but nonetheless, they are manufacturing facilities – the ones in the US that will be regulated by the USDA, those are not a lab, right? So, that’s the second thing I think people get wrong.
The third thing is, one might say it’s too hard to scale as well, and when I hear that criticism my answer is it’s really hard to scale it up, but “really hard” is different than “impossible” to scale up. So, it requires a ton of investment, time, energy and technical knowledge to scale it up, but it is still very much within the realm of what is possible to do, it is just a big technical and epic capital challenge.
The fourth thing that people get wrong is they think fetal bovine serum or FBS is necessary to do it. It’s not. It was in the early days, and now we actually received approval in Singapore to commercialize our meat without it. We’ve removed it in our R&D facility over the last couple of years. It was a technical challenge, it’s not anymore. So, people should stop thinking that it’s this big barrier because it’s not.
Then maybe, finally, skeptics would say, well, consumers don’t want it. Unfortunately, the only consumer real-life consumer examples we have are in Singapore. I wish we had more, but that’s all we’ve got, and what we have found in Singapore is people say they would eat this instead of regular meat: When they buy it, they consume it, and they hang out with their friends as they’re eating it. They say, “You know what, I would choose this instead.”
So, those are some basic criticisms and how we would address them. Some of the things about cultivating meat, to an everyday person, would sound kind of strange. I think it’s not. We shouldn’t expect that someone hears about the process of making cultivated meat and immediately say, “Oh, that sounds amazing! I want to eat that!”
It’s not every day that you can make meat from a cell instead of slaughtering a live animal. So, I think you also have to be a bit patient with people and know that this is a brand-new thing, and you’ve got to explain it. You’ve got to be really open about it, and not everyone is going to like it right away because not everyone likes anything right away, but you’ve still got to go after it.
Courtesy: Eat Just
Sonalie Figueiras: Yeah, absolutely. I mean, it’s so interesting, because you did launch in Singapore, and the early data shows that Asian consumers tend to be more open to cultivated meat. There was also this really interesting study that was done in Singapore earlier this year about how people who have higher well-being tend to be more open to consuming cultivated meats. Do you think about why there seems to be a bigger openness in Asia? Or do you just think we don’t have enough information yet to really understand?
Josh Tetrick: I think we probably don’t have enough information yet. I’ve become really skeptical of data that’s not real-world consumers eating something because you can ask questions in a lot of different ways to try to get at things. Generally, I feel like you’re going to get a much better sense of how a consumer thinks about it when it’s widely available, when they’ve eaten it and when they have really experienced it. That’s why the data from consumers in Singapore who have actually bought GOOD Meat and eaten it is our most valuable data. I trust that data more than I trust, you know, surveying a million people, whether it’s good for us or bad for us, doesn’t matter, I just trust it more, because it is more like a direct experience. However, I think generally the younger you are, the more open you are to it. I think the more educated you are, the more open you are to it. I think the more urban you are, the more open you are to it. I think those things are correlated with an openness to it.
I used to be frustrated because I would have liked everyone to want it, you know, now, but again, no product is like that. No product that’s launched, do you suddenly have everyone on the planet wanting it. You always have to build from a base. You know, Coca-Cola was launched in Atlanta at these high-end social clubs and farms, right?
Sonalie Figueiras: Given everything that we’re talking about how consumers are thinking about it, and, you know, human psychology and consumer behavior, how should the industry be thinking about consumer perception, and is the industry doing enough? I struggle with this because as you’ve said many times, it’s super early, there’s only one country, one company (yours) who’s even making cultivated meat that anyone can taste. Should there be work being done now to open people’s minds, or is it too early? How do you think about that? How do you think the industry at large should be thinking about that?
Josh Tetrick: I struggle with that a little bit. I think I lean towards yes. I just think you have to do it in a way that you don’t delude yourself, because just asking thousands of people to fill out a survey without food in front of them can be a recipe for deluding yourself about, you know: “Here’s a description of what cultivated meat is, and here’s how it smells, and here’s that. So, do you like it? So, it is hard, but I think some data is probably better than not having any.
There are lots of important questions that are asked like – what don’t you like about it? We ask that question a lot, and often what we hear is: “Well, what I don’t like about it is I don’t understand it. What I don’t understand is, what do you mean you make meat from a cell? What do you mean you feed the cell? What the hell is a bioreactor? What does that look like? What’s in the bioreactor? What do you mean you harvest the meat? All these terms, I deal with every day, right, but to an everyday person, they’ve never even thought about that before.
So, I think asking people what it is about it that gives them a concern, what gives them the pause, what do they think it should be called. I think there’s been a lot of valuable work that’s been done in this area, and what we and others have found is that using the word “cell”, using words like “cell-based”, or “cell-cultured”, or certainly “lab-grown”, is not effective with consumers. Using words like “cultivating meat”, or “cultured” is typically number two and ends up being a lot better, and I think that’s valuable data, and we use “cultivated” in Singapore very much because of that data.
I think all this data is also really important, because governments look at it, and investors look at it. When a government is deciding whether they should fund this, they’re going to be looking at some data. So, I think having that data out there, again, even if it’s incomplete, even if it’s imperfect, I still think it’s important, but when the product actually gets out there in the real world, to many more people, that’ll be the most important kind of data.
Sonalie Figueiras: What about marketing? Should you be doing marketing campaigns? Should the industry get together and do a massive campaign about cultivated meat, and you know, what it means and what it is?
Josh Tetrick: I don’t think so yet. I mean, we do marketing in Singapore. So, we do marketing around our Huber’s launch, we do marketing whether it’s bringing influencers around, billboards, and other all sorts of different activations we do, and we’ll do marketing when we launched in the US with Chef Jose Andres. We’ll make a big deal out of it, we’ll have lots of media attention, maybe a billboard or two around it.
I don’t think we need a national kind of marketing campaign quite yet. I think most consumers will look at that, and be like, “It’s just too early.” Now, maybe in three, six, or nine months, once it’s in the market in the US more people are talking about it, then maybe. Maybe, but honestly, I don’t have that good a feel on how early it should start. I think the part of me that thinks it should start earlier is you don’t want opinions to get sort of solidified in people’s heads, and that can happen, you know.
Courtesy: Eat Just
Sonalie Figueiras: That’s my concern as a journalist, and seeing what’s going on in the media and the headlines, I’m wondering: “Should we be covering this narrative, or having a narrative of our own”? But again, as you say, food is real, food is tangible. So, I hear you on that, and I think you’re right.
Josh Tetrick: Yeah, it’s a hard one. I think there’s a case to be made for both because opinions can get calcified, but on the other hand, if I saw a cultivated meat commercial and I was sitting in my home I would think: “This is not even going to be available to me for another two years, like what are we talking about?
Sonalie Figueiras: But I mean, to some extent, it would be interesting to see how early there were EV (electric vehicle) commercials.
Josh Tetrick: True.
Sonalie Figueiras: Although, while I appreciate the EV parallel, food is not cars, unfortunately. There is a difference for people. I hear you on the marketing, but there does seem to be this kind of politicization of food choices that is becoming more pervasive, especially in the US, and it’s spilling over to Europe, and food really is this kind of identity topic for people, you know, it’s your grandmother’s baked cake, or it’s your mom’s lasagna. How do we navigate that, because “new” always seems to be on the other side of the fence when it comes to the ultimate food, that is, you know, pure, and from the land, natural, and home-grown?
Josh Tetrick: Yeah, that’s a hard one, you’re right. Food is different than a car. Food is much more about identity, and stories that we have about ourselves and where we’re from.
One of my food stories is about how my mom used to make me chicken wings when I got off the bus in middle school, and even though I know the horrible conditions of animals, viscerally I understand it, but when I think about the chicken wings, I think about how it’s a feel-good experience, because my mom was caring for me as I got off the bus, right? That’s, I guess, bizarre in a way, because I know what’s behind it, but on the other hand, I can’t take my mom and her love from me in that moment out of my story. So, the identity piece is a really significant one, and I think the ways that you can deal with it are trying to figure out how to serve and talk about cultivated meat in a way that speaks to identity.
One example of how we did that in Singapore is we launched this local hawker stall with a street vendor named Mr. Loo, and Mr. Loo has been making chicken curry rice for 60 years. Mr. Loo is not high-end, he’s an everyday person, but he makes super tasty food, and we wanted to launch with Mr. Loo, because we wanted to make a point about cultivated meat and the identity around it, that it could work with tradition. It could work with something that your father and his father had, and I think looking for opportunities to tap into the tradition piece plus forward-thinking cuisine, like what we are doing with Chef Jose Andres when we launch with him is important. I think about putting it in all sorts of more traditional dishes and having people and influencers representing that side of it, that is going to be important.
Another way you can get politicians behind this is to build stuff in their district. Biotech is a really good example of this. So, biotech is booming in North Carolina. North Carolina is…
Sonalie Figueiras: It’s a triangle.
Josh Tetrick: Exactly! As a Southern state, mostly Republican citizens, mostly Republican senators, and congressmen and congresswomen, but man, they are so into biotech, and it’s not about left or right, it’s about biotechnology creating jobs for the state of North Carolina. So, I think if you can show that this is creating real jobs, and it’s having a real meaningful impact to the economy, I think that’s a way to mitigate some of the sharper edges around about making it political. However, you’re not going to stop someone like Marjorie Taylor Greene, from getting involved. She’s gonna do her thing.
Sonalie Figueiras: “She’s gonna do her thing.” [laughter].
Josh Tetrick: No matter what, but she’s got to deal with it.
Sonalie Figueiras: Yeah, but I like that. I like the idea of looking for ways to communicate the traditional identity with the new technology. So, when you did that in Singapore, with the hawker and Mr. Loo, was it overwhelmingly positive? Did your thesis work, in the sense that people feel like, “Oh yeah, this is the kind of the food I love, you know, chicken satays, and it’s just made in a different way. It’s better for the planet and for our health!”
Josh Tetrick: Yeah, it did. I mean, the most important person was Mr. Loo. The guy has been running it for 50-60 years, and he felt that way. He went from resisting it, right, this is a new, weird thing made in a stainless-steel vessel to, “Wait, this works really well in my chicken curry rice dish, this sounds good,” and we’re not better than Mr. Loo, right? We work with what he’s doing, and this is not about making food that is too high-end for Mr. Loo, right? It has to work in that context. It has to work on a grill in a backyard in Birmingham, Alabama before a football game. I think the more that we and other companies can make it work there, the more we will win.
Sonalie Figueiras: That must have felt good, right, when he came around and liked it? I mean, being an entrepreneur is hard. Over the years with the GOOD Meat journey, specifically, what have been some of the days or moments that just felt likea really big win and felt really incredible?
Josh Tetrick: Well, definitely the day we got regulatory approval…that was November 2020.
Sonalie Figueiras: Where were you? What were you doing? Tell me the story.
Josh Tetrick: Yeah. I was in Boulder, Colorado, and I was actually laying on the floor, because I thought we were going to get it that night, and I was just waiting for a phone call from a person named “Kat” on the regulatory team. Then she gave me a call, I woke up, and that was incredible. When we actually launched in late 2020, on December 24th, we put it on the plate, and people ate it, and I saw a receipt. I really wanted to see the receipt, you know, when someone puts their credit card down, you’ve got a receipt, that’s not a sample anymore, that is a sale, and that was what I wanted. So, that was a really big moment. Then probably more recently, when we got FDA approval, that was pretty significant. That’s just about a month and a half ago.
Sonalie Figueiras: Yeah, that was really recent. That’s just now!
Josh Tetrick: Yeah, yeah, and I think the next one will be when we actually launch in the US, with Chef Jose Andres, you know, he’s such a leader in the world of food.
Sonalie Figueiras: Let’s talk more about that. I mean, he’s a food saint. How do you know him, and how did that happen?
Josh Tetrick: I’ve met him through the years at different conferences and things, and when we knew that at some point, we were going to launch in the US, I reached out to him and just began talking to him about what it would look like for him to be the person that we launched with. He’s always open.
Sonalie Figueiras: Was he initially skeptical? What was his take on cultivated meat, given he represents this idea of home-grown, artisanal, organic food?
Josh Tetrick: He wanted to know more about it. So, he wanted me to walk through the process with him. He wanted to know what it means to go from a cell to chicken. He wanted to know about what a bioreactor is. He wanted to talk to a research and development team. So, he didn’t say yes right away, he wanted to learn more. Right away, he wanted to know what the skeptics were saying, right? How are people criticizing it, and what do I agree with in terms of people criticizing it? So, we went through all that with him, and he made the decision that we needed to figure out a different approach to making meat for billions of people. That doesn’t mean, now I’m sharing his point of view, that someone who’s making some high-end lamb in Patagonia is now suddenly displaced. However, as we’re thinking about a growing population, and how the heck you feed so many people, given that we don’t have a bigger planet, I think he realizes that you need a different approach, and he thinks that this is a part of it.
Sonalie Figueiras: That’s awesome. He’s pretty special. I’d feel really awesome about that. He’s definitely someone I think that can really get consumers in. He’s just someone who really understands food and food culture, but he also is someone who has a really big social role with regard to food inequality, food access, and the quality of food that different types of people eat based on their socio-economic background.
I want to dig a little deeper on this because I know that in quite a few of your interviews, you’ve spoken about this idea that capitalism can create positive social change. The world feels very unequal in many ways, particularly with food access, in that there is less hunger, and there is better nutrition across the board, but there’s also rising inequality, and it does feel like there is a sort of elite population around the world that is getting access to better and better food, while mass available food becomes worse and worse, in terms of health and the way it’s produced with industrial agriculture.
Do you still think that capitalism is ultimately the force for good? Where do you see this, given where we are today? Also, in terms of cultivated meat, this idea that for some people, there’s a worry that cultivated meat is just going to slot into this kind of elite food structure and be something for the elites, because of its costs and barriers to entry?
Josh Tetrick: Yeah, well, I don’t think capitalism is in itself a force for good. I think capitalism is a system that can be a force for horrible things, and a force for really good things, depending on what the intent behind the company, the product, and the service is. Factory farming is capitalism. And plant-based milk is capitalism. Coal-fired power plants are capitalism, and the farmers’ market is capitalism. It’s a system to make a good or a service, and it just depends on what the intention is.
I don’t think it’s the only way to make stuff happen. I think you can do it through nonprofits and do it through the government, and I think in probably most cases it is the most effective, but again, sometimes that effect is a negative one. The most effective way to do something, I do often think, is through capitalism.
I think if someone is motivated to make cultivated meat, and they want to make as much as they can, at the lowest cost they can, so, as many people can buy it, and they can make as much money as they can. I would say, it sounds good because ultimately, you’re going to have a big impact on this planet; I’m gonna be a supporter of yours.
I think cultivated meat, just like electric cars to an extent, will be for people who have a lot of money and who are highly educated initially, there’s just no getting around it because that’s often the deal with any product. That was the deal with cereal. That was the deal with Coca-Cola. That was the deal with computers. That was the deal with the iPhone. That was the deal with the cell phone, right? It often is that initially, but can it cross that bridge from: “Alright, it’s this elite thing and a social club”, to something that’s available to the everyday person in Morgantown, West Virginia, and Birmingham, Alabama, where I was raised, and that will be determined by our company’s ability to actually make a lot at a low cost. If we’re able to do it, it will be out there, but if we’re not able to do it, then, you know, we’ll have fallen short.
Sonalie Figueiras: You sure have tried.
Josh Tetrick: Yeah.
Sonalie Figueiras: Well, on the back of that, then what keeps you up at night? For work, I mean.
Josh Tetrick: You know, it’s just more like mundane things. Like, you know, it could be like a particular technical challenge that we’re having. It could be a hire that we’re trying to make. Or, a restructure of a team
Sonalie Figueiras: So tactical stuff?
Josh Tetrick: Yeah, tactical stuff. I mean, I don’t stay up at night thinking about the lifetime project of cultivated meat, I sort of accept that it is what it is. It’s more of the tactical stuff and the chores that keep me up.
Sonalie Figueiras: What does success look like to you? Do you see yourself being the CEO of Eat Just and GOOD Meat for a good long while? Other than what you want for the industry, which is like, “In a few lifetimes, the majority of meat is made using cellular agriculture.” However, for you personally, what is success? What are you aiming for?
Josh Tetrick: It’s to do everything I can, through the people that we hire, technology that I’m pushing, capital that I’m raising, interviews that I’m giving, to increase the probability that cultivated meat as the main source of meat in the food industry happens sooner. Professionally, using my life in that way gives me a lot of fulfillment. Even though it is really hard, even when there’s only trying, even though it can be really frustrating, even though it can make you nauseous sometimes, I feel that to be useful, to feel like you’re doing everything you can to try and increase the likelihood of something so good happening- that’s what I want, and I hope to be doing this leading the company for a long time. This is where I think I could be the most effective, but yes, I feel like every day, I’m being useful in that way. Just from a professional sense, that is success to me.
Sonalie Figueiras: I love it. I agree. Thank you so much, Josh for an incredible conversation. I really appreciate it. Thank you.
Green Queen In Conversation is a podcast about the food and climate story hosted by Sonalie Figueiras, the founder and editor-in-chief of Green Queen Media. The show’s first season, Pioneers of Cultivated Meat, explores cultivated meat, a future food technology on a mission to produce animal protein sustainability. In each of the six episodes, Sonalie interviews the pioneers of the industry, asking the hard questions about one of the most exciting food + climate innovations of our time and sharing the personal story behind each founder’s journey.
Green Queen In Conversation is a co-production from Green Queen Media and Cheeky Monkey Productions. This episode was produced by Joanna Bowers and hosted by Sonalie Figueiras.
In our weekly column, we round up the latest news and developments in the alternative protein and sustainable food industry. This week, Future Food Quick Bites covers a bunch of vegan steak launches, the EU’s alt-protein commitment, and a new book on cultivated meat.
New products and launches
Apricot kernel cheese for the win! Austrian startup Kern Tec – which upcycles stone fruit pits into ingredients for dairy alternatives – has launched a Kesä vegan cheese line under its consumer-facing brand Wunderkern, available at 500 Blus Plus stores in pesto, tomato-olive and Mountain Fun. It will soon unveil alt-milk too.
Courtesy: Kern Tec
In the US, veteran oil brand Wessondebuted a range of vegan spreadable butters with a base of canola, palm and palm kernel oils. They come in Original and Olive Oil varieties, and will be available starting at Hannaford, Stop & Shop, and retailers in the northeast.
Further north, Canadian plant-based dairy company Bettermoo(d)entered a distribution agreement with United Natural Food Canada to place its functional oat milks in over 5,000 retailers nationwide.
Across the Atlantic, UK oat kefir maker Biotiful Gut Health has launched a line of yoghurts made from gluten-free oats. They will debut at Tesco with 350g pots in Vanilla and Cherry flavours.
Meanwhile, New York-based Culiraw has introduced seven raw vegan cheesecakes, available online and in select stores in NYC, Connecticut and New Jersey, including Green’s Natural Foods, Morton Williams, and Met Fresh Supermarkets.
Elsewhere, German cocoa-free chocolate producer ChoViva has partnered with bakery manufacturer De Beukelaer to release a vegan Cereola cookie, which is stoked at Rewe supermarket. It comes a month after it partnered with Kölln on a cereal range that used its oat- and sunflower-based chocolate alternative.
In the UK, Fruit-tellaannounced it will be launching vegan versions of its popular chewy treats (which contain gelatin) in Strawberry Mix, Duo Stix and Berries & Cherry flavours.
Courtesy: Dawn Foods
Staying in the dessert category, Netherlands-based bakery manufacturer Dawn Foods has unveiled a vegan sponge cake mix for its foodservice clients, which promises to provide the “same functionality, texture and taste experience” as its conventional counterpart.
And in the Netherlands and Belgium, McDonald’s has collaborated with Dutch dairy company FrieslandCampina to reduce GHG emissions from the fast-food giant’s dairy supply chain by 14% by 2025.
In more Dutch news, plant protein company Schouten has launched vegan nuggets for children. The Vegetable Bites contain 46% vegetables and come in kid-friendly shapes, and will be available in retail and foodservice channels.
Swedish furniture giant Ikea, meanwhile, has expanded its plant-based offerings with vegan nuggets too. The frozen wheat-based Slagverk nuggets are available at all Ikea stores in Sweden.
This is part of a wider trend, it would seem, given that the vegan snack category – currently worth 49.5B – is set to grow by 7.9% annually to reach $78B. Meanwhile, another report (using much different metrics, I’m sure) shows that the plant-based steak market was valued at $562.5M last year, and is bound to grow by 6.2% per yet to reach $1.02B in 2032.
Speaking of steak, Chunk Foods is deepening its ties with Lewis Hamilton, it seems. Last month, it established a partnership with Hamilton-backed vegan fast-casual chain Neat Burger. And last weekend, it appeared on the menu at Formula 1 in Austin (as well as the Pro Smoke Show).
Courtesy: Chunk Foods
In Germany, Veganz will begin selling a shelf-stable pea protein beef analogue in December, which can be rehydrated in 10 minutes. The plant-based steak will be priced between €3 and €4 per kg, much cheaper than both conventional and other vegan counterparts.
Meanwhile, Israeli producer Redefine Meat‘s 3D-printed flank steak, beef mince and burgers are now available to foodservice operators in Switzerland, with its pulled meat range and kebab mix to arrive next spring. Its New Meat is also available at vegan butcher shop Butch Bunny in Geneva.
Another Middle Eastern brand, the UAE’s Switch Foods, partnered with Lebanese restaurant chain Al Safadi to offer its plant-based meats on the latter’s menu, which will take shape in the form of fried kibbeh, kabab khashkash, lahem beajine and hummus with meat and fries.
Swedish cultivated meat brand Re:meat has partnered with ICA Gruppen, the largest grocery retailer in the Nordics, to explore consumer attitudes towards the former’s cultured meat.
And now there’s a new book about cultivated meat. Bryant Research founder Chris Bryant, cell ag expert Che Cannon and Mosa Met founder Dr Mark Post co-edited Advances in Cultured Meat Technology, published by Burleigh Dodds Science Publishing.
In the US, comedian and SNL alum Tim Robinson collaborated with Plant Power Fast Food to introduce vegan Coney hotdogs, which – like Robinson – hail from Michigan. These will be available at the latter’s locations through November, until supplies last.
Courtesy: Wagamama
More of a K-dog fan? Wagamama‘s got you covered, with a new Korean-inspired menu unveiled in its UK branches. The restaurant – half of whose menu is vegan – has introduced plant-based K-dogs, king oyster skewers, a tofu hot pot, and a silken tofu gochujang rice bowl, among other items.
Meanwhile, South Korea’s CJ CheilJedang has expanded its ready-to-heat vegan Bibigo dumpling range with Japchae and Green Chilli flavours, starting with the UK, Singapore and Australia.
And in the US, Zenso Labs is making upcycled precision-fermented booze. It reuses spent grains from breweries and distilleries and turns them into ingredients for alcohol and food formulations. It will soon launch a Pear Ginger hard seltzer and a ready-to-drink Moscow Mule SKU.
Funding, M&A and novel tech
In Germany, a three-year research project for cultivated meat has been funded by German cultured fish startup Bluu Seafood and the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL). The former has poured in €760,000, and the latter has invested €500,000, bringing the total financing to €1.3M.
Canadian cultivated meat producer Evolved, meanwhile, has published a paper detailing how it created in-vivo-like tissues in vitro, capitalising on scaffold-free cell sheets.
Also in Canada, the Saskatchewan Food Centre is building an Advanced Food Ingredients Centre for precision fermentation and bioengineering R&D, with a potential capacity of 20,000 litres. It’s set to begin operations this quarter.
Courtesy: Daiya
Another fermentation facility that made the rounds recently was the one vegan cheese giant Daiya invested in, as it looks to develop a next-level version of chickpea-, oat- and coconut-based cheeses, slated for a North American launch by the end of this year.
In more cheese news, UK company Compleat Food Group (which was formed out of a merger between Addo Food Group and Winterbotham Darby in 2021) has acquired London-based artisanal vegan cheese maker Palace Culture.
Policy and petitions
Oatly‘s much-hyped Reddit AMA last Friday – where it invited a Big Dairy exec to co-host the session and answer questions about sustainability and carbon labelling alongside its sustainability director Caroline Reid – saw no one answer its call. But a Scottish dairy farmer did!
The European Parliament last week voted in favour of the Plant Protein Strategy, which calls on the EU – which has had a rocky week as some members have been found in cohorts with Big Ag to suppress green reforms – to boost the production and consumption of sustainable protein crops.
And its former member, the UK, saw a fourth borough endorse calls for a Plant-Based Treaty. London’s Lambeth council will join Haywards Heath, Norwich and Edinburgh in calculating and reducing food emissions and promoting plant-based food accessibility.
Awards, events and platforms
In Australia, SneakQIK, a shopping deals website, has relaunched as a vegan discounts platform, with expansions planned for India, the US, the UK and eventually globally.
Meanwhile, plant-based organisations have joined as strategic partners for a new event called Veg-net, whose first edition will be held on June 5 next year in London. The organisers hope to connect began brands with buyers and industry experts.
If you’ve had too much news and would rather just take a break, there are vegan-friendly rooms waiting for you at the NH Collection hotel in Dubai’s Palm Jumeirah archipelago. Animal-free bedding, plant-based snacks, compostable shower caps and sanitary bags, plastic-free packaging? Sign me up.
Elsewhere, Californian vegan seafood brand Impact Food has been nominated as one of 22 finalists for the 2023 Neptune Award by Ocean Exchange, which recognises sustainable solutions addressing ocean pollution and degradation.
Speaking of awards, TIME magazine has announced its annual Best Innovations list, which includes GOOD Meat‘s cultured chicken, which is one of only two companies to have received regulatory approval for sale in the US. There was also a special mention for Green Wolf‘s Vegami, which is a whole-foods plant-based salami sausage.
And PETA UK has also announced the winners for its 2023 Vegan Food Awards. Winners include M&S, THIS, VFC, Redefine Meat, Honestly Tasty, Sacred Grounds, Greggs, Asda and Flora.
And finally, another famous vegan organisation, Veganuary, has released the trailer for a documentary celebrating 10 years of the movement. It will premiere on November 17.
Want more roundups of alt-protein, plant-based and sustainable food? Stay tuned for next week’s Future Food Quick Bites, published every Wednesday, or get it in your mailbox by signing up for our Alt Protein Weekly newsletter.
Better Bite Ventures has announced investments in three APAC food tech startups as part of its early-stage First Bite initiative and has opened applications for the next funding round.
The three startups part of the latest First Bite funding round – which offers early-stage investments of between $50,000 and $150,000 – are Singapore’s Fattastic, Australia’s Pivot Eat, and South Korea’s Everything But.
“As part of the broader transition to a net-zero economy, we need new, more sustainable ways of making food,” said Better Bite Ventures founding partner Michal Klar. “But these new products must also be tasty – only then will consumers truly buy in.”
New fats, whole cuts and cultivated pet food
Courtesy: Fattastic
Klar added: “The startups we are announcing today are pioneering new solutions to improve the taste and texture of meat and dairy alternatives.” Fattastic, for example, engineers plant-based fats to improve the sensorial and functional attributes of vegan meat and dairy analogues. Its oil structuring tech transforms plant oils into solid states to resemble animal fats. It was founded by Satnam Singh, a former researcher at A*STAR agency in Singapore.
Pivot Eat, meanwhile, is working on a novel process to enhance the structure and accelerate the scalability of plant-based whole-cut meat. Founder Ann Limley is a food scientist with over two decades of food R&D experience across Singapore, Europe and Australia.
Finally, South Korea-based Everything But is Asia’s first cultivated meat startup for pet food. One study suggests that if cats and dogs were considered their own nation, they would rank as the world’s fifth-largest meat-consuming entity. To reduce the impact of our furry friends on the environment, the startup – founded by veterinarians and scientists and helmed by CEO Yoonchan Hwang – is developing more sustainable, protein-rich pet food with high taste, texture and nutritional quality.
Klar reiterated that sustainable food products need to have better taste and textural attributes for greater consumer adoption. “Hence [the] focus on solutions like enhanced plant-based fats replacing animal fat and better structure of whole cuts. With Everything But, it is about [the] important and growing climate impact of pet food.”
Building upon previous early-stage investments
Courtesy: EatKinda
Better Bite Ventures launched the First Bite initiative last year, with a focus on APAC startups tackling food system challenges with innovative solutions. To qualify for investment, founders need to be working on meat, seafood, dairy or egg replacements using plant-based, fermentation, cultivated or molecular farming technology, be based in the APAC region, and be at the idea or just-begun phase.
“Bold technology innovation is needed to reduce the climate impact of our current food system in Asia. The response to the First Bite initiative has been encouraging – to date, we’ve invested in seven food tech startups, and are now open for more,” said Better Bite Ventures founding partner Simon Newstead.
In April, it unveiled four investments in early-stage APAC alt-protein startups. These included Singaporean startups Allium Bio, which co-cultures microalgae and mycelium and turns them into functional ingredients like protein isolates, and Cultivaer, which is working on bioreactor-free tech to slash the costs and speed up the scalability of fermentation-derived protein. The other two startups part of the First Bite funding in April were New Zealand-based cauliflower ice cream brand EatKinda, and Klevermeat, which claims to be India’s first cultivated seafood startup.
Better Bite Ventures was launched in early 2022 by Klar and Simon Newstead as APAC’s first dedicated climate-centric food tech fund, with $15M in assets under management. It typically invests between $200,000 and $700,000 in pre-seed and seed rounds across the cultivated, precision fermentation and plant-based protein sectors.
It has already invested in over 20 food tech startups, including Aussie-American precision fermentation dairy maker Change Foods, Indian alt-meat brands Greenest and Liberate Foods, Indonesian plant-based giant Green Rebel, Australian mushroom meat maker Fable Food, Chinese cultivated meat company CellX, and Singapore-headquartered vegan meat producer TiNDLE.
Now, it’s opened applications for the next round of First BIte investments, earmarking between $50,000 to $100,000 for early-stage founders.
Disclaimer: Green Queen founder and editor-in-chief Sonalie Figueiras is a Venture Partner at Better Bite Ventures.
Andrew Arentowicz, CEO of blended meat startup 50/50 Foods Inc explains who his target consumer is, why blended meat has failed before, why the category has a marketing problem and his take on the animal welfare question.
This article is part of our content series exploring the world of hybrid and blended meat products – those blending cultivated or conventional proteins with plant-based ingredients, respectively, and why some think this is the future of reducing meat consumption.
Americans consume too much meat. This isn’t me trying to anger anyone – it’s a literal fact. The US population eats 233.3g of meat a day, which is almost three times the maximum recommended amount by the Eat-Lancet Commission to achieve the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals and meet the targets of the 2015 Paris Agreement.
While plant-based, cultivated and fermented meat companies have all been trying to get consumers to see the effect their diet has on the environment, many don’t. In fact, while vegan meat alternatives have undergone a sales and PR hit, the FAO – you know, the UN food body that deliberately censored data about livestock farming’s impact on climate change – says we will be eating 14% more meat by 2030.
So with plant-based meat still reeling from financial setbacks, cultivated meat in touch regulatory landscape, and fermentation-based proteins still a nascent category, where does that leave us? The answer might be going back to animal-derived meat.
At least a little bit.
Some are proposing blended or hybrid meats as a solution. Blended meat refers to a mix of traditional animal protein with plant-based ingredients, while hybrid combines the latter with cultivated meat. A bunch of companies are already working in this sector, hoping to influence people to reduce meat consumption by eating the same amount of meat products, albeit with less meat.
Consumer research shows taste is paramount
Here’s the thing. Consumer perceptions of these products are very much informed by traditional meat, and while price and health are important drivers, nothing beats flavour. Research has shown that taste is the number one factor for people choosing to eat or avoid meat alternatives. Last year, an 8,000-person survey covering the US, UK, France and Germany found that about half of respondents “greatly preferred” the taste of animal protein over plant-based analogues.
Similarly, a Kerry Group report published earlier this year – surveying 1,500 consumers in the US, UK, Australia and Brazil – suggested that people have greater taste expectations for plant-based burgers than conventional ones, adding that great flavour is key to the sector’s success.
For blended products, this is where the opportunity lies. A peer-reviewed consumer study published in March 2022 – using data from September 2019 with a relatively small size of 172 US participants – revealed that Americans still preferred beef a 100% beef burger over any other alternatives. But when it came to three substitutes – a pea protein patty, a yeast-based ‘animal-like’ patty and a blend of animal beef and mushrooms – consumers chose the blended burger in a blind taste test.
The blended burger was 70% animal beef and 30% mushrooms. One company proposing a different share is 50/50 Foods, Inc – no points for guessing its proportion. The Los Angeles-based startup says it’s the only USDA-approved 50/50 burger, which is comprised 50% beef and 50% vegetables (mushrooms, onions, cauliflower, broccoli and garlic), along with spices and seasonings.
This way, Americans can “have their meat and eat it too”, as 50/50 Foods founder Andrew Arentowicz puts it. “The global food system accounts for approximately one-third of total GHG emissions, with beef being the #1 emitter, by a country mile,” he tells me. “How you get Americans to eat less meat is the biggest question in need of an answer, and we think we have it.”
Arentowicz explains that cutting beef consumption in half can “actually move the needle” on climate change. The comment chimes with research showing that meat and dairy cause twice as many emissions as plant-based foods. And a study published last month found that replacing half our animal product consumption with plant-based alternatives could reduce agriculture and land use emissions by 31%, halt forest and natural land destruction, and double overall climates – although if you’re American, your meat intake needs to go down by 82% if you want to avoid climate disasters.
And it’s because, despite 95% of Americans continuing to eat meat, 74% don’t think eating less of it will help the environment. It’s these consumers 50/50 Foods is targeting. “Not to mention, moms who want their kids to eat more veggies,” Arentowicz adds.
Why blended meat hasn’t worked – yet
Courtesy: Fascinadora/Canva
It’s not like companies haven’t tried selling blended meat before – they’ve just… not worked? For example, German retailer Aldi got backlash for launching a BBQ Flexitarian Burger made from beef and beans in 2019 (it’s nowhere to be seen anymore). Tesco launched a Lean & Greens range combining chicken with vegetables in 2021 (the reviews are not great, either for taste or misleading messaging).
And sure, private-label supermarket products aren’t always the most flavourful. Well, Tyson – the world’s second-largest meat company – launched blended beef-pea protein burgers and nuggets under its Raised & Rooted range in the summer of 2019, only to pull the products in December 2020. “The Raised & Rooted Blend will be discontinued as we constantly evaluate products working alongside our customers and consumers,” a Tyson spokesperson said at the time.
So why would these products work now? Arentowicz has an interesting analogy. “You might remember that ‘search was dead’ before Google came along – InfoSeek, Ask Jeeves, Yahoo Search all failed,” he reminds me. “Sometimes, you need to get it right before consumers will buy it.
“Tyson’s Raised & Rooted blended burger said they were ‘beef and pea protein isolate’ burgers. Who wants to eat – let alone buy – pea protein isolate?” he wonders. “Additionally, timing helps. Processed plant [meat] like Beyond and Impossible is struggling, and cultivated meat is still decades away from viability. So I think the timing for a flexitarian category is now.” [Although only 6% of Americans followed a flexitarian diet last year, while 5% adopted a ‘low-carbon footprint/sustainable diet.]
Asked if 50/50 Foods has conducted any consumer trials, Arentowicz says: “Yes. Lots. People almost universally love our 50/50 burger because it tastes great.” Why, you ask? “Because we put flavour-enhancing toppings – like roasted mushrooms, caramelised onions, and roasted garlic – inside our burgers.”
In that consumer study where blended burgers came out on top in the blind taste test, people actually chose the yeast protein over the blended in an informed taste test, where they knew what the products were (the pea protein patty still came last). “When consumers know more about the ingredients of the blended burger, the demand decreases,” concluded the study.
As mentioned above, online reviews of Tesco’s blended meat range show that people are confused by the labels. This is a marketing problem, and Arentowicz says the solution might be in the name. “I don’t like the word ‘blended’ or ‘hybrid’, and I am hoping the leaders in this space – the handful of us – can rally around a more appealing category name. I don’t think we have it yet, but I think ‘flex’ or ‘flex meat’ (for flexitarianism) is the best we’ve got at the moment.” he says. “But I’m open to any suggestions, lol.”
The climate and animal welfare arguments
Courtesy: 50/50 Foods Inc
50/50, whose first product is a grass-fed Angus beef burger, plans to create half-and-half hot dogs and chicken nuggets too. Grass-fed beef currently makes up about 4% of US beef sales, and according to a 2017 report, 75-80% of grass-fed beef sold stateside is grown abroad (Angus beef itself is native to the UK) – this pushes up the product’s environmental footprint. One study estimates that grain-fed beef can have a 67.5% lower carbon footprint than grass-fed.
Arentowicz disputes these numbers, explaining that it isn’t “settled research”, pointing to a story explaining why (albeit by a meat company). But, like 50/50 Foods’ meat, he remains flexible: “We are beef-agnostic. Our clients dictate which beef they want to use. We currently use grass-fed beef in our retail product, but that’s a personal choice at this particular juncture of our business.”
Even if you put the climate argument aside for a second, how does blended meat fare with the animal slaughter question? “If animal welfare is your only issue, I have total respect for your position and argument,” he notes. “But asking everyone to turn into a vegetarian is an impossible goal. At least today it is, and we need bold solutions to big problems today.”
He adds: “I’m too practical to let perfect be the enemy of the good. Cutting beef consumption in half will save lots of animals, so we’re technically on the same team.” Arentowicz declined to go into specific details about how the company is funded, but offered: “Obviously, our investors are very bullish on our potential.”
So where can we find 50/50 Foods’ blended meat? Restaurants? Supermarkets? Both? On its website, the startup has a binocular-shaped graphic that serves as a future, ahem, vision for its footprint – which seems to be both in retail and foodservice. This is something Arentowicz confirms. “The mission is every menu, every shelf,” he says. “And our timeline is as soon as humanly possible.”
In the midst of conflict, vegan food companies, chefs and volunteers came together to feed Israeli Defence Force soldiers, their loved ones, and people who have been injured or displaced.
Like the rest of the world, Omer Tal woke up in a state of shock. It was October 7, Hamas had just launched over 5,000 rockets from Gaza on Israeli soil, and it sparked a war that would see over 5,000 killed, 15,000 injured and hundreds of thousands displaced.
Still processing, Tal realised that returning to routine was, unfortunately, a far-fetched fantasy. “I felt a deep-seated need to contribute in a meaningful way,” he recalls. So he called Dor Datner, the owner of 12 eateries in Tel Aviv, and his partner Gilad Harpaz to ask for help.
Israel is a nation known as an alt-protein hub, with investment in this sector accounting for 15% of the global total last year, surpassed only by the US last year. Recognising the food industry’s potential, Tal –the head chef at Redefine Meat, one of the leading vegan meat companies in Israel – wanted to mobilise the sector and feed soldiers on the frontline, their families, those who have been displaced or lie injured in hospital – and anyone without access to nutritious foods during this period.
Fulfilling vegan meals as battle rations in Israel
Tal posted a call for support on Facebook, asking for volunteers to help cook meals and support an army that counts over 10,000 vegans (over 5% of the country’s total population follows a plant-based diet). Within 12 hours, Datner and Harpaz’s central kitchen on Tel Giborim Street (which fittingly translates to ‘hero’s hill’ in Hebrew) saw a flurry of activity being sanitised to kosher and vegan standards.
“I reached out to the army bases via the group Vegan Friendly to find out how many vegan or vegetarian soldiers are in each,” says Liran Cohen, a private chef. As the largest vegan organisation in Israel, it arranges plant-based meals for soldiers with dietary restrictions.
Running over a week, the campaign saw food tech startups, food producers and 100 volunteers and private chefs converge to serve vegan and flexitarian soldiers. “We created meal kits each consisting of 20 portions,” explains Lilach Edman, a vegan pasta chef who managed the kitchen. “Each portion was composed of a 150g protein dish, a portion of carbohydrate and fresh vegetables, plus a plant-based delicious treat. We made sure they contained all the food elements. The typical battle rations that normally come in cans can’t provide vegan soldiers with the sustenance they desperately need.”
Several startups donated raw materials for the plant-based meals, including Redefine Meat, which provided three tons of its 3D-printed beef and lamb analogues. Green Butcher and More Foods also donated plant-based beef products. Meanwhile, YoEgg! Foods contributed with its vegan poached eggs, and Creative Pea offered its pea-based chicken and fish innovations. Plenty 4U, Mama Q and Utopia donated dairy alternatives like vegan cheeses, and E.Y.M. Israeli Tofu donated high-quality tofu.
The kitchen, which ran from October 8-16, produced about 6,000 meals with a diverse selection of protein-rich dishes curated by private chef Noam Carmon. These include vegan schnitzels, spaghetti Bolognese with meatballs, chicken skewers, fish patties, poached eggs in tomato sauce and cheese pastries, among others. Additionally, Ornat donated its dairy- and sugar-free JO-MO chocolates, and Panda Confections contributed its vegan chocolates, and Roy Chocolate provided pralines.
A sense of home and a glimmer of hope
“There were some complex logistics in getting the kits to all the bases and evacuated families,” says Cohen. “But the soldiers’ reactions have been deeply touching – many expressed that the meals provided them with both strength and a comforting sense of home. They were grateful not to have to rely on battle rations. Surprisingly, even some of their carnivorous comrades sampled our vegan dishes and were amazed.”
After a week of tremendous efforts, the kitchen has now closed, but the campaign is still going through smaller private kitchens and restaurants. It’s described as a “first aid ‘food commando’” that supplied meals until other kitchens and organisations were able to properly answer to the needs of soldiers. Now, four different kitchens – including Redefine Meat’s test kitchen – are host to hundreds of volunteers and home cooks serving 2,000 meals a day.
Vegan Friendly arranged an operation room for all the plant-based and vegetarian meals, held a big group of either home cooks or commercial vegetarian kitchens to supply the meals, and took care of the delivery with its own volunteers. Since the attack on October 7, all the kitchens have served a combined 2.5 million meals in Israel, with 250,000 of them being vegan.
Redefine Meat continues to provide raw materials for 70 meals a day. “The other companies and volunteers have pledged to continue their part until the end of the war,” says Tal. “Moreover, some of the kits are also being earmarked for evacuated families and the 5,000 injured survivors in hospitals.”
He adds: “In the midst of the suffering, sadness, anxiety, and pain that continues to affect us, the Israeli community has rallied together to support and strengthen one another. Among the volunteers that turned up were those [who] had just returned from the funeral of a beloved relative, while others were young survivors of the Nova peace festival that was the first line of attack by the terrorists.
“For them, volunteering served as a form of initial compensation for trauma, offering precious moments to breathe and connect back to life. For many, this project has provided a glimmer of light in these dark and challenging times.”
Konscious Foods founder and president Yves Potvin talks to Green Queen about microwaving frozen sushi, plant-based meat’s challenges, consumer reception of its rolls, poke bowls and onigiri, and creating new vegan seafood analogues.
People in Vancouver search for sushi more than anyone else in the world, if you’re to go by Google Trends data. In fact, Canadians top the list in terms of the share of the population (5.7%) looking for sushi on Google, followed closely by the US (3.4%) – though the latter has the most searches in absolute numbers. Japan comes third.
Sushi is incredibly popular in North America – and it’s no longer confined to high-end restaurants charging hundreds of dollars. You can get sushi in your grocery store. And why says supermarket sushi is bad? Not Americans, who drove a 72% rise in sushi sales at US retailers over the past year. US retail giant Kroger, which has been selling the dish since 1990, is now the largest sushi seller in the country.
It’s this success that Konscious Foods – the Vancouver-based brand by French chef Yves Potvin – is banking on. Launched in 2021, the company makes frozen vegan sushi, onigiri and poke bowls, using seafood analogues like plant-based tuna, salmon and snow crab.
Courtesy: Konscious Foods
Standing out from the crowd
The meat alternatives sector has undergone a period of turmoil over the last couple of years, with sales falling, workers being laid off, and companies shutting down. Potvin compares this to the proliferation of cars in the early 20th century, and the dot-com bubble in the late 90s “where everyone had an idea”, when the rapid growth of the Internet led to a stock market boom. “Dreaming is important,” he agrees, “but so is the bottom line. At some point, you need to show investors a return on their investment.”
He adds: “At the end of the day, knowing how to run a business and having the know-how in this industry is still very important.” And he certainly does possess the knowledge and experience – Potvin is the man behind established plant-based businesses in Gardein and Yves Veggie Cuisine.
According to the Good Food Institute, plant-based meat unit sales dropped by 8%, but vegan seafood saw a 40% year-on-year growth in pound sales last year. The sector has been a hub of activity recently, with product launches like South Korean startup Unlimeat‘s upcycled tuna analogue, Singapore-based HAPPIEE‘s vegan shrimp and squid in the UK, and Revo Foods‘ 3D-printed whole-cut salmon in Austria.
It’s becoming an increasingly crowded space – how does Konscious Foods plan to stand out? The freezer. Even in the conventional space, frozen sushi is still quite a niche market. In the plant-based sphere, Konscious Foods’ offering is the first of its kind. “Shelf life is very important – sushi and poke bowls otherwise must be eaten pretty immediately upon purchase to ensure safety,” explains Potvin. “Really, frozen food offers convenience.” And convenience is what Americans want, with 61% citing it as a purchase driver in one survey – up from 56% last year.
Courtesy: Konscious Foods
The importance of frozen
So which consumers fit this convenience bill? “Our target consumer is… everyone who loves delicious foods,” says Potvin. “While busy parents and lunchboxes are certainly a perfect fit for our patent-pending ability to thaw or go from frozen to fresh in minutes in the microwave, we are increasingly seeing flexitarian come into the mainstream.”
But it does seem counterintuitive to heat up sushi and poke bowls, I point out. “First of all, since we are plant-based, you can be relieved of any concerns that accompany microwaving traditional fish,” Potvin tells me. “But microwaving isn’t the only way to enjoy Konscious Foods – it can also be thawed at room temperature (this takes about two to three hours).”
He adds: “But whether you choose to let it thaw in your bag during the workday, or decide to zap it in the microwave, we’ve made sure there is absolutely zero sacrifice to taste or texture.” Even when it comes to putting ingredients like cucumber and avocado in the microwave? Yes, Potvin assures me. “There are some secrets a chef will never tell,” he says. “But if you choose to microwave them, eight rolls only go in for one minute.”
If you are still looking for your fresh vegan sushi fix though, all you need to do is head to Whole Foods. Konscious Foods has partnered with the retailer to develop two exclusive ready-to-eat rolls using its seafood analogues, which you can find at all Whole Foods sushi venues across North America. “Frozen will always be important to us, but we’ll absolutely look for additional ways we can meet our busy customers,” explains Potvin.
Courtesy: Konscious Foods
Konscious Foods’ frozen SKUs, meanwhile, will soon be available in the freezer aisles at 4,500 retail locations in Canada and the US, including Wegmans, Sprouts and Albertsons-Safeway, among others. And the brand is present in foodservice too. “We include the retail product in operator-friendly packaging that ensures culinary teams are able to offer on-trend, plant-based solutions to their menus with ease,” says Potvin.
He explains that the company’s lineup is adaptable to multiple foodservice formats, including catering, micro-markets, vending, in-flight service, sushi bars and quick-service restaurants – aided by its konjac-, pea- and rice-based salmon, tuna and ‘sno’ crab. “We also offer foodservice bulk packs of our maki rolls, onigiri stuffed rice snacks and poke bowls that provide ‘thaw and serve’ efficiency, without requiring any additional specialised training,” Potvin says.
Moreover, Konscious Foods is in discussions with foodservice providers across the US and Canada to expand its offering to the catering sector in institutions like schools.
Focusing on health, flavour and the planet
For Potvin, health and taste are equally important – just as they are for American plant-based meat consumers. “To change the way people eat and help people incorporate plant-based into their diets, you can’t just have ‘nutritious’ without ‘taste’, and you can’t just have ‘taste’ without ‘nutritious’ – it won’t work,” he says.
Many of the “high quality, clean” ingredients Konscious Foods uses are grown and processed in Canada, with a focus on non-GMO and organic certifications where possible. Its sushi rice is from California and accredited by the Non-GMO Project, and for its rainbow roll, it uses Organic Latin America rice and Thai Jasberry rice (touted to be one of the world’s healthiest varieties).
Potvin says the company has managed to offer its products at price parity with conventional supermarket sushi: “We know one of the biggest barriers to entry for plant-based food, which is often two or more times more expensive than traditional protein options. By keeping the price on par, we can help bring plant-based products to the masses.”
Courtesy: Konscious Foods
In August, Konscious Foods – which has largely been self-funded, other than receiving government grants – raised $26M in a Series A funding round that included the government-backed Protein Industries Canada, as well as Zynik Capital and Walter Group. The brand has used the cash injection to bolster production, expand its retail and foodservice footprints, and launch marketing initiatives. In addition, Konscious is working on more seafood analogues to expand vertically, with vegan shrimp and smoked salmon top of the list.
Potvin says all three of Konscious Foods’ current product lines have received a great response from consumers with its California roll nabbing the NEXTY Award for Best New Frozen Product at the Expo West trade fair earlier this year. “For me, it has been most rewarding to hear how many people are trying and loving it,” he notes.
Because, as he reiterates: “We are not just about being plant-based – our mission is to make good-for-you, good-for-the-world food that tastes good.”
Global food and drink ingredients giant Ingredion is partnering with its distributor Univar to showcase a range of plant-based, low-sugar, ‘natural’ products at the Gulfood Manufacturing conference this November.
According to Ingredion, 50% of consumers in the UAE are prioritising their food and drink’s nutritional content and naturalness. It adds to other global research done by the company, which has found that 78% of consumers would spend more money on products with ‘natural’ or ‘all-natural’ packaging claims.
To meet these needs, Ingredion will be showcasing a line of healthier and natural products – including plant-based and low-sugar formulations – at the Gulfood Manufacturing conference in Dubai next month (November 7-9).
Ingredion’s plant protein push
Courtesy: InnovoPro
Prepared by its principal culinologist Kevin Alder, the company will host a tasting menu featuring a vegetarian lamb kofta, egg-free tahini mayo (containing NEST, a citrus fibre), sugar-free chilli ketchup, fresh cream cheese with protein crackers, a chocolate dessert with no added sugar, a Crème Brulée, and reduced-sugar non-alcoholic beverages.
“We are thrilled to participate in the Gulfoods Manufacturing event and share our cutting-edge innovations with the world,” said Quentin Labbe, Ingredion’s MENA sales and technical services manager. “Our commitment to plant-based proteins, cost-effective formulations and sugar reduction capabilities reflects our dedication to meeting the evolving needs of consumers while helping manufacturers thrive in a challenging economic climate. We invite everyone to visit our booth to experience the future of food.”
Ingredion has previously launched a pea and rice protein blend for use in extruded snacks and drinks, as well as a low-viscosity pea and rice isolate for ready-to-mix drinks and protein bars with a clearer texture. And earlier this year, it debuted a chickpea protein innovation alongside Israeli startup InnovoPro – which it bought a stake in last year – at Chicago’s IFT First trade show.
The company, which has invested over $200M in plant-based proteins since 2019, saw its sales for these proteins rise by 118% in 2022, reaching $36M. In 2021, it also opened a dedicated facility in Nebraska, becoming the first North American manufacturer to make locally produced plant protein isolate, concentrate, flour and starch products.
Vegan wins in the Gulf
Courtesy: Switch Foods
The Gulfood Manufacturing event is taking place in Dubai, where Thryve opened what was the UAE’s first plant-based meat factory in March. The city’s government is now working with local and international businesses and organisations to clamp down on food loss and waste to boost food security and promote a more sustainable economy.
Months after Thryve’s facility was opened, Switch Foods unveiled its own manufacturing plant in Abu Dhabi to produce vegan kebabs, minced meat and burgers. And this week, the latter announced a partnership with Al Safadi, a Lebanese restaurant chain in Dubai run by a former butcher, which will see four dishes served with Switch Foods’ meat alternatives.
These developments come as the UAE prepared to host COP28 – described as the first food-focused UN climate summit – which will feature a predominantly plant-based menu. The decision to do so coincides with the country’s Year of Sustainability, which includes a push to promote plant-based eating in the country. This is in line with consumer sentiment in the nation – a YouGov poll this week found that more than half (55%) of its citizens identify as flexitarian (including pescetarians), vegetarian or vegan.
Ingredion’s plant-forward launch is the latest example of an international company making a foray into UAE’s vegan sector. In 2021, US giant Impossible Foods made its Middle East debut at Dubai World Expo, while Singapore-based TiNDLE launched in this region for the first time at 20 UAE restaurants. Meanwhile, last year, Aussie-American precision fermentation leader Change Foods signed an agreement to build a first-of-its-kind commercial manufacturing plant in the UAE.
Last month, it announced an agrifood strategy to bolster the sector’s value to $10B and create 20,000 jobs by 2025, with regulatory advancements being one of the key pillars. While fellow Gulf country Israel is home to a host of alt-protein startups, industry think tank the Good Food Institute says the UAE is partnering “with foreign alternative meat startups, primarily US-based companies, to build commercial-scale production facilities and potentially fast-track regulatory approval” for cultivated meat.
In 2021, DisruptAD – the VC arm of Abu Dhabi’s sovereign fund ADQ – led the $105M Series B fundraising round for Israeli cultured meat leader Aleph Farms. And a 2022 study by PSB Insights – commissioned by US cultured meat pioneer Good Meat – found that while only 34% of people in the Middle East had heard of cell-cultured meat, awareness of the alt-protein was highest in the UAE.
Meanwhile, neighbouring nation Saudi Arabia is also actively promoting more plant-based foods – officials from the Saudi Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture have co-signed deals to develop alt-protein products with locally sourced plants.
Warwick-based startup Moolec Science, which makes animal proteins using plants through molecular farming, has raised $30M in cash and kind from investors via convertible notes. It comes months after the company unveiled soybeans that contained pork proteins.
Moolec Science has entered an agreement with Grupo Insud to issue a convertible note due in 2026 worth $21M, with a strike price of $6 per share. This will be issued against a cash payment of $10M and in-kind contributions to be made by Grupo Insud to Moolec, which include credits to access Insud’s state-of-the-art industrial capabilities. The two companies formed a precision fermentation joint venture in 2021.
It follows a deal with Bioceres Crop Solutions – which Moolec spun off from as a seed startup – which will secure the supply of about 15,000 tons of soybeans, paid for via a convertible note. In total, the convertible notes amount to $30M in cash and in-kind contributions, which include soybean inventories, operational services and the acquisition of joint venture equity.
“This capital raise strengthens our financial position and allows us to accelerate our business model in a challenging financial market. The notes provide healthy optionality for Moolec to convert into common shares or cash in three years’ time,” said Mooled CFO José López Lecube. “Cash proceeds will be used to continue funding key R&D projects and in-kind contributions will secure the needed working capital to ramp up our commercialisation plan and product development initiatives.”
Transforming safflower into dairy proteins
Courtesy: Moolec Science
Moolec, which began trading on Nasdaq in January via a merger with special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) LightJump, has a market cap of over $100M but has seen its stock drop from a nearly $20-high to under $3 recently.
Launched in 2021, the company is known for its molecular farming capabilities. It’s a process that produces proteins using plants instead of animals – plants are modified to replicate the desired proteins, and then harvested from the leaves or other tissues.
It bioengineers plants like soybeans and yellow peas to produce bovine and porcine proteins that enhance the flavour, texture, colour and nutrition of plant-based meat. But its most advanced innovations are a bovine chymosin protein (used in cheese) and a nutritional oil rich in GLA (an omega-6 fatty acid), both of which are produced through a strain of safflower using a patented tech called SPC.
The latter has already received a ‘no questions’ letter from the US and Drug Administration, which affirms its GRAS (Generally Recognized as Safe) status in the US. It has been approved by the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service too, which means Moolec can import, move between states and grow plants in the US.
Commercialising molecular meat proteins
Courtesy: Moolec Science
Meanwhile, Moolec’s Meat Replacement Program made a breakthrough earlier this year, producing soybeans that taste like pork. The tech yielded 26.6% of the total soluble protein in soy seeds via its newly developed Piggy Sooy, surpassing its initial projections by fourfold. The beans have a pink hue akin to that of pork, and Moolec is seeking a patent for the tech that will also help facilitate a smoother regulatory pathway.
“This achievement opens up a precedent for the entire scientific community that is looking to achieve high levels of protein expression in seeds via Molecular Farming,” Amit Dhingra, Moolec’s chief science officer, said at the time. “This platform has the potential to be used across a wide variety of proteins of interest for a broad range of industries, such as the pharma, cosmetic, diagnostic reagents, and other food industries.”
Moolec CEO Gastón Paladini told AFN that the company plans to focus on more meat molecules and proteins in multiple R&D projects. And instead of extracting and purifying the animal protein from these ingredients, it plans to sell the soy and pea proteins with the meat proteins embedded in the matrix.
“Moolec’s plan is not to purify and extract the target molecule the plant expresses,” he told AFN. “It makes sense for us to produce hybrid ingredients between plant and animal proteins, together. Affordability and functionality are our top priorities. And Moolec is targeting the whole processing meat market, not just the alternative protein market.”
The startup is working on developing meat proteins using yeast fermentation. It’s in talks with companies like ingredient processors for partnerships that could see Moolec license its IP, or work with them in downstream processing to recover and commercialise the proteins using their networks. But Moolec also has its own industrial facility in Argentina that could help it commercialise, with the ability to crush 10,000 tons of soybeans per year.
“We all share the common purpose to redefine the way we produce animal-based food, for good and for all. These engagements reinforce our vision and our shareholders’ long-term commitments while motivating Moolec’s Team to achieve the milestones to come,” said Moolec CEO Gastón Paladini.
South Korean food and drink giant Nongshim is investing ₩10B ($7.4M) in venture funds aimed at incubating food tech startups, particularly those working with cultivated meat.
Nongshim, the company behind the ultra-famous Shin Ramyun noodle brand, will pour the capital into helping discover and foster emerging companies working with the future of food in South Korea, particularly in areas like smart farming, digital transformation and cultivated meat, which it views as the closest and most viable alternative to conventional meat in the future.
The ₩10B ($7.4M) will be split equally into two Seoul-based two startup funds managed by Stonebridge Ventures and IMM Investment, with the food and drink giant aiming to champion trailblazing startups that can transform the food value chain.
Veggie Garden and ‘smart farm’ deals
Courtesy: Nongshim
Nongshim has its own alt-protein brand called Veggie Garden, which makes plant-based products ranging from bibimbap and bulgogi to grilled steak, dumplings and cheese. It also runs Forest Kitchen, a vegan fine-dining restaurant in southern Seoul, which opened in May 2022.
Additionally, the company – South Korea’s largest instant noodle maker – signed deals with the UAE and Saudi Arabia earlier this year to export smart farms to produce South Korean varieties of strawberries all year round. The latter project is worth a potential $30M, and Nongshim plans to generate business opportunities of over $100M with high-value-added crops.
It began investing in startups with the launch of its Nongshim techUP+ programme in 2018, and says the value of the stakes it has invested in has more than doubled. But while its ₩10B investment is a positive move, Nongshim’s sales and net profit in the first half of the year were ₩1.7T ($1.2B) and ₩99B ($72.9M), respectively.
“Investment in startups was decided following internal reviews,” a Nongshim spokesperson told Korea JoongAng Daily. “But we’re investing through specialised investment funds to conduct a more in-depth evaluation and to explore more deeply.”
Plant-based and cultivated meat focus in South Korea
Courtesy: CellMEAT
Cultivated meat is on the rise in South Korea. In February, 28 industry stakeholders signed an MoU to advance the country’s cultured meat industry, while a month later, the North Gyeongsang province opened the North Gyeongsang Cellular Agriculture Industry Support Center. The 2,309 sq m facility was built over six years with a total investment of ₩9B ($7M) with the aim to develop biomaterials and support companies in the cultivated meat sector.
These developments came after the nation’s Ministry of Food and Drug Safety included official guidance for alt-protein in its National Plan 2022, covering the safety, manufacturing processes and regulatory approval of cultivated meat.
And in terms of plant-based food, more and more consumers are adopting vegan food. The Korean Vegetarian Union said that in 2020, there were around half a million strict vegans in the country – a threefold increase from a decade ago. Similarly, 1.5 million people followed vegetarian or plant-forward diets, while nearly 20% of the population (around 10 million) estimated to be flexitarian.
Industry think tank the Good Food Institute, meanwhile, has called South Korea a “global hotbed of alternative protein innovation”, with companies like Unlimeat, Lotteria, Armored Fresh and Yangyoo some of the plant-based leaders joining the aforementioned cultivated meat players in building a thriving industry.
Andy Shovel, co-founder of UK plant-based meat brand THIS, talks to Green Queen about the company’s new TV ad, profitability plans, and why he’s optimistic about the vegan meat industry.
THIS has just launched its first TV spot starring British food critic Grace Dent, who appears to be fooled by the ‘hyperrealistic-ness’ of the company’s pea protein sausage. The two-month-long campaign is the brand’s biggest to date, with an investment of over £600,000 across TV, out-of-home, in-store, digital, social and influencer advertising.
The 30-second commercial sees Dent participate in a pork sausage taste test, where she says she can tell the difference between traditional and plant-based pork. But as she bites into what she appears to believe is a conventional sausage, Dent is told that it’s actually vegan.
She proceeds to walk off the set disgruntled, as on-screen tiles read: “83% less fat than pork sausage” and “Can really annoy a food critic”. It ends with a voicemail from her agent played back on the screen, where he says Dent is concerned about her credibility as a food critic.
Leaning into health
It’s a neatly packaged ad that sums up THIS’s entire brand appeal and mission to position health at the forefront of its messaging – something more and more plant-based meat brands are doing as they lean into consumer priorities. A 1,000-person survey published yesterday by Bryant Research and ProVeg International found that health benefits are the top reason for Brits to eat plant-based meat (39%), followed closely by taste (36%).
Courtesy: Bryant Research/ProVeg International
“Oh, the delicious deception!” Dent said in a statement. “Being tricked into savouring a plant-based pork sausage was certainly a revelation. The taste and texture [were] uncanny to the real deal.”
It’s important to note that despite the realness of the ad, THIS points out that this ‘deception’ was just an illusion. “Grace did actually know she was going to be trying plant-based sausages,” admits THIS co-founder Andy Shovel. “But, we’ve actually fooled a bunch of food critics in a previous social media campaign, which then spurred on the idea of entering into a partnership with Grace Dent.”
Reaching profitability and reading between the headlines
THIS’s new campaign comes just on the back of its announcement that – after four years of operations and over £38M raised in funding – it is on track for profitability by next year. Shovel told City A.M. that the company’s gross margins “massively improved” in the first half of 2023, following years of focusing on growth over profitability.
Asked how THIS got to this point, Shovel tells Green Queen it has been a huge undertaking. “We’ve looked at all parts of our supply chain to ensure we maintain THIS quality but drive a culture of continuous cost improvement, and it’s a journey that will continue,” he says.
THIS co-founders Andy Shovel and Pete Sharman | Courtesy: THIS
“[The] biggest driver of this has been rationalising our supplier base and focusing on a few key partners. We’ve also set up our own UK manufacturing site, which is now fully operational and have been working hard on ramping up our volumes. As a result of our growth, we’ve also been able to unlock better costs on raw materials and packaging.”
It’s a bit of positive news in an overall bleaker time for plant-based food in the UK. Despite being Europe’s second-largest vegan market – with Brits spending £964M on plant-based meat and dairy last year – sales have stagnated and total investment in plant-based protein R&D has been overtaken by cultivated meat in the last decade. According to the Good Food Institute (GFI) Europe, plant-based sales declined by 3% between 2021-22 in the UK, with meat alternative sales sliding by 8% in the same period.
Just last week, for example, mycoprotein giant Quorn announced a loss of £15.3M in its yearly accounts, citing cost hikes, stagnating sales and post-pandemic inflationary pressures. The UK market has seen a number of vegan brands pull some products from supermarkets, including the likes of Oatly (ice cream tubs), Innocent Drinks (smoothies), Nestlé (Wunda and Garden Gourmet), and Heck (most of its meatless range).
Courtesy: THIS
But Shovel believes the bigger picture isn’t as despairing. “If you step back and look at it through a less press-driven lens, stripping out increased in-home consumption driven by COVID, the growth has been nothing short of huge: 47% since 2020, compared to meat, fish and poultry growing by just 8% in the same time period,” he says, citing THIS’s managing director Mark Turner.
“There’s been a lot of doom and gloom in the headlines due to declines of a few players, when in fact better-tasting stronger brands like THIS have been able to grow – we are 50% up year-on-year at the moment,” Shovel adds. In the long term, he remains bullish about the segment, noting that health, environment and ethics are reasons that “matter loads and aren’t going away”.
Optimism for the category and Dutch focus
“I am actually really excited about the stage the market is entering,” he says. “For too long, there’s been too many brands with wildly varying product quality, that have put off meat reducers from truly believing in the category. It’s also been confusing to shop – no supermarket needs to list 15 types of plant-based sausage.”
But there are mixed sentiments regarding this, at least according to data from the Bryant Research/ProVeg International survey. It revealed that while 27% said there’s too much choice and it’s confusing to shop for plant-based meat in the UK, it was the statement most disagreed with in the study.
Courtesy: Bryant Research/ProVeg International
On the contrary, the research shows that along with health, taste is paramount to consumers in this category, with 51% citing taste and textural reasons for reducing their vegan meat consumption. It follows further analysis by the Kerry Group last year – covering 1,500 consumers across four countries (including the UK) – which revealed that flavour is key to consumer preference.
It’s along these lines that Shovel says: “We’re now at a stage where the sector is consolidating and poor-quality brands are coming out the market, with more brands consumers can trust and shelves that are way easier to navigate. Finally, I’m excited about finding other ways to service the 58% of UK consumers who are actively reducing their meat intake – beyond just meat alternatives.” [We haven’t verified this number.]
As for THIS, where next? It recently launched vegan roast chicken and chicken and bacon pie, and made its first splash into international waters by launching in the Netherlands. “It’s an interesting market as most brands there still cater to just vegans and vegetarians with very green branding and messaging – not too dissimilar [to] where the UK was when we first entered the market, so it feels prime for disruption,” explains Shovel.
Courtesy: THIS
But instead of “scattergunning into loads more countries”, it wants to dig deep into its Netherlands operations for now. “A recent GFI report revealed that the Dutch have the highest consumption of plant-based foods per capita. So for now, we really want to establish ourselves there as it’s no small project,” he says.
“Longer term,” he adds, “no region is off the table!”
Months after voting to ban the production and sale of cultivated meat in the country, Italy has withdrawn its notification of the proposed bill to the EU. But while this could spell a victory for alt-protein and a sustainable future food system, it may not all be rosy.
In March of this year, Giorgia Meloni’s newly appointed far-right government proposed a draft law to ban lab-grown food in Italy – which included cultivated meat – to “safeguard our nation’s heritage”. Anyone found to produce or trade these proteins risked facing a €60,000 ban and having their manufacturing plants closed down.
It drew criticism from activists and opposition politicians. Riccardo Magi, president of the left-wing party Più Europa, called it “a new crime” by the government: “They are taking it out on synthetic food and prefer to continue with their reckless prohibition, instead of doing research and developing a technology that could allow us to pollute and kill less.”
Good Food Insitute Europe’s policy head Alice Ravenscroft said the move would shut down the economic potential of this field, hold back scientific progress, and limit consumer choice. “Italy would be left behind as the rest of Europe and the world progresses towards a more sustainable and secure food system. And the 54% of Italians who already want to try cultivated meat would be banned from doing so,” she cautioned.
Courtesy: Wikimedia Commons/CC
Backtracking on proposed cultivated meat ban
Despite the backlash, the Italian senate approved this bill in July, with 60% of senators voting in favour of banning the manufacturing and sale of cultivated meat, claiming it would protect human health and national heritage. The bill still needed to be approved by the Chamber of Deputies, the parliament’s lower house. The proposal was in tandem with a potential ban on the use of meat-related terms on plant-based meat labels.
Italy had submitted what is called a Technical Regulations Information System (TRIS) notification to the EU, which is a procedure that aims to prevent the creation of barriers in EU countries. Essentially, if Italy wants to ban cultivated meat, it needs EU approval, with other members of the bloc having the opportunity to weigh in on the decision as well.
But according to the animal advocacy group Essere Animali, Italy withdrew its TRIS notification on Friday, in light of ongoing parliamentary discussions and potential changes. And while it may be seen as a softening of its stance on alt-protein, it’s likely a way to avoid official rejection from the EU, as it’s understood that Italy knew its proposed ban would be denied by the bloc, with some member states already reacting negatively to the draft measure.
There’s also the fact that due to EU trade laws, Italy’s bill still wouldn’t be able to ban future imports of cultivated meat products, as long as they obtain regulatory approval. The EU has stringent measures around the regulation of cultured meat – classed as “novel foods” – and no company has filed for regulatory approval in the region so far. But it has expressed support for alt-protein and sustainable food production: just last month, for example, the EU Parliament’s Agriculture Committee voted to implement a strategy to increase the production of plant proteins in the EU.
Courtesy: Upside Foods
Anticipating the EU’s rejection, Italy’s withdrawal is being seen as a halt to proceedings, but not necessarily a win for alt-protein. “We are happy to see that the ideological and anti-scientific approach of the Italian government is finding a difficult wall to overcome, so much so that it is forced to do a major about-face,” noted Essere Animali development manager Claudio Pomo.
But he added: “What happened is certainly an important result, but it is not yet a definitive victory, and we must not let our guard down. [Agricultural] minister [Francesco] Lollobrigida has already said that he wants to move forward with this battle, and there will certainly be other moves.”
Robert E Jones, president of industry association Cellular Agriculture Europe, similarly welcomed the news and cautioned that the Italian government will likely continue to pursue a ban. “While it is a positive sign that Italy has withdrawn its TRIS notification, the battle to protect complementary protein innovations is still ongoing,” he told Green Queen.
“We expect the Italian government will soon move forward with its national ban on cellular agriculture and meat terms for plant-based products while evading any scrutiny by the EU Commission,” he added. “As such a move will be a blatant violation of EU law, it is yet another sign that this is all political theatre to fulfil a campaign promise to a vocal minority, and a monumental distraction from the real conversation we need to have about creating a climate-resilient food system in Europe.”
Preserving heritage against food security
So where does that leave Italy and its national heritage? Stefano Lattanzi, CEO of Italian cultivated meat consortium Bruno Cell, told Time that Italy’s ban would damage local innovation, adding that the government’s “frontal attack” makes no sense. “Here in Italy, we are fanatics with our food,” he said. So when politicians use the word ‘synthetic’ – which is incorrect because cultivated meat is real meat – it is something like blasphemy for us.”
This idea of national heritage and pride in its culture was portrayed wonderfully by Marianna Giusti in the Financial Times in March. “There’s a dark side to Italy’s often ludicrous attitude towards culinary purity,” she wrote.
She explained how the archbishop of Bologna suggested adding pork-free tortellini to its San Petronio feast as an inclusive gesture for Muslim residents. Far-right League party leader Matteo Salvini responded by saying: “They’re trying to erase our history, our culture”. This is despite pork not being a tortellini filling until the late 19th century.
Courtesy: Eat Just
Now, as another far-right leader heads the government, Giusti wrote: “Italian food is as much a leitmotif for rightwing politicians as beautiful young women and football were in the Berlusconi era.” In this vein, Lollobrigida suggested that a task force be established to monitor quality standards in Italian restaurants globally, fearing that “chefs may get recipes wrong, or use ingredients that aren’t Italian”.
In a piece titled ‘Lab Meat Skeptics, Please Just Get Out of the Way’, Bloomberg columnist Amanda Little outlined why tradition might need to give way for innovation, with the planet burning and our food system being a primary contributor to it: “We have entered an era of disruption and adaptation that is understandably painful for the food-nostalgic, but unavoidably necessary.”
Let Italians decide what they want from their food
So where does Italy go from here? No one knows for sure yet. What we do know for certain is that the EU itself is lagging behind other governments when it comes to alt-protein regulation. Singapore and the US have already approved the sale of cultivated meat, and Switzerland and the UK are currently considering applications from Aleph Farms – with the latter said to be looking to fast-track the process.
“The EU already has a robust regulatory process in place for confirming the safety of new foods like cultivated meat, and regulators in the United States and Singapore have already found it to be safe,” GFI Europe’s Ravenscroft said. “The government should let Italians make up their own minds about what they want to eat, instead of stifling consumer freedom.”
And Italians shouldn’t worry. The UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization and the World Health Organization have both allayed fears and misconceptions about cultivated meat, playing down concerns about tumour formation, cancer and other health ill-effects caused by cell-cultured meat. The negative impact of GMOs and concerns about human infections have been eased in a joint report by the two bodies.
Courtesy: Mosa Meat
Cultural anthropologist and Follow the Future founder Dr Muriel Vernon reasoned how cultivated meat should be thought of as just another part of an animal – one that has never existed. “If we accept the fact that a single animal can be arbitrarily cut up into vastly different price categories based on equally arbitrary cut preferences, then we may not be so far off in adding a new cut that tastes as good as the top existing cut, but appeases our growing appetite for ethics and sustainability,” she wrote.
In another contribution to the tradition vs future debate, Cecilia Manduca, a VC at Talis Capital, compared the ‘BioRevolution’ to the Industrial Revolution. “SynBio allows society to move away from using centralised, huge, polluting factories as primary production facilities, towards a world where primary goods are produced locally, efficiently, sustainably and through waste or organic feedstocks,” she wrote. “Cells can enable us to produce whatever we want, wherever and whenever we need, potentially transforming manufacturing and supply chains as we know them.”
Ahead of the Chamber of Deputies debate last month, GFI Europe’s Italy policy consultant, Francesca Gallelli, said the alt-protein sector will create tens of thousands of jobs and offer opportunities for farmers to diverse and produce high-value proteins. “The government must ensure those jobs are created in Italy, rather than overseas,” she noted. “Without engaging in an open and fully informed debate, Italy will cut itself off from crucial opportunities for sustainable development and economic growth.”
As evidenced by developments around the world, cultivated meat feels inevitable – can Italy and its far-right government put its fork down?
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