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Category: Alt Protein

  • VFC Bails Out Fellow U.K. Vegan Meat Brand Meatless Farm: ‘We Are Delighted’

    meatless farm
    3 Mins Read

    In a major development for the failing plant-based meat company Meatless Farm, U.K.-based VFC Foods has announced the purchase of the other Yorkshire-based plant-based company, in a deal worth £12 million in sales.

    The Meatless Farm acquisition expand the vegan offerings of VFC, the vegan chicken brand launched by Veganuary’s co-founder, Matthew Glover and entrepreneur Adam Lyons.

    According to VFC, the Meatless Farm brand will remain intact, and its product range will enrich VFC Foods’ existing lineup of plant-based chicken products.

    ‘Numerous synergies’

    VFC says the strategic purchase represents a vital step in its expansion plans, further solidifying its mission to provide an increased array of vegan options in retail and food service industries, with the ultimate goal of eliminating animals from the food system.

    Since its inception during the pandemic and securing its first significant listing in Tesco in 2021, VFC Foods has consistently grown its presence with its successful vegan chicken alternative. Meatless Farm marks its first acquisition.

    VFC Vegan
    VFC | Courtesy

    “We are delighted to announce this strategic acquisition, whilst being extremely mindful of the business’ challenges and the impact on the people involved,” David Sparrow, CEO of VFC Foods, said in a statement. “Meatless Farm has built strong consumer awareness, which aligns with our core values, and their exciting product portfolio enhances our existing range. By integrating both brands, we can utilize numerous synergies with valued customers and suppliers, thus driving innovation and extending customer choice.”

    Expanding the plant-based meat market

    The acquisition comes following the June 12th announcement from Meatless Farm that it had laid off most of its team after failing secure additional funding. An industry source told AgFunder News that the investor they thought was going to make “a multi-million dollar investment” backed out and the company ran out of time to get the capital needed.

    Lyons says the acquisition is “a testament” to the work of the Meatless Farm team. He commended the company for doing “an exceptional job in developing and establishing quality products.”

    The announcement comes as the plant-based industry is seeing rapid expansion in both the U.K. and the E.U., with sales of plant-based milk, meat, and cheese outstripping their animal-based counterparts. “Reducing our meat consumption is crucial for a healthier, more sustainable future,” Glover said.

    Meatless Farm | Courtesy

    “VFC Foods is well positioned to sustainably grow the Meatless Farm brand once the cost-of-living crisis eases, and the plant-based space has experienced further consolidation,” he said.

    The post VFC Bails Out Fellow U.K. Vegan Meat Brand Meatless Farm: ‘We Are Delighted’ first appeared on Green Queen.

    The post VFC Bails Out Fellow U.K. Vegan Meat Brand Meatless Farm: ‘We Are Delighted’ appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • Impossible Foods Debuts the Indulgent Burger: ‘To Better Meet Consumers Where They Are’

    3 Mins Read

    Impossible Foods has announced the Impossible Indulgent Burger, a premium version of the original Impossible Burger promising to be juicier and meatier than its predecessor.

    The new Impossible Indulgent Burger caters to consumers who desire a more meaty vegan burger. According to the company, 82 percent of consumers say the new burger’s taste is as good as, or superior to traditional beef.

    Indulgent is a restaurant-style third-pound patty developed to provide maximum flavor and succulence, whether serving at special dining events or casual backyard barbecues. Impossible says the new burger showcases reduced shrinkage compared to traditional beef burgers when cooked on a grill or stovetop.

    ‘Giving consumers more options’

    “Our burger put us on the map and it’s the core of our business. But we’ve heard from our fans they’d like something bigger and even juicier, so we of course said yes,” Peter McGuinness, president and CEO of Impossible Foods, said in a statement.

    The new Indulgent Burger | Courtesy Impossible

    “Not only do we have our original beef products for versatile everyday cooking, but we launched Beef Lite earlier this year for more nutrition-conscious consumers who want an even leaner alternative to animal beef. Our Indulgent Burger is the perfect addition, giving consumers more options and ways to try and buy Impossible. Creating a more differentiated portfolio allows us to better meet consumers where they are.”

    Like all of Impossible Foods’ products, the Indulgent Burger offers a rich source of protein and boasts zero cholesterol. It also eliminates the potential exposure to animal hormones and antibiotics often found in traditional meat. In addition, it presents a greener choice with its significantly reduced land use, water consumption, and greenhouse gas emissions.

    Taking vegan meat mainstream

    This new burger enhances Impossible Foods’ already extensive plant-based beef selection, which includes Impossible Beef. In March, the California-based vegan meat company introduced Impossible Beef Lite, a leaner version of the original, to appeal to more health-conscious consumers.

    Impossible Foods has launched a summer ad campaign
    Courtesy Impossible Foods

    In anticipation of the summer grilling season, Impossible Foods has launched an extensive brand advertising campaign. Leslie Sims, the company’s new Chief Marketing & Creative Officer, is leading these efforts to attract a wider audience to the plant-based meat market. It recently debuted a new campaign created by Terry Crews’ new advertising agency.

    The Impossible Indulgent Burger is currently available at popular burger outlets like Bareburger and Monty’s Good Burger, with further availability expected in the coming summer months. It will also be available at select retailers, with wider nationwide distribution to follow.

    Impossible has had a longstanding relationship with Burger King, which sells a version of the popular Whopper sandwich with the Impossible patty, but no plans have been announced to add the Indulgent Burger to the menu.

    The post Impossible Foods Debuts the Indulgent Burger: ‘To Better Meet Consumers Where They Are’ first appeared on Green Queen.

    The post Impossible Foods Debuts the Indulgent Burger: ‘To Better Meet Consumers Where They Are’ appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • Breaking: Upside Foods, Eat Just Earn First USDA Approval to Sell Cultivated Meat in the U.S.: ‘A Giant Step Forward’

    Cultivated chicken from Upside Foods
    4 Mins Read

    Leading cultivated meat manufacturers, Eat Just and Upside Foods, have completed the pre-market regulatory review process for cultivated chicken, becoming the first U.S. companies to earn the clearance for sale.

    The USDA has granted Upside Foods and Eat Just’s Good Meat divisions a Grant of Inspection (GOI), allowing the companies to proceed with the commercial production and sales of cultivated chicken. This latest achievement follows the recent USDA label approvals for both Upside and Good Meat. To date, only Singapore has approved the sale and consumption of cultivated meat; it approved Eat Just’s Good Meat chicken in 2020.

    ‘A giant step forward’

    “I’m thrilled to share that cultivated meat will now be available for consumers in the U.S.,” Dr. Uma Valeti, CEO and Founder of Upside Foods said in a statement. Upside Foods has raised more than $600 million in funding from investors, including Bill Gates, Cargill, Tyson Foods, and Richard Branson.

    “This approval will fundamentally change how meat makes it to our table. It’s a giant step forward towards a more sustainable future – one that preserves choice and life. We are excited to launch with our signature, whole-textured UPSIDE chicken and can’t wait for consumers to taste the future,” Valeti said.

    Josh Tetrick, co-founder and CEO of Good Meat and Eat Just called the approval a “major moment for our company, the industry and the food system.”

    Cultivated chicken | courtesy Upside Foods

    “We have been the only company selling cultivated meat anywhere in the world since we launched in Singapore in 2020, and now it’s approved to sell to consumers in the world’s largest economy. We appreciate the rigor and thoughtfulness that both the FDA and USDA have applied during this historic two-agency regulatory process,” Tetrick said.

    Dan Glickman, Good Meat Advisory Board member; former U.S. Secretary of Agriculture and member of the U.S. House of Representatives, commended the USDA’s leadership for working with the FDA to make this milestone happen.

    “Today’s approval demonstrates that the United States is a global leader in the promising alternative protein space while also continuing to support family farmers’ efforts to feed the world through conventional food and agriculture techniques,” Glickman said.

    “We at Upside Foods have long championed the dual regulatory jurisdiction of FDA and USDA, starting with a historic partnership with the North American Meat Institute in 2018. Since then, our team has been working diligently with both agencies to bring our cultivated chicken to market,” said Eric Schulze, PhD, VP of Global and Scientific Affairs at Upside Foods.

    good meat chicken
    Good Meat has earned regulatory approval for its cultivated chicken and serum-free media | Courtesy

    “We are grateful for the FDA’s and USDA’s thoughtful and rigorous review processes, which have enabled us to start bringing safe, delicious, and high-quality cultivated meat products to market in the U.S.”

    Bruce Friedrich,  president of think take The Good Food Institute (GFI) says the dual approval mark a “pivotal moment in our journey towards building a safer, more efficient food system.”

    “American consumers are now closer than ever to eating the real meat they love, that uses far less land and water than conventionally produced meat,” Friedrich said. “By undergoing a comprehensive facility review process and meeting the highest regulatory standards, cultivated meat will provide consumers with a safe and trusted source of protein. As we navigate a future with increasing global demand for meat, it is crucial that governments worldwide prioritize cultivated meat as a solution that satisfies consumer preferences, supports climate goals, and ensures food security for generations to come.” 

    Mirte Gosker, Managing Director of GFI APAC says the news also strengthens Asia’s food security. “Today, our region gained a powerful new ally to help us meet this challenge,” Gosker said.

    “By embracing cultivated meat, the U.S. joins an elite circle of forward-thinking nations leading the way on food innovation. Singapore’s close-knit, world-class R&D hub, coupled with America’s large-scale manufacturing capabilities and huge consumer market, creates a powerhouse combination greater than the sum of its parts.”

    Where to try cultivated meat

    Upside is currently filling its first commercial order for cultivated chicken at its Engineering, Production, and Innovation Center (EPIC) factory. The facility has the potential to produce 400,000 pounds of cultivated meat per year.

    Upside Foods’ EPIC California factory, Courtesy

    The final USDA label approval is being celebrated in partnership with Michelin-star chefs Dominique Crenn and José Andrés whose restaurant will be the first to offer U.S. consumers cultivated chicken.

    Crenn will be sharing Upside at Bar Crenn in San Francisco; Upside is also offering consumers a chance to win a taste of its cultivated chicken via a social media campaign.

    Andrés will share Eat Just’s Good Meat at a yet-to-be-disclosed restaurant in Washington, D.C. 
     

    The post Breaking: Upside Foods, Eat Just Earn First USDA Approval to Sell Cultivated Meat in the U.S.: ‘A Giant Step Forward’ first appeared on Green Queen.

    The post Breaking: Upside Foods, Eat Just Earn First USDA Approval to Sell Cultivated Meat in the U.S.: ‘A Giant Step Forward’ appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • Vegan Ready-Meal Review: I Tasted Sunday Supper Every Day For A Week And I’m Sold

    8 Mins Read

    Our resident vegan food reviewer tastes frozen vegan ready-meal brand Sunday Supper and shares her honest feedback.

    I felt I was letting down my Italian heritage when I went from vegetarian to vegan. As a vegetarian, I could still eat all of my mom’s amazing home-cooked Italian dishes like lasagna, cannelloni, and ravioli. As a vegan, not so much. My mom was a trooper and, though she never changed her own eating habits, she learned how to make the world’s best vegan meatballs. When I bit into the TiNDLE Meat Balls made by Los Angeles award-winning Chef Celestino Drago at Sunday Supper’s five-course “Una Festa Italiana” Plant-Based Pride Celebration earlier this month, I got the same melt-in-your-mouth texture and nostalgia hit really hard.

    It was a perfect way to kick off the evening hosted by Sunday Supper in partnership with TiNDLE, Vertage and Gaingels at Los Angeles Drago Centro to showcase two new additions to their range.

    The first course (and my favorite) was the Vertage Mozzarella In Carrozza reminded me of a Brazilian pastel de queijo. Next came an heirloom tomato salad with arugula, veggies, hearts of palm and Vertage Mozzarella. For the third course, we were served Sunday Supper Ravioli With Ricotta, Saffron, Thyme, Butter & Zucchini, a chef recreation of the brand’s raviolis without tomato sauce, followed by Sunday Supper’s Manicotti Al Forno. The manicotti was a highlight- particularly the creamy and nutty ricotta. TiNDLE Petto Di Pollo Con Crosta Al Tartufo followed, which consisted of the plant-based chicken patty served with a decadent truffle cream sauce. At this point, I could have used a doggie bag, but I managed to save a bit of room for the last course, a no-bake Sicilian Cheese Cake made with tangy Vertage Cream Cheese.

    It’s no secret I’m a huge fan of both TiNDLE and Vertage. The latter’s mozzarella is featured in Chef Tal Ronen’s pizzas at his LA Crossroads restaurant and it’s actually one of the cheeses used in Sunday Supper’s ready meal lasagnas. What these three plant-based brands have in common, aside from being mouth-wateringly delicious in their own right, is that they were all chef-inspired, created by chefs, for chefs.

    Courtesy Sunday Supper

    Sunday Supper FTW

    I can’t believe this was my first time trying Sunday Supper. As a longtime vegan with Italian heritage, this vegan Italian ready-to-eat brand has got my name written all over it. I can’t think of another brand of 100% plant-based handcrafted frozen Italian meals that are family-style and made with fresh herbs, farm-grown veggies, and authentic San Marzano tomatoes. Long story short- any Italian nonna would approve.

    The startup was co-founded in 2021 by Richard Klein and Florian Radke. A veteran in the plant-based space, Radke also co-founded vegan pet food brand Wild Earth and vegan cinnamon bun chain Cinnaholic. and it outshines the competition when it comes to gourmet frozen foods. Sunday already has the support of industry heavy-hitters like Daniella Monet and Wild Earth’s Ryan Bethencourt. The brand is backed by Gaingels, one of the largest and most active LGBTQIA+ private investment syndicates supporting diversity and inclusion within the venture capital ecosystem. 

    The company launched with two flagship frozen lasagnas- the Italian Sausage and the Three Cheeses- and has expanded its range to include a Mushroom Ravioli, a Cheese Ravioli, and a Baked Manicotti.

    The last two were showcased at the tasting event I attended. Sunday Supper collaborated with Chef Celestino Drago, dubbed “one of the best-known Italian restaurateurs in Southern California” by both Bon Appétit and the LA Times, to veganize much-loved Italian dishes without sacrificing one iota of flavor. The evening was a delicious feast and everyone who attended seemed to rave about the food.

    The question still remained: how would Sunday Supper’s food hold up without a fancy chef to prepare it? A 5-course menu prepared by a veteran Italian chef at their own restaurant is one thing, but the real question is: how do the dishes taste when the average person prepares them at home?

    Luckily for you, I did the hard work of reviewing Sunday Supper’s entire frozen meal range and here’s what I thought.

    Sunday Supper’s Italian Sausage Lasagna

    Preparation: if you’ve ever made lasagna, you know it takes hours of preparation. You have to make the sauces, cook the pasta, put it all together, and then finally bake. Sunday Supper does all the heavy lifting for you. All you have to do is open the box, pop the lasagna in the oven, and 90 minutes later, voila! No need to defrost it because it cooks straight from frozen. Keep in mind, it does take 90-95 minutes to fully cook so make sure you get it going about an hour and a half before you want to serve it.

    Taste: 10 – I broiled it for the last 10 minutes of cooking, per the instructions on the box, and the top layer of mozzarella was bubbly and completely melted. All the cheese in between the layers of pasta oozed out when I cut into it. I would have liked a little more Italian sausage and a little less marinara sauce, but it was still delicious and my entire kitchen smelled of lasagna yumminess. Think lasagna from plants for anyone who loves lasagna (yes, I’m shamelessly plagiarizing the Impossible Foods slogan). If you feed it to non-vegans, I guarantee they’ll never know it’s not the real deal.

    Ease of Preparation: 10

    Overall: 10 out of 10

    Retail Price: $26.99 

    Sunday Supper’s Three Cheeses Lasagna

    Preparation: It also cooks from frozen and it takes the same amount of time to fully cook as the one above, but it’s worth every minute!

    Taste: 10 – the blend of parmesan, mozzarella, and ricotta makes this lasagna way cheesier and richer than, but just as tasty as the Italian Sausage version. It’s more versatile because it has no “meat” and can be served as a companion dish to other plant-based entrees like meatballs, sausages, or even seafood.

    Ease of Preparation: 10

    Overall: 10 out of 10

    Retail Price: $26.99 

    Courtesy Sunday Supper

    Sunday Supper’s Cheese Ravioli 

    Preparation: The ravioli cooks from frozen exactly as you would cook any regular ravioli. You add it to boiling water and cook it for about 5 minutes. The sauce comes separately and needs to be defrosted before being heated on a stovetop. Technically, it’s not ready-to-eat, nor it is ‘heat and serve’, but I didn’t mind the prep and it’s probably why it tastes so good.

    Taste: 10 – this is by far the best vegan ravioli I have prepared at home; it knocked Kite Hill’s down to number two on my list. 

    Ease of Preparation: 8

    Overall: 9 out of 10

    Retail Price: $18.99 

    Sunday Supper’s Mushroom Ravioli 

    Preparation: same as the Cheese Ravioli

    Taste: 9 – you definitely get a rich umami-packed flavor from the mix of shitake, nameko, oyster, porcini and portobello mushrooms. I’m not a big fan of mushroom dishes so I enjoyed this one a little less but fungi lovers will rejoice.

    Ease of Preparation: 8

    Overall: 8.5 out of 10

    Retail Price: $18.99 

    Courtesy Sunday Supper

    Italian Baked Manicotti 

    Preparation: Have you ever tried to stuff pasta tubes? Exactly. It’s hard work. Thanks to Sunday, all you to do to prepare Manicotti is open the box, pop it in the oven, and 55 minutes later, it’s ready to serve. 

    Taste: 9 – I grew up eating Cannelloni; Manicotti is the Italian-American version of it. Both involve cooked pasta tubes that are stuffed and covered in sauce in pretty much the same way. There’s nothing else in the market like Sunday Supper’s Manicotti. In fact, I don’t know of any restaurants that serve a vegan Manicotti or Cannelloni- not even Pura Vita, my favorite LA vegan Italian spot. Sorry Chef Drago, but I liked the Baked Manicotti I made at home better. The sauce was creamy but light, and it really allowed the taste of the spinach ricotta stuffing to shine. It does have a black pepper kick to it, which makes it not as kid-friendly as the other meals, and it’s the only reason I’m not giving it a 10.

    Ease of Preparation: 10

    Overall: 9.5 out of 10

    Retail Price: $24.99 

    Overall, the suggested 4 servings for each meal seemed off. Depending on how much you eat and whether or not you’re serving it with other dishes, a Sunday Supper meal will likely feed 2 to 3 people, rather than 4. There are also 5 Manicottis in the Baked Manicotti, so you may have to resort to rock paper scissors to decide who gets the last one!

    Bonus Points: I really like the innovative cool packaging and my entire kitchen smelled of yummy Italian food when I made one of the Sunday Supper meals. I think the lasagnas and ravioli will be a hit with most little ones, making them a meal the entire family can enjoy.

    Sunday Supper is definitely going to be a staple in my freezer from now on. According to co-founder Florian Radke, the frozen food market is having a moment, as consumers choose the products as a healthier and more nutritious alternative to highly processed foods. Radke cites industry data suggesting the sector is worth $55 billion in the US alone, and of that, frozen Italian food accounts for $22 billion. “Sunday Supper is here and ready to disrupt this major category,” he says. I think he’s onto something. Here’s hoping they add a Baked Ziti or even a Tortellini into their lineup. 

    Sunday Supper is available at Fresh Markets, Erewhon Markets, and Plum Markets. In addition, online retailer GTFO It’s Vegan stocks the Italian Sausage Lasagna. The company says it is on track to expand to 2,500 additional retail outlets by the end of 2024.

    The post Vegan Ready-Meal Review: I Tasted Sunday Supper Every Day For A Week And I’m Sold first appeared on Green Queen.

    The post Vegan Ready-Meal Review: I Tasted Sunday Supper Every Day For A Week And I’m Sold appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • 6 Key Insights from GFI APAC’s Cultivated Meat Industry Survey

    Upside Foods' cultivated chicken
    3 Mins Read

    A recent survey conducted by the think tank GFI APAC looks at the primary challenges the cultivated meat industry is facing when it comes to acquiring commercially viable cell lines.

    The survey’s insights were extracted from responses gathered from 44 businesses across the sector. The findings paint an unprecedented picture of the sector’s evolution, tendencies, and stumbling blocks. Among the key hurdles highlighted in the report is the significant overlap in cell line development efforts across companies, with the same species and cell types being independently pursued.

    The survey underscores an urgent market demand for off-the-shelf cell lines. However, these options are either currently unavailable or lacking in the offerings that companies are looking for.

    The survey also comes on the heels of two USDA label approvals; California’s Eat Just and Upside Foods both earned the approval earlier this month, putting cultivated meat closer to commercialization in the U.S.

    Good Meat's cultivated lab meat
    Good Meat’s cultivated lab meat | Courtesy

    Addressing these gaps and optimizing cell lines’ characteristics could help to pave the way for improved quality and cost-effectiveness in cultivated meat production at scale. Companies such as the U.K.-based Extracellular are already making strides in this direction. It recently launched a license-free cell bank to facilitate cultivated meat research.

    The findings show a concerted effort from all stakeholders will be essential to push through the barriers to the commercialization of cultivated meat. The critical points of consideration from the study include:

    1. Selection of Species: The highest demand among companies is for cell lines derived from both terrestrial and marine species. The most popular species are cows, pigs, sheep, and lambs, while for aquatic species, salmon, tuna, and other fin fish are the top choices. However, many businesses have struggled to source the appropriate cells for these species.
    2. Cell Types and Accessibility: The cell types most commonly used by businesses include myoblasts, fibroblasts, and mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). The survey suggests that this could be due to the difficulty in obtaining more suitable cell types such as embryonic stem cells (ESCs) and induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), especially for terrestrial species. Cell line providers who can supply these hard-to-source cell types are likely to be highly sought after.
    3. Sourcing of Cells: The survey revealed a heavy dependency on slaughtered animals as cell sources. However, challenges such as limited access to live animals and low proximity to cell isolation facilities slow the procurement process. But the report says this situation opens up an opportunity for livestock and seafood producers to collaborate with these businesses and create new revenue streams for access to cell lines.
    4. Cell Line Features: Companies generally expressed reluctance in using genetically engineered cell lines, as restrictions on genetic modification exist in key markets. The need for cell lines with high proliferation, genetic stability, and the ability to grow in suspension has also been highlighted.
    5. Regulatory Challenges: A majority of the surveyed companies said they lacked confidence in their understanding of the necessary documentation and safety testing for gaining regulatory approval for cell lines in high-priority markets, such as the U.S. and Singapore. This finding underscores the need for greater clarity from regulatory bodies.
    6. Religious Certifications: Companies expressed a strong inclination towards developing cell lines that comply with halal and/or kosher certifications. The lack of resources that clarify the alignment of cultivated meat production with these certification requirements is seen as a significant entry barrier.

    The post 6 Key Insights from GFI APAC’s Cultivated Meat Industry Survey first appeared on Green Queen.

    The post 6 Key Insights from GFI APAC’s Cultivated Meat Industry Survey appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • Pioneering Plant-Based Collaboration: More Foods Joins Forces with Osem-Nestlè Group

    2 Mins Read

    Prominent Israeli plant-based food-tech company More Foods has announced a strategic partnership with Tivol, a branch of the Osem-Nestlè Group.

    This inaugural alliance for Tivol with a food-tech startup signifies a commitment to developing and marketing a line of ‘meaty’ products derived from pumpkin seeds. The range of products will be high in fiber and protein, aiming to achieve great taste while using the least possible number of ingredients.

    Clean-label protein

    This collaboration emphasizes the shared ambition between More Foods and the Osem-Nestlè Group to reduce the environmental footprint of food production. Together, they aim to launch a range of innovative plant-based products intended for main meals using More’s seed-based vegan products.

    More Foods Pulled Mediterranean cuisine in pita | Courtesy

    More Foods is focused on high-quality main meal ingredients that rival traditional animal-based proteins. This strategic collaboration will enhance More Foods’ reach, allowing it to bring its plant-based products to a larger demographic. The union will focus on delivering the clean-label products to consumers, aiming to offer a nutritious, ‘meaty’, and satisfying main meal option.

    Already a popular choice in more than 100 Israeli restaurants, More Foods has initiated its global expansion, with products being distributed in Europe and the U.K. The partnership with the Osem-Nestlè Group will supplement More Foods’ determination to change consumers’ food perceptions and preferences, providing healthier and sustainable main meal options.

    ‘An important milestone’

    “We are proud to partner with the Osem-Nestlè Group and combine our unique product offering with their market accessibility,” Leonardo Marcovitz, Founder of More Foods, said in a statement. “This collaboration represents an important milestone in our journey to broaden our market presence, reach a larger customer base, and further our mission to make nutritious meaty center-plate plant-based products more accessible to consumers worldwide.”

    Courtesy More Foods

    The partnership’s primary goal is to respond to the increasing consumer demand for sustainable and healthful food choices. It combines More Foods’ proficiency in plant-based technology with the extensive market influence of the Osem-Nestlè Group.

    Osem-Nestlè has a long history as an innovator in plant-based products, particularly in the Israeli market, where 13 percent of consumers currently identify as vegetarians or vegans, and an additional 45 percent are actively reducing their meat consumption.

    The post Pioneering Plant-Based Collaboration: More Foods Joins Forces with Osem-Nestlè Group first appeared on Green Queen.

    The post Pioneering Plant-Based Collaboration: More Foods Joins Forces with Osem-Nestlè Group appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • Pioneering Plant-Based Collaboration: More Foods Joins Forces with Osem-Nestlè Group

    2 Mins Read

    Prominent Israeli plant-based food-tech company More Foods has announced a strategic partnership with Tivol, a branch of the Osem-Nestlè Group.

    This inaugural alliance for Tivol with a food-tech startup signifies a commitment to developing and marketing a line of ‘meaty’ products derived from pumpkin seeds. The range of products will be high in fiber and protein, aiming to achieve great taste while using the least possible number of ingredients.

    Clean-label protein

    This collaboration emphasizes the shared ambition between More Foods and the Osem-Nestlè Group to reduce the environmental footprint of food production. Together, they aim to launch a range of innovative plant-based products intended for main meals using More’s seed-based vegan products.

    More Foods Pulled Mediterranean cuisine in pita | Courtesy

    More Foods is focused on high-quality main meal ingredients that rival traditional animal-based proteins. This strategic collaboration will enhance More Foods’ reach, allowing it to bring its plant-based products to a larger demographic. The union will focus on delivering the clean-label products to consumers, aiming to offer a nutritious, ‘meaty’, and satisfying main meal option.

    Already a popular choice in more than 100 Israeli restaurants, More Foods has initiated its global expansion, with products being distributed in Europe and the U.K. The partnership with the Osem-Nestlè Group will supplement More Foods’ determination to change consumers’ food perceptions and preferences, providing healthier and sustainable main meal options.

    ‘An important milestone’

    “We are proud to partner with the Osem-Nestlè Group and combine our unique product offering with their market accessibility,” Leonardo Marcovitz, Founder of More Foods, said in a statement. “This collaboration represents an important milestone in our journey to broaden our market presence, reach a larger customer base, and further our mission to make nutritious meaty center-plate plant-based products more accessible to consumers worldwide.”

    Courtesy More Foods

    The partnership’s primary goal is to respond to the increasing consumer demand for sustainable and healthful food choices. It combines More Foods’ proficiency in plant-based technology with the extensive market influence of the Osem-Nestlè Group.

    Osem-Nestlè has a long history as an innovator in plant-based products, particularly in the Israeli market, where 13 percent of consumers currently identify as vegetarians or vegans, and an additional 45 percent are actively reducing their meat consumption.

    The post Pioneering Plant-Based Collaboration: More Foods Joins Forces with Osem-Nestlè Group first appeared on Green Queen.

    The post Pioneering Plant-Based Collaboration: More Foods Joins Forces with Osem-Nestlè Group appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • Adamo Foods Secures £1.5M in Fresh Funding for Its Mycelium Meat

    adamo foods
    3 Mins Read

    With the goal of revolutionizing the alt market, Adamo Foods has secured £1.5m in fresh funding, earmarked for introducing its mycelium-based steak to the mainstream consumer.

    U.K.-based Adamo Foods says it is harnessing innovation to craft appetizing, healthful, and ecologically viable alternatives to meat whole cuts. The venture’s vision is to fill what it sees as a gap in the vegan meat market, namely the dearth of high-quality alternatives resembling whole pieces of meat, such as steaks, filets, and chops.

    The company’s first successful funding initiative was a Pre-Seed investment led by SFC Capital, a prominent seed-stage investment firm in the U.K. and the third venture capital to back Adamo Foods.

    Adamo also received two significant grants from Innovate U.K. under the ‘Better Food for All’ and ‘Novel Low Emission Food Production Systems’ competitions.

    Whole-cut vegan meat

    The struggle to emulate the texture of whole-cut meat using plant proteins has often left consumers underwhelmed, says Adamo. But demand is there; whole cuts represent 85 percent of the $1.2 trillion traditional meat market yet are almost non-existent in the realm of vegan substitutes.

    Adamo
    Whole-cut mycelium steak from Adamo Foods | Courtesy

    Adamo Foods has been able to reproduce the consistency of whole-cut meat using fungal mycelium — the root system of fungi. Mycelium boasts high protein and fiber content and even surpasses pea, soy, wheat, and beef in terms of protein quality.

    Adamo says it has discovered a technique to grow mycelium into long, dense fibers that form the texture analogous to the “grain” of a steak or chicken fillet. Utilizing this process, Adamo seeks to attract both vegans and traditional meat consumers. The product will be available later this year.

    Future plans

    Adamo says its future plan includes collaborating with research partners to increase specific micronutrients naturally present in mycelium, thereby emulating the nutritional benefits of beef without the detrimental dietary and sustainability issues.

    It joins a growing number of companies focused on mycelium technology to replace meat. Earlier this month, MyForest Foods secured $15 million in a Series A extension round for its vegan mycelium meat. Also this month, U.K.-based mycoprotein pioneer Quorn partnered with startup Prime Roots to co-develop mycoprotein-based meat.

    Courtesy MyForest Foods

    The company will also focus on refining its unique fermentation and formulation processes to transit from the laboratory to a pilot scale, gearing up for product launch.

    Last week, the Helsinki First International Cellular Agriculture Conference witnessed a glimpse of Adamo Foods’ innovative technology as part of the EIT Food Accelerator Network. The start-up also earned a finalist spot in the 2023 Coller Startup Competition and is gearing up to present at the final round.

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  • CellX, China’s Most Funded Cellular Agriculture Startup Lands $6.5M in Series A+ Round

    3 Mins Read

    China’s cultivated meat front-runner, CellX, has successfully procured $6.5M in a Series A+ funding round.

    Shanghai-based CellX’s new funding comes by way of a collection of strategic investors. The funding propels CellX toward the pilot-scale production of its cultivated meat products. To date, the company’s funding totals over $20 million — making it China’s highest-funded cellular agriculture startup.

    CellX, which launched in 2020, is focused on constructing platform technologies with a multi-species approach. The company is actively collaborating with leading global universities and companies to expedite the commercialization of cultivated meat, particularly in the APAC region.

    ”Production at low cost and at scale is key’

    “Meat is a commodity that needs to be consistently produced at a competitive cost and large scale,” Ziliang Yang, Co-founder and CEO of CellX, said in a statement. “Each year, China alone consumes 100+ million tons of meat, more than a quarter of global meat consumption. For cultivated meat to have a meaningful impact on our global food supply chain, production at low cost and at scale is key.”

    CellX cultivated meat
    CellX cultivated meat | Courtesy

    Established in 2020, CellX has constructed R&D platforms across four crucial technological sectors of lab-grown meat: cell line development, media optimization, innovative bioprocess design, and end product creativity. Earlier this year, CellX revealed its intent to construct China’s premier pilot production facility for lab-grown meat, housing several thousand-liter bioreactors.

    “We have successfully developed 10+ cell lines from various species, adapted 5+ of them into suspension culturing, and the leading cell line has now entered pilot stage,” Dr. Chen, the R&D Director at CellX, says. “Besides, we have also developed multiple serum-free media and improved the yield significantly, enabling us to drastically reduce the production cost. We are currently working on scaling up to 2,000L.”

    Partnerships for a sustainable food system

    CellX’s forthcoming pilot production facility is a joint venture between CellX and Tofflon, a public biotech and food equipment company. Apart from accommodating multiple thousand-liter bioreactors, the facility will also act as an interactive zone for customers to sample CellX’s demonstration products. This initiative will inaugurate China’s first “transparent food space” dedicated to cultivated meat R&D, pilot production, and public tasting.

    China’s First Cultivated Meat Pilot Plant. Source: CellX

    “Unfortunately, no company in our space has fully cracked the puzzle of production at low cost and scale, yet,” Yang said. “This is where CellX and China can add value. Thanks to China’s booming biopharma industry and fermentation sector, there is already a good ecosystem in place, including media and equipment at competitive pricing, as well as a large pool of talented bioprocess engineers. All of which enables companies to produce cultivated meat at a significantly lower cost in China.”

    CellX says cultivated meat companies that have pilot production facilities operating at a thousand-liter scale are becoming more important to China’s future due to the critical role they play in carbon reduction and food security.

    At the start of 2022, cultivated meat and “future foods” were included in China’s 14th 5-Year plan by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs. President Xi also emphasized China’s need to adopt “a ‘Greater Food’ approach” to nutrition during his address at the annual session of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, underlining the importance of ensuring a stable supply of all staple food groups.

    Yang sees a strong future for globalization in cellular agriculture. “At the end of the day, carbon and sustainability are global issues that humanity faces together. It’s one of the few areas where there is common understanding.”

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  • Alt Protein Marketing Needs A Behavioural Science Overhaul

    Impossible Foods has launched a summer ad campaign
    6 Mins Read

    To achieve long-term success, alternative protein companies need to better leverage consumer psychology and the behavioral science around instant and future rewards.

    In the fast-growing alternative protein sector, companies are competing for a place in the competitive food market. However, these innovative products are not traditional food, even if they may provide a similar experience.

    Marketing Challenge #1: Balancing Instant Gratification With Future Rewards 

    While alternative protein products are consumed like traditional foods, their value lies in the promise of future benefits for health, environment, and animal welfare. Recognizing this is key to defining marketing strategies for these products. To appeal to a wide audience, alternative protein brands must provide both instant gratification and future rewards.   

    Industries like dieting, insurance, health products, and fitness all successfully balance instant gratification and future rewards and alternative protein brands should learn from them. Companies like Weight Watchers, Peloton, and Progressive Insurance all come to mind.

    Courtesy: Dickey Insurance

    The alternative protein industry’s challenge lies in how to present the instant reward appeal of its products with the future reward value proposition and it’s important to note that this will depend on which consumer segment and which pain point they are addressing.  For example, one segment may value tasting something new and different (instant reward), believing they are helping the planet (future reward) while another may value the status of trying the latest food trend (instant reward), hoping to improve their health over time (future reward). 

     A successful strategy considers how to address the motivations and risks of each consumer segment as well as all the pain points. For some consumers, switching from familiar animal proteins to alternatives presents uncertainty about taste, nutrition, or even cultural acceptance. Brands must mitigate these pain points while offering relevant rewards for the target segment.

    Understanding consumer psychology and behavior change is key. One useful framework is the “stages of change” model (Prochaska and DiClemente, 1970), which identifies five main stages via which individuals progress when adopting new behaviors or habits. This model can be used to help alternative protein companies craft effective marketing strategies that resonate with consumers at different stages of the behavior change process.

    In the model, consumers progress from a pre-contemplation stage to a maintenance stage. Pre-contemplation is the first stage in the process of behaviour change. At this first stage, individuals are not yet considering a change in their behavior. They may be unaware of the need for change or might not see the potential benefits.

    In the context of alternative proteins, consumers in the pre-contemplation stage may not be aware of the environmental, health, or ethical reasons for considering plant-based protein or cultivated meat. As a result, they are not actively seeking alternatives to traditional animal proteins.

    Successful marketing campaigns are able to target the right stage and help consumers move to the next stage. Campaigns with positive, relatable messages that focus on achievable progress rather, not than perfection, are often the most effective at facilitating behavioral change.

    Source: Weight Watchers

    Marketing Challenge #2: Effective Market Segmentation – Defining The Right Consumer Groups   

    To effectively target consumers, alternative protein brands should rethink market segmentation dimensions. Many of today’s brands focus on meat lovers and environmentalists. Instead, brands should segment based on variables such as “what innovation means to each segment,” “what instant gratification means,” or “what change means.” This approach can help create unique and relevant positioning, leading to increased sales, and brand equity.    

    Understanding how different consumer segments find social validation, acceptance or status from doing good or from being first is key. For example, dieting companies and gyms avoid shaming and focus on appealing to motivation. They frame diets and/or working out as exciting lifestyle changes, not punitive measures. Similarly, alternative proteins could be positioned as innovative, premium choices that make people feel good.

    The three main consumer segments for alternative protein companies are as follows: ]

    • Innovators or Early Adopters: Thrilled to try new things, this group wants access to the latest food in tech and values being first. They are motivated by curiosity, status, and a strong belief in science and technological progress. 
    • Pragmatists or Early Mainstream: These folks are open to new options if the benefits are clear. They are motivated by health, cost, and convenience and they need evidence that alternative proteins compare favorably. They are concerned about taste, nutrition, and availability.
    • Traditionalists or Late Mainstream: These consumers prefer familiar options and adhere to cultural norms. They are motivated by habit, nostalgia, and convention. They will be the most challenging to convert, as they are change-averse and perceive alternative proteins as threatening the status quo. To appeal to them, brands should focus on engaging with future generations and promoting a gradual transition.”

    Understanding how each consumer segment finds social validation, acceptance or status from doing good or being first is key. For example, dieting companies and gyms avoid shaming and focus on appealing to motivation. They frame diets and workouts as exciting lifestyle changes, not punitive measures. Similarly, alternative proteins could be positioned as innovative, premium choices that make people feel good.

    Courtesy Eat Just

    CHALLENGE 3: Marketing Challenge #3: Matching Marketing Campaigns With Consumer Adoption Patterns 

    While targeting innovators and early adopters is key when you first launch, alternative protein brands should consider the broader market. Well-defined market segmentation can help brands create campaigns and messaging for consumers at different adoption stages. For example, a slogan like “Change tastes great” attracts those seeking the thrill of being first (the Innovators described above), unlike “Plants don’t get sick (Eat Just), which would fit speak to the Pragmatists.”

    While innovators should receive tailored messaging emphasizing discovery, uniqueness, and being on the cutting edge, early mainstream audiences may need messaging focused on alignment with their existing values like health or sustainability. Late mainstream or laggard segments will require the most comprehensive education on the benefits and safety of the products 

    Traditionalists pose the greatest challenge but can also be viewed as the biggest opportunity (remember, humans are wired not to like change, because“change is not safe”). It’s worth noting that age is a factor here too. Younger generations are often more open to new ideas and this is reflected in meat and dairy alternatives. Connecting alternative proteins to family, tradition or cultural identity may help address reservations among tradition-oriented consumers. Partnering with schools, healthcare organizations, and community groups to introduce alternative proteins to wider audiences in a trusted, accessible way would be another way to drive progress. 

    By understanding and leveraging the balance of instant and future rewards, alternative protein brands can create effective marketing strategies that resonate with diverse consumer segments. In doing so, they will contribute to a better future and build a lasting legacy.  

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  • A Joint Venture Between APAC-SCA and JACA Will Boost Japan’s Cellular Agriculture Industry

    3 Mins Read

    The Asia-Pacific Society for Cellular Agriculture (APAC-SCA) and the Japan Association for Cellular Agriculture (JACA) have solidified a partnership through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).

    The new MoU aims to boost the growth of cellular agriculture across Japan and the broader Asia-Pacific area.

    “Establishing long-lasting ties with key stakeholders and other associations regionally and globally is a key asset in the strategic development of the industry for APAC-SCA,” Peter Yu, Program Director APAC Society for Cellular Agriculture, said in a statement.

    “Through this MoU we reverberate the message and necessity of a key tenet of the industry – global collaboration,” Yu said.

    Collaborating on cell agriculture

    Through the agreement, JACA will have enhanced access to the global cell-cultured industry network. Concurrently, the APAC-SCA will increase its role in guiding regulatory progress in Japan. Both bodies are set to collaborate on endeavors like knowledge dissemination and the formulation of a risk communication strategy for their members.

    Cell-cultured meat from IntergiCulture | Courtesy

    JACA, an industry-academia-government collaboration, has been working to create rules for production and distribution of cell-based food products, such as cultivated meat, egg, and dairy throughout the country.

    Last month, it convened close to 150 stakeholders from the Japanese Parliament, government officials from Japan and abroad, industry associations, member companies, academia, and media representatives to build a consensus around the necessary measures for food safety requirements in the cultivated food sector as well as methods to protect Japanese farmers’ rights on branded-animal cells such as “Wagyu.”

    During the event, Megumi Avigail Yoshitomi, Representative Director of JACA, stressed that “Japan should leverage its global presence in food and regenerative medicine area to show its presence in cellular agriculture field.”

    Japan as a cultivated protein hub

    The MoU follows the February announcement from Japan’s Prime Minister, Fumio Kishida, who said the country is moving toward developing a cell-based agriculture industry focused on cultivated meat and fish to help reduce the country’s carbon footprint.

    Prime minister of japan fumio kishida

    According to the industry think tank GFI APAC, it is currently possible to sell cultivated meat in Japan, depending on the interpretation of existing laws.

    GFI APAC says that regulatory opening puts Japan in a position to become a world leader for cultivated meat and attract attention from international cultivated meat startups. The framework being developed through the recent MoU and the government’s plan will help move the sector forward.

    The cellular agriculture industry is moving closer to seeing more deregulation. Currently, only Singapore’s Food Agency has approved cultivated meat for sale. But last week, two California cultivated meat producers, Eat Just and Upside Foods, announced they had received label approval from the USDA — the final step before the agency grants full approval to begin production and distribution across the U.S.

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  • New Research Dishes On Ways Restaurants Can Increase Orders of Lower Emission Foods

    pizza
    2 Mins Read

    A new meta-analysis explores how restaurants can get patrons to order lower-emission food.

    In a climate increasingly fraught with urgency, the microscope is on consumer behaviors, particularly food choices, which generate about 34 percent of worldwide greenhouse emissions, according to new research.

    The findings

    A new meta-analysis, published in the journal Appetite, looked at 83 interventions aimed at enticing consumers to choose low emissions meals in various food-service settings including work, school, and hospital cafeterias along with a range of restaurants. 

    dumplings
    Photo by Abhishek Sanwa Limbu on Unsplash

    The researchers examined various interventions aimed at pivoting consumption habits toward the more sustainable options. Interventions developed to alter consumer beliefs show minimal effect on the actual behavior of food selection — even though consumers understand that there’s every reason to opt for the more sustainable choices.

    For instance, while a T-Bone steak served with imported vegetables generates approximately 14.65 kg of CO2 (the equivalent of driving a car for 79 km), a veggie bowl containing beans, grains, and local vegetables produces only around 610 g of emissions (equivalent to driving 3 km) — 96 percent fewer emissions.

    But knowing that was not enough to move the needle for most consumers.

    The factors for success

    The researchers found that two primary factors are behind the emissions from restaurants and cafeterias. First, they often source ingredients from non-local suppliers, resulting in long-distance transportation of food; transportation is a leading cause of carbon emissions.

    Second, menus typically consist of about 80 percent meat-based dishes; meat and other animal products, are responsible for about 15 percent of global emissions.

    burger
    Photo by Christian Wiediger on Unsplash

    The meta-analysis sheds light on effective, practical strategies that food providers, marketers, and policymakers could adopt, such as amplifying the accessibility of low-emission choices and increasing the enjoyment of low-emissions foods. The findings show these methods were more effective than trying to change consumer beliefs about why they should make the switch.

    Other measures thought to increase widespread adoption of lower emissions meals aren’t necessarily effective, the researchers noted, such as emissions labeling on menus, social norms, and incentives. The key drivers appear to be better-tasting food that’s more widely available.

    Other research published earlier this year found 60 percent of restaurateurs see low-emissions plant-based food as a long-term trend.

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  • The World’s First Gelato Made Out Of Captured Carbon Debuts in Singapore

    Solein gelato
    3 Mins Read

    Singaporeans will have a chance to try the world’s first gelato made from air at the restaurant Fico.

    Developed by Finnish food tech company Solar Foods, the new dessert is made using ingredients derived from air.

    Last September, Solar Foods obtained regulatory approval from Singapore to sell Solein — its revolutionary microbial protein. The public got their first taste of Solein during an exclusive invite-only event at Fico earlier this year.

    Gelato made from air

    To create this innovative gelato, Fico, a concept by The Lo & Behold Group, crafted a brand new recipe that combines the flavors of Solein with indulgent chocolate. The dessert will be available beginning on June 15th.

    The launch marks the first time that a food made without photosynthesis and agriculture has been made accessible to the general public. By replacing dairy with Solein, the new gelato removes animals from the equation while offering familiar tastes and textures in an entirely new way.

    Solein is produced using a bioprocess that feeds microbes carbon dioxide, hydrogen, and oxygen along with small amounts of nutrients. The bioprocess resembles winemaking, with the gases replacing sugar as the source of carbon and energy. The result is a food source that’s 65-70 percent protein, 5-8 percent fat, 10-15 percent dietary fiber, and 3-5 percent mineral nutrients with a nutritional composition similar to soy or algae.

    In celebration of the highly anticipated release of Solein, a visionary team led by Oliver Truesdale-Jutras, Director of sustainability consultancy Re:Growth, and Fico’s Chef-partner Mirko Febbrile, curated a Solein-inspired tasting menu. This exclusive event showcased the diverse flavors of Singapore and exemplified the potential of Solein as a versatile ingredient.

    Vegan gelato made from air comes to Singapore
    Vegan gelato made from air comes to Singapore | Courtesy Solar Foods

    “It is a remarkable opportunity to be the first chef team to introduce a one-of-a-kind ice cream to the world,” Mirko said in a statement. “It combines the familiar delicious taste we all love with a unique ingredient produced without relying on traditional agriculture.”

    The chef says exploring Solein’s versatility has been “an incredible journey.” The restaurant has experimented with its potential, creating dishes ranging from miso soups, pasta, sauces, and desserts.

    “If you didn’t know, you could not guess this gelato includes an entirely new, unique, and nutritious ingredient just by tasting it. It looks, feels and tastes just like any other Italian gelato – and that is exactly the idea. Solein is the ‘Intel inside’ of the food industry”, said Solar Foods CCO Shilei Zhang.

    “Solein Chocolate Gelato also fits a perfect fit for this market. Ice cream is highly popular in Singapore: it’s common to see people queuing at ice cream kiosks for a cool treat on a hot Singapore evening. Chocolate is also one of the most popular flavours in ice cream across the world, so it is easy to adapt to local tastes,” Zhang said.

    Fico’s Solein-powered gelato will be launched through the Pedal for Gelato initiative, promoting an active and healthier lifestyle. Participants who cycle more than 15km in a day will receive a complimentary scoop of the gelato.

    Expanding food made from air

    Solein’s versatility extends beyond gelato, making it suitable for a wide range of sweet and savory recipes and familiar foods. Shilei Zhang, Solar Foods CCO, likened Solein to the “Intel inside” of the food industry, seamlessly integrating into various dishes while promoting sustainability.

    Courtesy Solein

    The gelato launch marks the beginning of a number of Solein-based foods entering the market in the near future, the company says.

    Solar Foods recently announced a strategic alliance with Japanese food company Ajinomoto, marking its first partnership with a global food brand. The collaboration includes product development using Solein and a marketability study set to begin in early 2024.

    Solar Foods’ commercial production facility, Factory 01, is currently under construction in Finland and is expected to commence operations in 2024.

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  • WTH Foods Introduces Microalgae-Based Vegan Seafood Products

    WTH Foods
    3 Mins Read

    WTH Foods is expanding its presence in both the European and Southeast Asian markets with a new range of low-sodium, clean-label plant-based seafood products.

    Known for its popular Umani brand of plant-based meat alternatives that launched earlier this year, the Philippines-based WTH Foods is now venturing into vegan seafood.

    The company has taken a pioneering approach, using microalgae, for use in this new product line.

    Microalgae seafood

    “We are working with the real microalgae biomass to make our products, and have
    discovered that it gives that nice soft texture that consumers would expect in fish,” WTH
    Foods Co-Founder and CEO Stephen Michael Co told FoodNavigator-Asia.

    The company has successfully developed plant-based tuna and crabcakes using microalgae. Co says the superior nutritional value of the company’s plant-based tuna is more nutritious than conventional tuna.

    vegan seafood
    WTH Foods has launched vegan seafood | Courtesy

    “We have developed plant-based tuna and crabcakes at this point, and the tuna in particular
    stands out because it is actually far superior in terms of nutritional value [compared to
    regular tuna], being that there is no cholesterol, microplastic or heavy metal contamination,
    but still carries the same amount of DHA and Omega-3 one would get from tuna,” Co said.

    While WTH Foods primarily aims to target the European market with its seafood line, Co says that ensuring clean-label products is crucial to capture consumer interest.

    Market potential

    “We still see Europe as the biggest market in terms of plant-based products, and plan to first
    look at Central and Southern Europe for this, so places like Prague, Germany, Spain, Italy
    where the more cosmopolitan cities are which are more receptive to shelf stable seafood,” he
    said.

    “The products have purposely been made clean label with just five ingredients including the
    microalgae and low sodium in order to increase the appeal in this market, which really places
    a lot of importance on clean label products.

    WTH Foods has launched a Filipino inspired frozen range, Umani
    WTH Foods launched a Filipino-inspired frozen range, Umani, earlier this year | Courtesy

    “We also are pushing for South East Asian flavours in order to differentiate ourselves from
    what’s already out there in the market in Europe, perhaps Thai or Malaysian flavours in the
    tuna, and then market these as handy options for pastas or pizza toppings or sandwiches
    and so on,” Co said.

    “We are looking for the right Asian market some of our seafood products and it’s still in the
    market testing phase – what we are planning to do here is to use a different kind of plant
    protein which might just lead to a bit of difference in the taste profile as well,” Co says/ “So while the products in Europe will be primarily pea-based, for ASEAN markets we believe
    that soy is still a very acceptable source of protein – as such, we will be looking at launching
    soy-based tuna in Southeast Asia and a more pea-based tuna for the European market.”

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  • Breaking: Upside Foods Earns USDA Label Approval for Cultivated Meat: ‘A Major Step Forward’

    upside
    3 Mins Read

    California’s Upside Foods earns USDA label approval for its cultivated meat, bringing it one step closer to American plates.

    The label approval for Upside Foods’ cell-cultivated chicken came on Monday, the company said in a statement. The USDA approval follows its historic FDA approval last November, the first step toward regulatory approval.

    According to an update from Reuters, which first published the news as Upside securing the first USDA label approval for cultivated meat, it’s actually the second label approval. Although unconfirmed, the first likely went to fellow California producer Eat Just’s Good Meat.

    ‘A major step forward’

    “The USDA’s approval of our label marks a major step forward towards our goal of creating a more humane and sustainable food system,” Dr. Uma Valeti, CEO and Founder of Upside Foods said in a statement. “We’re excited to continue working with the USDA to achieve our next milestone: a Grant of Inspection (GOI) for our facility. Obtaining the USDA’s GOI will clear the way for commercial production and sales and allow us to bring our delicious Upside chicken to consumers for the first time.”

    Upside Foods’ EPIC California factory, Courtesy

    Like conventionally produced meat, cell-based meat is also required to satisfy regulatory labeling and inspection criteria in order to be sold. The USDA label approval means the company has demonstrated full pre-market requirements. The Grant of Inspection for Upside’s Engineering, Production, and Innovation Center (EPIC) facility in California, will be the final hurdle before it can begin production. Upside says the EPIC factory can produce 400,000 pounds of cultivated meat per year.

    Cultivated meat coming to a menu near you?

    “At this rate, consumers in the U.S. may see cultivated meat on menus by the end of 2023,” Jenny Stojkovic, founder of the Vegan Women Summit and author of The Future of Food Is Female, wrote in a LinkedIn post.

    Upside says the Dominique Crenn-helmed San Francisco bar Crenn will be the first menu stop for the cultivated meat.

    Cultivated chicken | courtesy Upside Foods

    “The release of cultivated meat will be in very, very limited restaurants across the U.S. to start,” Stojkovic says. “We are still years out from retail distribution, but things will move quicker as capacity and scale is achieved.”

    The Eat Just offshoot Good Meat also received FDA approval earlier this year. It’s currently the only company selling cultivated meat in the world; Singapore granted the company’s cell-based chicken approval in 2020.

    Both Upside and Eat Just are rumored to still be using fetal bovine serum (FBS) — a controversial growth media. “The FDA has a long history of FBS products,” Stojkovic says. She says those with the ingredient are approved faster than those made without FBS.

    According to Stojkovic, “many” other cultivated meat producers both in the U.S. and elsewhere have since applied for FDA approval and, she says, “more approval letters are expected in coming months.”

    Editor’s note, June 14, 2023: This article was edited to clarify that Upside is the second company to earn USDA label approval.

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  • Impossible Foods’ New Ads Will Make You Want to Switch Up Your Meat

    Impossible Foods has launched a summer ad campaign
    3 Mins Read

    It’s the Summer of Impossible according to a stellar new ad campaign for Impossible Foods from Terry Crews’ Super Serious creative agency.

    No one wants summer to end and Impossible Foods is making that known even before the season is officially underway next week. The Bay Area vegan meat company debuted its new ad campaign during the 76th Annual Tony Awards on Sunday and it’s award-worthy itself.

    The Summer of Impossible

    The campaign (“Making Meat History”), led by the new agency Super Serious — an up-and-coming creative studio co-founded by actor and TV host Terry Crews, alongside Matthew O’Rourke and Paul Sutton — sees the Emmy-winning director Jake Scott direct the musical spot that journeys back through meat’s history. Think the 2022 Super Bowl spot for failed crypto giant FTX that sees Larry David ringside to some of the most major inventions throughout history meets another Super Bowl ad, 2021’s Oatly spot where CEO Toni Petersson and a keyboard find musical harmony in a field of oats.

    The second in the Impossible campaign series, “The Summer of Impossible,” positions Impossible not so much as a meat substitute just for vegetarians or vegans, but as meat from plants for anyone who loves the taste of meat. This campaign is made up of multiple shorter vignettes, juxtaposing the Impossible Burger with traditional animal meat burgers as they discuss their differences and similarities.

    “We need to welcome consumers into the plant-based space and give them a reason to choose Impossible,” Leslie Sims, Chief Marketing & Creative Officer of Impossible Foods, said in a statement.

    “These campaigns are lighthearted and approachable by design to make the choice between our products and animal meat feel less intimidating.”

    ‘Meat – just made from plants’

    The campaigns mark a new era for Impossible Foods, which has historically followed a traditional marketing strategy including high-profile partnerships and word-of-mouth. But under Sims’ new leadership, the company is enhancing its marketing strategies to attract a broader demographic, extending beyond just vegetarians and vegans. Similar campaigns worked well for Beyond Meat, Impossible’s chief rival, when it debuted at Carl’s Jr.

    Impossible Burger
    A range of plant-based burgers claim to deliver a meaty experience. But Paleo says it can improve them. Courtesy: Impossible Foods

    “We want consumers to know they don’t have to give up the meat they love. Impossible products are meat – just made from plants – so they’re still delicious and have a ton of other benefits,” Sims said.

    The campaigns follow major shifts within the organization after Peter McGuinness was appointed CEO last year. McGuiness scrapped plans to IPO earlier this year, and in March, the company announced cuts to about 16 percent of its workforce.

    But despite the hiccups, sales for the brand have been strong as it launched new products and entered new key markets. While the plant-based meat category has seen lackluster sales, particularly over at Beyond Meat, Impossible reported a 50 percent hike in retail sales last year.

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  • Climax Foods Debuts ‘World’s First’ Plant Casein: ‘One of the Most Important Scientific Breakthroughs’

    pizza
    4 Mins Read

    AI food tech startup, the Bay-Area-based Climax Foods Inc., has debuted what it says is the world’s first plant-based ingredient that mimics the functionality, flavor, texture, melt, and stretch of the dairy protein casein.

    The new innovation positions Climax Foods as the plant-based pioneer in successfully reproducing the utility, consistency, and flavor of the primary protein in animal milk for use in a range of applications, namely cheese. Climax’s plant-based casein is devoid of hormones, antibiotics, and the top eight food allergens. In addition, Climax Foods’ groundbreaking “precision formulation” technique enables the sustainable production of this protein at scale, price-wise equivalent to traditional animal-based casein.

    Recreating the complexity of dairy

    Existing plant-based dairy alternatives are typically mixtures of oil and starch that can disappoint conventional cheese fans in terms of nutrition, texture, and performance. Climax says that despite more than $1.5B of funding invested into multiple companies aiming to manufacture a casein substitute through precision fermentation, significant scalability, and regulatory issues persist. Climax’s scientists, utilizing AI and plant-based ingredients, have discovered an alternative approach by identifying abundant and naturally occurring plant proteins capable of imparting genuine melt and stretch to plant-based cheeses.

    “As foodies and scientists, we have a profound appreciation for the complex flavors and textures of dairy products, but also recognize their vast inefficiencies — such as requiring 700 gallons of water to make one pound of cheese,” Climax CEO and Founder Oliver Zahn, a Harvard-trained astrophysicist, and alum at both Google and SpaceX, said in a statement. “Our production process uses 500 times less water at our current pilot scale.”

    climax cheese
    Climax is bringing its vegan cheese to market | Courtesy

    According to Daniel Westcott, Head of Protein and Texture at Climax Foods, the company can achieve this without the need for genetic modification as well — a major barrier to entry in key markets including the European Union.

    “An immeasurable range of protein diversity and combinations already exists; we simply use data science and machine learning to pay very, very close attention,” Westcott said. “This gives us the ability to model and verify formulations at the microscopic level in a fraction of the time that it would take a traditional approach. And while we love learning through data science, we generate our data by making cheese, which means that the busiest half of our lab is the kitchen.”

    Climax Foods’ “precision formulation” process combines data science with machine intelligence to uncover ideal ingredient and process combinations that maximize the potential of plant sources. Compared with the centuries-long trial and error methods traditionally used in food innovation, Climax Foods’ AI-enabled precision formulation process condenses this procedure into mere weeks.

    New Culture, another Bay Area company working to replicate casein, just made its market debut at Nancy Silverton’s Pizzeria Mozza in Los Angeles. Unlike Climax, though, New Culture taps precision fermentation, a novel tech that uses microbes to recreate the dairy protein. While that cheese can serve as a stand-in for dedicated dairy lovers, it brings with it the allergen risks common with conventional dairy.

    Zahn says Climax is able to offer “a better way to everyone, especially hardcore cheese lovers,” through its tech.

    “To do this, we committed ourselves to understanding, on a microscopic level, what makes animal-based foods so craveable, and used that understanding to determine the precise steps needed to get that same exact performance from plant sources like seeds,” Zahn says.

    ‘One of the most important scientific breakthroughs in food in the last six thousand years’

    “We’re not changing any ingredients genetically; we’re using what is already there. The difference comes from our depth of knowledge of the rich biodiversity of the plant kingdom down to a cellular level. Plants can impart all of the same texture, taste, and performance of animal-based ingredients – our AI-enabled Deep Plant Intelligence platform takes away the guesswork. For our casein replacement, our AI platform and precision formulation process helped us uncover a mechanism in specific plant proteins that imparts indistinguishable melt and stretch and mouthfeel from casein while also dramatically improving nutrition.”

    Climax is working to revamp Bel Group’s vegan cheese | Courtesy

    Climax’s vegan casein-based cheeses have already earned the support of Michelin-starred chefs including Dominique Crenn and Jean Georges Vongerichten, as well as plant-based chefs Tal Ronnen, and Matthew Kenney. Major cheese manufacturers such as The Bel Group are also excited by the potential; Climax Foods has in aiding the redesign of Bel’s French staple cheese products into plant-based versions.

    “Caseins are involved in all dairy transformations including cheese, yogurt, cream, and others,” said Anne Pitkowski, Bel Group’s Director of Research and Applications. “They are directly responsible for the product texture, stability, and, moreover, bring the very unique property of stretchability. Those properties are linked to the specific micellar structure of the casein assemblage that, until Climax Foods’ discovery, had not been met anywhere else in nature.”

    While the company’s current focus is on dairy products, Zahn says that Climax Foods’ precision formulation process holds potential for the replacement of any type of animal-based food in the future.

    “This is one of the most important scientific breakthroughs in food in the last six thousand years,” Zahn said, “but we are only getting started.”

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  • Vegan Seafood Startup Plantish Rebrands as Oshi As It Eyes Global Market

    3 Mins Read

    Plantish, the innovative Israeli company acclaimed for its cutting-edge plant-based salmon produced via unique, patent-pending additive manufacturing technology, has announced a rebrand to Oshi.

    Oshi says the renaming event symbolizes a substantial evolution for the brand as it embraces its transition towards becoming a global food entity, readying itself for a U.S. product debut later this year.

    To this point, Oshi has raised $14.5 million in funding. Among the notable investors are Unovis, renowned for its financial backing of industry players like Beyond Meat and Oatly. Additional backers includes Pitango, TechAviv Founder Partners, SOMV, SmartAgro, E2JDJ, Alumni Ventures, HackSummit, and OurCrowd.

    The company, established in March 2021, boasts a roster of notable collaborators, encompassing Michelin-starred chefs, famed cookbook writer Adeena Sussman, and content producer Nuseir Yassin from Nas Daily.

    ‘A transformative journey’

    “By rebranding to Oshi, we are embarking on a transformative journey to position ourselves as a leading global seafood company,” Ofek Ron, Co-Founder and CEO of Oshi, said in a statement. “Our new name, which stems from the word ‘Ocean,’ represents our values and our commitment to delivering exceptional seafood products that resonate with consumers worldwide. We are dedicated to offering a sustainable and delicious alternative to conventional seafood while promoting a healthier and more environmentally friendly food system.”

    Courtesy Oshi

    With the vast majority of global fish intake (more than 70 percent) being attributed to whole-cut styles like entire fish or fillets, Oshi has a strategic goal to instigate a sea-change in the alternative seafood domain through its introduction of whole-cut, plant-based salmon.

    In the past, the technical hurdles of creating whole-cut alternatives resulted in a lack of options in the alternative seafood industry, which has predominantly been confined to products like fish fingers and fried fish. Oshi’s pioneering additive manufacturing technology has surmounted these limitations, laying the groundwork for a new, sustainable methodology in plant-based seafood creation.

    Global vegan seafood market

    Oshi is targeting a launch into the U.S. restaurant industry by the conclusion of this year, with ongoing chef collaborations to fine-tune product offerings ahead of the much-anticipated launch. Concurrently, the company has solidified a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Coop for distribution collaboration on Oshi’s salmon fillets in 2025. Coop Group, one of Europe’s leading retail giants with more than 7,000 outlets, seeks to provide its customers with a sustainable, superior alternative to traditional salmon through this partnership.

    Good Catch Salmon Burgers
    Good Catch Salmon Burgers | Courtesy

    Oshi’s U.S. and European debuts will see it join an emergent seafood successors category led predominantly by the Wicked Kitchen empire that boasts the U.S.-based Good Catch and the recently acquired Current Foods.

    Elsewhere, global seafood leader Thai Union has stepped up its vegan seafood offerings as well as led an investment into French algae startup Algama. And in Canada, Toronto’s New School Foods debuted its first product earlier this year: a plant-based whole-cut “raw” salmon filet that works and tastes just like conventional.

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  • UK’s Meatless Farm Makes Team Redundant As It Prepares For Bankruptcy

    3 Mins Read

    Meatless Farm, the UK-based plant-based meat company founded in 2016 by Danish entrepreneur Morten Toft Bech, may be facing bankruptcy after being unable to secure additional funding.

    As first reported by The Grocer today, a notice of intention to appoint administrators was filed last Friday and all employees at the company’s Leeds headquarters were made redundant.

    As recently as two weeks ago, the company warned shareholders it was facing millions in losses and needed to find a buyer to stave off administration. The company has raised over £40 million in funding to date, with the latest round closed in 2021 via crowdfunding.

    While the company has not made an official announcement, the Meatless Farm website is no longer operational and the brand’s products can no longer be found in supermarkets and other former retail partners. The company’s last Instagram post was from over a week ago and the last LinkedIn post dates from almost two weeks prior.

    Just over a month ago, the company announced the launch of four new products, which it described as “the UK’s first branded plant-based meat-filled pasta” and debuted “the UK’s first Automated Plant Machine (APM)”, a vending machine dispensing free plant-based foods, as part of the Veganuary 2023 campaign in January.

    The company’s commercial director Tim Offer announced he was looking for a new role over the weekend in a social media post, writing: “Sadly my time at Meatless Farm has come to an end. After a fantastic 10 months leading a talented and highly engaged sales team the business has unfortunately made all the teams redundant. I learnt a huge amount in a short space of time and have absolutely loved the people and the brand. I am now actively looking for new opportunities as #SalesDirector, #commercialdirector , #headofsales in #FMCG.”

    Meatless Farm’s plant-based range, made primarily from pea protein (like its US counterpart Beyond Meat) and rice protein, included mince, burger patties, Chipolata sausages, steaks, chicken breasts, meatballs and a range of ready meals. The brand’s products could be found at various UK supermarkets including Sainsbury’s, Morrisons and the Co-op. In the US, the company inked a distribution deal with over 600 Whole Foods stores.

    In addition, the company had a dedicated foodservice offering for restaurant partners and famously secured a nationwide placement on the menus of UK pub chain Wetherspoons’ 900 locations in 2019.

    In a March 2023 interview with Business Leader, Toft Bech said that Meatless Farms’ 2022 sales were up 30% year on year and the company was hoping to close a £35 million funding round. When asked whether the vegan bubble was going to burst, he replied: “t is clear that the plant-based movement is here to stay. Over the last year Meatless farm has seen double-digit growth thanks to greater innovation and consumer demand despite the ongoing challenges posed by both the cost-of-living crisis and the coronavirus pandemic.”

    Andy Shovel, co-CEO and co-founder at fellow British vegan meat brand THIS commented on the news in a statement via email: “It goes without saying that our thoughts as a team, go out to everyone who works at – or with, Meatless Farm. It must be a massively stressful time. It’s also a symptom of a category which is consolidating and reacting to consumers’ need for brands which really signpost quality, and very little departure experientially, from eating animal-based food. This rationalisation is very typical of high-growth and emerging categories, for instance craft beer and smoothies saw a similar process.”

    This is a developing story.

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  • Can JBS Distance Itself From the ‘Deforestation Beef’ Label With Cultivated Meat and Methane Biogas?

    cow
    4 Mins Read

    Brazilian meat processing giant JBS has announced that its first large-scale cultivated meat production plant is in development by its subsidiary, BioTech Foods, located in Spain as it adds methane biodigesters in nine Brazilian cities.

    JBS, which took a 51 percent controlling stake in BioTech Foods in 2021, says the San Sebastian facility will produce about 1,000 metric tons of cultivated meat annually, but it will have the potential to quadruple its capacity to 4,000 metric tons on a yearly basis.

    The new cultivated meat facility is set to culminate by the middle of 2024. Once completed, JBS says it will boast the title of the world’s biggest cultivated meat plant.

    Cultivated protein production

    “The new BioTech plant puts JBS in a unique position to lead the segment and ride this wave of innovation,” Eduardo Noronha, JBS USA’s head of value-added business, said in a statement.

    “With the challenges imposed on global supply chains, cultivated protein offers the potential to stabilize food security and global protein production,” said BioTech Foods co-founder and CEO Iñigo Charola.

    Cultivated meat | Courtesy BioTech Foods

    The move could signal a sea change for the protein industry. While cultivated meat has yet to receive widespread regulatory approval, a number of companies are poised for market entry when given the green light. Singapore, which first approved California-based Good Meat’s cultivated chicken in 2020, is expected to extend its approval to more companies in the near future. The U.S. has also seen two FDA protocols cleared by Upside Foods and Good Meat. They must now pass USDA inspections before approved for the market.

    That could be imminent as well as Good Meat recently hosted USDA inspectors at its U.S. headquarters. According to Eat Just, Good Meat’s parent company, the USDA Deputy Under Secretary for Research, Education, and Economics, Sanah Baig, tasted the company’s cultivated meat.

    “We appreciate the integral work that the U.S. government and advocacy groups like The Good Food Institute are doing to ensure that we have a safe, secure, and more sustainable food system for the future,” Eat Just said in a LinkedIn post.

    Can JBS clean up its protein production?

    The cultivated meat facility news also comes as JBS has announced the installation of methane gas biodigesters in Brazil — the largest project of its kind in Brazil’s protein sector. The biodigesters produce biogas, a clean energy source made from captured methane; livestock is a leading producer of methane emissions — a heat-trapping gas more potent than C02. The project is expected to be operational this month at nine Friboi plants in São Paulo, Mato Grosso do Sul, Mato Grosso, Goiás, Minas Gerais, and Rondônia.

    According to JBS, the biodigesters will help the meat giant reduce its Scope 1 emissions by 65 percent, reducing its total Scope 1 emissions by nearly 25 percent across all of Brazil.

    “In line with our circular economy actions, the biodigesters will reduce our methane emissions and initiate the production of clean and renewable energy,” JBS corporate sustainability officer Maurício Bauer, said in a statement.

    “This project strengthens our view that agribusiness is part of the solution for addressing the challenges of climate change that the world is facing.”

    Photo by Mark Stebnicki at Pexels

    JBS has long come under scrutiny for its ties to deforestation. Brazil is now the leading exporter of beef, much of which comes at the cost of large swaths of the Amazon rainforest. A report late last year found 17 percent of JBS’ cattle came from “irregular” ranches linked to deforestation.

    JBS is one of more than a dozen major agriculture firms that have made pledges to remove suppliers linked to deforestation from their supply chains by 2025, but critics say there are loopholes in its commitment.

    In March, the nonprofit World Animal Protection named JBS the worst offender in a new scorecard ranking the meat industry’s climate impact.

    Lindsay Oliver, Executive Director, World Animal Protection U.S. said JBS is the “worst contributor” of factory farming emissions in the world. “This scorecard further exemplifies the corruption on which JBS is built and the exploitation of both animals and humans on which it profits,” Oliver said.

    According to World Animal Protection, the emissions from JBS-helmed factory farms produce the emissions equivalent of 14 million gas-powered vehicles per year.

    The post Can JBS Distance Itself From the ‘Deforestation Beef’ Label With Cultivated Meat and Methane Biogas? first appeared on Green Queen.

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  • Alt Protein’s Design Language: Creating Mainstream Desire To Drive Food System Change

    10 Mins Read

    Alt protein brands are out there to save the world. But without creating mainstream desire they won’t win the hearts and stomachs crucial to making their visions a reality. Three emerging design patterns show us the way to cross the alt protein chasm into the mainstream.

    A decade ago, Dr Mark Post, co-founder of what would become the cultivated meat company Mosa Meat, fried up the first “in vitro burger” on live TV from a studio in London. Since then, investors have poured $14 billion worth of funding into the alternative protein space in order to find new ways to create animal-like foods and a lot has changed.

    Advances in science across plant-based, fermented and cultivated subsectors of the broader alternative protein space have given consumers some seriously impressive products, many of which cook, taste, smell and look like their animal-derived counterparts. We’ve got supermarkets displaying an array of plant-based brands milking every imaginable nut and legume. We’ve got ice cream and cream cheese made with dairy proteins from precision fermentation. We’ve even got cultivated chicken for sale to the public on a small island on the equator (hello Singapore!). The progress the industry has made in the past few years has been nothing short of amazing.

    So why aren’t more people choosing alt proteins when they want to eat meat, drink milk, or schmear their bagel? A big missing piece of the puzzle is desire. 

    Why desire is hard

    Even in the most progressive regions of the world, the market share of alternative meats is stuck in the low single digits. Alternative dairy, which is considered the most successful of all the plant-based food categories, is still only reaching the low teens. That’s because building mainstream desire for new foods is hard.

    Fundamentally, desire is hard because it’s not just an engineering problem. Desire is a multi-pronged cultural problem, with deeply entrenched beliefs central to people’s identities. If you tell a group of Italians someone is trying to replicate their prosciutto and burrata in a lab, you get angry marches in the streets. Desire is a behavioural problem, with the double hurdles of trial and repeat. If a startup rushes a mediocre product out to market it faces a significant risk that consumers will not give it a second chance. Desire is an emotional problem, with hot buttons that can trigger a herd mentality. A simplistic headline amplified by today’s media echo chamber can create a negative halo or backlash around the whole category. There is no single equation or formula that leads to desire.

    Desire is also hard because alt-protein brands are outgunned when it comes to marketing spend. In the past decade alone, Unilever, a single conventional food company, spent $103 billion on marketing alone – think enticing packaging, expensive billboards, and well-designed shelf wobblers – seven times more than the entirety of all alt protein investments including product development and factories.

    Or consider US beef. US cattle producers and importers are legally bound to pay a levy of $1 for every live animal sold, which in turn funds the Cattlemen’s Beef Promotion and Research Board, an organization that runs the country’s Beef Checkoff program, a national marketing and research program designed to increase the demand for beef at home and abroad. The contributions give the program an annual budget of close to $40 million to spend on marketing, including sophisticated disinformation campaigns. No such alt protein checkoff exists.

    Design as a strategic point of leverage

    Fortunately, we have a powerful tool in our arsenal that can help us cut through the barriers and outsmart vs. simply outspend the established order. In our hyper-visual culture where the phone always eats first, we can use strategically crafted design to connect with consumers on a more visceral level and help drive desire.

    To better understand what works and what doesn’t, we examined the design codes used by the top fifty B2C alt protein brands from across the plant-based, fermented and cultivated segments of the industry. Design codes are simply conventions that are used to communicate meaning. They can include colors, brand names, logos, imagery, or the tonality of marketing copy.

    One specific tone of green can bestow crowns onto eco-royalty, while another can officially be the world’s ugliest color, so repulsive that regulators use it to stop people smoking. Brand names can be AGGRESSIVELY CAPITALISED or approachably set in friendly lowercase. Imagery can portray cows on idyllic grassy pastures or simply mouthwatering food porn. You get the point.

    What we found are eight distinct design codes across the alt protein category. A good way to understand them is by grouping them into three buckets. Brands using residual codes date back to the origins of the category and haven’t evolved with the times. Dominant codes are used by the bulk of the brands shaping the category today. More recently, a new generation of brands are using emerging codes that show us the future of the category. Let’s examine each one of them in turn.

    Residual design codes: the traditional approach

    In all the excitement around the latest precision fermentation technique or cultivated growth medium, it’s easy to forget that the OGs of alt protein date back to the 1980s. Many of them are unfortunately still stuck there design-wise.

    These are the veggie burgers of the past that many of us have tried and written off a long time ago. Their design language lacks desire and doesn’t give today’s consumers a reason to re-evaluate them. Photoshopped milk splashes and airline-food-style photography simply don’t cut it anymore.

    Dominant design codes: driving today’s conversation

    In the present-day alt-protein world, we found that four distinct brand design narratives dominate: 

    Beyond Preachy brands take the Silicon Valley 101 playbook and promise to unseat obsolete technology (animals) and do well by doing good. In their earnestness, however, they’re letting judgment and preachiness get in the way of desire. Do normal people want to think about land use and greenhouse gases over breakfast? Probably not.

    Turning up the volume to 11, Shock & Awe brands define themselves by what they’re up against instead of what they stand for. Impossible quests are embarked upon, blood is splattered on the walls, and the calves keep their milk. These brands get our attention, but do they build any kind of long-lasting relationship with the consumer? The shock of the new tends to wear off.

    A different, softer tack is taken by Fantasy Farms brands. Their names and their soothing pastel colour palettes want us to associate their products with the farm-to-table ethos – except there is no farm. When you click on where to find us on the Califia Farms website, you’re guided to a WeWork in downtown LA. Time will tell whether people see through this, and whether they care.

    Finally, Future Cool brands don’t try to hide the lab, they embrace it. They celebrate the future and try to make it cool. Their swag screams “LAB TO TABLE” in, what else, Helvetica font. This minimal approach certainly feels premium, but is it too cold to tap into the desire inherent in food?

    The alt protein chasm

    At this point it’s useful to remind ourselves of a 30-year old theory of how people adopt innovations. In Crossing the Chasm, his seminal book on innovation, author Geoffrey Moore describes how early visionaries have very different expectations of products than mainstream pragmatists, and how fundamentally different techniques need to be used to cross the chasm between the two. This is exactly where alt protein is today. 

    Yes, improvements are needed when it comes to the taste and texture of the products on shelves today. And yes, prices need to come down as we increase scale. But even the many benefits already on offer today aren’t consistently connecting with consumers, and that’s because the residual and dominant design codes we’re using have gotten us to the early market, but they haven’t gotten us over the chasm.

    The Alt Protein Chasm – Courtesy The Shift & Co

    Emerging design codes: showing the way forward

    These three design codes are where things get interesting. The brands using them are starting to show us how to cross the chasm and build mainstream desire with a more mass consumer.

    Embrace the Core brands refuse to be confined to a niche and are looking to normalize the alternative. They celebrate what people love about the category without being preachy. Doubling down on appetite appeal, they make alt protein fun, approachable, and ultimately a better version of the status quo.

    Loud & Proud brands are a more confident evolution of the dominant Shock & Awe code. The revolutionary flags and clenched fists are still there but these newer brands don’t need to put others down to make themselves stand out. A liberal sprinkling of attitude helps them, and their consumers, make a statement.

    Last but not least, Retro Comfort brands are a more sophisticated evolution of Fantasy Farms. They use the almost subliminal familiarity of the past to make alt protein seem non-threatening and wholesome. What could go wrong with a smiling sun made of mycelium?

    So where do we go from here?

    To have a chance of moving the needle on the global food system we must stop preaching to the converted. Using some of the emerging design codes we’ve identified, and building them into more brands can help. We should push them, test them, refine them, and evolve them. As we do, here are five things to focus on:

    1. Go for the persuadables. While every alt protein brand should have its own segmentation and view of the market, they’re likely to find there’s a small portion of consumers who are super engaged, a similar portion of rejectors who will simply never care, and a big majority of persuadable people in the middle. Target them, don’t settle for a narrow niche.
    1. Understand the culture. Frame your brands with a deep understanding of local food cultures. A schnitzel is different from shawarma, is different from Buffalo wings, is different from karaage – even though all of these dishes can be made from plant-based chicken.
    1. Be familiar, with a twist. Don’t obsess over always being 100% new and different. Remember that apps on the iPhone looked like they were made out of wood and green felt for the first six generations of the device. Use familiarity to your advantage as you go mainstream.
    1. Tesla the sustainability. Don’t lead with sustainability. A Tesla product page talks about getting from 0-60 in 3.1 seconds, having a 333-mile range, and having a 5-star safety rating, not sustainability. It’s a better car that just happens to be electric. Present a better protein that just happens to be sustainable.
    1. Show what’s in it for me. Always come back to what’s in it for the consumer. Don’t just talk about the nutritional content of your protein, but have Chef David Chang explain how it cooks better because it can be grated on a salad, put in a sandwich, basted in butter, or roasted in an oven. 

    Let’s rewind back to that first in-vitro burger at the start of the article. It was eventually revealed that one of the people funding the project was none other than Sergey Brin, the co-founder of Google. He went on to describe three potential scenarios for the future of food. “One is that we’ll all become vegetarian,” he said. “I don’t think that’s really likely. The second is, we ignore the issues — and that leads to continued environmental harm. And the third option is, we do something new.”

    Let’s do something new folks. And let’s also use the power of design to make the change we need irresistible.

    All images and graphics courtesy of The Shift & Co.

    The post Alt Protein’s Design Language: Creating Mainstream Desire To Drive Food System Change first appeared on Green Queen.

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  • ChatGPT Founder-Backed Uncommon Raises $30M In A Series A For RNA-Driven Cultivated Pork

    uncommon bacon
    3 Mins Read

    Uncommon, the Cambridge-based biotech start-up that’s turning cellular innovation into appetizing, environmentally friendly meat products, has secured $30 million in Series A funding.

    Uncommon’s Series A was led by Balderton Capital and Lowercarbon Capital, with participation from Red Alpine, East Alpha, and previous investors including Max and Sam Altman, of OpenAI and ChatGPT fame, along with Miray Zaki and Sebastiano Castiglioni. The new influx of capital will drive Uncommon’s efforts to refine its offerings, scale up production, and navigate the regulatory approval process.

    RNA-based cultivated meat

    Formerly known as Higher Steaks, Uncommon is poised to transform the global pork market with its groundbreaking approach. In a world where consumers demand affordable, high-quality, and readily available food, Uncommon answers with an innovative solution. The company uses patent-pending RNA technologies to produce bacon and pork belly from a single animal cell sample, promising a more sustainable and ethical future for meat production.

    Who’s Right About the Future of Cultivated Meat? Does It Matter?
    Courtesy Uncommon

    At the heart of Uncommon’s revolutionary strategy is RNA, the molecule that instructs cells to produce protein. With this, the company can create delicious meat products that can compete with traditional meat in terms of price, scale faster, and offer safer, healthier alternatives without the need for gene editing.

    “Our unique approach to cellular agriculture drastically reduces the raw materials needed for alternative protein production and eliminates the need for antibiotics and animal products,” Benjamina Bollag, founder and CEO of Uncommon, said in a statement. “As the only cultivated meat leveraging RNA technologies, we believe we have a competitive advantage that could help us become the largest protein company in the world. I’m delighted with the progress we’ve made so far as a company and look forward to working closely with our new and existing investors to continue to build on this progress and make a difference to global health.”

    Disrupting the global pork market

    Not only is Uncommon committed to developing delectable and health-conscious products, but its mission also involves addressing the environmental impact of the meat industry. Uncommon’s cultivated meat requires only a fraction of the resources used in traditional livestock farming. As such, it can contribute significantly to the reduction of carbon emissions globally.

    Courtesy Uncommon

    Moreover, Uncommon’s goal extends beyond sustainability. By 2035, the company aims to hold a five percent share of the global pork market through its cultivated meat products. Uncommon’s strategy involves capitalizing on the growing cultivated meat industry, estimated to be worth $427 billion by 2040. With the fresh capital injection, they plan to ramp up production at their pilot manufacturing facility at Cambridge Technopark, expand their team, and bring the cost of goods down.

    Michael Sidler, Partner at Redalpine, put it bluntly: “Uncommon’s completely novel approach holds immense potential to revolutionize the cultivated meat industry and overcome the notorious scalability and pricing obstacles that companies in this field face.”

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  • Meati Foods Scores a Home Run With MLB Hall of Famer Derek Jeter Investment

    Derek Jeter
    3 Mins Read

    Derek Jeter, the former New York Yankee shortstop and Major League Baseball hall of famer, has joined a number of high-profile celebrities backing Colorado’s Meati Foods.

    Meati Foods isn’t short on capital; the company has raised more than $250 million following its recent Series C funding round. But Jeter’s commitment to Meati Foods stretches beyond mere financial involvement; the high-profile investor has also pledged his services as an advisor to the company.

    ‘Making a real difference’

    Jeter, who was guided by three essential factors when exploring investments in this field — nutrition, sustainability, and taste — found Meati Foods to be a match. “Meati certainly delivers, with great quality steaks and cutlets and an institutional emphasis on high nutritional value and sustainable practices. As we look to the future, the choices we make and the impact we leave are critical, and I appreciate the way Meati has dedicated efforts to making a real difference,” Jeter said in a statement.

    Meati mycelium steak | Courtesy

    President and COO of Meati Foods, Scott Tassani, views Jeter’s involvement as a noteworthy testament to the company’s product. “Derek has seen endless products cross his desk for partnership consideration, and we’re honored by his support and inspired by his passion for a more sustainable, equitable, nutritious food ecosystem,” Tassani said.

    Jeter’s investment in Meati expands on his portfolio, which already includes Performance Kitchen, Amass, and Bespoken Spirits. A philanthropist at heart, he established the Turn 2 Foundation in 1996, which promotes healthy lifestyles among the youth and has since given out over $34 million in grants.

    Transforming the food system

    Established in 2017, Meati Foods has set out to transform the food system into a more delightful, nutritious, fair, and sustainable model. The debut line, Eat Meati, includes mushroom root-derived cutlets and steaks. After an overwhelmingly successful launch through its online shop, the company is planning a nationwide omnichannel rollout late this year.

    Courtesy Meati Foods

    The company has enjoyed a significant amount of media attention for its mushroom-based clean meat. Its earned support from several culinary figures including television host and philanthropist, Rachael Ray; David Chang, the brain behind Momofuku and Majordomo Media; Sweetgreen co-founders Nicolas Jammet and Jonathan Neman, and ex-senior policy advisor for nutrition at the White House, Sam Kass.

    The partnership with Jeter builds on the brand’s recent rollout across Sprouts stores throughout the U.S. in March. In January, the company announced its “mega ranch” in Colorado, which it says can rival the output of conventional animal farms.

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  • BettaFish Launches Vegan Canned Tuna As It Hits a Conservation Milestone

    3 Mins Read

    Honoring World Ocean Day on June 8, alternative seafood start-up BettaFish has unveiled its latest sustainability data, spotlighting strides made through a unique product line centered on seaweed, a regenerative and biodiversity-supporting marine resource.

    According to BettaFish, its vegan seafood alternatives have prevented 122 tons of tuna and 124 tons of bycatch from being consumed since its launch in 2021. Yet, the company says it’s far from done, as the Berlin-based startup set to launch its newest product, the Tu-Nah can, soon available via an exclusive waiting list.

    ‘Good impact food’

    World Ocean Day holds special significance for BettaFish, a company dedicated to preserving the world’s oceans. “Seventy percent of the Earth is covered by water, yet we mainly rely on the remaining 30% to feed our population,” Co-Founder Deniz Ficicioglu said in a statement. BettaFish has aligned itself with The Ocean Project’s #Protect30x30 campaign, aiming to safeguard 30 percent of the world’s land and waters by 2030, leveraging seaweed’s ecological benefits in the process.

    Seaweed harvest for BettaFish
    Seaweed harvest for BettaFish | Courtesy

    Seaweed, a “good impact food”, flourishes without requiring soil, freshwater, fertilizers, or pesticides, simultaneously restoring equilibrium to fragile marine ecosystems. It also presents a sustainable alternative to fishing that upholds the economic stability of fishing communities without necessitating relocation inland. The promise of transitioning from fishing to seaweed cultivation has been realized in collaborative efforts with partners like Seaweed Solutions.

    Tu-nah

    Deniz and his co-founder Jacob von Manteuffel, in collaboration with food technologists and chefs, have crafted Tu-Nah, an authentic tuna substitute that is entirely plant-based, packed with protein, and free of soy and wheat. This innovation targets the $42 billion tuna market, where 43 percent of the global tuna stocks are fished at biologically unsustainable levels, according to FAO.

    Good Catch’s top-selling vegan tuna | Courtesy

    The impact of BettaFish’s seaweed-based foods has resonated across Europe, reaching Germany, Austria, Switzerland, the Netherlands, France, Spain, Greece, and the U.K. Since its Tu-Nah Sandwiches launched in October 2021, BettaFish has served 62.2 tons of Tu-Nah, which it says spared 122 tons of conventional tuna from being removed from oceans and avoiding 124 tons of bycatch. Moreover, through seaweed cultivation with local farms in Norway and Ireland, BettaFish has absorbed 1.32 tons of CO2 and conserved 1.25 million liters of freshwater.

    Plant-based seafood is on the rise with a number of companies entering the market in recent years. Last month, Wicked Kitchen, which owns the vegan tuna leader Good Catch, announced the acquisition of Current Foods — a  startup specializing in plant-based seafood for fine dining establishments and food service operations across the U.S. and Europe.

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  • E.U.-Funded Project Proposes Eco-Friendly Dietary Policies

    3 Mins Read

    The Smart Protein project, funded by the E.U., has released a comprehensive document recommending policy measures to transition Europeans towards more environmentally friendly dietary choices.

    The new Smart Protein report suggests utilizing various policy tools that include the implementation of labels on food items indicating sustainability factors, such as carbon footprint, water consumption, and transportation miles. The report further advocates for more European Union countries to eliminate VAT taxes on fruits and vegetables, a policy currently in effect in only four member states.

    Making sustainable food the default

    The Smart Protein Policy Brief also encourages the promotion of plant-based food in public establishments such as schools, hospitals, and local government buildings. “Animal agriculture is responsible for about 17 percent of carbon emissions in the E.U., so it is vital that the E.U. focuses on implementing policies that promote more climate-friendly food,” Juliette Tronchon, ProVeg International’s Senior Policy and Public Affairs Specialist and co-author of the report, said in a statement.

    soy
    Plant-based protein such as soy could help the E.U. meet its sustainability targets. Courtesy Canva

    Tronchon also stresses that animal agriculture contributes to lifestyle diseases, global hunger, and animal suffering. “Replacing animal products with plant-based and cultivated foods offers the E.U. a multi-pronged solution to these problems,” she said.

    “We urgently need positive and comprehensive policies to support the growth in demand for plant-based products, particularly products that are alternatives to animal-based ones,” Tronchon said. “The plant-based sector is attracting more and more consumers, while current European regulations are slowing down the process. With this Smart Protein Policy Brief, we want to emphasise the fact that regulatory and policy reforms are needed if the E.U. wants to achieve its goal of making European food systems healthier and more sustainable.”

    However, the allocation of funds for sustainable protein research is a fraction of the E.U.’s Horizon Europe program’s current budget. Only €32 million of its €95.5 billion budget is dedicated to this cause. Falk Hemsing, International Policy Officer at ProVeg and co-author of the report, says that plant-based alternative products are barely mentioned in the E.U.’s agriculture promotion policy, while the livestock sector, with its high carbon emissions and high water usage, receives considerable funding.

    Sustainable food labeling

    The report pushes the European Commission to take action in four key areas: labeling and marketing, public food procurement, VAT rates, and subsidies. Specifically, they recommend introducing a front-of-pack sustainability labelling scheme for food products, establishing an E.U.-wide definition for “vegan” and “vegetarian”, and promoting plant-based foods in the E.U.’s criteria for sustainable public procurement.

    Marine foods like seaweed offer a sustainable solution. Photo by Silas Baisch at Unsplash.

    Cindy Schoumacher, Policy Officer at the European Commission DG Research and Innovation, highlighted that plant, microbial, or marine proteins are among the key research areas for a sustainable food system. “Smart Protein is providing key information to fill knowledge gaps on alternative proteins and contribute to achieving the objectives of the European Green Deal,” she said.

    The recommendations come on the heels of a recent report that found while livestock in particular are a leading contributor to global warming — producing about 15 percent of all emissions — only 7 percent of climate content mentions animal agriculture’s role in climate change.

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  • Celebrity Chef Marcus Samuelsson Joins Aleph Farms as Investor and Culinary Advisor

    Chef Marcus Samuelsson joins Aleph Farms
    3 Mins Read

    Renowned chef Marcus Samuelsson has made an investment in Aleph Farms, Israel’s leading cellular agriculture company, and will serve as an advisor and launch partner in the United States.

    The collaboration between Samuelsson and Aleph Farms represents a significant step forward in the pursuit of sustainable and ethical food solutions. As the company continues to innovate and expand its product line, these high-profile relationships will play critical roles in accelerating the widespread adoption of sustainable protein.

    Chef-approved

    Samuelsson, known for his culinary expertise and commitment to diversity in the culinary world, will work closely with Aleph Farms as they approach the commercialization of Aleph Cuts, the world’s first cultivated steaks.

    Aleph Cuts Petit Steak
    Aleph Cuts Petit Steak, Courtesy Aleph Farms

    Didier Toubia, CEO and Co-Founder of Aleph Farms, expressed excitement about the partnership with Samuelsson. “Aleph Farms builds partnerships based on shared values. Like us, Chef Marcus believes in making a positive impact on our food systems with creativity, courage, and care.” Toubia said. He emphasized that Samuelsson’s experience and focus on creating accessible and inclusive cuisine make him an ideal collaborator in developing and promoting Aleph Cuts to a broader global audience.

    In his role with Aleph Farms, Samuelsson will provide culinary advice and contribute to product development and go-to-market strategies. He has also made a personal investment in the company. Once regulatory approvals are obtained from the FDA and USDA, Samuelsson plans to serve Aleph Cuts in his restaurants in the United States.

    ‘Bringing delicious, cultivated meat to the table’

    “It’s essential that we look for new ways to feed our planet sustainably, which is why I was attracted to the mission of Aleph Farms and being part, both as a chef and as an investor, in bringing delicious, cultivated meat to the table,” Samuelsson said. He believes that the cultivation of meat is a pioneering movement that will become increasingly important and commonplace in our lives.

    Aleph Cuts
    Aleph Cuts | Courtesy

    With a decorated career, including multiple James Beard Foundation awards and appearances on popular TV shows, Samuelsson brings his expertise and influence to the partnership with Aleph Farms. He is also a dedicated philanthropist, involved in initiatives that support underserved youth and community kitchens during the covid pandemic.

    Aleph Farms is actively working with regulatory agencies worldwide to prepare for the commercial launch of its first product, the Petit Steak. The company uses non-modified cells of a premium Black Angus cow to grow its meat products, ensuring no slaughter is involved. Aleph Farms aims to contribute to sustainable and secure food systems while prioritizing animal welfare. Its ‘Whole Animal’ approach includes plans to produce various cuts of steak and other products based on animal cells, such as cultivated collagen.

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  • MyForest Foods Nabs $15 Million in Series A Extention To Scale Mycelium Pork Bacon And Beef Jerky

    3 Mins Read

    MyForest Foods, maker of mycelium pork-free whole-cut bacon alternative MyBacon, has announced it has secured $15 million in Series A-2 funding and has appointed a new CEO.

    MyForest Foods raised the funds from Ecovative, the mushroom packaging parent company it spun out of in 2020. Ecovative recently raised a series E funding round totaling $30 million and led by Viking Global Investors.

    MyForest, formerly known as Atlast Food Co, closed a $ 40 million Series A round in 2021 which famously included Hollywood actor Robert Downey Jr’s Footprint Coalition Ventures. In April 2022, the startup secured a $15 million venture loan from Connecticut’s Horizon Technology Finance Corporation which it said was used to finance further production facility built-outs.

    Expanding horizons with series A-2 funding

    MyForest Foods says it will use the funding to invest in its retail expansion and enhance its food service reach across the Eastern Seaboard, including New York City. MyBacon is currently on the shelves of over 100 retail locations throughout the Northeast including at multiple Fairway Market and Gourmet Garage store locations throughout Manhattan. As MyForest Foods continues to expand its market presence, it aims to meet the rising consumer demand for sustainable, plant-based alternatives, making a positive impact on the future of food.

    The company’s bacon is made using mycelium, the root-like structure of fungi that MyForest Foods treats using solid-state fermentation process that results in a texture very similar to pork meat. By leveraging this technology, the company says it can address the growing challenges of global food production, including environmental sustainability, resource scarcity, and animal welfare.

    New CEO appointment: food industry veteran joins the team

    In tandem with the funding announcement, MyForest Foods has appointed food industry veteran Greg Chewcuk as its new Chief Executive Officer, effective immediately. Shewchuk was the CEO of the food allergy prevention company SpoonfulONE, which Nestlé acquired in late 2022, and has had senior leadership positions at Campbell Soup Company, Mead Johnson Nutrition, Mondelēz International, Cadburys Schweppes PLC, and Unilever.

    “MyForest Foods was founded by a team of innovators with a passion for growing mycelium, an insight into how to grow whole-cut meats, and a vision to eliminate factory farming. Having proved the viability and consumer demand for our flagship MyBacon product, now is the optimal time to bring on an experienced industry leader as we move to commercial scale,” said Eben Bayer, MyForest Foods’ Co-Founder and Chairman of the Board in a statement.

    “I’m thrilled to bring Greg on board and leverage his savvy marketing and consumer packaged goods experience. With his expertise, our team will expand access to our delicious MyBacon, launch new whole cuts, and create a healthier, tastier, more sustainable world.”

    Chewcuk said of the news: “MyForest Foods has impressed me with its high-quality, delicious meatless products that support consumers’ ​​desire for more eco-conscious food choices. There’s a reason why MyBacon was recognized by TIME and Fast Company as one of the most innovative food inventions on the market today.”

     “With this new funding and renewed commitment from our investors, my goal is to double down on our marketing and sales functions to take the MyForest Foods brand to the next level.”

    New products on the horizon

    MyForest is planning for the launch of its second product, dubbed MyJerky, a beef jerky analogue made with its mycelium, albeit with different flavorings than MyBacon.

    MyForest produces its mycelium slabs in a production facility in New York State. Unlike competitors such as Meati Foods who grow their mycelium in steel fermentation tanks, Bayer told AgFunder MyForest grows its slabs on “beds of pre-treated hardwood chips”.

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  • LeBron James’ Uninterrupted Backs ‘Game Changers’ Sequel: ‘We Couldn’t Be More Thrilled’

    game changers
    3 Mins Read

    Uninterrupted, a subsidiary of The SpringHill Company founded by LeBron James and Maverick Carter, has teamed up with the creators of 2019 ‘s The Game Changers documentary to produce a highly anticipated sequel.

    The original Game Changers film, directed by Louis Psihoyos, and featured executive producers James Cameron, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jackie Chan, Lewis Hamilton, Chris Paul, and Novak Djokovic, showcased the remarkable rise of plant-based eating in professional sports. Some of the world’s top athletes, including Olympians featured in the film, have adhered to a plant-based diet.

    LeBron James’ Uninterrupted

    The film explored the physiological advantages of a plant-based diet, looking at performance and bloodwork, among other determining factors in overall health. With heavyweights like Schwarzenegger and Hamilton featured in the film, it was an instant hit.

    The film has been viewed more than 100 million times and the documentary is widely credited with sparking a significant shift in global eating habits.

    The sequel will be co-directed by Stephanie Soechtig and Kristin Lazure, known for their work on acclaimed films such as Fed Up, Knock Down the House, The Devil We Know, and the upcoming Poisoned on Netflix. Produced in collaboration with their production company Atlas Films, the feature documentary is set to begin production in the coming summer. The executive producers for Uninterrupted include LeBron James, Maverick Carter, Jamal Henderson, and Philip Byron, with Matt Rissmiller and Naomi Wright serving as co-executive producers.

    Commenting on the collaboration, James Wilks, producer and star of The Game Changers, expressed his excitement, stating, “With The SpringHill Company’s proven ability to merge athlete-driven storytelling with progressive subject matter, and Stephanie and Kristin’s talent for blending engaging personal narratives with impactful investigative journalism, we couldn’t be more thrilled about this team.”

    ‘Game Changers’ return

    The sequel will delve into the profound impact of food choices not only on personal performance and health but also on broader issues such as children’s health, food justice, and the environment. Several of the original executive producers are expected to return for this second installment, which will feature an impressive lineup of athletes and entertainers. Together, they will tackle challenging food-related topics and present compelling stories from various continents.

    LeBron James’ Uninterrupted is backing the GC sequel

    Soechtig and Lazure, the co-directors, expressed their enthusiasm for joining the team, saying, “The Game Changers had a profound impact on us as individuals and filmmakers. We know there’s much more to explore, and we are thrilled to be a part of this project.”

    Philip Byron, Head of Unscripted & Docs at The SpringHill Company, emphasized the unique opportunity to expand on the cultural conversation ignited by The Game Changers, addressing the critical role food plays in tackling pressing issues of our time.

    “The SpringHill Company has evolved into a full-service production company, and we are thrilled that James Wilks and Joseph Pace selected us to help craft their highly anticipated sequel and equally excited to work with Stephanie and Kristin on the first of hopefully many projects,” Byron said.

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  • Shiok Meat’s Sandhya Sriram Gets Personal: ‘As A Pioneer, You Have To Break A Lot More Barriers And A Lot More Glass Ceilings’

    13 Mins Read

    Sandhya Sriram is co-founder and CEO at Shiok Meats, a Singapore-headquartered cultivated meat and seafood company founded in 2018 that has raised over $30 million in funding. Below, she talks to Green Queen‘s Sonalie Figueiras about where cell-based seafood is going, her views on the future of cultivated meat, how investors should be thinking about the space, and going public with the personal.

    Editor’s Note: This interview was recorded live on Tuesday, May 30th 2023 during the City University of Hong Kong’s Webinar Series The Future of Food: Seeking Sustainable Solutions. Watch the full video interview, including a Q&A with questions from students across Asia HERE.

    This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity and length.

    I’m thrilled to be here with you,  one of the pioneers of cultivated meat and seafood. I really appreciate you doing this. You’re always so generous with your time and your expertise and your leadership. I want to start by asking you, one of the early people in the space, and definitely in Asia, one of the first faces that anyone saw, how are we doing in terms of cultivated meat and cultivated seafood in Asia and also globally? Are we where you thought that we would be when you started? 

    Sandhya Sriram: Sure, that’s a lot of complicated questions. [Laughs]. I think with any startup, any disruptive industry, any novel industry, you expect more downs than ups. And honestly, when I started in 2018, in this industry, I did not expect things to go as well as it went for specifically Shioak Meats and the way Singapore brought up the 30 by 2030 food story, and the amount of funding that went into this industry, and I’m not going to say it was easy capital raising, but definitely it was positive capital raising, with really good investors coming in, and you know, believing in this. 

    So, I did not expect it to go that positively or that well, as as, as we started the company, I was expecting more down days.

    In fact, even with the pandemic, fundraising wasn’t that bad, even with investors, you know, looking at you only on Zoom and not being able to taste your product or visit your facility. But this was the time when capital was easily available, there was plenty of capital and everybody was into food tech, right? 

    GQ: What’s your outlook in terms of the timeline for the industry over the next few years?

    Sandhya Sriram: I used to say this from day one: the world has a cycle of five years for a new technology or industry- it’s extremely sexy for five years. And then after that, it doesn’t go away, it’s still there, but something else is sexy. And when we started in 2018, around 2019, food tech became extremely sexy in Asia, be it the launch of Impossible Foods and Beyond Meat, then Omni Foods, and then a lot of cultivated meat companies coming up, Singapore announcing the 30 by 2030 campaign, and approving the first cultivated product, so everything was extremely “up” for this industry. And we are sort of in the tail end of that five years, as you can see. And that has come with market changes, funding issues, companies not being able to scale…Regulatory-wise, it’s going the right way, but still, not many companies have gotten approval. So I would just say I’m not surprised. I’m not surprised about where we are. I’m not surprised by the challenges we have faced. I’m not surprised that we have seen the bad days. 

    What I am very mindful of is over-promising by the industry- over-promising with the research that we’re doing or over-promising by the companies themselves. I think the market is correcting itself right now and in the industry, we are all keeping it truthful right now. 

    But that also comes with a caveat- when you’re fundraising, you can’t tell an investor that you will make money for them 20 years down the line. You have to have some sort of a projection in place for them to see their return on investment. It’s quite complex, how do you talk about timelines when you launch and as you progress. 

    I’m not surprised as to where we are. The future of alt protein is 100% there, I don’t think it’s ever going away. The next few years are all about who can make it and consolidation. Unfortunately, some companies are dying and some of that technology is dying. But all of that is part of any industry- it is what it is. You can’t expect all 100 [cultivated meat] companies to do well. It’s survival of the fittest. 

    GQ: It’s very interesting to hear you say that you didn’t think it would go as well as it did. I think it’s also fair to say that there was probably a little bit of hype, there was also probably a lot of capital and interest in a field that let’s face it, most of us didn’t really understand five years ago and didn’t really know much about. In terms of concrete predictions, and I know predictions are a fool’s business to some extent, but just to understand from someone like you who’s in the space- do you anticipate there being more companies being founded in the cultivated industry? And do think more of those companies will be in Asia? 

    Sandhya Sriram: I don’t foresee many companies starting up now, especially with the markets as they are. And I think the whole industry is going through a bit of skepticism with challenges around scaling and the issues that we’re facing in funding. So I don’t foresee too many companies starting new. But I do foresee ancillary companies starting, for example, media bioreactors infrastructure, a lot more contract manufacturing organizations being set up for scale-up, and offering infrastructure for production. And I also foresee a lot more food like traditional or established food companies coming into this space via consolidation. So that’s what I am sort of forcing for the next decade or so.

    GQ: That’s really interesting. Just building on that, one thing that I’ve noticed about cultivated seafood, is that it’s one of the few sub-sectors of alt protein where we’ve seen Big Food companies in Asia, Big Seafood, specifically, get involved. So you Vinh Hoan in Vietnam and Thai Union getting involved in cultivated, whereas you don’t see as many Big Meat companies in Asia getting involved in cultivated meat. Why is that?

    Sandhya Sriram: Actually, it’s a good question. Yes, traditional or Big Meat producers haven’t really gotten into the Asian side, but the Western meat companies have, like Tyson and Cargill, right? That’s also because if you look worldwide, seafood production is mainly in Asia, whereas meat production is not. If you look at the numbers, seafood is the most consumed protein in this part of the world and is mostly produced in Asia. So you have the big leagues like Thai Union and CP Food all getting involved here. 

    It’s interesting because these companies, when they approached us or when we approached them, they said they understand that technology is the only way that they can keep their business long term, [it’s the only way] the way they can live up to the demand and the supply chain issues, that they can make sure that their businesses are still alive in 100 years to come. These companies know that disruption and technology is what’s going to happen. 

    One of the companies that we were working with, and they are invested as well, they initially used to do proper traditional fishing and everything was done by hand, manually. They realized 10-20 years down the line, okay, this is not going to work because we are producing a lot more, we have larger fish farms, everything has to be automated now. So they set up automated lines for everything from de-heading the fish to scaling them to processing them to the packaging. And I’ve gone to their production facilities and they are extremely impressive- fully automated, much less manpower, very clean, and very well done. But they also know that may not be enough to supply the growing global population [and service] the growing demand in the future. 

    Given that there are only so many fish farms you can set up, there are only so many animals in the ocean, they realized, okay, plant-based is one way to go, cultivated is another way to go. So why not explore these technologies? But they are not able to innovate internally, so they started investing in companies like ours. 

    Eventually the idea is for them to use us as a production hub. They will do the distribution and the sales, which is exactly what we are looking for. We are technology people, we are not looking to sell our products large scale, at least I can speak for Shiok means our idea is to license out the technology so that food companies like Thai Union, CP and any other seafood company can use it in the future to actually produce seafood the way we do.

    GQ: They get to do what they’re good at, which is logistics, sales, marketing, and you get to do what you’re good at. They are essentially, and you see this in a lot of industries, outsourcing the R&D, to some extent. 

    You wrote a LinkedIn post a couple of weeks ago that was very moving and very transparent about the challenges that you have faced as a South Asian woman founder in Asia in a deep-tech space, and more specifically, in the cultivated meat and seafood space. I wanted to ask you about writing the post and some of the challenges that you’ve faced on your journey. What’s been the hardest part? What were you thinking about when you wrote that post?

    Sandhya Sriram: So I have a rule. I don’t post anything when I’m emotional, when I’m angry when I’m bitter. All those emotions pass through and it’s very easy to get on social media to just express everything at that given point. But you’re not thinking straight when you’re extremely emotional. So I have a rule that I will always think, I will rest, I will take a few weeks, and then I will post something. And anything that I post is well thought-out, it’s not done in a hurry. 

    I write it, I read it, I go through it, I go back and edit it. I don’t want to hurt anybody. That’s my ultimate aim at the end of the day. But I also want to be sure that I can tell what is my opinion, and I don’t think everybody needs to have the same opinion or agree with me. I think most of them will disagree with a lot of things that I say. But it’s my point of view. And I want to make sure that I’m able to voice it. Because I also realize there are 500 people that are not voicing it. And they’re struggling with the fact that they have to keep it within themselves. So I’m thinking about the 500 people that are probably going through the same thing that I’m going through. Over time, I’ve realized that people actually appreciate my candidness and openness. It’s not very easy as an Asian to do that. Actually in Asia, it’s not very well appreciated. 

    GQ: Yes…as Asians and Asian women in particular, we are taught not to share our feelings in a public forum. 

    Sandhya Sriram: I’ve been told by a lot of people in Asia: don’t share your troubles, share only the good things. And I think, well, that doesn’t inspire anybody. On Instagram or social media, we show only the good part of our lives. And we don’t show the bad part. I think, let’s share everything, right? Especially as an entrepreneur, when people are inspired by you, they should know what you’re going through all the things, the bad, the good, the ugly, the best, the better, and everything. And as I said, I don’t post when I’m bitter, angry or emotional. So that post took me three hours to write. And it took me a lot of editing, it took me a lot of back and forth, thinking should I do it? Should I not do it? What will that person think? What will this person think? What will my investors think? What will the media think? And then I said, you know what? I need to listen to myself for once. Let’s just do it because I have things to say. And it is honest things that I’ve been going through. And I personally put it there, it’s my opinion, it’s my experience, it’s personal. And it doesn’t have to essentially agree with all of you. But certain parts of it can agree with you, certain parts can not agree with you, it’s fine. That is what it is.

    I would be happy to read somebody else’s thoughts as well about running a company. It’s not easy, running a company of 60 people, then letting go of 30 people. It’s not easy raising $30 million. It’s not easy being a pioneer.

    You know, pioneer is used as a positive word, and actually, for me, it’s got a negative connotation. It’s like, oh, my God, you’re the first! And that means you have to break a lot more barriers and a lot more glass ceilings and face a lot more issues. 

    Essentially, I’m a very resilient and very strong person, I can tolerate a lot. But that doesn’t mean I’m not human. So that post was about being human and being vulnerable. And also telling the world that I may look extremely strong, but I’m human and I have emotions also. And these are my thoughts, from my point of view. It is what it is, if you don’t like it, don’t read it. 

    GQ: In the post, one thing that really came out was that for the past few years, Shiok has been working on scaling cell lines for the three crustaceans you are addressing, so lobster, shrimp and crab. And in the post, you talk about how it has been very, very challenging to scale those lines. Can you share more about this?

    Sandhya Sriram: So I think around last year, we realized, okay, seafood is gonna take longer than [what we thought]. And by then we had already acquired the red meat company Gaia Foods. And honestly, when we acquired them, it was strategic, it was opportunistic, but it was also Plan B for us from day one. We knew that seafood is going to take time. 

    To give a background to everybody listening here, seafood in general doesn’t have any background research. If you go to PubMed, or you go to Google, you can’t really find any research on stem cells for seafood, because stem cell research was done on animals that are closer to humans, like mammals, so that you understand human biology for human diseases and cancer treatment and all of that. So nobody really looked at stem cells from shrimps. 

    So when we started Shiok, it was a blank whiteboard. As a scientist, that’s super exciting, because that means you can make new discoveries, new IP, new patents, all of that. But that’s also not the best start for a startup or a company, which needs to make money in three years, five years, ten years- whatever it is. 

    So I think we went into it, we went into it knowing that it’s going to take time, but we thought it would be about four or five years until we figured it out. But last year, our fourth year, we said, okay, let’s take a pause here. We have tried as much as we can with the scale, and it’s not working, we are facing some issues that we could not have predicted that we would face because unless you scale up to a certain extent, you will not know. Only when you reach that destination, you realize, okay, there’s something wrong there. And then you have to figure out a different path to go for. So we said okay, we went two steps forward, but we also went six steps backwards. So let’s put a pause there. Let’s figure out that first step or second step again. 

    But in the meantime, we are a startup, and we have raised cash. We are answerable to our investors, let’s try to see what else can be accelerated. We thought of many other things that we could do with our technology. But then we said, well, we have red meat. Red meat is a more established and studied technology. There are many companies that are doing red meat and are closer to commercialization. So why not push that, even though it’s not the most competitive, or the most unique technology? Let’s do that first. 

    In the meantime, let’s figure out seafood. Nobody’s stopping seafood, we’re not stopping working on seafood, we just need more time. And so that was a conscious decision that we made in the company, to see what can be our first product. The survival of the company is very important. 

    For me, it came to a point where as a CEO and a founder, I asked myself: should I run a company for X amount of time with 60 people? Or Should I run it for 10x the amount of time with only 10 people? I’m going to choose the latter, right?  I want the company to survive, the business to survive, the technology to survive. 

    So it’s been hard, it’s been extremely hard, as you know from my LinkedIn post, but I think at the end of the day, my fiduciary duty is to the company and the business. So I will make the decision that I make for the company, not for me, not for individuals, it’s for the whole company.

    Listen to the rest of the interview here.

    The post Shiok Meat’s Sandhya Sriram Gets Personal: ‘As A Pioneer, You Have To Break A Lot More Barriers And A Lot More Glass Ceilings’ first appeared on Green Queen.

    The post Shiok Meat’s Sandhya Sriram Gets Personal: ‘As A Pioneer, You Have To Break A Lot More Barriers And A Lot More Glass Ceilings’ appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • India’s Shaka Harry Makes Its International Debut In With 15 Plant-Based Products In Singapore

    Shaka Harry
    4 Mins Read

    Leading Indian plant-based protein label Shaka Harry has announced its expansion into Singapore.

    The expansion marks the company’s first foray into the international market. Shaka Harry is set to introduce 15 innovative products at Mustafa Centre Singapore, a four-level retail hub and iconic shopping mall known for its 24-hour market-style shopping experience.

    To support the launch in Singapore, Shaka Harry has planned a range of marketing and promotional activities. These include in-store demonstrations, engaging social media campaigns, and collaborations with local food bloggers and influencers. The company also aims to establish partnerships with local restaurants and food service providers to incorporate their products into their menus.

    ‘A timely and important solution’

    “Expanding our business to Singapore, a country globally recognized for its commitment to promoting plant-based diets and addressing public health, environmental, and ethical issues, holds significant importance for Shaka Harry,” Anand Nagarajan, co-founder of Shaka Harry, said in a statement.

    “We are delighted to bring our products to discerning consumers in a country that shares our dedication to promoting plant-based diets and creating a more sustainable and compassionate food system. We are confident that our products will appeal to the growing number of individuals embracing flexitarian diets and seeking healthy, delicious, and environmentally friendly food options,” Nagarajan said.

    “Mustafa Shopping Centre Singapore is proud to announce the launch of Shaka Harry, a plant protein company backed by the legendary cricketer MS Dhoni,” said Mohd Saleem of Mohamed Mustafa & Samsuddin. “Shaka Harry’s innovative approach to sustainable and ethical protein production is a timely and important solution to address the challenges faced by our planet. We are excited to offer our customers access to Shaka Harry’s delicious and nutritious plant-based products, and we believe that this partnership will help create a brighter and more sustainable future for all.”

    Sandeep Devgan, Shaka Harry co-founder says the timing couldn’t be more exciting for the brand. “Collaborating with Mustafa Centre will give us the impetus to propel the Shaka Harry brand in the global marketplace,” Devgan said. “Already established as the best-performing brand in online stores where we have a presence, we are now poised to launch our exclusive range of 15 products in Singapore alongside Mustafa. Food is a pivotal area where sustainability can make significant strides, and Singapore is at the forefront of adopting cultivated meat and plant-based diets worldwide.”

    India’s global expansion

    According to Devgan, India’s government, along with APEDA (the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority), is actively promoting the export of plant-based food. “We are excited to be part of this growth story and build momentum,” he said. “India’s plant-based food products are highly regarded overseas due to their ethical values and contributions from foodservice operators and retailers. Building a consumer segment in the food industry necessitates a well-designed product range, deep expertise in taste and flavor, and a consistent customer experience. Our dedicated team at Shaka Harry is committed to creating the best plant-based food products in terms of taste and quality.”

    GOOD Meat Cultivated Chicken Skewer in Singapore Butchery – Credit EAT Just, Inc

    Both India and Singapore have emerged as global hotspots for the alternative protein industry, attracting startups and innovations. While much of India’s development is happening with regional brands, Singapore has become a hub for international brands across a range of categories including cultivated meat, where Singapore is currently the only country to approve it for sale and consumption.

    A recent survey on Singaporean dietary habits revealed that consumers are excited about the options; 46 percent of respondents expressed a willingness to adopt a plant-based diet due to health concerns, while 39 percent follow a flexitarian diet. The plant-based trend in Singapore has experienced an impressive average compounded growth rate of over 12 percent in the past four years, driven by health consciousness, taste preferences, and dietary restrictions related to religion or ethics. Notably, this trend has garnered an overwhelming 94 percent positive sentiment among consumers in Singapore.

    The post India’s Shaka Harry Makes Its International Debut In With 15 Plant-Based Products In Singapore first appeared on Green Queen.

    The post India’s Shaka Harry Makes Its International Debut In With 15 Plant-Based Products In Singapore appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.