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Category: Alt Protein

  • Amazon of Synbio? This E-Shop Wants to Sell Cultivated Meat Across Europe

    where to buy lab grown meat
    5 Mins Read

    Cultivated meat isn’t approved for sale in Europe yet – but that hasn’t stopped this entrepreneur from setting up an online shop for these proteins.

    Forget Michelin-starred restaurants and famed butcheries. What if you could get cultivated meat delivered to your doorstep at the click of a button?

    David Bell has taken that idea and run with it. An e-commerce and digital marketing expert by day, he has established an online store for cultivated meat in 18 European countries, even though regulatory approval for these novel foods is at least a year away in the EU.

    “Everything starts before it’s ready. Waiting until products are on the shelf means playing catch-up,” Bell explains when asked why he decided to set up the e-store now.

    “Launching now gives us time to build awareness and visibility, educate the public, earn search presence and digital momentum, and position ourselves as the natural home for cultivated products,” he adds. “This space is moving fast. We’re creating the infrastructure before it’s urgently needed.”

    The website is CultivatedMeat.co.uk, and Bell aims to list a vast range of cultivated meat products (some, like crocodile, aren’t in development commercially, though Australian startup Vow has previously said it is working with the animal’s cells), as well as offering educational guides and a blog with science and industry news. “We’ve built a site that makes cultivated meat visible and tangible, even in concept,” he says.

    He’s based in the UK, where cultivated meat briefly appeared on shelves earlier this year – albeit for pet food. “We’ve secured the cultivated meat domains in 18 other European countries, so local versions will roll out imminently,” Bell notes. “Each of these will be localised as approvals come through.”

    Will an online shop work for cultivated meat?

    where to buy lab grown meat near me
    Courtesy: CultivatedMeat

    Bell has been vegan for 13 years, primarily for ethical reasons – the health benefits were a bonus. “Even so, I’ve always missed the taste and cultural aspects of meat. I just never thought there’d be an alternative that made sense to me,” he says. “Cultivated meat makes it possible to eat real meat again without causing suffering.”

    The website has sections for a variety of species, from beef, chicken and pork to duck, seafood, and even kangaroo meat, each of which is displayed next to an image of the living animal. Aside from the shop, it has guides and blogs describing how cultivated meat is made, its environmental benefits, and how you can cook it at home.

    So far, the few cultivated meat products that have made it to market have been launched into either high-end restaurants or premium butcher shops. In the US, Mission Barns’s cultivated pork products will be the first to debut in a supermarket when they roll out at Sprouts Farmers Market later this year.

    “That’s normal at the start – small batches, tight control. But long-term, consumer access will be the game-changer,” says Bell, explaining the rationale behind an e-store.

    “Early adopters will be looking online first. That’s always how new categories start,” he suggests, outlining the Internet’s capability to build “clustered interest, niche education, and targeted communities”.

    “Even as cultivated meat moves into the mainstream, physical retailers won’t carry every product, but we will. This site becomes the long-tail destination for the full range of cultivated meat options,” he says. “An online store also allows controlled launches per country, direct-to-consumer storytelling, data feedback for producers, and a single point of discovery for all cultivated meat.”

    Is ‘cultivated meat’ the best term to attract consumers? “Yes. It’s the most widely accepted term across media, policy, and industry. It avoids the baggage of ‘lab-grown’ while clearly describing what it is,” he contends. “Personally, as a long-time vegan, I see cultivated meat as a reconciliation of ethics, science, and taste. The word reflects that balance.”

    As he waits for cultivated meat to be approved for human food in Europe, his platform is focused on building its email waitlist, publishing educational content, and developing partnerships. “It’s not just a shop – it’s a public front door for the cultivated meat movement from a consumer perspective,” he notes.

    cultivated meat where to buy
    Courtesy: CultivatedMeat

    Cultivated meat startups in talks with online store

    Speaking of partnerships, Bell is already in talks with several cultivated meat firms, both in Europe and beyond. “We’re shaping what launch partnerships might look like,” he says.

    He says he is in contact with several organisations across the ecosystem. “We bring the consumer front-end. That makes us a useful partner for groups focused on research, policy, or production,” he explains.

    CultivatedMeat’s business model is flexible, both in terms of revenue and logistics. The platform will handle distribution in some cases, and pass it on to producers or third-party firms in others.

    “We already have access to specialist cold chain partners for frozen and chilled delivery for when this is ready,” he notes. “Most early product rollouts will be closely managed, so logistics will be smaller-scale and controllable to begin with.”

    As for the revenue stream, some partnerships might follow a classic buy-sell model, and others might be based on a margin, affiliate, or distribution partnership. “Longer term, revenue will come from retail markups or commissions, exclusive product collaborations, brand placement and launch support, sponsored content, and media visibility,” outlines Bell.

    lab grown meat eu
    Courtesy: Romain Buisson/Gourmey

    So far, only two cultivated meat companies have publicly filed for novel food approval in the EU: France’s Gourmey (for foie gras) and Dutch startup Mosa Meat (for beef fat). The process can take around 18 months, and Gourmey has indicated its plans to sell its product via restaurants by 2026.

    Both these firms have applied in Switzerland and the UK, as has Israeli cultivated beef producer Aleph Farms. The latter country is a frontrunner in Europe – it has already approved Meatly’s chicken for pet food applications, and is assessing human-focused applications from Vital Meat and Ivy Farm Technologies too.

    Bell is leveraging his online expertise to be ready for when these regulators eventually greenlight the products for sale. “As someone who’s worked in digital commerce for years, launching this platform felt like the most natural and meaningful thing I could do,” he says. “I’m just combining what I know about online ecosystems and ethical consumerism to help move this space forward.”

    The post Amazon of Synbio? This E-Shop Wants to Sell Cultivated Meat Across Europe appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • As Tariffs Drive Canadians to Buy Local, Vegan Salmon Startup New School Foods is Ready

    new school foods

    6 Mins Read

    With relations between Americans and Canadians souring, a wave of economic nationalism has prompted one Toronto startup to aggressively expand its plant-based salmon.

    If there are two things Canadians love right now, it’s homegrown products and salmon.

    But both industries are under threat – the former from a trade war and hostile political rhetoric from its southern neighbour, and the latter from climate change.

    In Toronto, one startup is tackling both challenges with a unique proposition. Salmon without the fish, made in Canada.

    “People don’t just want better options, they want Canadian-made, Canadian-led alternatives that reflect our values, our innovation, and our independence,” says Chris Bryson, founder and CEO of vegan seafood firm New School Foods.

    He’s right. Two in five Canadians will “absolutely do everything” to avoid American products now, and 88% would purchase items promoted as “made in Canada”.

    “We are seeing Canadian restaurants trying to source more Canadian products and switching away from US producers,” Bryson tells Green Queen.

    In the last four months, the company has signed agreements to bring its plant-based whole-cut salmon to over 30 restaurants nationwide, spanning Michelin Guide standouts, boutique hotels, ramen and sushi shops, and emerging chains.

    Further, it has announced distribution partnerships with Gordon Food Service, the largest family-operated food distributor in North America, and speciality food purveyor Bondi Produce. These will give New School Foods access to a broad range of establishments across Canada.

    “We see a growing opportunity in Canada where Canadians want to buy from Canadian companies, and we’re excited to step up to the plate,” says Bryson.

    How New School Foods makes its whole-cut vegan salmon

    vegan salmon
    Courtesy: New School Foods

    “New School Foods doesn’t just provide a product that is fully Canadian, but also a superior product that is sustainable and scalable through breakthrough technologies we developed,” Bryson suggests.

    The company employs directional freezing technology to make its whole-cut salmon analogue. Unlike extrusion, a widely used technique in the industry that denatures proteins via heat, this process allows products to start raw and cook like conventional meat.

    The “cold-based” production method is built around a plant-based scaffolding that mimics animal muscle and connective tissues, with the same diameter, length, strength and behaviour. The layers of tissue are reproduced via a patent-pending injection process and give the product its trademark flakiness.

    New School Foods has developed an assembly line, dubbed V1, to apply this technology on a commercial scale, which it says is the first of its kind for directional freezing.

    “We recently completed the initial build of our V1 commercial line to support our commercial soft-launch. We’re scaling it up and optimising it every week – this is where the bulk of our time and effort goes, as we have developed a completely new manufacturing technology,” explains Bryson.

    “We’re very excited about its scalability and flexibility, as we do see it able to produce much more than salmon,” he adds. “For example, we recently started processing the waste from our cutting process, and turned it into a salmon burger. We soft-launched it last month, and it’s doing super well. And the production process uses all the same equipment we use for making the fillet.”

    The technology platform itself is “species-agnostic”, so it can be used to create other kinds of meat and fish too. Plus, the scaffolding can be used with any protein type, be it plant-based, fermentation-derived, or cell-cultivated. This paves the way for B2B co-manufacturing and white-label partnerships, opening up another revenue stream for New School Foods.

    Why Canada needs alternative seafood

    salmon climate change
    Courtesy: New School Foods

    The startup, founded in 2021, carries out all its R&D, engineering and production at its recently opened 28,000 sq ft facility in Toronto. This, it suggests, allows for rapid iteration of new products, which use off-the-shelf food manufacturing equipment that significantly lowers costs compared to extrusion or cellular agriculture.

    This is crucial at a time when salmon prices are rising amid farm closures, tariff disruptions, and climate change events in Canada. The government will ban open-net farming in British Columbia in 2029 (amid criticism from environmentalists over a five-year delay in its implementation), in response to dwindling salmon populations in the region’s waters.

    The province’s farming industry has previously been caught dumping piscine orthoreovirus-infected (a fish virus) blood into Canada’s largest wild salmon migration route, and scientists had warned in 2012 that a virus was infecting both its farmed and wild salmon, which is a detriment to human health too.

    The tariff war has made things worse. The Trump administration has imposed a 25% tariff on most Canadian goods, and Canada has reciprocated with its own set of duties. The US is its largest supplier of seafood, accounting for 31% of its import value in 2023. Salmon was the top imported species (21% of the total), with the US providing $280M worth of the fish that year.

    Meanwhile, Trump’s repeated threats of annexation to make Canada “the 51st state” have been met with fierce backlash and a shift towards local manufacturing. Now, more than half of Canadians say they will stop buying a product if there’s no homegrown alternative.

    New School Foods CEO ‘extremely confident’ in alternative protein sector

    new school foods salmon
    Courtesy: New School Foods

    All this makes alternatives like New School Foods more important than ever. At the same time, alternative proteins – and especially vegan seafood – are having a tough time attracting customers. Seafood analogues make up just 1% of the plant-based meat category, as well as the conventional sector.

    For Bryon, this was to be expected. “Lots of products were launched that didn’t taste great and were expensive, so the value proposition didn’t add up for a broader audience,” he says.

    At the same time, the number of vegan seafood products has been far and few between, especially at “the level of sophistication and quality of the products in the alt-meat category”. “So it makes sense that there’s less traction, because there’s less product maturity,” he explains.

    “I’m extremely confident that we will see that change in the years ahead as companies like ours launch products that actually meet customer needs. At the end of the day, there needs to be a compelling value proposition for customers, and many products are just not there yet. Through proper investments in R&D and newer production technologies like ours, that can be solved.”

    While the company doesn’t share its revenue numbers, he reveals that 2025 is “already driving significantly more revenue than 2024 as more restaurants put New School Foods on their menus”.

    Does it have plans to enter retail too? “Our priority at the moment is working with restaurants and chefs,” he says. “We believe we need to first earn the trust and respect of chefs in order to earn the trust of the end consumer. This also allows us to keep rapidly improving our product based on feedback, and to highlight the versatility of our products. Almost every week, we find out that chefs have discovered a new application for our products.”

    New School Foods’s expansion comes on the heels of a $6M funding round led by Inter IKEA, the holding company of the furniture giant, taking its total raised to $18M. It came during an investment drought for alternative proteins, where startups attracted 27% less capital in 2024 than the year before.

    “The 2018-19 era showcased that there is indeed demand for more sustainable foods. We also see that all the time in our sales process. The problem is that there is an R&D and product quality gap, and customer expectations have not been met,” contends Bryson.

    “That only gets solved via investments into better ingredients and better production technologies. There will always be an audience for delicious and affordable products; we just need to keep closing the gap.

    The post As Tariffs Drive Canadians to Buy Local, Vegan Salmon Startup New School Foods is Ready appeared first on Green Queen.

  • 5 Minutes with A Future Food VC: Great Circle Ventures’s Jacob Afriat

    jacob afriat
    4 Mins Read

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

    Jacob Afriat is the General Partner at Great Circle Ventures.

    What future food technologies most excite you?

    I’m particularly excited about the application of AI across the food value chain—from ingredient discovery to formulation, bioavailability, and even optimising sensory properties like texture and mouthfeel. AI has the potential to dramatically reduce development cycles, personalise nutrition, and bring precision to taste and function in ways we’ve never seen before.

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

    1. ‘Beyond the label’ food safety and transparency
    2. Precision nutrition and functional food systems
    3. Next-gen preventative nutrition

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

    One of the most encouraging achievements has been the consumer’s growing openness to changing habits. The rapid adoption of plant-based dairy and meat alternatives – even with imperfect products – showed that the market is ready for better options.

    While these categories are currently facing headwinds, mostly due to challenges in balancing taste, health, sustainability, and price, we believe the next wave of alternatives that get these four pillars right could see even faster and broader adoption.

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

    I’d create a product that’s not just an alternative to meat, but superior to it – especially from a health and nutrition standpoint. Today’s plant-based meats are often ultra-processed and nutritionally underwhelming. The ideal version would be minimally processed, clean-label, and deliver functional health benefits without compromising on taste or texture.

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

    Grit. Founders building in food and climate face long timelines, tough science, and sceptical markets.

    Grit – the relentless drive to keep pushing forward despite setbacks – is what sets apart those who endure and ultimately succeed.

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

    Function Health. I had a chance to invest very early – an opportunity that would have returned over 150x in just three years. At the time, it felt slightly outside our core investment thesis, but in hindsight, it was clearly aligned with the broader shift we believe in: empowering consumers with deeper health data and personalisation.

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

    While it’s still early, I’m particularly excited about our investment in Zya, which is pioneering a new approach to sugar reduction. They’re developing a proprietary ingredient that could disrupt the way we think about sugar alternatives. It’s too early to call it a success, but the potential is certainly promising, and we’re watching it closely as they move through their early stages of development.

    What has been your most disappointing investment so far?

    The investments we’re most disappointed with are those where we had to move too quickly and didn’t spend enough time evaluating the founders. It’s a reminder of how important it is to take the necessary time to get to know the team and ensure alignment before committing.

    What do people misunderstand/get wrong most about VC?

    One common misconception is that venture capital is about quick, big returns. People often point to short-term successes, but what they miss is that true value creation in VC takes time. While some companies may see huge returns in the short run, those gains are often unsustainable.

    Over a longer timeline, many of these companies experience an adjustment as they work through scaling challenges or market realities. The real value comes from supporting businesses over the long haul, helping them evolve, and creating sustainable growth.

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

    I recently tried a freeze-dried whole broccoli snack from Veggie Vice. While it might not seem like the most futuristic food at first glance, I was really impressed by how this simple, well-known technology – freeze-drying – can be applied to preserve the full nutritional profile of fruits and vegetables.

    It was amazing to see how the shelf life of a vegetable can be extended while maintaining its integrity and minimal processing. It’s a great example of how innovation doesn’t always need to be groundbreaking technology – sometimes, it’s about reimagining the potential of existing tools.

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

    I recently discovered a small gem near my office in Madison Square Park, New York, called Rooted. It really stood out for its commitment to simplicity and transparency. The menu is centred around a few carefully chosen ingredients, and they’ve made a conscious decision to avoid using seed oils.

    It’s refreshing to see a restaurant that prioritises both sustainability and thoughtful sourcing while creating delicious, mindful dishes.

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

    In a world that moves so quickly and where we’re constantly inundated with information – often contradictory – it’s incredibly satisfying to focus and try to identify the real “blue line”. I’m driven by the challenge of predicting the next trend, cutting through the noise, and finding opportunities that align with true, long-term value.

    The post 5 Minutes with A Future Food VC: Great Circle Ventures’s Jacob Afriat appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • Nebraska Bans Cultivated Meat As State Gov Pillen Gets His Wish

    nebraska lab grown meat ban
    5 Mins Read

    Nebraska has become the sixth US state to ban cultivated meat, after Governor Jim Pillen signed the bill that he had initially requested.

    Jim Pillen, owner of the largest pork producer in Nebraska, happily signed a bill sent to his desk on Tuesday. It was one he himself had dreamt up months ago, and it would protect the very industry he’s built his fortune on.

    The Nebraska governor put pen to paper on LB 246, officially banning the production, sale or import of cultivated meat within state boundaries. Anybody violating this would face penalties under the Pure Food Act, and as well as the Deceptive Trade Practices Act.

    “We need to be willing to protect and preserve our state’s vital ag industry as well as our consumers,” said Pillen. “These products are grown from harvested cells in bioreactor machines. The health consequences are unknown, and so are the long-term effects to consumers.”

    It marks the culmination of what Pillen had labelled “a full-blown attack on lab-grown meats and fake meat” in August, when he signed an executive order putting restrictions on these proteins and announcing his intention to ban them in 2025.

    At his request, Senator Barry DeKay brought forward the bill in January, which describes cultivated meat as an “adulterated food product”. While there was apprehension from some fellow Republicans, as well as the very industry Pillen said he was aiming to safeguard, the bill finally made it through the state chambers.

    Nebraska’s ban helps Gov Pillen more than anyone else

    lab grown meat ban
    Courtesy: Phelan M Ebenhack/AP

    When signing his executive order in August, Pillen indicated his desire to protect animal agriculture from the “extraordinary, crazy views out there that there’s going to be different ways to feed the planet”.

    He took a jibe at Bill Gates, who has invested in a number of alternative protein companies, including California’s Upside Foods, which has sued Florida for a similar ban. “There’s a guy that made some money in building computers. He needs to stay in the computer space and knock this stuff off thinking that he’s going to promote lab-grown meat. He’s lost his brains,” said Pillen.

    “We are the beef state,” he added. That’s the issue, though. Agriculture is the largest source of Nebraska’s emissions, contributing to 42% of the state’s climate footprint – and beef production alone accounts for 55% of this share, and 23.7% of the state’s overall emissions.

    lab
    Courtesy: EPA

    Pillen said Nebraska’s farmers and ranchers (which includes himself) “are committed to producing the best food products anywhere”.

    “We feed the world, and we save the planet more effectively and more efficiently than anybody else, and I will defend those practices with my last breath,” he said.

    Pillen’s hog farm operation has made him a multimillionaire. Pillen Family Farms is one of the nation’s largest pork producers and received a $286M loan from a lender in 2023. It has also come under scrutiny for having dangerously high nitrate levels in its farms’ water supply, which puts the health of both farmers and consumers at risk.

    So it’s a little tough to take Pillen at his word about who this cultivated meat ban would benefit.

    Farmers opposed cultivated meat ban in Nebraska

    nebraska lab grown meat
    Courtesy: Governor Jim Pillen/X

    Nebraska’s ban faced more opposition than Pillen perhaps anticipated. Lawmakers like Senator Merv Riepe, as well as the Nebraska Farm Bureau preferred to address the labelling of cultivated meat instead of outlawing it, especially since it’s not available in the state yet.

    Opposition also came from ranchers and farming groups, who said they didn’t need the government’s help to compete with cultivated meat. One farmer told the AP that he welcomes cultivated meat producers to “jump into the pool” and try to compete with his Waygu beef, going on to describe his disdain for lawmakers’ efforts to stifle competition in a free market.

    He noted that governments should only be limited to regulating product labels and inspecting facilities – something the US Department of Agriculture already does when reviewing regulatory applications for cultivated meat. “After that, it’s up to the consumer to make the decision about what they buy and eat,” said the beef farmer.

    The final bill didn’t pass unanimously, with 11 lawmakers voting against it. Now that it has succeeded, Nebraska has become the sixth state to ban cultivated meat – and the fourth in the last couple of months. It joins Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, South Dakota and Indiana (the latter has placed a two-year moratorium).

    More than 20 states have tried to do so over the last few years. In the current legislative session, South Dakota, South Carolina, West Virginia, Montana, Wyoming, and Georgia have all been mulling the move.

    It reflects the shifting political and cultural landscape in the US, with President Donald Trump and colleagues like JD Vance and Robert F Kennedy Jr all denouncing “fake meat”, just as consumers spend more on meat than ever before.

    While more such legislation are likely on the way (as are legal challenges like that of Upside Foods), it does feel like a colossal waste of resources to ban something that has barely made it out of the gates, and is only trying to safeguard the future of an industry causing copious amounts of pollution, and being subsequently ravaged by climate change.

    The post Nebraska Bans Cultivated Meat As State Gov Pillen Gets His Wish appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • UPF Research is Misleading Consumers About Plant-Based Meat Amid Worsening Climate Crisis

    5 Mins Read

    Research around ultra-processed food often overlooks important nuances when it comes to plant-based meat, which can potentially mislead consumers on the health impacts, suggests a new review.

    If you’ve been shying away from plant-based meat because it’s too processed, you’re not the only one.

    In the UK, half of consumers are worried that these products are too unnatural, while across Europe, 54% avoid eating them due to their classification as ultra-processed. Across the Atlantic, a quarter of Americans say they’d buy more meat analogues if they were less processed or more nutritionally equivalent to meat.

    As the ultra-processed food (UPF) conversation takes over our dietary decisions, it has been a major thorn in the side of vegan meat alternatives, sales of which have either slowed in some markets, or fallen alarmingly in others. For instance, in the US, plant-based meat suffered from a 7% decline in retail sales last year.

    Throughout this discourse, one key concern has always jumped out: you can’t paint all UPFs with the same brush. Health experts have cautioned against bundling the level of processing with nutrition – these are two different things, and should be treated that way.

    Punctuating that point is a new report by the Physicians Association for Nutrition (PAN) and the Good Food Institute (GFI) Europe. It’s an evidence-based resource for healthcare professionals, policymakers, researchers, and patient organisations engaged in protein diversification and public health.

    “Although trials have identified several key features of UPFs as a whole that are likely to play a large role in the negative outcomes observed (high calorie density, low fibre and hyper-palatability), plant-based meat has a very different nutritional profile from most UPFs, and these metrics do not generally apply to plant-based meat,” the report points out.

    One major finding of the research highlights the need for nuance between processing that diminishes nutritional quality and techniques that enhance it. Some studies suggest that certain processing methods can improve protein quality and bioavailability, and enable beneficial fortification.

    It comes at a time when more and more scientists are calling for a transition towards a plant-rich food system amid the mounting climate crisis, while misinformation and misunderstood research are drawing people away from products that make it easier for people to cut back on meat.

    The problems with existing UPF studies

    nova classification
    Courtesy: Springer

    Part of the Nova classification developed by a Brazilian research team led by Prof Carlos Monteiro, UPFs are defined as products comprising industrial formulations and techniques like extrusion or pre-frying, and cosmetic substances such as high-fructose corn syrup and hydrogenated oils.

    The new research draws on randomised controlled trials and systematic reviews to highlight how plant-based meat can serve as a better-for-you alternative to conventional processed meat, supporting better cholesterol levels, improved diet quality, and modest weight loss.

    Macronutrient profiles show that plant-based meat only meets three out of eight criteria used to classify UPFs. In contrast, conventional processed meat ticks seven of them. Moreover, vegan alternatives offer more fibre, less saturated fat, and a similar share of calories from protein.

    plant based meat nutrition facts
    Courtesy: Physicians Association for Nutrition/GFI Europe

    PAN and GFI Europe point out several limitations in current UPF research, which undermines their relevance to plant-based meat. For starters, most use food diaries from a decade ago, before most modern meat alternatives made it on the shelves. Even for products that existed at the time, hardly any company uses the same recipe or formulation today.

    Those food diaries also often fail to separate plant proteins like tofu from meat analogues. And in any case, plant-based meat makes up a “vanishingly small” amount of the food in these datasets. For example, in a widely cited study based on the UK Biobank, these products accounted for only 0.2% of all calories eaten – but media coverage sought to blame “fake meats” instead of the real culprits.

    The outcomes are likely caused by the most widely eaten UPFs, the report says – think cakes, sugary drinks, and processed meats, which have a vastly different nutritional profile. It argues that while research using such data links high UPF consumption with greater disease risk, it can’t actually tell us how much is caused by processing and how much by nutritional factors we already understand.

    “Studies on the UPF group as a whole likely offer little insight into plant-based meat, and will likely be misleading as to its health impacts,” the report points out. “The best available evidence… suggests that replacing processed meat with plant-based versions could have medically relevant health benefits, most notably reductions in LDL cholesterol.”

    plant based meat ultra processed
    Courtesy: Metro/The Telegraph/Daily Mail/New York Post

    How can we improve UPF and plant-based meat research?

    “The conversation around ultra-processed foods has become increasingly polarised,” said Roberta Alessandrini, director of PAN’s Dietary Guidelines Initiative and co-author of the guide. “But not all UPFs are created equal. This resource aims to equip professionals with a clearer understanding of where plant-based meat fits in – based on science, not sensationalism.”

    The report calls on public health professionals to “challenge misconceptions on processing and plant-based meat”. UPF research is poorly understood by the general public, and limited familiarity with meat alternatives compounds the problem, so more accurate communication is sorely needed.

    “Greater emphasis should be placed on the fact that there are multiple pathways to healthier lifestyles – and the most effective interventions are those that can be adhered to,” the guide suggests.

    plant based meat healthy
    Courtesy: Physicians Association for Nutrition/GFI Europe

    For researchers, the focus should be on diversifying the evidence base for UPFs and plant-based meat. More interventional studies are needed to understand which UPF features drive harm and how to effectively address them, and to explore which qualities of vegan alternatives are associated with beneficial outcomes. Further, behavioural studies can help find the best levers for dietary change.

    Meanwhile, policymakers and national nutrition bodies should create dietary recommendations that help people select healthier options and increase consistency across products. This includes guidelines on fortifications, fibre and salt, which can vary across plant-based meat offerings.

    “Products meeting these positive thresholds should also be included in national dietary guidance, as is the case in the Netherlands,” the report says.

    “Proponents of the Nova framework and of protein diversification should be incentivised to identify where each can have the most impact building a healthier, more sustainable food system, and collaborate to target their work accordingly.”

    The post UPF Research is Misleading Consumers About Plant-Based Meat Amid Worsening Climate Crisis appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • Future Food Quick Bites: Oatly x Chris Parnell, Vegan Nutella & Forbes 30 Under 30

    forbes 30 under 30 asia
    6 Mins Read

    Our weekly column rounds up the latest sustainable food innovation news. This week, Future Food Quick Bites covers Nutella Plant-Based’s UK launch, Oatly’s collab with Chris Parnell, and Nestlé’s new biotech centre.

    New products and launches

    Ferrero has announced that it will launch Nutella Plant-Based in the UK on May 25. It will be available at Sainsbury’s for £3.99 per 350g jar, before rolling out to other retailers next year. For context, the classic Nutella is 30p cheaper for the same size.

    vegan nutella
    Courtesy: Ferrero

    US startup Nature’s Bakery has released two new products: a gluten-free strawberry flavour of its flagship Fig Bar, and a raspberry and lemon oatmeal crumble bar. The plant-based treats are available at Target and on its website for $7 per six-pack.

    Vegan snack brand Hippeas has rolled out Cheezy Cheddar Pops made from yellow peas and chickpeas. They contain 3g of protein and 2g of fibre per 1oz serving, and are available at Target, Walmart, and on Amazon and its website in various sizes.

    hippeas
    Courtesy: Hippeas

    French plant-based startup Hari&Co has launched Moroccan-inspired keftas, made from wheat and pea protein. They contain 20g of protein per 100g, have an A rating on the Nutri-Score scale, plus a 90/100 score on product-scanning app Yuka.I

    Slovenia’s Juicy Marbles is bringing its plant-based whole cuts to Spain via a distribution deal with Zyrcular Foods.

    juicy marbles lamb
    Courtesy: Juicy Marbles

    Germany’s Veganz Group has signed a deal with Jindilli Beverages to export its Mililk line of oat and almond milks in Tetra Pak formats to North America, Australia and New Zealand. The agreement also includes a new non-dairy creamer called Mililk Drops.

    Also in North America, Canadian vegan fast-food chain Odd Burger has secured its own distribution agreement with Dot Foods, which will see its retail and foodservice products expand their national grocery and restaurant chain footprint.

    odd burger
    Courtesy: Odd Burger

    Vegan pizza maker Blackbird Foods has rolled out its frozen products at 88 Hy-Vee supermarket locations across the Midwest. They’re available in Margherita, Supreme, and Pepperoni flavours (the latetr features Beyond Meat).

    And Indian startup Cosmix has launched No-Nonsense Plant Protein PRO, a yeast protein powder with the maximum protein digestibility score (akin to whey)

    Company and finance updates

    Speaking of India, New Delhi-based vegan egg startup Plantmade has ceased operations after four years.

    As part of its Blind Love campaign, Oatly has launched a spoof ad with comedian and Saturday Night Live alum Chris Parnell to spread the word about what it has termed Dormant Oatmilk Condition: five times more Americans prefer oat milk in their coffee over dairy, but they don’t know it yet.

    In Switzerland, Nestlé has opened a biotech centre to advance its nutritional solutions across a range of verticals, including early life, women’s health, and weight management. Among the hub’s credentials are enhanced capabilities in precision fermentation.

    Meanwhile, Beyond Meat has amended its lease on its headquarters, giving up 61,000 sq ft of its office space back to HC Hornet Way for a one-time termination fee of $1M. It continues to rent 220,000 sq ft of space, but expects to incur $600,000 in modification costs. This comes after a disappointing Q1 for the plant-based meat maker.

    beyond meat documentary
    Courtesy: Beyond Meat

    Food tech startup High Time Foods, which makes ambient plant protein products, has raised $1.2M in a new funding round. Following the deal, it has relocated from the US to India, and is gearing up its product development and international expansion efforts.

    Aussie firm Levur, which is working on a precision-fermentated alternative to palm oil, has also secured $1.2M in pre-seed funding.

    fable shiitake infusion
    Courtesy: Daniel Hine/Fable Foods

    Fellow Sydney-based startup Fable Food has posted a 50% year-on-year revenue growth, and projects an even better performance this year, thanks to its shiitake-mushroom-based products (which have taken the blended meat world by storm).

    In New Zealand, Opo Bio – a B2B supplier of livestock cells for cultivated meat production – has secured investment from Epic Angels to expand its R&D efforts and patent portfolio.

    eatkinda
    Courtesy: EatKinda

    Forbes has named Mrinali Kumar, co-founder and CEO of cauliflower ice cream brand EatKinda, and Emily McIsaac, co-founder and COO of precision fermentation firm Daisy Lab, on its 30 Under 30 list, under the Arts and Industry, Manufacturing & Energy categories, respectively.

    Canada’s Lovingly Made Flour Mills and Botaneco are working with British firm Stars UK R&D and the University of Leeds to develop Canadian-grown legumes and sunflower ingredients to improve the juiciness of plant-based burgers.

    just egg uk
    Courtesy: Eat Just

    California’s Eat Just has hired Kristie Middleton as its VP of foodservice sales. She was most recently the chief relationship officer at vegan chicken maker Rebellyous Foods.

    Also in California, cultivated meat startup Omeat has appointed Eric Schulze as its CTO. He is a former regulator at the FDA who later spent seven years at Upside Foods.

    Research, policy and events

    In the UK, The Vegan Society will celebrate its 80th year with the Veganism: Past, Present and Future exhibition at the Library of Birmingham from May 17 to August 24.

    Cellulaire Agricultuur Nederland and the Dutch Research Council (NWO) are preparing to open a €4M research call focused on scaling up the production and reducing costs of foods produced via precision fermentation and cell culture.

    Retail sales of plant-based meat in the US fell by 7.5% to $1.13B in the year ending April 20, 2025, according to SPINS. Refrigerated burgers bore the burnt of the fall, with sales dipping by 26%.

    The number one reason deterring people from plant-based milk is taste. At the Technical University of Denmark, researchers suggest the solution lies in the same microbes found in kimchi: lactic acid bacteria.

    foodtech world cup
    Courtesy: HackSummit

    Finally, Argentinian gut health startup Future Biome has won this year’s FoodTech World Cup at the HackSummit for its new class of fungi-based prebiotic solutions.

    Check out last week’s Future Food Quick Bites.

    The post Future Food Quick Bites: Oatly x Chris Parnell, Vegan Nutella & Forbes 30 Under 30 appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • Beyond Meat, Quorn & 50+ UK Companies Are Giving Meat-Free Eating A Makeover

    meat free made easy
    5 Mins Read

    More than 50 brands, organisations, and restaurants have come together for a first-of-its-kind Meat Free Made Easy campaign.

    In the UK, half of adults want to change the way they eat, either by adding more plants to their diet, or cutting back on meat and dairy.

    In fact, two in five of them are already doing this, identifying as either flexitarian, pescetarian, vegetarian or vegan. But their belief in the nutritional attributes of plant-based food – and their ability to cook them – remains low.

    In response to these findings, British consultancy Plant Futures Collective has convened 53 companies and organisations to launch a collaborative campaign called Meat Free Made Easy. The coalition involves three dozen alternative protein brands, including Beyond Meat, THIS, Linda McCartney Foods, La Vie, Planted, VFC and Quorn.

    It also encompasses foodservice and restaurant operators like Compass Group, Mildreds, and Alexis Gauthier’s 123V, suppliers such as Compleat Food Group and Vegan Food Group, and organisations like Plant Based Health Professionals, Veg Capital, and Meat Free Monday.

    The campaign is being endorsed by Henry Dimbleby, co-founder of Leon and author of the UK’s National Food Strategy. “We need fewer rules, and more real-world solutions,” he said. “This is the kind of collaborative leadership that moves consumers – and the category – forward.”

    It’s all about ease and convenience

    meat free mondays
    Courtesy: Plant Futures Collective

    Plant Futures teased the campaign in January, when founder and CEO Indy Kaur spoke to Green Queen about the firm’s research on Meat Free Monday. It had found that participants were “forming healthier eating habits throughout the week, such as eating more fruits and vegetables, trying new plant-based foods, and opting for more meat-free meals when eating out”.

    It’s what inspired the new campaign, which will run across social media and press channels, with a larger rollout set for Q4. This will include in-store activation, promotions to push trial, and a wider cultural push to “build new norms around meat-free eating”.

    “This is the first time the plant-based sector has come together at scale to actively drive category penetration through the power of collective action and coordination,” explained Kaur. “This campaign is built around real insights, design thinking and a systems change approach to inspire millions of people to shop the category.”

    She added that behavioural research shows ease is the “most powerful lever” of adoption: “Consumers aren’t necessarily resistant, they are uncertain, lacking in confidence, capability and know-how.”

    plant based meat consumption
    Courtesy: GFI Europe

    The aforementioned research, conducted by Plant Futures, Good Food Institute (GFI) Europe, and HarrisX, found that among the people who want to change their diets, a third want to reduce their meat intake, and 38% want to eat more plant-based food. Only 45% feel comfortable cooking a plant-based dish, versus 83% who say the same for meals with animal products.

    “Behaviour change isn’t just about awareness, it’s about ease,” noted Richard Shotton, a behavioural scientist and author. “Remove the friction, and you unlock mass behaviour.”

    Meat Free Made Easy will see participating brands showcase simple ways to swap meat for plants in everyday meals – think lentils in a lasagna or a veggie burger instead of beef. “Meat-free doesn’t have to be all or nothing, it just needs to feel doable and fun,” said Kaur.

    Meat Free Made Easy must build cultural momentum

    indy kaur
    Courtesy: Indy Kaur

    The campaign’s initial phase will focus on helping consumers imagine themselves trying something new and view meat-free eating as “normal, flexible and worth a go”. It marks a shift from siloed marketing by plant-based brands to collective action.

    It’s reminiscent of the ‘checkoff’ programmes in the US, which operate as centralised marketing and research funds to promote industries like beef and dairy. Marketing drives like Got Milk? are a result of these efforts. “The plant-based sector, however, doesn’t yet have this kind of infrastructure, which would be incredibly valuable,” Kaur told Green Queen earlier this year.

    Meat Free Made Easy’s strategy focuses on the three audience segments uncovered by its consumer research. Among those looking for dietary change, 13% are classed as Meat & Dairy Reducers; they want to eat fewer animal products without increasing plant-based food intake. These are mainly older people looking to lose weight.

    Over a sixth (18%) are Plant-Based Increasers. These Brits want to eat more vegan food without decreasing animal protein intake, and are likely to be younger and higher-earning, and often men, seeking protein and fibre with fitness goals like muscle-building.

    The third and largest group are Balanced Lifestyle Seekers (20%). These are midlife consumers aiming for health and variety, looking to both increase their uptake of plant-based foods and lower their meat and dairy consumption.

    meat consumption uk
    Courtesy: GFI Europe

    There are several key messages that the participating companies must focus on. Only half of Brits believe plant-based foods are important for nutritional balance, and just a quarter have friends or family who eat vegan food. Meanwhile, a mere 27% of adults choose meat-free meals out of habit, compared to 64% for dairy.

    Building cultural momentum and new habits (through repetition and nudges) is essential, as is outlining the health benefits of these foods. “Helping the nation eat less meat will only be possible if we provide solutions that make it easy, affordable and enjoyable,” said Dimbleby. “That’s exactly what Meat Free Made Easy sets out to do.”

    Will collective action turn the tide for plant-based, and the planet? This campaign hinges on that premise.

    The post Beyond Meat, Quorn & 50+ UK Companies Are Giving Meat-Free Eating A Makeover appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • Big Idea Ventures Acquires Food Tech Investment Platform Vevolution

    vevolution big idea ventures
    4 Mins Read

    Food tech investor Big Idea Ventures has acquired the assets of Vevolution, a digital platform that connects investors with startups in the future food space.

    VC firm Big Idea Ventures (BIV) has purchased the assets of London-based food tech investment platform and marketplace Vevolution.

    The terms of the transaction were undisclosed, but it aims to boost BIV’s global infrastructure and support the broader startup and innovation ecosystem across climate and agrifood tech, future materials, and sustainable artificial intelligence (AI).

    It marks the second exit in a month for two of Vevolution’s co-founders, Damien Clarkson and Judy Nadel, who sold their vegan pet food brand The Pack to premium manufacturer Prefera Petfood in a deal announced in early May.

    “Today marks a major milestone for Vevolution. We’re excited for the platform’s new chapter with Big Idea Ventures, a great partner to boost its global reach and assist more startups and investors,” they said in a joint statement with Michiel van Deursen, who joined as co-founder in 2020.

    Acquisition follows rapid expansion for Vevolution

    vevolution
    Courtesy: Vevolution

    Clarkson and Nadel founded Vevolution in 2017 as a media and events platform for alternative protein and future food businesses. It evolved into a global investment hub in 2020 after van Deursen, a tech entrepreneur and investor who founded VC firm Capital V, came on board.

    Headed by CEO Erik Amundson and CTO Tristan Hartman, the company has facilitated over $60M worth of investments in a range of companies across the globe, including bee-free honey player MeliBio, cell-cultured milk startup Opalia, precision-fermented dairy protein firms De Novo Foodlabs and Fermify, and plant-based meat maker Shaka Harry.

    Vevolution raised $330,000 in funding from Capital V, Kale United and Cult Food Science in 2022, when it hosted over 3,000 users on its platform. It has since expanded rapidly, serving over 8,000 users today, including 2,200 startups and 1,000 investors.

    “As we build ecosystems in key regions around the world, Vevolution will be a powerful platform to support innovation and collaboration – across agrifood tech, climate tech, biotech, and other key sectors in the bioeconomy,” said Andrew D Ive, founder and managing general partner of BIV.

    The development comes amid increased M&A activity in the alternative protein sector. In the US, Wicked Kitchen, Nuggs, and Blackbird Foods were all taken over by Ahimsa Companies last year, while vegan cheesemaker Vertage was purchased by Misha’s Inc this January. And earlier this month, dairy giant Danone bought dairy-free kids nutrition brand Kate Farms.

    In the UK, meanwhile, vegan ready meal startup Allplants’s assets were bought by Grubby and Plants – the latter is owned by the founders of Deliciously Ella, which itself was sold to Hero Group in a multimillion-pound deal last year.

    Big Idea Ventures prioritising scale-up technologies

    big idea ventures
    Courtesy: Big Idea Ventures

    Having been around since 2018, BIV calls itself the “most active food tech investor” in the world, managing upwards of $150M with over 150 portfolio companies across several verticals.

    In the alternative protein field, it has invested in the likes of MeliBio, DeNovo Foodlabs, and Opalia, as well as whole-food innovators Actual Veggies and Karana, cultivated foie gras maker Gourmey, vegan fat startup Lypid, and fermentation-derived seafood firm Aqua Cultured Foods.

    The VC firm said it would use its global expertise to expand Vevolution’s reach and impact via strategic partnerships, positioning the acquisition as a key step in its drive to build infrastructure for large-scale innovation.

    “Our mission is to support entrepreneurs, scientists, and engineers to tackle the world’s biggest challenges. We believe bringing together the global innovation ecosystem is essential to supporting the breakthrough solutions the world needs,” said Ive.

    The acquisition comes amid a dire investment landscape for alternative proteins. Investors continued to lose confidence in this sector last year, with plant-based, fermentation, and cultivated meat companies receiving 27% less VC money. The broader climate tech landscape also saw venture funding dip by 38% in 2024 (from $52B to $32B), as investor focus moved to AI.

    alternative protein investment
    Graphic by Green Queen

    Speaking to Green Queen in February, Ive highlighted three areas that BIV will be keeping an eye on this year: food and biology, agriculture and nature, and food production and waste utilisation tech.

    One major focus he outlined was scale-up technology, which “presents challenges that require innovative solutions and approaches”. This was a key driver of its acquisition of Vevolution too.

    “Investors have been supporting remarkable future food companies across various sectors, discovering what’s possible with cutting-edge technologies,” he explained. “The next focus is scaling these technologies to benefit the food system sustainably.”

    The post Big Idea Ventures Acquires Food Tech Investment Platform Vevolution appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • Casey Means As Surgeon General: Could the Wellness Influencer Be Good for Food Tech?

    casey means vegan
    6 Mins Read

    Wellness influencer and Levels co-founder Casey Means is in line to become the next Surgeon General of the US. A divisive figure across the aisle, what could her appointment mean for food tech?

    Championed by Donald Trump and Robert F Kennedy Jr, but vilified by their own supporters – including influential far-right conspiracy theorist Laura Loomer – the US’s next surgeon general could be the most politically divisive in recent memory.

    President Trump has picked Dr Casey Means as his pick for a post often known as “the nation’s doctor”, describing her as having “impeccable MAHA credentials”, and despite her medical license being inactive. She has replaced Dr Janette Nesheiwat, whose nomination was withdrawn after criticism from the right and questions were raised about her qualifications.

    Means is the co-founder of Levels, a company that sells glucose monitors, and author of the diet and self-help book Good Energy, along with her brother Calley Means. The siblings served as advisors to RFK Jr’s presidential bid and were key voices behind his decision to endorse Trump.

    Calley is currently serving as a health advisor to the White House, and his sister could join him in the government role if confirmed. Means graduated from Stanford Medical School, but dropped out just before finishing her residency in 2019 after becoming disillusioned with America’s “exploitative” healthcare system.

    She is now a wellness influencer who carries many of the same views as RFK Jr, and is a leading voice in the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) movement. Means herself is a vaccine sceptic, though she did support Covid-19 vaccines and mask policies. While she’s a former vegan, she is is a proponent of raw milk and rails against Big Food and Big Pharma, and advocates for regenerative agriculture and the dismantling of the meatpacking monopoly.

    To the left, she is unqualified to be Surgeon General, given her lack of an active medical license and training in nutrition. To the right, she is representative of a shift in RFK Jr’s agenda from focusing on vaccines to prioritising foods.

    Nicole Shanahan, RFK Jr’s former running mate, tweeted: “I was promised that if I supported RFK Jr. in his Senate confirmation that neither of these siblings would be working under HHS or in an appointment (and that people much more qualified would be). I don’t know if RFK very clearly lied to me, or what is going on.”

    Kennedy, however, feels Means “was born to this job”, writing on X: “She will provide our country with ethical guidance, wisdom, and gold-standard medical advice even when it challenges popular orthodoxies.”

    Means’s confirmation process is likely to be heated, complicated, and uncertain, given the complaints from both sides of the aisle. If she makes it through, she could have a major say on the future of agriculture and food tech in the US. Here’s how different sectors could fare.

    Plant-based meat: problematic

    Meat alternative makers could be in for a storm if Means is confirmed, mainly due to her fierce criticism of ultra-processed foods (UPFs).

    “Ultra-processed foods cause serious chronic disease and are highly addictive. Junk food causes more deaths globally than tobacco. We should move to put warning labels on every one of these products, akin to the Surgeon General warning for cigarettes,” she wrote after Trump’s victory in November, noting that such policies have even been pushed by leftist politicians like Bernie Sanders.

    The UPF tag has already been a major thorn in the side of plant-based meat, whose sales have dipped continuously over the last few years. In 2024, they fell by 7% in the US. This has coincided with a rise in meat consumption (which reached record sales) amid a wider cultural shift, and RFK Jr’s own criticism of UPFs and “fake meat”.

    Means herself has lambasted plant-based meat. In a post promoting her brother’s appearance on Fox News, she wrote: “Fake meat is toxic sludge, never eat it. Make today the day you never buy an ultra-processed food again. Ultra processed food is quite literally how the system is making us sick, dependent, profitable, controllable, mentally ill, and leech our precious minds (Alzheimer’s, a largely lifestyle illness). Don’t fall for the scam. Don’t buy it.”

    Plant-based food: unclear, though likely positive

    Here’s the thing, though: Means isn’t necessarily against plant-based eating. While she is not a fan of meat alternatives, she has championed whole foods and traditional plant proteins.

    “I’ve moved away from personally being plant-based,” she said on a podcast last year, adding: “I think there’s absolutely a way to have a metabolically healthy plant-based diet.”

    She went on to reveal that while 75% of her current protein intake comes from animal products, she still loves ot get her protein from “nuts, seeds, beans, [and] legumes”.

    In an op-ed for Women’s Health magazine last year, she recommended eating whole-food animal and plant sources, including “tofu, tempeh, nuts, and seeds”. In fact, one of her tips for healthy eating on a budget involved replacing meat and fish with “plant-based proteins, like beans and lentils, for some meals”.

    With scientists recommending the US Department of Agriculture prioritise traditional plant proteins over red meat in the upcoming dietary guidelines, Means’s stance could be crucial.

    Regenerative agriculture: positive

    regenerative agriculture greenwashing
    Courtesy: Getty Images Signature via Canva

    Like RFK Jr, Means is an outspoken advocate for regenerative agriculture amidst her criticism of the “highly destructive practices of industrial farming”.

    “Reform crop subsidies and create programmes to rapidly increase the adoption of Regenerative Farming practices,” she wrote in her policy wishlist for the Trump administration. “Studies have suggested that with current industrial farming practices, American soil will be unsuitable for growing food within 50 years. It will be fully destroyed by glyphosate and other pesticides and fertilisers and devoid of the nutrients needed to grow food.”

    She suggests that “choosing regeneratively grown foods is one of the most powerful choices you can make as a health seeker or environmentalist”, since crops grown this way help sequester carbon from the atmosphere, lower fossil fuel use via pesticide reduction, protect water systems, and replenish soil and nature.

    While many crop and livestock farmers and experts have found this to be the case, regenerative agriculture suffers from a lack of standards and definitions, which climate activists argue has allowed meat and dairy producers to spout it as a greenwashing tool.

    Moreover, Means has encouraged consumption of regenerative meat and dairy, and said she eats “regeneratively raised” elk, bison, and venison.

    This is encouraging for startups that champion regenerative farming, and could allay the concerns of many leaders in the space. “I don’t think this administration understands the cost of regenerative farming or how much investment is needed to make it successful at a federal level,” Heather K Terry, CEO and founder of regenerative-farming-centric snack maker GoodSam Foods, told Green Queen in March.

    Could Means help bring about that shift in thinking?

    Plant-based milk: it depends

    plant based milk market
    Courtesy: Taché

    Means’s emphasis on natural foods and healthy eating presents two outcomes for non-dairy producers: it’s a win for clean-label products, and a clear loss for those that use emulsifiers and added sugars, including most barista-milks.

    “These nut milks are so sneaky,” she said on her Levels podcast. “The most important thing is that you’re buying a version that does not have sweetener in it… And then you want to, of course, try and find one that’s organic, if you can, without a lot of the gums and fillers.”

    She went on to provide her own recipe for a two-ingredient homemade nut milk, further emphasising the clean-label aspect. So brands that make non-dairy milks with the base ingredients – be it oats, almonds, macadamias or pistachios – water, and not much else, are best-placed from the would-be surgeon general’s stance.

    Her support for raw milk consumption, which has exploded in the US, where sales rose by 24% last year, remains controversial. A host of government agencies, including the FDA, the USDA, and the CDC, have issued warnings against the health risks it poses, especially avian flu, salmonella, and E. coli.

    RFK Jr is also an advocate for raw milk. If Means joins him in the administration, this could give producers in this segment further impetus at a real risk to public health.

    The post Casey Means As Surgeon General: Could the Wellness Influencer Be Good for Food Tech? appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • 5 Minutes with A Future Food VC: Nordic Foodtech VC’s Louise Heiberg

    louise heiberg
    3 Mins Read

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

    Louise Heiberg is the Investment Director at Nordic Foodtech VC.

    What future food technologies most excite you?

    The ones that seem a bit out there. Where you think: “Wait, can this actually work?” and then realise it just might. The thrill of the unknown. The technologies that could radically reshape our food system in ways we can’t fully predict.

    While we absolutely need people to eat more plants and less meat, incremental change won’t get us all the way. We need bold leaps. And those come from the lab – from researchers and universities pushing boundaries.

    That’s why we love supporting science-based founders early on. It isn’t just a smart investment. It’s a front-row seat to something truly transformative.

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

    1. Biosolutions
    2. Biosolutions
    3. You guessed it: biosolutions

    Nature’s own toolbox has never been more relevant. From microbes that boost soil health to enzymes that reduce food waste to precision fermentation that creates the ingredients of the future. Biosolutions are quietly (and not-so-quietly) driving the next big shift in food and agriculture. High impact per kg is our love language.

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

    We made food tech matter. It’s no longer niche. It’s recognised as a key lever for climate action and food system transformation. The sector has matured from novelty to necessity. It hasn’t been easy, but the outlook is strong.

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

    I wouldn’t fix the product. I would fix the perception. That shift alone would change everything. And let’s stop comparing it to meat. Just let it be delicious in its own right.

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

    Courage – the Brené Brown kind. The kind where vulnerability meets vision. Building something new is tough, and I look for founders who are brave enough to admit what they don’t know, honest enough to ask the right questions, and smart enough to learn fast.

    Founders who can say: “I don’t know yet, but I’ll find out.” They’re gold.

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

    Solar Foods. We weren’t in a position to invest at the time, due to our fund’s timing. But full credit to one of our partners Jari, who spotted them super early and went in as a private investor. They are building something truly bold: turning CO2 and electricity into food. A completely new category. It was, and still is, a moonshot we would have loved to be part of.

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

    In long run, I would say Ironic Biotech. They are tackling iron deficiency, affecting over two billion people and mostly women, with real science and a scalable solution. Putting female health and nutrition on the map is long overdue, and this is exactly the kind of underfunded area we love to champion.

    What has been your most disappointing investment so far?

    We invested in a company with a fantastic idea: turning overlooked Baltic herring into great products. It was smart, sustainable, and full of potential. The disappointment hit when authorities suddenly restricted herring fishing, basically pulling the carpet from under the entire business case right after launch.

    But here’s the twist: the team pulled off a brilliant pivot, switching to sidestreams from farmed fish instead. So, in the end, they saved the day and turned a tough situation into a success story.

    What do people misunderstand/get wrong most about VC?

    That it’s all about capital. It’s not. At its core, VC is a people business. Founders, teams, LPs, colleagues, co-investors, and ecosystem – relationships are everything. The real currency is trust. You’re building long-term partnerships in a world of uncertainty, and that only works if there’s mutual respect and alignment.

    Behind every good investment is a web of people who believe in building something bigger than themselves. And honestly? Women are great at this.

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

    I tasted Wildtype’s cultivated salmon, and it was super impressive. And I visited Spora in Copenhagen, which always sparks ideas (and tastes great, too). They sit right at the intersection of gastronomy, science, and changing the world through food, which is exactly where future food should be.

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

    Teaming up with the Endless Food Co crew (all ex-Amass) has made my life easier. They know all the best places! But honestly, my favourite meal is everything leftovers. Whatever’s in the fridge, thrown in a bowl, or tossed into pasta. It’s zero waste, super easy, and the kids love it.

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

    Food is everything: climate, nature, culture, health, justice, joy. It’s how we connect, care, and shape the future. Supporting bold people transforming the food system isn’t just exciting – it’s a way to help secure food for all forever.

    That’s a privilege, and I can’t imagine a more meaningful way to spend my time. And I get to do it with a stellar team.

    The post 5 Minutes with A Future Food VC: Nordic Foodtech VC’s Louise Heiberg appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • Dutch Startup Mosa Meat Files for UK Regulatory Approval of Cultivated Beef Fat

    lab grown meat approved
    5 Mins Read

    Dutch cultivated meat startup Mosa Meat has filed for regulatory approval in the UK, where it’s part of a government support scheme and teased its first burger all those years ago.

    Twelve years after unveiling the world’s first cultivated beef burger in London, Mosa Meat has applied for regulatory approval to sell its beef fat ingredient in the UK.

    The Dutch startup has filed the dossier with the Food Standards Agency, two months after joining the regulator’s cultivated meat ‘sandbox’ programme, which hosts eight firms looking to speed up the commercialisation of their products.

    At the launch of the two-year scheme, the FSA indicated its goal to approve at least two products during this period. This means Mosa Meat’s cultivated beef fat, which can be blended with plant-based ingredients to make hybrid burgers, meatballs, and filling for cottage pie, could be on the market by 2027.

    “We are thankful to the FSA for engaging in valuable presubmission consultations with our food safety team,” said Mosa Meat CEO Maarten Bosch. “We included their valuable feedback and have submitted our cultivated beef fat dossier for formal review.”

    The UK filing comes amid a period of rapid progress for Mosa Meat, which submitted dossiers to the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and Switzerland’s Federal Food Safety and Veterinary Office.

    And in February, it smashed its crowdfunding goal of €1.5M in just 24 minutes, a sign of public confidence in the startup at a time when VCs have become disillusioned with cultivated meat. The firm raised a total of €3.7M ($3.9M at the time) from nearly 1,650 investors, taking its overall funding to date to $139M.

    Mosa Meat is preparing public tastings of cultivated beef

    mosa meat
    Courtesy: Mosa Meat

    Mosa Meat is one of a number of startups focusing on cultivated fat as the first ingredient. Fat is the most optimal carrier of flavour and provides the textural attributes that meat is renowned for, which allows the startup to deliver a sensory experience people expect from conventional beef

    “By starting with cultivated fat, we’re paving the way to introduce our first burgers to consumers while staying true to our long-term vision. Our initial products will combine cultivated and plant-based ingredients, leveraging our in-house expertise in both areas,” explained Bosch.

    “This innovation not only enhances our Mosa burgers, but also has the potential to elevate plant-based products, which often struggle to replicate the full sensory experience of meat.”

    There’s another advantage: by blending fat with plant-based ingredients, companies can make the final product a lot more cost-effective, which is a crucial bottleneck for the industry. That first set of burgers in 2013, introduced by co-founder Dr Mark Post, cost $330,000 to make; the firm has since dramatically lowered its production costs, reducing the price of its growth medium by 80-fold in 2020 and its fat medium by 66 times a year later.

    Before the UK, the EU and Switzerland, Mosa Meat first applied for approval with the Singapore Food Agency, but the original nine- to 12-month timeline the country has touted has been hard to realise. A new Food Safety and Security Bill, which codifies the assessment framework, can break the deadlock and speed up the process in the city-state.

    The startup has previously indicated interest in the US too, though the decision will now partly depend on political developments. Donald Trump’s return to the presidency and Robert F Kennedy’s appointment as health secretary have left things uncertain for food tech in the country, particularly cultivated meat, which has now been banned in five states, with several others poised to join that list.

    Last year, Mosa Meat held a public tasting of its burgers for cattle farmers, product developers and other industry representatives at its headquarters in Maastricht. “We are currently creating our next-generation products and are preparing to submit tasting approvals for those this year,” Bosch told Green Queen in February.

    lab grown meat tasting
    Courtesy: Mosa Meat

    UK aims to become a cultivated meat leader

    The UK’s Cell-Cultivated Products Regulatory Sandbox was set up with a £1.6M infusion by the Department of Science, Innovation and Technology, as part of the first round of its Engineering Biology Sandbox Fund. It came as the government sought to modernise its novel food ecosystem, having followed the EU’s framework, described as rigorous yet slow and prohibitive, in its post-Brexit years.

    Sandboxes comprise controlled environments for situations where scientific and technological innovation has outpaced existing regulation. They run for a limited period to help startups, researchers and regulators work together to develop new rules, standards and guidance.

    It is being jointly run by the FSA and Food Standards Scotland (FSS), which are gathering “rigorous scientific evidence” about the technology behind cell-cultured foods to better regulate these products and apply up-to-date insights during safety assessments. The FSA has previously said it expects at least 15 more applications in the next two years, and predicted the rise of many new startups in the space.

    “These are exactly the kind of public-private partnerships we envisioned when we debuted the world’s first cultivated burger right here in London in 2013,” Mosa Meat’s Post said in March.

    “The regulatory sandbox is already making an impact on attracting innovative companies like ours to the UK market,” Bosch said after the British dosier submission.

    lab grown meat uk
    Courtesy: Mosa Meat

    In the sandbox, Mosa Meat is joined by Hoxton Farms, Roslin Technologies, Uncommon Bio (all British), BlueNalu (US), Vow (Australia), Gourmey (France), and Vital Meat (France). The latter two, along with British startup Ivy Farm Technologies and Israel’s Aleph Farms, are already waiting on FSA approval. London-based Meatly is the only one to have received the green light (and sold cultivated meat) in the UK, albeit for pet food.

    The FSA is working with the Cellular Agriculture Manufacturing Hub (CARMA), the National Alternative Protein Innovation Centre (helped by a £15M injection from the government), and Bezos Earth Fund‘s Centre for Sustainable Protein, as part of the sandbox, alongside think tank the Good Food Institute Europe and trade body the Alternative Proteins Association. Plus, it is setting up a system of international cooperation, allowing the UK to approve cultivated meat products cleared elsewhere.

    When it comes to regulatory approvals, it has been a fruitful 18 months for cultivated meat startups. Aleph Farms has earned the go-ahead in Israel, Vow in Singapore and (preliminarily) Australia and New Zealand, and Mission Barns in the US. Meanwhile, Thailand is evaluating Aleph Farms’s application, while experts believe South Korea could grant an approval this year.

    The post Dutch Startup Mosa Meat Files for UK Regulatory Approval of Cultivated Beef Fat appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • Balanced Proteins: Omnivores Prefer These Blended Products Over 100% Meat

    hybrid meat brands
    6 Mins Read

    Blended meat could be a viable solution to accelerate the protein transition, and a new taste test has found several brands that meat-eaters prefer over conventional meat.

    In the US, plant-based meat alternatives have been losing some steam of late, thanks to concerns around ultra-processing and dissatisfaction with taste. Meanwhile, meat consumption is on the rise, as is a desire to eat healthier and incorporate more vegetables and whole foods into their diets.

    Some brands are hoping to give these Americans the best of both worlds through blended meat. These products combine conventional meat with plant-based ingredients to offer a more sustainable and health-friendly option.

    Research shows that replacing even half of your meat consumption can double your climate benefits and lower emissions by 31%. As with all things in food, however, these products will only click with consumers if they deliver on flavour.

    According to Nectar, a non-profit initiative focused on accelerating the protein transition through taste, meat-eaters even prefer some of these products to 100% meat.

    In a new sensory analysis with nearly 1,200 omnivores, Nectar tested 22 blended meat products – or ‘balanced proteins’, as it calls them – across nine categories, measuring their flavour, texture, appearance, overall satisfaction, and purchase intent.

    blended meat
    Courtesy: Nectar

    Of these, four products showcased “award-winning” credentials, either matching or surpassing 100% animal meat on taste – 50/50 Foods‘s Both Burger was preferred equally to a beef burger, while Duo’s beef and mushroom burger and Fable Foods‘s Shiitake Infusion ranked better than beef. Further, taste-testers found Perdue Farms’s Chicken Plus nuggets better than the conventional version.

    “For the burger category, the balanced leader outperformed animal products on the following high-level sensory attributes: overall liking, flavour, texture, and appearance,” Tim Dale, category innovation director at Food Systems Innovation, Nectar’s parent organisation, tells Green Queen. “In addition, a larger percentage of consumers thought the saltiness and juiciness of the balanced leader was ‘just about right’ versus the animal benchmark.

    “Taste is the gatekeeper for sustainable dietary change,” he says. “These products represent a real breakthrough – where the more sustainable choice is also the more delicious one.”

    He adds: “Consumers don’t want to be convinced to love ‘better meat’. They want the meat they love to simply be made better.”

    Sustainability and health drive Americans towards blended meat

    plant based meat taste test
    Courtesy: Nectar

    Nectar’s research found that balanced proteins are more likely to attract omnivores than plant-based meat, with 74% ‘interested’ or ‘extremely interested’ in the concept, and two-thirds saying they’re likely to purchase them (versus 57% who say the same for plant-based meat).

    Dale explains that blended meat is more likely to resonate with millennials and Gen Xers, women, flexitarians, those who have higher education levels, and those who consume plant-based meat frequently.

    More American meat-eaters preferred the taste of the leading blended burger (56%) over a 100% beef burger (42%). As for chicken nuggets, only 47% of Americans liked the conventional product’s flavour, versus 58% who said the same for the balanced protein option.

    “Also interesting is that 54% of respondents said they would consider purchasing balanced proteins in place of conventional meat 50% of the time or more, while 92% of consumers would choose a balanced protein at least 15% of the time,” says Dale. “This indicates the frequency with which consumers are willing to implement balanced products into their diets, and over time, the impact it could have on both human and planetary health.”

    hybrid meat
    Courtesy: Nectar

    So what draws Americans towards these products? Half of them are encouraged by the sustainability potential, while 47% are motivated by health. Only a quarter resonated with taste and affordability drivers, though, indicating “low consumer expectations that this category will deliver in those areas”.

    In fact, 45% are deterred by high prices, and 43% are unsatisfied with the taste of blended meat. For another 27%, a lack of familiarity is a major barrier.

    When asked what benefits would increase their interest, two-thirds pointed to better flavour, around two in five wanted more protein, micronutrients, and savouriness (and less saturated fat), and three-quarters said they’d be influenced by lower carbon emissions.

    How can ‘balanced proteins’ improve?

    Dale suggests that “improvement is within reach” for the products that didn’t outperform or match 100% animal proteins, given that six brands met certain consumer expectations, in addition to the four that won Nectar’s Tasty Award.

    “Flavour was the top opportunity for balanced protein products that did not win a Tasty. We found most products should focus on mitigating ’weird aftertastes’ and ‘off-flavours’, while boosting meat notes and fatty flavours to overcome blandness,” he says. “Additionally, texture is a key secondary focus – opportunities varied by category, but the most common theme was increasing firmness and cohesiveness.”

    He adds: “Overall, products that focus on whole-cut vegetables captured consumer interest and taste preference over products that incorporate novel ingredients like plant-based meat and mycelium, which were less desirable.”

    blended meat survey
    Courtesy: Nectar

    In fact, “a 50:50 ratio of meat with mushrooms or savoury vegetables was the most desired”, while meat-forward ratios and familiar ingredients scored highest overall.

    “We believe familiarity is one of the superpowers of this category, allowing consumers to have positive perceptions of the products before trial,” explains Dale. “In taste tests, mushrooms were the most preferred. Their natural umami and juiciness complement meat and were in two of the three products to reach taste superiority.”

    The inclusion rate of ingredients matters less than the product experience and product positioning. “The product experiences of some 50:50 products were as good or better than conventional meat. That’s the baseline for adoption,” says Dale. “But if a product that does well in sensory testing is not marketed correctly, people may actually have worse experiences.”

    Lessons for plant-based brands

    Dale points out that there’s “no consumer monolith” for blended meat – these products can serve different purposes for different people, and “solve problems that conventional meat alone cannot”.

    That said, he suggests three promising positioning opportunities for brands. The first involves “stealth health”. Parents looking to increase their children’s vegetable intake are a key demographic for balanced proteins.

    “A separate study of ours suggests that 85% of parents struggle to get their kids to eat healthier foods at least some of the time,” says Dale. “You see this positioning with Perdue Chicken Plus – one of the Taste Superiority [award] winners.”

    “Guilt-light” products represent another strategy, in reference to the health opportunity. “Consumers are looking to enjoy their same meat, but with added nutrients like fibre or reduced cholesterol and saturated fats,” says Dale.

    The third positioning strategy is for eco-conscious omnivores, since climate benefits were a draw for 51% of those surveyed. “However, we know that sustainability alone is not likely to drive purchases, and that’s why this research is so important – demonstrating that the sustainable choice is also now the more delicious choice,” says Dale.

    nectar balanced proteins
    Courtesy: Nectar

    Ultimately, though, these categories will “grow at the speed of taste”, he suggests. “Delivering an equivalent – or even superior – sensory experience is the baseline requirement for adoption. That’s why continued investment in sensory research and R&D is essential to ensure products meet consumer expectations,” Dale explains.

    “In the real world, taste perception doesn’t happen in a vacuum. It’s shaped by everything from packaging and context to messaging and marketing reach. How these products are positioned and a brand’s investment in marketing will be just as important as how they perform in a blind taste test.

    “Brands should start by asking: What problem are we solving for the consumer or customer? Then, they must communicate that benefit in a way that enhances the experience – without implying sacrifice or giving up the product they love.”

    The post Balanced Proteins: Omnivores Prefer These Blended Products Over 100% Meat appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • Malak Al Tawouk Taps UAE’s Healthy Food Boom with Plant-Based Chicken Launch

    plant based meat uae
    4 Mins Read

    Lebanese fast-casual chain Malak Al Tawouk has partnered with plant-based meat brand Switch Foods to add vegan chicken items to its UAE menu.

    Malak Al Tawouk, a 30-year-old fast-casual chain with dozens of restaurants globally, is now offering Switch Foods’s vegan chicken at its UAE sites, at a time when plant-based eating becomes more popular in the region.

    The chain is using the pea-protein-based, fibre-rich alternative in a shawarma sandwich, as well as a Mexican-inspired chicken salad and a teriyaki chicken rice bowl. They’re part of its drive to offer health-forward options, given that healthy food now makes up about half of its sales in the UAE.

    The partnership leans into a key consumer complaint. While Emiratis’ appetite for vegan food is growing, nearly two in five say it’s difficult to find locally inspired plant-based cuisine, and another 20% feel meat alternatives have limited availability in the GCC.

    Malak Al Tawouk leans into consumer trends in the UAE

    malak al tawouk switch foods
    Courtesy: Malak Al Tawouk

    “Whether it’s health-conscious, environmental concerns, or simply a desire to reduce meat consumption, more people, especially the younger generation, are leaning towards flexitarian lifestyles,” said Mahmoud Harb, co-founder and managing director of Yummy Junction, the UAE franchise owner of Malak Al Tawouk.

    Poultry, specifically chicken, is the most common type of meat consumed in the GCC, where per capita consumption is highest in the UAE (nearly twice as much as the global average). Population growth, increased consumer spending, and a thriving tourism sector are expected to cause a 6% rise in chicken consumption in the UAE and a 17% increase in production this year, according to the USDA.

    At the same time, however, awareness about vegan alternatives is high in the UAE, rising to 94% in 2023. Today, 15% of Emiratis want to cut back on meat, primarily for health reasons. And half of these consumers are most interested in reducing meat consumption when dining out or eating fast food.

    Among this segment, 26% want to replace meat with plant-based analogues. However, health is not the only driver for meat-free food consumption in the country. A third of consumers say taste is the most important factor, while 19% are influenced by word of mouth, and 13% by cost.

    That said, a separate survey shows that over a quarter (27%) of Emiratis are happy to pay a premium for plant-based food. “We believe it’s the right time for a leading brand like ours to introduce a plant-based chicken alternative that delivers on both taste and quality,” said Harb.

    Switch Foods continues foodservice expansion

    switch foods
    Courtesy: Malak Al Tawouk

    Switch Foods’s vegan chicken, produced in a 20,000 sq ft factory in Abu Dhabi, is available at all seven Malak Al Tawouk locations in the UAE, as well as its menu on delivery platforms like Talabat, Careem and Deliveroo.

    “Our partnership with Switch marks a significant step toward catering to evolving consumer preferences,” said Harb. “We’ve carefully selected some of our bestselling items to feature this new option, making it easier – and more appealing – for customers to make the shift, all at very competitive prices.”

    While 95% of Switch Foods’ initial sales came from retail, its foodservice footprint has grown significantly, with its products now on the menus at Hilton Hotels, Millennium Hotels, Marriott, 25hours Hotel, Eataly, and onboard Emirates flights.

    “Our goal at Switch Foods is to make plant-based eating exciting, accessible, and rooted in regional culinary culture,” said Edward Hamod, founder and CEO of Switch Foods.

    The company has raised $6.5M in seed funding and was said to be in talks to secure another $7M in Series A funding last year. Since June 2023, it has expanded at a 20% CAGR per month, and closed that year with a revenue of around Dh2 million ($544,000) in only half a year of operations. Last year, it was expected to earn a revenue of Dh10 million ($2.7M).

    Research shows that sustainability is an important factor for two-thirds of diners in the UAE, while an even higher share (73%) places emphasis on local and seasonal products. So for Malak Al Tawouk, joining forces with a domestic producer of climate-friendly chicken alternatives – in a country where poultry is king – is a shrewd move that has every chance of paying off.

    The post Malak Al Tawouk Taps UAE’s Healthy Food Boom with Plant-Based Chicken Launch appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • Future Food Quick Bites: Massive Attack, Blonde Chocolate & A Price Freeze

    massive attack vegan
    6 Mins Read

    Our weekly column rounds up the latest sustainable food innovation news. This week, Future Food Quick Bites covers Massive Attack’s vegan concert, Beleaf’s plant-based meat price freeze, and the FDA’s labelling guidelines.

    New products and launches

    Lindt has released its oat-milk-based Lindor Vegan Truffles in Canada, with both the milk and dark chocolate versions available in 120g packs for C$12.99.

    ombar blonde chocolate
    Courtesy: Ombar

    British vegan chocolate brand Ombar has re-released its Blonde Caramelised White Chocolate bar, a Nestlé Caramac copycat, on a permanent basis thanks to popular demand. The 70g bars are available for £2.75 at Tesco.

    In more chocolate news, fellow UK dairy-free brand Nomo has introduced Salted Popcorn, Birthday Cake and snackable Cookie Dough bars.

    UK plant-based meat brand THIS has rolled out two new SKUs at Sainsbury’s, Waitrose, and Ocado stores. The THIS Isn’t Chicken Deli Pieces contain 28g of protein per serving and are priced at £3.95 per 120g pack, and THIS Isn’t Pork Cocktail Sausages have 20g of protein and cost £2.95 per 140g.

    this isn't chicken
    Courtesy: THIS

    Vegan food producer Gosh!, meanwhile, has launched Mexican- and Italian-inspired snack packs called Veg Bites, which are high in ‘plant points‘ and available at Morrisons for £1.30 per 50g pack, or as part of a meal deal.

    Also in the UK, Compleat Food Group’s Wall’s Pastry has expanded its meat-free range with Vegan Peppered Steak and Vegan Chicken & Mushroom slices, available for £2 per 180g pack at Tesco.

    At London Coffee Festival, Califia Farms will introduce hazelnut- and pistachio-flavoured versions of its barista milk, tapping into a global trend for non-dairy milk.

    plant based meat price parity
    Courtesy: Beleaf Foods

    In the US, Beleaf Foods has initiated a price freeze until 2027 for its plant-based meat range to address consumer complaints about the price gap with meat, which will likely be exacerbated amid the tariff war.

    Flavour giant T. Hasegawa has introduced PlantReact, a “science-driven” natural flavour technology that leverages Maillard reactions, enzymolysis, and fermentation to make better-tasting vegan chicken, beef, pork, and milk analogues.

    Speaking of fermentation, ingredient manufacturer DMC Biotechnologies has launched a fermented myo-inositol for food, beverage, and supplement applications. The compound is naturally present in both plants and animals and used in nutrition products, but suffers from sustainability, traceability and supply issues.

    beyond meat jalapeno burger
    Courtesy: Beyond Meat

    In the Netherlands, Beyond Meat has rolled out its jalapeño burger at 750 Albert Heijn stores, 75 Plus locations, and online retailer PicNic, and expanded its availability at Jumbo to 150 doors.

    Austrian plant protein player Revo Foods, known for its 3D-printed seafood analogues, has kickstarted a crowdfunding campaign and has already raised €1.2M of its €2M goal.

    revo foods factory
    Courtesy: Revo Foods

    And Spanish biotech firm MOA Foodtech has unveiled Albatros, an AI-driven microbiology platform to help manufacturers identify agricultural sidestreams to turn into valuable products through fermentation.

    Company and finance updates

    Popular vegan seafood chain Planta has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, citing a need to cut costs as consumers cut back on dining out. The move will provide it with a “strategic opportunity to streamline our cost structure and strengthen our balance sheet”.

    Shoofly, a vegan wholesale bakery in Portland, Oregon, has shuttered after its staff walked out over alleged late payments and dissatisfaction with its new owner. Now, one supervisor has started a GoFundMe page to help compensate employees for lost wages, and either buy the bakery or start their own.

    shoofly vegan bakery
    Courtesy: Shoofly

    US startup Sennos (formerly Precision Fermentation) has secured $15M to expand its AI-powered fermentation platform for biofuels, biopharma, and alternative proteins.

    Cultivated meat firm Upside Foods has appointed John Mitchell as its new VP of sales. He was previously the chief product officer at alt-seafood startup Konscious Foods.

    Finnish food tech firm Foodiq has raised $11.1M to scale up its multi-layer cooker technology for clean-label dairy and alternative proteins, and expand internationally.

    massive attack act 1.5
    Courtesy: Horace Downs

    In the UK, Manchester’s fully electric Co-op Live venue will go fully vegan for the show headlined by trip-hop band Massive Attack next month. The band has been pioneering low-carbon concerts and held a fully plant-based festival last year too.

    Precision fermentation firm Better Dairy has diversified its portfolio with the successful production of osteopontin, a functional bioactive protein found in mammalian milk, bones, and tissue.

    British fermented food brand The Cultured Collective has brought in James Robinson as chair and non-executive director. He holds a similar position at The Bold Bean Company.

    turion labs
    Courtesy: Turion Labs

    South Korea’s S&S LAB and Indonesia’s Future Lestari have joined forces to launch Turion Labs, a new biotech platform in Singapore that plans to build a regional network of facilities to support early-stage biotech ventures.

    Vegan cheesemaker Violife says it is now the leading plant-based cheese brand in Canada, capturing a third of all sales in the market.

    New Zealand’s Life Health Foods has decided to withdraw its Bean Supreme line of meat-free sausages, burgers and mince from the market, citing “tough market conditions” and changing consumer behaviours.

    Research and policy developments

    In the US, Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt has signed HB 1126 into law, a false advertising bill that requires producers to disclose clearly that cultivated and plant-based meat products are not meat. Violators could face misdemeanour charges.

    The US Food and Drug Administration has extended the public consultation for its front-of-package labelling update by another 90 days, with the deadline now set for July 15.

    fda front of package labeling
    Courtesy: FDA

    In a study co-funded by New Zealand’s Ministry for Primary Industries, the Cawthron Institute and Nutrition from Water have identified 14 microalgae strains with a naturally high protein concentration of over 40%, which the latter will use to create affordable nutrition prototypes under its Marine Whey series.

    Finally, a scientist at the Malaysian Agro-Biotechnology Institute’s Food Biotechnology Department has developed a vegan burger patty from grey oyster mushrooms, a widely cultivated but underused variety of fungi in the country.

    Check out last week’s Future Food Quick Bites.

    The post Future Food Quick Bites: Massive Attack, Blonde Chocolate & A Price Freeze appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • Brits & Germans Look to Cut Back on Meat & Eat More Plants

    plant based food survey
    6 Mins Read

    More than two in five consumers in Europe’s two largest plant-based markets want to eat less meat or are already doing so, a new poll has found.

    Half of adults in the UK and Germany want to change their diets by either reducing meat or eating more plant-based food, with interest in whole foods higher than vegan alternatives to meat, according to a survey of over 4,800 consumers.

    The research, conducted by the Good Food Institute (GFI) Europe, Plant Futures Collective, and HarrisX, reveals that while flexitarianism remains popular in the region’s two largest markets for plant-based food, consumers need more support to overcome dietary change barriers.

    “Factors such as taste, familiarity and convenience are blocking large groups of people from choosing plant-based foods, so companies need to develop tastier products, communicate nutritional benefits more clearly, and help consumers overcome their lack of familiarity with simple recipe suggestions,” says Helen Breewood, senior market and consumer insights manager at GFI Europe.

    Less than 8% of respondents in both countries described themselves as vegans or vegetarians, while 31% in the UK and 39% in Germany identified as flexitarians who ate small amounts of meat or reduced their meat consumption.

    In each country, a third of consumers want to cut back on meat and dairy, and 38% want to increase their plant-based consumption.

    Which plant-based foods are most popular?

    plant based trends
    Courtesy: GFI Europe

    The research revealed that around two-thirds of consumers in both countries had consumed plant-based products from one of eight categories – spanning alternatives to animal foods to vegetable-based dishes and traditional plant proteins – in the previous year.

    The high penetration belongs to meals made from beans and legumes, with 46% of Brits and Germans consuming these in the last 12 months. This was followed by plant-based milk (around 40%) and meat (34-37%).

    Germans are more likely to have eaten tofu, tempeh or seitan in this period (24%) compared to Brits (18%), and in both nations, vegan egg alternatives were the least consumed plant-based products (10% in the UK and 14% in Germany). This is partly due to a lack of options, though Eat Just’s European arrival, beginning with these two countries, would hope to change that.

    vegan trends
    Courtesy: GFI Europe

    There’s an interesting trend around whole-food intake in the UK. Meals made from vegetables, beans and legumes have seen the highest net increase (26%) among the entire category in the last 12 months, but tofu, seitan and tempeh have witnessed the smallest net gain (17%). It underscores the opportunity for products like Veg’chop and THIS’s Super Superfood, which pack legumes and vegetables in compact plant protein blocks.

    In Germany, however, non-dairy milk has seen the biggest net hike (16%), followed by other plant-based dairy items and meat alternatives (both 13%). Traditional plant proteins also score low here (a 6% increase), behind only fish-free seafood.

    Consumers want to cut out meat, but plant-based barriers remain

    plant based meat consumption
    Courtesy: GFI Europe

    So what’s driving this shift away from meat and dairy? In the UK, high costs (cited by 25%) and health concerns (24%) are the primary factors, followed closely by changing taste preferences (19%), which would explain why oat, almond and other milks have reached 35% of households in the country.

    Shifting taste preferences are the primary factor pushing Germans away from meat and dairy (26%), with cost (23%) and health (19%) further down the pecking order. Meanwhile, only 6% and 7% of respondents in the UK and Germany, respectively, are doing so for environmental reasons, highlighting a wider trend in Europe.

    plant based survey
    Courtesy: GFI Europe

    Despite these cost concerns, people in both countries think meat and dairy are much more cost-friendly than plant-based alternatives. Animal proteins score much higher on the taste scale, too, and respondents tend to have much greater knowledge about them.

    However, this is outlined by some major perception differences between flexitarians and omnivores – the former group is much more likely to enjoy the taste of products like Beyond Meat and Oatly, feel good after eating them, and be influenced by animal welfare or climate change.

    The three types of dietary change consumers

    meat consumption uk
    Courtesy: GFI Europe

    The researchers divided the respondents into four profiles based on their motivations and demographics, including one set of consumers who don’t plan to change their diets (making up nearly half of both populations).

    Among the others, one of the groups, Meat & Dairy Reducers, involved those who want to eat less of these foods without increasing plant-based food intake. This is characterised mainly by older people looking to lose weight, and comprises 13% of consumers in both countries.

    Meanwhile, a sixth of the respondents were identified as Plant-Based Increasers, who want to eat more vegan food without cutting back on animal proteins. These consumers tend to be younger and higher-earning, and often men, seeking protein and fibre with fitness goals like muscle-building.

    meat consumption germany
    Courtesy: GFI Europe

    Finally, the largest dietary change cohort was the More Plants, Less Meat & Dairy subset. This includes people looking for healthier lifestyles, often with weight-loss goals. They account for a fifth of the respondents in each country.

    “Applying this model to behaviour change has brought much-needed clarity and direction to the plant-based food sector. For the first time, we can clearly see the gaps in capability and opportunity that exist for people who are interested in eating more plant-based food or reducing their meat and dairy intake,” says Indy Kaur, founder of Plant Futures.

    “This deeper, more nuanced understanding of what’s holding people back is essential if we want to support healthier and more sustainable dietary choices at scale.”

    How the plant-based industry can adapt

    this isn't chicken
    Courtesy: THIS

    The researchers put the onus on retailers and food producers to normalise plant-based eating as an everyday habit, and help consumers overcome a lack of familiarity with supportive tools (like providing recipe suggestions).

    Plant-based food stakeholders must collaborate and use the right platform to educate consumers about the nutritional benefits of their products and how they contribute to a balanced diet. And as younger generations – especially men – opt for red meat over plants, the industry must shift its positioning to stay relevant with this demographic.

    As for brands, they need to understand what drives their target audiences, whether that’s protein for muscle gain, weight loss, sustainability, or a combination of factors. Tailoring their product messaging to highlight these properties will attract like-minded consumers.

    To tackle food tech neophobia and bridge the gap with familiarity, brands should consider developing new products and marketing existing ones via recognisable ingredients, cuisines, formats, and packaging. They should also be easy to prepare.

    Finally, they should use regular consumer feedback and track repeat purchase rates to fine-tune the flavour of their products and ensure they’re satisfying, delicious, and seen as high-quality.

    “This report reveals a potential market for these products extending far beyond vegans or vegetarians,” says Breewood. “But to enable people to act on their intentions and adopt healthier, more sustainable diets, the industry must understand what motivates different types of consumers.”

    The post Brits & Germans Look to Cut Back on Meat & Eat More Plants appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • Spain’s Plant-Based Meat Leader Bags €20M EU Bank Investment & Promises Q4 Profitability

    heura funding
    6 Mins Read

    Spanish food tech startup Heura Foods has received a €20M ($22.2M) loan from the European Investment Bank to move beyond plant-based meat, and expects to become profitable by the end of this year.

    Sustained sales and product innovation are helping Barcelona-based Heura Foods inch closer to its goal of turning a profit this year, and attract yet more investment to expand its business.

    The Spanish startup is known for its vegan chicken, burgers and sausages, which netted €38M in sales in 2024 (matching the 2023 total), thanks to a 35% growth in Southern Europe. Heura has simultaneously cut its losses in half, and now expects to become profitable in Q4 2025 and continue that momentum for a first full year of profitability in 2026.

    “This leadership is built on constant innovation and the boldness to transform the category with offerings that reconnect us with the flavours that move us inside, blending nutritional excellence and sensory pleasure to help us live longer and better,” said Heura co-founder and CEO Marc Coloma.

    To that end, the firm is now diversifying into “nutrient-dense” plant-based cold cuts, non-dairy cheese, and protein-rich pasta, an effort for which it has received a €20M ($22.2M) loan from the European Investment Bank (EIB), the EU’s lending arm.

    It comes a year after the company’s €40M Series B round, and takes its total raised to €108M ($120M). In addition to supporting R&D on the new products, the financing will also help Heura scale up production by buying equipment for both its own lab and co-manufacturers’ facilities in Spain.

    vegan ham
    Courtesy: Heura

    Heura doubles down on Southern Europe

    Since being founded in 2017, Heura has emerged as a leader in Europe’s plant-based meat category, with its products available in more than 20,000 stores in 20 countries.

    But the company hasn’t been immune to the alternative protein sector’s challenges, with several startups and restaurants closing down and even more being acquired by other businesses. The consolidation phase has led Heura to fine-tune its approach to profitability, dialling down its footprint in the UK, Switzerland, and Austria.

    At the same time, it has magnified its focus on Southern Europe, while retaining all its staff in the midst of implementing an “ambitious efficiency plan”. This is because the company’s sales grew by 35% in Italy, France and Portugal, and stabilised in Spain.

    But the company says it’s already the leading plant-based meat maker in its home country, with a market share twice as high as its nearest competitor, and the highest brand loyalty. Seven of the 10 best-selling meat alternatives in Spain come from Heura, while its York-style ham has driven a 60% growth in the segment.

    This year, it has launched chicken chunks, a whole-cut fillet (in collaboration with France’s Swap), and a chicken burger, and has “two more game-changing products” earmarked for the summer, head of content Laurent Gubbels told Green Queen last month.

    The company is also expanding its foodservice presence via key partnerships with cruise line Royal Caribbean, airline company Vueling, and fast-food chain Rodilla, and has appeared at “high-visibility” events like Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour shows in Madrid.

    How Heura plans to battle the UPF debate with new products

    In October, Heura announced its intention to tackle a wider range of categories and battle the ultra-processed tag that has plagued the plant-based sector. A survey of nearly 20,000 Europeans has shown that among those who want to change their diets, 51% want to eat healthier food.

    Heura’s strategy involves offering meat and dairy alternatives and pantry staples that eschew additives, modified starches, and saturated fats, with a focus on new technology instead of just new ingredients.

    At Future Food-Tech London, the company served up spaghetti made from wheat semolina and soy protein isolate, amping up its protein concentration from under 20% all the way to 60%, and lowering the carbohydrate content by 74%.

    It also exhibited dairy-free versions of feta, parmesan, mozzarella, and melty cheese that contained 20% protein and low saturated fat. Plus, Heura gave a glimpse of its nutrient-forward cold cuts, describing them as the only vegan deli meats “with high protein, low saturated fat, and no additives while having an unparalleled sensory experience”.

    heura cold cuts
    Courtesy: Heura

    “Who wouldn’t want to replace excess saturated fats, simple carbohydrates, and unnecessary additives with nutrient-dense products made from plant proteins and healthy lipids? And we can do this by leveraging readily available, consumer-friendly ingredients that require no regulatory approval,” said Coloma.

    Gubbels confirmed last month that these products are “currently in development”, and suggested that they have already undergone some taste tests.

    They could be crucial for Heura to sustain in what is a volatile environment for plant-based meat and dairy. Europe was the leading market for these products in 2024, recording $9.7B in sales. This followed a 5% increase in the region’s six largest markets the year before. But UPF concerns have shifted public perception, turning many away from meat alternatives and towards whole foods.

    At the same time, the funding landscape has been dire for alternative proteins. Plant-based startups took the biggest hit, raising only $309M in 2024, a sharp 64% fall from the year before. In the first quarter of this year, they only raised $54M.

    Heura, however, has bucked the trend, its €40M Series B the largest funding round for a plant-based company last year. And now, the €20M loan from EIB serves as further proof of investors’ confidence in its business model.

    heura cheese
    Courtesy: Heura

    EU loan part of food security and sustainability push

    “With this agreement, we are boosting the dynamism of the startup ecosystem in Spain and Europe and responding to new consumer needs by developing new sustainable food products,” said EIB Group president Nadia Calviño.

    Heura’s loan is guaranteed by InvestEU, the bloc’s flagship programme that aims to unlock €372B in public and private capital to support its policy goals between 2021 and 2027.

    “This can help the EU to unlock new economic opportunities, create high-value jobs and solidify its position as a leader in the evolving global food landscape,” explained Lucas González Ojeda, acting director of the EU Commission representation in Spain. “This operation is a good example of what InvestEU can do to empower businesses to grow, innovate and build a sustainable future.”

    heura foods
    Courtesy: Heura

    Alessandro Izzo, the EIB’s director of equity, growth capital and project finance, added: “By investing in the development of new plant-based food products, the EIB is also contributing to a healthier, more sustainable food system in Europe and to the overall food security of the European Union.”

    This is a key point. Farmers and climate groups had implored the Commission to form a plant-based action plan in its agrifood vision, but it failed to do so. But following calls from policymakers, agricultural commissioner Christophe Hansen finally committed to developing a protein diversification strategy.

    “It will focus on fostering the domestic production to improve self-sufficiency to reduce the long-standing dependency on imported plant-based protein and on diversifying imports of plant-based protein to increase the EU food security,” he said.

    The post Spain’s Plant-Based Meat Leader Bags €20M EU Bank Investment & Promises Q4 Profitability appeared first on Green Queen.

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  • More Plants, Less Meat Key to Longer Lives, Show Major Harvard & Sydney U. Studies

    5 Mins Read

    Yet more evidence has emerged that diets rich in plant-based whole foods and low in meat are the key to longevity.

    Plant-rich diets will help you age better and live longer, according to two major studies that spotlight the ill health effects of animal proteins.

    Researchers at Harvard University and the University of Sydney studied large-scale consumption patterns to determine the most health-promoting diet and found that whole-food plant-based eating is the key to lowering mortality rates.

    The findings come at a time when meat and dairy are regaining popularity in countries like the US and the UK, driven by advocates of raw milk and the carnivore diet, rising concerns around ultra-processed foods (UPFs), and political support for animal proteins.

    Some of the criticism is tied to vegan meat alternatives, whose volume sales in the US dropped by 2.3% in 2024, against a 4% increase for conventional meat. Experts argue that these products don’t reflect the entire plant-based diet.

    Miyoko Schinner, founder of vegan cheese pioneer Miyoko’s Creamery and a University of California professor, noted we “can’t conflate products with the future” of the plant-based sector. “We’re just focused on the sales of products that we’re making, and that doesn’t reflect the entire picture,” she told Green Queen in January.

    “The whole world’s not going to go vegan because there’s Beyond Burger, right? But they might go vegan if we promote a plant-rich diet,” she said. And these two studies argue that doing so might help you live better too.

    Harvard study: plant-rich diets will help you age better

    plant based diet aging
    Courtesy: Jul Po/Getty Images

    At the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health, researchers investigated the midlife diets and eventual health outcomes of more than 105,000 Americans over a 30-year period, noting that diet is the second-largest behavioural risk factor for mortality in the US (after tobacco).

    They scored participants based on how well they followed eight dietary patterns that promote healthy ageing – each emphasises a high consumption of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, unsaturated fats, nuts, and legumes, and low to moderate intake of fish and certain dairy products. They also looked at the consumption of UPFs.

    Nearly a tenth of the participants aged healthfully, with adherence to one of the eight dietary patterns linked to better cognitive, physical, and mental health. On the flip side, higher intakes of processed meat as well as sugary and diet beverages were linked to lower chances of healthy ageing.

    The leading diet was based on the Alternative Healthy Eating Index, which was developed to prevent chronic diseases and is rich in plant-based whole foods and low in red and processed meats, sugary drinks, sodium, and refined grains. Participants who stuck to this diet were 86% more likely to age healthily at 70 years, and over twice as likely at 75.

    Another leading diet was based on the Planetary Health Diet Index, which emphasises plant-based foods and minimising animal proteins to improve both human and planetary health.

    “Our findings suggest that dietary patterns rich in plant-based foods, with moderate inclusion of healthy animal-based foods, may promote overall healthy ageing and help shape future dietary guidelines,” said co-corresponding author Marta Guasch-Ferré.

    It’s a highly relevant point, since scientists have recommended that the US Department of Agriculture prioritise plant proteins and encourage Americans to cut back on red meat in the upcoming dietary guidelines.

    The research, published in the Nature Medicine journal, follows a December 2024 study by the Harvard Health School, which found that a higher ratio of plant proteins to animal-based foods can improve heart health. And in March, its researchers were part of another analysis that suggested replacing less than a tablespoon of butter with plant-based oils can lower the risk of premature death from cancer and other causes by 17%.

    Populations with high plant protein intake have longer lives

    plant based diet aging
    Courtesy: Gabriella Csapo/Studio India

    Across the Pacific, experts at the University of Sydney’s Charles Perkins Centre assessed demographic and food supply data from 101 countries over almost 60 years. This included regions where meat consumption is high, like the US, Australia, Sweden and Argentina, as well as places such as Pakistan and Indonesia, where plant-based food intake is more prevalent.

    Since it’s hard to compare the countries very easily, the researchers corrected the data to account for income and population size. Doing so revealed that nations with higher availability of plant proteins had longer life expectancies than those where animal proteins were more readily available.

    For children under five, easy access to higher amounts of meat, dairy and eggs was linked to lower mortality, with the researchers noting that adding energy from any protein source – plants or otherwise – was beneficial for kids. They stressed that the findings “do not refute the advantage of incorporating plant-based proteins in a malnourished environment”.

    In adults, however, plant proteins increased overall life expectancy. “The optimal balance of protein and fat in national food supplies – which correlates with minimal mortality – varies with age, suggesting that reductions in dietary protein, especially from animal sources, may need to be managed with age-specific redistributions to balance health and environmental benefits,” the authors wrote in the Nature Communications journal.

    “Protein is a crucial part of the human diet, but as eating habits change and developed countries look to decarbonise, where we get our protein from has come under greater scrutiny,” said senior author Alistair Senior.

    “The knowledge that plant-based protein is associated with a longer life is really important as we consider not only how our diets impact our own longevity, but the health of the planet.”

    The post More Plants, Less Meat Key to Longer Lives, Show Major Harvard & Sydney U. Studies appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • Tesco Admits Plant-Based Meat Target Is ‘Highly Unlikely’ Amid Changing UK Diets

    tesco meat alternatives
    5 Mins Read

    The UK’s largest retailer is not on track to meet its goal of increasing plant-based meat sales by 300% by this year, as consumers show an appetite for vegetables, beans, and tofu instead.

    In a further sign of the UK’s dietary shift towards plant-based whole foods, its largest supermarket says it is “highly unlikely” to achieve its ambitious sales target for meat alternatives.

    Tesco is well behind its goal of increasing purchases of vegan meat products by 300% by December 2025 (from a 2012 baseline), given “the year-on-year decline in the plant-based market” and the “change in approach” by consumers.

    “Many of our customers who are interested in plant-based foods are turning to veg-led dishes, where vegetables are the star, rather than relying on meat alternatives,” the retailer said in its latest sustainability report.

    It revealed that it has exceeded its reduction targets for scopes 1 and 2 emissions, cutting them by 65% from a 2015/16 baseline. But 98% of its carbon footprint comes from scope 3 emissions, which account for the entire value chain and the use of its products by consumers.

    Tesco has lowered some of its scope 3 emissions by 22% in this period, and has pledged to reduce forest, land use and agriculture (FLAG) emissions by 39% by 2032.

    Plant-based meat sales slow at Tesco

    tesco vegan
    Courtesy: Tesco

    The retailer first established the meat alternative sales goal in 2020, pledging to add more products across 20 categories, reduce prices, work with suppliers to innovate new products, and provide a meat alternative wherever a meat version is featured.

    While it started well, recording increases of 96% and 130% in 2020/21 and 2021/22, respectively, compared to the 2018 baseline. This growth began shrinking in 2022/23, when its sales were only up by 119%, followed by a 109% hike in 2023/24. In the last year, however, plant-based meat sales at Tesco are only 94% higher than in 2018, a far cry from the 300% goal.

    It’s in line with the wider trend around plant-based meat. In the first half of 2024, average weekly sales value and volumes of these products declined by 7% in the UK compared to 2023, when sales had already come down by 6% and volumes by 13%.

    “We’ve been seeing a growing demand for ‘protein diversity’, including plant-based whole foods such as lentils, chickpeas, beans, nuts, seeds and tofu,” Tesco said in its report.

    Vegetable-led foods now make up 40% of all plant-based sales at Tesco, according to data from IRI/Circana. In the 41 weeks to October 12, the supermarket sold nearly 600,000 more veg-forward dishes, compared to the same period in 2023.

    “These dishes inspire and make it easy for customers to incorporate more vegetables into their diets,” the retailer said, while noting that it has “seen plant-based meat alternative sales slow” at the same time.

    Tesco also noted that the proportion of protein sales coming from plant-based alternatives has decreased from 12% in 2020/21 to 9% in 2024/25, against a four-point increase for meat and egg products. That said, the share of dairy sales emanating from oat, almond, and other alternatives has expanded slightly from 5% to 7% in this period.

    tesco sustainability report
    Courtesy: Tesco

    Gut health and UPFs in focus as Tesco stocks whole-food proteins

    With Brits showing a greater appetite for whole foods over meat analogues, Tesco doubled down on pulses, nuts, seeds and vegetable-based ingredients in its vegan range for Christmas 2024, labelling it phase two of the “biggest food trend this century”. Likewise, it recently introduced a meat-free Root & Soul ready meal range that puts vegetables front and centre.

    These products are targeting the 22% of Brits who want to consume more plant-based foods, according to Tesco’s research. Last month, it began stocking THIS’s Super Superfood and Oh So Wholesome’s Veg’chop – a new class of plant protein ingredients made from whole foods, with the aim of replacing meat instead of mimicking it.

    “Most retailers are looking for more plant-packed, healthy and minimally processed foods with clean ingredient lists across the store. In plant-based specifically, I think the whole market knows that some changes need to be made to excite shoppers and inspire home cooks,” Oh So Wholesome co-founder Simon Day told Green Queen. “Tesco specifically have often been at the forefront of plant-based category development in the UK and led with new ranges.”

    tesco plant based
    Courtesy: Simon Day/LinkedIn

    Tesco is keeping a close eye on the conversation around ultra-processed foods (UPFs), which have been linked to a range of health issues and even early death. Nutritionists have pointed to gaps in how these foods are classified, given that most plant-based meat alternatives, often identified as UPFs, are painted with the same brush as sugary sodas, packaged cakes and desserts, and ice creams.

    In the UK, they make up 57% of calorie consumption, rising to around two-thirds among adolescents and 80% for children or people with lower incomes. “We already ban the use of many additives in our own-brand products, including some flavours, colours and MSG, and we work with our suppliers to minimise the use of others,” the retailer said.

    All this is part of its healthy eating push too, with the retailer planning to increase sales of healthy products to 65% of its total by 2025 (by the end of 2024, it got to 64%). This includes Tesco’s gut health focus. Its polling found that gut wellness is a top concern for 37% of Brits this year, thanks to movements like ’30 plants a week’ and documentaries such as Netflix’s Hack Your Health, pushing it to launch its own-label Gut Sense brand in January.

    “Future progress will be harder won. There are challenges we won’t be able to solve alone without wider policy or societal shifts. It will require even greater commitment, innovation and cross-sector collaboration – with farmers and suppliers, industry and government – to drive progress,” said Tesco CEO Ken Murphy.

    “Whether that’s tougher laws to prevent deforestation, regulation requiring food businesses to report their healthy sales volumes in a consistent way, or more support and policy certainty for British agriculture.”

    The post Tesco Admits Plant-Based Meat Target Is ‘Highly Unlikely’ Amid Changing UK Diets appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • Opinion: To Win in AI, We Need to Win in Alternative Proteins

    7 Mins Read

    Robert Dupree, general partner at VC firm Alwyn Capital, argues that future foods and alternative proteins are key to winning the AI race.

    If artificial intelligence (AI) is going to be the new determining factor for global hegemony, then energy dominance, food security, and water resilience must combine into a single integrated national security priority.

    Securing a stable food supply is integral to defending national interests. A disrupted food system not only endangers public well-being but also undermines military readiness and economic stability, two pillars of national power. Alternative proteins can help build redundancy into our food system and will help to reduce vulnerability. 

    The US faces a growing array of security threats from China. As food, water, and energy become critical choke points, alternative protein R&D acts as a strategic hedge, ensuring US soldiers and citizens remain fed without requiring a massive resource footprint while maintaining traditional US farms and agriculture.

    Alternative proteins are food ingredients created to replace or complement conventional animal-derived proteins. They include cell-based meat, precision fermentation, plant-based proteins, and molecular farming. Each is leveraging different technologies to produce sustainable, scalable, and functionally equivalent protein sources. 

    The climate problem plaguing AI and data centres

    ai climate change
    Courtesy: AI-Generated Image via Canva

    AI is the ultimate force multiplier, but it requires stable power and water. Both the US and China are scrambling to shore up these resources, and whoever integrates them first wins the AI race. As Chris Wright stated during his confirmation hearings: “The security of our nation begins with energy.”

    What he was referring to is the energy needed to win the AI race against China. To run high-fidelity models, AI needs data centres, and data centres need lots of power. The power required for data centres alone will need to double by 2030, and President Trump is pushing to accelerate that timeline. 

    The US has invested $328.5B in AI. It is unlikely that China will be able to outspend us, but they will continue to limit our progress through halting exports of raw materials needed for chips and energy storage.

    China has prioritised energy creation and brought its cost to below $0.08/kilowatt-hour, half that of the US, and they are masters of doing more with less. Deepseek has demonstrated that China is surpassing us by developing its model at a lower cost and without relying on high-performance chips.

    China has prioritised building energy infrastructure, while the US energy industry has lagged. Building energy sources with speed and efficiency will be critical for the next several years in the US.

    Small Modular Reactors take two to three years to construct, while larger nuclear reactors need five to seven years to build. The new Alaskan LNG pipeline won’t be delivered until 2031.

    While China restricts exports of antimony and other rare earth materials, the scale of renewables like solar will be limited. Those timelines don’t work for doubling power within five years.

    In contrast, a new shale gas well (the main energy source for the US) can be drilled and brought online in as little as a few weeks. That means we will be looking at doubling shale capacity to double our current power output and meet the demands of data centres. To do this, we need roughly 140,000 shale gas wells by 2030. As President Trump promises, the US will “drill, baby drill”.

    During this period of power and data centre expansion, access to water resources will be essential. A new vertical shale gas well requires around two to four million gallons of water, and one data centre uses over three million gallons of water a day. This surge in demand will intensify pressure on all other water-intensive industries. 

    Farmers vs AI

    factory farming water pollution
    Courtesy: Budimir Jevtic

    Currently, half of the water from the Colorado River goes to agriculture, and most of that goes to growing feed for animals. Data centres and their energy sources will be in direct competition for this crucial water supply. Furthermore, states with the most farm revenue are also the ones targeting new data centres with tax incentives. This pits farm interests against AI development. 

    The amount of water the US uses for animal feed is astronomical. Corn is the leading feed grain in the US, representing more than 95% of the total feed grain production. In 2024, US corn production was estimated at 14.9 billion bushels. One bushel of corn requires 2,500 gallons of water to produce, and producing 14.9 billion bushels requires 37.25 trillion gallons.

    In 2016, the total water consumption by the US livestock sector was 72.65 trillion gallons. In 2021, Google’s data centres consumed over three billion gallons of water, by 2023, that usage had doubled to six billion gallons.

    Our water resources are heavily strained and in short supply. Arkansas aquifers are being depleted at an alarming rate, as is the largest US aquifer, the Ogallala Aquifer. As previously mentioned, our short-term energy supply will likely come from shale gas that will require two to four million gallons of water per new well.

    US aquifers are already experiencing strain from data centres and agriculture, and the increased demand will see the US water supply further stressed. Cattle require immense amounts of water, water that is needed for AI innovation. Thus, it will be crucial for the US to promote domestic protein production that requires less water.

    On top of being resource-intensive, cattle are slow to replace. The cattle cycle typically spans about 10 years from low point to low point. As of January, the US cattle inventory stands at 86.7 million heads, marking its lowest level since 1951. Given this stage in the cycle and the current low inventory levels, investing in alternative proteins will serve as a prudent strategy to mitigate potential supply disruptions and market volatility. 

    In addition to beef, the egg market volatility has been affecting the US consumer for the last three years. Egg prices are at a record high due to Avian Flu outbreaks, which have decimated the US chicken population – nearly 170 million birds have been lost over the last two years.

    If the chicken and cattle industries were depleted, it would take 1.5 and two to three years, respectively, under optimal conditions, to get flocks and herds back to current levels. Alternative proteins allow for faster production and shorter lead times – many alternative proteins can be produced in a matter of days or weeks. 

    Dealing with disruptions

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

    In 2023, the US suffered crop losses totalling $21B due to storms. A major storm, combined with a failing power infrastructure, limited resources for farms and factories, and storm-related delays, could cripple the economy of a country facing an isolationist policy.

    Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins expects significant challenges for farmers and has committed to providing financial support to help them navigate the impact. This underscores the administration’s recognition that our food supply will face increasing disruptions. 

    The USDA predicts beef imports will continue at record prices for the next couple of years. As the US cattle herd has declined, beef imports, mainly from Canada and Mexico, have surged, doubling since 2013 and exposing vulnerabilities in our supply chain.

    We are already seeing delays in cocoa and coffee production due to weather, leading to shortages and record-high prices. As more commodities fall victim to changing climate patterns, we will experience additional shortages and major disruptions in the US food system.

    Since JBS, the world’s largest beef producer, and Smithfield, the largest pork producer in the US, are both foreign-owned, relying on overseas control of such critical industries could further complicate the supply chain. 

    Alternative proteins will alleviate the burden of securing reliable protein and reinforce our national security in an increasingly uncertain world. Establishing alternative proteins as a backstop, especially if the current trade war with China enters an extended period, will help to secure a stable US food supply. 

    Global dominance now hinges on AI, which in turn relies on both water and energy, resources that are increasingly scarce, making water a critical strategic asset. Feedstock for animal agriculture is one of the largest consumers of our water supply. Clinging to outdated systems vulnerable to supply chain disruptions, trade conflicts, and resource competition puts the US at a strategic disadvantage.

    Alternative proteins, by contrast, require less water, are produced more quickly, and can be non-GMO, minimally processed, and free from vaccines or antibiotics.

    To secure global hegemony, the US must embrace alternative proteins as a strategic hedge.

    The post Opinion: To Win in AI, We Need to Win in Alternative Proteins appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • 5 Minutes with A Future Food VC: Flora Ventures’s Gil Horsky

    gil horsky
    3 Mins Read

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

    Gil Horky is the Founding Managing Partner at Flora Ventures.

    What future food technologies most excite you?

    1. The usage of peptides to deliver new functional benefits in food and supplements
    2. New sustainable and efficient cold-chain technologies to extend route-to-market and food freshness
    3. Blockchain and its applications in food transparency

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

    1. Weight Management: The GLP-1 pharma market is exploding, but access remains out of reach for many due to hefty prices and unpleasant side effects, creating a massive opportunity for the food industry to step in.
    2. Supply Chain: Supply chain resiliency within the food chain is increasingly important due to climate change, geopolitical disruptions, and the most recent, crazy tariff war. 
    3. Longevity: Longevity and nutrition are deeply intertwined, and we will see new food and supplement products tailored to promote longevity,

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

    Globally highlighting the dialogue around the urgent need to fix our global system.

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

    Sadly, I think that even a magic wand can’t fix it, because the majority of existing products have not delivered on the expectations of consumers and investors. There was just too much hype with overpromising (and underdelivering) products in this segment.

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

    Grit, and the ability to fundraise.

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

    Foreverland. I worked for many years in the chocolate industry for Mondelēz, and I love their carob-based ‘chocolate-like’ products – tasty and sustainable.

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

    It is a very exciting investment we made in a stealth startup in the GLP-1 space. The technology is cutting edge and led by a stellar serial entrepreneur.

    What has been your most disappointing investment so far?

    So far, none. I, of course, wish that some investments would progress faster.

    What do people misunderstand/get wrong most about VC?

    That it is not as glamorous as it looks like. Similar to entrepreneurs, fund managers are spending a significant amount of their time fundraising from LPs and managing the administrative aspects of running a fund (reporting, compliance, legal, etc.). More importantly, delivering outlier returns (which is what counts at the end) is damn hard.

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

    I tasted some chocolate made with cell-based cacao.

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

    Noma Projects. Had the privilege to visit them last year – not only super tasty products, but also using a very thoughtful approach on the sustainable footprint of their ingredients and processes .

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

    I truly love the food industry, I worked in it most of my entire career and cherished every moment of it. Food is ingrained in human culture and emotions, and everyone has an opinion or something to say about it. But it is also the industry with the biggest impact and potential return on human and planetary health.

    The post 5 Minutes with A Future Food VC: Flora Ventures’s Gil Horsky appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • As Sales Slide Again in ‘Disappointing’ Q1, Beyond Meat Nets $100M in Debt Funding

    beyond meat q1 2025
    7 Mins Read

    Beyond Meat saw year-on-year revenue drop by 9% in what it termed “clearly a disappointing” Q1 2025, and announced a $100M debt financing deal to shore up its liquidity.

    Following two consecutive quarters of year-on-year revenue growth, Beyond Meat’s revenues fell by 9% in Q1 2025, largely driven by “broader macroeconomic concerns and reduced consumer confidence” in the US.

    The company netted $69M in the first 12 weeks of the year, while posting a gross loss of $1.1M (compared to a gross profit of $3.7M in the corresponding period in 2024). Its operating expenses, meanwhile, narrowed by $2M, and its net losses were down by 2.6%.

    Beyond Meat said it was “experiencing an elevated level of uncertainty within its operating environment”, which has forced it to withdraw its full-year forecast and limit its outlook to Q2 only, where it expects net revenues between $80-85M.

    Founder and CEO Ethan Brown said the quarter was “clearly a disappointing one” as the firm felt the effects of worsening category conditions and macroeconomic headwinds. He blamed the move by several retailers to shift plant-based meat from the refrigerated section to the freezers, which impacted the availability of some of its core products during the quarter.

    Concurrently, the company secured $100M in debt financing from Unprocessed Foods, a wholly owned subsidiary of Ahimsa Foundation, a non-profit advancing plant-based diets. It is the latest in a series of investments and acquisitions made by the organisation or its affiliates lately, including Eat Just, Wicked Kitchen, Simulate, and Blackbird Foods.

    “This facility provides us with additional liquidity as we advance our strategic priorities and invest opportunistically to help us drive our growth plans,” said Brown, whose firm has a $1.1M debt thanks to a convertible note that will mature in 2027.

    “In addition to securing access to this substantial new financing, we are continuing to evaluate opportunities to further strengthen our balance sheet and best position our business for the future,” he added.

    US sales slump a concern for Beyond Meat

    beyond meat sales
    Courtesy: Beyond Meat

    In the first quarter, Beyond Meat’s largest revenue decline came in US foodservice, where its sales were down by 23.5%. CFO Lubi Kutua said while the company expect headwinds to continue in this channel in the coming months, its newly built foodservice team in the country will “begin to pay dividends soon”.

    “We’ve done better historically in the non-commercial space – universities, hospitals, things like that. But we’ve now really started to focus on that commercial space again,” he said. “I don’t think you should expect us to pick up a massive name QSR in the US right now. But we’re focusing more on that smaller national account, and we are making some progress there. And you’ll hear some fun stuff or encouraging news as we progress through the year.”

    Its performance in domestic retail wasn’t much better, as revenues shrank by 15%, primarily due to a decrease in product volumes amid “weak category demand”. Its distribution was impacted by the migration to the frozen section in several supermarkets.

    Internationally, Beyond Meat’s sales sustained in retail, reaching $12.7M (a 1% hike from Q1 2024). This channel was affected by a decrease in volumes, mainly due to low sales of its ground beef products. Kutua ascribed this to a “packaging transition led to some disruption and limited loss of distribution for those items”.

    Sales jumped by 12% in the company’s global foodservice channel, thanks in large part to increased sales of its vegan chicken to a QSR customer. Beyond Meat cited the same reason when explaining the 9% increase in this channel in the previous quarter too.

    “In the absence of further worsening category and macroeconomic trends, we expect overall volume as well as the volume of our core products to improve as we gain back retail distribution and benefit from seasonality, putting us in a better position to actually realise the planned benefits of a more efficient and appropriately sized production footprint,” Brown told analysts in earnings call.

    Misinformation drives short film and new marketing drive

    meat misinformation
    The meat industry has used the tobacco playbook to spread misinformation | Courtesy: Beyond Meat

    The Beyond Meat CEO highlighted two overarching factors behind Beyond Meat’s disappointing Q1 performance: distribution and misinformation.

    “While Beyond Meat can always and will always seek to improve our products, we believe the central issue impeding our return to sustained growth is perception. Or more accurately, misperception,” he said.

    “If we look inward, our highest priority is driving operating and margin improvements. Externally, our highest priority is on dispelling misinformation and empowering the consumer to make informed decisions around our products,” he added.

    The number of Americans trying to consume more protein has been steadily increasing in the US, from 59% in 2022 and 67% in 2023 to 71% in 2024. Brown believes Beyond Meat “should be a central part of satisfying consumer interest for protein”, but it needs to reestablish itself “within their decision set”. “Beyond’s value proposition remains obscured in doubt and misinformation,” he said.

    To counter that narrative, the company released a 10-minute short film, Planting Change, last month, featuring interviews with medical and nutrition experts like Stanford professor Dr Christopher Gardner (who was behind the famous ‘twin study‘ featured in Netflix’s You Are What You Eat) and dietitian Joy Bauer.

    Now, the company has launched a new marketing campaign titled Real People, Real Results, which features the experiences of six people of different ages as they shift to a healthy plant-based diet that includes Beyond Meat. The programme is designed by Forks Over Knives co-authors Matthew Lederman and Alona Pulde.

    “From lower total cholesterol, lower LDL cholesterol, to weight loss, better sleep, higher energy levels, and lower inflammation, Real People, Real Result participants reported exciting benefits of a plant-based diet that includes our products,” said Brown.

    Beyond Meat escaping ‘intense pressure cooker’, says CEO

    Misinformation has become a recurring theme in Beyond Meat’s earnings call, and not by choice. The rise of carnivorism and the manosphere has pushed a lot of crap about the food system on our social media feeds. Americans eat way more meat than they’re supposed to, and even though they recognise its ill effects on the planet, they spent more on it last year than ever before.

    Big Beef has been ultra-successful in its misinformation campaigns. The industry spent over $4M on lobbying efforts in 2024, and has been creating and sponsoring educational materials for children.

    Combine that with the growing discontent with ultra-processed food, which has only magnified since the arrival of Robert F Kennedy Jr as the health secretary. All this has directly impacted the bottom line of plant-based meat producers. Beyond Meat isn’t an outlier – overall meat alternative sales fell by 7% in the US last year.

    RFK Jr has also been an advocate of regenerative farming, which can have several benefits for soil and nature. Meanwhile, climate activists have sounded the alarm about the misuse of this term by the beef industry as a greenwashing tactic. Brown himself criticised this in the previous earnings call, suggesting that “any serious scientists around regenerative beef will tell you that’s just a non-starter”.

    He remains optimistic about the “hard work” Beyond Meat has done to clear up misinformation. “If you think about where we were two years ago, it was kind of the height of this intense misinformation campaign where there’s something wrong with the ingredients, there’s the process and so on and so forth. And we still have some of that,” he said.

    beyond meat documentary
    Beyond Meat CEO Ethan Brown in Planting Change | Courtesy: Beyond Meat

    “But you can feel it waning a little bit and it’s more of the truth starting to come out,” he added, explaining how its products’ certifications around heart health and diabetes nutrition have helped it counter the negative narrative created “not [just] by the meat industry, but also by the pharmaceutical industry, who didn’t want to lose sales from selling antibiotics to livestock”.

    “We kind of made it through that really intense pressure cooker,” Brown said.

    Speaking of pressure, Kutua confirmed that the effects of President Donald Trump’s tariffs are, at the moment, “relatively minimal”. Beyond Meat, which last year had reportedly been in talks with bondholders to restructure its debt, continues to evaluate further deals to address the debt, and will benefit from the $100M loan by the Ahimsa Foundation.

    “The overall macro environment is challenging for alt-protein, but we are confident of the leadership and the outlook,” the non-profit’s president, Shaleen Shah, told Bloomberg News. “This is the right side of the history. The way animals are grown and processed is unsustainable, and alt-protein is the way forward.”

    The post As Sales Slide Again in ‘Disappointing’ Q1, Beyond Meat Nets $100M in Debt Funding appeared first on Green Queen.

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  • Future Food Quick Bites: Science Museum, Fermented Rapeseed & Shifting Shelves

    science museum future of food
    4 Mins Read

    Our weekly column rounds up the latest sustainable food innovation news. This week, Future Food Quick Bites covers the Science Museum’s future food exhibit, Beyond Steak’s UK debut, and a Dutch public-private plant-based partnership.

    New products and launches

    In London, the Science Museum will host a Future of Food exhibit from July 24, featuring Aleph Farms‘s cultivated beef steak, the oldest sample of Quorn‘s burger from 1981, Clean Food Group‘s yeast-derived palm oil alternative, and more.

    lab grown beef
    Courtesy: Science Museum Group

    British YouTubers James Marriott and Will Lenney (aka Willne) have launched Rodd’s, a dairy-free ready-to-drink brand featuring an iced latte, waffle latte, and a vanilla matcha latte, all made with oat milk. They’re available at 300 Sainsbury’s stores for £2.20 per 250ml bottle.

    Rude Health has released a “clean deck” iced coffee range, with its Oat Latte Iced Coffee and Mocha Iced Coffee aiming to address ultra-processing fears. They’re available for £3.75 per 750ml pack.

    In more oat milk news from the UK, new startup Via Nature has rolled out Oat Shaker, a line described as a “snack in a bottle”. It comes in Banana & Coconut, Matcha & Pineapple and Blueberry & Açaí flavours, and can be found at Sainsbury’s for £4 per 750ml.

    beyond steak uk
    Courtesy: Beyond Meat

    Beyond Meat‘s vegan steak pieces have made it into the UK, rolling out at 650 Tesco stores to align with British Sandwich Week (May 19-25), priced at £4.50 per 160g pack.

    Vegan chocolate maker NOMO has released Salted Popcorn and Birthday Cake flavours in UK supermarkets, which are available in 32g and 127g bars, respectively.

    New Zealand-based Nutrition from Water has released a Ready-To-Bake Sponge Cake Premix from its Marine Whey 50 algae protein.

    vegan french butter
    Courtesy: Maison Linotte/Meawnamcat/Getty Images

    French luxury pastry maker Maison Linotte has unveiled Purely, a premium vegan butter for professionals and baking enthusiasts. Described as a clean-label product, it contains no palm oil and can be used as a 1:1 replacement for dairy butter. It has a neutral flavour and colour, and reduces emissions by 82%.

    Italian almond-based cheesemaker Dreamfarm has debuted vegan Ciliegine, or mini mozzarella balls, at the TuttoFood fair in Milan. They will roll out at Esselunga stores, with each 120g pack containing 12 balls.

    Also in the non-dairy world, Canada’s Daiya has reformulated its cream cheese and Deluxe Mac & Cheese lines with its new fermented oat cream. It has also added a Cinnamon Twist flavour to the former range.

    daiya cream cheese
    Courtesy: Daiya

    And in the US, Dr. Praeger’s is launching two frozen vegan snacks – Taco Stars and Ranch Crunchy Veggie Fries – at Target stores this month.

    Policy, company and finance developments

    Belgium’s Bolder Foods, which was working on a mycelium ingredient for better vegan cheese, has ceased operations after failing to close its funding round.

    In the Netherlands, Wageningen University & Research, Jumbo, Intersnack Group, Alpro, HAK, and The Vegetarian Butcher have launched a two-year public-private partnership called Shifting Shelves, which aims to increase the uptake of plant-based meat and dairy, legumes, and nuts via literature reviews, consumer research, and virtual and in-store supermarket tests.

    shifting shelves
    Courtesy: Jumbo

    Berlin-based startup Cultimate Foods has received funding from the Investitionsbank Berlin, co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund, to scale up its cultivated animal fat.

    Denmark’s Ferm Food has earned EU authorisation to sell its fermented rapeseed cake as a food ingredient. A byproduct of canola oil production, it contains 28-30% protein and can be used in bread, cakes, and plant-based products.

    ferm food
    Courtesy: Ferm Food

    Abhay Rangan, co-founder and former CEO of Indian plant-based dairy startup One Good (now part of Nourish You), has joined German cultivated milk startup Senara as its chief business officer.

    Finally, UK tempeh brand Better Nature has hired Helen Atkinson as its new head of sales. She has previously worked at Dr Oetker, Noble Foods and Bel Group.

    Check out last week’s Future Food Quick Bites.

    The post Future Food Quick Bites: Science Museum, Fermented Rapeseed & Shifting Shelves appeared first on Green Queen.

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  • ‘Frankenstein Meets The Matrix’: Montana & Indiana Become Latest US States to Ban Cultivated Meat

    montana lab grown meat
    6 Mins Read

    Montana Governor Greg Gianforte has signed a bill that prevents the production or sale of cultivated meat in the state, while Indiana has introduced a two-year prohibition.

    From October 1, manufacturing or selling cultivated meat in Montana could put you at risk of imprisonment for up to three months, a fine of up to $250, or both.

    The state became the fourth to pass legislation banning cultivated meat after Governor Greg Gianforte signed HB 401 into law on May 1.

    Retailers that sell cultivated meat could face fines too, while restaurants could have their licences suspended. Additionally, even though it can’t be sold, the state has put a restriction on how cultivated meat can be marketed, preventing it from being “misbranded”.

    And yesterday (May 6), Indiana Governor Mike Braun signed into law HB 1425, which establishes a two-year moratorium on the sale and manufacturing of cultivated meat and its labelling as a “meat product”.

    It’s in effect from July 1 this year until June 30, 2027, and violators face fines up to $10,000, the highest of any other such ban in the US.

    Montana attacks World Economic Forum after ban

    Montana’s anti-cultivated-meat bill was brought to the House floor in February by Representative Braxton Mitchell, who said at the time: “This bill will help promote the Montana agricultural industry and keep it strong and thriving in the state of Montana. I think we have a unique opportunity here to put the hammer down clearly and show that we stand with agriculture and that we stand with our cattle ranchers.”

    The effort was co-sponsored by over 70 lawmakers, most of whom are Republican. “I have some grave concerns over the use and production of lab-grown meat,” Representative Randyn Gregg said during the first hearing.

    “The process is a fusion of dystopia. One could call it Mary Shelley’s ‘Frankenstein’ meets Keanu Reeves in ‘The Matrix’,” he added, painting a vivid – if highly misleading – portrait of how cultivated meat is made. It’s not the first time someone has described cultivated meat as ‘Franken-food’, or a legislator has supported a ban based on wholly incorrect assumptions about the process.

    The bill passed through both chambers without much fuss, with House Republicans unanimously voting in favour, outnumbering the opposition from Democrats for a final count of 64-35. In the Senate, the bill was voted 34-14 in favour, with five of the nays coming from Republicans. It was then transferred to Gianforte, who quietly signed it into law last week.

    In announcing the bill’s success, Mitchell claimed the state was “punching back at the World Economic Forum’s plan to force the world to eat fake meat and bugs to achieve their authoritarian goals”.

    It’s in reference to the organisation’s assertion that alternative proteins are necessary to help meet the needs of a population that will reach 10 billion in 2050 and combat the changing climate. Again, he isn’t the first lawmaker to attack the WEF as a means to justify a ban on cultivated meat.

    Mitchell further added that the WEF “claims that our consumption of naturally grown meat is ‘the source of greenhouse gases and climate change’”. But the organisation is right. Livestock farming accounts for as much as a fifth of global emissions (10 times higher than aviation), while taking up 70% of our freshwater supplies and 80% of farmland.

    Within the food system, nearly 60% of emissions come from meat and dairy production. In Montana, where there are twice as many cows as humans, agriculture is responsible for over a fifth of GHG emissions, with methane from cattle a major contributor. Cultivated meat, meanwhile, can have a 92% lower impact on climate change, and requires 95% less land and 78% less water than conventional beef.

    Indiana temporarily bans sale and labelling of cultivated meat

    indiana lab grown meat
    Courtesy” Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc/Getty Images

    In Indiana, HB 1425 was proposed by Representative Beau Baird, who indicated that cultivated meat was too new a product to be viewed as perfectly safe, and should be prohibited for two years as more studies are conducted.

    “The US Department of Agriculture just approved this product in 2023, in the fall, so it’s still a relatively new product. I think that taking our time and making sure we know what our constituents are consuming is thoughtful and a wise decision,” he had said.

    The bill also contains a provision that mandates manufacturers to label cultivated meat products with the phrase “This is an imitation meat product”, and outlaws labels that don’t “clearly indicate” that it is a cell-cultured product.

    But the text actually defines cultivated meat as “animal protein grown in a facility from extracted animal stem cells and arranged in a similar structure as animal tissues to replicate the sensory and nutritional profiles of meat products”, so the labelling clause caused some confusion.

    “We actually define ‘cultivated meat product’ in this bill, but then the label is going to say something different,” Senator Shelli Yoder said during one of the hearings.

    Nevertheless, the bill passed with a 74-15 majority in the House, and 43-7 in the Senate, with Governor Braun signing it into law yesterday.

    It makes Indiana the fifth state to officially ban cultivated meat from being sold within its borders, albeit this is a temporary measure.

    Cultivated meat bans popular despite criticism

    lab grown meat ban
    Courtesy: Good Meat

    It’s almost becoming fashionable for states to attempt to ban cultivated meat, empowered by an administration that loves Big Meat and a cultural shift that has brought beef back to the centre of the plate.

    Florida and Alabama introduced the first two bans in 2024. And in March, Mississippi’s bill to ban cultivated meat became official, passing both the House and the Senate unanimously (which eschewed the need for the governor’s sign-off).

    More than 20 states have tried to do so over the last few years. In the current legislative session, South Dakota, South Carolina, West Virginia, Montana, Wyoming, and Georgia have all been mulling the move, while Nebraska is awaiting the governor’s sign-off.

    But these efforts have been criticised by a multitude of stakeholders, including cattle farmers themselves. In a March 2024 letter sent to Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, the North American Meat Institute called the ban “bad public policy”.

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

    California’s Upside Foods, one of only three companies that have been approved by the FDA and the USDA to sell cultivated meat, has filed a lawsuit against Florida’s ban. Last week, a judge blocked the state’s attempt to throw out the case, paving its way towards the trial court.

    Meanwhile, regulators cleared Mission Barns’s cultivated pork fat for sale earlier this year, the first green light for cultivated meat since Upside Foods and Good Meat’s summer 2023 approvals. It will debut at San Francisco restaurant group Fiorella and Sprouts Farmers Market.

    The post ‘Frankenstein Meets The Matrix’: Montana & Indiana Become Latest US States to Ban Cultivated Meat appeared first on Green Queen.

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  • New Global Study Shows Additives in Ultra-Processed Food Can Increase Risk of Early Death

    novo nordisk ultra processed food
    5 Mins Read

    In an international study, experts suggest that ultra-processed foods and the “artificial” additives in them can raise the risk of premature death.

    Between 4-14% of premature deaths in eight countries are attributed to the consumption of ultra-processed foods (UPFs), according to a new global study.

    Published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, researchers from Latin America suggest that each 10% increase in UPF intake raises the risk of death before reaching 70 by 3%.

    It’s not just the high amount of salt, sugar or fat that makes UPFs a threat, according to the study, it’s also the use of emulsifiers, artificial flavourings, and other additives, a finding that throws cold water on arguments that processing isn’t directly connected to health.

    “UPFs affect health beyond the individual impact of high content of critical nutrients (sodium, trans fats, and sugar) because of the changes in the foods during industrial processing and the use of artificial ingredients, including colourants, artificial flavours and sweeteners, emulsifiers, and many other additives and processing aids,” explained lead investigator Eduardo Augusto Fernandes Nilson, from the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation in Brazil.

    Death rates are highest in countries with heightened UPF consumption

    ultra processed food additives
    Graphic by Green Queen

    UPFs represent the bottom (read: least healthy) rung of the Nova classification, developed by a team of scientists in Brazil in 2009. The research was led by Dr Carlos Monteiro, who is a co-author of this new study.

    According to the Nova classification, UPFs are produced via industrial formulations and techniques like extrusion or pre-frying, combined with cosmetic additives and substances of little culinary use, such as high-fructose corn syrup, hydrogenated oils or modified starch. This includes products like ice creams, sugary cereals, fizzy drinks, ready-to-eat meals, processed meats, and in some cases, plant-based meat alternatives.

    Previous studies have focused on specific dietary risk factors instead of food patterns; this latest research modelled data from nationally representative dietary surveys and mortality data from eight countries – Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, the UK, and the US – to link dietary patterns and the extend of industrial food processing to death from all causes.

    The authors found that death rates are highest in countries where the population gets the largest percentage of energy calories from UPFs. In the US, 60% of all calories come from UPFs, and according to this study, more than 124,000 early deaths in 2018 – or 13.7% of the total – were “attributable to UPF consumption”.

    Similarly, in the UK, where they make up 57% of calorie consumption, if no UPFs had been consumed, it would have prevented over 17,700 of all deaths (13.8% of the total) in 2019.

    The death rates were lower in countries like Colombia (4%), Brazil (5%), and Chile (6%). “It is concerning that, while in high-income countries UPF consumption is already high but relatively stable for over a decade, in low- and middle-income countries, the consumption has continuously increased, meaning that while the attributable burden in high-income countries is currently higher, it is growing in the other countries,” said Nilson.

    Experts question findings, but conclude UPFs ‘unlikely to be healthful’

    nova classification
    Courtesy: Springer

    Previous research has linked UPFs to 32 harmful health conditions, including cancer, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, poor mental health, and early death. However, many nutrition experts have called into question the use of the Nova classification to determine health outcomes.

    “Products like breads and cereals often contain higher amounts of fibre, which, according to the Nova system, wouldn’t technically classify as UPFs,” Jenny Chapman, a Churchill Fellow who authored a study about plant-based meat and UPFs, told Green Queen last year. “It’s crucial to recognise the limitations of the Nova system, which does not account for nutritional content, leading to potential misclassification.”

    Responding to the current study, Nerys Astbury, a nutrition scientist and an associate professor of diet and obesity at the University of Oxford, noted that the research “does not mean that these deaths were caused by UPF consumption”. “The methods of this study simply cannot determine this,” he said.

    “There are limitations to this paper, including the points the authors themselves raised,” added Nita Forouhi, a professor of population health and nutrition at the University of Cambridge, who was not involved in the study either. “Nonetheless, evidence on the health harms of UPFs [is] accumulating, and this paper does add to that body of evidence, and UPFs are unlikely to be healthful.”

    The authors call for a reduction of UPFs to be included in national dietary guidelines and addressed in public health policies. “Policies that disincentivise the consumption of UPFs are urgently needed globally, promoting traditional dietary patterns based on local fresh and minimally processed foods,” said Nilson.

    For his part, Astbury said “rushing to add recommendations on UPFs” wasn’t necessary. “Many national dietary guidelines and recommendations already advise the reduction of consumption of energy-dense high-fat high-sugar foods, which typically fall into the UPF group,” he explained.

    “Adding additional recommendations based on UPFs could cause consumer confusion – some foods may be considered unhealthy by nutrient standards, but not so by Nova classification (and vice versa),” he added.

    UPF backlash changing the plant-based food landscape

    vegchop
    Courtesy: Oh So Wholesome

    “The Nova system, which defines foods according to different levels of food processing, has many limitations, including arbitrary definitions and overly broad food categories, the over-emphasis of food ingredients [as] opposed to the processing per se, and the difficult practical application of the system in accurately classifying foods,” said Astbury.

    Nevertheless, the study is another blow to products like plant-based meat analogues, which have come under fire for their processing methods and use of emulsifiers and additives. On top of that, US health secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr has been highly vocal against UPFs, and has previously suggested that “fake meat is just another name for ultra-processed food”.

    Concerns around UPFs have led to a slowdown in purchases of plant-based meat in certain markets – in the US, these products suffered a 5% decline in sales last year. Meanwhile, traditional plant proteins like tofu and tempeh enjoyed a 7% rise, while whole-food-focused brands such as Actual Veggies doubled revenues.

    In the UK, this has resulted in the emergence of new plant protein formats like Oh So Wholesome’s Veg’chop and THIS’s Super Superfood.

    The post New Global Study Shows Additives in Ultra-Processed Food Can Increase Risk of Early Death appeared first on Green Queen.

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  • Plant Based Meat Is Too Generic, Says Study on How Culture Shapes Eating Habits

    plant based meat barriers
    5 Mins Read

    A new study about consumers in Singapore and the UK illustrates the importance of culture when assessing people’s motivations for eating plant-based meat, with clues for brands on how to leverage the cultural contrast.

    Plant-based meat had a strange year in 2024. There’s no denying that it was a tough landscape for this group of products, which received heightened criticism for being ultra-processed and were the subject of an anti-vegan, pro-meat backlash in several parts of the world.

    Several manufacturers were forced to make cutbacks in staff, retool their business focus, or even shut down, while others consolidated their operations through mergers and acquisitions.

    Despite these setbacks, however, on a global level, retail sales of plant-based meat jumped by 4% in 2024, totalling $6.1 billion. That was dominated by Europe, which made up over half of all purchases of meat alternatives. Asia-Pacific, however, only accounted for 6% of sales.

    That contrast is highlighted in a new study led by the Singapore Institute of Food and Biotechnology Innovation, which found that “consumers in Singapore, despite having similar consumption as those in the UK, may be experiencing more barriers in sustaining plant-based meat alternatives” in their diets.

    How do cultures affect plant-based consumption?

    tindle vegan chicken
    Courtesy: TiNDLE Foods

    In the study, published in the Future Foods journal, researchers asked frequent consumers of plant-based meat (those who eat them at least once a week) about what drives or stops them from eating it, their satisfaction with such products, and their attachment to conventional meat.

    While the consumption levels between Brits and Singaporeans were similar, the patterns and motivations were vastly different. For example, participants in the UK ate plant-based meat more than once a week on average, compared to less than once every week in Singapore.

    Further, Brits mostly purchased plant-based meat in supermarkets, while restaurants were the most common points of sale for these products in Singapore.

    There were even more significant differences when it came to the motives and barriers of eating meat analogues. People in the UK were more likely to show higher agreement with motivational statements suggesting that they know how to cook these products, can find them conveniently, have other members in the family who eat them, and crucially, could afford them.

    meatless farm pizza
    Courtesy: Meatless Farm

    Singaporean consumers showed greater alignment with barriers. They were more likely to say plant-based meat was too costly and difficult to prepare, and to cite a lack of variety and information about these products.

    The flavour of meat alternatives was the most important product attribute in both countries; this was followed by sustainability and affordability in the UK, while in Singapore, price and ingredients mattered most. Consumers in the latter also valued the impact of nutrition and health much more.

    “Consumers in the UK placed more importance on ecological welfare and political values when making food choices while consumers in Singapore were less concerned about the background of food and valued the impact of food on their body (e.g., health) more,” the researchers stated.

    “Additionally, consumers in Singapore also placed more importance on familiarity and alignment with religious values when making food decisions, as compared to Western countries.”

    How brands can tailor plant-based meat to meet cultural differences

    vegan seafood uk
    Courtesy: Happiee!

    So how can plant-based meat brands leverage these preferences to attract consumers across different cultures? For starters, they must tailor their offerings to local palates and demand.

    In both countries, vegan chicken is the most consumed meat analogue, but in the UK, plant-based beef is highly popular too, while seafood alternatives are not. This is because while Brits want more vegan seafood options like crab and prawns, they don’t think these alternatives have “nailed the fishy flavour or texture” so far.

    In Singapore, the consumption levels of beef, pork, and seafood analogues are middling, showcasing locals’ affinity for plant-based chicken over the rest. In addition, they’re on the lookout for more whole-cut meat alternatives.

    The results suggest that brands should target the supermarket route in the UK (and highlight environmental claims more prominently on packaging), as this is where consumers are most likely to buy plant-based meat. In Singapore, the major focus should be on foodservice instead, while packaged products should emphasise the health benefits.

    Participants from both countries bemoaned the price gap between plant-based and conventional meat, highlighting an immediate point of action for manufacturers and retailers. Singaporeans were additionally concerned about the lack of micronutrient fortification in certain products, and some Brits complained of the taste and texture of products like seafood and bacon (partly due to a freezer burn effect when they’re in stock for too long).

    this isn't chicken
    Courtesy: THIS

    At the same time, some consumers who don’t eat meat dislike the fact that most vegan alternatives are too realistic, prompting the need for brand to diversify their offerings to spotlight whole foods more. This is already happening in the UK, with new-format plant proteins like Oh So Wholesome’s Veg’chop and the Super Superfood by meat alternative brand THIS.

    This dovetails with concerns about ultra-processing, which are prevalent in both Singapore and the UK. Respondents felt that this makes plant-based meat unhealthy, thanks in part to the use of additives and high levels of fat, sodium, and salt – this has led many to “balance” meals containing these alternatives with “other nutritious accompaniments”.

    The authors make an “urgent call” to stakeholders to reformulate meat analogues to support regular consumption and increase scientific research to provide clear evidence on their health benefits.

    Meanwhile, greater availability and affordability, as well as a wider variety of options, are key areas for improvement. “Effective communication strategies and educational interventions could be useful in building trust with consumers while enabling them to make informed choices on their plant-based meat alternative purchases,” the study said.

    The post Plant Based Meat Is Too Generic, Says Study on How Culture Shapes Eating Habits appeared first on Green Queen.

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  • ‘Pivotal Moment’: Green Bonds Group Launches First-Ever Climate Finance Tool for Alternative Proteins

    alternative protein grants
    6 Mins Read

    The Climate Bonds Initiative, whose certification programme helps mobilise finance for climate solutions, has introduced a criterion dedicated to unlocking alternative protein investment.

    There’s no two ways about it: we need to change the way we eat, and we need to start with meat.

    Farming animals takes up way too much land, water, and resources than we can afford to use, all while producing 57% of the food system’s emissions. In fact, livestock agriculture is responsible for as much as a fifth of all global emissions – that’s 10 times higher than the greenhouse gases produced by the aviation industry.

    Despite the large amount of resources and pollution associated with meat and dairy production, these foods only provide 17% of the world’s calories and 38% of its protein supply. Global meat consumption is set to grow by 50% by mid-century, but we’re running out of land to meet that need.

    We need new ways to produce meat, which is where alternative proteins come in. Scientists agree that plant-based options are the “best available foods” for planetary health, considering that the world breached its 1.5°C temperature threshold in 2024, and without immediate and tangible action, even keeping post-industrial warming under 2°C feels like a pipe dream.

    While traditional plant proteins and novel alternatives might be the best way forward, investors don’t necessarily believe so anymore. The industry has taken several funding hits since the highs of 2021. Last year, financing for startups in the sector dropped by 27%, following a 44% dip the year before.

    It is critical that this industry develops further to scale up production and drive down costs, which is why the Climate Bonds Initiative (CBI) has launched its Alternative Protein Criteria to mobilise capital for these future foods.

    “It is essential that any investment aiming to address climate change and environmental integrity consider alternative proteins,” the non-profit says.

    “The alternative protein market is poised for rapid growth – with global protein demand expected to double by 2050, the need has never been greater. And yet clarity on how to achieve the greatest return on investment for the global protein market has been elusive to date,” Joanna Trewern, director of partnerships and institutional engagement at ProVeg International, tells Green Queen.

    “The newly launched CBI criteria is a comprehensive tool for certifying investments into alternative proteins, capturing everything from tofu to fungi and cultivated meat and seafood. Beyond protein type, it provides guidance on the most impactful strategies to scale the alternative protein market, including retail marketing, sustainable sourcing, and replacement and substitution,” she adds.

    “This is vital information for start-ups and investors operating in the alternative protein space. This valuable tool brings clarity at a critical time for the sector and will help increase investor confidence and drive investment into the most impactful areas.”

    What’s the focus of the Alternative Proteins Criteria?

    precision fermentation cheese
    Courtesy: Those Vegan Cowboys

    Climate bonds are financial instruments designed to raise capital for low-carbon projects to advance the green economy – think solar power, electric vehicles, and mass transit. They can be issued by governments, organisations like the World Bank, universities, and even corporations.

    CBI describes itself as the leading organisation mobilising global capital for climate action. It aims to drive the growth of the green and sustainable debt market through science-based frameworks, including the Climate Bonds Standard (CBS), which allows investors to assess the climate credentials and environmental integrity of bonds and other green debt products.

    The new Alternative Proteins criteria are said to be the first tool for certifying investments in sustainable proteins, and follow two months of public consultations. They highlight key areas for climate mitigation: scaling up production of foods like plant-based, fermentation-derived, cultivated, and blended proteins, encouraging meat substitution, and improving manufacturing processes and sourcing.

    Designed to provide procurement guidelines to align alternative protein production with a 1.5°C transition and enable stakeholders to issue credible green finance, the criteria focus on two main areas.

    The first is replacing some of the production and consumption of animal proteins with lower-impact alternatives – swapping beef would provide the biggest gains here. The second involves mitigating the impact of alternative proteins themselves, with a focus on energy source and use, raw materials, and waste management.

    CBI notes that most of the emissions for alternative proteins relate to energy use, so a switch to renewable energy is “significantly more effective” in attaining the potential emission reductions.

    “In assessing sustainability in the food system, alternative proteins are one of the most impactful climate mitigation solutions,” said Rosie Wardle, co-founder of Synthesis Capital and a member of the framework’s technical working group.

    “We must catalyse more capital into this sector to scale up the industry and to ensure the resilience of our food system, as without these solutions we cannot feed our growing global population within planetary boundaries.”

    The eligible measures for alternative protein stakeholders

    cultured meat regulation
    Courtesy: Aleph Farms

    The criteria will focus on climate and land use impacts, and will be informed by other standards in the market and recent policy developments. They’re applicable to various financial instruments, including use of proceeds (UoP) for green bonds and sustainability-linked debt.

    CBI’s framework only covers alternative protein sources intended for human consumption, so animal feed, pet food, and non-food applications are not eligible. It spotlights hybrid and blended products too, which combine different alternative proteins with each other or with animal-derived sources, with the latter needing to replace at least 60% of animal ingredients.

    The Alternative Proteins Criteria targets producers, distributors, retailers and foodservice providers alike. In its list of eligible measures that companies could use for UoP certification, it mentions product and menu reformulation, chef and food prep staff training, and sensory tasting to increase the uptake of alternative proteins for foodservice and own-label retail brands.

    Running cross-product discounts on alternative protein dishes and promotions like Meatless Mondays, matching the price of animal-free options with meat and dairy, recommending foods like beans in heart-healthy pamphlets in hospital canteens, redesigning stores to nudge consumers towards more sustainable foods are also among other measures eligible for UoP certification.

    The criteria incorporate safeguards for other issues like water pollution, animal welfare, and nutrition. Crucially, CBI states that cultivated meat companies must move away from fetal bovine serum by 2030 – a shift already being seen across the industry.

    Didier Toubia, co-founder and CEO of cultivated meat company Aleph Farms, and a member of the criteria’s industrial working group, called it “a timely and essential step towards aligning capital with food systems initiatives that serve both people and the planet”.

    “This initiative marks a pivotal moment for sustainable finance. It empowers new investors to join a transformation already embraced by over a third of the global population identifying as flexitarians,” he says.

    “It helps unlock critical funding to scale up new protein production systems like cultivated meat, transforming how we feed the world by reducing emissions, land use, and biodiversity loss, while ushering in a new era of culinary innovation and experiences.”

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  • Swiss Ban on Plant-Based Meat Labels ‘Contradictory’ to National Nutrition Strategy

    plant based meat switzerland
    4 Mins Read

    Switzerland’s highest court has introduced labelling rules for plant-based meat products that it claims would avoid confusing customers; in reality, further confusion is likely to be the outcome.

    Animal names like ‘chicken’ or ‘beef’ can no longer be used on plant-based product packaging in Switzerland, while terms such as ‘steak’ and fillet’ are fair game, according to a new ruling by its top court.

    On Friday, the Federal Supreme Court overturned a 2022 decision by the Zurich Administrative Court, which had rejected a cantonal laboratory’s ruling that prevented Planted – the country’s leading meat-free manufacturer – from using terms like ‘Planted chicken’, ‘like chicken’, and ‘like pork’ on product labels.

    The administrative court upheld Planted’s appeal of the cantonal laboratory’s ruling, based on research that showed 93% of respondents identified its chicken alternative as plant-based within seconds.

    In response, the Federal Department of Home Affairs filed its own appeal against this decision, which was upheld by the country’s Supreme Court last week.

    Planted slams labelling decision ‘driven by politics and emotion’

    plant based meat labelling ban
    Courtesy: Planted

    “The term ‘chicken’ refers to poultry, that is, an animal,” the federal court said in a statement. “A plant-based product which refers to the term ‘chicken’ and does not contain meat is a deception.”

    The four majority judges said the prevailing principle is that a food made without animals can’t be named a meat product, but conceded that the rules are very technical.

    For example, terms like ‘beef steak’ or ‘chicken from plants’ are now prohibited, while ‘soy sausages’, ‘grain minced meat’ or ‘lentil steaks’ can continue to be used on product labels.

    One of the judges argued that these designations served a commercial purpose, saying they were not just aimed at vegans, but at other Swiss consumers whom plant-based meat companies intend to convince too. “Imitation products must be labelled and advertised so that consumers can see the actual nature of the food and to distinguish it from products with which it could be confused,” the court said.

    However, Planted, which is set to receive a deadline to rename its products, called the move politically motivated. “As a Swiss citizen, I’m disappointed that a decision of this magnitude seems driven by politics and emotion,” said co-founder Judith Wemmer, who is also the president of the Swiss Protein Association.

    “Rather than helping consumers with simple, clear terminology, unnecessary bureaucracy is being created – wasting valuable resources,” she added, noting that the company would remain committed to its mission, having saved nearly 3.5 million chicken lives.

    “We at Planted never lack creativity when it comes to naming animal-free products,” Wemmer said. “No matter what’s written on the packaging, the content remains the same – delicious.”

    Swiss ban contradicts nutrition policy and EU legislation

    planted steak
    Courtesy: Planted

    The Swiss supreme court heavily relied on EU legislation and case law, having aligned itself more with European food labelling standards since the 2017 overhaul of its Foodstuffs Act.

    However, these restrictions on plant-based products no longer exist in the EU, with the European Parliament voting against a labelling ban in 2021, and the European Court of Justice reinforcing that in October last year after France’s government attempted to impose a similar ban.

    The ECJ ruled that no member state can prohibit companies from using terms like ‘veggie burger’, ‘plant-based sausage’ or ‘vegan bacon’ on product labels, a view echoed by France’s top court too. However, since Switzerland is not part of the EU, this decision doesn’t dictate labelling laws here.

    Wemmer called the Supreme Court’s decision “contradictory” in light of the Swiss Federal Council’s new nutritional strategy. Published last month, it calls for an overhaul of the national diet, with an emphasis on boosting plant-based nutrition, reducing food waste, and creating sustainable food environments.

    The eight-year plan chimes with the country’s latest dietary guidelines for adults, published last August, which recommend eating more whole foods and plant proteins. 

    It remains to be seen how Planted renames its offerings to meet the law’s guidelines.

    Meanwhile, meat alternatives might not be the only vegan products in jeopardy, with the federal agricultural research centre, Agroscope, last month stating that labels on non-dairy milk can “overwhelm” consumers and often be misleading.

    “More mandatory and harmonised provisions in food marketing are necessary in order to promote a sustainable and healthy diet,” it said, though also noting that eco labels have “great potential for even further use” with products like oat milk.

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  • Meatable Bets on Singapore Factory for Global Scale-Up of Cultivated Pork

    jeff tripician
    4 Mins Read

    Dutch startup Meatable has partnered with Singapore-based TruMeat to build a large-scale facility to produce cultivated meat at cost-competitive levels.

    As it awaits regulatory approval in the island nation, Meatable is planning to build a commercial-scale factory in Singapore to produce cultivated pork at a faster and cheaper rate.

    The Dutch startup has partnered with TruMeat, a firm focused on the industrialisation of cultivated meat tech, to construct what it says would be Singapore’s first cultivated meat factory capable of cost-competitive production.

    While details of the bioreactor’s size and capacity are yet to be revealed, the companies plan to start construction this year.

    “This is the next step in our journey to make cultivated meat accessible and affordable,” said Jeff Tripician, CEO of Meatable. “We have full trust in TruMeat’s expertise, and together, we are confident in our ability to optimise processes and scale efficiently.”

    Scaling up ahead of market entry

    The strategic partnership will focus on optimising processes and media development and building the state-of-the-art facility, which would be operated by TruMeat using Meatable’s technology.

    According to the company, the factory would be able to deliver cultivated meat at the cost levels and volumes required to support Meatable’s commercial partners in formulating, testing, and launching products made with its cultivated pork.

    “We recognise that Meatable is a clear leader in the cultivated meat space, and we have been waiting for a technology with this potential,” said TruMeat chairman James Chui.

    “We are very confident that by combining our strengths, we can achieve the necessary cost reductions and the commercial scale to make cultivated meat a viable option for global markets.”

    Meatable currently operates out of a facility in Leiden, which houses 200-litre bioreactors (with the potential of expanding to 500 litres). It has previously partnered with Singapore’s ESCO Aster, the world’s first approved contract manufacturing facility for cultivated meat, and plant protein manufacturer Love Handle.

    Its process involves the use of pluripotent stem cells (PSCs), which – unlike immortalised cell lines that need to be altered to multiply indefinitely – have the natural ability to continue multiplying, and do so rapidly.

    This is coupled with a perfusion process that enables a continuous cycle to generate very high cell densities and produce fully differentiated muscle and fat cells in just four days, the fastest of any startup in the industry.

    “This collaboration brings us closer to providing the meat industry with the solutions it needs to deliver great-tasting, sustainable meat to customers and consumers worldwide,” said Tripician.

    Meatable prepares for fundraising and regulatory approvals

    In a wide-ranging interview with Green Queen in October, Tripician laid out Meatable’s “big change” in approach since he took over from co-founder Krijn de Nood five months earlier.

    “The role of Meatable is to help meat companies gain access to more meat. We’re a supplier to them. We show them the technology. We transfer the technology so they can do what they do. They take raw material – meat – they turn it into food, and they sell it. We now provide them with some of the meat. Very simple.”

    Meatable’s focus on production in the city-state comes amid its wait for the regulatory green light from the Singapore Food Agency. “We’ve got meat companies there that know there’s regulatory approval, or there will be, within 12 to 18 months,” says Tripician. “That’s where it’s going to gain traction, and then we’ll follow.”

    At the time, he said the firm was expecting approval by Q1 2025. While this is delayed, the company said it will use the approval as a proxy to get clearance in other countries too, as a form of international cooperation for novel food authorisation.

    Meatable is filing dossiers in at least six countries. “I see us moving with pretty good speed through 2025,” Tripician said in October. “At the end, I would be very disappointed in our team if we don’t have approval in five, six countries by this time or the end of next year.”

    The company has already hosted two tasting events in Singapore, and one at its Leiden headquarters in the Netherlands (a first for the EU). Having raised $95M to date, it is looking to secure around $35M in a Series C raise, Tripician revealed at the time.

    While funding has been hard to come by for cultivated meat (plummeting by 75% and 40% in 2023 and 2024, respectively), some leading startups have been successful, as can be evidenced by Aleph Farms’s $29M raise.

    “If you believe we’re on the right path and the science and the IP and all that’s there, and our business model is going to be successful, can you invest an amount that will get us through this time?” Tripician had said when asked what his pitch to investors would be. “I know the meat companies will be buying licenses from us, building plants, and entering the marketplace over the next five years.”

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  • Climate-Smart Pet Food M&A: Prefera Acquires British Startup The Pack

    the pack pet food
    4 Mins Read

    The Pack, a British startup making alternative proteins for pet food, has been acquired by Prefera Petfood, a premium manufacturer founded by industry veterans.

    London-based alternative pet food maker The Pack has sold its brand to premium manufacturer Prefera Petfood, with the terms of the transaction undisclosed.

    The acquisition comes just weeks after the startup co-launched the UK’s first cultivated meat product for pets, and follows Prefera’s deal to co-produce cultivated mouse meat with another firm in Europe.

    The deal will see The Pack co-founders Judy Nadel and Damien Clarkson join the Prefera team to continue to grow their brand in Europe.

    “In joining Prefera Petfood, The Pack is going to be able to create the next generation of highly nutritious products for pets,” says Clarkson, who will remain CEO of the brand. “We are excited to combine our skills with the world-class production talent assembled by Prefera and look forward to seeing the brand grow greatly in the coming years.”

    He added that the deal would help The Pack develop innovative products and bring them to market much more quickly.

    vegan dog food
    Courtesy: The Pack

    The Pack sells brand after successful year

    Clarkson and Nadel – the pair behind agrifood investment platform Vevolution – founded The Pack in 2021, and sell both wet and dry dog food, including Europe’s first complete oven-baked plant-based kibble.

    Its products are made from pea protein, lupin beans, vegetables and herbs, and are rich in protein and micronutrients (with a digestibility rate of over 90%). Plus, the use of plant-based ingredients means its meals have a carbon footprint 17 times lower than meat-based dog food.

    The company closed an £835,000 seed funding round in December 2022 to bring its total funding to over £1M, before embarking on a crowdfunding campaign last summer. At the time, its sales were up by 39% year-over-year, with the firm “on track for our best-ever financial year”, Clarkson told Green Queen at the time.

    He had hinted at the company’s move past vegan products, and into cultivated meat. Building on that, The Pack co-developed oven-baked Chick Bites with London-based cultivated meat startup Meatly, the first company to be approved to sell these proteins in the UK.

    The limited-edition dog treats were available at Pets At Home in 50g pouches for £3.49. Clarkson labelled it a “watershed moment”, noting: “Cultivated meat offers a tasty, low-carbon, and healthy protein source, which has the potential to eliminate farmed animals from the pet food industry.”

    Pets account for 22% of the UK’s meat consumption, which is more than what British children eat every year. Meanwhile, labradors – the most popular pet dogs in the country – consume 70 million kg of meat annually, nearly 60% more than their owners.

    But environmental concerns have pushed half of global consumers to switch pet food brands or products, a number that rises slightly for millennials and Gen Zers, who are increasingly opting to have pets instead of children.

    These worries have only deepened over the year – in 2024, over a third (36%) of consumers said they were more likely to pay more for sustainable pet food than three years prior.

    cultivated pet food
    The Pack CEO Damien Clarkson, Pets at Home COO Anja Madsen, and Meatly CEO Owne Ensor | Courtesy: Meatly/Pets at Home

    Prefera continues M&A trend in plant-based sector

    Prefera, meanwhile, was formed in early 2024 by a group of industry veterans, with the team comprising former senior leaders from pet food giants, nutritionists, and veterinarians. The company is a specialist in premium wet pet food production, and sells primarily in Europe.

    “The Pack has been one of the pioneering companies in the emerging alternative protein pet food market,” said Nicola Magalini, managing partner of Prefera. He is the former CEO of Lily’s Kitchen, and also worked as an executive at Purina, the pet food brand owned by Nestlé.

    “Prefera are excited to add the brand to our growing portfolio of brands to work with Damien Clarkson and Judy Nadel, in growing the brand across Europe and expanding their range of products vastly,” Magalini added.

    Last month, Prefera partnered with US startup BioCraft Pet Nutrition to co-manufacture the latter’s cell-cultured mouse ingredient on a commercial scale. The details about the length of the partnership, the production volumes, or the deal’s financials were not disclosed.

    However, BioCraft co-founder and CEO Shannon Falconer told Green Queen: “We anticipate being able to offer meaningful volumes of our ingredient to pet food manufacturers in Europe in late 2025.” The firm recently registered its ingredient to sell cultivated meat for pets in the EU.

    The Pack’s acquisition is part of a wider trend of mergers and acquisitions in the plant-based sector, where both sales and VC dollars have dried up in recent years. US vegan pet food maker Wild Earth recently filed for bankruptcy, while companies like Wicked Kitchen, Deliciously Ella, Nuggs, Vertage, Blackbird Foods, and Allplants have all been acquired in the last 12 months.

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  • Beyond Meat Brings Back Fan Favourite: Unbreaded Chicken Pieces

    beyond meat chicken pieces
    6 Mins Read

    Beyond Meat has launched plant-based Chicken Pieces at Kroger stores across the US, marking a new iteration of its first-ever product, and the return of a fan favourite.

    At the behest of its fans, plant-based giant Beyond Meat has brought back the cult-favourite product that kickstarted the company’s journey.

    The El Segundo-based firm has reintroduced Chicken Pieces, a successor to its first-ever product, Chicken Strips, which was discontinued six years ago.

    According to the company, the new unbreaded chicken is one of Beyond Meat’s “most highly requested products”, teasing its release on its Instagram page with a post that featured countless comments from customers asking for the chicken and debuting it at Expo West in Anaheim, California this past March.

    The launch comes days after a two-decade-long study showed that regularly eating chicken could double the risk of death from gastrointestinal cancers, raising fresh concerns about advice from bodies like the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, which has supported a shift to white meat as a planetary and human health solution.

    “After several years of research to raise the bar on taste, clean ingredients, and nutrition, Beyond Meat is reintroducing our unbreaded chicken platform as Beyond Chicken Pieces,” a company spokesperson told Green Queen.

    “As a company dedicated to rapid and relentless innovation to create the most delicious and nutritious plant-based proteins, and following the introduction of our breakthrough unbreaded chicken strips, we are excited that we have truly raised the bar with this newest iteration of unbreaded chicken,” they added.

    The evolution of Beyond Meat’s chicken

    beyond meat chicken strips
    The original Beyond Meat chicken strips. Courtesy: Reuters

    While Beyond Meat may be best known for its beef burger patties today, when it first entered the retail market, it was with a plant-based chicken range, launching grilled strips in a frozen format in 2013.

    That product was the result of 20 years of research by University of Missouri professors Harold Huff and Fu-Hung Hsieh, whose formula was licensed by Ethan Brown, founder and CEO of Beyond Meat.

    The firm launched the Chicken Strips in the US market in 2012 and garnered a cult following among its customer base. However, the product failed to impress food journalists like Mark Bittman, then an influential columnist at the New York Times, who called it “bland, unexciting and not very chicken-like” when trying the strips unadulterated.

    As Beyond Meat introduced its beef and sausage analogues in the years ahead, it discontinued the OG chicken product in 2019, the same year it went public.

    The company did not respond to Green Queen’s question about why the frozen chicken strips were withdrawn from the market in the first place, though an FAQ section on its website at the time said: “We’re constantly innovating and renovating our products based on consumer feedback. Unfortunately, our Chicken Strips weren’t delivering the same plant-based meat experience as some of our more popular products.”

    It added: “But, there’s good news. We have a team of chefs and scientists who are working on getting an even better, tastier version of Beyond Chicken Strips back on retail shelves and restaurant menus as soon as possible.”

    Now, after six years, they’re finally back, this time as pieces rather than strips. “Made from simple ingredients including avocado oil, which is high in heart-healthy monounsaturated fats, Beyond Chicken Pieces offer 21g of clean plant protein per serving with only 0.5g saturated fat, no cholesterol, no GMOs, and no added hormones or antibiotics,” the company spokesperson told Green Queen.

    Like many of Beyond’s recent products, it carries certifications from the American Heart Association’s Heart-Check and the American Diabetes Association’s Better Choices for Life scheme.

    Will consumers take to unbreaded vegan chicken pieces?

    beyond chicken pieces
    Courtesy: Beyond Meat

    Beyond Meat’s unbreaded chicken pieces are made from soy protein, wheat gluten, natural flavours, avocado oil, potato starch, pea fibre, potassium salt, yeast extract, spices and seasonings, and salt. They’re available at 1,900 Kroger stores, with each 10-oz pack setting you back $8.99.

    While it may be the company’s most requested product, introducing a pre-cut unbreaded chicken analogue is an interesting choice. There are several other products like this on the market, including from The Vegetarian Butcher and Vivera, but they tend to be a hard sell for meat-eaters, which is the focal consumer demographic for plant-based meat companies.

    In a 2,700-person taste test of American omnivores, only 37% liked the market-leading vegan chicken strips and chunks, falling to 25% for the average brand, as opposed to 67% who liked the animal-based benchmark.

    Taste-testers complained of a bland, earthy and chemical flavour, as well as a weird aftertaste in the average unbreaded plant-based chicken chunks. In fact, even the plant-based leader was preferred over its conventional counterpart by just 15% of participants.

    When it comes to unbreaded chicken analogues, people prefer whole-cut filets over strips or chunks. “One of the biggest R&D opportunities across all categories was juiciness [or] tenderness,” explained Caroline Cotto, director of Nectar, the research agency that conducted the taste test. “That played out in this category clearly where perhaps the smaller pieces have more problems retaining their moisture.”

    Beyond Meat restates core focus amid whole-food demand

    beyond chicken
    Courtesy: Beyond Meat

    Plant-based meat continued to see declining sales in the US last year, dropping by 7%, just as traditional proteins like tofu, tempeh, and seitan witnessed a 7% hike in sales. This comes as consumers are looking for more whole-food options. In the UK, plant-based meat brand THIS’s Super Superfood and Oh So Wholesome’s Veg’chop, which pack plants in protein-rich blocks, lean into this trend.

    Beyond Meat did not respond to questions about market decline or the impact of the Trump administration’s policies on its business though the company said that its “core product portfolio is intended to replicate beef, pork and poultry”. When asked how it plans to straddle the line between meat alternatives and whole foods, it pointed to the Sun Sausage line it launched last year, which the spokesperson called “an important and exciting expansion of our product portfolio”.

    The Sun Sausages contain a base of yellow peas, brown rice, red lentils and faba beans, which are complemented with avocado oil, oat bran, oat fibre, and other ingredients. While the brand has touted a “clean and simple ingredient list”, each of the three flavours contains over 20 ingredients.

    Beyond Meat has been doubling down on the health messaging over the last year, battling vast amounts of misinformation from the meat industry with a new documentary, Planting Change, released last week.

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

    He has previously stated that it would be arguable “whether Beyond Meat is, at its core, a plant-based meat company that delivers health and wellness, or a health and wellness company that makes plant-based meat”.

    The company’s revenues were down by 5% in 2024, though the rate of decline had slowed substantially, with losses shrinking by 52%. That said, it decided to suspend its China operations and laid off 9% of its global workforce in the last quarter of 2024. Now, it’s preparing to debut a new steak product made with mycelium, and will announce the financial results of Q1 2025 next week.

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