Texas Governor Greg Abbott has made the state the seventh in the US to ban the sale of cultivated meat. He has also ordered an investigation into ultra-processed foods.
Despite two more companies receiving regulatory approval to sell cultivated proteins in the US this year, the number of states banning these foods continues to rise.
Texas has become the latest state to prohibit the sale, the result of an effort that began in November. SB 261 was one of the 300-plus bills signed into law by Governor Greg Abbott last week, imposing a two-year ban that starts on September 1 this year.
“The offering for sale or sale of cell-cultured protein for human consumption within this state is unlawful and prohibited,” the bill read.
It was backed by the cattle industry, which took a familiar line to its bipartisan passage last month. “The bill prohibits the sale and offer of sale of cell-cultured proteins to prevent Texas consumers from being a science experiment as companies seek to profit from selling cell-cultured protein with no long-term health studies,” said the Texas & Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association (TSCRA).
“This bill also pushes back on an agenda by certain radical groups and companies who seek to end traditional animal agriculture,” it added.
Texas takes aim at cultivated meat and ultra-processed foods
Courtesy: Mission Barns
The effort to ban cultivated meat in Texas was spearheaded by Senator Charles Perry, who authored 2023’s SB 664, which successfully restricted how these proteins are labelled.
The bill was read for the first time in February, and eventually passed the Senate with no opposition. In the House, two-thirds of representatives voted in favour, while only a quarter were against the measure. It moved to the governor’s desk last week, and was signed alongside hundreds of bills.
Despite banning their sale, it still outlines how cultivated meat products must be labelled. It necessitates that these foods need to be labelled in a prominent font that’s equal to or larger than the surrounding text, using the terms ‘cell-cultured’, ‘lab-grown’, or “a similar qualifying term or disclaimer intended to clearly communicate to a consumer the contents of the protein”.
“Ranchers across Texas work tirelessly to raise healthy cattle and produce high-quality beef,” TSCRA president Carl Ray Polk Jr said last month. “Our association is grateful for those legislators who voted in support of this legislation and understood the core of this bill, to protect our consumers, the beef industry and animal agriculture.”
As the leading cattle producer in the US, Texas’ impact on the planet is outsized. Beef is the food system’s single-worst polluter, emitting twice as many greenhouse gases as the next product on the list (dark chocolate).
Instead of mitigating the impact of beef, Texas – like many other US states – is exploring ways to protect the industry, which is the third-largest economic generator in the state. It comes amid a wider backdrop of a federal administration that has rallied against what they call “fake meat”, coupled with the rise of the meat-eating manosphere, which led Americans to spend more on meat last year than ever before.
Apart from banning cultivated meat, Abbott signed a bill called Make Texas Healthy Again, aligning with health secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr’s MAHA movement. A key focus? To review the impact of ultra-processed foods (UPFs) on human health, keying into a major point of discourse in American food culture.
It chimes with a similar executive order from California Governor Gavin Newsom, and RFK Jr’s opposition to these foods, which include alternative proteins like plant-based and cultivated meat. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is now working to develop a definition of UPFs too.
US both the most receptive and opposed to cultivated meat
These bans have been criticised for limiting consumer choice, stifling innovation, and being anti-competitive. One farmer told the AP that he welcomes cultivated meat producers to “jump into the pool” and try to compete with his Waygu beef, while the North American Meat Institute has suggested that these bans “bills establish a precedent for adopting policies and regulatory requirements that could one day adversely affect the bills’ supporters”.
Even consumers are against these efforts. Every American who tasted Upside Foods’ cultivated chicken ahead of Florida’s move last year opposed political bans on these foods.
States are already facing legal challenges. Florida has been sued by Upside Foods, the first company to receive federal approval to sell cultivated meat in the country, with a judge recently rejecting the state’s request to throw out the case.
And in sharp contrast to the legislative upheaval, the FDA approved two additional companies to sell cultivated meat, with Mission Barns now awaiting the greenlight from the Department of Agriculture for its pork fat, and Wildtype’s salmon already available in a Portland restaurant. These companies have joined Upside Foods and Eat Just’s Good Meat in getting the FDA greenlight.
All this illustrates the contradictory landscape around cultivated meat regulation. While the US is the country with the most attempted (and successful) bans on these proteins, it’s also the one with the most approvals. Over the coming months, more of both are expected.
Snack giant Doritos has teamed up with food tech startup NotCo to launch co-branded vegan products with the iconic Flamin’ Hot flavour in Chile.
Known for its groundbreaking partnerships with food industry giants, Chilean food tech unicorn NotCo has unveiled its latest plant-based products that incorporate a renowned snack flavour.
The startup has collaborated with PepsiCo-owned tortilla chip behemoth Doritos to launch Flamin’ Hot Not Chicken Nuggets, as well as the nacho-cheese-infused NotMayo Doritos.
The result of an eight-month effort, the two products are available in NotCo’s home market of Chile, priced at $4.20 each. “Doritos, to me, is one of those things that you don’t need to be hungry to want one,” said NotCo co-founder and CEO Matias Muchnick.
“The conversation began with a random connection. That quickly led us to a ‘what if?’ (which is the same as a ‘why not’, but reimagined),” he explained. “There were no infinite decks or eternal presentations. There was just a desire to do it. There were guts and common sense to move forward.”
How NotCo and Doritos created the new products
Courtesy: NotCo/Doritos
While the ingredients of either of the new products have not yet been revealed, they bear a resemblance to NotCo’s core products. Its Not Chicken Nuggets are made from a base of flour, sunflower oil, pea and bean protein, wheat gluten, while the original NotMayo contains soybean and sunflower oils, modified starch, spirit vinegar, chickpea flour, and more.
The collaboration blends these innovations with the signature seasonings created by Frito-Lay, the PepsiCo subsidiary that owns Doritos, Cheetos, Lay’s and other snack brands. Flamin’ Hot originally contains a range of spices, cheese, MSG and food dyes, and the classic Doritos cheese flavour combines Cheddar and Romano cheeses with buttermilk, whey concentrate, and a host of spices.
NotCo is known for turning CPG classics vegan, using Giuseppe, its artificial intelligence platform. It sifts through an almost infinite number of combinations to find the most suitable ingredients to replace animal-derived ones, complementing the work of food scientists, chefs, and product developers, from concept creation all the way to the final version of the formula.
“When we sat down with the PepsiCo team, everything moved fast. The first thing was to try something out, and that was our bet – go big or go home,” said Muchnick. “Step one from Giuseppe? A Doritos ice cream sandwich covered in chocolate with Doritos-flavoured ice cream.
“There were several of us at the table, and being a somewhat perceptive person, I noticed the immediate faces of: ‘What the hell did we get ourselves into?’ And rightfully so,” he recalled.
But it was Benjamin Herrera, the marketing director for PepsiCo’s South Cone division, who stepped up and cracked the code. “I stared at him and saw the look on his face that screamed: ‘Holy shit,’ but he didn’t say it,” said Muchnick. “Instead, he smiled provocatively… and said: ‘Let’s go all in.’”
Creating a Doritos-flavoured NotMayo “was too obvious not to do”, argued Muchnick, outlining how it made Doritos “even more Doritos-y”.
“Then we jumped into the Flamin’ Hot craze and, with our collective obsession over Shaq’s reaction on one of YouTube’s most-watched shows, Hot Ones, we said: Not Chicken Nuggets Flamin’ Hot? Why (the fuck) not?” he added.
Courtesy: NotCo/Doritos
NotCo bets on AI tech to recreate more classics
Herrera called the two products “intense, unexpected, daring and built with the best of both worlds: the power of Doritos’ intense and iconic flavour and NotCo’s food technology”.
“This positions us at PepsiCo Southern Cone as a centre of talent and innovation. Because we are a global company, but we think locally in all the markets where we operate,” he said. “Thinking glocal is what allows us to continue surprising and growing.”
The new nuggets and mayo will be produced by NotCo and sold by both brands, and other co-developed products will follow soon.
PepsiCo is far from the only food and beverage leader working with NotCo, either on co-branded items or on tailored product development. Mars, Mondelēz International and Nestlé are all leveraging its AI platform to speed up their R&D and improve products.
“Usually, they need better nutritional labels, [and] more cost-efficient formulations. Regulations are changing all the time. Governments are pushing towards having better products from many aspects,” Karim Pichara, co-founder and CTO of NotCo, told Green Queen in March. “Now, we have several projects with all these companies that are related to reformulation and end-to-end product creation.”
Courtesy: NotCo/Doritos
Most notably, NotCo has formed a joint venture with The Kraft Heinz Company, which sells plant-based versions of classics like the blue-box mac and cheese and Oscar Mayer hot dogs in North America. This month, they released mac and cheese cups and chipotle-flavoured mayo to the market.
The company recently unveiled a new GLP Booster powder for people who have weaned off Ozempic and other weight-loss drugs, or those who can’t or don’t want to use them.
It’s already the largest alternative protein player in Latin America, and has teased more launches over the coming months. “We have a few products with some companies in Latin America, and also in the US and in Europe, where we are building entirely new concepts for them,” said Pichara.
“There are several products – very iconic and famous products – that are going to be rolled out this year with a newer version, and we were the ones that reformulated those,” he added.
Dutch supermarket Albert Heijn has introduced 15 products combining meat and dairy with plant-based ingredients in the largest such rollout of blended proteins yet.
The Netherlands really is going big on blends.
After Lidl and Aldi, Albert Heijn has become the latest supermarket to join the hybrid protein crusade. And it hasn’t just launched a singular burger or mince, the retailer has gone all out with 15 new products combining animals with plants, spanning both meat and milk.
The new range includes semi-skimmed milk, sausages, salami and deli meats, which are blended with ingredients like faba and butter beans, celeriac, and sugar beet fibre. They’re available in stores now, and crucially, are priced the same as their conventional counterparts.
“These products are more than just delicious. They are the future of food – where taste, health, and sustainability go hand in hand,” said Danilla Vegam, global senior VP of health and sustainability at Ahold Delhaize, the retailer’s parent company.
Can blended meat overturn poor plant protein sales?
Courtesy: Albert Heijn/Green Queen
By blending meat with plant-based ingredients, Albert Heijn is targeting both health and sustainability wins. Research shows that swapping just half of our meat consumption with plant-based proteins can lower agricultural emissions by 31% and land use by 12%, and halt deforestation.
Blended meat can be a useful solution, especially as concerns about poor taste and ultra-processing slow the uptake of plant-based meat products. While Ahold Delhaize announced a plant protein strategy at the start of the year, it has since admitted that sales of these products at Albert Heijn have been disappointing.
The supermarket aimed to raise the share of plant proteins sold to 47% in 2024, 50% in 2025, and 60% by the end of the decade. However, the ratio failed to increase in favour of plants last year, instead falling slightly from 44.5% in 2023 to 44.2%.
Courtesy: Nectar
Sensory testing shows that these products are more likely to appeal to meat-eaters and flexitarians than plant-based alternatives. In some cases, they even outperform 100% meat products. That’s likely what convinced Albert Heijn to go all out on blended meat. It is marketing the products as low-fat, and they cost the same or less than conventional meat.
The range includes seven beef products, including hamburgers, minced meat, sausages, and soup balls. They contain 66-76% beef, which is mixed primarily with 21-23% sugar beet fibre, alongside flavourings, preservatives, and starches.
For consumers, the big benefit lies in a lower saturated fat content. The blended burger and soup balls, for instance, contain 44% less saturated fat than their fully animal-derived counterparts. And while they contain slightly less protein, they offer fibre – a macronutrient currently in demand from consumers optimizing for better gut health.
Meanwhile, Albert Heijn has introduced a line of deli sausages blended with plants too. The salami and cervelaat slices are mixed with butter beans and offer a 30% reduction in total fat, while the grilled, cooked, sandwich and roasted minced meat sausages are combined with kohlrabi (helping halve the fat content).
Hybrid milk range targets saturated fat and emissions
Courtesy: Albert Heijn
The hybrid milks were developed by Dutch firm Farm Dairy and Denmark’s PlanetDairy, who recently introduced a three-strong lineup of cow’s milk blended with plant protein to lower saturated fat content and deliver a 20-30% reduction in emissions.
“The first challenge to overcome was taste and appearance. The new milk blend had to look and taste like traditional dairy milk that people are used to,” explained PlanetDairy CTO Paul Cornillon. “Then, of course, it needs to be affordable. So ingredients must be selected carefully. And in between, the team also had to ensure a strong nutrition profile.”
Each round of product development was met with consumer feedback before being presented to Albert Heijn. In the final range, they settled on 60% cow’s milk for the semi-skimmed version, combining it with sunflower oil, faba bean protein, sugar and salt, and fortifying it with vitamins and calcium. The whole milk, meanwhile, contains 70% conventional dairy.
There are several benefits here. By substituting some of the cow’s milk with plant-based ingredients, Albert Heijn is able to minimise the climate footprint of its dairy offerings. And while the blended milks have slightly lower protein (by 12-14%), they drastically reduce the amount of saturated fat by around 70%.
According to the company, they retain the taste of 100% cow’s milk while adding plants to people’s diets – a key ESG and planetary health goal. “The idea of combination products is new and may take some getting used to. But taste tests show that these products are just as tasty as the regular versions,” said Nienke Tjerkstra, VP of health and sustainability at Albert Heijn.
Courtesy: Roland Berger
A recent global survey, meanwhile, suggested that among the 38% of people who don’t buy non-dairy products, 58% showcase the potential to switch if certain needs are met. The biggest problem was unsatisfactory taste or texture, which left 57% of consumers resistant to these products, followed by limited availability (55%) and high prices (37%).
Previous attempts at hybrid dairy have been middling, and existing ranges – like Kerry Group’s Smug Dairy line of cheeses and butter – are much more expensive than conventional dairy (and even some plant-based versions). So pricing the new blended milks at parity is a shrewd move by Albert Heijn.
“This is just the first step. We are already working on our next project together: yoghurt blends,” said PlanetDairy CEO Jakob Skovgaard. This keys into what consumers want: a recent poll found that people are most receptive to hybrid yoghurts and ice creams, though they’re least interested in beverages and milk alternatives.
Albert Heijn’s Tjerkstra remains bullish on the idea. “We’re making it easier to eat plant-based more often, without customers having to compromise on taste or habits. Small changes can make a big difference – for yourself and for the planet,” she said.
Pure Mylk, a Malaysian plant-based dairy firm, has opened an innovation hub to help companies bring dairy-free beverages to market.
Malaysia’s Pure Mylk has opened The Mylky Way in Selangor, described as Southeast Asia’s first dedicated innovation centre for plant-based milk.
Specialising in non-dairy beverage solutions and contract manufacturing for B2B clients, the firm’s new hub features R&D labs, sensory testing rooms, a full-scale pilot plant, a showroom, and a training centre to help companies big and small turn ideas into market-ready products.
“This was never about competition – it’s about collaboration,” said Pure Mylk founder and CEO Marcus Khoo. “Whether you’re a startup or a legacy brand exploring plant-based, we’re here to help bring your vision to life with confidence and consistency.”
Marrying enzyme processing with shelf-stable tech
Courtesy: Pure Mylk
Pure Mylk combines advanced enzymatic processing with aseptic UHT technology to produce shelf-stable plant-based dairy products with clean labels and enhanced taste, texture and nutrition. The new facility incorporates both technologies.
It uses natural enzymes to break down starches and fibre via hydrolysis, enhancing protein stability and texture, and reducing the need for additives like emulsifiers and sugars. The aseptic tech, meanwhile, sterilises beverages to ensure longer shelf life and eschews the need for refrigeration.
The facility has two purpose-built buildings that house its labs, production plant, and other spaces. In the showroom, companies can sample products and receive feedback before bringing them to market, while the training centre aims to upskill aspiring food technologists.
The Mylky Way also features an incubation space for small and medium-sized businesses, and supports flexible partnerships without the financial toll of full in-house production.
By supporting ambient-stable production, the hub reduces the reliance on cold-chain dependency. It further promotes planet-friendly ingredients like oats to key into businesses’ ESG targets and national food security, climate and public health goals.
“From enzymatic breakthroughs to responsible sourcing, everything we do is rooted in science and sustainability,” said Wong Chia Yen, Pure Mylk’s R&D lead. “The Mylky Way levels the playing field – giving local innovators access to the same tools used by global brands.”
Extending Asia’s leadership in plant-based dairy
Courtesy: Pure Mylk
Pure Mylk’s current portfolio spans a wide range of ingredients, from commonly used bases like oats and almonds to the more unique macadamias, pumpkin seeds, and sesame seeds. It is now expanding beyond non-dairy milk with products like vegan yoghurts and functional dairy-free beverages.
The company is working with Danish biotech giant Novonesis, automation leader Siemens, and packaging behemoth Tetra Pak to bring their processing, packaging, and bio-based ingredient expertise to Southeast Asia. This will allow local brands to accelerate product development and boost their supply chains, bringing plant-based dairy innovations to market faster.
Tetra Pak itself has been investing in alternative protein technology of late. It has helped Brazilian chestnut milk startup Cuíca formulate and test its product before entering the market, choose packaging solutions that require no preservatives, and find co-packers. And this week, it opened the New Food Technology Development Centre in Sweden to help commercialise biomass and precision-fermented products.
Pure Mylk will open The Mylky Way up for private tours and discovery sessions in Q3 2025. Moreover, it plans to actively engage in school nutrition programmes and regional food security initiatives to drive food policy and innovation discussions in Southeast Asia.
Courtesy: GFI
And with good reason – over 96% of Asia-Pacific’s vegan food sales came from dairy alternatives in 2024, according to Euromonitor data published by the Good Food Institute. The region recorded $8.6B in retail sales of plant-based dairy, accounting for over a third of the global total – it is by far the largest market for these products.
Research shows that nearly three in 10 Asians consume non-dairy milks, cheeses, yoghurts and more, and globally, poor taste and texture leave 57% of people unsatisfied with the current crop of products. It necessitates the need for innovation hubs like The Mylky Way, which could close the gap between cows and plants.
Canadian whole-cut plant-based meat maker New School Foods has expanded its business structure and diversified from salmon to beef.
Following months of aggressive expansion for its plant-based whole-cut salmon in Canada, New School Foods is now broadening more than just its foodservice footprint.
The Toronto startup has now evolved into NS/TX (New School Textures) Industries, an expanded business that acts as a parent to its R&D and manufacturing divisions, as well as the New School Foods consumer brand.
The move sees the firm expand its portfolio past seafood and into red meat, with NS/TX’s scaffolding process and directional freezing technology able to create not just whole-cut salmon fillets, but also steak and bone-in ribs.
Expanding the business will allow it to operate both as a producer and as a manufacturing partner to other companies looking to experiment and scale up without having to build from the bottom up.
“We have spent the last year scaling up our manufacturing process into an assembly line that can create all of these products, and we decided that we don’t want to reserve this technology for a single brand,” explained founder and CEO Chris Bryson.
“The creation of NS/TX allows us to partner with other brands to develop and manufacture the next generation of alternative protein products.”
NS/TX’s technology is ‘species-agnostic’
Courtesy: NS/TX Industries
Instead of extrusion, a widely used technique in the industry that denatures proteins via heat, NS/TX employs directional freezing to allow products to start raw and cook like conventional meat.
The 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 products a flaky texture.
The scaffold macrostructure can be made into any shape and size, and the texture can be modified by tuning the diameter, length and resistance of the muscle fibres to match any meat type. The pattern and composition of the connective tissue can also be customised, while the multi-layered scaffolds can be infused with “nearly any protein, liquid oil, flavour and colours”, the company explained.
NS/TX has previously described the platform as “species-agnostic”, hinting at its capabilities beyond seafood. Since the scaffolding can be used with plant-based, fermentation-derived or cell-cultivated proteins, it paved the way for the startup to enter B2B co-manufacturing and white-label partnerships.
Courtesy: NS/TX Industries
“Our scaffolding technology has proven to be more flexible than we imagined, and shown that it can be a superior manufacturing alternative to extrusion for red meat as well as seafood applications,” explained Bryson.
The scaffolds can be embedded with plant-based ‘bones’ to emulate steak and ribs, opening up a new avenue for the company. Slovenia’s Juicy Marbles made a splash in 2023 when it launched vegan Baby Ribs with edible bones, which were made from the byproducts of plant protein production.
In addition, NS/TX is utilising waste, finding that the excess material from shaping its whole cuts can form products like ground or flaked meats and fish. “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,” Bryson told Green Queen last month.
Evolved company pulls focus on manufacturing and R&D
Courtesy: NS/TX Industries
Founded in 2021, NS/TX carries out all its R&D, engineering and production at its recently opened 28,000 sq ft facility in Toronto, using off-the-shelf food manufacturing equipment that significantly lowers costs compared to extrusion or cellular agriculture.
This year, the company has signed agreements to bring its whole-cut salmon to over 30 restaurants across Canada, spanning Michelin Guide standouts, boutique hotels, ramen and sushi shops, and emerging chains. It has penned distribution deals with Gordon Food Service, the largest family-operated food distributor in North America, and speciality food purveyor Bondi Produce.
Now, it’s moving into its next phase with the evolved entity, which houses three business units. New Schools Foods is the consumer-facing brand through which it will produce the salmon and beef analogues.
NS/TX R&D will feature a scientific and culinary innovation team that collaborates with other companies to develop custom formulations and products using its technology.
And NS/TX Manufacturing will open up its tech to a wider clientele, working with other food companies to develop and scale private-label, white-label and co-branded offerings. This division will be rolled out over time.
Courtesy: NS/TX Industries
The firm has raised upwards of $19M to date, including via a $6M funding round led by Inter IKEA, the holding company of the furniture giant, last year. That came during the ongoing 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,” Bryson told Green Queen last month.
“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.”
British cultivated pork startup Hoxton Farms has teamed up with Japan’s Mitsui Chemicals in its latest move, spotlighting Asia’s biomanufacturing leadership.
When it comes to cultivated meat, Europe is still playing catch-up thanks to its regulatory framework, leading many startups to look elsewhere. But while the US may be the only country to have approved four of these products for sale, the protein culture wars have left the novel industry vulnerable.
That leaves an Asia-sized opportunity for Europe’s alternative protein leaders, and they’re going all in. Several firms have applied for regulatory approval and struck partnerships to manufacture cultivated meat in the world’s largest continent, thanks to a thriving biomanufacturing ecosystem and an increasingly inviting regulatory landscape.
One of those companies is Hoxton Farms, the London-based producer of cultivated meat. In March, it teamed up with Japanese conglomerate Sumitomo Corporation to commercialise its pork fat ingredient in the country and the wider Asia-Pacific region.
Now, it is doubling down on Japan through a partnership with Mitsui Chemicals, which has joined as an investor in the British startup. They will work together to expand biomanufacturing, cultivated fat, and other cell-based ingredients across Asia-Pacific.
Hoxton Farms and Mitsui Chemicals to develop suite of cell-based ingredients
Courtesy: Hoxton Farms
The collaboration will leverage Hoxton Farms’s technology and Mitsui Chemicals’s manufacturing expertise to accelerate the scale-up and commercialisation of biomanufacturing tech for high-value industries, including food, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, and sustainable materials.
Hoxton Farms’s modular bioreactor systems are designed for large-scale cell culture at drastically low costs, paving the way for the manufacturing of a range of bioproducts. Mitsui Chemicals, meanwhile, has decades of experience in chemicals manufacturing, process engineering, and infrastructure development, alongside a portfolio of biomanufacturing-ready materials.
The two companies said they will co-develop and deploy advanced materials that enhance the efficiency, durability and scalability of biomanufacturing systems.
They will start with Hoxton Fat, a lipid derived from cultivated pork cells that offers manufacturers a “drop-in” replacement for unhealthy animal fats and poor-performing plant oils in products like soups, sauces, and even conventional meat. The alliance will further explore opportunities for other cell-cultured and bioengineered products – think cosmetics, cell therapies, or bio-based chemicals.
“Starting with Hoxton Fat, an innovative and delicious ingredient that aligns with the sustainability policy of Mitsui Chemicals Group, we look forward to working together to establish an ecosystem for a wide range of applications and worldwide regions, leveraging our knowledge of materials and manufacturing,” said Shunsuke Fujii, general manager of Mitsui Chemicals’s New Business Incubation Center.
Tapping into Asia’s biomanufacturing leadership
Courtesy: Hoxton Farms
Max Jamilly, co-founder and CEO of Hoxton Farms, said: “As demand for sustainable alternatives grows across industries, we need a new generation of biomanufacturing infrastructure.” The goal of the collaboration is to unlock cross-sector innovation and economic growth in Asia-Pacific and across the world.
Globally, the next-gen biomanufacturing market, which offers low-carbon alternatives to petrochemicals and animal-derived products, was valued at $24B last year, and is expected to nearly triple by 2037. While North America retained the largest share, Asia-Pacific isn’t far behind.
This is thanks to a rise in policies establishing robust local supply chains that lower the reliance on imports and boost the economy. China has already established itself as a biomanufacturing leader, integrating biotech into its Made in China 2025 strategy and the 14th Five-Year Plan (covering 2021 to 2025).
Others are gaining ground too. South Korea’s Bio-Health Industry Promotion Plan looks to enhance its biotech ecosystem via initiatives like the Advanced Biotechnology Initiative and the National Synthetic Biology Initiative (which aims to turn 30% of its manufacturing into the bio-industry within a decade).
Singapore has long been a pioneer of food tech innovation, having been the first country to approve the sale of cultivated meat and gas proteins. The Biologics Pharma Innovation Programme Singapore, meanwhile, aims to boost local manufacturing via a public-private consortium.
Courtesy: Eat Just
Last year, India launched its BioE3 policy with a focus on accelerating tech development and commercialisation by setting up biomanufacturing hubs and biofoundries. Japan, meanwhile, wants to become the most advanced bioeconomy society by 2030, and has announced an $8B fund to support biomanufacturing.
Speaking to Green Queen in March, Jamilly said: “We will file this year in Singapore and the US, followed by UK and other jurisdictions such as Thailand, Japan, Korea, and Australia and New Zealand. We expect to go to market in Singapore first.”
An interview with the author of a new book that exposes how flawed land-use math is derailing climate progress and argues that even eliminating fossil fuels won’t save us unless we fix food production’s massive emissions.
We Are Eating the Earth: The Race to Fix Our Food System and Save Our Climate is the latest book by award-winning journalist and author Michael Grunwald. Its main thesis is that we’re basing our climate decisions on the wrong math when it comes to land use, and that until we solve for this Brazil-sized blind spot, we cannot solve for climate change.
The book is heavy on science, numbers, and policy, which may discourage some, but Grunwald is a gifted storyteller. While he does not offer up any easy answers, Grunwald is a fan of humanity and an admirer of our capacity for world-changing innovation, and the book ends on a hopeful note. Below is an edited and condensed version of my interview with him. For a longer review of the book, see here.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Sonalie Figueiras (Green Queen): What was your plan when you started working on this book about food and climate?
Mike Grunwald: Honestly, I didn’t have one. I was pretty ignorant about the subject, despite being a policy reporter focused on energy and climate. I realised I was missing a huge piece of the puzzle, and I felt someone needed to figure it out, so I guess that would be me. I certainly didn’t know where it would lead.
GQ: Who is this book for? It’s heavy on science and policy, not terribly popular topics for the average Joe and Jane. Did you have a specific audience in mind?
MG: Publishers often tell you to find your “tribe”. The kind of people who are going to be your people, who are going to buy your book. One of the reasons I’m nervous about selling this book is that there isn’t one tribe. There’s going to be something in there that everybody—vegans, climate activists, farmers, foodies—is going to have a problem with.
So I guess this book is for people who are interested in policy, don’t know much about it, and want to learn. I’ve got to plead guilty to putting a lot of science and policy in the book…But I worked really hard to try to make the medicine go down easy, and make it fun and entertaining.
GQ: Let’s talk about the main character. The book focuses on the life and career of Tim Searchinger. Why tell his story?
MG: It happened organically. I’ve known Tim for 25 years. He was an important source for me early in my career. He gave me the tip that led me to write about the Army Corps of Engineers, so he was an important source for me early in my career. I knew him as incredibly honest and fact-driven, but also as someone who can be difficult and has a lot of enemies.
When I was trying to sell the book, someone advised me to have a human element rather than just focusing on abstract issues. Tim became that anchor. When I started looking into food and climate, he was my first call. I realised he had become a leading authority on the intersection of agriculture and climate. His story became central because it quickly became clear this was a story about land use and about “eating the earth.”
Courtesy: Simon & Schuster
GQ: How did you come up with this concept of “eating the earth”?
MG: It came from learning all these statistics, like how two out of every five acres of land on the planet are used for agriculture. And the main reason we’re losing tropical forests is agriculture. I realised that was the core story.
GQ: While the book is mostly about Tim and his journey, you take a detour into the story of Bruce Friedrich, the founder of the Good Food Institute, and the birth of the alternative protein industry for a couple of chapters. How did that happen?
MG: I wanted to tell the whole story about food, agriculture, and climate – the demand side, the supply side, carbon farming, all of it. As you know better than anyone, alternative proteins are a really important part of the food and climate story, and it’s an awesome story. It would have been disingenuous to make it all about Tim, so he disappears from the narrative for a bit. I knew some reviewers might question that, but it felt necessary.
GQ: And from your telling, Tim played a role in connecting Bruce Friedrich with the Bezos Earth Fund, which led to significant investments from Bezos towards three alternative protein research centres in the US, UK and Asia, which was fun to learn about!
MG: Well, I’m just a reporter, but I guess I might have accidentally played a part! [Laughs]. The butterfly wings may have flapped a little bit there.
GQ: Your alt-protein chapters do seem very US-centric, while I would argue it’s a global industry.
MG: That’s fair. The beginning of this tech story was in the US, with people like Bruce Friedrich, Josh Tetrick, Uma Valeti, Pat Brown, and Ethan Brown. I was lucky to attend the GFI Conference in San Francisco in 2019 when there were real conversations about the meat industry potentially disappearing.
Of course, things are happening all over the world, and I can’t cover it all, but I wanted to tell the story of the birth of the sector, which was taking place in the US, so those chapters ended up being more US-centric.
GQ: What are your biggest takeaways from the alt-protein chapters?
MG: What was different about this movement was the idea of trying to sell alt-proteins to non-vegetarians. It wasn’t just for a niche market…So I do feel like those few companies were doing something fundamentally different. I think there was a real story to tell about the start of that. Today, there’s a lot of doom and gloom in the alt-protein world, but I think it’s still a very exciting story.
Courtesy: Michael Grunwald
GQ: Overall, you seem bullish on alt-proteins and hopeful about solutions overall. But the book also acknowledges that progress is slow.
MG: Absolutely. It was important to me not to write a completely negative book. There are dozens of exciting solutions and fascinating people working on them, but none of these solutions has made very much progress yet. [When I started following the alt-protein industry], I was excited about what I was reporting on, but also objective enough to realise some people were being overly optimistic. Some people were predicting the end of animal agriculture by 2035, but that seems unlikely. One of the main messages of the book is that there isn’t just one solution. It’s not an all-or-nothing situation. We’re going to need many solutions. There will be advancements and setbacks.
GQ: You also say Western countries need to eat less meat, but you’re not telling people to stop eating meat entirely. That’s not always a popular message.
MG: No, it isn’t. People often want to hear a simple answer. But it’s about nuance. I believe “better is better than worse.” It’s okay if people make incremental changes. I still eat meat. I cut out beef for a while, but then I went to cattle ranches in Brazil and ate some delicious steak. We’ve been eating meat for millions of years. I think it’s great when people go vegan or vegetarian, but I also think it’s great when people just try to do better. I don’t expect anyone to be perfect.
GQ: That’s interesting. That idea of “perfect” feels very American. As a half-French person, my sense is that Europeans have a more balanced approach, with my French and German friends being very comfortable saying: “I believe in climate action, and also, once in a while, I eat beef.” You see the rise of flexitarianism in Europe, with people reducing their meat consumption but not necessarily going vegan.
MG: I think that’s true. This idea that it’s either black or white seems more American. Europeans tend to have a more balanced approach.
GQ: We do love a silver bullet, and I do think most people are going to ask you: “What’s the one solution, Mike?”
MG: The fact is, even if the rich world reduced beef consumption by 50%—which is extraordinarily ambitious—and let’s say we cut food waste by 50%, which is also really hard, and got rid of biofuels (a ridiculous waste of farmland), we’d still need to raise yields faster over the next 25 years than we did in the last 50. We’d have to make a lot more food with a lot less land. We need to produce more food without using more land.
Efficiency is key for food security and for protecting wildlands. High-yield agriculture is essential for feeding the growing population without destroying more of our planet. We can’t just hand-wave these numbers away and say: “Maybe it won’t get that bad.” We’re on track to deforest another dozen Californias by 2050 if we don’t change. So yeah, we’re going to have to make a lot of changes.
GQ: My sense is that climate people don’t want to hear that no matter what, in the future, we’ll be eating more meat.
MG: Look, the first thing humans do when they’re less poor is eat more meat. It’s silly to pretend otherwise. Consumerism is relevant to climate, but people have to eat. It’s not like fossil fuels, where we can find alternatives. Emissions might be peaking; we can see an energy transition happening. But with food? There are no alternatives. The problem’s getting worse—no positive trends here. We have to roll up our sleeves and get serious.
I can’t give people the simple answer they want, which probably will hurt my book sales and make me a less compelling podcast guest. But this shit is hard.
It’ll take nerds working on niche solutions, plus political, corporate, and behavioural change – none of which is happening now. That’s why I wrote the book. I’m banging my spoon, yelling: “Hey, world, we gotta do something!”
I’m trying a big-tent approach. Industrial ag can learn from regenerative ag, and vice versa. We can honour vegans without demanding universal veganism. Whether your issue is antibiotics, pandemic risk, animal welfare, worker rights, or Big Ag’s terrible politics—all valid. Let’s all try to make things better. We don’t have to agree on everything.
GQ: You wrestle with whether consumers are responsible for the climate. You push back against the popular eco argument – “stop blaming consumers, these are systemic issues” – but also cite Project Drawdown’s list, which says that the top climate actions are wasting less food and eating less meat.
MG: I hate this trend—I wrote about it for Politico during Covid—where it’s uncool to talk about individual action. Headlines like “I work in environmentalism”, “I don’t care if you recycle” or “Going vegan won’t save the world”. The idea is that focusing on personal behaviour makes environmentalists seem like scolds, or worse, does the work of oil companies and Big Meat. But Exxon and Trump aren’t driving your SUV to the mall. McDonald’s and JBS aren’t force-feeding you burgers.
GQ:Though many people live where McDonald’s is cheaper than almost any other food.
MG: Absolutely, and we should fix that. But it’s a bad look for the environmental movement to say: “Climate is an emergency! We’re past 1.5°C – we’re screwed!” and then add: “But your personal emissions don’t matter.” No, it all matters. We need better policy, yes—we must talk about McDonald’s, food systems, and perverse incentives. Too much of my book is about accounting (sorry), because bad climate accounting creates bad incentives.
But you nailed it: eating less beef and wasting less food are good. Beef is far worse than chicken or pork for climate and other reasons. If the average American swapped one beef burger a week for an Impossible Burger, we’d save a Massachusetts-sized chunk of land yearly. I won’t hand-wave individual actions away. They’re not the only thing—ignoring policy is a mistake—but we need better policy, better incentives, and better behaviour. When we fail, we try again.
GQ: That’s fair. Once again, very nuanced. Very tough for people to swallow.
MG: Doesn’t fit on a bumper sticker… [laughs].
GQ:Unlike most non-vegan food-focused climate books and groups, regenerative agriculture does not come off too well in the book. Can you talk more about this?
MG: It’s the ultimate silver bullet narrative: “Farm a little kinder, go back to the old ways, diversify crops, be nice to the soil, and all that atmospheric carbon will magically return to the earth—Kumbaya!” Carbon farming isn’t entirely bullshit, but mostly. Soil carbon is hard to measure, hard to keep in place, and hard to prove you’re not just robbing Peter to pay Paul. Worse, you can’t add significant carbon to soil without adding nitrogen, which has its own climate problems.
The idea that regenerative agriculture will solve climate change? I push back hard. And it’s being pushed by Al Gore, Michael Pollan… And it’s not just the left – Bobby Kennedy, Joe Rogan, plus the Rockefeller Foundation, the UN, and agribusinesses like Danone and General Mills slapping “regenerative” on everything. As a climate solution, it’s wildly oversold.
Look, I’m not just the “industrial ag guy.” The NYT gave my essay [about this] a provocative headline, but yes, we need better industrial ag—not its elimination. My North Star? High-yield agriculture. We must make more food with less land. Factories excel at mass production; factory farms are good at mass food. Sri Lanka tried ditching chemicals cold turkey—yields crashed, and the government fell. Disaster!
That said, I don’t think all regenerative ag is bad. It does improve soil health. In Brazil, I met Bolsonaro-supporting ranchers – definitely not Michael Pollan readers—using regenerative and industrial practices (feedlots, fertilised pastures). They just wanted higher yields. Efficiency and yield are my priorities, which, to some, makes me sound like a corporate shill.
“Factory” is a dirty word. But I’m not a farmer or agronomist. The agroecology crowd argues we haven’t invested enough in organic/regenerative yield research. I’m open to that. Still, yield must be the focus.
GQ: Would you agree that the book is fairly pro-GMO?
MG: Well, at least pro-concept. There’s nothing wrong with them. But I do point out that some claims about their yield benefits are exaggerated.
GQ: Tim offers some climate finance solutions, like air travel taxes and redirecting ag subsidies. How realistic are these?
MG: They’re definitely tough sells, politically speaking. Any changes to agriculture are challenging because the industry is powerful everywhere. People hate any tax increases on food products. But, Denmark has passed significant agricultural reforms that incorporate many of these ideas, showing it’s not impossible. Also, governments give huge amounts of money to farmers. If we start adding strings to that money, requiring more sustainable practices, we could make a significant impact. We just need to be careful about it, so farmers aren’t overly impacted in the long run.
GQ: What’s the main takeaway you want people to get from your book?
MG: We need to be pragmatic and find a middle ground. There are extremes on both sides of this issue, and we need common-sense solutions. We have to recognise that there are multiple valid perspectives here and that we have to work together to find solutions. We need higher yields, but also to make agriculture more efficient.
British plant-based milk firm Mighty Drinks has entered administration amid rising costs and fundraising challenges, with its future now hanging on a rescue deal.
Mighty Drinks, the brand that introduced pea milk to the British mainstream, has gone into administration after seven years of operation.
The company appointed Interpath as administrator earlier this week, which said Mighty suffered from rising costs and “fragile consumer confidence” that impeded its scalability and path to profitability. While it looked to explore investment, a lack of options led the company to file for insolvency.
“The plant-based category has shifted dramatically over the last few years. Despite our best efforts to adapt, streamline, and secure new investment, we couldn’t raise what was needed to take the next step,” said Tom Watkins, co-founder and co-CEO of Mighty, who established and ran the startup with his brother Nick.
The decision came on the back of mounting losses for the business, which has raised £8M over the years. Government filings show it lost £12M at the end of 2023, £3.4M more than the year before.
Mighty Drinks a victim of dire investment landscape
Courtesy: Mighty Drinks
While it began as a pea milk company (it was formerly known as Mighty Pea), the firm has since diversified into other ingredient bases too. This included a line of oat milks, a pea protein and oat blend, oat milk powders, and fermentation-derived oat milks that sought to more closely resemble dairy.
Mighty banked on the UK’s growing appetite for non-dairy milk, which is as close to mainstream as any plant-based category has gotten. Last year, 32% of British households bought a non-dairy milk at least once, and 11% did so at least once a month.
However, the category hasn’t been immune to the wider headwinds faced by alternative protein sector. “The Mighty team has created a great product, with an exciting kids milk range set to launch with retailers given the allergen-free benefits of pea protein, and a path to profitability from improved margins and increased volumes,” noted Tom Swiers, food and drink lead at Interpath.
“Unfortunately, however, this has come at a point in the company’s cycle where it required further investment, which was not forthcoming from typical investors in this space, nor was it attractive to typical ‘special situations’ investors given the relatively early stage of the company’s development.”
Indeed, after the 2020-21 boom in alternative protein, investor interest has shrunk more and more every year. Plant-based companies raised only $309M in 2024, a sharp 64% fall from the year before.
“Alternative protein funding has slowed amid this increased investor focus on AI, while elevated interest rates, high production costs, and topline sales declines have also weighed on investment activity,” Daniel Gertner, lead economic and industry analyst at the Good Food Institute, told Green Queen recently.
Interpath’s Swiers added: “There has been an increasing focus on profitability within all aspects of the ‘alt’ category, following the investment boom of a few years ago. It is no longer simply a case of ‘growth as number one priority’.”
Plant-based milk on a rollercoaster ride in the UK
Courtesy: GFI Europe
Mighty’s insolvency comes at a curious time for plant-based dairy in the UK. On paper, retail sales of milk alternatives fell by 2.3% last year, with volumes dropping by 2.6% too. And despite matching the price deductions of cow’s milk (reducing by 3%), plant-based milk is still 69% more expensive on average.
However, it remains a category with broad appeal, especially with product formats like barista milks, which saw a 10.4% growth in volume sales in the UK last year. Oat milk is especially popular, accounting for over half of milk alternative sales in 2024, and witnessing steady volumes compared to the previous year. The overall plant-based segment, meanwhile, made up 11% of all milk sales.
Still, a number of underperforming products have been pulled from British supermarkets. Nestlé \withdrew its Wunda brand of pea milks (a direct competitor to Mighty) two years after launch, while Innocent Drinks made the same decision with its milk alternative range.
Courtesy: Mighty Drinks
Oat milk products weren’t spared either. Oatly took its entire range of ice creams and its Plain Oatgurt off shelves, while Arla discontinued its Jörd line of oat milks earlier this year. And Alpro, meanwhile, pulled its oat-based This Is Not M!lk – which aimed to mimic dairy, much like Mighty’s M.lkology range – from the UK in 2024.
“While ‘This Is Not M!lk’ was designed to create a more familiar dairy milk taste, our UK shopper research showed us that many of our consumers enjoy the taste of oat just as much, if not more so,” Tom Kerr, head of plant-based at Danone UK & Ireland, told Green Queen in March. Still, it is doubling down on its core oat milk lineup, making a multimillion-pound investment to expand the production of the range using British oats.
Meanwhile, other plant-based milk brands have secured investment and successful exits too. British clean-label producer Rude Health was acquired by Finland’s fellow plant-based milk firm Oddlygood, and Swedish pea milk maker Sproud, which counts the UK as a key market, gained investment from Love Island host Maya Jama and pea protein giant Lantmännen.
M&As continue to grab plant-based headlines
Courtesy: Mighty Drinks
“We fought through Brexit, a pandemic, inflation, massive global instability – not to mention the perpetual challenge to go up against some of the biggest FMCG brands in the world who all wanted a slice of the alternative milk category,” noted Watkins.
Mighty is far from the only plant-based startup that has suffered this fate. Since 2024, several firms globally have been forced to cease operations or declare bankruptcy before being rescued, including Akua, Sunfed Meats, Willicroft, Allplants, Wild Earth, and Atlantic Natural Foods.
“Becoming a founder of a VC-backed food and drink business isn’t so much a rollercoaster – it’s strapping yourself to a rocket and hoping you won’t disintegrate on the way to orbit,” said Watkins. “I want to thank every member of staff, investor, customer, and retailer who believed in us and supported the mission over the years.”
Mighty will hope it ends up the same way as businesses like Allplants, Wild Earth, Meatless Farm, VBites and Plant & Bean, which were rescued from the brink.
“We will now work with the company’s stakeholders to explore the options available, including seeking offers for the business and its assets, including the Mighty brand and related intellectual property,” said James Clark, managing director at Interpath and joint administrator of Mighty.
Dutch food tech firm Rival Foods has secured €10M ($11.5M) in funding to scale up its suite of whole-cut plant-based meats, which contain minimal ingredients and high amounts of protein.
If there are three things consumers want from their plant-based meat today, it’s fewer ingredients, lower prices, and better taste and texture.
Dutch startup Rival Foods is attempting to do it all. Using shear-cell technology to replicate animal muscle fibres with plants, its meat alternatives undergo minimal processing while maximising texture and protein.
To expand its technology, the firm has raised €10M ($11.5M) in a Series B funding round led by Dutch pension fund ABP, with participation from Pymwymic and ROM Utrecht Region and follow-on investment from PeakBridge.
“This investment marks a major milestone in our mission to make high-quality plant-based meat mainstream,” said Birgit Dekkers, founder and CEO of Rival Foods. “With the backing of world-class investors, we’re ready to scale fast and reshape the future of protein. We’re called Rival for a reason –we’re here to be one.”
Courtesy: Rival Foods
Rival Foods looks to meet anti-UPF demand
Founded in 2019 as a spinoff from Wageningen University & Research, Rival Foods is among several startups specialising in whole-cut meat alternatives. These products aim to mimic the fibrous texture loved by meat-eaters, addressing a key pain point for plant-based meat.
Sensory testing shows a 38-point gap in texture preference between the average animal and plant-based meat product, with the latter being liked by less than three in 10 omnivores in the US. Another survey found that 22% of Americans are reducing their intake of vegan alternatives due to poor texture.
Elsewhere, 26% of Germans say they’d pay more for a plant-based product if it has the same taste and texture as the food it’s hoping to replace. In the UK, too, 51% of people say taste/texture is the biggest factor driving them away from meat alternatives.
Courtesy: Rival Foods
Whole cuts offer a solution. Rival Foods uses patented shear-cell technology to recreate meat’s fibrous textures. “The process can simply be explained as a pressure cooker with a rotating part, using temperature and rotation to enable deformation and alignment of proteins for fibrous texture creation,” it says on its website.
Its current portfolio includes chicken and beef, which contain a blend of plant proteins alongside water, natural aromas, herbs and spices, and salt. The chicken contains 28g of protein and 0.6g of fibre per 100g, and is available in fillets, blocks and pulled formats. The beef, meanwhile, boasts 26g of protein and 2.5g of fibre per 100g, and comes in chunks and pulled variants.
The additive-free products are specifically designed to address consumer concerns about ultra-processed foods (UPFs). Viewing plant-based meat as overly processed has led many to perceive it as unhealthy, even though experts have warned that the level of processing doesn’t define how nutritious a product is.
“Rival Foods have built something special: a scalable process to turn standard plant proteins into exciting fibrous, meat-like structures. Rival Foods’ products offer a satisfying bite with high protein content and a clean label,” said Lodewijk Meens, senior portfolio manager at ABP Netherlands’s Energy Transition & Biodiversity fund.
Courtesy: Rival Foods
Cost reductions are key for plant-based meat
In the Netherlands, sales of meat analogues fell by 7% in retail, as consumers cooled on centre-of-plate formats like burgers and fillets. Instead, products like mince and strips worked better, possibly because they’re now 6% cheaper per kg.
Part of the reason why Rival Foods raised funds is to double its production capacity at its Geldrop facility, which will help the startup optimise its production costs and reach price parity with conventional meat.
Research shows that if plant-based alternatives are more expensive than meat, their preference falls below 20%, and if they’re priced equally, this increases to 21%. Whereas if vegan alternatives cost about half of a conventional burger, the number of people choosing the former would double. And lowering the price of the plant-based burger by even 10% would result in a 14% increase in sales.
In an interview with Green Queen, PeakBridge founding general partner Nadav Berger said if he had a magic wand to revitalise the plant-based meat sector, he’d make the products “20% cheaper than real meat”. “If it’s a really magic wand? 40% cheaper,” he added. “Texture and flavour are the other keys, but that’s already well on its way. The technology is there.”
Courtesy: Rival Foods
Reacting to Rival Foods’s Series B round, PeakBridge partner and COO Martina Pace echoed the sentiment. “Real success in the alternative protein space demands three tough things to achieve: great taste, texture, and competitive prices. We’re proud to see Rival Foods achieving all three, she said.
The company employs a B2B approach, working with chefs, retailers and brands across Europe to bring plant-based whole cuts to consumers. The new capital will help fuel its international growth, establish new partnerships with major clients, and expand its team.
Whole-cut meat alternatives stand to win
Expansion beyond Europe will only help the brand. In the US, while the overall category saw a 10% decline in annualised sales between 2022 and 2024, whole cuts like steaks, fillets and cutlets experienced a 16% increase.
Conventional whole cuts are also the most popular meat category stateside, regularly consumed by 68% of Americans. For plant-based versions, this drops to 30%, though 44% would consider eating them if these products improve.
Courtesy: GFI
Rival Foods’ successful round is proof that investor appetite for plant-based startups exists, particularly for scalable models that address consumer needs. While this sector saw VC funding fall by 60% last year, investors have continued to back innovative startups in 2025, such as Ecovative ($11M) and Project Eaden ($15.6M).
US food tech startup Clever Carnivore has achieved industry-leading cost reductions for its cultivated pork, which it hopes to begin selling in the country next year.
As companies scramble to lower the production costs of cultivated meat, one Chicago startup has announced several breakthroughs to compete with the price of conventional pork.
Chicago-based Clever Carnivore has brought the cost of its culture media down to $0.07 per litre at pilot scale, sped up the doubling times of its porcine cells, and designed inexpensive bioreactors that could enable its demo facility to reach profitability in its first full year of production.
Typically, cell culture media costs hundreds of dollars per litre, thanks to expensive inputs like bovine serum albumin (BSA) and fetal bovine serum (FBS), as well as growth factors and basal media (like amino acids, vitamins, and glucose).
“Our expertise in media optimisation allows us to replace expensive components like BSA and FBS with carefully chosen alternatives, [and] ensure that we’re using only the absolutely essential components, maximising growth and minimising cost and waste,” CEO Virginia Rangos, who co-founded the startup with CSO Paul Burridge in 2022, tells Green Queen.
Clever Carnivore is now raising a $7M extension to its seed round from 2023 (which also closed at $7M) to focus on new products and regulatory approval. “We have a term sheet in hand and commitments from current investors. We’re beginning concerted outreach to fill out the round,” she says.
In addition, the firm is aiming to secure the regulatory green light from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and credits “pioneers in the space” that have already received approval and made it easier for companies to do so.
“In reviewing their published dossiers, we paid close attention to which data the FDA ultimately asked them to provide, and we’re providing as much information as possible in our initial submission,” Rangos explains. “We project [our] cultivated meat could be available on the market as early as summer 2026.”
How Clever Carnivore achieved industry-best media costs
Courtesy: Clever Carnivore
The bulk of the cost of cultivated meat comes from culture media. Over the last year, several startups have announced milestones to slash media costs, including Gourmey (€0.2/$0.23 per litre) and Meatly (£0.22/$0.30).
Clever Carnivore’s culture media cost – which has been at the $0.07 level for two years now – undercuts its competitors. “That’s what we’re paying today – including our in-house growth factor production, water purification and mixing. We anticipate further reductions as we scale to a production plant with a capacity of thousands of litres,” says Burridge, who has over 20 years of research experience in cell line development and growth media optimisation.
Most companies buy off-the-shelf bottled media or a pre-made powder. To help lower this cost, Clever Carnivore produces its media in-house, mixing it from stocks of vitamins, salts, and amino acids. This eliminates the cost of logistics, as well as the “massive profit margins of commercial media suppliers”, according to Rangos.
“We also make our own growth factors – reducing what would otherwise be the most expensive component of our media to a negligible cost,” she says. These are specifically engineered for optimal performance with enhanced temperature stability and cost-effective production. “Most companies are reliant on external suppliers, and these suppliers charge a premium.”
She adds: “To achieve a profitable, scalable process, cheap media is necessary, but not sufficient. Your media must also provide every resource your cells need to grow quickly and at high density. Our highly optimised media ensures the cells have exactly what they need (and nothing else) at each time point in their development.”
One key aspect is the creation of cell lines that are never exposed to animal-based inputs; instead, they grow in this custom culture medium from the get-go. “It’s incredibly difficult to eliminate FBS or BSA from your media if your cells are ‘used to’ these expensive components. If you take them away from cells that have been exposed to them, their growth rate will plummet,” explains Rangos.
Unlike human nutrition, cells aren’t influenced by the cost or variety of their diet. Once they’re adapted to a medium, they prefer it over others. “Our medium has the bare minimum inputs that cells require, and they thrive in that low-cost medium better than they would in a high-cost medium.”
Innovative bioreactors further drive down costs
Courtesy: Clever Carnivore
Aside from the culture media cost reductions and optimised cell lines, Clever Carnivore’s porcine cells are capable of doubling in less than 14 hours in adherent culture. “We use our media to signal our cells to enter a naturally highly proliferative state,” says Rangos. “We don’t have to use genetic modification to ‘immortalise’ cells, but our cells are still extremely proliferative.”
“With the right process and training, our method is actually much more robust than methods that rely on genetic modification. We can reliably produce new cell lines on demand, whereas methods like spontaneous immortalisation rely on chance mutations that cannot be reliably reproduced.”
The startup is banking on a proprietary bioprocess design to lower costs and increase efficiency. Having low-cost media and numerous bioreactors allows it to run bioprocess experiments at an “unmatched pace” and refine all the parameters contributing to cell growth. “Elements like ideal temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen, and bioreactor design make a huge difference in yield,” says Rangos.
A key factor was the use of secondhand bioreactors for benchtop experiments, which the company bought on eBay. The company has since moved to large-scale stainless-steel bioreactors, which form the basis of the process described in the dossier it will submit to the FDA.
“Our goal has always been to submit for approval a process as identical as possible to our production process at full commercial scale, to ensure a streamlined path through approval,” explains Rangos.
The cultivated pork is produced in two 500-litre bioreactors, with a third on the way. The firm has managed to cut costs on these larger-scale tanks considerably by developing a design without expensive components – while they might be standard in biopharma applications, they are unnecessary for cultivated meat production.
It’s additionally working directly with steel fabricators that cater to food manufacturers, instead of ordering off the shelf from standard suppliers that usually serve the biopharma sector.
Clever Carnivore’s other bioprocess innovations include the growth of cells without microcarriers, which are “expensive, yield-limiting components that must be included in the final food product”, and a seed chain design and disaggregation/re-aggregation method that substantially increase yield and shorten the production timeline.
Upside Foods and Eat Just’s journeys paved the way forward
Courtesy: Clever Carnivore
The startup isn’t shy about the fact that it benefitted from being a late entrant to the space. Witnessing early pioneers hit R&D hurdles and various milestones allowed it to avoid common pitfalls.
Rangos notes how Upside Foods and Eat Just – the first two cultivated meat makers to receive regulatory approval in the US – “didn’t have the luxury of waiting to submit a dossier for regulatory review until they had developed a process viable at factory scale”.
“Investors wanted to see that cultivated meat could pass regulatory review, so that was a box they needed to check. We’ve had more flexibility to allow science to drive strategy because pioneers have already proven that cultivated meat can be sold and that consumers will buy it,” she explains.
“We didn’t have to pitch why cultivated meat was important – just that we had viable technology and strategy to get profitable products to market.
“We’re also unusual because – in part due to the personalities of the founders and in part through necessity – we’ve run a very lean operation. The executives take their turns cleaning the bathrooms, our team painted our new facility together, and if the bioprocess team have an idea, Paul is the first to drive over to the hardware store to find a part we can adapt to try it out right away.”
Rangos outlines how early regulatory submissions “took a lot longer to progress” because the government and businesses had to work together to figure out how to evaluate cultivated meat.
“Our path to approval should be relatively smooth because the groundwork for evaluation has already been laid, we’re presenting as much information as possible up front, [and] we’re submitting a process that is identical in all meaningful ways to what we intend to do at factory scale, ensuring we won’t need to complicate the FDA’s workflow by submitting substantive changes for review.”
Complying with the FDA and the US Department of Agriculture’s standards for production facilities is critical. Clever Carnivore is designing its demo plant with a “well-validated process, high-level quality controls, and equipment that is proven and can be amortised under known schedules”, explained Burridge. It features low-cost inputs and equipment, helping the firm keep buildout costs under $4.5M.
VC landscape forces Clever Carnivore to revise fundraising plans
Courtesy: Clever Carnivore
To date, Clever Carnivore has secured $9.1M from investors, most of which came from the seed round that it’s looking to extend now.
“We initially planned to raise a Series A round to build our demonstration facility. Our commercial-scale factory design is composed of modular units of bioreactors and related processing equipment. The demonstration facility is designed to get a complete module up and running, producing profitable cultivated meat and providing final proof of concept for larger-scale facilities.”
That plan would require an $18M raise. The problem is, capital is “tremendously expensive” now, as investors flock away from food tech. After attracting $1.3B in 2021, investment in cultivated meat has dipped dramatically. In 2023, funding fell by 75%, followed by another 40% drop in 2024, reaching just $139M. In fact, in the last three years, this sector has cumulatively raised less money than it did in 2021 alone.
The headwinds have continued in 2025, with Aleph Farms’s $29M round the only sizeable raise for cultivated meat this year. “We’ve revised our initial plan for a Series A raise because cultivated meat valuations are at an all-time low, and many investors are sceptical about the space, due in part to the political climate, and in part to challenges faced by first-gen cultivated meat companies,” says Rangos.
“Many food and ag tech investors made early bets in the space and aren’t looking to make additional cultivated meat investments, and many sustainability or generalist investors are taking a ‘wait and see’ approach to the space right now.
“We decided to pivot to a plan that allows us to raise less and focus on regulatory approval, commercial partnerships, and beginning beef R&D. That said, we’ve received positive feedback and interest from both seasoned alt-protein investors and more generalist funds. We look forward to building our demonstration facility when capital markets are more favourable.”
Taste tests attract consumers and chefs alike
Courtesy: Clever Carnivore
Investors aren’t the only source of positive feedback for Clever Carnivore – consumers and chefs have taken to its cultivated bratwursts, breakfast sausages, hot dogs and meatballs too. This month, it held two tasting events, where it served over 50 bratwursts to rave reviews, according to the startup.
“We’ve spoken to conventional meat advocates who candidly told us they ‘wanted to hate’ our product,” recalls Ramos. “But when presented with a product that cooks and tastes just like the sausage they’ve always loved, they quickly became intrigued.”
Aside from taste, consumers have expressed appreciation for its value proposition – think meat free from steroids, antibiotics or GMOs, a secure food supply chain with domestic production, and expanded options that will keep products on shelves amid shortages and price inflation for conventional meat.
“We’re very interested in partnering with existing conventional meat and restaurant chain brands. We know we’re asking consumers to try something new, and we think presenting Clever Carnivore’s cultivated meat for the first time under a label consumers recognise and trust will go a long way toward getting consumers to try the product.”
The nutritional profile will only help expand the appeal, with the cultivated pork exhibiting similar amino acid profiles and nutritional values to conventional versions. “Our prototype products incorporate a plant-based fat. Our cultivated pork delivers the ‘meaty’ flavour, allowing us to use plant-based fats and reap the nutritional benefits of plant-based vs animal fats.”
Why Clever Carnivore is targeting processed cultivated meat
Courtesy: Clever Carnivore
Clever Carnivore is among a number of companies working on cultivated pork, offering alternatives to products that the WHO has deemed carcinogenic, like sausages and hot dogs. These include Mission Barns (already approved by the FDA), Meatable, Mewery, and Magic Valley.
The decision to focus on processed pork instead of whole cuts was driven by “a combination of scientific considerations, budgetary constraints, and strategic market positioning”.
“Producing whole cuts requires more time in the bioreactors – you need to swap the media and allow cells time to form tissues. Transition to a specialty bioreactor for added tissue development might also be necessary,” says Rangos.
“We’ve progressed to this point with only $9M in investment so far. To use resources as efficiently as possible and to avoid overstretching our team, we decided to focus our R&D on pork before other meat and on formed products before whole cuts,” she adds. “We like the idea of debuting accessible products – cultivated meat not as a luxury, but as a high-quality, reasonably priced staple.”
That being said, its process does make it feasible to develop whole cuts someday. “Getting there will require additional time and money, and we believe it’s important to bring competitively priced and compelling products to market as soon as possible,” she says.
Aside from pork, Clever Carnivore’s expertise in mammalian cell biology and bioprocess enables it to fast-track other mammalian species through its R&D pipeline. “Our next priority is beef, but we’re also interested in working on lamb to expand our appeal to international markets where pork and beef are less popular.”
Sydney-based Vow received regulatory approval to sell cultivated meat in Australia and New Zealand, which will begin appearing on restaurant menus in the coming weeks.
Australians will soon be able to order cultivated meat from restaurant menus, following the country’s first approval of these novel proteins.
The joint food safety regulator of Australia and New Zealand has amended its Food Standards Code following a multi-year assessment of Vow’s cultured quail, allowing the startup to sell its innovation in eateries and supermarkets across the two countries.
It followed the preliminary approval granted by Food Standards Australia and New Zealand (FSANZ) in March, when its board had finalised the required food code changes, as first reported by Green Queen. They were then under review by food ministers across the two countries, before culminating in the approval decision for Vow.
Speaking to Green Queen in April, co-founder and CEO George Peppou had confirmed the company would launch in Australia first, via “high-end restaurants and elevated fast-casual concepts first, followed by retail partnerships later in the year”.
Now, the firm has announced that its cultured Japanese quail – sold under the Forged brand in concepts like parfait and foie gras – will debut at dozens of restaurants within weeks, including Bottarga and The Lincoln in Melbourne, and Nel, The Waratah, and Kitchen by Mike in Sydney.
“This isn’t about replacing the meats we know and love. It’s about trying something entirely new – something that can only exist because of how it’s made. For chefs, that’s incredibly exciting. But for all of us, it’s a huge opportunity,” said Mike McEnearney, owner and executive chef at Kitchen by Mike.
He has signed on as the first Australian ambassador of Forged, and will showcase its cultivated meat at the soon-to-open 1Hotel in Melbourne too. “The future always lies in bold ideas that seem impossible at first, but are rooted in real innovation – the kind that drives culture forward,” he added.
FSANZ approval could speed up future applications
Courtesy: Vow
Vow is already one of the leading cultivated meat players globally, becoming the only startup to be approved to sell in three geographies.
It first secured the greenlight in Singapore last year, where its quail has rolled out at a growing list of venues since, including Two Men Bagel House, Mirko Febbrile’s Somma, and sustainability-forward bar Fura. According to the company, it is posting a 200% month-over-month growth in the city-state. Now, it can be sold in Australia and New Zealand too.
In its approval decision, FSANZ confirmed that Vow’s cultured quail will be mixed with other ingredients – as is the norm for cultivated meat – to produce dishes in restaurants and foodservice establishments, and end products for supermarkets.
It further noted that the product cannot be included in “special purpose foods” like sports foods, infant formula, or food for special medical purposes without additional pre-market assessments.
And in the amended code, FSANZ clarified that these proteins must be labelled as “cell-cultured” or “cell-cultivated” on packaging, if it’s “represented in words, images or both as being from the animal” from which the food is sourced.
“FSANZ has now successfully developed a dedicated regulatory pathway for cell-cultured foods, opting to introduce two new standards for Cell-Cultured Foods rather than relying on the existing Novel Foods Framework. This establishes ANZ as only the second jurisdiction globally (after the US) to adopt a bespoke regulatory process for cell-cultured meat,” explained Kim Tonnet, head of regulatory affairs at Cellular Agriculture Australia.
“This move will make the requirements clear and defined for future applicants, reducing uncertainty and delays, and thereby streamlining the approval process. In a really positive step, FSANZ also indicated that future applications under these standards may benefit from faster and more cost-effective assessments,” she added.
Vow hits production milestone with largest-ever cultivated meat
Courtesy: Vow
To make its cultivated meat, Vow uses a small selection of cells from a Japanese quail and places them in a nutrient-rich broth, which is transferred into fermentation tanks that recreate the conditions inside a quail’s body and allow the cells to grow and multiply naturally. The meat is ready for harvest in 79 days, when it is separated from the broth and incorporated into delicacies like parfait and foie gras.
“Flavour is everything to us – it’s the reason Forged exists. We’re crafting meats that aren’t just rich and complex, but downright irresistible,” said Peppou. “Many [chefs] describe the product’s signature umami depth and silky, melt-in-your-mouth texture as unlike anything they’ve worked with before.”
The startup has raised $55M to date, entering the market with a smaller outlay than others that have received approval, including Upside Foods ($608M), Eat Just ($270M), Aleph Farms ($147M), Wildtype ($120M) and Mission Barns ($60M).
The FSANZ’s initial approval had come weeks after Vow cut back 30% of its workforce, a decision that stemmed from a longer-than-expected timeline for regulatory clearance, but one Peppou described as coming from a “position of strength as the industry leader, not a position of weakness”.
The company has hit several production milestones in recent months. Its cell cultivation capacity has extended to 35,000 litres within its second factory, which it says was 20 to 50 times cheaper to build than competitors. It operates the largest food-grade cell culture bioreactor at 20,000 litres, and claims to have completed the largest cultivated meat harvest in history (538 kg) last month.
By the end of the year, Vow expects to reach a production capability of up to 900 kg per harvest, scaling to 10,800 kg monthly or 130,000 kg annually. Longer-term improvements that make use of the full factory capacity will allow it to eventually surpass 20,000 kg a month.
A ‘momentum shift’ away from the US?
Courtesy: Vow
“Meat has never been more popular, especially in Asian markets that import top-quality proteins from down under. The challenge is that conventional production methods are highly inefficient: we currently feed up to 100 calories to a cow to produce just one calorie of beef,” said Mirte Gosker, managing director of alternative protein think tank the Good Food Institute.
“Sustainably satisfying rising meat demand will require scaling up additional forms of protein production that can complement the traditional farming methods Australia is renowned for,” she added.
“Australia’s public embrace of cellular agriculture could enable local food producers to sell healthy and delicious cultivated proteins through existing agricultural distribution networks and add substantial new revenue streams to their ledgers. It also sets the stage for greater international regulatory harmonisation, which has the potential to unlock export opportunities across the world’s most populous region.”
Globally, six other companies have received some form of regulatory clearance to sell cultivated meat, including Eat Just (in Singapore and the US), Upside Foods, Mission Barns and Wildtype (all in the US), Aleph Farms (in Israel), and Meatly (in the UK). Regulators in the EU, Switzerland and Thailand are evaluating applications too.
Vow’s success over the last 18 months comes as “momentum shifts away from the US”, according to the company, which appeared on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert for its viral woolly mammoth meatball stunt in 2023. Cultivated meat has become entrenched in the culture wars, with six states having banned these proteins from being sold or produced.
Meanwhile, investment in cultivated meat has also continued to fall, by 75% in 2023 and another 40% in 2024. In the last three years, startups in this category have cumulatively raised less money than they did in 2021 alone.
Currently, Wildtype and Vow are the only two companies actively selling cultivated meat in restaurants, highlighting the scale and commercialisation challenges faced by many startups. Vow’s cultured quail, however, will soon be served in over 50 venues, showcasing the true potential of the sector.
“With an expanding network of restaurants in Singapore continuing to serve Forged just 14 months after launch, the appetite for what’s next is already clear,” said Peppou. “This is a new category of food that hasn’t just been accepted – it’s been embraced. And if that’s any signal, Australia’s just getting started.”
Our weekly column rounds up the latest sustainable food innovation news. This week, Future Food Quick Bites covers a host of protein lattes, Better Nature’s tempeh rollouts, and Meatable’s presentation at a Wall Street Journal forum.
New products and launches
New York-based Laird Superfood has released an instant protein latte powder with 10g of plant protein per serving. It combines pea, hemp and pumpkin seed protein with mushroom extracts, coconut MCTs and Aquamin. It retails for $19 per six servings and is available on its website and at Sprouts Farmers Market nationwide.
Likewise, plant-based milk brand Califia Farms has introduced a ready-to-drink protein vanilla almond latte, offering 10g of pea protein per serving. It can be found at Target stores for $5.29 per 40z bottle.
In similar news, Indian fitness and lifestyle brand HRX – co-owned by Bollywood actor Hrithik Roshan – has unveiled a line of oat milk protein shakes, starting with a chocolate flavour (with 25g of plant protein per 100ml), ahead of introducing vanilla, cold coffee and lighter chocolate variants.
Courtesy: HRX
Still in India, Néktar Bakerymakes vegan desserts and viennoiseries, and will open a cloud location this month in the city of Pune.
Back in the US, the owners of Salt Lake City’s Vertical Diner have inaugurated a new plant-based deli, with a menu featuring sandwiches, burgers, bowls, pastries, and more.
Courtesy: Better Nature
Elsewhere, British tempeh brandBetter Nature has rolled out its organic tempeh into around 150 additional Asda stores, and added a new Mediterranean-flavoured block to its lineup, which is available on Ocado for £3 per 220g pack.
Beyond Meat, meanwhile, has introduced its jalapeño-flavoured burger to 317 Asda stores in the UK, in addition to bringing its original burger to 350 of the retailer’s sites.
Courtesy: Beyond Meat
And Danish mycelium meat maker Tempty Foods has brought its Spicy Korean Sticks to 7-Eleven Denmark stores. The product was created through 7-Eleven’s Innovation Corner competition last year.
Company and finance updates
Dutch cultivated meat producer Meatable was present at the Wall Street Journal’s Global Food Forum event in Chicago (June 16), where CEO Jeff Tripician spoke on how cultivated meat can complement conventional agriculture and boost global food security.
Fresh from hosting a cultivated meat tasting in the New South Wales parliament, Australia’s Magic Valley is raising A$3M ($1.9M) to build its first manufacturing facility (which is expected to cost A$5M, or $3.3M) and produce 500 tonnes of product per year.
Planted, the Swiss plant-based meat maker, has opened its new production facility in Bavaria, Germany, featuring “state-of-the-art fermentation technology”, which the company says will double its manufacturing capacity.
Courtesy: Magic Valley
Agriculture giant the Groan Group has signed a strategic partnership with plant-based ingredient maker Aminola to accelerate and expand the use of sustainable ingredients in the human food, pet food and aquafeed sectors.
British plant-based ingredient maker Novo Farina has ceased trading, with its former managing director citing “market factors and ever-increasing cost challenges”.
AgFunder News reports that Yasir Abdul, the executive behind InvenTel, the company known for ‘As Seen on TV’ infomercials, has surfaced as the unexpected potential buyer of Meati, a fungi-based alternative meat company. The acquisition is being pursued through an entity named Meati Holdings, with Ryan Bethencourt, CEO of Wild Earth and an early-stage alt-protein investor, providing support during the transition.
Courtesy: Little Island
In New Zealand, plant-based dairy and ice cream firm Little Island has entered liquidation after 15 years in operation.
Luxembourg-based Moulins de Kleinbettingen has installed its second production line for plant proteins with a total investment of nearly €20M in its plant-based business, doubling its initial capacity and making co-manufacturing deals more flexible.
In Sweden, Stockeld Dreamery and Jävligt Gott have openedLabbet, a food tech hub equipped with a kitchen, lab spaces and offices for small and growing businesses.
Courtesy: Jävligt Gott
Similarly, Malaysia’s Pure Mylk has opened The Mylky Way in Kuala Lumpur, which is Southeast Asia’s first end-to-end innovation hub for plant-based milk and beverages. It aims to support companies small and big with product formulation, testing, and scaleable production.
Research, policy and awards
A Canadian-American study shows that a low-fat vegan diet can reduce moderate to severe hot flashes by 92% after women hit menopause, while also losing 16 times more weight than the control group.
UK coalition Plant-Based Universities is convening over 200 students for a Plant-Based Universities Europe Camp in August.
Bruce Friedrich, founder and president of alternative protein think tank the Good Food Institute,has been appointed to the Board of Advisors of EAT, the global food systems transformation non-profit.
Strategic consultancy Mission Plant has compiled a list of job boards and resources for folks looking for positions in the alternative protein industry.
Courtesy: Institute for Organic Farming
Research by the Institute for Organic Farming (commissioned by the WWF) has revealed that a vegan diet is the cheapest expensive for a family of four in Austria, saving €225 per month compared to an omnivore diet.
Finally, Hélène Briand, co-founder of French precision fermentation startup Verley (formerly Bon Vivant), won the Female Founder Challenge at Vivatech in Paris.
Israeli 3D-printed meat maker Redefine Meat has introduced a new product line with dramatic reductions in saturated fat and methylcellulose use.
To capture Europeans’ interest in the category, Redefine Meat has unveiled a new class of plant-based meat products centred on enhanced nutrition and flavour.
Among the first of its next-generation products are a reformulated burger and beef mince, which feature improvements in saturated fat content, protein levels, and taste and texture.
The move aims to address evolving consumer preferences in terms of nutrition and sensory appeal, and dissatisfaction with the current crop of meat analogues, which have suffered from poor sales as ultra-processing concerns come to the fore.
“With our next-generation products, we’re now able to offer the premium-quality taste our customers enjoy, while delivering the nutritional values sought after by health-conscious audiences,” said Eshchar Ben-Shitrit, co-founder and CEO of Redefine Meat.
New products outperform previous iterations on taste and nutrition
One of the best-known plant-based companies, Redefine Meat markets its 3D-printed products as New Meat, with a diverse range of beef, pork and lamb alternatives in formats like pulled, mince, sausages, burgers, and whole cuts. Endorsed by Michelin-starred chefs like Marco Pierre White, they can be found at over 4,000 foodservice locations in 10 countries, plus retailers in several European markets.
The new burger and mince products build on this existing portfolio, and now fulfil the nutritional requirements for a Nutri-Score rating of A, the highest possible score. They join its beef flank, pulled pork and pulled beef SKUs in meeting that standard.
Courtesy: Redefine Meat
Redefine Meat achieved this through an 80-90% decrease in saturated fats compared to the previous iteration of the 3D-printed burger and beef mince, an increase in protein per 100g (from 11g to 14-16g), and a reduction in methylcellulose content to less than 2%.
Additionally, the company says it has unlocked a “new quality benchmark” for taste and texture with an even meatier profile, a conclusion derived from collaboration and sensory tasting with meat experts, chefs, and consumers.
Redefine Meat’s products undergo a patented additive manufacturing process – more commonly known as 3D printing – which helps it better replicate the taste of meat and texture of animal muscle fibres. The process disintegrates textured vegetable protein into fibres and blends them with a dough made from soy or pea protein isolates.
Plus, it uses AI and machine learning to optimise its products, allowing it to prototype, test and commercialise new products significantly faster than existing production processes, the company explained.
Redefine Meat hopes to allay taste and UPF doubts
“Our unique taste-first approach is at the heart of all product development, understanding that taste continues to be the biggest barrier to repeat buying for many flexitarians and meat lovers,” said Ben-Shitrit.
“While many other plant-based products continue to fall short in this area, our next-generation products build upon our premium-quality legacy to deliver an even meatier taste approved by our chef partners and rigorous consumer testing.”
Courtesy: GFI Europe
Indeed, polling shows that while some consumers in Germany and the UK are reducing their meat intake due to shifting taste preferences, animal proteins are still much higher on the flavour scale. Hitting the right tasting notes is critical: a survey of 7,800 Europeans last year revealed that taste is the most important factor when it comes to their daily food choices, cited by 87% of respondents.
The new products are being rolled out at retailers in the Netherlands, Germany and France, continuing Redefine Meat’s efforts to expand across Europe. For Veganuary this year, it signed deals with more than 30 companies in the UK, where its foodservice sales nearly doubled in 2024.
While plant-based meat enjoyed an increase in sales in Germany and France last year, the same couldn’t be said of the UK and Netherlands, where consumers have flocked to whole-food proteins and are choosing mince and strips over burgers, respectively.
Retail sales of plant-based food in the UK in 2024 | Courtesy: GFI Europe
Many consumers perceive plant-based meat as overly processed and as a result, unhealthy, though experts have warned that the level of processing doesn’t define how nutritious a product is, and studies have shown that these products match animal-derived meat on protein, while providing far more fibre and less saturated fat.
Touching upon this discourse, Ben-Shitrit said: “While misinformation around ultra-processed foods (UPFs) continues to spread, it’s important to understand the difference between good and bad UPFs. It’s clear that crisps or chocolate bars are not the same as our products, which deliver high levels of protein, vitamins and fibre, without cholesterol.”
He added: “We recognise that nutrition is playing an increasingly important role in consumer buying habits. With our next-generation products, we’re now able to offer the premium-quality taste our customers enjoy, while delivering the nutritional values sought after by health-conscious audiences.”
Owen Ensor, co-founder and CEO of British cultivated pet food startup Meatly, on why political bans shouldn’t deter investors from the alternative protein ecosystem.
There is a dark cloud of local bans in the US and labelling disputes alongside this exciting industry progress. However, we need to have a perspective on these and look at what is actually going on.
In the last few years, many governments have funded, approved, or supported cultivated meat. By contrast, cell-cultivated meat has been banned in a handful of right-wing US states. The balance of debate is clear – there is great technical progress, and almost all governments are backing this innovative product.
So we need to ask ourselves: why are we giving these bans so much attention?
Even the meat industry is against the bans
Courtesy: Meatly
This negative coverage is driven largely by right-leaning political factions, attempting to cast this innovative food technology as the latest battleground in the ever-escalating culture wars. Alarmist language, such as accusations of “global elite authoritarianism“, has been deployed to fuel opposition, particularly in ultra-conservative strongholds.
To date, six US states have banned cultivated meat. At the same time, bans in other regions have been attempted, including Romania, where the bill is stuck in the legislature and is unlikely to proceed, and Italy, where a proposed ban contravenes EU law.
To my knowledge, cultivated meat is the first food ever to be banned before even being on sale, and for political reasons. These bans are purely to appeal to a hard right-wing electorate in certain states. The US meat lobby doesn’t even want cultivated meat banned.
The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association recently stated: “Telling Americans what they can and cannot buy at the grocery store does not align with NCBA’s policy book or our conservative values… and setting a precedent that the federal government can remove a product from the shelves completely is not wise for the cattle industry, when we have no idea who might be sitting in the White House or in Congress 10 years from now.”
The global excitement for cultivated meat
Courtesy: Meatly
Looking beyond these bans, we get a clearer, more genuine understanding of the development and excitement of this industry.
Globally, there is a growing consensus in some of the world’s largest economies that cultivated meat and other cell-cultivated food solutions hold the keys to bolstering food security and creating a food system which supports sustainable farming.
Several markets across the globe – including the US, the UK, Australia, New Zealand, Austria, and Singapore – have already granted regulatory clearance for cultivated meat for either human or pet consumption. A Trump appointee has also signed off on the most recent US approvals.
These nations and regions, spanning diverse political landscapes and geographical locations, have undertaken rigorous safety assessments and concluded that cultivated meat is a viable and safe food source. This crucial step of regulatory approval signals a fundamental acceptance of the technology and paves the way for its integration into a sustainable food system.
But that’s not all. The financial backing for cultivated meat research and development paints an even broader picture of commitment to this new food industry. A remarkable 22 countries, encompassing virtually every major global economy, have actively funded cultivated meat initiatives.
This extensive list includes nations such as Canada, China, Norway, Finland, Sweden, the Netherlands, Israel, France, Germany, Poland, Spain, India, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Brazil, in addition to those with regulatory approvals.
It’s clear that while a handful of regions grapple with politically motivated bans, the overwhelming global direction of travel points firmly towards acceptance and support.
A trillion-dollar opportunity
Courtesy: Jack Lawson/Meatly
Such widespread investment and attention underscore a deep-seated understanding of the potential benefits that cultivated meat offers across a spectrum of critical areas, beyond just tackling the substantial emissions behind industrial animal agriculture.
The biggest benefit is an economic one. The global meat market is worth $1.55T, and global demand for meat continues to grow. Countries that can get ahead on cultivated meat and other cellular agriculture technologies are looking at a major economic win, creating local industries that can feed people sustainably while creating jobs and generating revenue.
Cultivated meat will also boost food security, not threaten it. This innovation can help produce sustainable meat in high volumes, while farmers can focus on high-quality, high-value regeneratively farmed meat. These proteins can also shorten supply chains and make nations less dependent on imported meat. This will have knock-on benefits for human health, where a reliance on industrial agriculture will limit the use of antibiotics and the risk of spread of zoonotic diseases such as avian flu.
That’s why, when a handful of conservative US states push back with politically motivated bans, it feels increasingly out of sync with this broader global momentum and more like an attempt to stifle innovation and limit consumer choice. The sole outcome of this is that the future of food is passed from the US to Europe and Asia.
It’s clear that by focusing on these bans, we obscure the significant progress being made globally, the substantial investments being channelled into the sector, and the growing recognition of its crucial role in building a more sustainable and secure food future.
What this means for the industry
Graphic by Green Queen
For cultivated meat companies, the advice is simple: stay focused.
The world is vast, and almost all regions actively support and encourage the development and commercialisation of cultivated meat. Direct your attention, resources, and efforts towards these receptive markets. Engage with governments and regulatory bodies that understand the value proposition and are committed to fostering innovation. The long-term trajectory is undeniably positive, and short-term political noise should not derail strategic goals.
For investors, the message is equally resolute: recognise the global landscape.
The commitment to cultivated meat is not confined to a few progressive enclaves; it has widespread support, embraced by major economies and forward-thinking governments worldwide. We’ve had VCs say they will not invest because of the ‘geopolitical debate’. It’s really staggering to hear a global VC fund is making investment decisions based on what a provincial hard-right legislator is doing.
Let’s be very clear: you can build an exceptionally profitable, high-return business outside of Alabama… in fact, you can build an exceptional business outside of the US.
The potential for significant returns and the opportunity to contribute to a more sustainable future remains, with the global support for cultivated meat providing a robust foundation for long-term growth and success. Now is actually the ideal time to be investing, given the suppressed valuations that the current debate has created.
The direction of travel is clear. Governments around the world realise the environmental, health, economic, security, and ethical potential of cultivated meat, as well as the value in allowing consumers and the free market to decide which safe products should be sold. It’s time we started having this define the political conversation around cultivated meat.
Impossible Foods CEO Peter McGuinness has suggested that the plant-based giant could enter the blended meat space to entice more flexitarians.
In 2024, nearly every American household that bought a vegan burger also purchased conventional meat, highlighting how exclusively plant-based eating is still niche.
Meat alternative makers’ target consumer is neither vegan nor omnivore – instead, it’s somewhere in between. “Approximately over a hundred million US people fit the broad term of flexitarians. They are cross-eating,” suggests one industry leader.
In an interview with the Wall Street Journal, Impossible Foods CEO Peter McGuinness made the case for why flexitarians are the brand’s biggest growth opportunity. “Capturing a sizable portion of flexitarians could quadruple Impossible Foods’ revenue in a short period,” he claimed.
It’s a loosely defined term, as McGuinness himself admitted: some lean vegetarian and occasionally eat meat, others consume 50/50 plant-based and conventional meat.
“That’s a huge market,” he said, nodding to the rise of blended meat. “To get this category going, I may do a hybrid burger that’s 50% beef.”
Is it a concrete plan, or just a thought for the future? For one of the industry’s most well-known companies to suddenly embrace the very thing it exists to displace will certainly raise some eyebrows. There is logic behind the idea, though, especially if done right.
Why plant-based meat is giving way to blended proteins
Courtesy: GFI
As the name suggests, blended meat (some prefer the term ‘balanced protein’) involves combining animal-derived meat with plant-based ingredients, whether those are vegetables or vegan proteins.
The idea isn’t new, but has taken off over the last couple of years as consumers cool on 100% plant-based meats that cost more than animal meat and don’t always meet their taste expectations. Last year, for example, retail sales of meat alternatives fell by 7% in the US, continuing a downward spiral that began in 2021.
Americans have gripes about the flavour, price and nutrition of plant-based meat. These products are still 82% more expensive than conventional meat. Further, concerns about health are fuelled by the ultra-processed food backlash and, as many have pointed out, successful misinformation campaigns from the meat industry.
Impossible Foods itself has hit back at misinformation with an online health hub and a renewed marketing strategy that targets meat-eaters, though these efforts haven’t had the intended effect. “Our spend wasn’t efficient because we tried to move immovables,” McGuinness told the Wall Street Journal. “We’ll do another campaign – but be much more targeted to where flexitarians live and shop.”
Courtesy: Impossible Foods
So: blended meat. Everyone from Nestlé and Purdue Farms to Aldi and Disneyland has entered this space. The idea is to displace some, not all, of the meat with plant-based ingredients in a manner that enhances taste while offering better health outcomes (think more fibre and less saturated fat). And while not advertised, it has a big impact on the planet too.
It’s what makes plant-based meat so important. Using animals as an intermediary to eat plants is an inefficient use of our resources and livestock agriculture is highly problematic from a climate point of view. Research shows that even replacing half of your meat consumption can reduce agriculture and land use emissions by 31% and water use by 12%, while doubling climate benefits.
Still, Impossible Foods’s approach has already attracted critiques. “Flexitarians don’t need their plant-based meals to mimic meat. On the days they opt for a meatless meal, they’re not necessarily craving imitation. They’re seeking something veggie-forward, clean, and nutrient-dense – real food that satisfies on its own terms,” argued Kerry Song in a social media post. Song is the CEO of Abbot’s, a veggie burgers and vegan chicken CPG company, which has a popular mince made from pea protein and porcini mushrooms.
“Impossible built a brand on saving the planet… and now they’re casually talking about blending real beef into their products to chase profits? That’s not disruption, that’s deception,” said Jason Rosenbaum, the co-CEO of whole food veggie burger brand Actual Veggies, which last year launched a product containing dairy cheese.
Impossible Foods must do blended meat right
Courtesy: Nectar
Here’s what may be driving Impossible Foods’s interest in blended meat: flexitarians dig it. Sensory testing shows that these consumers find blends more appealing than plant-based alternatives. In some cases, they even outperform 100% meat products: alternative protein sensory research non-profit Nectar found that four blended meat products either match or surpass conventional meat on taste.
Notably, separate research from Nectar shows that while most plant-based meat brands fall short, Impossible Foods is among the outliers. Six of its products won a Tasty Award (four more than anybody else), signifying that more than half of omnivores say they taste the same or better than animal protein.
McGuinness, however, says his company’s beef is still not superior to the conventional version, suggesting it would take “two to three” more iterations before it gets there. He reiterated his belief that there are “too many companies” in the meat alternative space, and revealed that profitability is likely years away (while touching upon the idea of an IPO).
Courtesy: Impossible Foods/Green Queen
If Impossible Foods does begin offering blended meat, it has to do it right. If the company adds meat and sells blended products under its own portfolio, it could mar the positioning it has carefully crafted over the past decade.
One possible way forward? Act as a supplier for existing meat producers, the way companies like Quorn have done. Substituting a percentage of beef with Impossible Foods’ plant-based version will bring wins for the climate and the bottom line of all parties involved. Australia’s Fable Food has done so with great success. Its blend-ready shiitake mushroom products led to a 50% revenue growth in 2024, with even better results forecast this year.
The reality is, despite the hullabaloo, plant-based meats aren’t going anywhere. Concurrently, meat sales have never been higher in the US, and blended meat continues to grow as a category for flexitarians. By lending its plant protein to meat makers, Impossible Foods – already the second-largest plant-based meat company in the US, behind Morningstar Farms – could get a larger slice of the pie.
While some Americans still have complaints about the taste and texture of blended meat, that outlines both the challenge and opportunity for leading brands. Can Impossible Foods get it right?
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.
Silla Scheepens is a General Partner at Future Food Fund.
What future food technologies most excite you?
Generally speaking, we’re excited by agrifood tech innovations that help keep our food system within planetary boundaries.
From AI-driven seed-breeding, biological crop inputs and protection to yield forecasting, low-emission food or preventing food waste – if it helps us grow more with less, whilst reducing waste and regenerating ecosystems, we’re paying attention.
What are three future food verticals you are actively looking at for 2025?
Allow me to squeeze in four:
Seed breeding and climate-resilient crops: AI-powered seed-breeding platforms that deliver climate-resilient crops with higher yields and lower input dependency.
Biological inputs and crop protection: Nature-based solutions that reduce reliance on chemical fertilisers and pesticides, improving soil health and biodiversity.
Circular food systems: Tackling food waste, packaging and nutrient leakage by valorising what’s already in the system. It’s about doing more with less.
On-field intelligence and impact monitoring (MRV): Tools that help farmers make better decisions and validate environmental outcomes, from satellite-based yield forecasting to AI-driven irrigation or carbon tracking.
Each of these verticals contributes directly to restoring balance within planetary boundaries such as climate, water use, biodiversity, and biogeochemical flows.
What do you consider the food tech sector’s greatest achievement in the past five years?
The biggest shift is that the food system is now understood as central to the climate and biodiversity challenge. That systems view is starting to shape real innovation, in science, policy and finance. The momentum is here, even if it comes with headwinds and tailwinds: sometimes faster, sometimes slower, depending on regulation, consumer appetite or macro trends.
But overall, the awareness is growing. Now it’s time to match that with serious investment. Public funding for the food transition needs to be on par with what we’ve seen in the energy transition.
If you could wave a magic wand, how would you fix plant-based meat?
We’d stop treating it as B2B tech and start treating it as what it is: food. It deserves its own category: driven by taste, nutrition (think protein, fibre, gut health) and relevance.
At the same time, we need to level the playing field. Current meat products don’t account for the environmental damage they cause. With impact-based accounting and fair taxation, the good stuff becomes the obvious and better choice.
What’s the top trait you look for in a founder?
Clarity. In vision, in communication and in decision-making. Agrifood tech founders deal with long cycles and very complex systems. The ones who can tell a clear story, stay focused and act with conviction tend to have a better chance of succeeding.
The One That Got Away: What is the deal you wish you had gotten into, but didn’t?
Soil Capital. They were ahead of the curve in linking regenerative agriculture to measurable climate outcomes – not via offsetting, but through insetting within food value chains. Their farmer-first, outcome-based model reflects exactly where we see the future of agrifood going.
At the time, we were still exploring the carbon space in agriculture. Looking back, they were already building what the market now demands.
What do you consider your most successful future food investment so far?
Ask us again in 7 years!
That said, we’re optimistic about several themes – from biologicals to food waste valorisation and MRV-based models. These aren’t point solutions; they target the root causes of environmental pressure in the food system and provide for a sustainable business case.
What has been your most disappointing investment so far?
We’re not disappointed in startups – the challenges are real and pivots are part of the process. But some verticals (for example, hardware and heavy indoor farming) haven’t lived up to the early hype. It’s a reminder of the fact that a novelty doesn’t equal scale.
What do people misunderstand/get wrong most about VC?
That it’s fast and we only get to pick the winners. In impact VC, especially in agrifood tech, it’s long-term work. You’re in it to help founders build through complexity and uncertainty. It’s strategy, not speed, and the biggest returns are usually in system change.
What is the most ‘future food’ thing you have eaten this month?
There’s a sample box on its way to us with cocoa-free, fermentation-based chocolate. No tropical land use, no deforestation. A future-proof indulgence we’re really looking forward to.
Where is your favourite climate-forward restaurant/dish/place to eat anywhere in the world?
Big fan of food, especially when an ordinary legume or vegetable gets turned into something spectacular. There’s something special about places that use whole, seasonal produce with care and creativity. That’s where sustainability meets joy.
What’s your ‘why’? What motivates you to do what you do?
I always joke that I’m a climate activist disguised as an impact investor, just without the tattoos. Whether it’s restoring biodiversity or greening a city street, I’m driven by solutions that bring us back within planetary boundaries. Sometimes that’s big and systemic, sometimes small and local. But if it moves us in the right direction, I’m in.
Retail sales of plant-based food in Europe grew by 2% in 2024, thanks in large part to inexpensive private-label offerings from supermarkets.
Over the last year, a wave of retailers in Europe has pledged to increase the share of plant proteins sold in their stores. To do so, some have fine-tuned their lineups to meet consumer preferences, some have put meat alternatives in the meat section, and some have slashed prices to make them cheaper than animal proteins.
The impact has been tangible. The double-digit growth in low-cost vegan food from supermarkets’ private labels has spurred the category’s rise in several key European markets, Circana data released by the Good Food Institute (GFI) Europe shows.
Value sales of six categories reached €4.7B in the region’s six largest markets in 2024, up slightly by 1.7% from 2023. Meanwhile, volumes rose by 4.5% and units by 4.3% year-on-year.
Own-label products drove volume growth in Germany, Italy, France and Spain between 2022 and 2024. That said, people in the UK still exhibited an affinity for branded products, and their counterparts in the Netherlands embraced meat alternatives that could be added to existing recipes, despite a drop in volumes.
“It’s great to see that Europe’s plant-based retail market remains resilient, with increasing sales volumes across four major countries last year. These foods are becoming ever more mainstream as retailers invest in more affordable products,” said Helen Breewood, senior market and consumer insights manager at GFI Europe. “However, the ongoing success of more expensive products in some categories shows that price is not the only factor.”
Here’s a country-by-country breakdown of plant-based sales in European retail.
Germany benefits from price parity
Courtesy: GFI Europe
In Europe’s largest market, value sales of plant-based food grew by 1.5% in 2024, reaching €1.68B. This levelling off reflects falling prices, given that sales volume was up by 7% during the same period. Germany also had the highest per capita spend (€19.92) in 2024.
The country saw sales rise across meat analogues (4%), plant-based milk (3.5%), and non-dairy cream (3.5%), though seafood (-24%) and cheese (-16%) suffered from major declines.
The overall performance was a result of the lower prices of plant-based alternatives, with many dairy-free milks now on par with cow’s milk, and vegan cream 5% cheaper than the conventional version.
This itself is driven by private-label offerings: Lidl spearheaded the shift by achieving price parity for its Vemondo line. While sales of branded products fell by 0.4% in 2024, private-label offerings witnessed a 5.5% hike.
Further, 37% of German households bought plant-based milk at least once last year, and 32% purchased a meat alternative, in line with the previous two years.
UK embraces tofu over veggie burgers
Courtesy: GFI Europe
Despite a 4% drop in sales and a 3% dip in volumes, the UK held its position as the second-largest plant-based market in Europe with a value of €1.07B.
Even though they’re more expensive, branded products were more resilient than private-label options: sales of the former declined by 3%, compared to a 12% decline for the latter. Several innovative companies bucked the trend with significant growth. This suggests that Brits value taste and quality more than price (which is still critical), and may point to the need for better own-label vegan products.
The sales value of meat alternatives fell hard (-10%), with household penetration dropping by four percentage points (reaching 31.5%). Still, their volumes were five times higher than that of veggie burgers, showing the “continued importance to consumers of alternatives that look, taste and cook like meat”, GFI Europe said.
Separately, the volume of tofu sold was 10% higher in January 2025 than 12 months prior, possibly due to its affordability and tempeh and seitan also enjoyed an 85% hike (albeit from a tiny base). In the ensuing months, products like Oh So Wholesome’s Veg’chop and This’s Super Superfood have rolled out in a bid to rival both meat analogues and tofu.
“The relative performance of these foods in percentage terms may be a response to widespread media concern over ultra-processed foods in the UK, although the absolute increase in uptake of tofu, tempeh and seitan was far smaller than the corresponding drop in plant-based meat sales,” the report noted.
Italy goes big on vegan cheese
Courtesy: GFI Europe
In the home of mozzarella and parmesan, sales of plant-based cheese doubled between 2022 and 2024, thanks to a rise in branded products.
It wasn’t just cheese that witnessed growth. Three other categories performed better in 2024 than the year before: meat analogues (a 15% growth), milk (3%), and yoghurt (2%). The overall market was valued at €639M, with only plant-based cream suffering a drop in sales.
That being said, vegan cheese was an outlier, as high inflation in Italy’s food sector led to a strong growth of affordable private-label plant-based products, whose sales were up by 16% last year. In comparison, sales of branded offerings grew more modestly, at 3.5%.
France happy to spend on better-tasting brands
Courtesy: GFI Europe
The country that lost its attempt to restrict the use of terms like ‘veggie burger’ saw growth in all five plant-based categories analysed by GFI Europe, led by cheese (19%) and chilled meat (15.5%). The overall market recorded €537M in sales, a 9% increase from 2023.
Private-label products dominated the growth with an 11% hike in sales value, compared to an 8% rise for branded offerings. Supermarket ranges were particularly important for plant-based milk, the largest segment in the country.
Own-label brands were particularly important in the plant-based milk and drinks category, overtaking the sales of branded options and undercutting their price by 30% on average.
At the same time, the relatively expensive branded products gained market share in the vegan meat and yoghurt segments, and made up the majority of sales for plant-based cheese. This suggests that consumers are strongly driven by the taste and quality of animal-free products, not just their cost.
Spain increased adoption of plant-based milk
Courtesy: GFI Europe
Plant-based meat was the only category that underperformed in Spain last year, where overall sales of vegan food grew by 6.5% to reach €491M. Still, meat analogues only fell by 1.5%. On the other hand, plant-based yoghurt enjoyed a 21% increase in value sales, cheese grew by 8%, and milk by 5%.
Plant-based milk, in particular, has made major strides, making up nearly 10% of all milk sold in Spain in 2024. Household penetration climbed from 42% to 46% between 2022 and 2024. The success is down to the cost reductions achieved by milk alternatives, thanks in large part to cheaper private-label options.
When looking at sales value alone, the gulf between the sales growth in own-label (5%) and branded products (8%) isn’t that high, but volume sales show a different picture. In terms of weight, plant-based items sold 3% more in Spanish supermarkets last year and private-label products shot up by 13%.
Netherlands chooses pieces over whole cuts
Courtesy: GFI Europe
The Netherlands was the only other market apart from the UK that suffered a decline in overall sales of plant-based food in 2024, which plunged by 6% to reach €288M.
This was punctuated by a decline in value sales across all categories analysed, with meat analogues hit hardest (-7%), followed by cheese (6%) and milk (5.5%). Still, the Dutch spent more per person (€15.78) than all countries bar Germany.
According to GFI Europe, the 6% fall in volume sales of plant-based milk stemmed from significantly lower sales of chilled options – sales of ambient versions were stable. This is due to a rise in prices of chilled milk alternatives, against a levelling off of shelf-stable product prices.
Centre-of-plate meat alternatives like burgers and fillets suffered from a decline, but products more likely to be used as part of home-cooked recipes (like mince or strips) remained relatively resilient.
“There is a huge potential market for sustainable and healthy plant-based foods, and companies have a real opportunity to reach more people by developing tastier, nutritious and affordable products that can fit into their lifestyles,” said Breewood.
A study of Upside Foods’ cultivated meat tasting shows what consumers want from these proteins and what they don’t want from their lawmakers.
On June 27, 2024, a California company took a stand against the state of Florida.
Upside Foods, the first startup to be approved to sell cultivated meat in the US, held a public tasting of its chicken at a rooftop in Miami. It was a precursor to what was to come four days later: a statewide ban on these proteins, championed by Governor Ron DeSantis.
Since then, five more states have followed suit. Alabama, Mississippi, Montana, Indiana, and Nebraska have all outlawed the sale of cultivated meat, but the public doesn’t seem to be aligned with their leaders on this issue.
In an analysis of Upside Foods’s tasting event, researchers at Tufts University found that cultivated meat is viewed favourably both on a sensory and political scale. Every attendee who was interviewed opposed a ban on these foods, be it Democrats, Republicans, or those with another political inclination.
It comes during a year when the Food and Drug Administration has approved two additional companies to sell cultivated meat in the US, with Mission Barns now awaiting the greenlight from the Department of Agriculture for its pork fat, and Wildtype’s salmon already available in a Portland restaurant.
Courtesy: Upside Foods
How do Americans feel about cultivated meat?
Attendees lining up to taste the cultivated meat spanned all ages, and while most attendees were white or Latinx, people from other ethnic and racial backgrounds were also present. That said, there were roughly twice as many men as women.
They tasted the chicken as part of a tostada created by Caja Caliente owner and TV personality Mika Leon. The cultivated chicken was made a la Plancha con Sazón and accompanied by avocado, chipotle crema, beet sprouts, and fresh lime zest.
Of those interviewed, 73% had a favourable review of the taste, but an equal share called for sensory improvements, mostly in terms of the chicken’s texture. This split opinion. Some found the cultivated meat indistinguishable from conventional chicken, while others found it similar or inferior to plant-based alternatives.
Aside from complaints about a “rubbery” texture, one key concern was the use of fetal bovine serum, which led to “striking and sudden reversals” from acceptance to rejection. “I wish I’d known they use animal ingredients. If I had known, I wouldn’t have tried it. I wouldn’t have eaten it,” said one taster.
Courtesy: Kevin Martin Galante/Upside Foods
Yet others indicated that they’d like to see cultivated meat reach price parity, an effort being accelerated across the industry. These reasons are why, while 80% expressed a willingness to try it again, only a quarter said they would do so regularly, pending further product development.
Interestingly, many attendees wanted to try it in other formats and see if they could cook it themselves. “The skill of a celebrity chef cooking the food was highly salient for respondents and led to caution or hesitation when answering whether what they tried would influence future food decisions,” the study notes in the NPJ Science of Food journal, quoting one attendee who said: “This was definitely cooked by someone who knew what they were doing.”
Democrat or Republican, nobody wants a cultivated meat ban
While Floridians had some words of advice for cultivated meat manufacturers, they had stronger words for the politicians looking to ban the innovation.
“I support innovation and I’m usually a big DeSantis supporter. But I don’t support him on this. I would vote against the ban,” said one attendee. “I feel like the ban is an interesting choice for a state that allegedly supports smaller government,” added another.
For one taste-tester, the ban was “completely based on scare tactics and political nonsense” and set a “really terrible precedent”. “We don’t ban foods in America. That’s not who we are, that’s just not what we do,” they said. “There’s no science behind the ban. It’s nonsense.”
The divergence from traditional party positions, particularly for those identifying as Democratic or liberal (who typically do not oppose government intervention), suggests that cultivated meat “might create new political fault lines defying traditional party stances”, the researchers write.
Miami chef Mika Leon and Upside Foods CEO Uma Valeti at the Freedom of Food tasting event in June 2024 | Courtesy: Kevin Martin Galante/Upside Foods
At the same time, the opposition to banning cultivated meat is non-partisan. “Self-identified Democrats, liberals, Libertarians and Republicans aligned on the belief that these technologies and foods should be allowed to progress and that government interference was overreach,” they explain.
“The ban violates ingrained values of freedom for Libertarians, free markets for Republicans, and signifies moving away from progress for societal benefit for Democrats and liberals.”
The study uncovered three theoretical pathways of acceptance: American identity, perceived sensory and cultural values, and the need for transparency and further innovation.
“Cultivated meat companies must prioritise transparent communication that dispels misconceptions and educates consumers about the production process, while avoiding marketing strategies that could provoke a backlash when setting unrealistic expectations,” says the study.
Our weekly column rounds up the latest sustainable food innovation news. This week, Future Food Quick Bites covers Oatly’s recipe lookbook, Villareal CF’s tofu seminar, and People Magazine’s plant-based awards.
New products and launches
Swedish oat milk giant Oatly has unveiled a lookbook for the Spring/Summer 2025 season, featuring a range of recipes using its products. Think a maple miso latte, a lacto-fermented blueberry matcha, and a salty banana split.
Courtesy: Oatly
Dutch alternative protein producer Schouten has launched three Taste of the World veggie burgers inspired by Mexican, Italian and Thai cuisines.
McDonald’s Netherlands has re-released the Meatless McKroket two years after it was first launched, with a jackfruit filling made from Fiber Foods‘s PrimeJack ingredient.
Swiss plant-based meat giant Planted has introduced ready-to-eat steak bites in select Coop stores across the nation.
Courtesy: Yellow Sunshine
Yellow Sunshine is a new Swiss brand established by the founders of vegan creamery New Roots, Alice Fauconnet and Freddy Hunziker. It makes lupin protein blocks in plain, garlic and herbs, and pepper-paprika flavours.
While Ferrero has just launched its vegan Nutella in the UK, a new competitor has already emerged. Pip & Nut has released a chocolate-hazelnut spread with a sixth of the sugar content. It retails at Sainsbury’s for £3.50 per 165g hat and £7.65 per 400g tub, before rolling out at Whole Foods Market, Ocado and Amazon.
Spanish football club Villareal CF and the Embassy of Japan in Spain partnered to host a tofu seminar with Somenoya Co, a 163-year-old tofu company from Tokyo.
Courtesy: Yellow Sunshine
In response to the high prices and market volatility of cocoa, German food giant Dr. Oetker has released a carob flour for consumers in Turkey to replace cocoa powder at home.
In more alt-cocoa news, US flour giant Ardent Mills has launched a wheat-based Cocoa Replace product. It can substitute 25% of cocoa powder in baking applications.
Kraft Heinz Not Company has unveiled the latest innovations in its US lineup: a NotMayo Chipotle Squeeze and Kraft NotMac & Cheese Cups.
Courtesy: Kraft Heinz Not Company/Green Queen
US breakfast foods company Purely Elizabeth has rolled out a Protein Oatmeal range in Apple Harvest Crumble, Chocolate Chip Banana Bread and Maple Cinnamon Roll. The vegan products have 10g of protein per serving and retail for $6.49 per 235g pack in supermarkets nationwide,
Also in the US, the Plant-Based Seafood Co‘s Mind Blown brand has reignited its partnership with PLNT Burger to offer its Maryland-style crab cake in a limited-edition Happy Crabby Sandwich for the third year in a row.
Häagen-Dazs Shops, meanwhile, has launched a summer blueberry collection featuring the brand’s first oat milk offering in the US. The Blueberry Lemon Non-Dairy Freeze drink combines its blueberry and lemon sorbet with oat milk and blueberry preserve.
Courtesy: Häagen-Dazs Shops
Plant-based ingredients maker Planteneers has introduced a methylcellulose-free texturiser blend with functional yeast protein for clean-label plant-based meat.
And Israeli startup Alfred’s Foodtech has released dairy-free Gouda slices with 18% protein under its new Alfred’s Deli brand. They come in original and pesto flavours.
Company and finance updates
Danish ingredients firm Feast Foods has ceased operations after failing to secure funding for its yeast extract replacer.
Also in the Nordics, Swedish dairy giant Valio has announced that it will close the Kauhava factory it took over from Raisio by the end of this year, relocating operations to its Joensuu site instead.
Courtesy: Valio
Online grocer Vegan Essentials has been acquired by Fake Meats owners Steven and Kim Skaff, who bought it from fellow retailer PlantX.
British cultivated meat firm Ivy Farm Technologies has appointed Rebecca Wright as chief legal officer, as part of its effort to work with regulators globally to bring its Wagyu beef to market.
US vegan fast-food chain Slutty Vegan has hired entrepreneur, investor and marketer Lauren Maillian as brand president.
Courtesy: Slutty Vegan/LinkedIn
The new owners of the Merit Functional Foods plant in Winnipeg, which went into receivership in March 2023, are not planning to restart it as a plant protein business.
But fellow Canadian company Burcon NutraScience has completed the first production run of its Peazazz C pea protein at its facility in Galesburg, Illinois.
Edinburgh’s Industrial Biotechnology Innovation Centre’s FlexBio facility is home to Scotland’s first open-access 300-litre fermenter, which was supported by an £847,000 grant from national agency Scottish Enterprise.
Courtesy: Blue Tribe Foods
As part of its 2025 sustainability initiative, Indian plant-based meat startup Blue Tribe Foods recycled 1,475 kg of plastic in the first quarter of 2025, building on the 2,333 kg it recycled last year.
A bankruptcy judge in Delaware has given vegan sushi chain Planta final approval to secure nearly $5M in financing after resolving comments from its debtor-in-possession.
Venture firm Nordic Foodtech VC has hit its first close of €40M as part of an €80M fund to invest in new technologies for the food and agriculture industry.
Policy, research and awards
Californian precision fermentation leader Perfect Day has asked a District of Columbia court to throw out a lawsuit alleging that it had misled consumers about its animal-free whey products.
Courtesy: Perfect Day
Scotland’s biotechnology sector is celebrating the launch of the country’s first open-access 300-litre fermenter, which has been installed thanks to an £847,000 grant from the national economic development agency, Scottish Enterprise.
Also in Scotland, the University of Stirling has developed the Clean Food Consumerism scale to help manufacturers meet evolving consumer preferences for clean-label foods.
Ahead of its Singapore approval, French cultivated foie gras maker Gourmey has joined the APAC Society for Cellular Agriculture.
Researchers at the University of Tokyo have found a way to control the key amino acids responsible for flavour in a bid to get cultivated meat to taste closer to its conventional counterpart.
A study by the Federal University of São Paulo has revealed that 80% of these plant-based meat products in Brazil have good nutritional quality, based on the Nutri-Score indicator. Meanwhile, 73% of vegan alternatives were classed as ultra-processed, much lower than animal-derived meats (92%).
UPFs have become public enemy number one, and the plant-based meat sector has been caught in the media crossfire. Here’s everything CPG brands and founders need to know.
There are many explanations for why plant-based meat isn’t selling as well as it used to; among the chief reasons is the growing public concern surrounding ultra-processed foods (UPFs).
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.
So everything from that tub of ice cream in your freezer to the canned soup in your drawer is a UPF. So are the chicken nuggets you eat at McDonald’s, and yes, the Beyond Burger you buy at supermarkets.
Courtesy: Springer
The discourse is shrouded in misleading information, and plant-based meat products have unfairly been categorised in the same group as Coca-Cola, Oreos, Corn Flakes, and Lay’s.
It has ushered in a new era for meat alternatives, as consumers become wary of their perceived negative health impacts simply because they’re UPFs. But as with most things in the food industry, there’s way more than meets the eye.
Here’s what plant-based brands and founders need to know to help navigate this new landscape.
1. Many UPFs are linked to over 32 health conditions and diseases
One study has linked UPFs to 32 harmful health conditions, including cancer, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, poor mental health, and early death. It linked high UPF consumption to a 50% higher risk of death from cardiovascular disease.
2. …and too many people eat too many of them
Another review found that death rates are highest in countries where the population gets the largest percentage of energy calories from UPFs. In the US and the UK, where they make up around 60% of all calories consumed, the research linked 14% of all deaths to these foods.
Graphic by Green Queen
3. But not all UPFs are created equal
A 2023 study argued that some UPFs – like breads and cereals – can be good for you because of their fibre content. Plant-based meats typically contain a high amount of dietary fibre, are free of cholesterol, and are low in saturated fat, sugar and calories, and so are “not associated with risk of multimorbidity” (when someone has two life-threatening diseases at the same time).
4. Media coverage about UPFs vilifies plant-based meat
A widely cited and controversial study based on the UK Biobank linked UPFs to heart disease and early death, and headlines squarely blamed “fake meats” instead of the real culprits – cakes, sugary drinks, and processed meats. In reality, plant-based meat accounted for only 0.2% of all calories eaten in the study.
5. UPF research is misleading consumers about meat alternatives
One review of UPF research suggests that most studies overlook important nuances when it comes to plant-based meat, potentially misleading consumers about the health impact of the latter. “Plant-based meat has a very different nutritional profile from most UPFs, and these metrics do not generally apply to [it],” it said, calling on public health professionals to “challenge misconceptions on processing and plant-based meat”.
Courtesy: Physicians Association for Nutrition/GFI Europe
6. RFK Jr and the MAHA movement are deeply anti-UPF
As part of its Make America Healthy Again crusade, health secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr has been highly critical of UPFs and what he calls “fake meat”. In 2022, he retweeted a story titled ‘The Fake Meat Scam’, which read: “Using strategies to position it as a healthy alternative for natural meat, the industry’s fake meat is just another name for ultra-processed food, full of GE and pesticide-laden ingredients designed to look as much like meat as possible.”
He had vowed to remove UPFs from school lunches if he became health secretary, though later said he wouldn’t call for a ban on these products.
7. Casey Means could spell trouble for UPFs
Wellness influencer and Levels co-founder Casey Means could become the next Surgeon General of the US. Many of her views are aligned with and championed by RFK Jr, including her stance on UPFs. She has advocated putting a warning label on UPFs, and called plant-based meat “toxic sludge”.
8. UPFs are a non-partisan issue in the US
It’s not just the right that has an issue with UPFs. California Governor Gavin Newsom has signed an executive order to crack down on these foods, looking into potential actions that can limit the harms associated with them, which could include the use of warning labels on packaging.
9. There are now certification labels for products free from UPFs and seed oils
The folks at the Non-GMO Project have launched an on-pack Non-UPF Verified label to “address the pervasive dominance of ultra-processed food”. The organisation is conducting a pilot with over 20 brands, working on an initial draft of the label.
In a similar vein, the Seed Oil Free Alliance has rolled out a certification label for products that eschew these fats, just as beef tallow becomes resurgent, thanks to multiple endorsements by RFK Jr.
10. Consumers are wary of UPFs, and they’re voting with their wallets
In Europe, 65% of consumers believe UPFs are unhealthy, and that deters 54% of them from buying plant-based meat. And in the UK, ultra-processing is the second most pressing food concern (after inflation), with 77% of people saying so. Meanwhile, 85% of Americans wanted to avoid UPFs last year, but felt overwhelmed or unsupported in their desire to do so.
This has directly impacted the sales of plant-based meat, which fell by 7% in the US and 9% in the UK in 2024. Industry giant Beyond Meat suffered a blow in the first quarter of this year, with the firm blaming misinformation (among other things) on its 9% decline in revenue.
11. This has led to whole-food plant-based brands gaining market share in the US…
The UPF backlash has breathed life into the whole-food plant-based category. One of the biggest benefactors is Actual Veggies, the New York-based maker of veggie burgers. It raised $7M in a dire fundraising landscape for meat-free firms, doubled its distribution, and saw annual revenues grow by 125% in 2024. Then, it displaced a legacy meatless burger brand at the caterer for some of the biggest companies in the US.
Courtesy: Oh So Wholesome
12. ..and in the UK, where CPGs are creating entirely new product formats
The renewed enthusiasm for whole foods has led to the creation of a new kind of plant-based product, blending plants in block-like formats to be used as an alternative to meat alternatives themselves. In the UK, this movement is led by Oh So Wholesome’s Veg’chop and THIS’s Super Superfood, which are taking on both animal proteins and tofu.
13. Plant-based meat brands are pushing back with online health hubs (Impossible Foods)…
To counter the anti-UPF narrative, Impossible Foods launched an online health hub to battle “misleading claims that are reductive, overly simplistic, and oftentimes just plain wrong”, highlighting detailed nutritional information about every ingredient used in its products, alongside side-by-side comparisons with conventional meat and an endorsement by the American Heart Association.
14. …and documentary shorts (Beyond Meat)
Beyond Meat, meanwhile, hit back at the livestock industry with a nine-minute documentary featuring leading medical and nutrition experts”, including Stanford professor Dr Christopher Gardner and renowned dietitian Joy Bauer. One section involved CEO Ethan Brown explaining how its products are made, directly responding to critics of UPFs.
15. Big Food is being sued by a teenager claiming UPFs are addictive
Bryce Martinez, an 18-year-old from Pennsylvania, has sued 11 food corporations – including Nestlé, Coca-Cola and Kraft Heinz – for engineering ultra-processed foods (UPFs) to be as addictive as cigarettes. Martinez was diagnosed with fatty liver disease and type 2 diabetes when he was 16, allegedly after consuming “harmful levels” of UPFs from these companies.
16. And it’s fighting back with its own content platform…
The Consumer Brands Association, which represents over 2,000 brands and over 60 CPG companies – including Nestlé, Danone, Coca-Cola, Danone, Ferrero, Pepsico, and Mondelēz International – has launched Food Processing Facts, a website designed to serve as a resource for “fact-based information and dispelling myths on food processing and safety”.
17. …and government lobbying
In the UK, the Food and Drink Federation has successfully lobbied against the government’s push to offer discounts on minimally processed and nutritious foods. The body represents Nestlé, Unilever, Mars, Mondelēz International, Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, and Danone, among others.
Courtesy: Wageningen University & Research
18. The maker of Ozempic is swinging big in the UPF fight
Novo Nordisk Foundation, the controlling shareholder in the eponymous pharmaceutical giant, most famous for diabetes and obesity medications like Ozempic, Wegovy, and NovoRapid, has funded a research effort to develop the “next generation” of the Nova classification. Experts have strongly criticised the move, raising concerns about a conflict of interest.
At the same time, Novo Nordisk Foundation has provided a grant worth 50 million kroner ($7.6M) to the University of Copenhagen to develop less processed plant-based proteins.
19. Plant-based meat is healthier, according to multiple studies and research reviews…
A health analysis of the nutritional differences between conventional meat and plant-based versions in four European countries found that meat alternatives have lower calories and saturated fat, higher fibre, and largely an equivalent amount of protein.
Similarly, an 11-country study based on internationally recognised nutrition guidelines found that the average nutritional quality of all plant-based meat products analysed was slightly better than animal-derived meat.
20. …and many consumers know it.
Industry leaders like Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods have been doubling down on the health aspect of their products because they know that, despite all the misinformation, consumers are aware that plant-based food is healthy. It’s something that 50% of Americans believe, according to one survey.
Another recent poll found that 48% of US consumers feel vegan food is healthier, and 36% wanted to eat fewer animal proteins due to personal health concerns.
Amid all the furore over UPFs, there are clear opportunities for brands to showcase their nutritional and health attributes, especially if they deal with products using whole foods and fewer ingredients.
From Kerry’s Smug Dairy lineup to a new Dutch-Danish range of ‘hybrid milks’, could blending cow’s milk with plant-based ingredients be a winning solution?
At Amsterdam’s World of Private Label International Trade Show this week, two companies joined forces to showcase a new range of milk that promises to be more sustainable, without compromising on the flavour of dairy.
Dutch firm Farm Dairy and Denmark’s PlanetDairy introduced a three-strong lineup of ‘hybrid milks’, combining cow’s milk with plant proteins to deliver a 20-30% reduction in emissions.
“Consumers are willing to prioritize sustainable food options, but they refuse to compromise on taste, nutrition, or price,” argued Jakob Skovgaard, co-founder and CEO of PlanetDairy, which entered the category last year through its Audu brand of blended cheese (which combines dairy with coconut oil, potato starch, and pea protein).
“We are targeting dairy lovers who are mindful about the environmental impact of traditional dairy,” Skovgaard added.
It is one of several efforts looking to blend dairy with plant-based ingredients to offer sustainability wins, with Kerry’s Smug Dairy range (combining milk with oats) perhaps the largest-scale example last year. This has dovetailed with the rise in blended meat, which omnivores have come to love and offer significant climate advantages over 100% meat.
Can hybrid dairy match the momentum, both in terms of consumer preference and planetary impact, of blended meat?
Why are brands revving up hybrid dairy?
Courtesy: Jacob Skovgaard/LinkedIn
Hybrid milks are by no means a new solution. Companies in Thailand, for example, have been selling soy milk with small amounts of dairy for years. Danish dairy giant Arla used to sell a dairy-oat milk hybrid at one point, while France’s Triballat Noyal retailed a Pâquerette & Compagnie line with 50% cow’s milk and 50% oats, almonds and hazelnuts. Live Real Milk also introduced 50-50 blends with oats or almonds. All of these have since been discontinued.
The rationale behind these products is threefold and interconnected. Consumers want an all-round nutritional profile with less saturated fat, and they’re concerned about the climate impact of dairy production; at the same time, they don’t universally love the taste of plant-based milk.
Blends seek to meet them halfway. “We expect that this range will become the standard for the ‘flexitarian’ group of consumers,” Arend Bouwer, managing director of Farm Dairy, said of the new hybrid milk offerings.
At the heart of the argument is that plant-based milk remains under-adopted. In the US, for example, only 40% of households purchased these alternatives last year, a four-point decrease from 2023. This trend is true elsewhere, too, with household penetration rates reaching 37% and 35% in Germany and the UK, respectively, Europe’s largest markets for vegan food.
Last year, a poll found that health ill effects were driving Americans to eat fewer animal products like meat and dairy, and many cut back on their purchases of plant-based alternatives because of taste (32%) and price (28%) concerns.
A recent global survey, meanwhile, suggested that among the 38% of people who don’t buy non-dairy products, 58% showcase the potential to switch if certain needs are met. The biggest problem was unsatisfactory taste or texture, which left 57% of consumers resistant to these products, followed by limited availability (55%) and high prices (37%).
At the same time, dairy is resurgent in markets like the UK and the US, with concerns around ultra-processing and nutrition playing a role too. How do consumers feel about hybrid dairy, though?
According to surveys by Mintel in 2022 and 2023, 42% of French consumers found the concept appealing, 56% of Irish respondents said they’d try hybrid cheese, and 26% of Thai citizens expressed interest in hybrid yoghurt.
Replicating blended meat ratios is crucial to hybrid dairy’s success
Courtesy: Smug Dairy
Would hybrid dairy as a concept work the same way as blended meat? The latter products have leveraged either plant proteins, vegetables and/or mushrooms to lower the content of beef and chicken in burgers and nuggets, respectively, with some brands outperforming 100% meat in the eyes of omnivores and flexitarians.
It’s an important lever of the protein transition. Almost all (96%) households that bought plant-based meat and seafood in 2024 also purchased conventional versions, putting flexitarians at the heart of the consumer base. Meanwhile, research shows that even replacing half of your meat consumption can reduce emissions by 31% and water use by 12%, while doubling climate benefits.
The key to these products’ winning mantra – both among consumers and for companies – is the meat-to-plant ratio and the pricing. Can hybrid dairy replicate those features while retaining the flavour?
Danone has found success here. Its Dairy & Plants Blend was described as an industry-first baby formula and, crucially, contains 60% plant protein. This indicates the importance of having a higher share of plants, which can offer better health outcomes.
All of this may turn out better for the future of the planet. Kerry’s Smug Dairy range largely focuses on dairy – its blended milk only contains 25% of plant-based ingredients, rising to 30% for its Cheddar and 25% for the block butter. The only offering with an equivalent amount of plants is its spreadable butter, which happens to be the range’s most climate-friendly product, offering 54% lower emissions than its conventional counterpart.
Dairy accounts for around 4% of global emissions, twice as high as the aviation industry. So minor cuts – like the 18% reduction achieved by the Smug Dairy milk – won’t do much to really move the needle.
Hybrid dairy isn’t more economical yet
Courtesy: Tesco
There’s another major barrier for hybrid dairy products: the price tag. The Smug Dairy butter retails for £9.38 per kg, higher than the £7 its Kerrymaid dairy spread costs in the UK. What’s even more striking is the cost difference with plant-based counterparts (which are often knocked for their high prices). The hybrid butter is more than twice as expensive as the dairy-free spreadable butter sold by Kerry’s Pure brand (for £4.30 per kg).
There isn’t much difference between Smug Dairy’s other products and their 100% vegan counterparts. Its hybrid Cheddar block is only 36p cheaper per kg than Cathedral City’s dairy-free version, and its oat-dairy milk costs only 5p less than Alpro’s oat milk (and 15p less than its barista milk).
For price-conscious consumers, this is hardly a win. So for hybrid dairy to succeed, undercutting the price significantly from fully plant-based products is the only way to justify the currently high ratios of dairy-to-plants.
Farm Dairy and PlanetDairy know this and are targeting price parity for their new range. “By offering a retail price and taste comparable to traditional dairy, we believe we can reach a wider consumer base,” said Skovgaard.
Product formats are important too. A recent poll found that consumers are most receptive to hybrid yoghurts and ice creams, and least interested in beverages and milk alternatives. Moreover, they prefer coconuts and cashews more than other plant-based ingredients for these applications, which are yet to make their way into brand portfolios.
Will consumers take to hybrid dairy the way they have blended meat? Only if it delivers more substantial benefits than it currently does – on their wallet, on the planet, and on their own health.
Along with its upcoming fundraise, Simple Planet is about to submit dossiers in South Korea and Singapore for regulatory approval – a feat its CEO says will make cultivated meat resurgent.
Despite continued declines in funding and escalating political challenges, regulatory progress shows that cultivated meat can weather the storm, according to the CEO of one major industry player.
Funding for cultivated meat startups shrunk by 75% in 2023, and another 40% last year, just as politicians in Italy, Florida, Alabama, and now Mississippi have banned the sale and production of these proteins. The industry, meanwhile, continues to face major headwinds due to high R&D costs, scaling difficulties, and the macroeconomic landscape.
“However, as more bio-food tech companies gradually receive regulatory approvals from various countries, we remain optimistic that the cultivated meat sector will continue to expand, leading to a resurgence in investment and funding,” says Dominic Jeong.
He is the co-founder and CEO of Simple Planet, a South Korean food tech startup that is taking a unique approach to cultivated meat. It produces cell-cultured ingredients like proteins (specifically, amino acids) in powder and paste formats, and omega-3 fatty acids in the form of an oil and a paste.
Graphic by Green Queen
The firm – which is prioritising beef, chicken, and fish from its suite of 13 cell lines – is preparing regulatory dossiers for food safety authorities in South Korea and Singapore, aiming to file them within the first half of this year. It means its products could come to market in 2026, given the timeline of approvals in each country.
“We are initially working on a muscle-derived cell line. This cell line will be submitted for regulatory approval upon completion of the necessary application data,” Jeong tells Green Queen.
Simple Planet also has an eye on Thailand and Indonesia, and is amplifying its presence in the Middle East and North America. These efforts will be helped by its upcoming bridge loan worth $10M, Jeong notes.
“It’s a complex time for cell-based food globally, particularly in funding and regulation,” Jeong says. “With investors becoming more cautious, having a clear path to market and a scalable business model is more important than ever. At Simple Planet, we’ve stayed focused on efficiency, partnerships, and long-term viability.”
The company has already raised $8M from investors, in addition to an $8M government grant it received as part of a food security project last year. The new funding, the CEO says, will primarily be used to drive commercialisation, establish an industrial production facility, and expand Simple Planet’s business operations.
Simple Planet’s multi-pronged path to market
Courtesy: Simple Planet
Simple Planet is producing a lyophilised cell powder with 16 times more protein than whey. “The powder has the potential to effectively substitute the whey protein currently used in Formula 75 (F-75) and Formula 100 (F-100), which are therapeutic milk formulations designed for the treatment of severe malnutrition,” explains Jeong.
“We are actively engaged in efforts to replace whey protein in these products to provide a reliable and effective source of protein nutrition.”
In addition to these ingredients, it has unveiled Balboa Kitchen, a healthy snacking brand featuring ready-to-eat granola, functional snacks, and “other clean-label products” made from the cell-based ingredients.
“We’re planning to enter global markets this year, starting with Southeast Asia and Japan, where demand for Korean-made healthy food continues to grow,” reveals Jeong.
Meanwhile, Simple Planet’s patented serum-free culture medium replaces fetal bovine serum with probiotic-derived metabolites, slashing costs by over 99.8% and addressing key ethical concerns. “Our serum-free culture media is aimed at research labs and biotech startups, particularly those working on cell-based food. We’re leveraging our network to support innovation across the industry,” he says.
Since its innovations are ingredients rather than fully formed products, a direct comparison with the cost of conventional meat is not an appropriate measure, Jeong argues. “However, the initial cost per kilogram is comparable to that of conventional meat, while the protein content per unit weight is significantly higher. As production scales up to industrial levels, the cost is expected to decrease significantly,” he explains.
“Our scale of production is using 1,000-litre bioreactors, and the capacity goal of ingredient production is a maximum of 3.2 tonnes per month,” he adds. “Our facility is currently in the process of obtaining GMP [Good Manufacturing Practice] certification, which will ensure that our production is conducted in a highly controlled, contaminant-free environment.”
Simple Planet is targeting CPG players with the cultivated protein and fat. “We aim to produce at scale and collaborate with food conglomerates to enhance the nutrition of their products. These ingredients are highly versatile and can be applied to snacks, beverages, ready meals, and more,” says Jeong.
“We’ve already completed successful proof-of-concepts with major Korean players like Nongshim and CJ, developing more nutritious versions of products like instant noodles and gyoza.”
Several projects underway to advance cultivated meat
Courtesy: Simple Planet
The purpose of the bridge funding is fourfold. Simple Planet will aim to set up a large-scale production plant, establish strategic partnerships for product integration with food and beverage companies, expand its presence in global markets while pursuing regulatory approval, and hire top biotech, food science, and commercialisation experts to help execute these goals.
In the meantime, it has embarked on several projects to advance its path to market. One of these is a proof-of-concept collaboration with a “global food conglomerate” to explore how its ingredients can enhance the taste and nutrition of its products across the food, beverage, supplement and wellness categories.
“We are also exploring ways to support Indonesia’s national priority programme for free nutritious meals, working with local partners to contribute to sustainable and accessible nutrition solutions,” says Jeong.
In February, Simple Planet announced it was collaborating with Chulalongkorn University’s Halal Research Center in Thailand to integrate Halal standards into its manufacturing practices. After the startup initiated discussions and shared data on its technology, the Korean Muslim Federation issued a fatwa confirming that cultivated meat can be consumed by Muslims if it meets certain criteria.
In addition, the company is working with the Indonesian National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) and Thailand’s National Food Institute to advance the development of cell-cultured ingredients. And the startup has signed an MoU to partner with the newly announced cultivated meat research centre in Uiseong County.
“For Simple Planet, government approval and halal certification are top priorities,” says Jeong. “We work closely with halal authorities and food regulators to ensure our serum-free, halal-compliant cell culture medium meets industry standards.”
Cultivated meat needs ‘stronger government support’
Courtesy: GFI APAC
Simple Planet has been engaging with regulators across key markets, including the Korean Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (which established a novel food framework in 2024 and is expected to greenlight an application from local startup CellMeat soon). Further, it’s working with the Singapore Food Agency and the National Agency of Drug and Food Control (BPOM) in Indonesia.
“In Indonesia, Thailand, South Korea, and Singapore, there is increasing interest in alternative proteins as part of national food security and sustainability initiatives,” says Jeong. “Singapore has led the way with a regulatory framework, while other countries are actively developing policies on food safety and halal compliance.”
He calls for “stronger government support” in regulation, research, and halal certification, which is crucial to unlocking the full potential of cultivated meat in mainstream markets.
So far, cultivated meat has been cleared to be sold in Singapore (from two startups), the US (four), Israel, the UK, Hong Kong, and (preliminarily) Australia and New Zealand (one each). Despite all the turmoil in the sector, three approval decisions have come this year. Regulators in the EU, Switzerland, Thailand and South Korea are assessing applications too.
“Regulatory progress varies widely – countries like Singapore and the US are moving forward, while others are still developing frameworks. This creates uncertainty, but also opportunities to help shape the conversation,” says Jeong.
“Europe remains cautious about the commercialisation of cell-based food, although some products have entered the market as pet food. This might be an early sign that Europe may gradually open up to cultivated meat in the future,” he adds. Even in Singapore and Israel, challenges remain in terms of standardisation, market access, and regulatory consistency.
But he indicates that the wave of approvals over the last 18 months is a sign of good things to come after a period of turbulence: “These hurdles appear to be part of the natural progression of introducing a new technology to consumers, and we believe they will be resolved in the near future.”
Portuguese startup PFx Biotech has secured €2.5M in seed funding, matching a recent EU grant for its recombinant human milk proteins.
Making breast milk alternatives from yeast, Porto-based firm PFx Biotech has bagged €2.5M ($2.85M) in funding from investors, months after securing a €2.5M ($2.6M at the time) grant from the EU.
The round was led by Buenavista Equity Partners, alongside the EU food innovation body EIT Food and Beta Capital. They join early investors in the startup, such as Biotope Incubator, Big Idea Ventures, and Pascual InnoVentures.
It takes the food tech startup’s total raised to €5M, following the grant from the EIC Accelerator, which backed 71 companies in its latest cohort.
“We believe PFx Biotech is one of the few companies with the scientific depth, technical execution, and visionary leadership required to make precision fermentation commercially viable at scale,” said Bibi Sattar Marques, partner at Buenavista Equity Partners.
Making human lactoferrin from yeast
Courtesy: PFx Biotech
Founded in 2022 by CEO Ali Osman, COO Harry Barraza and R&D head Diana Oliveira, PFx Biotech uses precision fermentation to produce a range of human milk proteins for the advanced nutrition market. The technology combines traditional fermentation with the latest biotech advancements to produce compounds of interest.
To do so, it provides the genetic information of milk proteins to proprietary strains of microbes, developed to be capable of secreting high yields of the proteins. They’re then supplied with water, sugar and other nutrients in a bioreactor, where they produce high amounts of protein under the right conditions. These are then collected as pure proteins and sold as ingredients.
The proteins are structurally and functionally identical to those found in breast milk, and can be used across multiple applications. They can help reduce allergy risks and provide optimal nutrition to babies, boost immunity, bone health and muscle mass in elderly consumers, enhance performance and recovery in athletes, and offer nutraceutical benefits and general wellness across demographics.
PFx Biotech is starting with lactoferrin, a whey protein found in human milk and bovine colostrum. It’s an iron-regulating ingredient that strengthens the gut and possesses antibacterial and anti-carcinogenic properties. The protein is “key in human immune system regulation, from birth to death”, a company spokesperson explained.
However, lactoferrin isn’t easily available. It takes at least 10,000 litres of milk to produce just 1kg of purified lactoferrin, driving costs up to $750-$1,500 per kg in retail. It’s why a majority of the lactoferrin supply is reserved for the infant nutrition sector.
By producing it in bioreactors via a scalable and repeatable process, companies can overcome the supply bottleneck. And the high costs of conventional lactoferrin make what is otherwise an expensive technology more viable. It’s why a number of startups are using precision fermentation to produce either bovine or human lactoferrin, including TurtleTree, All G, Helaina, De Novo Foodlabs, Noumi and Triplebar.
Only the first two have received regulatory clearance to commercialise their animal-free lactoferrin: TurtleTree in the US, and All G in China and the US.
PFx Biotech working on other human milk proteins too
Courtesy: PFx Biotech
Human lactoferrin isn’t the only protein under development at PFx Biotech. The firm told Green Queen that its technology platform can be “adapted to produce” bovine lactoferrin as well. Additionally, it is working on alpha-lactalbumin and osteopontin.
The former accounts for up to a quarter of the protein content in breast milk and plays a key role in providing essential nutrients to the infant, including amino acids and bioactive peptides. The latter, meanwhile, boosts immunity, intestinal and brain development, and gut health in infants.
In adults, alpha-lactalbumin improves sleep, aids in cognitive resilience, and relieves stress, while osteopontin has been shown to bolster bone health and regulate the body’s inflammatory response.
PFx Biotech was the winner of the Most Innovative Nutraceutical Ingredient category at Vitafoods Europe 2025’s Startup Challenge last month, and with the latest capital injections, it’s aiming to accelerate its path to commercial readiness.
“This is a defining moment for PFx Biotech,” said Osman. “We’re proud to be backed by mission-aligned investors to help us unlock the potential of lactoferrin in a more sustainable nutrition model.”
He added: “As we enter this new growth stage, we are actively exploring strategic collaborations across R&D, scale-up, and go-to-market opportunities.”
In the US, 24% of consumers are cutting back on meat this year, but enthusiasm for plant-based alternatives remains low – here’s why.
Americans may have spent more on meat last year than ever before, but nearly a quarter (24%) of them are limiting their intake this year.
While this share is lower than the 29% who were cutting out meat in 2022, it still represents a two-point increase from 2024. The shift is being led by women, baby boomers, and low-income Americans, according to a survey of over 1,500 consumers.
In a report published in collaboration with the Culinary Institute of America, Food for Climate League, and the Menus of Change University Research Collaborative, research firm Dataessential found that men, Gen Zers and millennials are among the demographics least likely to put less beef on their plates.
Courtesy: Dataessential
While interest in plant-based eating remains, it has largely dipped from 2023 levels. Only 19% will intentionally choose animal-free dishes when dining out this year (versus 27% in 2023), for example. Instead, the focus is more on reduction over complete replacement – 37% of Americans plan to order meat dishes mixed with plants from restaurants (think a burger made from beef and mushrooms).
People are also much more likely to order meals with whole ingredients like beans and legumes (28%) than those with vegan meat alternatives (17%), though both these options are less appealing than they were two years ago.
“Consumers overwhelmingly trust whole foods – nuts, legumes, and grains – over processed plant-based meat alternatives,” the 2025 edition of the Plant-Forward Opportunity report reads. And while red meat is losing ground, animal protein sources are still rated by most Americans as “the highest-quality sources of protein”.
Plant proteins low on Americans’ priority list
Courtesy: Dataessential
The research shows that Americans are enamoured by protein, especially poultry, which is consumed by 90% of the population. Dairy and eggs aren’t far behind, while red meat intake is also high at 86%. In contrast, the most consumed plant-based protein sources are nuts and seeds (77%), followed by whole grains (62%) and legumes (57%).
Plant-based meat is way down the list, with only 23% of Americans eating products like the Impossible Burger. Even fewer (21%) eat tofu and tempeh, and seitan is at the bottom of the list, appearing on the table of only one in eight Americans.
Men are significantly more likely to be eating red meat and protein supplements, but also vegan meat alternatives and tofu. Plant proteins are most appealing to millennials, but Gen Z is the least likely generation to regularly consume poultry, seafood, legumes, nuts, or meat analogues.
Interestingly, those who limit meat are really only cutting back on red meat. And here, too, plant-based foods are much less popular than animal protein. Around 60% of meat reducers eat tofu, tempeh and meat alternatives at least weekly, compared to 86% who say the same for poultry.
There’s one simple reason for this: Americans think animal proteins are the best way to pump up their macros. Between 85% and 90% rate beef, eggs and chicken as high-quality protein sources, much higher than tofu (41%) and plant-based meat (36%).
The data highlights a gap in consumer education here, given that many Americans have a “misguided” perception that vegetables contain more protein than whole grains, legumes, soy, and meat analogues.
Familiarity and taste the biggest plant-based opportunities for restaurants
Courtesy: Dataessential
According to Dataessential, many consumers still hesitate to order plant-forward meals at restaurants. And while there are a number of roadblocks, by far, how they taste is at the top of the list, with 45% of Americans dissatisfied with the flavour of such dishes.
Satiety is also high on the list, as 28% report feeling hungry just two to three hours later. A similar share of diners (27%) don’t think vegetables and plant-based ingredients are worth the money they pay. For a quarter of consumers, not getting enough protein was a major concern too.
Meanwhile, around one in five feel plant-based foods are too processed and that restaurants don’t have enough exciting meat-free options.
“Among consumers who do express some level of concern about plant-based restaurant dining, boomers are held back primarily on the taste of plant-based offerings, while Gen Z and millennials are more likely to express a wider variety of concerns, from protein content and energy provision to cost and visual appeal,” the report states. That said, younger consumers are also the most open to being swayed, as there are many strategies to do so.
Courtesy: Dataessential
Restaurants that highlight familiar flavours or offer samples of plant-forward dishes stand to gain the most ground, as these would sway 44% and 38% of consumers, respectively. Likewise, 30% of Americans would try these options if they were in dishes they know or love, or in a familiar format (like pizzas, sandwiches or burritos).
If they knew all the ingredients, or if the ingredients used were simple, a quarter would find plant-based dishes on the menu appealing. Cost is another factor, especially relative to animal proteins – 21% of Americans would choose plant-forward meals if they’re cheaper or offered at a discount to meat-based dishes. However, its importance is down by five points compared to 2023.
“While craveable, well-loved flavours remain the most effective way to drive plant-forward ordering, consumers in 2025 are increasingly motivated by value and service-driven strategies – and less by sustainability or local sourcing messages compared to 2023,” the report suggests.
“Operators should instead highlight what diners gain from choosing plant-forward options – whether it’s added value through combos and meal deals, familiar and satisfying formats like pizza or burritos, or trusted cues like chef and server recommendations. The key is to make plant-forward feel like the better, more exciting choice, not just the cheapest one,” it adds.
Munich-based vegan pet food startup Vegdog has raised €9M ($10.2M) in Series A funding to expand its European presence, after seeing sales hike by 66% in 2024.
While startups working on alternative proteins for humans continue to face fundraising hurdles, those targeting our furry friends are enjoying more success.
Vegdog, known for its wide range of vegan dog food and supplements, has secured €9M ($10.2M) in a Series A round led by the European Circular Bioeconomy Fund (ECBF VC) and existing investor the Green Generation Fund.
Angel investors Dominique Locher, Attollo SA, and Andrea Skersies, financing platform Select Alternative Investments, and existing shareholder SFO also participated in the round, which took the decade-old company’s total raised to $13.7M.
The investment will be used to expand Vegdog’s footprint across Europe, and comes on the back of a highly successful year for the business, where it reached €10M ($11.4M) in sales in 2024 (a 66% rise from the previous year). Now, it is aiming to achieve a growth rate of up to 80% in the coming years.
Vegdog looks to conquer Europe with the fresh capital
Courtesy: Vegdog
Founded by Tessa Zaune-Figlar and Valerie Henssen, Vegdog’s lineup includes both dry and wet food, snacks, and dietary supplements, which use ingredients like pea protein, lentils, and vegetables. They’re developed in collaboration with veterinarians to ensure high nutritional quality.
Last year, it teamed up with fellow German food tech startup MicroHarvest to roll out Pure Bites, a line of dog treats made from the latter’s biomass-fermented microbial protein.
Its products are available via its website and Amazon in Germany and Austria, as well as Futterhaus, Zoo&Co, and DM Drogerie stores. During Veganuary, they were listed in Aldi Suisse and Hofer in Austria too.
This year, Vegdog is planning to double its workforce, as part of its planned expansion into the entire German, Austrian and Swiss region, as well as the Netherlands. It has a wider European rollout earmarked for 2026.
“Our vision is a world in which healthy dog nutrition is no longer at the expense of other animals or the environment. This financing round enables us to accelerate innovation and growth,” said Henssen, who is co-CEO of the company alongside Zaune-Figlar. “The bigger Vegdog is, the greater our impact on dog health and animal welfare.”
Vegdog says it will use the capital to refine its production process, scale its operations across Europe, and explore new blends that address diverse dietary needs across different canine breeds and life stages.
“As consumer demand for ethical and environmentally friendly products rises, VEGDOG is well-positioned to challenge the status quo for the European pet food industry,” said Mathias Brink Lorenz, investment director at ECBF.
Pet food bucks the alternative protein trend
Courtesy: Vegdog
The investment in Vegdog contrasts with what has otherwise been a tough landscape for plant-based food companies, which raised 64% less money in 2024 than the year before.
That said, alternative pet food has enjoyed a fruitful 12 months. The British Veterinary Association has ended its long-standing objection to plant-based dog food, while studies have shown that vegan food is the most effective measure to cut the climate footprint of cats and dogs.
Meanwhile, the UK became the first country where consumers could buy cultivated meat for their cats and dogs off the shelves, while Germany’s Marsapet rolled out a kibble product for dogs using Calysta’s gas-fermented FeedKind protein in Europe.
British vegan pet food maker The Pack was acquired by Prefera Petfood, and fellow London-based startup Omni saw sales shoot up by 130% with 20,000 new customers in the three months after securing an investment from Steven Bartlett and Deborah Meaden on Dragons’ Den.
Elsewhere, one US startup has conducted feeding trials in pursuit of regulatory approval in the US, and California’s Friends & Family Pet Food Co has inked two deals to launch stateside and in Singapore.
And last month, Meatly made several breakthroughs to dramatically lower the costs of its cultivated chicken for pets, and BioCraft Pet Food revealed that its mouse meat generates 92% fewer emissions than conventional beef.
Australian cultivated meat startup Magic Valley held a tasting for politicians in the New South Wales parliament last week.
Just months before cultivated meat makes it onto restaurant menus in Australia, some of the country’s policymakers got a taste of it themselves.
In the New South Wales parliament last week, politicians were treated to cultivated lamb meatballs and pork dumplings from Melbourne startup Magic Valley. And they were impressed.
“It was delicious,” said Alex Greenwich, an independent representative for Sydney. “This type of meat is guilt-free: no animal cruelty, no deforestation, and saves water and CO2 emissions,” he added, a nod to lamb’s status as the third most polluting food product (after beef and dark chocolate).
The tasting event came months after the firm received an A$100,000 ($63,000) injection from the federal government to transition from research to commercial production of its cultivated meat.
Cultivated meat as an economic opportunity for Australia
Courtesy: Magic Valley
The tasting was held at the parliament’s Rooftop Garden, attended by 17 politicians and ministers, including state treasurer Daniel Mookhey and innovation minister Anoulack Chanthivong. The dumplings were served with chilli oil and chilli crisp, and the meatballs featured a classic marinara sauce.
Magic Valley’s technology eschews fetal bovine serum and leverages induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). It takes a small sample of skin cells from a living animal, which are expanded and turned into iPSCs, which in turn can be converted into muscle and fat.
The cells are grown in a bioreactor, in a mixture of water, amino acids, and other nutrients. They’re harvested after a few weeks and turned into meat products. These can be made over and over again from the original cell sample, since the iPSCs can grow in an unlimited way.
According to the startup, its process can reduce emissions by 92%, land use by 95%, and water use by 78% compared to conventional meat.
The event came a year after it held a public tasting for its cultivated pork, serving it as part of baos at John Gorilla Café in Brunswick, Victoria. Magic Valley has also hosted a televised tasting on Australia’s Channel 7 network and appeared on Gordon Ramsay’s Food Stars Australia.
Highlighting why it was important for politicians to try it, founder and CEO Paul Bevan said that the event was about more than just food. “It’s about jobs, technology, and positioning Australia as a leader in one of the world’s fastest-growing industries,” he said.
Emma Hurst, a representative of the Animal Justice Party who hosted the tasting, concurred: “There is a real economic opportunity for New South Wales and indeed Australia to become a leader in the production, sale and export of cellular agriculture and to be part of this worldwide shift in the food system.”
Government support is critical ahead of cultivated meat debut
Courtesy: Magic Valley
Magic Valley expanded into a new pilot facility at bio-innovator and incubator Co-Labs in 2023, which can house bioreactors with a capacity of up to 3,000 litres, allowing it to potentially produce 150,000 kgs of cultivated meat annually.
As of now, it is raising capital to build its first manufacturing facility in the country, an effort backed by the A$100M grant from the government’s Industry Growth Program. The company is eligible for up to $5M in funding through the initiative.
“With support from both government and private investors, we can build advanced facilities, create regional employment, and export high-tech protein to the world,” said Bevan.
New South Wales is already home to one of the world’s leading cultivated meat startups. Vow, based in Sydney, makes cultured quail and foie gras, which have been on the market in Singapore since last year.
In April, the firm received preliminary approval from Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) for its quail product. With the final green light from ministers expected in June, Vow will debut its cultivated meat at “high-end restaurants and elevated fast-casual concepts” in Australia, before rolling out in retail later in the year.
These developments coincide with a decline in meat consumption among Australians, 42% of whom are either reducing or not eating animal protein at all. But a 2023 survey of Australians and New Zealanders found that 74% weren’t familiar with cultivated meat, while only 24% would readily incorporate it into their diets (and 48% said they wouldn’t do so).
Research has also found that when it comes to alternative protein policies, Australia ranks bottom of the list of the 10 most supportive governments in Asia-Pacific. So public tasting events and government support are key to building awareness and advancing the industry.
Austrian biotech firm Arkeon, known for its gas fermentation technology to make proteins from air, has filed for insolvency.
Vienna-based gas fermentation firm Arkeon has filed for insolvency, a marker of the investment and financial challenges facing the alternative protein sector.
The startup upcycled carbon into amino acids, helping industries decarbonise while producing valuable proteins that aren’t a threat to the planet.
In a LinkedIn post this week, co-founder and CEO Gregor Tegl confirmed that the firm had formally filed for insolvency. “While this is a difficult moment, I am incredibly grateful for everyone who believed in our vision for sustainable protein production via gas fermentation,” he wrote.
An expensive technology with high investment needs
Courtesy: Arkeon
Gas fermentation involves feeding microbes on gases like carbon dioxide instead of sugars to produce high-value ingredients, such as fuels, proteins, and chemicals.
Arkeon, founded in 2021 by Tegl, Simon Rittmann and Günther Bochmann, lowered the excess levels of CO2 in the atmosphere by capturing the gas from industrial emissions. It converted the gas into food using archaea, microorganisms said to be highly efficient and capable of producing viable and variable proteins.
The microbial fermentation results in the secretion of all 20 proteinogenic amino acids to power what the company described as “carbon-negative, clean-label functional ingredients”.
The process eschews the need for agriculture, land or animals, reduces waste gases, decarbonises heavy industries, and can play a part in tackling food security. That said, the technology, equipment and raw materials aren’t cheap, and the process isn’t easy to scale.
Arkeon opened a pilot plant in Seestadt in July 2023, and has secured more than $13M from investors including Square One Foods, Synthesis Capital, ICL, and ReGen Ventures. But this is a fraction of the capital raised by other companies turning gases into food or feed.
For example, Air Protein (a spinoff of California’s Kiverdi) has attracted $107M to date, Calysta has brought in around $172M, NovoNutrients has secured $27M, and Finland’s Solar Foods has received $79M (with additional government funding for its facilities).
Most of this capital was raised before 2023, when money was cheaper and investors more interested in alternative protein technologies. The sector suffered from a 44% dip in funding in 2023, followed by a further 27% fall last year. Investment in the overall climate tech sector also declined by 38% in 2024, as venture capitalists flocked to artificial intelligence instead.
Graphic by Green Queen
Alternative protein businesses in a whirlwind
These challenges have hit future food companies hard. Over the last year, seafood burger company Akua, plant-based startup Sunfed Meats, vegan cheesemaker Willicroft, cultivated meat firm SciFi Foods, and animal-free heme maker Motif Foodworks have all ceased operations.
Fermentation player Mycorena, meanwhile, filed for bankruptcy before being rescued by Naplasol, and plant-based ready meal maker Allplants sold off its assets to Grubby and the founders of Deliciously Ella. Mark Cuban-backed vegan pet food startup Wild Earth has also filed for bankruptcy.
Mycelium meat leader Meati, meanwhile, last month filed documents suggesting that it’s set to be sold for $4M weeks after a bank unexpectedly swept most of its cash reserves due to a technical default. The firm has raised $450M to date and was valued at $650M in 2022.
And last week, the co-founder of French plant-based meat maker Swap stepped down as CEO after the company reportedly posted a turnover of just €1M ($1.1M) in 2024. It is now being helmed by former Mondelēz and Pierre Martinet executive Hervé Salomon, who would need to spearhead its efforts to raise €9M ($10.2M) by year-end, and nearly €30M ($34.1M) by the end of 2026.
All of this to say, it isn’t easy being a future food founder or company in 2025. Still, Arkeon’s Tegl remains optimistic. “Although Arkeon’s journey has come to an end, my belief in the potential of sustainable biotechnologies remains as strong as ever,” he said.
“Every failure teaches us something new, and the lessons we’ve learned about scaling our technology, engaging with stakeholders, and navigating regulatory landscapes will stay with me as I move forward.”
Home to a host of leading future food startups, California has established a special committee to advance innovation in the alternative protein sector.
While several states in the US are banning (or hoping to ban) cultivated meat from being sold within their borders, some are doubling down on their commitment to supercharge the future food industry.
Among those is California, which last month established the Assembly Select Committee on Alternative Protein Innovation to boost the state’s position as a leader in sustainable food systems.
The special committee is being chaired by Ash Kalra, a Democrat from San José, who was instrumental in California’s $5M investment in alternative protein research in 2022.
Why California is betting on alternative proteins
Beyond Meat is one of a number of alternative protein leaders hailing from California | Courtesy: Beyond Meat
In the US, select committees are established by the Senate for a limited time, and tend to be investigative rather than legislative in nature. These committees may or may not be given the authority to report legislation to the chamber.
California’s alternative protein committee will focus on efforts to support all pillars of the alternative protein sector, including plant-based proteins, fermentation-derived foods, and cultivated meat.
It will begin by organising information hearings to determine how California can expand its alternative protein economy while aligning with its climate and sustainability goals. “This committee is about more than just boosting a promising sector of our economy,” Kalra said. “It’s about investing in climate-smart food solutions that meet the needs of a growing population.”
In 2022, the state unveiled what it claimed was the world’s first detailed climate neutrality pathway, aiming to slash greenhouse gas emissions by 48% in 2030 and 85% by the target year of 2045. It also aims to save $200B in healthcare costs related to pollution.
California is also working to redirect 20% of food from being sent to landfills by this year, and reduce methane emissions by 40% (below 2013 levels) by the end of this decade. Targeting meat and dairy production is a key tenet of this latter target, considering that livestock is responsible for half of the state’s methane footprint.
In fact, animal agriculture is responsible for 70% of California’s total emissions from the food system, and takes up a third of its land area. Expanding its alternative protein ecosystem is therefore a critical step towards decarbonisation.
Producing foods from plant-based ingredients, microbes or cellular agriculture uses a tiny share of the land and water that animal proteins do, while emitting a fraction of the greenhouse gases as well.
The Golden State is already a leader in alternative protein
Courtesy: Wildtype
“Our state is a leader in alternative protein innovation and home to the first major plant-based protein companies, the first-ever cultivated meat startups, and numerous inventive fermentation food companies,” said Kalra.
Indeed, California is the birthplace of modern-day plant-based giants Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods, and a host of leading cultivated meat startups. In fact, all four companies approved to sell cultivated proteins in the US – Eat Just, Upside Foods, Mission Barns, and Wildtype – hail from the Golden State.
It is also home to the Integrative Center for Alternative Meat and Protein. Opened last year at the University of California, Davis, it is conducting research on speeding up these future foods’ path to market.
California also made the single-largest alternative protein R&D investment of any state back three years ago, with Governor Gavin Newsom signing a budget bill that provided $5M to UC Berkeley, UC Davis, and UCLA. As mentioned above, this effort was facilitated by Kalra.
Courtesy: UC Davis
“I look forward to holding informational hearings on the topic of growing this new economy and how it can support California’s climate and food sustainability goals,” the senator said.
Other states that have championed alternative proteins in recent years include Illinois, which poured in $680M in the iFAB Tech Hub to advance precision fermentation research and its biomanufacturing capabilities. Massachusetts, meanwhile, is home to Tufts University and its Center for Cellular Agriculture, and passed an economic development bill that pledged investment in the sector.
The state has pledged $10M for local companies and to match grants supporting these proteins, and another $115M for an infrastucture programme to support job growth in key tech sectors, including plant-based, fermented and cultivated foods with “sensory characteristics that are consistent with conventional meat and dairy”.
“I think it’s incumbent on us lawmakers to think long-term,” Senator Barry Finegold, chairperson of Massachusetts’s economic development and emerging tech committee, told Green Queen last year. “If we’re concerned about climate change, if we’re concerned about people’s health, then I think we have to take science seriously.”
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.
Steven Finn is the Co-Founder and Co-Managing Partner at Siddhi Capital.
What future food technologies most excite you?
I am focused on those that can create actual businesses instead of save-the-world, pie-in-the-sky science projects. That usually translates to an interest in the technologies and ingredients that are positioned to improve taste and price, and can go into food products that are genuinely craveable by the mass market. It also means businesses that can be staged and not rely long-term on fickle capital markets.
What are three future food verticals you are actively looking at for 2025?
Shared infrastructure, particularly around precision fermentation.
Low-inclusion ingredients with borderline pharma-level health claims, many of these being around gut microbiome optimisation.
Replacement ingredients for those with troubled agricultural supply chains or impending supply shocks. Think eggs, cocoa, and whatever the next disasters are.
What do you consider the food tech sector’s greatest achievement in the past five years?
Probably the approval and sales of cultivated meat products. I’ve tried most of them, and they have been a bit hit or miss – but the good ones are good, and the fact that they exist and are okay to sell is still an incredible achievement.
If you could wave a magic wand, how would you fix plant-based meat?
Make it taste like (or better than!) meat and cost less. As long as I have the magic wand, I’d probably also use Men in Black-style memory-erasing tech on everyone who’s tried the mainstream plant-based options, so they come back at it through a lens of excitement and wonder again, instead of with jaded disappointment.
What’s the top trait you look for in a founder?
Scrappiness. This boils down to capital efficiency; the ability to do more with less; the ability to pivot when necessary, no matter how far down a path they are; and the ability to see alternative uses for work they’ve already done to expand markets.
The One That Got Away: What is the deal you wish you had gotten into, but didn’t?
Series B of a well-known new-wave soda company. The valuation seemed like it was near a peak and we wouldn’t hit our return targets from there. I was wrong, and I drink it every day.
What do you consider your most successful future food investment so far?
Ask me in five years. We’ve got some will-be winners in our portfolio.
What has been your most disappointing investment so far?
All losers hurt, but the ones that have hurt the most have been those that raised stupid money from generalist tourist capital, and have run for the hills and left cap tables so messy, nobody could pick up the pieces. It’s what started me on a path to deeply understand cap table mechanics, which has become my speciality.
What do people misunderstand/get wrong most about VC?
At least for me, I expect to be wrong most of the time. Going in with that understanding, when I’m right, I need to be very right. I just hope to not be wrong all the time.
Also, when we invest, it’s because we believe in the product, market, and team at a point in time. When that shifts, we are not obligated to invest again.
What is the most ‘future food’ thing you have eaten this month?
Cookies made with Plantible’s Rubisco protein instead of eggs. I never would have known in a blind taste test.
Where is your favourite climate-forward restaurant/dish/place to eat anywhere in the world?
BlueNalu’s cultivated bluefin tuna nigiri, in their offices only (for now). Next up, the world!
What’s your ‘why’? What motivates you to do what you do?
I love and have always loved food. I want to be a part of the ecosystem and an enabler of great food for others. Most importantly, I want to make money for my investors (and myself and my team) in a way that doesn’t leave the world worse than I found it.
In its latest conference in Doha, the International Islamic Fiqh Academy ruled that Muslims can consume cultivated meat if certain conditions are met.
The world’s two billion Muslims can eat cultivated meat, according to a fatwa by a leading Islamic authority.
At the 26th International Islamic Fiqh Academy (IIFA) Conference in Doha this month, scholars deliberated on the consumption of cultivated meat and genetically modified food under Islamic law.
They approved the marketing and consumption of these foods, so long as they meet certain specific requirements, opening up the novel food market to a quarter of the global population.
What conditions does cultivated meat need to meet?
Courtesy: Aleph Farms
Operating under the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, the IIFA is one of the world’s leading legal authorities on Islam. Its members include Muslim jurists, scholars and intellectuals with expertise in various fields, who provide guidance on how Islamic principles apply to contemporary issues in science, medicine, economics, and technology.
Its latest conference was held in Doha in early May, with 230 experts from over 60 countries attending. Among the issues discussed were artificial intelligence, video games, genetically modified foods, and cultivated meat.
On the latter, the IIFA laid out several conditions that need to be met before Muslims can consume cultivated meat:
The source cells must come from animals permissible to eat and be slaughtered according to Islamic law – so pork products are prohibited.
The animal cells must be cultured in a medium free from prohibited substances like blood. It means products can’t be produced with fetal bovine serum, which is derived from the blood of unborn calves.
The products must be developed under trustworthy regulatory supervision.
Additionally, the Academy stressed the need for full consumer transparency and adherence to food safety standards, noting that cultivated meat should complement – not replace – conventional sources of meat.
Meanwhile, the IIFA permitted the consumption of genetically modified foods when sourced from animals permissible to eat, processed in a safe manner, and compliant with Sharia law. It underscored the importance of disclosing relevant information about these foods and their preparation methods.
Growing recognition for cultivated meat under Islamic law
Courtesy: International Islamic Fiqh Academy
The IIFA ruling is the third fatwa in favour of Muslims’ consumption of cultivated meat. A fatwa is a non-binding legal opinion based on Sharia law, and is an important guideline for Muslims on matters not specifically defined in the Quran.
In 2024, the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore issued a fatwa recognising these proteins as halal, a decision replicated by the Korean Muslim Federation earlier this year.
These were followed by similar conclusions by three leading Shariah scholars in Saudi Arabia in 2023, who told cultivated chicken maker Good Meat that cultivated meat can be considered halal, and the Assembly of Muslim Jurists of America in 2022, who adjudged it as provisionally permissible by default, provided Halal criteria are followed.
Halal diets refer to food consumption in accordance with Islamic law. When it comes to meat, it means animals must be slaughtered in a prescribed way, and certain types of meat and byproducts – including pork and blood products – are prohibited. Globally, the Halal meat market is estimated to grow by 7% annually to reach $1.6T by 2032.
Cultivated meat producers understand the opportunity. A 44-company survey in 2023 revealed that complying with halal requirements was a priority for 87% of the firms. A lack of resources outlining how products can adhere to such religious certifications remained a significant entry barrier, the study added.
“Ultimately, this decision marks a major step forward in aligning food innovation with cultural and religious values, a crucial ingredient in creating a world where alternative proteins are no longer alternative,” said the Good Food Institute APAC, an alternative protein think tank.
“It also clarifies religious guidelines for Asia-Pacific companies developing such products, opens doors for regulatory collaboration and halal certification frameworks across the region, and encourages Muslim organisations in other countries to follow in the footsteps of Singapore and South Korea,” it added.
