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Category: Alt Protein

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

    plant based food survey
    6 Mins Read

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

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

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

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

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

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

    Which plant-based foods are most popular?

    plant based trends
    Courtesy: GFI Europe

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

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

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

    vegan trends
    Courtesy: GFI Europe

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

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

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

    plant based meat consumption
    Courtesy: GFI Europe

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

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

    plant based survey
    Courtesy: GFI Europe

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

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

    The three types of dietary change consumers

    meat consumption uk
    Courtesy: GFI Europe

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

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

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

    meat consumption germany
    Courtesy: GFI Europe

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

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

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

    How the plant-based industry can adapt

    this isn't chicken
    Courtesy: THIS

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

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

    heura funding
    6 Mins Read

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

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

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

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

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

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

    vegan ham
    Courtesy: Heura

    Heura doubles down on Southern Europe

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

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

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

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

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

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

    How Heura plans to battle the UPF debate with new products

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

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

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

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

    heura cold cuts
    Courtesy: Heura

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

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

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

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

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

    heura cheese
    Courtesy: Heura

    EU loan part of food security and sustainability push

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

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

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

    heura foods
    Courtesy: Heura

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

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

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

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

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

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

    5 Mins Read

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    plant based diet aging
    Courtesy: Jul Po/Getty Images

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    Populations with high plant protein intake have longer lives

    plant based diet aging
    Courtesy: Gabriella Csapo/Studio India

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

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

    tesco meat alternatives
    5 Mins Read

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

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

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

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

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

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

    Plant-based meat sales slow at Tesco

    tesco vegan
    Courtesy: Tesco

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    tesco sustainability report
    Courtesy: Tesco

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

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

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

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

    tesco plant based
    Courtesy: Simon Day/LinkedIn

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

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

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

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

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

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

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

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

    7 Mins Read

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

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

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

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

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

    The climate problem plaguing AI and data centres

    ai climate change
    Courtesy: AI-Generated Image via Canva

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    Farmers vs AI

    factory farming water pollution
    Courtesy: Budimir Jevtic

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    Dealing with disruptions

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

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

    gil horsky
    3 Mins Read

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

    Gil Horky is the Founding Managing Partner at Flora Ventures.

    What future food technologies most excite you?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    Grit, and the ability to fundraise.

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

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

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

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

    What has been your most disappointing investment so far?

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

    What do people misunderstand/get wrong most about VC?

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

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

    I tasted some chocolate made with cell-based cacao.

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

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

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

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

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

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

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

    beyond meat q1 2025
    7 Mins Read

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    US sales slump a concern for Beyond Meat

    beyond meat sales
    Courtesy: Beyond Meat

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

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

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

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

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

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

    Misinformation drives short film and new marketing drive

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    Beyond Meat escaping ‘intense pressure cooker’, says CEO

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

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

    science museum future of food
    4 Mins Read

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

    New products and launches

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

    lab grown beef
    Courtesy: Science Museum Group

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

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

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

    beyond steak uk
    Courtesy: Beyond Meat

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    daiya cream cheese
    Courtesy: Daiya

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

    Policy, company and finance developments

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

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

    shifting shelves
    Courtesy: Jumbo

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

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

    ferm food
    Courtesy: Ferm Food

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

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

    Check out last week’s Future Food Quick Bites.

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

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

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

    montana lab grown meat
    6 Mins Read

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

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

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

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

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

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

    Montana attacks World Economic Forum after ban

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    Indiana temporarily bans sale and labelling of cultivated meat

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    Cultivated meat bans popular despite criticism

    lab grown meat ban
    Courtesy: Good Meat

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

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

    novo nordisk ultra processed food
    5 Mins Read

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

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

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

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

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

    Death rates are highest in countries with heightened UPF consumption

    ultra processed food additives
    Graphic by Green Queen

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    nova classification
    Courtesy: Springer

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    UPF backlash changing the plant-based food landscape

    vegchop
    Courtesy: Oh So Wholesome

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

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

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

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

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

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

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

    plant based meat barriers
    5 Mins Read

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

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

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

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

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

    How do cultures affect plant-based consumption?

    tindle vegan chicken
    Courtesy: TiNDLE Foods

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

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

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

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

    meatless farm pizza
    Courtesy: Meatless Farm

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

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

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

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

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

    vegan seafood uk
    Courtesy: Happiee!

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

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

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

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

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

    this isn't chicken
    Courtesy: THIS

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

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

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

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

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

    alternative protein grants
    6 Mins Read

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    What’s the focus of the Alternative Proteins Criteria?

    precision fermentation cheese
    Courtesy: Those Vegan Cowboys

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    The eligible measures for alternative protein stakeholders

    cultured meat regulation
    Courtesy: Aleph Farms

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    The post ‘Pivotal Moment’: Green Bonds Group Launches First-Ever Climate Finance Tool for Alternative Proteins appeared first on Green Queen.

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

    plant based meat switzerland
    4 Mins Read

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

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

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

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

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

    Planted slams labelling decision ‘driven by politics and emotion’

    plant based meat labelling ban
    Courtesy: Planted

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    Swiss ban contradicts nutrition policy and EU legislation

    planted steak
    Courtesy: Planted

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    The post Swiss Ban on Plant-Based Meat Labels ‘Contradictory’ to National Nutrition Strategy appeared first on Green Queen.

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

    jeff tripician
    4 Mins Read

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

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

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

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

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

    Scaling up ahead of market entry

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    Meatable prepares for fundraising and regulatory approvals

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    The post Meatable Bets on Singapore Factory for Global Scale-Up of Cultivated Pork appeared first on Green Queen.

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

    the pack pet food
    4 Mins Read

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

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

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

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

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

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

    vegan dog food
    Courtesy: The Pack

    The Pack sells brand after successful year

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    Prefera continues M&A trend in plant-based sector

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

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

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

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

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

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

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  • Beyond Meat Brings Back Fan Favourite: Unbreaded Chicken Pieces

    beyond meat chicken pieces
    6 Mins Read

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    The evolution of Beyond Meat’s chicken

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    Will consumers take to unbreaded vegan chicken pieces?

    beyond chicken pieces
    Courtesy: Beyond Meat

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

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

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

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

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

    Beyond Meat restates core focus amid whole-food demand

    beyond chicken
    Courtesy: Beyond Meat

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    The post Beyond Meat Brings Back Fan Favourite: Unbreaded Chicken Pieces appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • Eat Just’s Single-Ingredient Protein Powder Doubles As An Egg Replacer

    eat just protein powder
    5 Mins Read

    Eat Just has added a new single-ingredient protein powder to its portfolio, made from the same mung bean base as its Just Egg. The company says the product has more protein than “anything else on the market”.

    As sales of Just Egg hike amid the avian flu crisis, its parent company is now targeting another high-in-demand product: protein powder.

    California’s Eat Just has rolled out Just One, a range of protein powders made from the same mung bean base that powers its liquid egg alternative, at all Whole Foods locations in the US.

    The unflavored, single-ingredient version is also available at Purple Carrot, and contains 30g of complete protein per serving (three heaped tablespoons, or 35g). This means it contains all nine essential amino acids, and more of them than whey, pea or soy protein, which populate the current market of protein powders.

    just egg protein powder
    Courtesy: Eat Just

    In addition, Just One comes in three flavours – chocolate-peanut butter, maple-banana, and vanilla-chai – which contain 17g of protein per serving. Each protein powder comes in a 12oz reusable aluminium tin, priced at $34.99.

    “This is more than a conventional protein powder – it’s a protein that enables you to bake, to bind, to emulsify, to make pancakes and muffins and sauces. It’s an awesome, creamy [addition] to oatmeal.” Eat Just co-founder and CEO Josh Tetrick tells Green Queen, adding that it can replace eggs and milk in a range of applications.

    “It has more protein per serving than anything else on the market. It’s an entirely new category; a new, innovative kitchen staple,” he suggests.

    Just One protein powder hailed by chefs

    “We spent years trying to find a clean, single-ingredient protein that could make it a little easier to eat better,” Tetrick said in a statement. “We’re so excited to see what folks make with it.”

    Explaining how it’s made, he tells Green Queen: “It’s exactly the same protein we use to make Just Egg. We take a bean, mill [it] into a flour, and separate the protein at high rates of speeds in a centrifuge.”

    This proprietary protein separation technology maintains the protein’s integrity during processing, allowing the resulting ingredient to gel, emulsify, leaven, bind, and more. Eat Just argues that most protein powders make food denser and grittier, but Just One makes it better.

    just one protein powder
    Courtesy: Eat Just

    It carries some clout with culinary experts too, with celebrity chef Andrew Zimmern saying: “My chefs and I have fooled around with Just One in our kitchens for the last six months. We’re in love. From pumpkin bread to mushroom meatballs and silky smoothies, this single ingredient can do it all. It’s best in class.”

    All of the flavour contains brown sugar, natural flavours, and salt, with 8g of added sugar per serving; the maple-banana powder also has banana powder and natural maple flavour, the chocolate-peanut butter version uses Guittard cocoa and roasted peanut powder, and the vanilla-chai variety has cashew powder and chai spices.

    How Just One compares with eggs to feed US protein demand

    To use Just One as an egg replacer in baking recipes, the company recommends blending 80g of the powder with 200g of water, with 50g of the hydrated mix equivalent to one egg. That means one tin of the protein powder can roughly replace 25 eggs.

    At the suggested retail price, this equates to $1.38 per egg used in baking. That’s not far away from the price of chicken eggs in some larger US cities. Plus, the mung bean powder gives bakers the ability to add 6.5 times more protein than conventional eggs.

    This will appeal to an increasingly protein-hungry American population. The number of people trying to consume more protein has been steadily increasing in the US, from 59% in 2022 and 67% in 2023 to 71% in 2024, according to a 3,000-person survey. And this year, 85% want to continue increasing the amount of protein they eat.

    vegan protein powder
    Courtesy: Eat Just

    “I think Americans love protein for all sorts of reasons – cultural, emotional, and because of evidence-based reasons,” says Tetrick. “They have loved [it], and probably will always want more of it.”

    It leaves a major opportunity for alternative protein companies, given the environmental intolerance issues associated with conventional whey protein. That said, 87% of Americans believe you need animal products to get enough protein, despite vast evidence to the contrary, so there is a need for education.

    Still, the demand for plant-based protein powders can be seen in the numbers. In 2024, retail sales of the category rose by 11% (reaching $450M), with Americans buying 30 million units (a 13% rise). They also became 2% cheaper, and were the fourth-largest category in the vegan market after milk, meat and creamer alternatives.

    Animal-free protein powders on the rise

    just egg whole foods
    Courtesy: Eat Just

    Just One is among a growing list of companies offering animal-free protein powders. Just last week, Finland’s Solar Foods announced the world’s first protein powder made from air – targeted at the health and performance nutrition market in the US – while Balletic Foods entered the space with three fermentation-derived protein powders.

    Perfect Day was one of the first companies in the world to create an animal-free whey protein powder, and lent its ingredient to CPG protein powder brand Strive Nutrition, as well as online sports nutrition giant Myprotein. And last year, Nestlé released a Better Whey product under its Orgain line last year, featuring the same ingredient.

    Elsewhere, France’s Bon Vivant has introduced a three-strong range of functional animal-free dairy protein powders, while Dutch microbial protein maker Farmless is working on a ‘brewed’ protein powder.

    Meanwhile, precision fermentation startup The Every Company has launched a sugar-free syrup with 5g of recombinant egg protein per ounce, offering consumers a new way to add protein to their diets.

    The post Eat Just’s Single-Ingredient Protein Powder Doubles As An Egg Replacer appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • 5 Minutes with A Future Food VC: Earlybird’s Christian Nagel

    christian nagel
    3 Mins Read

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

    Christian Nagel is a Co-Founder and Partner at Earlybird Venture Capital.

    What future food technologies most excite you?

    Artificial intelligence (AI) is revolutionising food tech with entirely new approaches through generative models. For example, precision nutrition is becoming possible with hyper-personalised meal recommendations based on biomarkers and real-time data. In the lab, AI is accelerating synthetic biology, designing microbes that produce animal-free proteins.

    Robotic kitchens powered by AI are moving beyond automation into culinary creativity, and supply chains are getting smarter with AI predicting demand and reducing food waste. Across the board, AI is making food systems more efficient, sustainable, and tailored to individual needs.

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

    AI is accelerating the design of microorganisms that can produce new proteins, vitamins, and fats, or even mimic complex animal products. This innovation will drive momentum in the most compelling foodtech opportunities: fermentation-based protein platforms, clean-label functional ingredients, and technology that enhances supply chain resilience.

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

    The commercialisation of cultivated meat products, exemplified by regulatory approvals and first-to-market entries, such as Upside Foods and Eat Just’s cultivated chicken approvals in the US, Mission Barns‘s cultivated pork approval in the US, Eat Just’s cultivated chicken approval in Singapore, and our portfolio company Gourmey, which is in the approval process for fois gras in seven countries, representing a massive technological and regulatory milestone.

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

    I’d significantly enhance the taste and texture parity with conventional meat, particularly around juiciness, flavour, and cooking experience. This would likely involve breakthroughs in fat formulations, texture scaffolding, and ingredient innovation to dramatically improve consumer adoption.

    Like Nosh.bio’s Koji Chunks, addressing all the aforementioned points, with no additives, and now moving from the lab to mainstream shelves. This proves that sustainable, functional alternatives can deliver on taste, scalability, and consumer appeal in real-world markets without a magic wand.

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

    We look for founders with the potential, both in grit and vision, to redefine an industry.

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

    When it comes to future food, impact can come from very different directions, and that’s exactly what we see in both our portfolio companies Gourmey and Nosh.bio. I wouldn’t pick just one because they represent two very different, equally exciting approaches.

    Gourmey is redefining high-end cultivated meat with a focus on culinary excellence, while Nosh.bio is building a foundational fermentation platform with broad applications. Both are shaping the future of food, just from very different angles.

    What do people misunderstand/get wrong most about VC?

    People often think venture capital is just about chasing the next big thing, but after 28 years in this industry, the hype cycles become easier to spot. In reality, it’s about a long-term partnership. Being all in from day one is what we embrace at Earlybird, and that means being a sparring partner before the breakthrough and through the uncertainty so that you might get to celebrate the wins at the end.

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

    Fois gras in Paris from Gourmey – this was an experience with cultivated meat, where it was even better than the original, also confirmed by Rasmus Munk, who was Chef of the Year 2024 and is now part of Gourmey’s culinary board.

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

    Besides having been catered with Nosh.bio’s products, Cookies Cream in Berlin is still my most favourite climate-forward restaurant, despite not being vegan.

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

    Being part of the founding journey, from the earliest stage, is what keeps me inspired. There’s something deeply meaningful about being the first to believe in a founding team, sometimes before anyone does. That early conviction can make all the difference.

    The post 5 Minutes with A Future Food VC: Earlybird’s Christian Nagel appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • California’s BlueNalu Bets on Premium Sushi & Price Parity with Cultivated Bluefin Toro

    bluenalu
    6 Mins Read

    US cultivated seafood startup BlueNalu is targeting an initial launch of its bluefin tuna in California and has cemented partnerships to take the product global.

    A highly prized sushi delicacy made from cultured tuna cells could soon be coming to diners’ plates in California.

    San Diego-based BlueNalu is targeting the state as the first port of entry for its cultivated bluefin tuna toro, having filed for regulatory approval with the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Department of Agriculture (USDA).

    “Our initial launch will focus on California, starting in our home base of San Diego – a region known for its vibrant food culture and consumers who prioritise healthy and responsibly produced products,” founder and CEO Lou Cooperhouse tells Green Queen.

    At the same time, the company is laying the groundwork for international operations in “markets where demand, regulatory clarity, and strategic partnerships align”. That includes Singapore (where it has submitted a regulatory dossier), the UK (where it’s part of the government’s new regulatory sandbox scheme), and several nations in Asia-Pacific and the Middle East.

    The UK is the only European country to have approved cultivated meat for sale, which has prompted BlueNalu to amp up its focus on this market and expand its ongoing partnership with frozen food distributor Nomad Foods.

    “We began collaborating in 2021 to explore the market potential for cultivated seafood and following compelling consumer insights, we are now working together on market entry and commercialisation strategies,” says Cooperhouse, noting that the link-up will help bring its cultivated tuna to both the UK and the wider European market.

    “This includes evaluating premium foodservice offerings that align with consumer demand for high-quality, sustainable seafood, and also exploring other channels of distribution that align with Nomad’s current and future capabilities,” he adds.

    Brits respond positively to cultivated seafood

    lab grown seafood
    Courtesy: BlueNalu

    As part of its global push, BlueNalu commissioned a survey of 2,000 frequent sushi consumers in the UK last summer. “The results showed strong enthusiasm for BlueNalu’s first product, cell-cultivated bluefin tuna toro: 92% of respondents expressed some level of interest in trying it, including 55% who were very or extremely interested,” reveals Cooperhouse.

    “Consumers identified the absence of parasites, pesticides, microplastics, mercury, and antibiotics as top benefits, followed by high omega-3 content and sustainable production,” he adds. “The study also affirmed that the terms ‘cell-cultivated’ and ‘cell-cultured’ effectively communicate the product’s origin and align with consumer expectations.”

    BlueNalu is one of eight startups participating in the UK Food Standards Agency’s (FSA) two-year regulatory sandbox programme, which aims to help firms bring cultivated meat to market faster. It is the only US company in the scheme, and the only one focused on seafood.

    BlueNalu CTO Lauran Madden calls it a “first-of-its-kind initiative” designed to support the development of safe and innovative cultivated food products. “The sandbox offers a unique opportunity for early, collaborative engagement with regulators to ensure we are aligned with the FSA’s expectations and data requirements for novel food applications, and structured dialogue and feedback,” she tells Green Queen.

    “We commend the FSA for its forward-thinking approach and leadership in enabling a science-based, transparent regulatory pathway for emerging food technologies,” Madden adds.

    In the aforementioned survey, 73% of Brits said they’d likely visit a sushi restaurant that offers the product. So it stands to reason that BlueNalu is planning to introduce its tuna in the UK and Europe through premium sushi and fine-dining restaurants.

    “This approach reflects both consumer interest and our product’s unique value proposition. Nomad Foods has a long history of launching innovative seafood products, and together we are identifying the best entry points that meet today’s expectations for taste, safety, consistency, and sustainability,” says Cooperhouse.

    “As we progress towards commercialisation, this partnership enables us to pair scientific and regulatory progress with real market insights and commercial expertise.”

    The cost economics of bluefin tuna

    cultured meat
    Courtesy: BlueNalu

    Bluefin tuna is a highly sought-after seafood delicacy, thanks to its velvety texture, buttery flavour and nutritional attributes. However, this species represents the ocean’s fastest and longest-distance swimmers, which makes it difficult to raise the fish in captivity, thus commanding a higher price. Toro is the fatty part of bluefin tuna belly, and is used in high-grade sushi and sashimi.

    However, its supply is limited and extremely variable in quality, and its stocks face declines due to overfishing and illegal, unregulated and unreported fishing. Continued demand is driving the species towards endangerment and has prompted governments to place strict quotas to limit its fishing. Plus, tuna is one of the most polluted fish in the oceans, often contaminated with plastic debris and extremely high levels of heavy metals like mercury.

    Israel’s Wanda Fish, too, is working on cultivated bluefin tuna toro to address this issue, though BlueNalu appears to be ahead in the race to bring it to consumer plates. It already operates a 38,000 sq ft pilot plant in San Diego (which can produce enough tuna for small-scale sales), and has unveiled plans for a larger 140,000 sq ft facility that can manufacture six million lbs of product annually once operational.

    This will help bring down costs for the cultivated tuna, a crucial aspect for most consumers. That said, the company is already staring at an advantage here, since bluefin tuna toro already carries a premium price tag, so a cell-cultured version wouldn’t have the same cost difference as that with commodity beef or chicken. According to the poll, 74% of UK consumers are willing to pay the same or more than for conventional bluefin tuna.

    “BlueNalu’s business strategy centres on high-demand species that address challenges in supply, consistency, sustainability, and food security – particularly those that displace imports… and command premium pricing,” says Cooperhouse.

    “Seafood is already a premium category, and toro is one of the most expensive cuts, and has been described as the ‘Wagyu beef of the sea’. That gives us a unique opportunity to compete in a segment where consumers already expect to pay for quality, and where BlueNalu’s product’s health benefits, consistency, and safety attributes add real value.

    “BlueNalu’s consumer research has already demonstrated that many consumers will see great value in our products, due to the health and safety advantages associated with our process. As a result, we believe we will be able to sell our products at or near price parity from our early stages of commercialisation.”

    BlueNalu attracting global interest

    lab grown bluefin tuna
    Courtesy: BlueNalu

    The results of the UK research are “highly consistent” with other consumer studies BlueNalue has conducted in the US, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Thailand, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE, covering nearly 10,000 people who “showed broad demand” for its seafood.

    “Across these markets, we’ve seen strong interest in cell-cultivated seafood, especially among health-conscious consumers who value safety, quality, and transparency,” says Cooperhouse.

    BlueNalu has previously announced partnerships and agreements with Asian food giants Pulmuone (South Korea), Mitsubishi, Sumitomo (both Japan), and Thai Union (Thailand), as well as industry leaders like Rich Foods and Griffith Foods. In addition, it has teamed up with Neom, Saudi Arabia’s upcoming future-facing city.

    It is one of the most well-funded startups in the cultivated meat industry, having attracted $118M over several rounds, including a $33.5M Series B raise in 2023. However, the firm was an outlier that year, when overall funding for cultivated meat dropped by 75%.

    That fall has since continued, as legislative challenges in the US and overseas have attempted to ban cultivated meat (with several states being successful), with investment in this space dropping by a further 40% in 2024.

    “As a pre-revenue startup, we’re continually exploring strategic investment opportunities to support our growth,” Cooperhouse says when asked if BlueNalu is seeking new capital.

    He adds: “We remain focused on scaling production, advancing regulatory clearances, and building a strong foundation for commercialisation and global market penetration.”

    The post California’s BlueNalu Bets on Premium Sushi & Price Parity with Cultivated Bluefin Toro appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • Future Food Quick Bites: Gordon Ramsay x Flora, Hyper Oat Milk & Vegan School Meals

    gordon ramsay flora ad
    4 Mins Read

    Our weekly column rounds up the latest sustainable food innovation news. This week, Future Food Quick Bites covers Gordon Ramsay’s partnership with Becel, a new vegan egg in Italy, and Spain’s plant-based school meal decree.

    New products and launches

    Celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay has taken his partnership with plant-based dairy giant Flora Food Group global, appearing in a replica Skip the Cow ad (minus the expletives) for its Canadian dairy-free butter brand Becel.

    In the UK, Quorn has added two new flavours to its mycoprotein-based deli slices range. The tomato-basil flavour can be found at Sainsbury’s and Asda, and the garlic-herb variant at Tesco, both for £2.60.

    As whole-food plant-based food surges in the UK, The Tofoo Co introduced a Thai Burger and Southern Fried Pieces, which will retail at Waitrose and Tesco, respectively, for £3.

    Speaking of whole foods, vegan seafood player Happiee! has launched what it claims is the UK’s first ready-to-cook lion’s mane mushroom chunks. They’re available in original and teriyaki flavours, retailing for £4 per 180g pack at 240 Sainsbury’s stores.

    lion's mane mushroom uk
    Courtesy: Happiee!

    Confectionery giant Mars has rolled out a new Honeycomb for its dairy-free Galaxy range in the UK. Combining cocoa and hazelnut paste with honeycomb pieces, the bar is available at Sainsbury’s for £1.50.

    Ice cream maker Oppo Brothers has launched a better-for-you vegan sorbet range called Oppo Refresh, available in Sicilian Lemon & Strawberry, Alphonso Mango & Passionfruit, and Raspberry Coulis Swirl flavours for £3.75 per three-pack.

    Also in the UK, oat milk brand Minor Figures has launched the Hyper Oat line it had unveiled at Expo West. Available in berry, turmeric, matcha, and mango variants, the milks contain adaptogens and nootropics. The berry and mango flavours are available at Waitrose for £3 per 750ml bottle, followed by a wider launch in the coming months.

    minor figures hyper oat
    Courtesy: Minor Figures

    In Spain, plant-based meat leader Heura has rolled out a Fine Herbs chicken burger to cater to the country’s affinity for white meat, one of several products planned for this year.

    Italian plant-based producer The Bridge has launched a vegan liquid egg called Veg Egg, which is made from soy milk and soy protein.

    Across the Atlantic, South Korea’s Unlimeat has brought its flagship Korean BBQ Bulgogi and Pulled Pork Original products to 300 Kroger-affiliated stores in the US, including Ralphs, Fred Meyer, King Soopers, and Smith’s.

    unlimeat
    Courtesy: Unlimeat

    Californian biotech firm Checkerspot has developed what it says is the world’s first high-oleic palm oil alternative made entirely via microalgae fermentation.

    Company and finance updates

    US animal-free dairy startup DeNovo Foodlabs has formed a 50:50 joint venture with Earth First Food Ventures called PFerrinX26 to scale up the production of precision-fermented lactoferrin protein. They will announce a manufacturing partner soon, and plan to build facilities to produce 300 tonnes of the protein within the next decade.

    LoveRaw, the cult-favourite British vegan chocolate brand known for its Ferrero Rocher and Kinder Bueno copycats, has been rescued from administration by Bulgarian plant-based producer Smart Organic, after investment and supplier challenges disrupted the former’s operations and revenue.

    loveraw chocolate
    Courtesy: LoveRaw

    Mycelium Technologies, the French parent company of mycelium protein brand Mycfoods, has kickstarted its first fundraising round, with a €750,000 target. It plans a subsequent €4.5M round next year.

    French plant-based companies Hari&Co, Accro, HappyVore, La Vie and Swap Food have formed InterVeg, a coalition aimed at accelerating the transition to a plant-based diet via constructive dialogue with policymakers and promotional campaigns.

    Policy and research developments

    In a big win for the protein transition, Spain’s Council of Ministers has approved the Royal Decree on Healthy and Sustainable School Cafeterias, which contains a provision to protect children’s right to a 100% plant-based menu in schools, as well as increase legume consumption.

    new wave biotech
    Courtesy: New Wave Biotech

    What makes a lean startup? Singaporean sustainable food production platform Nurasa and AI-based precision fermentation facilitator New Wave Biotech have released a whitepaper to help ingredient manufacturers “reimagine the five core lean startup principles” for the food tech world.

    Researchers from the US have devised a new 3D printing process to make vegan calamari, using mung bean protein isolate, powdered light-yellow microalgae, gellan gum, and canola oil.

    At the University of Florida, researchers are testing a new kind of cattle feed that could help dairy cows release less methane and use nutrients more efficiently.

    Finally, in Norway, scientists are proposing kelp and other seaweed species, as well as plant residues, as an alternative to blood and other animal-derived inputs to use as culture media for cultivated meat.

    Check out last week’s Future Food Quick Bites.

    The post Future Food Quick Bites: Gordon Ramsay x Flora, Hyper Oat Milk & Vegan School Meals appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • The 6 Types of Plant-Based Meat Consumers, and How Brands Can Attract Them

    6 Mins Read

    The “addressable market” for plant-based meat and dairy in the US is large, with potential consumers largely omnivores. What does it say about the industry’s future?

    Some 71% of Americans say they’re likely to eat products like vegan chicken and oat milk, forming an expansive “addressable market” for plant-based alternatives, a new survey has found.

    Using data from a 3,000-person poll it conducted with Ipsos in 2024, alternative protein think tank the Good Food Institute (GFI) sought to find which consumers were and weren’t open to the animal-free category, and grouped them into six segments. The survey involved Americans aged 18-59, who had bought a plant-based meat or dairy product within the preceding month.

    GFI divided them into the addressable market (those who see proteins as important for health and nutrition, and feel plant-based meat aligns with those needs) and the rejectors (who turn to protein for taste, satiety and muscle-building, while being more geared towards animal-based sources).

    When asked about the role of meat or protein, around four in 10 Americans in the addressable market said they like the taste and find it good for their health. This group tends to be younger, living in urban areas (especially in the West), have a household income above $100,000, and have children in the home.

    Meanwhile, 55% of the rejectors like the taste of meat/protein, and four in 10 said it’s filling and healthy. These consumers are more likely to be older, living in the Midwest and suburban areas, and have no children in the household. More than half of them agree that it’s natural for people to eat animals.

    plant based consumer survey
    Courtesy: GFI

    Which Americans make up the addressable market for plant-based meat?

    For companies in the plant-based space, understanding the addressable market is vital to success. GFI found that these consumers fell into six segments with distinct attitudes, needs, and motivations. They are mostly omnivores – not vegans or vegetarians – looking to add meat analogues to their diets.

    Four of these segments demonstrate higher engagement with plant-based meat and find it delivers unique benefits to them – they make up 57% of the addressable market and over 80% of current plant-based meat eaters.

    Ethical Alternative Seekers

    Accounting for 10% of the addressable market, these consumers care about sustainability and animal welfare, and are more likely to eat organic and less processed food. This group is diverse and skews younger, with people more likely to be non-white, women, and living in child-free households.

    Two-thirds of Ethical Alternative Seekers have been reducing their meat consumption over the past year, while 57% have eaten plant-based meat in that period. And a large majority (81%) are very or extremely likely to consume them in the future, though they’ll be more motivated to do so if these products are less processed, healthier, and easier to find.

    Health-Conscious Compromisers

    As the name suggests, this group is all about health. They represent the largest share (28%) of meat alternative eaters currently, and 18% of the addressable market. Health-Conscious Compromisers tend to be older, female, and have no children – and while they worry about the potential risks of meat, they don’t want to compromise on taste.

    For this group, avoiding processed food, losing weight and adding more fibre is important, and 60% of them say they’re likely to continue eating vegan alternatives in the future. Most of them (70%) agree that these products are healthy, though they are currently deterred by the gap in taste, texture and price with conventional meat.

    Nutrition-Focused Integrators

    Making up another 10% of the addressable market, Nutrition-Focused Integrators pay close attention to what they eat and how it tastes. They’re majority of Millennials, white, married, and have children at home. Conventional meat is a big part of their diet, while 10% have cut back, 20% have begun eating it more.

    However, they do hold concerns around health and sustainability, which has pushed them towards plant-based alternatives. In fact, 85% have eaten these products in the last year (the highest of any segment), and 86% said they would continue to do so. To sway them, vegan meat analogues need to be more affordable, high in protein, and cleaner-label.

    Protein Maximisers

    These consumers value protein both as a comfort and functional food, and again, the majority of this group falls under the Millennial demographic. They’re more likely to exercise regularly and have emotional attachments to meat. They account for 19% of the addressable market.

    Nearly six in 10 Protein Maximisers have increased their meat intake in the last 12 months, while half of them consumed plant-based versions in this time. This segment is the most likely to eat the latter in the future (89%) – to attract them, companies need to enhance the texture, reduce fat, and make the products easier to cook with.

    Carefree Considerers

    Gen Zers, Black and Hispanic Americans, and households with below-average incomes represent the key demographics of Carefree Considerers, who have relatively few health concerns and don’t care much about what they eat. They stick to what they know, and familiarity makes conventional meat a go-to.

    Only 15% of them ate plant-based meat in the past year, and they’re the least aware of these products (63%). Two-thirds of them said they are likely to consume them in the future, with better texture, shorter ingredient lists, and lower calories than animal protein being the major purchase drivers.

    Value-Driven Sceptics

    Finally, the Value-Driven Sceptics represent the largest share of the addressable market (24%), with this group prioritising taste and price over health, and feeling that buying conventional meat is important to support farmers. They recognise that meat is expensive, but have little reason to stop eating it.

    On the flip side, while they aren’t opposed to plant-based alternatives, their interest is low – only 29% are likely to consume them in the future. These consumers are most likely to eat vegan meat only if no other option is available, though they may be more attracted if these products are more affordable and tastier.

    Insights for plant-based meat brands

    plant based meat market segmentation
    Courtesy: GFI

    Across the board, it appears that overprocessing, unsatisfactory flavour, and high prices remain the main purchase barriers of plant-based meat for American adults. On the other hand, those likely to consume these products tend to value their high protein concentration, versatility, and sustainability credentials.

    Within the addressable market, 43% of consumers say health is a top benefit they seek from both meat and vegan alternatives, and a third of them believe the latter are better for heart health – a fact confirmed by tons of research, including a recent Harvard study.

    Interestingly, 22% would also eat less of a food if they knew it was bad for the environment, highlighting the need for greater education about sustainability. Beef, after all, is the most polluting food on the planet, and animal agriculture alone accounts for 57% of the food system’s emissions.

    And while taste and health are important factors, none are as likely to drive people towards a vegan burger as the price, a finding consistent with recent research.

    “Some segments express more openness and recognise more benefits than others,” said GFI. “They provide the best near-term opportunity to increase plant-based meat consumption, and targeting them could enable the development of more effective and efficient strategies.”

    The post The 6 Types of Plant-Based Meat Consumers, and How Brands Can Attract Them appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • Global Plant-Based Sales Up By 5% in 2024 Despite US Setback: New Report

    vegan meat price
    6 Mins Read

    The Good Food Institute, an alternative protein think tank, has released its latest State of the Industry series of reports for 2024. Here’s how plant-based, fermentation-derived and cultivated proteins fared in 2024.

    While investment in alternative protein continued to fall in 2024, global sales of plant-based meat and dairy alternatives are up, as is interest in whole foods, according to the 2024 State of the Industry reports by industry think tank the Good Food Institute (GFI).

    The annual series of reports explores the challenges and opportunities for plant-based food, fermentation-derived proteins, and cultivated meat. This year’s editions reveal a complex landscape for alternative proteins, with sales in markets like the US still declining and public investment in the industry on the rise.

    Alternative proteins are part of a polarising debate in many parts of the world, punctuated by high prices and taste concerns, and enveloped by the backlash against ultra-processed foods (UPFs). However, the global performance shows promise in the market at a time when it has been portrayed as anything but.

    Global plant-based sales on the rise

    plant based food sales
    Courtesy: GFI

    You’d be forgiven for thinking that sales of plant-based foods took a giant plunge, given all the coverage and discourse around them. In actuality, global sales reached $28.6B, a 5% increase from 2023.

    Non-dairy alternatives dominated the market, with sales up by 5% to reach $22.4B, while meat analogues hit $6.1B (a 4% increase). After milk, meat and seafood, vegan yoghurt is the most popular category.

    Europe was the leader in 2024, recording $9.7B in sales of plant-based meat, seafood and dairy, followed by Asia-Pacific ($8.9B), and North America ($7.3B), where conventional beef sales reached a record high last year.

    Meat and dairy alternatives decline in the US, while whole foods shine

    plant based meat sales
    Courtesy: GFI

    In the US, overall plant-based sales reached $8.1B in 2024, a 4% decline from 2023. More than a third of the market (34%) was occupied by non-dairy milk alone, whose sales dropped by 5% to $2.8B. Likewise, meat and seafood alternatives saw dollar sales fall by 7% to $1.2B, though the rate of decline was slower than in 2023.

    At the same time, the demand for protein led to an increase in sales of protein powders (11%), and growing interest in whole foods resulted in a 7% hike in sales for tofu, tempeh and seitan. The biggest windfall, however, came for vegan desserts and baked goods (13%).

    Plant-based eggs, meanwhile, saw a 2% increase in retail sales as avian flu wrecked chicken egg supplies in the US. This was true for foodservice too, where vegan egg sales were up by 28%. The report authors note that the data on unit sales and price changes is somewhat skewed due to the leading product in the category shifting to a larger pack size and thus a comparably higher price point.

    Still in foodservice, plant-based proteins suffered a 5% decline in sales, though non-dairy milk continued its climb with a 9% growth.

    Price parity and consumer reach still hindrance for the plant-based sector

    gfi state of the industry
    Courtesy: GFI

    Plant-based meat and seafood were 4% more expensive in 2024, versus just a 1% price hike for their conventional counterparts, widening the former’s premium to 82%.

    The price gap for chicken and milk remained the same, while widening for pork and turkey. On the flip side, rising beef rates mean plant-based versions are just 14% more expensive now. And chicken-free eggs, which had a 317% price premium in 2023, narrowed this to 110%.

    Bringing down prices of plant-based food is critical for them to compete with animal-derived products, as is improving consumer reach and acceptance. In the US, 59% of households bought a vegan product in 2024, similar to the year before, though down from 63% in 2022.

    Penetration of plant-based meat and seafood remains low at 13%, though encouragingly, 63% go back to the store for more. Further, almost all Americans who buy these alternatives are not vegan or vegetarian – 96% of buyers also put conventional meat in their shopping baskets in 2024.

    Milk alternatives reached 40% of households, with a repeat rate of 76%. Almond milk continues to remain the most popular dairy alternative (capturing 54% of sales), but oat milk is on the rise (25%).

    VC investment slides, public funding a bright spot

    alternative protein investment
    Graphic by Green Queen

    Alternative proteins did not escape the bleak landscape for climate tech venture capital in 2024, with total funding for the sector only amounting to $1.1B, a 27% decline from the year before.

    Plant-based companies took the biggest hit, as venture capitalists backed away from foods linked to ultra-processing. These startups only raised $309M in 2024, a sharp 64% fall from the year before.

    Cultivated meat, meanwhile, witnessed a 40% decline, securing only $139M, its lowest annual total since 2019. In fact, in the last three years, this sector has cumulatively raised less money than it did in 2021 alone.

    The only bright spot for the category here is fermentation, where VC investment experienced a 43% increase last year, overturning a decline in 2023. This was led by Meati‘s $100M Series C round. Further, this category surpassed plant proteins in terms of the amount of public capital invested.

    Speaking of which, while private investors remained cautious, governments continued to pour money into alternative protein, amid a push to meet their net-zero goals and mounting pressure from climate experts to diversify protein sources. Public investment in alternative proteins reached $510M in 2024, in line with the year before.

    This was driven by the US, Denmark and the EU overall, while Asia-Pacific played a major role in the doubling of public funding for cultivated meat in 2024.

    plant based investments
    Courtesy: GFI

    Legislative headwinds make for uneven regulatory progress

    2024 was a milestone year for companies making novel food from precision, biomass and gas fermentation, with several regulators greenlighting products like cow-free casein, CO2-derived protein, and animal-free egg protein.

    However, in the US, Robert F Kennedy Jr’s potential removal of the self-affirmed Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) pathway could stall this momentum.

    Meanwhile, cultivated meat continues to face threats of bans in the US and elsewhere. According to GFI’s calculations, 12 states attempted to restrict cultivated meat last year, with Florida and Alabama being successful – the former is now facing a lawsuit from California’s Upside Foods. Already this year, a host of other states have proposed similar bills, with Mississippi becoming the third to enact a ban.

    fsanz cultured quail
    Courtesy: Vow

    Even so, cultivated meat regulation progressed in several other markets in 2024. Australia’s Vow was cleared to sell its cultivated quail and foie gras in Singapore (and later in Australia and New Zealand), and UK’s Meatly earned UK approval to commercialise cultivated chicken for pets, following Aleph Farms‘s greenlight in Israel in December 2023. Plus, regulators in the EU, South Korea, and Thailand received their first applications.

    “Although some uncertainty exists due to shifting political winds around the globe, more approvals are likely in 2025,” said GFI. “These approvals will increase the number of cultivated meat products on the market while also generating new and more robust data on their safety and nutritional profile”

    The post Global Plant-Based Sales Up By 5% in 2024 Despite US Setback: New Report appeared first on Green Queen.

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  • From Zero-Dairy Casein to Beanless Coffee: Rudy Yoo’s Plan to Reinvent the Food Industry

    armored fresh
    8 Mins Read

    Rudy Yoo, co-founder of Armored Fresh and Pureture, has big plans for the future food industry, featuring yeast-based casein, barley-derived coffee, and clean-label, complete plant proteins.

    How does a five-ingredient, sugar-free, “zero-dairy” shake with 25g of protein per serving sound to you? How about coffee made from roasted barley instead of, well, coffee beans? Or an additive-free functional bar with complete protein from plants, designed as pre- and post-workout fuel?

    Rudy Yoo is working to make all this (and more) a reality. The co-founder of oat milk cheese brand Armored Fresh and vegan casein maker Pureture is embarking on several new projects this year, all to unlock nutrition that’s sustainable for both the human body and the planet.

    South Korea-based Armored Fresh has been expanding its US footprint over the last year with the launch of its oat milk cheese slices and parmesan shakers. Pureture, based in New York City, has developed a fermentation-derived casein that ditches the cows for yeast and comes 30-40% cheaper than the conventional protein.

    Now, Yoo is taking things a few steps further. This year, he will launch Piilk (“Pure + Milk”), a new line of protein shakes combining Pureture’s casein tech with Armored Fresh’s product development expertise. They replicate the functional and sensory attributes of dairy with a clean and animal-free ingredient list.

    Then, under Armored Fresh, he has announced JustAlt, a functional food brand with high-protein, low-sugar products, and Barley Brew, a beanless coffee alternative made from grains.

    “Pureture is a biotech company specialising in innovative raw materials and B2B supply, while Armored Fresh is a B2C food brand offering alternative dairy products directly to consumers,” Yoo tells Green Queen. “Through strategic partnerships, both companies are working together to lead the next-generation alternative dairy market.”

    Clean-label is a ‘necessity’ in the alt-dairy world

    pureture
    Courtesy: Pureture

    The teams at the two startups tested more than 400 yeast strains to optimise the protein yield and eliminate off-notes in taste and colour. The result is an animal-free casein that provides “the same essential amino acid profile as dairy proteins” and “replicates dairy-like emulsification, texture, and nutritional properties without additives”.

    Casein is the main protein found in cow’s milk, and is a market worth $3B. Pureture employs a six-step liquid fermentation process that combines yeast with plant-based ingredients to make its version. It begins by cultivating a yeast strain and enriching it. Then, it separates the protein and tests the emulsification functionality, before sterilising and drying the casein.

    Pureture’s casein is said to maintain “excellent taste and functionality”, and can naturally bind water and fat. It contains 25g of protein, with a complete amino acid profile (like dairy). Yoo explains that it “offers high digestibility and bioavailability without requiring dairy-based fortification”, and has “a nutritional profile superior to traditional plant proteins”.

    “Most dairy-free products rely on emulsifiers, gums, and stabilisers to mimic dairy texture, requiring heavily processed ingredients. In contrast, Pureture’s yeast-based alternative casein offers natural emulsification, overcoming the limitations of existing dairy-free products and providing a cleaner, more natural solution,” says Yoo.

    “Consumers are increasingly favouring transparent ingredients and minimal processing, making clean-label products essential for building trust,” he adds. “In the alternative dairy market, clean-label is not an option – it’s a necessity.”

    Globally, around half of consumers say they’d pay more for clean-label products. And as plant-based alternatives get knocked for some long ingredient lists, especially in the ultra-processed food context, developing cleaner labels will only become a more attractive proposition.

    Armored Fresh to launch clean-label protein shake

    piilk
    Courtesy: Armored Fresh

    The vegan casein will help Armored Fresh create products that are “nutritionally competitive” with dairy. To begin, it is launching a five-ingredient protein shake under the Piilk brand in July.

    “We aim to set a new standard, creating products that are cleaner and healthier than traditional dairy protein shakes,” says Yoo. “While dairy-based protein shakes rely on various additives, we are proving that superior nutrition and functionality can be achieved without them. We may not surpass nature itself, but our goal is to maintain maximum nutritional integrity with minimal processing.”

    After more than 100 rounds of testing, the product is now being finalised. There were several considerations for the teams at Pureture and Armored Fresh, including the inherent tasting notes of the protein, and choosing the appropriate flavours and sweeteners.

    “Natural flavours are widely trusted by consumers but may react unpredictably with protein, making flavour consistency a key challenge,” describes Yoo. “Synthetic flavours effectively balance protein’s inherent taste and ensure uniform flavour quality, but they need to align with clean-label standards and consumer preferences.”

    In addition, he and his colleagues are evaluating sugar alternatives like stevia and erythritol in their bid to optimise the taste for the public’s palate. “Our ultimate goal is to deliver the most natural and satisfying taste, ensuring the best balance between functionality and consumer preference,” Yoo says.

    “We are at a critical decision point – prioritising taste enhancement or committing to all-natural ingredients,” he adds. While the final ingredient list is still under wraps, it is likely to contain cocoa, a sweetener, flavourings, and the Pureture casein.

    The company is in talks with Whole Foods Market and other premium retail stores for the Q3 launch of this shake, dubbed ‘Only 5’. It will be followed by ‘Only 7’ and ‘Only 9’, with each protein shake featuring distinct functionalities and flavours. “Each product is designed for specific performance needs, from balanced nutrition to enhanced recovery and beyond,” he says.

    Could barley-based coffee counter caffeine crashes and climate change?

    barley brew
    Courtesy: Armored Fresh

    Beyond protein shakes, Yoo recently detailed plans for another product. Describing his struggles with the side effects of caffeine consumption, he explained that Armored Fresh has developed a coffee alternative made from roasted barley.

    “Coffee is a part of daily life for millions, but many struggle with side effects from caffeine crashes and jitters to digestive discomfort and poor sleep,” he tells Green Queen. “Barley Brew is our roasted-barley coffee alternative that keeps the bold, roasted flavour of coffee, while eliminating its downsides.”

    The team landed on the grain after “countless trials”, finding that it delivered sustained, gentle energy (minus the caffeine crashes) and gut-friendly digestion with low acidity. In addition, it contains natural antioxidants, beta-glucan, and GABA for immunity and focus.

    In a blind taste test of a cold brew made from the barley-derived coffee, consumers praised its clean finish, depth, and smoothness. The company is offering a Half-Caf blend as well, combining roasted barley with coffee beans for those who still need a light caffeine lift. More than 80% of taste testers were unable to distinguish it from conventional coffee.

    “Barley Brew isn’t just a caffeine-free option – it’s a new, flexible coffee ritual that adapts to different needs, supports gut health, and aligns with sustainable agricultural practices,” says Yoo. Coffee prices have reached record highs as climate change strains the commodity’s supply. Globally, 60% of coffee species are endangered, and the area suitable for cultivating Arabica is shrinking.

    It has led to the rise of several beanless coffee startups, including Atomo, Minus Coffee, Northern Wonder, and Prefer. Now, Armored Fresh is joining that list, targeting a Q3 launch in Manhattan. “As barley cultivation requires significantly less water and fewer resources than coffee, it’s better for both people and the planet,” says Yoo.

    More products in the pipeline

    justalt
    Courtesy: Armored Fresh

    Last month, Armored Fresh unveiled JustAlt, whose debut product line features protein bars in chocolate, peanut butter, and fruit flavours.

    “Most plant-based snacks lack performance, or sacrifice taste and ingredient integrity,” argues Yoo. “JustAlt is our new functional alt-food brand, launching with zero-sugar, high-protein, clean-label protein bars and spreads. These are designed for everyday performance, blending science-based nutrition with delicious flavours.”

    The brand will enable “flexitarians, athletes, and busy consumers to make better daily choices without compromising on taste, convenience, or quality” through products designed for workout fuelling, snacking, or meal replacement.

    “We are also exploring various plant-based milk and processed dairy alternatives using the emulsification function of our casein, with research on coagulation properties in progress,” Yoo says of further product development plans.

    “As for Armored Fresh cheese, we plan to integrate this alternative casein into its formulation, with a target launch next year,” he adds.

    “Additionally, we are developing a new research pipeline to use yeast protein peptides to mimic dairy protein peptides, further expanding functionality and applications.”

    Armored Fresh, Pureture gear up for fundraising

    armored fresh cheese
    Courtesy: Armored Fresh

    To kickstart this new era, both Armored Fresh and Pureture are preparing to fundraise. The former closed a $23M Series B round in 2022, and as it continues to scale, it will initiate a Series C round in 2026. This is set to “support explosive growth, expand our zero-dairy and functional alt-food product lines, and accelerate our retail footprint”, says Yoo.

    Pureture, meanwhile, secured $1M in SAFE funding led by Forward Deployed VC in 2023, and is now preparing for its Series A in 2025. The startup was previously close to finalising a $12M round, though despite “significant interest”, Yoo abandoned the effort as he couldn’t find the “right kind of investor”.

    “I secured the flexibility last year to raise funds freely in the US, which allows us to move faster when the investment environment improves,” he says. “Thanks to this decision, Pureture is now in a much stronger position, and I’m confident the next round will happen under far better conditions.”

    The fresh capital will help Yoo’s companies scale up yeast-based casein production, expand R&D efforts for functional proteins and peptides for sports nutrition and medical food applications, strengthen global partnerships, and optimise production efficiency and quality control.

    Pureture has secured 50,000 sq ft of land to build a new production facility, and has begun research into functional peptides extracted from dairy proteins, aiming to “advance beyond plant-based alternatives into the future of smarter, more functional nutrition”.

    “Through this funding, Pureture aims to set the new standard for alternative casein and functional protein markets,” he says. Scaling up will also help the firms make their products more competitive on price. “Typically, technology-driven zero-dairy products are more expensive, but Pureture’s protein is significantly cheaper than dairy proteins and requires no additives, reducing production costs.”

    Yoo adds: “This allows us to maintain clean-label standards while ensuring pricing parity with conventional dairy products. As production scales, we can further reduce consumer prices, positioning Armored Fresh protein shakes as competitively priced within the high-protein alternative dairy category. By delivering superior quality without a price barrier, we aim to set a new standard beyond traditional dairy.”

    The post From Zero-Dairy Casein to Beanless Coffee: Rudy Yoo’s Plan to Reinvent the Food Industry appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • Florida’s Attempt to Dismiss Cultivated Meat Lawsuit Denied by Judge

    florida lab grown meat ban
    4 Mins Read

    Upside Foods has been handed an initial legal victory after a judge denied Florida’s request to dismiss the lawsuit against its cultivated meat ban.

    The lawsuit against Florida’s ban on cultivated meat is going ahead, after a judge rejected the state’s motion to dismiss the case.

    In a 29-page ruling, Mark Walker, chief judge of the US District Court for the Northern District of Florida, granted cultivated meat producer Upside Foods a “first-round victory” in its challenge against Florida’s decision last Friday.

    The judge’s decision to deny Florida’s attempt to dismiss the case means it will continue to move forward in the trial court. It comes months after Walker rejected Upside Foods’s request to grant a preliminary injunction to exhibit its cultivated chicken at December’s Art Basel festival in Miami.

    Why Florida banned cultivated meat – and why it’s being sued

    lab grown meat florida
    Courtesy: Ron DeSantis/Twitter

    Upside Foods was among the first two startups to be allowed to sell cultivated meat in the US back in 2021, receiving approval from both the US Department of Agriculture and Food and Drug Administration. It rolled out the chicken at Michelin-starred eatery Bar Crenn in San Francisco, and has since been hosting pop-up events at various restaurants across the US.

    But in 2024, amid a growing wave of politically charged discontent against cultivated meat, Florida passed a bill that made it a crime to produce or sell cultivated meat, in what was the first such ban on these products in the US.

    “Some people think Florida is theme parks, South Beach and maybe some oranges, but they don’t understand that we have one of the top cattle industries in the country,” Governor Ron DeSantis said when signing the legislation in May.

    “What we’re protecting here is the industry against acts of man, against an ideological agenda that wants to finger agriculture as the problem, that views things like raising cattle as destroying our climate,” he added. “Take your fake lab-grown meat elsewhere. We’re not doing that in the state of Florida.”

    Weeks after the law took effect in July, Upside Foods filed its legal complaint, labelling the ban “unconstitutional”. The lawsuit alleges that the move violates the federal Commerce Clause, which gives the national government exclusive power to regulate interstate commerce. The plaintiff argues that Florida’s law was enacted to protect in-state producers of conventional meat from out-of-state cultivated meat manufacturers.

    Upside Foods, reprinted by the Institute for Justice, additionally suggests that the decision by two federal departments to allow the sale of its cultivated chicken in the interstate market supersedes any contrary state laws, as outlined in the Supremacy Clause.

    The lawsuit and the subsequent rejection of the preliminary injunction cancelled the company’s scheduled appearances at Art Basel and the South Beach Wine and Food Festival, and postponed its planned debut at a restaurant in the state in early 2025.

    Upside Foods ‘not looking to replace meat’

    florida lab grown meat lawsuit
    Courtesy: Kevin Martin Galante/Upside Foods

    “One of the primary reasons for the enactment of the Constitution was to secure a national common market,” said Paul Sherman, a senior attorney at ICJ. “Today’s ruling is an important vindication of the principle that states cannot close their borders to innovative out-of-state competition, and a warning to other states that are considering banning cultivated meat.”

    The ruling comes at a time when attempts to ban cultivated meat have become fashionable in the US, just as conventional meat sales reached a record high in 2024. Alabama and Mississippi have joined Florida in making this a law.

    Nebraska is close to finalising a ban too, while South Dakota, South Carolina, West Virginia, Montana, Wyoming and Georgia are some of the others that are mulling the move this year.

    These efforts are fuelled by a cultural shift in the US, as beef becomes a favourite amid a renewed wave of Americana and right-wing influence, the rise of Robert F Kennedy Jr’s Make America Healthy Again movement, and his crusade against ultra-processed foods.

    But historically, over 20 states have attempted to ban cultivated meat – from Kentucky, New York, and Tennessee to Pennsylvania, Texas and Arizona – but most of these efforts have fallen by the wayside.

    Even members of the meat industry have criticised these attempts. In a letter sent to DeSantis in March 2024, the North American Meat Institute called the ban “bad public policy”. “These bills establish a precedent for adopting policies and regulatory requirements that could one day adversely affect the bills’ supporters,” it said, emphasising the importance of consumer choice.

    “Upside is not looking to replace conventional meat, which will always have a place at the table,” said Uma Valeti, co-founder and CEO of Upside Foods, which is pursuing approval to sell a new shredded chicken product by the end of this year.

    “All we are asking for is the right to compete, so that Floridians can try our product and see that it is possible to have delicious meat without the need for slaughtering animals,” he added. “Today’s ruling is an important step towards securing that right.”

    The post Florida’s Attempt to Dismiss Cultivated Meat Lawsuit Denied by Judge appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • Solar Foods: Your Future Protein Powder Will Be Made From Air

    solein protein shake
    5 Mins Read

    Finland’s Solar Foods has developed a protein shake to help you pump your macros. The kicker? The ready-to-mix powder ditches dairy for CO2.

    As it prepares to enter the US market, Finnish food tech firm Solar Foods is targeting a food format precious to Americans today: protein shakes.

    The maker of Solein – a protein derived from microbes and gases – has developed a ready-to-mix powder to help you hit your daily protein goals.

    It’s the first readily available protein powder made from thin air, and is aimed at a consumer base obsessed with protein. Americans are eating more of the macronutrient than ever before, with six in 10 Americans increasing their intake last year, and 85% want to continue to do so in 2025.

    87% of them believe you need animal products to get enough protein, despite vast evidence to the contrary – and that’s before you account for the climate impact of livestock farming, which is making it increasingly difficult to meet America’s growing demand for food.

    As it begins its next phase under new CEO Rami Jokela, Solar Foods aims to challenge that with its gas protein, which it has described as “the most sustainable protein in the world”.

    solar foods
    New Solar Foods CEO Rami Jokela | Courtesy: Solar Foods

    Solar Foods targets US performance nutrition market

    The Solein Protein Shake has been unveiled in a Salty Caramel flavour, and contains no sugar. It’s designed as a daily protein supplement to support active lifestyles and conditions-based nutritional needs.

    Solar Foods says Solein’s unique properties eschew the need for any other protein sources. Each 16g serving of the powder boasts 10g of protein, with the ingredient containing all essential amino acids (including branched-chain), as well as iron and vitamin B12.

    “Solein is especially well-suited to be used in different kinds of ready-to-mix protein powders, as it blends well with liquid, bringing richness and indulgent, creamy consistency without dairy,” says chief commercial officer Juan Manuel Benitez-Garcia.

    “Solein Shake is one example of such a protein powder, ready for consumers as it is, or to be adjusted to different consumer needs from healthy snacking to fulfilling even demanding protein needs. By increasing the amount of Solein, the shake is also ideal for boosting performance as well as muscle growth and maintenance,” he adds.

    The company is positioning the product towards athletes and gymgoers looking to enhance their performance and recovery. That aligns with its commercialisation strategy for the US, which focuses on the health and performance nutrition market. Consumers in this segment consume 500,000 tonnes of protein powder worth $10B annually, according to Solar Foods.

    “Ready-to-mix protein powders are usually made with dairy-based whey protein, as it has been the top choice in taste, bringing fresh flavour to products without the off notes typical to plant-based proteins,” says Benitez-Garcia, before pointing out that the demand for whey is outgrowing supply.

    “When you’re a health and performance nutrition brand with a big part of your business based on whey but struggling to see where future supply will come from, you’re actively looking for better options,” he explains. “Thanks to Solein’s mild taste, it matches the freshness of whey, also bringing the upsides of sustainability as well as price and quality stability.”

    Solein’s protein powder is the latest in a growing list of animal-free protein powders looking to serve the ever-growing appetite for functional protein ingredients without the environmental cost.

    Perfect Day, one of the first companies in the world to create an animal-free whey protein powder, lent its ingredient to CPG protein powder brand Strive Nutrition, as well as online sports nutrition giant Myprotein. And last year, Nestlé released a Better Whey product under its Orgain line last year, featuring the same ingredient.

    France’s Bon Vivant has also introduced a three-strong range of functional animal-free dairy protein powders. Dutch microbial protein maker Farmless is also working on a ‘brewed’ protein powder. And this week, Balletic Foods entered the space with three fermentation-derived protein powders, one of which is focused on recovery.

    How Solein is produced

    solein
    Courtesy: Solar Foods

    Solar Foods produces Solein at its demo plant in Finland, dubbed Factory 01, which can churn out 160 tonnes of the protein per year (rising to 230 tonnes next year). In addition, the company is building a much larger Factory 02, which would be able to manufacture 12,800 tonnes of product annually.

    It produces the protein by feeding microbes on carbon dioxide, hydrogen and oxygen instead of sugar. Doing so eschews the need for farmland to grow sugarcane, alongside any irrigation, fertilisers and pesticides. The ingredient is not dependent on water or weather either, allowing it to be produced in climates like the desert, the Arctic and even outer space.

    The microbes are grown in a liquid form, and later dried into an orange-yellow powder that is flavourless and has 78% protein by dry weight, 6% fat, and 10% dietary fibre. Its macronutrient profile is said to be akin to dried soy or algae – but it outperforms both plant and animal proteins on sustainability.

    Since the main raw materials required for its production are carbon dioxide and renewable energy, Solein results in emissions equal to just 1% of those generated by conventional meat, and 20% of plant proteins.

    The ingredient received novel food approval in Singapore in 2022, debuting as part of a vegan chocolate gelato at Italian eatery Fico. In addition, it was the base of a Taste the Future chocolate snack bar released by Fazer (a majority shareholder of Solar Foods) in the city-state, and a line of mooncakes and ice cream sandwiches rolled out by Japanese food giant Ajinomoto.

    Moreover, the company achieved self-determined Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) status in the US last year, and registered Factory 01 with the Food and Drug Administration to import Solein protein stateside. At the Natural Products Expo West in Anaheim, California last month, it announced Solein Protein Bites – Nut Mix Edition as a concept product to showcase Solein’s capabilities.

    Solar Foods, which has raised over €43M ($47M) in equity funding and €30M ($32M) in debt financing, has applied for novel food approval with the European Food Safety Authority, expecting the green light in 2026. In February, it gave the region a taste of Solein through a partnership with Italy’s KelpEat, which showcased a high-protein snack with the ingredient at the Pitti Taste food fair in Florence.

    The post Solar Foods: Your Future Protein Powder Will Be Made From Air appeared first on Green Queen.

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  • Planting Change: Beyond Meat Links Beef to Big Tobacco in New Documentary

    beyond meat documentary
    6 Mins Read

    As one of the world’s largest plant-based meat companies, Beyond Meat has hit back at the livestock industry with a new documentary.

    Is beef just the new tobacco?

    That’s one of the central claims in a new short film by Beyond Meat, a plant-based giant looking to clear the headwinds that have plagued it in the last few years.

    In Planting Change, a fast-paced nine-minute documentary, the El Segundo-based firm tackles the health and environmental impacts of plant-based meat, the effect on farmers, and, of course, the misinformation campaigns from the meat industry.

    “American beef producers are following a very similar playbook to the tobacco industry – of undermining science and of creating counternarratives that suggest that plant-based products are somehow harmful,” says Dr Robert K Jackler, a professor at the Stanford University School of Medicine, and the founder of the Stanford Research Into the Impact of Tobacco Advertising group.

    Really, though, the livestock industry is only concerned about one thing: its bottom line. “Their concern is that plant-based meats will begin to eat into their sales and harm their profits,” says Jackler.

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

    And for a while, they were. At the turn of the decade, Beyond Meat was at the height of its popularity, with a successful IPO and major celebrity endorsements taking the brand’s valuation to $14B at its peak. With Covid-19 soon confining Americans to their homes, they became more health-conscious and actively began swapping out beef.

    Of the $10.7B invested in plant-based food companies since 2015, $4.2B came in 2020-21, when sales of meat alternatives reached record highs. And in the two years since the pandemic, conventional meat consumption dropped by 4kg per person in the US.

    Things have taken a turn in the year since. In 2024, meat made a comeback – driven by a shifting cultural and political landscape – with sales reaching record highs. Purchases of vegan alternatives, however, were declining.

    So the “playbook” Jackler says the beef industry employed has been successful. Beyond Meat, one of this campaign’s biggest and most frequent targets, has felt the squeeze, with sales sliding for nine consecutive quarters until the latter half of 2024. The documentary, it seems, is its answer to Big Meat.

    Beyond Meat tackles UPF concerns through documentary

    beyond meat ultra processed
    Plant-based meat can be reformulated, cows cannot | Courtesy: Beyond Meat

    For a while now, there’s one statistic that Ethan Brown – Beyond Meat’s founder and CEO – has been using to illustrate the impact of the meat industry’s misinformation campaign: in 2020, more than half of Americans felt that plant-based meat was good for them, a number that fell to 38% two years later.

    Amid attacks on long ingredient lists and ultra-processing, the company changed tack in 2023, airing a marketing campaign focused on farmers. Months later, it took another turn, this time going all-in on health.

    “We faced a fundamental choice, and that was to either bang our fists on the table and explain the health benefits of our products. Or, to take a look inward and say: ‘How do we make our products even healthier? How do we make them unassailable from a health perspective?’” Brown says in the documentary.

    Beyond Meat did a little bit of both. It reformulated its core product line in collaboration with “leading medical and nutrition experts”, including Stanford professor Dr Christopher Gardner (who was behind the famous ‘twin study‘ featured in Netflix’s You Are What You Eat) and renowned dietitian Joy Bauer. At the same time, the company refreshed its packaging to put health claims like ‘75% less saturated fat’ and ‘no cholesterol’ compared to beef.

    beyond burger
    Courtesy: Beyond Meat | Graphic by Green Queen

    Dr Kristi Funk, a breast cancer surgeon and advocate of whole-food plant-based nutrition, explains the difference in the film. When you cook meat, as soon as the heat interacts with the creatinine, it forms highly carcinogenic compounds.

    “When you grill, sauté or barbecue a Beyond Meat burger, you’re not making any appreciable carcinogens,” says Funk. “The protein sources are healthful foods – peas, lentils, brown rice, faba beans.”

    Dr Matthew Nagra, who led research on the heart health impact of meat and vegan alternatives, explains: “One of the underappreciated aspects of plant-based meat alternatives is that we can reformulate them. You can’t do that with a cow.”

    The documentary also sheds light on how Beyond Meat’s faba bean steak is made, in an effort to answer critics of ultra-processed foods. “The farmer plants the crop. The plant is harvested. Then it’s milled. The flour is placed in the air chamber. Because the density and size of protein and starch are different, they naturally separate,” explains Brown.

    “We then take the protein, blend it with wheat, and we run it through heating, cooling and pressure to restructure the form of that protein into animal muscle,” he continues. This is then mixed with natural flavours and colours and plant-based oils to form the Beyond Steak.

    What about the farmers?

    beyond meat ad
    Courtesy: Beyond Meat

    Beyond health, one of the other major criticisms of plant-based meat surrounds the people who grow our food. If we eat plants, what happens to our ranchers?

    This argument misses the reality of climate change. There’s simply not enough land or water to feed Americans as much beef as they’re projected to eat over the coming decades. When it comes to polluting foods, beef is as bad as it gets.

    Our insatiable demand for meat has led the industry to convert wild habitats into land for livestock grazing, resulting in significant biodiversity loss. Producing Beyond Meat requires 97% less land and water, and generates 90% fewer emissions.

    “For us to solve climate change, beef consumers have to consume less,” says Timothy Searchinger, a researcher at Princeton’s Center for Policy Research on Energy and the Environment. “Not none,” he adds, “but less.”

    The short film also features several endorsements from farmers in the Midwest. For one farmer in Montana, having red lentils has made a big difference for his farm, as well as agriculture across the state. This is because the pulse crops grown for Beyond Meat don’t need as much water or any synthetic fertilisers.

    He also suggests that these crops are fuelling some hope into the younger generation to take up the profession – a major point of concern for the industry. A fava bean farmer in North Dakota, meanwhile, says the return on investment has been 20-25% higher than other crops.

    Oswald Schmitz, a population and community ecology professor at Yale University’s School of the Environment, puts it best. “One of the really cool opportunities for cattle ranchers is to get them to change their mindset from being livestock producers to carbon ranchers.

    The short film does feature some compelling arguments about the need to diversify our protein sources, but in an America where regenerative beef and tallow are all the rage, and UPFs are public enemy number one, will consumers bite?

    Brown ends the film with a hopeful message: “[If] you fearlessly confront the questions of our time and refuse to go numb in defeat, there is truly hope and a path forward in eating closer to the sun.”

    The post Planting Change: Beyond Meat Links Beef to Big Tobacco in New Documentary appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • Moolec Science: Molecular Farming Pioneer to Merge with Bioceres Group in All-Stock Deal

    moolec science
    4 Mins Read

    Molecular farming player Moolec Science – known for its pork-producing soybeans – has announced a merger with Argentina’s Bioceres Group and two other firms.

    Luxembourg-based Moolec Science has agreed to merge with three companies, including Argentina’s Bioceres Group, the agtech firm it spun off from as a seed startup in 2020.

    The NASDAQ-listed molecular farming company has entered a Business Combination Agreement with Bioceres, precision fermentation player Nutrecon, farm equipment manufacturer Gentle Tech, and their subsidiaries in an all-stock deal.

    Expected to close in the second quarter of this year, the transaction will see Moolec become the parent company of these entities, and issue up to 87 million new shares and five million warrants to their shareholders.

    Following the announcement, Moolec co-founder and CEO Gastón Paladini announced that he had stepped down from his role, pledging his continued “support and collaboration as a shareholder and as a founder”. The company has not yet named a successor.

    “The need to accelerate agricultural innovation to address current and future challenges, such as enhancing on-farm profitability and reducing environmental impact, is increasingly evident,” said Federico Trucco, CEO of Bioceres Crop Solutions.

    “Bioceres is enthusiastic to be part of a larger, more ambitious Moolec, one that expands its focus from science in food ingredients to a comprehensive ‘cradle-to-cradle’ approach.”

    Merger marks ‘new stage’ for Moolec

    moolec science
    Courtesy: Moolec Science

    Molecular farming enables the modification of plant cells to express animal proteins, which can be harvested from leaves or other plant tissues. It allows companies to scale up faster while keeping production costs low, since they’re using plants – not expensive bioreactors – as factories.

    Research suggests it’s a market that could be worth $3.5B by 2029, and Moolec is one of the leaders in the space. It has already commercialised several innovations in the US, with three ingredients receiving regulatory clearance in the US in the last two years.

    This includes a nutritionally rich GLASO safflower oil, Piggy Sooy (soybeans that contain pork proteins), and PEEA1 (peas that produce bovine myoglobin).

    “Molecular farming, as exemplified by Moolec Science, offers a compelling solution to the challenge of balancing productivity and sustainability. For instance, what soybean yield technology can rival the direct production of 300kg of animal protein from a three-tonne-per-hectare crop?” Trucco pointed out.

    The impending merger marks a “new stage” for Moolec, positioning it within a broader organisation with “synergies on multiple levels”, according to Moolec CFO José López Lecube.

    “Becoming part of a larger organisation will enable cost efficiencies and significant revenue increase as well as product portfolio diversification. It will also enlarge our investor base, providing the company with new stakeholders who support Moolec’s new and more diversified business,” he said.

    Once the deal is completed, Moolec said it would be “uniquely positioned” in the agricultural value chain, with a proposition centred around modifying seeds and microbes to change how we use land and water resources and enhance human health.

    Merged entity recorded over $500M in sales in 2024

    moolec piggy sooy
    Courtesy: Moolec

    Moolec suggested that its technology discovery and development engine allows it to address multiple upstream and downstream needs in a cost-competitive way.

    It will continue to develop its flagship molecular farming products, and will integrate Mycofood, the fungi protein technology developed by Nutrecon’s Eternal brand. Through Bioceres, it will now also offer upstream technologies for regenerative agriculture – a hot topic in the US – including biological inputs and climate-resilient seeds.

    Moolec will offer R&D, contract manufacturing and regulatory services under brands controlled by Bioceres and Nutrecon Plus, it will expand its reach into emerging technologies for biomass and grain fermentation – especially for biomaterial production – as well as new concepts on equipment, integrating material science, electric mobility, and autonomy.

    Finally, the merger is expected to result in “significant cost synergies” and create an integrated management structure. The combined entities will manage a portfolio of over 800 patents and 550 product registrations, together representing over half a billion dollars in sales in more than 50 countries in 2024.

    Moolec – which raised $30M to fund R&D and scale-up efforts in 2023 – reported a revenue of $5.8M in 2024, compared to $1M the previous year, against a rise in operating losses to $9.3M. Its sales primarily came from the texturised soy protein flours developed by Valoraoy Food, a molecular farming startup Moolec acquired in 2023.

    It’s a burgeoning space with a number of players growing everything from casein in soybeans to egg protein in potatoes. These include Alpine Bio, Mozza, Miruku, Tiamat Sciences, Bright Biotech, ORF Genetics, PoLoPo, and NewMoo are all innovating in this field.

    The post Moolec Science: Molecular Farming Pioneer to Merge with Bioceres Group in All-Stock Deal appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • 5 Minutes with A Future Food VC: FTW Ventures’s Jenn Burka

    jenn burka
    3 Mins Read

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

    Jenn Burka is the Principal at FTW Ventures.

    What future food technologies most excite you?

    Technologies that look at the future of food with a systems approach are the most interesting to me – things that aren’t a single product solution, but that can actually make an impact on the way we grow, transport, and get nourished by our food.  

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

    1. Food as medicine
    2. Cold-chain technologies
    3. Farmer fintech

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

    The advances we’ve seen in our understanding of the microbiome have brought the idea of a healthy gut into the mainstream and released some exciting first-generation products that will pave the way forward for more focus on how to utilise food to make us healthier. 

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

    In order to make these alternatives competitive with meat, there would need to be significant changes in how meat is subsidised. Otherwise, at current costs, it’s hard to see these products being adopted by a significant enough part of the population to have a true climate impact. It also has to taste good.

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

    Product-founder fit is incredibly important, especially in food tech, which is such a complex system that really requires an understanding of how the parts fit together.

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

    I really love what the team at Brightseed is doing to advance the food as medicine movement. I also love Zya‘s approach to fighting high sugar consumption.

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

    Our fund is only two years in, so it’s a bit too early to say, but I’m really excited about our portfolio company VoltAir, which is looking at the impact that food has on other global emissions in the cold chain by creating a fully integrated software and hardware solution to electrify the refrigeration unit in diesel trucks.

    What has been your most disappointing investment so far?

    I’ve invested a ton of my time looking at microbiome startups, and I’m disappointed that I haven’t yet found the company that we’ve gotten over the finish line. Still waiting for the perfect blend of founding team, true technological innovation, and intelligent go-to-market strategy (we’re still rather hesitant about pure supplement plays).

    What do people misunderstand/get wrong most about VC?

    VCs are often startups too! Particularly emerging funds that don’t have cushy management fees that allow them to earn a lot of money and pay for a lot of resources.

    We have to really love working with founders and believe in their outsized potential in order to keep doing what we do.

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

    I found a craft beer that was brewed with Oishi berries…a bit gimmicky but I had to try it (and I do love a sour beer)!

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

    Probably my favourite climate-forward dish would be the one I make out of our backyard garden using peak summer produce. With tomatoes, peppers, basil, garlic, and eggs from our neighbour’s chickens (plus homemade sourdough with my five-year-old starter), it’s easy to sustain myself for a few months (plus more with what I freeze/can/preserve).

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

    I’ve worked in the food system most of my career, and there are so many legacy players that haven’t changed in 100+ years. I believe that startups can be the catalyst for change in these industries, and change is what needed to make our system better for you and better for the planet.

    The post 5 Minutes with A Future Food VC: FTW Ventures’s Jenn Burka appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • The Plant-Based Reset: Can Whole-Food Proteins Win Over Consumers?

    oh so wholesome
    8 Mins Read

    As sales of meat alternatives continue to slide, a new crop of whole-food plant protein formats is on the rise. Oh So Wholesome’s Veg’chop is among the products spearheading this shift.

    This month, a shift seems to be occurring in Europe’s plant-based protein ecosystem. Austria’s Revo Foods, known for its vegan seafood, launched a Prime Cut product that isn’t intended to replicate meat, but provide a new source of plant protein. And in the UK, the brand behind THIS Isn’t Chicken rolled out a Super Superfood that champions whole foods and rivals tofu, not meat.

    The latter’s product is said to have been years in the making, and will reach supermarkets like Tesco on April 28. On the same day, also at the UK’s largest retailer, a new startup will debut another whole-food plant-based protein format, also years in the making.

    In 2023, Squeaky Bean and The Cultured Collective founder Simon Day explained his vision for what he called Vegbloc. Packed with whole grains, vegetables, legumes and seeds, he described the idea as “a no-brainer”, made from ingredients and a process “based firmly in food heritage rather than novel science”.

    jason gibb
    Oh So Wholesome co-founder Jason Gibb | Courtesy: Oh So Wholesome

    Fast-forward to now, a few tweaks later, Vegbloc is now called Veg’chop, and will be sold under Day and co-founder Jason Gibb’s new brand, Oh So Wholesome.

    “I wanted something that tasted like the plants it was made from and that I was happy to eat daily with my family,” says Gibb, who developed the product after being unenamoured by the current plant protein option on the market.

    Next week, his innovation will stock the shelves of 649 Tesco stores, rivalling not just meat and vegan alternatives, but also tofu and tempeh.

    Why Tesco bet big on plant-based whole foods

    Veg’chop comes in a sausage-like chub chape, which can – as the name suggests – be chopped for use as a centrepiece in fajitas, curries, pasta dishes, salads and wraps, to name a few. It comes in two flavours (original and Mexican-style), boasting 10g of protein, and 9-10g of fibre.

    The 250g packs retail for £3, and contain ingredients like red lentils, quinoa, yellow split peas, mushrooms, gram flour, chia and flax seeds, onions and nutritional yeast (plus spices).

    They lean into some key consumer trends in the UK. Gut health has been in sharp focus, thanks to the popularity of apps like Zoe and the introduction of GLP-1 agonist drugs Wegovy and Mounjaro. A recent survey by Tesco showed that gut health is a top concern for 37% of Brits in 2025, which pushed the retailer to launch its own-label Gut Sense brand in January.

    Meanwhile, 91% of Brits don’t eat enough fibre. Among children, only 4-14% consume the recommended amount. The Tesco poll showed that 70% of people are adding more fibre to their diet to maintain a healthy microbiome.

    plant based ultra processed
    Courtesy: Oh So Wholesome

    The push is also being led by health experts like Tim Spector, who has popularised the 30-plants-a-week mantra. In that vein, vegan food brand Gosh! this month refreshed its packaging to introduce a ‘Plant Points’ system, highlighting how many plants each of its products contains. If you’re wondering, Veg’chop has over 10 plants.

    There was one more critical finding from Tesco’s research: 22% of Brits want to consume more plant-based foods. Last year, the retailer revealed that “veg-led meals” accounted for 40% of its plant-based sales, prompting it to go big on whole foods – rather than meat alternatives – in its vegan range for Christmas. It also introduced a meat-free Root & Soul ready meal line that put vegetables front and centre.

    “Tesco specifically have often been at the forefront of plant-based category development in the UK and led with new ranges, and I see their backing of Veg’chop as another example of their strategic approach to the category,” Day tells Green Queen.

    For Veg’bloc, entering the CPG world makes perfect sense. Only a quarter of Brits say they choose a healthier food option when dining out, but this rises to two-thirds at supermarkets.

    “Most retailers are looking for more plant-packed, healthy and minimally processed foods with clean ingredient lists across the store. In plant-based specifically, I think the whole market knows that some changes need to be made to excite shoppers and inspire home cooks,” says Day.

    A new category, based on age-old plants

    whole food plant based protein
    Courtesy: Oh So Wholesome

    Explaining why Vegbloc became Veg’chop, he says: “People really valued the naturalness of our product and how wholesome the ingredient list was. Our original design didn’t reflect that, so we made a change to use a more natural colour palette.”

    He adds: “The product name was changed from Vegbloc to Veg’chop to help people more quickly understand how to use the product. We also felt that Veg’chop had more appetite appeal than Vegbloc.” The overarching brand name, Oh So Wholesome, was added because there are other products in the pipeline “that will help people to eat more plants”.

    The new format will be stocked alongside tofu, tempeh, falafels and meat alternatives – but will Brits take to it? Oh So Wholesome conducted consumer research to answer that very question, and found that there was widespread interest in ‘eating more veg’ and ‘natural products’.

    “People really welcomed how conveniently Veg’chop could deliver this. They were often surprised by how much they liked the taste. There was also very high interest in Veg’chop (and appreciation of our ingredient list) from people concerned with ultra-processed foods [UPFs],” says Day.

    In the UK, the main growth is coming from products that are versatile, healthy and perceived as natural, with clean ingredient lists – foods that you would be happy for your family to eat every day, as he explains.

    “Veg’chop, tempeh and tofu epitomise this. The growth is largely from people who will continue to eat some meat and aren’t interested in products that seek to taste like meat,” he says, noting that rising interest in beans comes from the same place too.

    “Along with other brands who sell these products and are doing a fantastic job, our work is to inspire people to cook with these whole-food products and arm them with recipes and high-quality products that ensure they love them when they eat them,” he adds.

    “I’m also a believer that a long history in food is a good predictor of future longevity. Tofu and tempeh are obviously traditional products with a long history, and whilst our product is a new concept in a way, it is just made from plants that have a long history in cooking.”

    vegchop
    Courtesy: Oh So Wholesome

    UPF concerns have ‘forced hands’ of plant-based meat companies

    The launch of products like Veg’chop, THIS’s Super Superfood, and Revo Foods’s Prime Cut comes after sales of meat alternatives fell by 7% in 2024, while tofu expanded its market share to reach 9% of households. One of the best-performing meat-free brands was Better Nature, whose sales grew by 476% (albeit from a small base) as the UK embraced tempeh.

    This comes on the back of rising concerns around UPFs, which make up 57% of the average Brit’s diet, and up to 80% when it comes to children or people with lower incomes. A December survey revealed that 90% of Brits agree that diet is an important factor in overall health, and among these consumers, 28% are likely to cut back on UPFs this year.

    Meat alternatives have suffered as a result, with some deceptive media coverage amplifying the perception that all UPFs – including these ones – are bad for you, despite nutritionists saying otherwise.

    Day believes some meat alternative makers have “had their hands forced”, and “probably wouldn’t have looked to whole foods/non-mimics if their mimic sales were rocketing”. “I’m sure there are also some people who always wanted to do something in whole foods, but went where the growth was to start with,” he says.

    veg'chop
    Courtesy: Oh So Wholesome

    As a food purchase driver, health isn’t going anywhere, and he expects that this will ensure the shift to whole-food plant-based continues. “Specific drivers like the need at a population level for us to eat more fibre (in the UK at least) and interest in the beneficial effects of eating a wide diversity of plants for the gut microbiome are also likely to support this direction,” he says.

    “The backlash against UPF only seems to be gathering momentum and whilst there are nuances, I think products like ours will increasingly be looked for,” he adds. “In future, food security and making these products from locally available plants could also be a factor. Meat mimics often rely on protein isolates that are not produced in sufficient quantity in many locations.”

    This will make brand positioning essential, especially as Oh So Wholesome competes with established plant-based players like THIS, which raked in £22M in sales last year. “We welcome any plant-packed and nutritious launches in the category,” says Day.

    “Plant-based needs to entice and inspire people who have been sceptical about the whole category – we want it to be a destination for people who want to eat more plants, and that will take more than one brand. I’m confident there is a role for a brand like us, which isn’t associated with what has come before, as well as for more established brands.”

    The post The Plant-Based Reset: Can Whole-Food Proteins Win Over Consumers? appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • British Startup THIS Targets Anti-UPF Demand with Whole-Food Plant Protein Range

    this super superfood
    5 Mins Read

    THIS, the UK startup famous for its plant-based meat analogues, has introduced a new product format that champions whole foods and has more protein than tofu.

    After years of building its brand around products named THIS Isn’t Chicken and THIS Isn’t Beef, London-based startup THIS has announced a new range of plant-based products that it says are not meant to replicate animal meat, while still offering shoppers a centre-of-plate protein option.

    The food tech innovator has launched THIS Is Super Superfood, which it describes as a “next-generation” plant protein that can compete with traditionally vegan protein-rich ingredients like tofu and tempeh. It’s geared towards a UK population currently looking for minimally processed whole-food options, just as meat alternatives struggle to capture wallet share.

    The new product range comes in a 250g block format, as well as a 180g pack of lemon-and-herb-marinated pieces, with both retailing at £3.95. They will roll out at Tesco and Waitrose and on Ocado by the end of this month, and in Sainsbury’s and Asda (only the Super Block) in May.

    They contain fava bean protein, a range of seeds, and vegetables to offer consumers a protein rich in fibre, omega-3, and iron, and contribute to your five-a-day. The block and pieces can be used for stir-fries, curries, pasta and ramen dishes, among others, and importantly, the protein holds its texture when fried in a pan.

    With the Super Superfood, THIS is aiming to fill a gap in the category by delivering on health, convenience and flavour.

    “Two years ago, I thought of the idea in the shower, whilst my cat was watching me,” THIS co-founder Andy Shovel said last week. “Since then, the team have done an amazing job of developing them, building a supply chain for them, perfecting their branding, and selling them in… I think these have a shot at really disrupting the plant-based food category.”

    Is this the next generation of plant-based protein?

    this plant based
    Courtesy: THIS

    Luke Bryne, innovation director at THIS, explained that the Super Superfood range is a testament to how simple ingredients can be transformed into something “truly innovative”. “Our innovative superfood technology harnesses the natural synergy of beans, seeds, and mushrooms to create an entirely new plant-based texture,” he explained.

    “At its core, we use fava bean protein as the primary source of protein, blending it with shiitake mushrooms, celebrated for their rich umami depth and unique texture. To further enhance the sensory experience, we incorporate selected seeds that add layers of complexity and mouthfeel.”

    The products contain pumpkin seeds, flax seeds, hemp hearts, and chia seeds, while the shiitake mushrooms are complemented by spinach. They contain 18g of protein per 100g, on par with tempeh and 9% higher than the UK’s bestselling tofu from The Tofoo Co.

    The protein concentration is lower than conventional animal proteins like chicken or beef, as well as THIS’s own meat alternatives – though given that the UK overconsumes protein by 44-55% than what’s recommended, the company is betting on the fact that they will still hold appeal for the average British consumer.

    In fact, THIS plans to lean into the demand for nutritious plant proteins with a texture that matches consumers’ expectations. “This cutting-edge approach allows us to craft a next-generation plant-based protein – one that is not only nutritious, but also elevates texture and taste to unprecedented levels,” says Bryne.

    THIS CEO Mark Cuddigan added: “We have created a whole new plant-based protein and texture using nothing but natural ingredients – it’s like discovering a new superpower. We think that’s pretty super… so much so, we named it twice. The plant-based category is evolving, and THIS Is Super Superfood offers consumers something new.”

    New range meets consumer demand, but THIS’s meat alternatives here to stay

    this isn't chicken
    Courtesy: THIS

    The launch of the Super Superfood was teased by Cuddigan last year, when he said the company was developing a ‘tofu-life’ superfood with more nutritional value than anything currently on the market. The company’s £20M Series C round was also earmarked to roll out new products catering to “evolving consumer health preferences”.

    There’s a heightened demand for whole-food plant-based options in the UK. While sales of plant-based meat slid by 7% last year, tofu expanded its market share, reaching 9% of households. One of the best-performing meat-free brands, meanwhile, was tempeh maker Better Nature, whose sales grew by 476% (albeit from a small base). And searches for ‘high protein’ on online grocer Ocado doubled in 2024, with interest in plant-based sources like lentils up by 18%, chickpeas by 27%, and edamame by 44%.

    “People are less focused on vegan food vs non-vegan food. Instead, they’re looking for food that’s good for them, the planet and animals vs food that’s not,” Better Nature co-CEO Elin Roberts told Green Queen earlier this year.

    Consumers are increasingly apprehensive about ultra-processed foods (UPFs), which make up 57% of the average Brit’s diet, and up to 80% when it comes to children or people with lower incomes. Plant-based meat has suffered from a loss of confidence due to its classification as a UPF, driven by some misleading coverage by national media outlets.

    “There’s so much misinformation out there now – people don’t know what to believe. Is vegan food good or bad?” noted Roberts. “Nutrition can be complex. That’s why messaging that is focused on eating more plant-based whole foods is resonating better – you can’t go too far wrong there.”

    It’s this philosophy that drives THIS’s new superfood range. And it’s not the only brand taking this approach – Oh So Wholesome uses a similar concept, packing whole plants like quinoa, red lentils, split peas, seeds, and vegetables into blocks that can be used in a variety of dishes. Its product line, called Veg’chop (formerly Vegbloc), will launch at Tesco on April 28, the same day as THIS’s Super Superfood.

    That said, THIS’s meat alternative line – which helped the brand grow by 33% to reach £22M in sales last year – isn’t going anywhere, Cuddigan noted. “We’re just growing. We still make the best plant-based meat alternatives, but now we’re giving consumers more options,” he said.

    “The future for the plant-based category is about creating something for everyone, whether you’re a meat-lover, flexitarian, or fully plant-based. So whether you want meat-like texture or whole-food protein, we’ve got you covered.”

    Still, THIS and other plant-based meat makers will need to navigate a fine line: catering to a new set of whole foods-focused customers without alienating the core fans of their original line of plant-based meat replacement products.

    The post British Startup THIS Targets Anti-UPF Demand with Whole-Food Plant Protein Range appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.