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Category: Cell-Based News

  • Future Food Quick Bites: Protein Lattes, Food Tech Hubs & Tempeh Innovation

    laird protein latte
    5 Mins Read

    Our weekly column rounds up the latest sustainable food innovation news. This week, Future Food Quick Bites covers a host of protein lattes, Better Nature’s tempeh rollouts, and Meatable’s presentation at a Wall Street Journal forum.

    New products and launches

    New York-based Laird Superfood has released an instant protein latte powder with 10g of plant protein per serving. It combines pea, hemp and pumpkin seed protein with mushroom extracts, coconut MCTs and Aquamin. It retails for $19 per six servings and is available on its website and at Sprouts Farmers Market nationwide.

    laird instant latte
    Courtesy: Better Nature/Laird Superfood/Tempty Foods

    Likewise, plant-based milk brand Califia Farms has introduced a ready-to-drink protein vanilla almond latte, offering 10g of pea protein per serving. It can be found at Target stores for $5.29 per 40z bottle.

    In similar news, Indian fitness and lifestyle brand HRX – co-owned by Bollywood actor Hrithik Roshan – has unveiled a line of oat milk protein shakes, starting with a chocolate flavour (with 25g of plant protein per 100ml), ahead of introducing vanilla, cold coffee and lighter chocolate variants.

    hrx oat milk protein shake
    Courtesy: HRX

    Still in India, Néktar Bakery makes vegan desserts and viennoiseries, and will open a cloud location this month in the city of Pune.

    Back in the US, the owners of Salt Lake City’s Vertical Diner have inaugurated a new plant-based deli, with a menu featuring sandwiches, burgers, bowls, pastries, and more.

    better nature tempeh
    Courtesy: Better Nature

    Elsewhere, British tempeh brand Better Nature has rolled out its organic tempeh into around 150 additional Asda stores, and added a new Mediterranean-flavoured block to its lineup, which is available on Ocado for £3 per 220g pack.

    Beyond Meat, meanwhile, has introduced its jalapeño-flavoured burger to 317 Asda stores in the UK, in addition to bringing its original burger to 350 of the retailer’s sites.

    beyond meat jalapeno burger
    Courtesy: Beyond Meat

    And Danish mycelium meat maker Tempty Foods has brought its Spicy Korean Sticks to 7-Eleven Denmark stores. The product was created through 7-Eleven’s Innovation Corner competition last year.

    Company and finance updates

    Dutch cultivated meat producer Meatable was present at the Wall Street Journal’s Global Food Forum event in Chicago (June 16), where CEO Jeff Tripician spoke on how cultivated meat can complement conventional agriculture and boost global food security.

    Fresh from hosting a cultivated meat tasting in the New South Wales parliament, Australia’s Magic Valley is raising A$3M ($1.9M) to build its first manufacturing facility (which is expected to cost A$5M, or $3.3M) and produce 500 tonnes of product per year.

    Planted, the Swiss plant-based meat maker, has opened its new production facility in Bavaria, Germany, featuring “state-of-the-art fermentation technology”, which the company says will double its manufacturing capacity.

    lab grown meat australia
    Courtesy: Magic Valley

    Agriculture giant the Groan Group has signed a strategic partnership with plant-based ingredient maker Aminola to accelerate and expand the use of sustainable ingredients in the human food, pet food and aquafeed sectors.

    British plant-based ingredient maker Novo Farina has ceased trading, with its former managing director citing “market factors and ever-increasing cost challenges”.

    Green Grill, a plant-forward eatery with three locations in Sacramento, has permanently closed its doors, becoming the latest casualty in California’s restaurant space.

    AgFunder News reports that Yasir Abdul, the executive behind InvenTel, the company known for ‘As Seen on TV’ infomercials, has surfaced as the unexpected potential buyer of Meati, a fungi-based alternative meat company. The acquisition is being pursued through an entity named Meati Holdings, with Ryan Bethencourt, CEO of Wild Earth and an early-stage alt-protein investor, providing support during the transition.

    little island plant based
    Courtesy: Little Island

    In New Zealand, plant-based dairy and ice cream firm Little Island has entered liquidation after 15 years in operation.

    Luxembourg-based Moulins de Kleinbettingen has installed its second production line for plant proteins with a total investment of nearly €20M in its plant-based business, doubling its initial capacity and making co-manufacturing deals more flexible.

    In Sweden, Stockeld Dreamery and Jävligt Gott have opened Labbet, a food tech hub equipped with a kitchen, lab spaces and offices for small and growing businesses.

    javligt gott
    Courtesy: Jävligt Gott

    Similarly, Malaysia’s Pure Mylk has opened The Mylky Way in Kuala Lumpur, which is Southeast Asia’s first end-to-end innovation hub for plant-based milk and beverages. It aims to support companies small and big with product formulation, testing, and scaleable production.

    Research, policy and awards

    A Canadian-American study shows that a low-fat vegan diet can reduce moderate to severe hot flashes by 92% after women hit menopause, while also losing 16 times more weight than the control group.

    UK coalition Plant-Based Universities is convening over 200 students for a Plant-Based Universities Europe Camp in August.

    Bruce Friedrich, founder and president of alternative protein think tank the Good Food Institute, has been appointed to the Board of Advisors of EAT, the global food systems transformation non-profit.

    Strategic consultancy Mission Plant has compiled a list of job boards and resources for folks looking for positions in the alternative protein industry.

    vegan diet cheaper
    Courtesy: Institute for Organic Farming

    Research by the Institute for Organic Farming (commissioned by the WWF) has revealed that a vegan diet is the cheapest expensive for a family of four in Austria, saving €225 per month compared to an omnivore diet.

    Finally, Hélène Briand, co-founder of French precision fermentation startup Verley (formerly Bon Vivant), won the Female Founder Challenge at Vivatech in Paris.

    Check out last week’s Future Food Quick Bites.

    The post Future Food Quick Bites: Protein Lattes, Food Tech Hubs & Tempeh Innovation appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • Opinion: Why Are Cultivated Meat Bans Getting So Much Attention?

    lab grown meat ban
    6 Mins Read

    Owen Ensor, co-founder and CEO of British cultivated pet food startup Meatly, on why political bans shouldn’t deter investors from the alternative protein ecosystem.

    The past year has witnessed a surge in media attention surrounding cultivated meat. There is an insatiable desire for cultivated meat stories, covering regulatory approvals, product releases, and product development.

    There is a dark cloud of local bans in the US and labelling disputes alongside this exciting industry progress. However, we need to have a perspective on these and look at what is actually going on. 

    In the last few years, many governments have funded, approved, or supported cultivated meat. By contrast, cell-cultivated meat has been banned in a handful of right-wing US states. The balance of debate is clear – there is great technical progress, and almost all governments are backing this innovative product.  

    So we need to ask ourselves: why are we giving these bans so much attention?

    Even the meat industry is against the bans

    lab grown pet food
    Courtesy: Meatly

    This negative coverage is driven largely by right-leaning political factions, attempting to cast this innovative food technology as the latest battleground in the ever-escalating culture wars. Alarmist language, such as accusations of “global elite authoritarianism“, has been deployed to fuel opposition, particularly in ultra-conservative strongholds. 

    To date, six US states have banned cultivated meat. At the same time, bans in other regions have been attempted, including Romania, where the bill is stuck in the legislature and is unlikely to proceed, and Italy, where a proposed ban contravenes EU law. 

    To my knowledge, cultivated meat is the first food ever to be banned before even being on sale, and for political reasons. These bans are purely to appeal to a hard right-wing electorate in certain states. The US meat lobby doesn’t even want cultivated meat banned.

    The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association recently stated: “Telling Americans what they can and cannot buy at the grocery store does not align with NCBA’s policy book or our conservative values… and setting a precedent that the federal government can remove a product from the shelves completely is not wise for the cattle industry, when we have no idea who might be sitting in the White House or in Congress 10 years from now.”

    The global excitement for cultivated meat

    cultivated meat funding
    Courtesy: Meatly

    Looking beyond these bans, we get a clearer, more genuine understanding of the development and excitement of this industry. 

    Globally, there is a growing consensus in some of the world’s largest economies that cultivated meat and other cell-cultivated food solutions hold the keys to bolstering food security and creating a food system which supports sustainable farming.

    Several markets across the globe – including the US, the UK, Australia, New Zealand, Austria, and Singapore – have already granted regulatory clearance for cultivated meat for either human or pet consumption. A Trump appointee has also signed off on the most recent US approvals.

    These nations and regions, spanning diverse political landscapes and geographical locations, have undertaken rigorous safety assessments and concluded that cultivated meat is a viable and safe food source. This crucial step of regulatory approval signals a fundamental acceptance of the technology and paves the way for its integration into a sustainable food system.

    But that’s not all. The financial backing for cultivated meat research and development paints an even broader picture of commitment to this new food industry. A remarkable 22 countries, encompassing virtually every major global economy, have actively funded cultivated meat initiatives.

    This extensive list includes nations such as Canada, China, Norway, Finland, Sweden, the Netherlands, Israel, France, Germany, Poland, Spain, India, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Brazil, in addition to those with regulatory approvals.

    It’s clear that while a handful of regions grapple with politically motivated bans, the overwhelming global direction of travel points firmly towards acceptance and support.

    A trillion-dollar opportunity

    mearltly
    Courtesy: Jack Lawson/Meatly

    Such widespread investment and attention underscore a deep-seated understanding of the potential benefits that cultivated meat offers across a spectrum of critical areas, beyond just tackling the substantial emissions behind industrial animal agriculture. 

    The biggest benefit is an economic one. The global meat market is worth $1.55T, and global demand for meat continues to grow. Countries that can get ahead on cultivated meat and other cellular agriculture technologies are looking at a major economic win, creating local industries that can feed people sustainably while creating jobs and generating revenue.

    Cultivated meat will also boost food security, not threaten it. This innovation can help produce sustainable meat in high volumes, while farmers can focus on high-quality, high-value regeneratively farmed meat. These proteins can also shorten supply chains and make nations less dependent on imported meat. This will have knock-on benefits for human health, where a reliance on industrial agriculture will limit the use of antibiotics and the risk of spread of zoonotic diseases such as avian flu.

    That’s why, when a handful of conservative US states push back with politically motivated bans, it feels increasingly out of sync with this broader global momentum and more like an attempt to stifle innovation and limit consumer choice. The sole outcome of this is that the future of food is passed from the US to Europe and Asia.

    It’s clear that by focusing on these bans, we obscure the significant progress being made globally, the substantial investments being channelled into the sector, and the growing recognition of its crucial role in building a more sustainable and secure food future.

    What this means for the industry

    cultivated meat investment
    Graphic by Green Queen

    For cultivated meat companies, the advice is simple: stay focused. 

    The world is vast, and almost all regions actively support and encourage the development and commercialisation of cultivated meat. Direct your attention, resources, and efforts towards these receptive markets. Engage with governments and regulatory bodies that understand the value proposition and are committed to fostering innovation. The long-term trajectory is undeniably positive, and short-term political noise should not derail strategic goals.

    For investors, the message is equally resolute: recognise the global landscape. 

    The commitment to cultivated meat is not confined to a few progressive enclaves; it has widespread support, embraced by major economies and forward-thinking governments worldwide. We’ve had VCs say they will not invest because of the ‘geopolitical debate’. It’s really staggering to hear a global VC fund is making investment decisions based on what a provincial hard-right legislator is doing.

    Let’s be very clear: you can build an exceptionally profitable, high-return business outside of Alabama… in fact, you can build an exceptional business outside of the US.

    The potential for significant returns and the opportunity to contribute to a more sustainable future remains, with the global support for cultivated meat providing a robust foundation for long-term growth and success. Now is actually the ideal time to be investing, given the suppressed valuations that the current debate has created. 

    The direction of travel is clear. Governments around the world realise the environmental, health, economic, security, and ethical potential of cultivated meat, as well as the value in allowing consumers and the free market to decide which safe products should be sold. It’s time we started having this define the political conversation around cultivated meat.

    The post Opinion: Why Are Cultivated Meat Bans Getting So Much Attention? appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • Everyone Who Tasted Cultivated Meat Opposed A Ban, Finds Tufts Study

    upside foods florida
    4 Mins Read

    A study of Upside Foods’ cultivated meat tasting shows what consumers want from these proteins and what they don’t want from their lawmakers.

    On June 27, 2024, a California company took a stand against the state of Florida.

    Upside Foods, the first startup to be approved to sell cultivated meat in the US, held a public tasting of its chicken at a rooftop in Miami. It was a precursor to what was to come four days later: a statewide ban on these proteins, championed by Governor Ron DeSantis.

    Since then, five more states have followed suit. Alabama, Mississippi, Montana, Indiana, and Nebraska have all outlawed the sale of cultivated meat, but the public doesn’t seem to be aligned with their leaders on this issue.

    In an analysis of Upside Foods’s tasting event, researchers at Tufts University found that cultivated meat is viewed favourably both on a sensory and political scale. Every attendee who was interviewed opposed a ban on these foods, be it Democrats, Republicans, or those with another political inclination.

    It comes during a year when the Food and Drug Administration has approved two additional companies to sell cultivated meat in the US, with Mission Barns now awaiting the greenlight from the Department of Agriculture for its pork fat, and Wildtype’s salmon already available in a Portland restaurant.

    lab grown meat taste
    Courtesy: Upside Foods

    How do Americans feel about cultivated meat?

    Attendees lining up to taste the cultivated meat spanned all ages, and while most attendees were white or Latinx, people from other ethnic and racial backgrounds were also present. That said, there were roughly twice as many men as women.

    They tasted the chicken as part of a tostada created by Caja Caliente owner and TV personality Mika Leon. The cultivated chicken was made a la Plancha con Sazón and accompanied by avocado, chipotle crema, beet sprouts, and fresh lime zest.

    Of those interviewed, 73% had a favourable review of the taste, but an equal share called for sensory improvements, mostly in terms of the chicken’s texture. This split opinion. Some found the cultivated meat indistinguishable from conventional chicken, while others found it similar or inferior to plant-based alternatives.

    Aside from complaints about a “rubbery” texture, one key concern was the use of fetal bovine serum, which led to “striking and sudden reversals” from acceptance to rejection. “I wish I’d known they use animal ingredients. If I had known, I wouldn’t have tried it. I wouldn’t have eaten it,” said one taster.

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

    Yet others indicated that they’d like to see cultivated meat reach price parity, an effort being accelerated across the industry. These reasons are why, while 80% expressed a willingness to try it again, only a quarter said they would do so regularly, pending further product development.

    Interestingly, many attendees wanted to try it in other formats and see if they could cook it themselves. “The skill of a celebrity chef cooking the food was highly salient for respondents and led to caution or hesitation when answering whether what they tried would influence future food decisions,” the study notes in the NPJ Science of Food journal, quoting one attendee who said: “This was definitely cooked by someone who knew what they were doing.”

    Democrat or Republican, nobody wants a cultivated meat ban

    While Floridians had some words of advice for cultivated meat manufacturers, they had stronger words for the politicians looking to ban the innovation.

    “I support innovation and I’m usually a big DeSantis supporter. But I don’t support him on this. I would vote against the ban,” said one attendee. “I feel like the ban is an interesting choice for a state that allegedly supports smaller government,” added another.

    For one taste-tester, the ban was “completely based on scare tactics and political nonsense” and set a “really terrible precedent”. “We don’t ban foods in America. That’s not who we are, that’s just not what we do,” they said. “There’s no science behind the ban. It’s nonsense.”

    The divergence from traditional party positions, particularly for those identifying as Democratic or liberal (who typically do not oppose government intervention), suggests that cultivated meat “might create new political fault lines defying traditional party stances”, the researchers write.

    florida bans lab grown meat
    Miami chef Mika Leon and Upside Foods CEO Uma Valeti at the Freedom of Food tasting event in June 2024 | Courtesy: Kevin Martin Galante/Upside Foods

    At the same time, the opposition to banning cultivated meat is non-partisan. “Self-identified Democrats, liberals, Libertarians and Republicans aligned on the belief that these technologies and foods should be allowed to progress and that government interference was overreach,” they explain.

    “The ban violates ingrained values of freedom for Libertarians, free markets for Republicans, and signifies moving away from progress for societal benefit for Democrats and liberals.”

    The study uncovered three theoretical pathways of acceptance: American identity, perceived sensory and cultural values, and the need for transparency and further innovation.

    “Cultivated meat companies must prioritise transparent communication that dispels misconceptions and educates consumers about the production process, while avoiding marketing strategies that could provoke a backlash when setting unrealistic expectations,” says the study.

    The post Everyone Who Tasted Cultivated Meat Opposed A Ban, Finds Tufts Study appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • Future Food Quick Bites: Oatly Lookbook, Kraft Heinz NotCo & McDonald’s Jackfruit Burger

    kraft heinz notco
    6 Mins Read

    Our weekly column rounds up the latest sustainable food innovation news. This week, Future Food Quick Bites covers Oatly’s recipe lookbook, Villareal CF’s tofu seminar, and People Magazine’s plant-based awards.

    New products and launches

    Swedish oat milk giant Oatly has unveiled a lookbook for the Spring/Summer 2025 season, featuring a range of recipes using its products. Think a maple miso latte, a lacto-fermented blueberry matcha, and a salty banana split.

    oalty lookbook
    Courtesy: Oatly

    Dutch alternative protein producer Schouten has launched three Taste of the World veggie burgers inspired by Mexican, Italian and Thai cuisines.

    McDonald’s Netherlands has re-released the Meatless McKroket two years after it was first launched, with a jackfruit filling made from Fiber Foods‘s PrimeJack ingredient.

    Swiss plant-based meat giant Planted has introduced ready-to-eat steak bites in select Coop stores across the nation.

    yellow sunshine
    Courtesy: Yellow Sunshine

    Yellow Sunshine is a new Swiss brand established by the founders of vegan creamery New Roots, Alice Fauconnet and Freddy Hunziker. It makes lupin protein blocks in plain, garlic and herbs, and pepper-paprika flavours.

    While Ferrero has just launched its vegan Nutella in the UK, a new competitor has already emerged. Pip & Nut has released a chocolate-hazelnut spread with a sixth of the sugar content. It retails at Sainsbury’s for £3.50 per 165g hat and £7.65 per 400g tub, before rolling out at Whole Foods Market, Ocado and Amazon.

    Spanish football club Villareal CF and the Embassy of Japan in Spain partnered to host a tofu seminar with Somenoya Co, a 163-year-old tofu company from Tokyo.

    yellow sunshine
    Courtesy: Yellow Sunshine

    In response to the high prices and market volatility of cocoa, German food giant Dr. Oetker has released a carob flour for consumers in Turkey to replace cocoa powder at home.

    In more alt-cocoa news, US flour giant Ardent Mills has launched a wheat-based Cocoa Replace product. It can substitute 25% of cocoa powder in baking applications.

    Kraft Heinz Not Company has unveiled the latest innovations in its US lineup: a NotMayo Chipotle Squeeze and Kraft NotMac & Cheese Cups.

    kraft vegan mac and cheese
    Courtesy: Kraft Heinz Not Company/Green Queen

    US breakfast foods company Purely Elizabeth has rolled out a Protein Oatmeal range in Apple Harvest Crumble, Chocolate Chip Banana Bread and Maple Cinnamon Roll. The vegan products have 10g of protein per serving and retail for $6.49 per 235g pack in supermarkets nationwide,

    Also in the US, the Plant-Based Seafood Co‘s Mind Blown brand has reignited its partnership with PLNT Burger to offer its Maryland-style crab cake in a limited-edition Happy Crabby Sandwich for the third year in a row.

    Häagen-Dazs Shops, meanwhile, has launched a summer blueberry collection featuring the brand’s first oat milk offering in the US. The Blueberry Lemon Non-Dairy Freeze drink combines its blueberry and lemon sorbet with oat milk and blueberry preserve.

    haagen dazs oat milk
    Courtesy: Häagen-Dazs Shops

    Plant-based ingredients maker Planteneers has introduced a methylcellulose-free texturiser blend with functional yeast protein for clean-label plant-based meat.

    And Israeli startup Alfred’s Foodtech has released dairy-free Gouda slices with 18% protein under its new Alfred’s Deli brand. They come in original and pesto flavours.

    Company and finance updates

    Danish ingredients firm Feast Foods has ceased operations after failing to secure funding for its yeast extract replacer.

    Also in the Nordics, Swedish dairy giant Valio has announced that it will close the Kauhava factory it took over from Raisio by the end of this year, relocating operations to its Joensuu site instead.

    valio
    Courtesy: Valio

    Online grocer Vegan Essentials has been acquired by Fake Meats owners Steven and Kim Skaff, who bought it from fellow retailer PlantX.

    British cultivated meat firm Ivy Farm Technologies has appointed Rebecca Wright as chief legal officer, as part of its effort to work with regulators globally to bring its Wagyu beef to market.

    US vegan fast-food chain Slutty Vegan has hired entrepreneur, investor and marketer Lauren Maillian as brand president.

    slutty vegan
    Courtesy: Slutty Vegan/LinkedIn

    The new owners of the Merit Functional Foods plant in Winnipeg, which went into receivership in March 2023, are not planning to restart it as a plant protein business.

    But fellow Canadian company Burcon NutraScience has completed the first production run of its Peazazz C pea protein at its facility in Galesburg, Illinois.

    Edinburgh’s Industrial Biotechnology Innovation Centre’s FlexBio facility is home to Scotland’s first open-access 300-litre fermenter, which was supported by an £847,000 grant from national agency Scottish Enterprise.

    is virat kohli vegan
    Courtesy: Blue Tribe Foods

    As part of its 2025 sustainability initiative, Indian plant-based meat startup Blue Tribe Foods recycled 1,475 kg of plastic in the first quarter of 2025, building on the 2,333 kg it recycled last year.

    A bankruptcy judge in Delaware has given vegan sushi chain Planta final approval to secure nearly $5M in financing after resolving comments from its debtor-in-possession.

    Venture firm Nordic Foodtech VC has hit its first close of €40M as part of an €80M fund to invest in new technologies for the food and agriculture industry.

    Policy, research and awards

    Californian precision fermentation leader Perfect Day has asked a District of Columbia court to throw out a lawsuit alleging that it had misled consumers about its animal-free whey products.

    perfect day whey protein
    Courtesy: Perfect Day

    Scotland’s biotechnology sector is celebrating the launch of the country’s first open-access 300-litre fermenter, which has been installed thanks to an £847,000 grant from the national economic development agency, Scottish Enterprise.

    Also in Scotland, the University of Stirling has developed the Clean Food Consumerism scale to help manufacturers meet evolving consumer preferences for clean-label foods.

    Ahead of its Singapore approval, French cultivated foie gras maker Gourmey has joined the APAC Society for Cellular Agriculture.

    lab grown foie gras
    Courtesy: Sherry Hack

    In the Philippines, IHG Hotels & Resorts has committed to increasing its plant-based offerings to 30% of all menu items by 2027.

    Researchers at the University of Tokyo have found a way to control the key amino acids responsible for flavour in a bid to get cultivated meat to taste closer to its conventional counterpart.

    A study by the Federal University of São Paulo has revealed that 80% of these plant-based meat products in Brazil have good nutritional quality, based on the Nutri-Score indicator. Meanwhile, 73% of vegan alternatives were classed as ultra-processed, much lower than animal-derived meats (92%).

    beyond meat chicken pieces
    Courtesy: Beyond Meat/Green Queen

    Beyond Meat, Califia Farms, Whole Moon, Jell-O and Pop & Bottle have won People Magazine‘s food awards for the best plant-based products in grocery stores in 2025.

    Finally, animal rights charity Peta has named the 10 most vegan-friendly cities in the US for 2025. The winner is the home of deep-dish, Chicago.

    Check out last week’s Future Food Quick Bites.

    The post Future Food Quick Bites: Oatly Lookbook, Kraft Heinz NotCo & McDonald’s Jackfruit Burger appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • Regulatory Approvals for Cultivated Meat Will Bring Investors Back, Predicts Simple Planet CEO

    7 Mins Read

    Along with its upcoming fundraise, Simple Planet is about to submit dossiers in South Korea and Singapore for regulatory approval – a feat its CEO says will make cultivated meat resurgent.

    Despite continued declines in funding and escalating political challenges, regulatory progress shows that cultivated meat can weather the storm, according to the CEO of one major industry player.

    Funding for cultivated meat startups shrunk by 75% in 2023, and another 40% last year, just as politicians in Italy, Florida, Alabama, and now Mississippi have banned the sale and production of these proteins. The industry, meanwhile, continues to face major headwinds due to high R&D costs, scaling difficulties, and the macroeconomic landscape.

    “However, as more bio-food tech companies gradually receive regulatory approvals from various countries, we remain optimistic that the cultivated meat sector will continue to expand, leading to a resurgence in investment and funding,” says Dominic Jeong.

    He is the co-founder and CEO of Simple Planet, a South Korean food tech startup that is taking a unique approach to cultivated meat. It produces cell-cultured ingredients like proteins (specifically, amino acids) in powder and paste formats, and omega-3 fatty acids in the form of an oil and a paste.

    cultivated meat investment
    Graphic by Green Queen

    The firm – which is prioritising beef, chicken, and fish from its suite of 13 cell lines – is preparing regulatory dossiers for food safety authorities in South Korea and Singapore, aiming to file them within the first half of this year. It means its products could come to market in 2026, given the timeline of approvals in each country.

    “We are initially working on a muscle-derived cell line. This cell line will be submitted for regulatory approval upon completion of the necessary application data,” Jeong tells Green Queen.

    Simple Planet also has an eye on Thailand and Indonesia, and is amplifying its presence in the Middle East and North America. These efforts will be helped by its upcoming bridge loan worth $10M, Jeong notes.

    “It’s a complex time for cell-based food globally, particularly in funding and regulation,” Jeong says. “With investors becoming more cautious, having a clear path to market and a scalable business model is more important than ever. At Simple Planet, we’ve stayed focused on efficiency, partnerships, and long-term viability.”

    The company has already raised $8M from investors, in addition to an $8M government grant it received as part of a food security project last year. The new funding, the CEO says, will primarily be used to drive commercialisation, establish an industrial production facility, and expand Simple Planet’s business operations.

    Simple Planet’s multi-pronged path to market

    simple planet korea
    Courtesy: Simple Planet

    Simple Planet is producing a lyophilised cell powder with 16 times more protein than whey. “The powder has the potential to effectively substitute the whey protein currently used in Formula 75 (F-75) and Formula 100 (F-100), which are therapeutic milk formulations designed for the treatment of severe malnutrition,” explains Jeong.

    “We are actively engaged in efforts to replace whey protein in these products to provide a reliable and effective source of protein nutrition.”

    In addition to these ingredients, it has unveiled Balboa Kitchen, a healthy snacking brand featuring ready-to-eat granola, functional snacks, and “other clean-label products” made from the cell-based ingredients.

    “We’re planning to enter global markets this year, starting with Southeast Asia and Japan, where demand for Korean-made healthy food continues to grow,” reveals Jeong.

    Meanwhile, Simple Planet’s patented serum-free culture medium replaces fetal bovine serum with probiotic-derived metabolites, slashing costs by over 99.8% and addressing key ethical concerns. “Our serum-free culture media is aimed at research labs and biotech startups, particularly those working on cell-based food. We’re leveraging our network to support innovation across the industry,” he says.

    Since its innovations are ingredients rather than fully formed products, a direct comparison with the cost of conventional meat is not an appropriate measure, Jeong argues. “However, the initial cost per kilogram is comparable to that of conventional meat, while the protein content per unit weight is significantly higher. As production scales up to industrial levels, the cost is expected to decrease significantly,” he explains.

    “Our scale of production is using 1,000-litre bioreactors, and the capacity goal of ingredient production is a maximum of 3.2 tonnes per month,” he adds. “Our facility is currently in the process of obtaining GMP [Good Manufacturing Practice] certification, which will ensure that our production is conducted in a highly controlled, contaminant-free environment.”

    Simple Planet is targeting CPG players with the cultivated protein and fat. “We aim to produce at scale and collaborate with food conglomerates to enhance the nutrition of their products. These ingredients are highly versatile and can be applied to snacks, beverages, ready meals, and more,” says Jeong.

    “We’ve already completed successful proof-of-concepts with major Korean players like Nongshim and CJ, developing more nutritious versions of products like instant noodles and gyoza.”

    Several projects underway to advance cultivated meat

    lab grown meat korea
    Courtesy: Simple Planet

    The purpose of the bridge funding is fourfold. Simple Planet will aim to set up a large-scale production plant, establish strategic partnerships for product integration with food and beverage companies, expand its presence in global markets while pursuing regulatory approval, and hire top biotech, food science, and commercialisation experts to help execute these goals.

    In the meantime, it has embarked on several projects to advance its path to market. One of these is a proof-of-concept collaboration with a “global food conglomerate” to explore how its ingredients can enhance the taste and nutrition of its products across the food, beverage, supplement and wellness categories.

    “We are also exploring ways to support Indonesia’s national priority programme for free nutritious meals, working with local partners to contribute to sustainable and accessible nutrition solutions,” says Jeong.

    In February, Simple Planet announced it was collaborating with Chulalongkorn University’s Halal Research Center in Thailand to integrate Halal standards into its manufacturing practices. After the startup initiated discussions and shared data on its technology, the Korean Muslim Federation issued a fatwa confirming that cultivated meat can be consumed by Muslims if it meets certain criteria.

    In addition, the company is working with the Indonesian National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) and Thailand’s National Food Institute to advance the development of cell-cultured ingredients. And the startup has signed an MoU to partner with the newly announced cultivated meat research centre in Uiseong County.

    “For Simple Planet, government approval and halal certification are top priorities,” says Jeong. “We work closely with halal authorities and food regulators to ensure our serum-free, halal-compliant cell culture medium meets industry standards.”

    Cultivated meat needs ‘stronger government support’

    lab grown meat south korea
    Courtesy: GFI APAC

    Simple Planet has been engaging with regulators across key markets, including the Korean Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (which established a novel food framework in 2024 and is expected to greenlight an application from local startup CellMeat soon). Further, it’s working with the Singapore Food Agency and the National Agency of Drug and Food Control (BPOM) in Indonesia.

    “In Indonesia, Thailand, South Korea, and Singapore, there is increasing interest in alternative proteins as part of national food security and sustainability initiatives,” says Jeong. “Singapore has led the way with a regulatory framework, while other countries are actively developing policies on food safety and halal compliance.”

    He calls for “stronger government support” in regulation, research, and halal certification, which is crucial to unlocking the full potential of cultivated meat in mainstream markets.

    So far, cultivated meat has been cleared to be sold in Singapore (from two startups), the US (four), Israel, the UK, Hong Kong, and (preliminarily) Australia and New Zealand (one each). Despite all the turmoil in the sector, three approval decisions have come this year. Regulators in the EU, Switzerland, Thailand and South Korea are assessing applications too.

    “Regulatory progress varies widely – countries like Singapore and the US are moving forward, while others are still developing frameworks. This creates uncertainty, but also opportunities to help shape the conversation,” says Jeong.

    “Europe remains cautious about the commercialisation of cell-based food, although some products have entered the market as pet food. This might be an early sign that Europe may gradually open up to cultivated meat in the future,” he adds. Even in Singapore and Israel, challenges remain in terms of standardisation, market access, and regulatory consistency.

    But he indicates that the wave of approvals over the last 18 months is a sign of good things to come after a period of turbulence: “These hurdles appear to be part of the natural progression of introducing a new technology to consumers, and we believe they will be resolved in the near future.”

    The post Regulatory Approvals for Cultivated Meat Will Bring Investors Back, Predicts Simple Planet CEO appeared first on Green Queen.

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  • Cultivated Meat Study: Media Coverage Shapes Regulatory Progress, May Have Caused Approval ‘Slowdown’

    lab grown meat media coverage
    6 Mins Read

    Researchers have uncovered eight themes that prevailed in the media coverage of the USDA’s first two approvals of cultivated meat in 2023, which had implications.

    Is cultivated meat ‘real meat’? Does it pose any benefits? Is it an inevitable, necessary marker of change to the food system?

    If you were reading the coverage of the US Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) approval of Upside Foods and Eat Just’s cultivated chicken products in summer 2023, the answer to all of these questions would likely have been yes.

    In the two years since, however, the narrative has shifted dramatically, as misinformation-fuelled attempts to ban cultivated meat flood the US legislature, and the rise of the manosphere and concerns about ultra-processed food have helped conventional meat make a consumption comeback.

    How the media frames a story has wide-ranging implications for policy and public opinion. For example, many people remain unaware of livestock’s significant impact on global greenhouse gas emissions, which is hardly surprising given that only 7% of stories about climate change mention animal agriculture at all. This media framing issue is true for cultivated meat, too, and the many other terms it is known by.

    “The optimistic framing of cell-cultivated meat as a more ethical and sustainable alternative notwithstanding, significant uncertainties and political resistance persist in media narratives, which likely influence regulatory pathways and consumer acceptance,” researchers from Tufts University write in a new study published in the Future Foods journal.

    Coverage of USDA’s approval of cultivated meat is largely positive

    usda lab grown meat approval
    Eat Just’s Good Meat chicken at China Chilcano | Courtesy: Ana Isabel Martinez Chamorro

    The study analysed 34 articles from leading publications – including the New York Times, the Washington Post, Fox News, CNN, and the Wall Street Journal – and found eight prevailing themes in the coverage.

    The most common theme was the description of cultivated meat as “real meat”, which appeared in 92% of the stories. Most journalists defined cultivated meat through its production in facilities and termed it “lab-grown”, while simultaneously arguing that it is real meat, effectively differentiating it from plant-based alternatives.

    A similar share of stories (91%) discussed the benefits of cultivated meat, most often discussing the emissions, land and water benefits these proteins present. “Removing animal suffering from the act of eating meat was a core talking point,” the study also found, as were health benefits, efficiency, food security, reduced antibiotic use, and increased choice for consumers.

    Another major theme revolved around the technical feasibility of cultivated meat, with 79% of articles highlighting the challenge of scaling production while reducing production costs.

    Some 71% of articles, meanwhile, talked about the taste experience of cultivated meat. There were suggestions that growing acceptance among the public is a “good bet”, though one carnivore said she’d “rather eat [her] shoe” instead. Others who had actually tasted it likened it to eating conventional chicken, with some room for textural improvements.

    One positive frame that appeared in 61% of the stories put cultivated meat in the context of ecological damage and growing meat demand. Reporters highlighted the climate impact of the livestock industry, drew parallels with the popularity of vegan meat alternatives, and noted how large meat processors like Tyson and Cargill had invested in startups in this space.

    Political and cultural themes were less common across coverage

    lab grown meat ban
    Courtesy: Upside Foods

    In 76% of the analysed reporting, two opposing frames persisted. One constructed cultivated meat as a “groundbreaking”, necessary, and good innovation that would eventually replace conventional meat, and the other described it as unnecessary and problematic.

    “As a result, readers consuming articles where both frames are simultaneously offered might be left with a sense of uncertainty, or even ambivalence, surrounding the ‘true’ meaning of cell-cultivated meat,” the researchers wrote.

    Certain hints of the political upheaval we see today existed in 2023, too, with 68% of stories discussing this theme. Safety and labelling dominated coverage about the USDA’s regulation of cultivated meat, while some suggested it paved the way for other countries to follow.

    However, discussions about labelling showed political opposition to calling these proteins “meat”, with lawmakers in Texas, Chile and Italy looking to restrict labelling or ban their sale (the latter was successful in its effort, despite being unlawful). Fox News portrayed it as a “vested interest” of the left.

    Overall, concerns about cultivated meat were the least commonly discussed theme in the analysed reporting. Only 53% of articles were found to do so. Some referred to bogus studies arguing that it’s worse for the environment, others warned of “a range of unknowns” and “unforeseen dangers”, and yet others were worried about the safety, naturalness and nutritional quality of these proteins.

    The fate of farmers was a major talking point too, with some believing cultivated meat could “take local farmers and ranchers out of the equation”. Another viewpoint that permeates is that these foods are only for the rich, with Fox News quoting a chef saying: “Only the elites are going to be able to try it and tell their friends about it.”

    Cultivated meat coverage is shaping regulation

    lab grown meat fda approval
    Courtesy: Mission Barns

    The researchers argue that the “media’s construction of the emerging meaning system of cell-cultivated meat” has both political and regulatory implications, and that this actively shapes consumer trust in the industry. “The reporting on this is widely believed to have brought added scrutiny to the process, resulting in a two-year slowdown,” they note.

    It was only this March when Mission Barns became the third company to receive FDA approval for cultivated meat in the US (it’s still awaiting the USDA green light). That was swiftly followed by the FDA’s clearance of Wildtype’s cultured salmon (which doesn’t require USDA review) last month.

    The news coverage analysed in the study demonstrated that cultivated chicken is “appropriately inspected, approved, and regulated”; in addition, it discussed political contentions regarding its labelling and sales, which have “only grown since we started writing this paper”, the researchers argue.

    Indeed, six US states have now passed laws banning cultivated meat, and 15 have proposed restrictive bills this year alone. Globally, Hungary has taken major steps to ban these proteins, but was blocked by fellow EU member states and the European Commission.

    “The discussion of the policy debates and contentious political meanings surrounding cell-cultivated products may imply a precarious outlook for the future of cellular agriculture,” the study states, adding that for some people, the discourse about cultivated meat products has become “confounded with preexisting political identities”.

    “Differences in perception of cellular agriculture across the political spectrum should be explored in further research for a better understanding of the emerging political meanings associated with this novel technology,” the researchers write.

    “Improved regulatory processes, awareness of labelling guidance, creating standards of identity, and transparent quality assurance in a collaborative industry-government framework could perhaps address these concerns constructively while also fostering competition.”

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  • Australian Lawmakers Get A Taste of the Future at Cultivated Meat Tasting in Parliament

    4 Mins Read

    Australian cultivated meat startup Magic Valley held a tasting for politicians in the New South Wales parliament last week.

    Just months before cultivated meat makes it onto restaurant menus in Australia, some of the country’s policymakers got a taste of it themselves.

    In the New South Wales parliament last week, politicians were treated to cultivated lamb meatballs and pork dumplings from Melbourne startup Magic Valley. And they were impressed.

    “It was delicious,” said Alex Greenwich, an independent representative for Sydney. “This type of meat is guilt-free: no animal cruelty, no deforestation, and saves water and CO2 emissions,” he added, a nod to lamb’s status as the third most polluting food product (after beef and dark chocolate).

    The tasting event came months after the firm received an A$100,000 ($63,000) injection from the federal government to transition from research to commercial production of its cultivated meat.

    Cultivated meat as an economic opportunity for Australia

    lab grown meat tasting
    Courtesy: Magic Valley

    The tasting was held at the parliament’s Rooftop Garden, attended by 17 politicians and ministers, including state treasurer Daniel Mookhey and innovation minister Anoulack Chanthivong. The dumplings were served with chilli oil and chilli crisp, and the meatballs featured a classic marinara sauce.

    Magic Valley’s technology eschews fetal bovine serum and leverages induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). It takes a small sample of skin cells from a living animal, which are expanded and turned into iPSCs, which in turn can be converted into muscle and fat.

    The cells are grown in a bioreactor, in a mixture of water, amino acids, and other nutrients. They’re harvested after a few weeks and turned into meat products. These can be made over and over again from the original cell sample, since the iPSCs can grow in an unlimited way.

    According to the startup, its process can reduce emissions by 92%, land use by 95%, and water use by 78% compared to conventional meat.

    The event came a year after it held a public tasting for its cultivated pork, serving it as part of baos at John Gorilla Café in Brunswick, Victoria. Magic Valley has also hosted a televised tasting on Australia’s Channel 7 network and appeared on Gordon Ramsay’s Food Stars Australia.

    Highlighting why it was important for politicians to try it, founder and CEO Paul Bevan said that the event was about more than just food. “It’s about jobs, technology, and positioning Australia as a leader in one of the world’s fastest-growing industries,” he said.

    Emma Hurst, a representative of the Animal Justice Party who hosted the tasting, concurred: “There is a real economic opportunity for New South Wales and indeed Australia to become a leader in the production, sale and export of cellular agriculture and to be part of this worldwide shift in the food system.”

    Government support is critical ahead of cultivated meat debut

    lab grown meat australia
    Courtesy: Magic Valley

    Magic Valley expanded into a new pilot facility at bio-innovator and incubator Co-Labs in 2023, which can house bioreactors with a capacity of up to 3,000 litres, allowing it to potentially produce 150,000 kgs of cultivated meat annually.

    As of now, it is raising capital to build its first manufacturing facility in the country, an effort backed by the A$100M grant from the government’s Industry Growth Program. The company is eligible for up to $5M in funding through the initiative.

    “With support from both government and private investors, we can build advanced facilities, create regional employment, and export high-tech protein to the world,” said Bevan.

    New South Wales is already home to one of the world’s leading cultivated meat startups. Vow, based in Sydney, makes cultured quail and foie gras, which have been on the market in Singapore since last year.

    In April, the firm received preliminary approval from Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) for its quail product. With the final green light from ministers expected in June, Vow will debut its cultivated meat at “high-end restaurants and elevated fast-casual concepts” in Australia, before rolling out in retail later in the year.

    These developments coincide with a decline in meat consumption among Australians, 42% of whom are either reducing or not eating animal protein at all. But a 2023 survey of Australians and New Zealanders found that 74% weren’t familiar with cultivated meat, while only 24% would readily incorporate it into their diets (and 48% said they wouldn’t do so).

    Research has also found that when it comes to alternative protein policies, Australia ranks bottom of the list of the 10 most supportive governments in Asia-Pacific. So public tasting events and government support are key to building awareness and advancing the industry.

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  • California Sets Up Special Committee to Drive Alternative Protein Innovation

    california alternative protein
    4 Mins Read

    Home to a host of leading future food startups, California has established a special committee to advance innovation in the alternative protein sector.

    While several states in the US are banning (or hoping to ban) cultivated meat from being sold within their borders, some are doubling down on their commitment to supercharge the future food industry.

    Among those is California, which last month established the Assembly Select Committee on Alternative Protein Innovation to boost the state’s position as a leader in sustainable food systems.

    The special committee is being chaired by Ash Kalra, a Democrat from San José, who was instrumental in California’s $5M investment in alternative protein research in 2022.

    Why California is betting on alternative proteins

    beyond sausage launch
    Beyond Meat is one of a number of alternative protein leaders hailing from California | Courtesy: Beyond Meat

    In the US, select committees are established by the Senate for a limited time, and tend to be investigative rather than legislative in nature. These committees may or may not be given the authority to report legislation to the chamber.

    California’s alternative protein committee will focus on efforts to support all pillars of the alternative protein sector, including plant-based proteins, fermentation-derived foods, and cultivated meat.

    It will begin by organising information hearings to determine how California can expand its alternative protein economy while aligning with its climate and sustainability goals. “This committee is about more than just boosting a promising sector of our economy,” Kalra said. “It’s about investing in climate-smart food solutions that meet the needs of a growing population.”

    In 2022, the state unveiled what it claimed was the world’s first detailed climate neutrality pathway, aiming to slash greenhouse gas emissions by 48% in 2030 and 85% by the target year of 2045. It also aims to save $200B in healthcare costs related to pollution.

    California is also working to redirect 20% of food from being sent to landfills by this year, and reduce methane emissions by 40% (below 2013 levels) by the end of this decade. Targeting meat and dairy production is a key tenet of this latter target, considering that livestock is responsible for half of the state’s methane footprint.

    In fact, animal agriculture is responsible for 70% of California’s total emissions from the food system, and takes up a third of its land area. Expanding its alternative protein ecosystem is therefore a critical step towards decarbonisation.

    Producing foods from plant-based ingredients, microbes or cellular agriculture uses a tiny share of the land and water that animal proteins do, while emitting a fraction of the greenhouse gases as well.

    The Golden State is already a leader in alternative protein

    lab grown meat california
    Courtesy: Wildtype

    “Our state is a leader in alternative protein innovation and home to the first major plant-based protein companies, the first-ever cultivated meat startups, and numerous inventive fermentation food companies,” said Kalra.

    Indeed, California is the birthplace of modern-day plant-based giants Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods, and a host of leading cultivated meat startups. In fact, all four companies approved to sell cultivated proteins in the US – Eat Just, Upside Foods, Mission Barns, and Wildtype – hail from the Golden State.

    It is also home to the Integrative Center for Alternative Meat and Protein. Opened last year at the University of California, Davis, it is conducting research on speeding up these future foods’ path to market.

    California also made the single-largest alternative protein R&D investment of any state back three years ago, with Governor Gavin Newsom signing a budget bill that provided $5M to UC Berkeley, UC Davis, and UCLA. As mentioned above, this effort was facilitated by Kalra.

    uc davis cultivated meat
    Courtesy: UC Davis

    “I look forward to holding informational hearings on the topic of growing this new economy and how it can support California’s climate and food sustainability goals,” the senator said.

    Other states that have championed alternative proteins in recent years include Illinois, which poured in $680M in the iFAB Tech Hub to advance precision fermentation research and its biomanufacturing capabilities. Massachusetts, meanwhile, is home to Tufts University and its Center for Cellular Agriculture, and passed an economic development bill that pledged investment in the sector.

    The state has pledged $10M for local companies and to match grants supporting these proteins, and another $115M for an infrastucture programme to support job growth in key tech sectors, including plant-based, fermented and cultivated foods with “sensory characteristics that are consistent with conventional meat and dairy”.

    “I think it’s incumbent on us lawmakers to think long-term,” Senator Barry Finegold, chairperson of Massachusetts’s economic development and emerging tech committee, told Green Queen last year. “If we’re concerned about climate change, if we’re concerned about people’s health, then I think we have to take science seriously.”

    The post California Sets Up Special Committee to Drive Alternative Protein Innovation appeared first on Green Queen.

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  • Leading Islamic Authority Approves Consumption of Cultivated Meat for Muslims

    lab grown meat islam
    4 Mins Read

    In its latest conference in Doha, the International Islamic Fiqh Academy ruled that Muslims can consume cultivated meat if certain conditions are met.

    The world’s two billion Muslims can eat cultivated meat, according to a fatwa by a leading Islamic authority.

    At the 26th International Islamic Fiqh Academy (IIFA) Conference in Doha this month, scholars deliberated on the consumption of cultivated meat and genetically modified food under Islamic law.

    They approved the marketing and consumption of these foods, so long as they meet certain specific requirements, opening up the novel food market to a quarter of the global population.

    What conditions does cultivated meat need to meet?

    lab grown meat israel
    Courtesy: Aleph Farms

    Operating under the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, the IIFA is one of the world’s leading legal authorities on Islam. Its members include Muslim jurists, scholars and intellectuals with expertise in various fields, who provide guidance on how Islamic principles apply to contemporary issues in science, medicine, economics, and technology.

    Its latest conference was held in Doha in early May, with 230 experts from over 60 countries attending. Among the issues discussed were artificial intelligence, video games, genetically modified foods, and cultivated meat.

    On the latter, the IIFA laid out several conditions that need to be met before Muslims can consume cultivated meat:

    • The source cells must come from animals permissible to eat and be slaughtered according to Islamic law – so pork products are prohibited.
    • The animal cells must be cultured in a medium free from prohibited substances like blood. It means products can’t be produced with fetal bovine serum, which is derived from the blood of unborn calves.
    • The products must be developed under trustworthy regulatory supervision.

    Additionally, the Academy stressed the need for full consumer transparency and adherence to food safety standards, noting that cultivated meat should complement – not replace – conventional sources of meat.

    Meanwhile, the IIFA permitted the consumption of genetically modified foods when sourced from animals permissible to eat, processed in a safe manner, and compliant with Sharia law. It underscored the importance of disclosing relevant information about these foods and their preparation methods.

    Growing recognition for cultivated meat under Islamic law

    can muslims eat lab grown meat
    Courtesy: International Islamic Fiqh Academy

    The IIFA ruling is the third fatwa in favour of Muslims’ consumption of cultivated meat. A fatwa is a non-binding legal opinion based on Sharia law, and is an important guideline for Muslims on matters not specifically defined in the Quran.

    In 2024, the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore issued a fatwa recognising these proteins as halal, a decision replicated by the Korean Muslim Federation earlier this year.

    These were followed by similar conclusions by three leading Shariah scholars in Saudi Arabia in 2023, who told cultivated chicken maker Good Meat that cultivated meat can be considered halal, and the Assembly of Muslim Jurists of America in 2022, who adjudged it as provisionally permissible by default, provided Halal criteria are followed.

    Halal diets refer to food consumption in accordance with Islamic law. When it comes to meat, it means animals must be slaughtered in a prescribed way, and certain types of meat and byproducts – including pork and blood products – are prohibited. Globally, the Halal meat market is estimated to grow by 7% annually to reach $1.6T by 2032.

    Cultivated meat producers understand the opportunity. A 44-company survey in 2023 revealed that complying with halal requirements was a priority for 87% of the firms. A lack of resources outlining how products can adhere to such religious certifications remained a significant entry barrier, the study added.

    “Ultimately, this decision marks a major step forward in aligning food innovation with cultural and religious values, a crucial ingredient in creating a world where alternative proteins are no longer alternative,” said the Good Food Institute APAC, an alternative protein think tank.

    “It also clarifies religious guidelines for Asia-Pacific companies developing such products, opens doors for regulatory collaboration and halal certification frameworks across the region, and encourages Muslim organisations in other countries to follow in the footsteps of Singapore and South Korea,” it added.

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  • Future Food Quick Bites: Vegan RXBar, NotMilk Avena, Pre-Frozen Tofu

    vegan rxbar
    5 Mins Read

    Our weekly column rounds up the latest sustainable food innovation news. This week, Future Food Quick Bites covers Kellanova’s plant-based RXBars, Vivera’s pre-frozen tofu, and a cultivated seafood tasting event.

    New products and launches

    Kellanova (formerly Kellogg’s) has launched RXBar High Protein, a plant-based line of its famous clean-label bars. The peanut butter bars come in strawberry and vanilla flavours, and are packed with 18g of protein and only six ingredients.

    rxbar high protein
    Courtesy: Kellanova/Valerii Evlakhov/Getty Images

    US wellness startup Happy Aging has launched a plant protein powder called Lean Muscle Formula. It contains 20g of pea and pumpkin seed protein and 5g of creatine monohydrate per 100g, and comes in vanilla and chocolate flavours. The product is available on its website for $55 per 725g pouch.

    Israeli food tech startup Meala has partnered with DSM-Firmenich to launch a texturising pea protein called Vertis PB Pea. The ingredient is designed to replace modified binders like hydrocolloids to make cleaner-label meat alternatives, and is available in Europe.

    Also in Israel, Efishient Protein has introduced a plant-based grouper fillet. It is working on a cultivated tilapia in the background.

    oshi vegan salmon
    Courtesy: Oshi

    Speaking of alternative seafood, plant-based firm Oshi has begun direct-to-consumer sales of its vegan salmon, expanding from its foodservice-only model.

    In more seafood news, Austrian mycoprotein startup Revo Foods has unveiled a BBQ flavour of its flagship product, The FIlet – Inspired by Salmon.

    Chilean food tech firm NotCo has released the newest iteration of its AI-powered NotMilk, with a focus on a clean-label formulation. The NotMilk Avena SKU contains just oats, coconut butter, chicory fibre, and water, and is available in Chile and Brazil. It will soon roll out in Mexico too.

    notmilk avena
    Courtesy: NotCo

    French dairy-free brand Atelier Dessy has introduced a plant-based alternative to Icelandic skyr in raspberry and mango-passionfruit flavours.

    Dutch vegan giant Vivera has introduced a pre-frozen firm tofu that absorbs marinades more quickly, responding to a TikTok trend of freezing the protein to make it spongier. It will be available in UK supermarkets from June 9 for £2.75 per 200g pack.

    British food tech firm Myco, known for its oyster-mushroom-based burgers, has signed a deal to provide its Hooba ingredient to Teesside University as part of a blended meat range.

    choviva treets
    Courtesy: Treets/Candy Kittens

    Planet A Foods‘s cocoa-free ChoViva chocolate is part of Candy Kittens and Treets‘s Crunchy Corn, Crispy, and Salted Peanuts dragées in the UK. They’re available online and at retailers including Boots.

    South Korean food giant Pulmuone has revamped its dairy-free ice cream brand Planto with new packaging and label descriptors like ‘reduced sugar’ and ‘high dietary fibre’. The new products come in 90ml strawberry-raspberry and chocolate brownie packs, and will primarily be available online and through B2B channels, including Kurly, Coupang, and Shop Pulmuone.

    Company and finance updates

    Singaporean cultivated meat firm Umami Bioworks held a public tasting for its white fish (served in a fish-and-chips format) and caviar (served plain and in canapé-style) at London’s Underground Cookery School.

    liberation labs
    Courtesy: Vivici/Liberation Bioindustries

    Ahead of opening its large-scale precision fermentation facility, US biomanufacturer Liberation Labs has rebranded to Liberation Bioindustries.

    Likewise, plant-based firm Simply Better Brands – which makes vegan protein powders and bars – has rebranded to Trubar.

    Dutch fermentation startup The Protein Brewery has appointed former Cousin executive Thijs Bosch as its new CEO. He succeeds Sue Garfitt, who will transition into a non-executive role.

    oat milk powder
    Courtesy: cReal

    Swedish food tech firm cReal Food has opened a zero-waste oat milk powder facility in Bjuv, backed by a 300 million kronor ($31.3M) investment by Lindéngruppen and other investors.

    Finnish startup Enifer has partnered with Brazilian ethanol producer FS to produce its Pekilo mycoprotein in Latin America, using thin stillage derived from corn ethanol as feedstock.

    Research and policy developments

    The Spanish city of Parla has become the country’s first city (and the world’s 40th) to sign the call for an international Plant-Based Treaty.

    Vegans and vegetarians should receive special rations if the UK is hit with a major disaster, according to Prof Tim Lang, an emeritus professor of food policy at the University of London and an adviser to the National Preparedness Commission.

    beyond meat bbq
    Courtesy: Beyond Meat

    With BBQ season upon us, a survey by Beyond Meat has found that 42% of Brits eat less meat during the week now than two years ago, and 47% say having plant-based options on the menu is important to them.

    Two new studies show that the plant-based Portfolio Diet can lower the risk of cardiovascular disease and mortality, and improve heart health across diverse demographics.

    A landmark study by the European Alliance for Regenerative Agriculture has revealed that the region can produce significantly more food with less money and fewer resources with regenerative agriculture systems.

    Check out last week’s Future Food Quick Bites.

    The post Future Food Quick Bites: Vegan RXBar, NotMilk Avena, Pre-Frozen Tofu appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • Wildtype Cultivated Salmon Gets FDA Approval, Now on US Menus

    lab grown salmon
    6 Mins Read

    San Francisco startup Wildtype has become the world’s first startup to get US regulatory approved to sell cultivated seafood, with its salmon now on the menu at Kann in Portland, Oregon.

    Cultivated seafood has cruised to become a reality.

    US startup Wildtype has received regulatory approval from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to sell its sushi-grade cultivated salmon in the country. It is now available at Kann, James Beard Award winner Gregory Gourdet’s live-fire Haitian restaurant in Portland, Oregon.

    “We have no questions at this time about Wildtype’s conclusion that foods comprising or containing cultured coho salmon cell material resulting from the production process defined in [its application] are as safe as comparable foods produced by other methods,” the FDA said in a scientific memo.

    It concludes a process that began three summers ago and required eight amendments as the startup’s process evolved and the regulator worked to confirm the safety of cell-cultured salmon.

    “Cultivated seafood, apart from catfish, is regulated solely by the FDA; there is no subsequent USDA step as there is for chicken and beef,” Wildtype co-founders Aryé Elfenbein and Justin Kolbeck told Green Queen in an email.

    lab grown fish
    Wildtype’s salmon at Kann in Portland, Oregon | Courtesy: Wildtype

    That cleared the way for Wildtype to begin offering its salmon to restaurants immediately. “Regarding the timing of our Kann launch, Wildtype salmon is on the menu now,” the founders confirmed. “It is available on Thursdays in June, and every day starting July.”

    Backed by the likes of Robert Downey Jr, Leonardo DiCaprio and Jeff Bezos, the startup is preparing launches with four other restaurants over the next four months. “Our plans for retail launch will follow our launch in foodservice,” they revealed.

    It is the fourth cultivated protein firm to be allowed to sell in the US, and the third with full approval. Fellow Californian startup Mission Barns secured the FDA letter for its cultivated pork fat in March, though it is still awaiting USDA authorisation for its pilot plant and product labelling.

    How Wildtype makes its cultivated salmon

    wildtype foods
    Wildtype co-founders Justin Kolbeck and Aryé Elfenbein | Courtesy: Wildtype

    Elfenbein and Kolbeck founded Wildtype nearly a decade ago, working to commercialise cultivated coho salmon saku, the most expensive part of the fish. Some populations of this species are either threatened or endangered, necessitating innovations like cellular agriculture.

    Wildtype obtains living cells from Pacific salmon, which are adapted to suspension culture. They are grown in tanks similar to those used to make beer or kombucha, under temperature and pH conditions that wild fish thrive in, alongside a nutrient mix containing proteins, sugar, fat, salt, and minerals like iron and zinc.

    The cells are harvested using bowl centrifugation, washed three times with a water and sugar solution, rapidly cooled using blast chillers, and stored frozen. They’re mixed with certain plant-based ingredients to replicate the structure and texture of conventional salmon, and the resulting product is used in raw sushi preparations like sashimi and maki.

    “The composition of Wildtype salmon has always included cells as the primary ingredient after water,” Elfenbein and Kolbeck said, but did not confirm which other ingredients are used.

    cultivated seafood
    Wildtype’s cultvated salmon can be used in raw sushi applications | Courtesy: Wildtype

    In 2021, Wildtype opened a pilot-scale Fishery in San Francisco’s Dogpatch neighbourhood. At the time, it had the ability to produce 50,000 lbs of seafood per year, which could be expanded to 200,000 lbs at maximum capacity.

    The firm has held numerous tasting events for its coho salmon across the US, teaming up with chefs like José Andrés, Rose Ha, and Adam Tortosa to rave reviews.

    “You would have to tell someone that the Wildtype lox wasn’t conventional for them to suspect it was anything different,” suggested Brian Cooley, a technology expert who spent nearly three decades as CNET’s tech editor.

    He tried the salmon as part of a $24 bagel at a pop-up event at Loveski Deli in Marin County, California earlier this year. “I think it’s actually better than conventional lox because it doesn’t have the occasional gristle or silverskin you find in conventional products,” he told Green Queen.

    A ‘watershed moment’ for seafood and cultivated proteins

    kann portland
    Wildtype’s salmon will debut at chef Gregory Gourdet’s Kann restaurant | Courtesy: Wildtype

    At Kann, Wildtype’s salmon is paired in a summery dish with pickled strawberry, spiced tomato, strawberry juice, and an epis rice cracker.

    “We take pride in the ingredients we utilise,” said Gourdet. “Introducing Wildtype’s cultivated salmon to our menu hits the elevated and sustainable marks we want our menu to offer guests who share a similar value system to ours.”

    It is a milestone for the alternative seafood industry, which has long been an afterthought to beef, chicken, and pork analogues. There are several startups working on cultivated seafood, including BlueNalu and Umami Bioworks; Wildtype’s approval will likely usher them to advance their commercialisation efforts.

    It has become the seventh cultivated protein company to have received some form of regulatory clearance. That list comprises Eat Just‘s Good Meat (in Singapore and the US), Upside Foods and Mission Barns (both in the US), Aleph Farms (in Israel), Vow (in Singapore, Australia and New Zealand), and Meatly (in the UK). Regulators in the EU, Switzerland, Australia and Thailand are evaluating applications too, and judging from its inventory, the US FDA seems to have received at least four others.

    cultivated meat investment
    Graphic by Green Queen

    It comes at a time when cultivated meat faces both financial and political upheaval. After VCs pumped $1.3B into the category in 2021, investment has dipped dramatically. In 2023, funding fell by 75%, followed by another 40% drop in 2024, reaching just $139M. It means that in the last three years, this sector has cumulatively raised less money than it did in 2021 alone.

    Wildtype itself has raised $120M, most of which came in a $100M Series B round in 2022. But its founders did not respond to a question about its fundraising plans now.

    Meanwhile, a host of legislative efforts to ban or restrict cultivated meat in the US and Europe are ongoing. Italy decided to ban these proteins in 2023 (before other EU attempts were thwarted), as have six states in the US, including Florida, Alabama and Nebraska. Several other states have floated similar bills in the current legislative session.

    lab grown seafood
    Wildtype’s cultivated salmon | Courtesy: Wildtype

    “Wildtype’s achievement is a watershed moment for domestic seafood production and for the cultivated protein industry overall,” said Dr Suzi Gerber, executive director of the Association for Meat, Poultry, and Seafood Innovation, a cellular agriculture trade group.

    “The thoughtful, evidence-driven review proves that innovative food technologies meet the highest safety standards, and can play a vital role in healthy American diets, while strengthening our food system’s domestic production and resilience, supporting the president’s executive order to expand seafood production in the US,” she added.

    The post Wildtype Cultivated Salmon Gets FDA Approval, Now on US Menus appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • Cultivated Meat Generates 92% Fewer Emissions Than Beef Byproducts in Pet Food

    lab grown pet food
    5 Mins Read

    While pet food brands tout the use of animal byproducts as sustainable, a new analysis shows that products made with cultivated meat generate a fraction of the emissions.

    Producing meat from cellular agriculture instead of conventional farming can drastically lower the climate impact of pet food producers, according to a new analysis.

    Many believe pet food to be a sustainable product due to the use of animal byproducts, since this is waste from the production of meat for human use that would otherwise be discarded. In fact, some use this argument to suggest that pet food actually offsets the impact of the human food industry.

    In reality, these products aren’t emission-free, and to highlight the true reduction potential for pet food, Austrian-American food tech startup BioCraft Pet Nutrition commissioned a carbon footprint analysis of its cultivated mouse meat and the conventional beef byproducts used in the industry.

    Conducted by corporate environmental consultancy ClimatePartner, the assessment showed that the firm’s BioCrafted Meat emits one-twelfth of the carbon dioxide of beef byproducts.

    BioCraft co-founder and CEO Dr Shannon Falconer ascribed the difference to the startup’s “unique production process, which harvests the full contents of the bioreactor, which also makes it quite different from cultivated meat production”.

    Byproducts don’t make pet food as sustainable as you think

    lab grown meat emissions
    Courtesy: BioCraft Pet Nutrition/ClimatePartner

    The analysis was based on internationally recognised methodologies, including the Greenhouse Gas Protocol Corporate Accounting and Reporting Standard (GHG Protocol), and used emissions factors from databases like Ecoinvent and the UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra).

    BioCraft’s emissions were calculated based on its ingredients being produced with mixed energy in Europe, considering all relevant greenhouse gases and calculating their values as CO2 equivalents.

    ClimatePartner’s analysis revealed that, based on standard EU beef production processes, beef byproducts emit 21.28kg of CO2 per kg. In comparison, BioCraft’s cultivated mouse meat produces just 1.73kg of CO2 for the same amount, offering manufacturers a 92% reduction.

    While the use of offal, bones, blood, and fat instead of prime beef cuts makes many consumers regard byproducts as low-impact alternatives, that isn’t necessarily the case. “The environmental impacts of raising cattle are caused by the entire animal, not merely the portions used in the human food supply,” said Falconer.

    Research shows that only around a quarter of animal byproducts produced in wealthy nations go towards the pet food industry, which competes for these ingredients with the likes of the livestock, energy and pharma sectors.

    Some studies have contended that byproducts actually have a worse environmental impact because of their poor nutritional content. “For dog food, using animal byproducts rather than human-grade meat requires 1.4 times more livestock carcasses, and for cat food, 1.9 times more,” a recent analysis found.

    “Hence, animal byproducts are less efficient to produce than human-grade meat. Their production requires significantly more livestock carcasses. This has the potential to increase the number of livestock animals required, and the associated environmental impacts,” its authors explained.

    lab grown meat eu
    Courtesy: BioCraft Pet Nutrition

    Cultivated meat presents climate wins as alternative pet food heats up

    BioCraft’s unstructured ingredient is grown from cultured mouse cells and doesn’t require additional downstream processing. It’s also cost-effective. Typically, animal-derived growth media – the mix of proteins, sugar and nutrients that feed animal cells in a bioreactor – cost hundreds of dollars per litre.

    BioCraft has developed a plant-based growth medium formulated to provide a nutritious boost to the end product, allowing its pet food ingredient to be priced at $2-2.50 per pound.

    Importantly, the carbon footprint analysis looked at manufacturer-driven life-cycle stages – from raw material extraction and pre-processing to packaging, delivery, and disposal. It didn’t take into account the emissions from the manufacturing of final products or consumer use, since BioCraft solely operates as a B2B supplier of raw materials.

    Still, this gives a glimpse of the emissions reduction potential for pet food producers that swap beef byproducts with cultivated meat. BioCraft’s ingredient has a comparable consistency and nutritional profile to conventional slurry, and so can be used as a one-to-one replacement in wet or dry pet food at similar inclusion levels.

    cultivated mouse meat
    Courtesy: BioCraft Pet Nutrition

    The firm recently received registration from Austrian authorities to use Category 3 animal byproducts (ABPs) in the EU, allowing it to sell the cultivated mouse meat to pet food producers in the region. It is already working with Partner in Pet Food and Prefera Petfood to bring the ingredient to market, having earmarked early 2026 for its debut.

    Czech startup Bene Meat Technologies was the first to register cultivated pet food as an EU feed material back in 2023, although it did so under the fermentation category instead of as an ABP. It claims that its cultivated meat generates 84-95% fewer emissions than beef, though this analysis did not focus specifically on byproducts.

    It is a ripe time for alternative pet food. The UK became the first country where consumers could buy cultivated meat for their cats and dogs off the shelves this year, while Germany’s Marsapet rolled out a kibble product for dogs using Calysta’s gas-fermented FeedKind protein in Europe.

    Meanwhile, British vegan pet food maker The Pack was acquired by Prefera Petfood, and fellow London-based startup Omni saw sales shoot up by 130% with 20,000 new customers in the three months after securing an investment from Steven Bartlett and Deborah Meaden on Dragons’ Den.

    Elsewhere, one US startup has conducted feeding trials in pursuit of regulatory approval in the US, and Bene Meat has filed for approval there too. Meanwhile, California’s Friends & Family Pet Food Co has inked two deals to launch stateside and in Singapore.

    The post Cultivated Meat Generates 92% Fewer Emissions Than Beef Byproducts in Pet Food appeared first on Green Queen.

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  • Californian Startup Proves Commercial Viability of Cell-Based Chocolate

    california cultured
    4 Mins Read

    California Cultured, a food tech startup making cocoa via cellular agriculture, has transitioned to large-scale biomanufacturing in a key breakthrough for the industry.

    US startup California Cultured has successfully moved from lab-scale shake flash experiments to large-scale manufacturing of its cell-based cocoa, proving the viability of using cellular agriculture to make commodity foods facing multiple risks.

    The expansion to precision-controlled bioreactor fermentation was executed with the help of Berkeley-based biomanufacturing firm Pow.Bio, and validates the economic and technical feasibility of producing cell-cultured cocoa on a commercial scale.

    It is a major win for the cellular agriculture industry and comes at a time when the chocolate industry faces numerous climate and supply chain threats, which have driven cocoa prices to record highs and threatened the future of the industry as we know it.

    How California Cultured reached commercial scale

    cell based chocolate
    Courtesy: California Cultured

    Founded in 2020 by CEO Alan Perlstein and COO Harrison Yoon, California Cultured collects samples from a cocoa plant with ideal organoleptic properties. These are then cultured in fermentation tanks that mimic the conditions of the rainforests where cocoa thrives. Within three to four days, the cells are ready to be harvested, fermented and roasted.

    To optimise it cocoa fermentation process for commercial volumes, it worked out of Pow.Bio’s newly commissioned 25,000 sq ft facility, which offers clean room capabilities, dual-chamber continuous fermentation systems, and real-time AI-based process control.

    Pow.Bio helps synthetic biology companies commercialise faster and at competitive cost advanatges through its AI platform, which rapidly identifies better-performing process conditions for fermentation, helping increase outputs from existing infrastucture in a short time frame.

    The project with California Cultured focused on the culture media optimisation (which makes the bulk of the cost of cell-based foods), oxygen transfer rates, and pH control to improve cell growth and metabolite production.

    Among its core development goals were boosting metabolic efficiency to enhance growth kinetics and flavonoid and lipid synthesis (which are crucial for replicating the taste and mouthfeel of conventional chocolate). In addition, it tested scalable feed strategies and conducted continuous bioprocess monitoring to lower the cost per kg while maintaining product consistency.

    “This scale-up marks a major achievement in the food tech sector,” said Scott Mitchell, CEO of Cult Food Science, an investor in the startup. “By unlocking scalable, ethical alternatives to traditionally resource-intensive commodities like cocoa, California Cultured is helping shape a more sustainable global food system.”

    Cellular agriculture has the potential to drastically reduce emissions, resource use, water consumption, and land use, but the industry has historically been hampered by high costs, thanks in part to the use of pharmaceutical bioreactors that are ill-suited for food production.

    Cult Food Science called California Culture’s breakthrough a “key inflexion point” for the alternative cocoa category, and suggested that it laid the “foundation for future innovations, including continuous fermentation and commercial launch of cocoa and coffee-based ingredients and products”.

    Alternative cocoa is becoming more important by the day

    california cultured chocolate
    Courtesy: California Cultured

    California Culture is one of several startups working on cell-based chocolate, including Israel’s Celleste Bio and Kokomodo, Switzerland’s Food Brewer.

    These companies are aiming to address an urgent problem. Producing dark chocolate already emits more greenhouse gases than every other food except beef, while each bar of chocolate requires 1,700 litres of water on average. Add to that the vast amount of deforestation linked to the cocoa industry, thanks to increasing demand and the widespread use of palm oil.

    The cocoa industry finds itself in a two-sided bind: it is both exacerbating climate change and facing the full force of its impacts. Global cocoa stocks have dropped to their lowest levels in a decade. Ivory Coast and Ghana – the two largest producers of the crop – have been the biggest victims, thanks to extreme weather and crop diseases (as well as reduced plantations in favour of illegal gold mining).

    Scientists have warned that cocoa trees are threatened, and a third of them could die out by 2050, which could lead to a global chocolate shortage.

    All this has already caused major price hikes. In 2024, cocoa futures broke all-time records, and the cost will continue to remain high this year. That has hurt the sales of industry behemoths like Hershey’s, whose profit forecast for 2025 is below analysts’ expectations.

    Some are now turning to alternative cocoa products – Barry Callebaut, the world’s largest cocoa manufacturer, is using precision-fermented sunflower seeds for some of its offerings in Europe. Others, like Lindt & Sprüngli and Sparkalis (the VC arm of bakery and confectionery group Puratos), are investing in cell-based cocoa startups.

    Sparkalis is also an investor in California Cultured, which opened its new 12,000 sq ft facility in West Sacramento earlier this year. Additionally, it is co-developing products with Japanese chocolate giant Meiji as part of a decade-long partnership. “Meiji came to us because unpredictable weather patterns – including heavy rainfall – have disrupted cacao cultivation, leading to a consecutive year of supply shortages,” California Cultured’s head of strategy, Steve Stearns, told Green Queen last year.

    “This scarcity has driven futures prices to unprecedented levels, reflecting the strain on supply and demand dynamics within the chocolate industry.”

    Aside from cell-based cocoa, many companies are making cocoa-free chocolate from low-carbon ingredients, including Compound Foods, Voyage Foods, Prefer, Planet A Foods, Foreverland, Nukoko, Endless Food Co, and a host of others.

    The post Californian Startup Proves Commercial Viability of Cell-Based Chocolate appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • What Do 2025’s Investment Trends So Far Tell Us About Alternative Proteins?

    vegan meat price
    8 Mins Read

    After a decline in alternative protein investments in 2024, funding further fell by 28% in Q1 2025 compared to the same period a year ago. Analysts blame AI, high costs, and low sales.

    There’s no other way to put it: 2024 was a bleak year for food tech. Post-Covid geopolitical tensions and higher living costs continued to threaten both shoppers’ wallets and investor sentiment, and startups aiming to futureproof the food system bore the brunt of the impact.

    It hasn’t gotten any easier, with 2025 bringing its own set of headwinds. President Donald Trump’s tariff war, Robert F Kennedy Jr’s attack on ultra-processed food and regulatory pathways, more bans on cultivated meat, a resurgence of beef and dairy both stateside and in Europe, and continued sales declines in several markets have all contributed to the storm engulfing the alternative protein industry.

    alternative protein investment
    Graphic by Green Queen

    After a 44% drop in 2023, VC investments in plant-based food, fermentation-derived ingredients, and cultivated meat fell by a further 27% in 2024, according to Net Zero Insights data crunched by the Good Food Institute (GFI)

    Q1 2025 investments in the sector declined by 28% YoY, falling to $235M. Fermentation startups capture the bulk of this, attracting $146M, while plant-based ($54M) and cultivated protein firms ($35M) continued to falter.

    So who – or what – is to blame? And are there any bright spots for alternative protein?

    Fermentation continues to thrive

    Looking at the figures for both 2024 and early 2025, one segment sticks out: fermentation. It was the only alternative protein pillar to witness an increase in investment last year (by 43%), against decreases for both plant-based food (-64%) and cultivated meat (-40%).

    In Q1 2025, fermentation startups attracted half of all funding flowing into the sector, with precision fermentation particularly piquing investor interest. This tech vertical was responsible for the three largest rounds of the quarter: Formo’s $36M venture debt loan from the European Investment Bank, Vivici’s $33.8M Series A round, and Liberation Labs’s $31.5M investment.

    The only other investment round above $25M in this period was for Israeli cultivated meat startup Aleph Farms, which secured $29M as part of a larger fundraise in the coming months.

    alternative protein funding
    Courtesy: GFI

    “Many of the fermentation companies that received large investments are focused on leveraging agricultural and food industry sidestreams as a sustainable feed source, helping produce food more efficiently and affordably – both of which are attractive propositions for investors,” Helene Grosshans, infrastructure investment manager at GFI Europe, wrote last year about the success of fermentation.

    Still, fermentation investment totals fell year-over-year in Q1 2025, according to Daniel Gertner, lead economic and industry analyst for the organisation, yet ranked in the top half of the 10 most recent quarters.

    So while alternative protein funding remained subdued in the first quarter of this year, he warns that “few meaningful trends can be identified in a single quarter”.

    Can Europe keep up its momentum?

    Alongside fermentation, European startups showed promising signs, collectively raising $509M in 2024 (a 23% annual increase). This included a record year for Germany, where alternative protein firms attracted $145M (although $61M of that came from Formo’s Series B round).

    Here, too, fermentation shone. Biomass fermentation startups saw a 10% hike in investment in 2024, while those working on precision fermentation bagged more than thrice the funding totals of 2023. As mentioned above, that trend has continued this year, thanks to Vivici and Formo’s latest rounds.

    food tech investment
    Courtesy: GFI Europe

    While at first glance it may seem that plant-based and cultivated meat startups performed miserably, context is crucial. As GFI Europe’s Grosshans points out, the decline for the former category is due to Oatly’s large $425M raise over two deals; if you discount publicly traded companies, privately held plant-based firms in Europe actually saw investment grow by 37% last year.

    Similarly, two relatively large deals for Mosa Meat and Meatable, totalling $53.3M, skewed the data for cultivated meat, too, where funding dipped by 59%. These two Dutch startups are preparing to enter the market soon, so they’re not reflective of where most of the sector is.

    AI has wrecked the investment landscape for everyone else

    In 2024, there was a 38% dip in climate tech venture funding, thanks to a shift in investor interest towards artificial intelligence (AI), where financing crossed $100B.

    In the first 12 weeks of this year, AI propelled global venture financing to its highest quarterly levels in nearly three years. OpenAI, the maker of ChatGPT, raised $40B – that’s with a ‘B’ – which led AI to account for 58% of VC deal value in Q1 2025.

    Non-AI sectors, however, experienced their weakest deal activity in a decade, notes Gertner. “Recent growth in overall venture funding has largely been driven by surges in AI investments, which have likely redirected capital flows from other industries,” he tells Green Queen.

    “Alternative protein funding has slowed amid this increased investor focus on AI, while elevated interest rates, high production costs, and topline sales declines have also weighed on investment activity,” he adds. “Alternative proteins are not alone in this trend: adjacent industries like climate tech and consumer packaged goods have experienced similar investment slowdowns.”

    food tech investment
    Courtesy: DigitalFoodLab

    Indeed, the wider food tech sector’s $2.2B funding in Q1 2025 was the worst quarterly performance in years. Matthieu Vincent, co-founder of strategy consultancy firm DigitalFoodLab, ascribes this to contextual reasons, as opposed to structural factors like the VC ecosystem being unsuited to long-term innovation.

    The Q1 decline is linked to “the current economic uncertainties, notably on tariffs and their impact on the overall agrifood industries”, he explained in his newsletter.

    Trump’s tariffs have already had investors worried, with Grey Silo Ventures’s investment manager, Matteo Leonardi, telling Green Queen last month: “As we are dealing with an industry that is already fighting to survive on the slightest of margins – and at industrial scale, let alone at pilot scale – US tariffs could result in a complete erosion of those already-thin margins.”

    Adam Bergman, managing director of EcoTech Capital, predicted the downturn to continue in 2026. “I expect that over 70% of agtech and food tech companies will either go bankrupt, cease operations, or be liquidated in a fire sale. It is likely that a similar percentage of the capital invested in these companies will never be recouped,” he wrote.

    The way forward for alternative protein

    “As AI dominates investor attention, alternative protein companies are either developing novel applications of AI for alternative proteins or choosing to compete for a smaller slice of non-AI capital,” Gertner wrote in a recent newsletter, signalling the pivots this sector may need to make to survive.

    Leading companies also need to turn their sales around, and fast. Addressing misinformation about meat, dairy, and plant-based alternatives is a crucial step.

    “Instead of creating more noise, we have been systematically engaging with registered and renowned dietitians, nutritionists and key opinion leaders, arming them with science-based facts about our category and our products, so they can be advocates for the truth,” said Daniel Ordonez, COO of Oatly, which recorded a 0.8% year-on-year decline in revenue in Q1 2025, but cut its losses by 73%.

    oatly q1 2025
    Courtesy: Oatly

    Beyond Meat’s fortunes worsened in Q1 after two quarters of revenue hikes, with sales dipping by 9% in the first three months of this year, with its founder and CEO Ethan Brown suggesting misinformation played a big part. Like Oatly, he added that the “truth is starting to come out” now, and that the meat alternative maker has “made it through that really intense pressure cooker”.

    Despite its disappointing sales, it did receive $100M in debt financing from Unprocessed Foods, a wholly owned subsidiary of Ahimsa Foundation, proving that investors still have an appetite for plant-based burgers. “The overall macro environment is challenging for alt-protein, but we are confident of the leadership and the outlook,” Ahimsa Foundation president Shaleen Shah told Bloomberg News.

    The volatility of the market was highlighted by Meati’s $4M sale this month. Once valued at $650M, its $100M Series C round was the largest alternative protein investment of 2024, but a technical default led its lender to unexpectedly sweep two-thirds of its cash reserves, leading to the sale at the paltry valuation.

    One of the issues in alternative protein is that there aren’t enough exits for startups, though there has been a rapid wave of M&A in the sector of late, from Danone and Chobani’s acquistions of Kate Farms and Daily Harvest, respectively, this month, to Ahimsa Foundation’s takeover of Wicked Kitchen, Simulate and Blackbird Foods in the last year. But exits like Meati’s don’t fill venture capitalists with confidence.

    It’s worth noting that despite the VC decline, public sector investment was still strong in 2024, reaching $510M, in line with the year before.

    plant based investments
    Courtesy: GFI

    “Going forward, the companies demonstrating clear competitive advantages, unique value propositions, and strong business models will have the best chance of securing funding,” Gertner tells Green Queen.

    “However, venture capital is only one piece of the investment puzzle,” he adds, outlining the importance of additional avenues for companies pursuing investment, like equipment leasing, strategic partnerships, sovereign wealth funds, blended finance, and government programmes.

    “Alternative protein companies and founders should continue exploring these creative and multipronged funding strategies to support growth,” he says.

    The post What Do 2025’s Investment Trends So Far Tell Us About Alternative Proteins? appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • Meatly ‘Proves Critics Wrong’ with Dramatic Cost Reductions for Cultivated Pet Food

    cost of lab grown meat
    6 Mins Read

    British pet food startup Meatly has announced a wave of breakthroughs that significantly slash the cost of cultivated meat, bringing it closer to price parity with chicken.

    Food tech innovators are continuing to make advancements that close the price gap between cultivated meat and conventional animal proteins.

    In the UK, Meatly has made waves over the last year after becoming the first company to be approved to sell cultivated meat in Europe, debuting cultivated treats for dogs on shelves in February.

    That limited-edition, co-branded product – titled Chick Bites – was priced at £3.49 per 50g pouch – or £69.80 per kg. And that only contained 4% of cultivated meat. In comparison, an oven-baked chicken treat by Good Boy is priced at £23.08 per kg. Conventional dog food can be three times cheaper than cultivated meat right now, but that may be about to change.

    Meatly has announced several tech breakthroughs in its production process, including the development of a new bioreactor and the optimisation of its protein-free culture medium, which allow the startup to inch closer to price parity with conventional chicken.

    “Many have cast doubt that the industry would ever reach this point – but we’re pleased to prove these critics wrong,” says Meatly co-founder and chief scientific officer Helder Cruz. “We are showing the world that we can produce meat in a kinder, better way, and we can make it at a price which makes it easy for brands to incorporate Meatly Chicken as an affordable ingredient in their existing product range.”

    Meatly breaks away from pharma bioreactors

    meatly pet food
    A rendering of Meatly’s future cultivated meat facility | Courtesy: Meatly

    According to consultancy giant McKinsey, to meet the industry’s growth demands, cultivated meat firms would need up to 22 times more fermentation capacity than currently exists in the global pharmaceutical sector.

    But it’s not just the capacity. Much of the biotechnology created to make pharmaceuticals isn’t purpose-built for cultivated meat. The per-tonne demand for cultivated meat is seven times higher than for biopharma drugs produced from mammalian cell cultures.

    There’s also a perception problem. People have more concerns about GMOs in food than in medicines, while the accepted ideal costs for biopharma drugs are between $500,000 and $1M. For cultivated meat, this is as low as $5-10 per kg.

    It necessitates the need for more modern, purpose-built bioreactors. Meatly has successfully built and conducted a first cell growth run in a custom-designed, pilot-scale bioreactor with a capacity of 320 litres. It has the biocompatibility, longevity, scalability and overall performance to meet the cell culture requirements of an industrial-scale facility with multiple 20,000-litre bioreactors.

    Meatly intends to develop tanks with the latter capacity as part of its next funding stage, but its new 320-litre equipment costs just £12,500 ($16,900), making it 95% cheaper than traditional fermenters, which can cost up to £250,000 ($338,000).

    It is one of several companies that have announced bioreactor breakthroughs. US startup Mission Barns, whose cultivated pork was approved for sale in the country this year, has developed a novel bioreactor that makes a departure from the single-cell suspension tanks of the biopharma sector, making cultivated meat production more efficient, easier to scale, and cheaper.

    Meanwhile, Israel’s Ever After Foods is working with Bühler Group to build a commercial-scale system that can produce cultivated meat using equipment at least 10 times smaller than the industry standard.

    Culture media wins will enable price parity at scale

    lab grown meat approved
    Courtesy: Meatly

    Meatly’s second crucial advancement concerns its culture medium, a mix of nutrients that facilitate the growth of animal cells. Typically, culture media cost hundreds of pounds per litre and account for the majority of the costs involved in the entire process.

    But last year, the London-based startup created a protein-free medium that contains no serum or animal-derived components, steroids, hormones, antibiotics or growth factors. The startup’s innovation is food-safe and used in its suspension culture bioreactors without microcarriers, which are typically needed to help cells proliferate and enhance their density.

    This has lots of advantages when it comes to cost and quality controls. “But in the composition of the cells, not so much,” Cruz told Green Queen last year. “Of course, we can always play with some nutrients, but not necessarily proteins, to fine-tune the composition – like fatty acids, some amino acids and so on.”

    Then, this culture medium cost £1 ($1.25 at the time) per litre. But now, it has further reduced this price to 22p (30 cents) per litre, which will further reduce to 1.5p (two cents) at industrial scale.

    “We’ve achieved this reduction by successfully replacing costly components such as albumin, transferrin, insulin, and all growth factors in our culture media – an industry first,” Meatly co-founder and CEO Owen Ensor tells Green Queen.

    “Additionally, we’ve managed to replicate performance using food-grade ingredients. This breakthrough has significantly lowered costs and improved supply chain resilience.”

    Additionally, the medium is now capable of supporting cell growth for over 175 doublings, a substantial improvement on historical media performance. It will allow Meatly’s cultivated chicken to be priced competitively with average EU chicken breast prices once scaled.

    Meatly confident in fundraising despite industry-wide downturn

    lab grown meat pet food
    Courtesy: Meatly

    “Our continued development of this protein-free culture medium marks a significant milestone for both Meatly and the broader cultivated meat sector,” says Ensor. “By setting a new cost benchmark, we’re addressing one of the industry’s most persistent challenges – bringing production costs down to make cultivated meat commercially viable and reach price parity with traditional products.”

    The company, which has raised £5M to date, is now kickstarting a funding round for a low-cost industrial facility to profitably scale production of its cultivated meat.

    “We’re confident in securing the capital we need. While we’re not disclosing the exact target publicly at this stage, we have a healthy runway in place and are actively engaged with several interested partners,” says Ensor.

    Convincing investors to bet on cultivated meat today is a tall order – the sector saw funding decline by 75% in 2023, and a further 40% in 2024. In fact, in the last three years, this sector has cumulatively raised less money than it did in 2021 alone.

    cultivated meat investment
    Graphic by Green Queen

    “We recognise that the current investment climate is more cautious, particularly within the cultivated meat sector, so we’re taking a measured approach. That said, we’re well-positioned to scale quickly once funding is secured. Updates like the ones we’re making today show how Meatly is focused on continuing to prove there is a fast, efficient way to scale cultivated meat,” says Ensor.

    Fellow cultivated pet food startup BioCraft Pet Nutrition has also developed a plant-based growth medium that reduces the cost of its ingredient to $2-2.50 per lb. And in Israel, SuperMeat has made several breakthroughs to produce its cultivated chicken for $12 per lb, while Believer Meats has described how its continuous process can potentially produce cultivated chicken for $6 per lb at scale.

    As for Meatly, Ensor notes that the Chick Bites were a “one-off” product launch. “We’re now working on providing our Meatly Chicken for additional products in the near future,” he says, without going into any specifics. He teases more information on new products “in the coming months”.

    Its costs advancements are vital for the mainstream adoption of cultivated meat. According to a recent 4,000-person survey in Europe, three in five consumers feel cultivated meat will only be successful if it’s affordable for everyone. In fact, nearly half expect it to be cheaper than conventional meat, and only 15% would buy it if it’s more expensive (versus 60% who wouldn’t).

    “By reaching price parity, it then becomes a simple and easy choice for consumers to buy better meat for their pets,” says Cruz.

    The post Meatly ‘Proves Critics Wrong’ with Dramatic Cost Reductions for Cultivated Pet Food appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • Why Are Politicians Banning Cultivated Meat? New Study Explains Why

    6 Mins Read

    Beef and lamb are among the foods that face the biggest threats from competition with cultivated meat, underscoring why some lawmakers want to ban the latter.

    One country and six US states have so far passed laws that prohibit companies from making or selling cultivated meat within their boundaries.

    For Italy, the reason behind the ban was a threat to its cultural identity. For policymakers in the US, while the arguments often touch upon food safety concerns, more often than not, they are tied to the same theme: protecting the ranchers.

    Take Nebraska, the latest state to join the list. Its governor is Jim Pillen, owner of one of the country’s largest pork processors, who has repeated this rhetoric over the last few months. “It’s important we get on the offence so that Nebraska farmers and ranchers are not undermined,” he said last year when making a promise to ban these proteins.

    Jack Williams made a similar comment when putting forward a similar proposal in Alabama. “Meat comes from livestock raised by hardworking farmers and ranchers, not from a petri dish grown by scientists. We are protecting our farmers and the integrity of American agriculture,” he said, before the law came into effect last October.

    Then there’s Ron DeSantis, the governor of Florida, on a mission to “save our beef”. “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,” he said when signing the bill to ban cultivated meat last 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.”

    Those are all strong words, based on a common theme: cultivated meat is a threat to the livestock industry. And a new study seems to confirm those fears, highlighting how this novel food leaves staples like beef and lamb susceptible, and the planet happier.

    Carbon taxes could threaten high-polluting foods

    meat dairy emissions
    Courtesy: AI-Generated Image via Canva

    The socio-economic analysis was conducted by researchers at the UK’s James Hutton Institute and Norway’s Ruralis Institute for Rural and Regional Research. They modelled two scenarios – one with a carbon tax, one without – to measure the impact of cell-cultured foods on both the food system and global emissions.

    Funded by the Research Council of Norway, the authors noted how cultivated meat offers much better benefits for the planet. Studies have shown that when produced via renewable energy, these proteins can have a 92% lower impact on global heating, need 95% less land, and use 78% less water compared to conventionally farmed beef.

    The issue, however, is that the livestock industry is backed by vast government subsidies that enable producers to keep animal proteins cheap, and make it much more difficult for cultivated meat, already a highly expensive technology, to compete on price.

    For example, in the EU, over 80% of farm subsidies are directed towards animal agriculture (and 44% alone went to the production of feed for livestock. This sum is four times higher than the amount invested in plant-based farming, whose inputs are a key part of cultivated meat production.

    The researchers focused on Norway and found that some animal products will be affected more adversely than others. Conventional beef, lamb, milk and egg are more likely to lose their market share to cultivated meat than pork and chicken, regardless of a carbon tax.

    When the tax is implemented, though, the loss of market share is much quicker and more dramatic due to the increased costs. Pork and chicken, which have relatively lower climate footprints, proved more resilient to the carbon tax in the study.

    As part of the project, the researchers conducted a related survey to find that consumers would be willing to treat cultivated and conventional proteins as “broadly interchangeable” up to a certain market share. The main factor influencing choice is price.

    Cultivated meat firms must focus on cost reductions

    lab grown meat cost
    Courtesy: Believer Meats

    “While there are still plenty of uncertainties here – such as whether technologies will ever improve to the point where cultivated proteins are commercially viable – this study suggests that sheep and cattle rearing could be most vulnerable to competition, especially if a carbon tax is introduced,” said Nick Roxburgh, a social systems simulation modeller at the James Hutton Institute.

    The research confirms the results of numerous polls and studies: for cultivated meat to succeed, the cost needs to come down rapidly. The industry has already made tons of progress, having lowered the average cost of these proteins by 99% in less than a decade. According to McKinsey, however, it will take until at least 2030 for cultivated meat to reach price parity with its conventional counterparts.

    To that end, Israel’s Ever After Foods has developed a bioreactor platform that offers a 90% reduction in cultivated meat prices for its B2B clients. Meanwhile, Israeli startup SuperMeat has made several breakthroughs to produce its cultivated chicken for $12 per lb, and Believer Meats has described how its continuous process can potentially produce cultivated chicken for $6 per lb at scale.

    Consumer research underlines the importance of these advancements. According to a 4,000-person survey in Europe, three in five consumers feel cultivated meat will only be successful if it’s affordable for everyone. In fact, nearly half expect it to be cheaper than conventional meat, and only 15% would buy it if it’s more expensive (versus 60% who wouldn’t).

    Farmers are more game for cultivated meat than politicians

    respectfarms
    Courtesy: RESPECTfarms

    “Given the potential for disruption, it will be important to plan carefully for the possible impacts of cultivated proteins on livestock farming and rural livelihoods,” said Roxburgh.

    Livestock farmers will undoubtedly be the group most acutely affected if cultivated meat takes off on a large scale, but it doesn’t necessarily represent an end to their livelihoods. One project from the Netherlands is working with farmers to show how this industry could be an additional source of income for them.

    Farmers in the UK also recognise the opportunities presented by cultivated meat, and are more worried about the social issues brought on by these proteins, like Big Food controlling the market or the knock-on effects on rural communities, than the impact on their bottom lines. And when considering changing weather patterns and global commodity markets, the threat of competition from cultivated meat feels like a “slow burn” to them.

    Andy Jarvis, director of the Bezos Earth Fund’s Future of Food scheme, debunked the idea that cultivated meat is completely detached from farming. “The [culture] media are sugars, and all sorts of minerals and things that are coming from crops, and they’re farmed goods,” he told Green Queen last year.

    “This is not an anti-farmer sector; this is a sector that is using farmed products in new ways. And generally using farmed products that are more profitable and highly sustainable in the way they’re produced.”

    In the US, too, livestock farmers themselves have opposed the numerous bans on cultivated meat, noting that they didn’t need the government’s help to compete with cultivated meat. One farmer told the AP that he welcomes cultivated meat producers to “jump into the pool” and try to compete with his Waygu beef, going on to describe his disdain for lawmakers’ efforts to stifle competition in a free market.

    This is also the view of the North American Meat Institute, the country’s oldest and largest trade association (representing 95% of the US’s meat output). In a letter sent to DeSantis in March 2024, it called Florida’s 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, stressing the importance of consumer choice.

    The post Why Are Politicians Banning Cultivated Meat? New Study Explains Why appeared first on Green Queen.

  • Ahead of Singapore Approval, Gourmey Teases Cultivated Meat That Costs $3.40 Per Pound

    gourmey cultivated meat
    6 Mins Read

    A techno-economic analysis has found that French cultivated meat startup Gourmey’s bioreactor system can reach production costs of $3.43 per lb.

    When you remove the politics of it all, people aren’t as resistant to cultivated meat as some would have you believe.

    In a 16-country survey last year, support for the sale of these foods – if they pass regulatory assessments – ranged from 48-69% in Europe. Those who backed a ban on cultivated meat, meanwhile, were largely in the minority.

    One of the most influential barriers to any potential intake of cultivated meat isn’t cultural, as Italy’s ban seems to suggest. Instead, it has to do with the price tag.

    According to a 4,000-person survey in Europe, three in five consumers feel cultivated meat will only be successful if it’s affordable for everyone. In fact, nearly half expect it to be cheaper than conventional meat, and only 15% would buy it if it’s more expensive (versus 60% who wouldn’t).

    While the cost of producing meat by culturing animal cells in bioreactors has long been prohibitive, things are changing quickly.

    Among the companies spearheading the price shift is Gourmey, a French startup culturing duck cells to produce cultivated foie gras (and working on cultivated chicken and turkey too). It is pursuing approval in six markets, and was the first to file an application in the EU.

    lab grown foie gras
    Courtesy: Sherry Hack

    A techno-economic analysis by consulting firm Arthur D Little has revealed that the firm’s production model can dramatically lower costs, allowing it to potentially manufacture cultivated meat for as little as $3.43 per lb.

    The assessment validates the economic viability of Gourmey’s 5,000-litre bioreactor system, and confirms that it can reach these costs without relying on speculative technologies or mega-scale infrastructure.

    Gourmey CEO Nicolas Morin-Forest explains that the analysis was conducted on a finished product containing about half cultivated cells, with the rest made up of plant-based ingredients like fats or proteins. “This approach can hence apply to a very wide range of cultivated products,” he tells Green Queen.

    How Gourmey keeps cultivated meat cost-effective

    Founded in 2019 by Morin-Forest, Jérôme Caron and Antoine Davydoff, Gourmey’s platform is built around a “second-generation” technology stack that replaces legacy biopharma techniques with food-grade, cost-effective, scalable processes. It combines continuous production, undifferentiated cell biomass, and suspension-based cell cultures to support efficiency and consistency.

    “One of the main reasons we can keep costs low is that we use stem cells with natural, endless self-renewal capabilities. These cells can be cultivated for very long periods, allowing us to continuously apply selective pressure and adapt them to the most efficient cell feed formulations, all while maximising yields,” explains Morin-Forest.

    “Our stem cells are extremely robust and grow very quickly, doubling in less than 16 hours, which lets us reach exceptionally high cell densities,” he adds, outlining how this has enabled the breakthrough of its proprietary cell culture medium.

    lab grown meat approval
    Courtesy: Sherry Hack

    “Because our cells thrive without proteins or growth factors, we can bring our food-safe feed price down to around 20 cents per litre, just a fraction of what’s typical in the industry,” he says. “The stability and performance of our stem cells also make them ideally suited for continuous manufacturing, and we’re able to avoid traditional scale-up bottlenecks like scaffolding and micro-carriers to drive costs down even further.”

    Arthur D Little’s analysis finds that Gourmey’s modular and repeatable platform can enable it to keep capital expenditure under €35M per facility, with an output of 1,700 tonnes using just six 5,000-litre bioreactors. These benchmarks can be met via “achievable and clearly defined process optimisations”, the startup says.

    “The main levers are about relentlessly increasing cell densities by refining our proprietary, food-safe cell feed to reduce its cost while maintaining performance,” says Morin-Forest. “One of the industry’s challenges is minimising waste and making sure that every single compound in the cell feed is genuinely used for cell growth. We’re speeding up these developments with advanced modelling that predicts cellular behaviour, so we can cut iteration time.”

    He adds: “Ultimately, much of the cost reduction comes from trivialities: scaling out by adding more bioreactors and unlocking economies of scale as we ramp up cell feed purchases, just like in any industry.”

    lab grown meat cost
    Courtesy: Sherry Hack

    Gourmey expects Singapore approval soon, hints at broader portfolio

    Gourmey currently operates an innovation centre and a pilot facility in central Paris, where its team runs multiple 400L bioreactors. “In addition, we have a dedicated setup with a 5,000L bioreactor, the largest bioreactor for cultivated meat in Europe to our knowledge,” says Morin-Forest.

    “Most of the scale effects on production cost are already delivered at the 5,000L scale, allowing us to reach $3.43/lb, or €7/kg in a commercial setup, without the need for even larger, unproven bioreactors.

    Gourney”s approach keeps operational complexity, industrial risk, and capital needs much lower. Our production process is so efficient that scaling beyond 5,000 litres simply isn’t necessary.”

    The company has so far raised €65M via public and private investments: when asked about future fundraising plans, it declined to comment. No other cultivated meat company has filed regulatory dossiers in as many markets as Gourmey, which is awaiting approval in the US, Singapore, the UK, Switzerland, the EU, and another undisclosed region.

    “We expect our first approval in Singapore soon,” Morin-Forest reveals.

    It has been gearing up for launch over the last year, forming an advisory board with Michelin-starred chefs Claude Le Tohic (One65), Rasmus Munk (Alchemist), and Daniel Calvert (Sézanne), holding talks with major protein producers, and securing deals with premium foodservice and distribution partners.

    cultivated meat price
    Three-Michelin-starrd chef and One65 owner Claude Le Tohic | Courtesy: Sherry Hack

    Its cultivated foie gras is a high-margin product that takes on an industry marred in controversy. More than a dozen countries have banned the prized delicacy out of animal welfare concerns (geese and ducks are traditionally force-fed to fatten their liver). Gourmey’s version “significantly lowers the environmental footprint” and does away with the cruelty.

    It is not the only company making cultivated foie gras. Australia’s Vow unveiled its innovation last year under its Forged brand and has rolled it out to restaurants in Singapore. It will launch in its home country later this year, following final ministerial approval.

    As for Gourmey, the demand for their product is already outpacing its supply. “We’re a B2B company and our first customers are premium food wholesalers serving the world’s best tables,” says Morin-Forest. “Demand from premium food service and distribution partners now exceeds our planned production capacity.”

    And it isn’t stopping here. “Cultivated foie gras is our launchpad for a broader portfolio, including additional poultry proteins and other species,” he says.

    The post Ahead of Singapore Approval, Gourmey Teases Cultivated Meat That Costs $3.40 Per Pound appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • Future Food Quick Bites: Quorn x Tom Cruise, Impossible Chicken & Cultivated Meat at Indy 500

    quorn mission impossible
    5 Mins Read

    Our weekly column rounds up the latest sustainable food innovation news. This week, Future Food Quick Bites covers Impossible Foods’ new vegan chicken, Quorn’s Mission: Impossible collab, and a new kind of tempeh.

    New products and launches

    Mycoprotein pioneer Quorn has launched a summer marketing campaign with Paramount Pictures to align with the launch of Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning. The brand hired a Tom Cruise lookalike to sign autographs in London’s West End while eating its Cocktail Sausages, and also has a Mission Snack Swap ad campaign featuring its farm animal puppets.

    mission impossible final reckoning
    Courtesy: Quorn

    British oat milk brand Minor Figures has teamed up with Nigo‘s lifestyle label Human Made on a clothing and accessory collection, featuring a sweatshirt, apron, milk bottle, milk sleeve, an art toy, and more. It will be featured at a pop-up at StandBy in Harajuku, Tokyo this weekend (May 31 to June 1).

    Also in the UK, vegan meal kit maker Grubby has launched an eight-recipe menu featuring Symplicity Foods‘s plant-based meat alternatives. It includes a BBQ Smash Burger with Carrot Slaw, Hoi Sin Garlic Chilli Noodles, and Symplicity Schnitzel with Curried Potato Salad.

    impossible crispy chicken
    Courtesy: Impossible Foods

    Plant-based meat leader Impossible Foods teased its new Crispy Chicken Fillets at the National Restaurant Association Show in Chicago. It has 17g of protein and half as much saturated fat compared to conventional fillets, and will roll out at restaurants soon.

    US startup LiveComplete will soon launch a new protein powder made using its NutriMatch technology, which blends plant proteins in a way that mirrors human muscles.

    indiana lab grown meat
    Courtesy: Upside Foods

    To protest Indiana’s upcoming ban on cultivated meat (which comes into effect on July 1), Upside Foods served cultured chicken sandwiches at the Indianapolis 500 race on Memorial Day weekend.

    Canadian vegan fast-food chain Odd Burger has earned an exclusive listing at 7-Eleven for four of its retail products. The Crispy ChickUn Fillet, Chickpea Burger, Smash Burger and Breakfast Sausage will be available at over 500 locations, with select stores stocking them from next month.

    daiya cream cheese
    Courtesy: Daiya

    Fellow Canadian plant-based company Daiya has introduced a single-serve cream cheese featuring its fermented oat cream. The 1oz packs are aimed at foodservice operators. It will soon also launch a dairy-free cheese sauce.

    Danish biosolutions giant Novonesis has rolled out Vertera Velvet, an ingredient aimed at tackling weak foam and curdling in plant-based barista milks, with a specific focus on oat, pea and blended milks.

    lab grown seafood
    Courtesy: Umami Bioworks

    And Singaporean food tech startup Umami Bioworks has partnered with Japanese seafood firm Maruha Nichiro to co-develop and commercialise cultivated tuna.

    Company and finance updates

    German retailer Rewe Group has joined Food Fermentation Europe, a trade association representing the fermentation-derived food sector.

    kind kones
    Courtesy: Kind Kones

    Singaporean vegan ice cream maker Kind Kones has secured an undisclosed sum of funding from female-led firm Epic Angels. It will use the capital to expand its presence in Southeast Asia and the Middle East, specifically Dubai.

    Australian precision fermentation firm All G has filed a patent application for an infant formula innovation that includes all five major human breast milk proteins.

    solein protein shake
    Courtesy: Solar Foods

    Finnish gas protein firm Solar Foods has verified its pilot production parameters at an industrial scale at its first facility, confirming that the company’s upcoming Factory 02 will be profitable and enabling the production of its Solein protein in the US.

    Fellow Nordic fermentation startup Norwegian Mycelium (or NoMy) has received €1.25M in a funding round led by Nippon Beet Sugar Manufacturing Co (Nitten), listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange. It comes months after the company set up a subsidiary in Japan.

    nomy mycelium
    Courtesy: NoMy

    In the three months since its appearance on Dragons’ Den, where it earned €75,000 from investors Deborah Madden and Steven Bartlett, UK vegan dog food maker Omni has added 20,000 new customers with a 130% growth in sales. It is now approaching £10M in annualised revenue.

    Research, policy and events

    Drive-thru coffee chain 7 Brew has scrapped the dairy-free milk surcharge at all its 360 locations across the US.

    Dutch cultivated pork startup Meatable will join the Alternative Proteins mission at the Dutch Pavilion at World Expo 2025 in Osaka, Japan, next month to outline its optimisations in cell feed, which have helped reduce its preparation time from several days to just 30 minutes.

    lab grown meat event
    Courtesy: Meatable

    Yet more research has come out proving the environmental superiority of plant-based eating. Focused on Iceland, the study found that vegan diets generate just half the emissions of an omnivore diet, and are overall more compliant with macronutrient recommendations.

    At the University of Massachusetts Amherst, one researcher is looking to develop a new kind of tempeh with peas and chickpeas. Backed by a four-year, $387,000 USDA Pulse Crop Health Initiative grant, the protein could help counteract health risks associated with the Western diet, like obesity, fatty liver, and diabetes.

    vivici protein
    Courtesy: Vivici

    Finally, biotech startups Agrobiomics and Vivici have won the Feike Sijbesma Sustainable Innovation Award 2025 for their work in climate-resilient farming and precision-fermented protein production at the F&A Next conference in Wageningen. Each received a $12,500 prize.

    Check out last week’s Future Food Quick Bites.

    The post Future Food Quick Bites: Quorn x Tom Cruise, Impossible Chicken & Cultivated Meat at Indy 500 appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • A Quarter of Germans Would Eat 3D-Printed Cultivated Meat

    germany lab grown meat
    4 Mins Read

    In Germany, a quarter of consumers are open to trying cultivated meat made from a 3D printer, a much greater share than in 2019.

    As Europe’s leading plant-based market, Germany has always shown openness to food tech innovation, especially its youth.

    Last year, one survey found that young Germans trust food produced via new technologies and are willing to buy it three times more than older respondents, who worry about potential health risks.

    Now, another poll shows similar results, with 24% of Germans open to trying cultivated meat produced in bioreactors and formed with a 3D printer, much higher than the 13% who said the same six years ago – but older generations seem the least likely to want to give such products a go.

    Conducted by Bitkom Research, the survey covered 1,004 Germans aged 16 and over between March and April this year, who were asked if they could imagine eating 3D-printed cultivated meat, and what drove or kept them from doing so.

    Cost remains a big concern for 3D-printed cultivated meat

    germany 3d printed meat

    Openness to novel food was greatest among 30- to 49-year-olds, 35% of whom expressed interest in trying 3D-printed meat. This was followed by the 16-29 age group (33%).

    However, only 18% of 50- to 64-year-olds say they’d eat cultivated meat made this way, a number that falls to 16% among those aged 65 and over.

    That said, about a third (31%) of consumers are convinced that cultivated meat from a 3D printer can contribute to a more sustainable food system. While that’s proof that Germans are aware of the climate benefits of these proteins, it highlights the need for further education.

    Perhaps more crucial to consumers is the cost to their wallet, with only 7% willing to pay more for these foods. In fact, a sixth of them viewed 3D-printed food as purely a luxury product.

    It’s reflective of a key bottleneck for the cultivated meat industry. Since it’s a new technology currently being produced on a small scale, these proteins are expensive. A lot of work has been done over the last decade to bring prices down – and dramatically so, in some cases. According to McKinsey, it will take until at least 2030 for cultivated meat to be cost-competitive with its conventional counterparts.

    And in line with some expectations from the survey, some cultured meat startups have focused on high-value species and positioned them as premium products for the cost economics to make more sense. For example, BlueNalu is working on bluefin tuna toro, Forsea Foods on Japanese eel, and Vow on quail and foie gras.

    Germans are also most likely to be introduced to these proteins through a foie gras product, with Parisian startup Gourmey submitting the EU’s first regulatory dossier for cultivated meat last year. Months later, Dutch firm Mosa Meat applied to the EU for its cultivated beef fat, which is mixed with plant-based ingredients to produce burgers and reduce overall costs.

    Germans envision 3D-printers becoming mainstream

    3d printed cultured meat
    Courtesy: Steakholder Foods

    “Food printers are currently still relatively expensive and rely on specialised ingredients. Therefore, they are not yet suitable for mass production, but are primarily used in the catering and food industry,” explained Margareta Maier, digital farming officer at Bitkom.

    Still, 16% of Germans say they’d like to use a 3D printer to produce food tailored to their preferences and needs, and 15% believe they will become an integral kitchen equipment in the future.

    “The process makes it possible to give products an appearance and texture similar to conventional meat – but with a significantly smaller ecological footprint,” Maier said. “More and more people are open to plant-based alternatives and innovative technologies – 3D-printed food could therefore become even more important in the future.”

    Cultivated meat manufacturers often use 3D printing to build scaffolds that dictate how cells grow and differentiate. Israel’s Steakholder Foods, Believer Meats and Aleph Farms, and California’s Good Meat BlueNalu have all been known to leverage this tech.

    3D printing is among a number of techniques used to make scaffolds, with manufacturers also able to use polymer spinning technologies (like electrospinning), decellularisation, hydrogels, and even mycelium.

    Germans’ receptiveness to the tech, though, chimes with previous research. One survey found that nearly half (47%) of its citizens say they would eat cultivated meat, and that the government should support its development and help farmers capitalise on the opportunities. This comes at a time when more and more Germans are cutting back on meat; a third of its consumer want to reduce their meat consumption, and 38% want to replace it with plant-based food.

    “From food tech in industry and gastronomy to smart farming in the field and in the stable, digital technologies play a central role in saving resources in food production and making agriculture more environmentally friendly, robust, and animal-friendly,” said Maier.

    The post A Quarter of Germans Would Eat 3D-Printed Cultivated Meat appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

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

    where to buy lab grown meat
    5 Mins Read

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    Will an online shop work for cultivated meat?

    where to buy lab grown meat near me
    Courtesy: CultivatedMeat

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    cultivated meat where to buy
    Courtesy: CultivatedMeat

    Cultivated meat startups in talks with online store

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

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

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

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

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

    lab grown meat eu
    Courtesy: Romain Buisson/Gourmey

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

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

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

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

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

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

    nebraska lab grown meat ban
    5 Mins Read

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

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

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

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

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

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

    Nebraska’s ban helps Gov Pillen more than anyone else

    lab grown meat ban
    Courtesy: Phelan M Ebenhack/AP

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

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

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

    lab
    Courtesy: EPA

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

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

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

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

    Farmers opposed cultivated meat ban in Nebraska

    nebraska lab grown meat
    Courtesy: Governor Jim Pillen/X

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

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

    forbes 30 under 30 asia
    6 Mins Read

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

    New products and launches

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

    vegan nutella
    Courtesy: Ferrero

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

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

    hippeas
    Courtesy: Hippeas

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

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

    juicy marbles lamb
    Courtesy: Juicy Marbles

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

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

    odd burger
    Courtesy: Odd Burger

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

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

    Company and finance updates

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

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

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

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

    beyond meat documentary
    Courtesy: Beyond Meat

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

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

    fable shiitake infusion
    Courtesy: Daniel Hine/Fable Foods

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

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

    eatkinda
    Courtesy: EatKinda

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

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

    just egg uk
    Courtesy: Eat Just

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

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

    Research, policy and events

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

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

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

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

    foodtech world cup
    Courtesy: HackSummit

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

    Check out last week’s Future Food Quick Bites.

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

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

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

    lab grown meat approved
    5 Mins Read

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    Mosa Meat is preparing public tastings of cultivated beef

    mosa meat
    Courtesy: Mosa Meat

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    lab grown meat tasting
    Courtesy: Mosa Meat

    UK aims to become a cultivated meat leader

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

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

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

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

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

    lab grown meat uk
    Courtesy: Mosa Meat

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

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

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

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

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

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

    massive attack vegan
    6 Mins Read

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

    New products and launches

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

    ombar blonde chocolate
    Courtesy: Ombar

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

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

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

    this isn't chicken
    Courtesy: THIS

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

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

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

    plant based meat price parity
    Courtesy: Beleaf Foods

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

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

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

    beyond meat jalapeno burger
    Courtesy: Beyond Meat

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

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

    revo foods factory
    Courtesy: Revo Foods

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

    Company and finance updates

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

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

    shoofly vegan bakery
    Courtesy: Shoofly

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

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

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

    massive attack act 1.5
    Courtesy: Horace Downs

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

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

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

    turion labs
    Courtesy: Turion Labs

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

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

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

    Research and policy developments

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

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

    fda front of package labeling
    Courtesy: FDA

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

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

    Check out last week’s Future Food Quick Bites.

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

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • Scientists Create ‘Game-Changing’ Cultivated Meat Tech That Could Feed Astronauts in Space

    lab grown fat cells
    4 Mins Read

    University of Edinburgh scientists have developed a pig fat cell line that promises efficient, scalable and consistent cultivated meat production, with the potential of going past the exosphere.

    Could astronauts enjoy a cultivated bacon breakfast in space?

    Researchers from the University of Edinburgh’s Roslin Institute are working to make that a reality, having developed a technology that could solve some major obstacles for cultivated meat production.

    They have created a source of fat cells from pigs with what they claim is a “rare combination of reliable and stable cell growth”, potentially enabling large-scale manufacturing of cultivated pork without the need for genetic modification (a key requirement for regulators in markets like the EU and New Zealand).

    Presenting their findings in the NPJ Science of Food journal, the scientists said this novel cell line – dubbed FaTTy – can efficiently produce fat tissue with remarkable consistency, making it a “very attractive, potentially game-changing resource for food manufacturing, and particularly cultivated meat”.

    The team looked at growing stem cells derived from five piglets, and discovered that one of them was able to reproduce virtually indefinitely, without the need for any gene editing.

    How the new cells can supercharge cultivated fat production

    mission barns fat
    Courtesy: Mission Barns

    “Fat is the primary driver of flavour in meat, influencing taste, aroma, and mouthfeel. Of the main components of meat – muscle, fat, and connective tissue – fat has the most significant culinary impact,” Maarten Bosch, CEO of Dutch cultivated beef producer Mosa Meat, told Green Queen earlier this year. The company has filed for approval for its fat ingredient in the EU and Switzerland.

    “Consumers won’t eat food that isn’t absolutely delicious, which is why we chose to pursue a fat-first approach,” explained Eitan Fischer, CEO of cultivated pork startup Mission Barns, which is now approved to sell in the US. “Not only is fat the main driver of flavour and juiciness, but it is also less costly and faster to produce than lean meat.”

    Cultivated fat is the key to scaling up cultivated meat in a cost-efficient manner, which is perhaps the industry’s biggest bottleneck. In the study, the researchers explain that most animal stem cells lose the ability to reliably produce fat cells quickly. While they can double in population every 20 to 24 hours for the first 30 to 40 days, they gradually slow down.

    On the other hand, The FaTTy cells, which are formed from early-stage stem cells, can grow indefinitely. According to the scientists, they are immortalised after reaching 60 doubling cycles (equal to 57 days in culture). These cells have maintained an adipogenic efficiency – how effectively they can differentiate into fat cells – of nearly 100% for over 200 doubling cycles.

    They’re able to differentiate at this high efficiency in both 2D and 3D contexts, and produce fat that closely resembles native pig fat in composition, with slightly higher levels of healthier monounsaturated fats and lower saturated fat.

    “We didn’t simply develop a tool, we made a very special discovery,” said Tom Thrower, lead researcher at the Roslin Institute. “The fact that these cells not only grow indefinitely but also retain their ability to become fat at such high efficiency is something we have never seen before in livestock stem cells. It opens the door to new possibilities in cultivated meat and beyond.”

    Future foods attracting interest for space applications

    mission barns
    Courtesy: Mission Barns

    Prof F Xavier Donadeu, the principal investigator, said the cells “have the potential to be a game-changer by helping to produce cultivated meat that feels and tastes like traditional meat, whilst being environmentally and ethically sustainable in the longer term”.

    “Future applications could include feeding astronauts in space,” he added. Interest in future-friendly food for space is growing rapidly. Last month, scientists at Imperial College London and Cranfield University launched a fully automated miniature microbe lab into space, containing yeast to produce edible proteins via precision fermentation outside Earth.

    The project aims to find a way to produce food and other bio-derived products in space for astronauts and involves Frontier Space, Atmos Space Cargo, and the European Space Agency, which has previously supported two projects to grow cultivated meat in space.

    In the US, NASA has been conducting experiments on cultivated meat since 2001. And SpaceX has worked with cultivated meat firm Aleph Farms to conduct experiments on microgravity’s effects on muscle tissue growth, using beef cells harvested by the Israeli startup. The Israeli startup has also grown cell-cultured beef on the International Space Station, nearly 400km away from any natural resources.

    Back on Earth, Roslin Institute is readying its cell line for commercial applications. “We already have considerable interest from companies looking to work with us on this proprietary technology,” said Susan Bodie, head of business development for the College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine at Edinburgh Innovation.

    “Tools like this may help introduce fat cells to improve taste and realism of meat grown in labs in both an ethical and reliable way.”

    The post Scientists Create ‘Game-Changing’ Cultivated Meat Tech That Could Feed Astronauts in Space 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.

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  • This Singapore Bar Shows Diners What Food Will Look Like in the Future

    fura singapore

    5 Mins Read

    From gas protein and bean-free coffee to cultured quail and upcycled kombucha, Fura is opening up the future of food to Singaporeans.

    One of the hottest additions to the Asia’s 50 Best Bars list last year, the cult bar is putting sustainability at the heart of its operations and championing an inventive, future-facing menu.

    Both a cocktail bar and dining destination, Singapore’s Fura has made a big splash since opening in October 2023, with its menu labelled as a Journal of Future Food. The first edition, for example, featured dishes like XOXO, Tempe, featuring mushroom XO sauce, pomelo, and a chimichurri made from Solein, the gas protein by Solar Foods.

    Meanwhile, one of the cocktails on offer was called Got Milk?, a combination of Empirical Soka, pandan, honeydew, and kombucha made from Very Dairy, the animal-free milk commercialised by precision fermentation startup Perfect Day (which has since been discontinued).

    Now, co-owners Christina Rasmussen and Sasha Wijidessa are embarking on the next step in Fura’s journey, with the second volume of its future food menu. Among the highlights are Vow‘s cultured quail (and its residual ‘tallow’), a novel take on the Dirty Banana cocktail with Prefer’s beanless coffee, and a triple-corn cocktail highlighting the benefits of crop diversification.

    “We want to change the way we eat and drink by giving a glimpse of what our diet could look like in the future due to climate change,” Rasmussen, previously the head forager at Copenhagen’s world-renowned restaurant Noma, tells Green Queen.

    Cultured quail walks into Fura

    vow cultured quail
    A Quail Walks Into a Bar, featuring Vow’s Forged Parfait | Courtesy: Kahying

    One of several establishments using Australian company Vow’s cultivated meat in the city-state, Fura takes things a step further, using not just the Japanese quail parfait, it is also making use of the startup’s fat byproduct.

    A Quail Walks Into a Bar is the eatery’s first dish using the cultured quail, which is sold under the Forged brand and was approved for sale in Singapore last year. “The Japanese quail has a buttery, smooth parfait texture, which is piped and torched on top of a hazelnut biscuit, garnished with dill cream and acidic malt apple gel to cut the richness,” describes Rasmussen.

    “We’re then also using a byproduct of making the quail cells from Forged as our ‘butter’ for the Bread & Butter(ish). This is formed into a candle, which is lit just before serving and topped with pink peppercorn, garlic and Maldon salt,” she says. “The melted result serves as a dip for the black garlic bread, sweetened with brown bananas.”

    This innovation doesn’t stop at the food – the cultured quail has also made onto Fura’s cocktail menu. “A Quail Walks Into a Martini showcases the use of cell-cultured meat by rooting it in a familiar drink, a dry martini,” she says. “The quail is infused into gin and dry vermouth; a caramelised fennel puree is then sous vide and fat-washed with gin to complete the rich and dry drink.”

    Fura uses this technique often to integrate less familiar ingredients into the menu “By connecting them to something familiar, our guests will recognise and feel comfortable ordering [them],” says Rasmussen.

    In addition, Singaporean startup Prefer’s bean-free coffee – made by fermenting waste bread, soy milk pulp and spent brewer’s grain – appears in two menu items. It’s part of the New Age Sando, which combines the coffee alternative with an apricot kernel ice cream, raspberry crisps, and marigold.

    Plus, in Fura’s take on a Dirty Banana, the coffee is replaced with Prefer’s version, which is mixed with Empirical Ayuuk, dates, cardamom, and lacto banana cream.

    prefer bean free coffee
    Fura’s New Age Sando, featuring Prefer’s bean-free coffee | Courtesy: Kahying

    Turning future food from ‘intimidating’ to something ‘approachable’

    Apart from future food startups, Fura works with a range of local businesses to source its ingredients, including GreenLoop Farms, Mother Dough and Bewilder.

    These make it onto the menu in innovative ways too. Take the 3 Crop Corn cocktail, for instance, which is aimed at promoting crop diversification as a strategy for lowering emissions and supporting regenerative landscapes.

    “The name refers to a three-crop system with a small grain (represented by the sorghum grain from the Empirical Soka), summer legume (showcased in corn silk vermouth), and cover crop (a garnish of mustard frills from GreenLoopFarms),” explains Rasmussen.

    Another aspect of Fura’s sustainability is waste reduction. Its menu has an Ugly Delicious section to include ‘wonky’ fruits and vegetables that don’t make it in retail stores and would otherwise be thrown away. The eatery ferments these to make fruit wines and kombucha.

    “We make all of our kombuchas in-house. We have three different flavours: #01 is a blackberry, fennel and black tea kombucha, #02 is a raspberry, pineapple and milk kombucha, and #03 is a grapefruit, coconut and green tea kombucha,” says Rasmussen.

    “The milk kombucha is the byproduct from one of our old cocktails, where the ‘whey’ was in excess and we used it to help soften the sharpness of acidity in our kombucha.”

    lab grown meat singapore restaurant
    Fura’s Journal of Future Food, Volume Two | Courtesy: Kahying

    Aside from food, Fura avoids using cling film and works with reusable piping bags, and makes paper mâché with used receipts, which are then repurposed as product cards for their retail section. These types of measures are what helped the establishment achieve the Sustainable Bar Award by Asia’s 50 Best last year.

    “Everything on our food and drinks menus highlights ingredients that are prevalent, invasive or in abundance due to the imbalance of our ecosystem. Our guiding principle is to look for ingredients that have low carbon emissions,” says Rasmussen.

    “We understand it can be intimidating for people to live in a way that helps work towards a more sustainable future, so we want to make that more approachable by showing people small steps they can take through food and drink.”

    The post This Singapore Bar Shows Diners What Food Will Look Like in the Future appeared first on Green Queen.

  • 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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  • 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.

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