9Mins Read A new Alternative Proteins Summit hosted by Future Food-Tech is set to take place virtually on June 22-23 this year, showcasing some of the most innovative solutions to solve our unsustainable global food system. The organisers at Rethink Events have “scoured the globe” in search of the trailblazers across the plant-based, fermentation and cell-based sectors, […]
3Mins Read Australian startup Magic Valley has launched as the first Australian food tech cultivating lamb meat. Based in Melbourne, it wants to be the leading provider of slaughter-free cultured lamb mince, chops, strips and even lamb steaks, grown directly from cells and without the use of FBS or animal-based products. Founded by Paul Bevan, Magic Valley […]
3Mins Read Ivy Farm Technologies, a spinout of Oxford University, wants to become the first British firm to commercialise cultured meat and says it will debut its cell-based pork sausages by 2023. Currently raising funds for its pilot R&D facility, the startup also revealed plans to roll out cultivated meatballs and beef burgers in the coming years. […]
3Mins Read Biotech company Because, Animals has announced the closing of its seed stage financing round led by Orkla ASA that puts the startup’s total financing to date at US$6.7 million. The company aims to use these funds to help ramp up the production of its cell-cultured meat for dogs and cats. Philadelphia-based Because, Animals was founded […]
3Mins Read Researchers at Sejong University in South Korea say they have developed the country’s first cultured pork prototype. The team, led by Professor Park Sungkwon, is collaborating with Seoul National University and homegrown cultivated meat startup Space F and are planning to commercialise their cell-based technology in the future. Sejong University’s food science and biotechnology research […]
3Mins Read Mosa Meat, the Dutch food tech that pioneered the world’s first cell-based beef, has announced a new R&D milestone, reducing its fat medium cost by over 65-times. The company’s “Fat Team” has also ensured that the differentiation media used to cultivate its meat is free from all animal components. Mosa Meat has successfully reduced its […]
4Mins Read Bringing together global food leaders and stakeholders, from ingredient suppliers to brands and investors, the upcoming Alternative Proteins Summit hosted by Future Food-Tech is set to “unpack the possibilities” of the industry. Set to take place virtually on June 22-23, conference producer Oliver Katz says the summit will deliver the “crucial conversations we need to […]
3Mins Read After its recent acquisition of Belgian B2B startup Peace of Meat, 3D bioprinted cultivated meat developer MeaTech 3D has revealed its intentions to set up and operate a pilot plant to manufacture cultured chicken fat in Belgium by 2022. Israeli food-tech company Meatech 3D, which works on creating advanced technologies to manufacture cultured meat products will […]
4Mins Read Following news of their historic US$161 million Series B funding round, the food tech startup formerly known as Memphis Meats is making headlines today by officially announcing that chicken will be their first cell-cultured meat product to debut in 2021 pending regulatory approval and that their name is now UPSIDE Foods, which better reflects its mission […]
4Mins Read Following news of their historic US$161 million Series B funding round, the food tech startup formerly known as Memphis Meats is making headlines today by officially announcing that chicken will be their first cell-cultured meat product to debut in 2021 pending regulatory approval and that their name is now UPSIDE Foods, which better reflects its mission […]
4Mins Read Consumers believe that cultivated protein could make up as much as 40% of their future meat intake, according to new research. Examining attitudes and adoption of cell-based meats among U.S. and U.K. consumers, the study also found patterns of greater willingness and interest from younger generations to try these products, though general levels of acceptance […]
5Mins Read Cellular agriculture consultant Ahmed Khan is the founder of CellAgri, a news and market insights company exploring the space and tracking trends and startups. Ahmed is also the author of the first cellular agriculture eBook, ‘An Introduction to Cellular Agriculture,’ and regularly speaks at global industry conferences on the subject. Cell-cultivated meats, dairy and seafood are going to […]
4Mins Read British company Caviar Biotec is making luxury seafood delicacies fish-free. Founded by a veteran of the global caviar trade who believes that the future of protein is slaughter-free, the London-based startup is cultivating caviar directly from cells, outside of the sturgeon fish. While still in R&D stage, the company hopes to debut two “clean” alternatives […]
4Mins Read South Korean startup SeaWith has set its sights on bringing cultured meat to diners by the end of next year. The firm has already developed its own seaweed-based cell culturing medium and scaffolds, and is now in the process of scaling up production ahead of its plan to unveil its final cultivated meat products at […]
4Mins Read BlueNalu has teamed up with leading Asian seafood giants Thai Union and Mitsubishi Corporation to accelerate the launch of cell-cultured seafood across Asia-Pacific. The move is part of the Californian food tech’s Asia-focused strategy, given the strong potential to disrupt the fast-growing demand for seafood in key populous Asian markets with its sustainable cultivated alternatives. […]
4Mins Read As alternative proteins scale up and reduce costs, they “promise substantial disruption” to the conventional animal meat market, says a new report. The analysts also pointed to changing regulations and fast-growing consumer adoption as key factors propelling the alternative protein industry, and advised conventional protein producers to “consider a more diverse portfolio” as pressure piles […]
4Mins Read Female-founded food tech Orbillion Bio recently raised US$5M in its seed round for the development of its cruelty-free lab-grown alternatives to ‘heritage meats’ like wagyu beef, elk, sheep, and American bison. Silicon Valley-based Orbillion Bio closed its oversubscribed round with support from Silicon Valley entrepreneurs, biotech industry experts, and European deep tech investors like One […]
4Mins Read Hong Kong-based cellular agriculture startup Avant Meats has announced that it will be establishing its R&D and pilot manufacturing plant in Singapore. The plan, supported by the Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB), will enable Avant Meats to scale up and speed up the route to market, given the regulatory framework already in place in the […]
4Mins Read While the cell-based protein space has heated up rapidly in Western Europe, the U.S. and Asia-Pacific in recent years, startups tapping cellular agriculture to sustainably produce meat remain few and far between in Central and Eastern Europe. Bene Meat Technologies is changing that. Led by a team of Czech biotechnologists and food scientists, the Prague-based […]
4Mins Read Eat Just, the food tech that pioneered the plant-based egg and became the first to gain regulatory approval for cultured meat, has just announced the launch of the world’s first-ever home delivery of its cell-based chicken. Partnering with Asian delivery giant Foodpanda, three new limited-edition dishes featuring Eat Just’s GOOD Meat brand of cultivated chicken […]
3Mins Read Jellatech, the North Carolina-based startup dedicated to developing animal-free collagen and gelatin ingredients, has announced the closing of a US$2 million pre-seed round. The new funds, which come ahead of the launch of its first cell-based ingredient samples, will fuel the company’s continued development of its animal-free products for the F&B, skincare and medical industries. […]
4Mins Read Wisconsin-based Cultured Decadence cellular agriculture food tech has bagged US$1.6 million in an oversubscribed pre-seed funding round as well as the first-ever state funding in the industry to bring cell-cultured seafood to market. Currently, the startup stands as the first and only North American firm focused on developing cell-based lobster and shellfish directly from fish […]
4Mins Read The cast that allows cells to grow around in cellular agriculture, scaffold materials, is one of the most costly components when it comes to developing cultured foods. But the answer could lie in the humble spinach leaf, which has proven to be an affordable edible scaffold to grow cell-based meat, new research has found. Led […]
3Mins Read Mission Barns, the Silicon Valley food tech cultivating animal fat, has raised US$24 million in a Series A funding round. The fresh capital will fuel its scale up plans and go towards building its Bay Area-based pilot manufacturing facility, with the view to commercialise its cell-based animal fat technology for applications in plant-based alternative proteins. […]
6Mins Read With advancements in technological innovation and full regulatory support, alternative proteins could take up as much as 22% of the entire global protein market by 2035, a new report reveals. While this “best-case scenario” will require all three pillars in the sector – plant-based, cell-based and fermentation – to reach price parity, researchers’ conservative estimates […]
3Mins Read The Good Food Institute India (GFI India), a nonprofit organization supporting India’s growing alternative protein ecosystem, recently unveiled the first India Good Food Startup Manual in an effort to scale the country’s innovation ecosystem for the alternative protein sector. Back in 2018, at the inaugural Good Food Conference in the U.S., GFI U.S. launched its […]
4Mins Read Orbillion Bio has become the latest startup to join the Y Combinator, becoming the prestigious accelerator’s first cell-cultured meat investment. The female-founded food tech is laser-focused on developing slaughter-free and sustainable alternatives to premium “heritage” meat species – think elk, lamb and wagyu beef. California-based Orbillion Bio will be joining the upcoming Winter ‘21 cohort […]
3Mins Read Meatable, the Dutch cultivated meat startup, has raised US$47 million in its Series A financing round. The funds will be geared towards expanding its current product portfolio, adding cell-based beef after having showcased its cultivated pork last year. Meatable says the capital will also help the firm advance production using its proprietary cost-effective and scalable […]
5Mins Read When it comes to the foods that plant-based folk miss, bacon never fails to make it on the list. Let’s face it: who doesn’t love bacon? From topping maple syrup-covered pancakes, to making the perfect breakfast fry-up and simply being the irreplaceable B in the classic B.L.T. sandwich, it’s pretty much a consensus that we’re […]
When it comes to the foods that plant-based folk miss, bacon never fails to make it on the list. Let’s face it: who doesn’t love bacon?
From topping maple syrup-covered pancakes, to making the perfect breakfast fry-up and simply being the irreplaceable B in the classic B.L.T. sandwich, it’s pretty much a consensus that we’re not going to be able to convince a meat-lover to ditch meat without innovating a delicious animal-free alternative that can truly rival bacon.
Enter the below food tech innovators, who are tapping different technologies to develop mind-blowingly real pork-free bacon (in some cases, literally real on a molecular level), to make sure that all of us can sustainably and ethically enjoy everything bacon from rashers and seasonings. Let’s take a look.
THIS Isn’t Bacon (Source: THIS)
1. THIS Isn’t Bacon
London-based food tech THIS, founded by self-professed meat-lovers Andy Shovel and Pete Sharman who left their jobs at a burger chain, uses soy and pea protein to make its vegan bacon rashers. Dubbed THIS Isn’t Bacon, the ready-to-cook high-protein alternative, which is fortified with vitamin B12 and iron, is already selling across 2,000 outlets in the U.K., including major retailers like Tesco and Waitrose. With its strong fanbase, the startup recently smashed crowdfunding records, bagging US$5.2 million in just two days to continue expanding its crave-worthy range.
AtLast MyBacon (Source: AtLast)
2. MyForest Foods’ MyBacon
MyForest Foods via MyEats is making bacon “without the oink” using its super ingredient: mycelium. It’s the filament-like roots of mushrooms, which MyEats is using to create the 3D textures and structures that resemble whole cuts of meat. In total, the whole process from “spore to slab” takes mere days to grow. MyBacon, made from just six ingredients, is now available at Honest Weight Food Co-op in Albany, New York with more launches coming soon.
Prime Roots Superprotein Bacon (Source: Prime Roots)
3. Prime Roots Koji Superprotein Bacon
California’s Prime Roots is all about its super-protein koji, and to date, is the only startup using the ingredient to create its range of plant-based proteins and meaty-tasting ready meals. Founded by the daughter of a chef and restaurateur, Prime Roots grows koji with microscopic fibres identical to the real whole muscle cuts of meat, and it tastes exceptionally real too because of its natural umami qualities. Aside from its 100% vegan bacon retail package, consumers can also try the product in Prime Roots’ line of plant-based meals like its new (bacon-filled) ravioli.
Mission Barns is one of the few cell-based protein startups focused on culturing real fats directly from cells that have been isolated, placed in a warm cultivator feeding it the right nutrients to grow. It sounds a bit like science fiction, but they’ve really done it, debuting cell-based bacon last year in a taste test. The bacon itself is “hybrid”, meaning it contains cultivated pork fat with plant-based proteins, and according to the startup, the fat is really what gives that distinctive meaty, pork and rich sensory experience that people want.
Another cell-based startup culturing bacon is Higher Steaks, who revealed its prototype last year. Like Mission Barns, the food tech uses a hybrid approach to develop its bacon. It took around a month to culture, using induced pluripotent stem cells grown in a bioreactor, and then Mission Barns combined its cultivated animal muscle cells with around 30% of plant-based proteins and fats for the final product.
Raging Pig Vegan Bacon Bits (Source: Raging Pig)
6. Raging Pig Bacon Bits & Seasoning
Swedish startup Raging Pig, who also showcased their innovation at the recent Future Food-Tech Summit, is all about solving the flavour of delicious bacon. They’ve come up with two products – 100% plant-based bacon bits and seasoning – using only natural flavourings and ingredients, and it’s soy-free, allergen-free and GMO-free too. So far, the shelf-stable product by Raging Pig has been huge hit with consumers, with its first batch already sold out.
Burger King has embraced vegan bacon from France’s La Vie | Courtesy
7. La Vie
Getting the Natalie Portman stamp of approval should be enough to tell you that La Vie (formerly 77 Foods) is making worthy vegan bacon. Add to that the company is based in France — a culture known for its unapologetic love for meat – and this may be the most exciting advancement in the bacon realm. For fast-food lovers, Burger King has also given the bacon its nod, too, adding it to menus across Europe.
