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 […]
3Mins Read Atlast Food Co., the food tech behind the plant-based mycelium bacon alternative, has closed US$40 million in its Series A financing round to expand its whole cut plant-based meat platform. The round, which saw participation from leading alternative protein investors as well as the leaders of multiple CPG giants, will also go towards building the […]
3Mins Read Moolec Science, the food tech dedicated to developing hybrid plant-based and cell-based alternative proteins, has announced its expansion into the animal-free dairy and egg categories. Using its molecular farming technological platform, the startup hopes to further increase its range, which already includes several alternative meat products, to remove animals from the supply chain in “every […]
3Mins Read Revo Foods, the Vienna-based startup behind 3D printed plant-based salmon, has raised €1.5 million (~US$1.78 million) in its first investment round. The fresh capital will enable the startup to double down on R&D and speed up the market launch of its 3D printed vegan seafood products. Revo Foods, formerly known as Legendary Vish, has closed […]
3Mins Read Finnish startup Solar Foods has announced a €10 million (~US$11.9 million) in fresh capital from the Finnish Climate Fund, becoming the state-owned sustainability-focused fund’s first investment. The new loan will enable Solar Foods to kickstart commercial-scale production of Solein, its proprietary protein made from air, with its industrial facility in Finland set to fully operational […]
3Mins Read Plant-based food tech giant Impossible Foods is said to be in discussions for a public listing that could value the company at US$10 billion or more, according to an exclusive Reuters report. The listing is reportedly taking place within the next twelve months through a SPAC merger deal, a popular vehicle for a number of […]
4Mins Read Turning a new page in the alternative protein and food tech ecosystem, startups are now taking innovation to a new level, from tapping underutilised crops and unique ingredients to adding allergy-fighting qualities to their products. The latest group of food techs to join the ProVeg Incubator has recently been announced, and they’re doing just that […]
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. […]
5Mins Read Plant-based food retail sales in the U.S. grew double-digits to reach US$7 billion in 2020, outpacing sales of its animal counterparts for the third year in a row, according to new data. The statistics, released by the Plant Based Foods Association (PBFA) and the Good Food Institute (GFI), also showed that much of the increase […]
3Mins Read Plant-based meat giant Impossible Foods has launched its first-ever mainstream advertising campaign targeting mass consumers. The “We Are Meat” advert features its iconic bleeding heme-filled beef Impossible Burger, claiming that its patty is meat crafted from only plants is made for meat lovers. Debuted on Tuesday (April 6), the brand new “We Are Meat” commercial […]
3Mins Read In collaboration with Hong Kong-based Green Monday’s food tech arm OmniFoods, the Royal China Club in London has launched a brand new standalone plant-based menu. Featuring the startup’s range of OmniPork plant-based analogues, the menu showcases vegan versions of classic dim sum and Cantonese dishes, from siu mai to poached chilli dumplings and grilled lotus […]
4Mins Read Deliciou has raised seed funding to continue expanding global distribution of its line of shelf-stable plant-based meat alternatives to Europe, the U.S. and Asia. The round, which makes Deliciou the first Australia-based startup to join U.S. alternative protein venture capital Stray Dog Capital’s portfolio, will also allow Deliciou to ramp up R&D to grow its […]
4Mins Read AeroFarms, the New Jersey-headquartered indoor vertical farming firm, has struck a merger deal with black check company Spring Valley Acquisition Corp. to go public on the Nasdaq stock exchange. The transaction slated to close in the second quarter of 2021 is expected to bring in as much as US$357 million in new capital, lifting AeroFarms’ […]
4Mins Read Los Angeles-based vegan startup Grounded Foods has officially launched its 100% plant-based cheese range made from cauliflower and hemp to U.S. consumers. The first-of-its-kind products, which unlike other vegan alternatives do not contain nuts and are not based on a coconut oil fat component, will be available across retailers in the country, as well as […]
3Mins Read Cellular agriculture biotech 108Labs is developing “whole-human infant formula” that contains the biosimilar secretory antimicrobial antibodies from mother’s milk. The discovery, made during the development of its patent-pending Colostrupedics formula, could provide newborns with protection against gastrointestinal pathogens, putting 108Labs’ cell-based solution at the forefront of disrupting the infant nutrition market. 108Labs, the U.S.-based biotech […]
4Mins Read Berlin-based Bluu Biosciences has bagged €7 million (~US$8.25 million) in a seed funding round to fuel its R&D focused on cell-cultured fish. As the only food tech in Europe dedicated to culturing seafood species, the startup joins the handful of companies around the world active in this field. Bluu Biosciences says its oversubscribed funding round […]
4Mins Read Swedish oat milk maker Oatly is partnering with Singapore-headquartered Asian heritage beverage giant Yeo Hiap Seng – known as Yeo’s – to jointly invest US$30 million to begin producing the brand’s oat milk for the first time outside of the U.S. and Europe. Yeo’s facility in Singapore will start production by mid-2021 to supply the […]
4Mins Read U.K.-based movement Veganuary’s co-founder Mathew Glover unveiled a new vegan fried chicken brand called VFC. Today, a mere 3 months after its launch, the company is in the news again thanks to a GBP£2.5M (approx. US$3.4M) round of seed funding that will help scale the firm’s production of plant-based chicken. Joining forces with famed chef and restaurateur […]
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 […]
4Mins Read ProVeg, the international nonprofit dedicated to building a sustainable food system, recently launched its Southeast Asia Food Innovation Challenge aimed at finding and nurturing university talent in the region to into plant-based innovation. Since opening the contest in January this year, the challenge has drawn in more than 120 new submissions across ten countries in […]
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.
3Mins Read Chilean AI-driven alternative protein startup NotCo has set its sights on becoming the country’s first to achieve the prestigious “unicorn” status. Speaking in a recent interview, the NotCo CEO Matias Muchnick revealed the goal of topping a US$1 billion valuation in its next financing round, as its sales continue to surge triple-digits in the wake […]
4Mins Read Berkeley, California-based food tech Prime Roots, whose unique plant-based meat alternatives range uses the Japanese fungus koji as its “super-protein” ingredient, has debuted a new line of vegan-friendly ravioli. The new fresh plant-based meat and seafood pasta will feature its koji-based proteins, including 100% animal-free bacon, chicken, sausage and lobster analogues, with a goal of […]
4Mins Read Singapore food tech Float Foods recently announced that the Temasek Foundation, a non-profit organization under the philanthropic arm of investment company Temasek, has given a project development grant to the former, that has helped commercialize its debut product, OnlyEg, Asia’s first plant-based egg yolk & white alternative. Back in December of last year, Float Foods had […]
3Mins Read A consensus is building around the term “cell-cultured” as the best description of seafood grown directly from cells in a lab, in comments published by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The document contains feedback and discussion about regulations to label cell-based seafood from industry stakeholders, including food tech players such as BlueNalu, Memphis […]
3Mins Read Nabati Foods, a Canadian plant-based food tech, has announced that it has raised CA$7.7 million (approx. US$6.2 million) in a private placement financing. The funds will be used to expand the brand’s range, launch into international markets and fuel its go-public plans after a record year of sales driven by mainstream demand for plant-based offerings. […]
3Mins Read Swedish food tech Stockeld Dreamery has rebranded from Noquo Foods, ahead of its upcoming plant-based feta cheese launch this Spring, initially through foodservice channels in Stockholm. According to the startup, the new name is a better representation of its “values and bold vision to the world” and its mission to “imagining everything that a creamery […]
