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Category: Future Foods

  • 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.

  • An Impossible Burger Blended with Beef? CEO Hints at Move Amid Category Struggles

    impossible blended meat
    5 Mins Read

    Impossible Foods CEO Peter McGuinness has suggested that the plant-based giant could enter the blended meat space to entice more flexitarians.

    In 2024, nearly every American household that bought a vegan burger also purchased conventional meat, highlighting how exclusively plant-based eating is still niche.

    Meat alternative makers’ target consumer is neither vegan nor omnivore – instead, it’s somewhere in between. “Approximately over a hundred million US people fit the broad term of flexitarians. They are cross-eating,” suggests one industry leader.

    In an interview with the Wall Street Journal, Impossible Foods CEO Peter McGuinness made the case for why flexitarians are the brand’s biggest growth opportunity. “Capturing a sizable portion of flexitarians could quadruple Impossible Foods’ revenue in a short period,” he claimed.

    It’s a loosely defined term, as McGuinness himself admitted: some lean vegetarian and occasionally eat meat, others consume 50/50 plant-based and conventional meat.

    “That’s a huge market,” he said, nodding to the rise of blended meat. “To get this category going, I may do a hybrid burger that’s 50% beef.”

    Is it a concrete plan, or just a thought for the future? For one of the industry’s most well-known companies to suddenly embrace the very thing it exists to displace will certainly raise some eyebrows. There is logic behind the idea, though, especially if done right.

    Why plant-based meat is giving way to blended proteins

    plant based meat sales
    Courtesy: GFI

    As the name suggests, blended meat (some prefer the term ‘balanced protein’) involves combining animal-derived meat with plant-based ingredients, whether those are vegetables or vegan proteins.

    The idea isn’t new, but has taken off over the last couple of years as consumers cool on 100% plant-based meats that cost more than animal meat and don’t always meet their taste expectations. Last year, for example, retail sales of meat alternatives fell by 7% in the US, continuing a downward spiral that began in 2021.

    Americans have gripes about the flavour, price and nutrition of plant-based meat. These products are still 82% more expensive than conventional meat. Further, concerns about health are fuelled by the ultra-processed food backlash and, as many have pointed out, successful misinformation campaigns from the meat industry.

    Impossible Foods itself has hit back at misinformation with an online health hub and a renewed marketing strategy that targets meat-eaters, though these efforts haven’t had the intended effect. “Our spend wasn’t efficient because we tried to move immovables,” McGuinness told the Wall Street Journal. “We’ll do another campaign – but be much more targeted to where flexitarians live and shop.”

    impossible burger vs beef
    Courtesy: Impossible Foods

    So: blended meat. Everyone from Nestlé and Purdue Farms to Aldi and Disneyland has entered this space. The idea is to displace some, not all, of the meat with plant-based ingredients in a manner that enhances taste while offering better health outcomes (think more fibre and less saturated fat). And while not advertised, it has a big impact on the planet too.

    It’s what makes plant-based meat so important. Using animals as an intermediary to eat plants is an inefficient use of our resources and livestock agriculture is highly problematic from a climate point of view. Research shows that even replacing half of your meat consumption can reduce agriculture and land use emissions by 31% and water use by 12%, while doubling climate benefits.

    Still, Impossible Foods’s approach has already attracted critiques. “Flexitarians don’t need their plant-based meals to mimic meat. On the days they opt for a meatless meal, they’re not necessarily craving imitation. They’re seeking something veggie-forward, clean, and nutrient-dense – real food that satisfies on its own terms,” argued Kerry Song in a social media post. Song is the CEO of Abbot’s, a veggie burgers and vegan chicken CPG company, which has a popular mince made from pea protein and porcini mushrooms.

    “Impossible built a brand on saving the planet… and now they’re casually talking about blending real beef into their products to chase profits? That’s not disruption, that’s deception,” said Jason Rosenbaum, the co-CEO of whole food veggie burger brand Actual Veggies, which last year launched a product containing dairy cheese.

    Impossible Foods must do blended meat right

    plant based meat taste test
    Courtesy: Nectar

    Here’s what may be driving Impossible Foods’s interest in blended meat: flexitarians dig it. Sensory testing shows that these consumers find blends more appealing than plant-based alternatives. In some cases, they even outperform 100% meat products: alternative protein sensory research non-profit Nectar found that four blended meat products either match or surpass conventional meat on taste.

    Notably, separate research from Nectar shows that while most plant-based meat brands fall short, Impossible Foods is among the outliers. Six of its products won a Tasty Award (four more than anybody else), signifying that more than half of omnivores say they taste the same or better than animal protein.

    McGuinness, however, says his company’s beef is still not superior to the conventional version, suggesting it would take “two to three” more iterations before it gets there. He reiterated his belief that there are “too many companies” in the meat alternative space, and revealed that profitability is likely years away (while touching upon the idea of an IPO).

    impossible foods ipo
    Courtesy: Impossible Foods/Green Queen

    If Impossible Foods does begin offering blended meat, it has to do it right. If the company adds meat and sells blended products under its own portfolio, it could mar the positioning it has carefully crafted over the past decade.

    One possible way forward? Act as a supplier for existing meat producers, the way companies like Quorn have done. Substituting a percentage of beef with Impossible Foods’ plant-based version will bring wins for the climate and the bottom line of all parties involved. Australia’s Fable Food has done so with great success. Its blend-ready shiitake mushroom products led to a 50% revenue growth in 2024, with even better results forecast this year.

    The reality is, despite the hullabaloo, plant-based meats aren’t going anywhere. Concurrently, meat sales have never been higher in the US, and blended meat continues to grow as a category for flexitarians. By lending its plant protein to meat makers, Impossible Foods – already the second-largest plant-based meat company in the US, behind Morningstar Farms – could get a larger slice of the pie.

    While some Americans still have complaints about the taste and texture of blended meat, that outlines both the challenge and opportunity for leading brands. Can Impossible Foods get it right?

    The post An Impossible Burger Blended with Beef? CEO Hints at Move Amid Category Struggles appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • 5 Minutes with A Future Food VC: Future Food Fund’s Silla Scheepens

    silla scheepens
    4 Mins Read

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

    Silla Scheepens is a General Partner at Future Food Fund.

    What future food technologies most excite you?

    Generally speaking, we’re excited by agrifood tech innovations that help keep our food system within planetary boundaries.

    From AI-driven seed-breeding, biological crop inputs and protection to yield forecasting, low-emission food or preventing food waste – if it helps us grow more with less, whilst reducing waste and regenerating ecosystems, we’re paying attention.

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

    Allow me to squeeze in four:

    • Seed breeding and climate-resilient crops: AI-powered seed-breeding platforms that deliver climate-resilient crops with higher yields and lower input dependency. 
    • Biological inputs and crop protection: Nature-based solutions that reduce reliance on chemical fertilisers and pesticides, improving soil health and biodiversity.
    • Circular food systems: Tackling food waste, packaging and nutrient leakage by valorising what’s already in the system. It’s about doing more with less.
    • On-field intelligence and impact monitoring (MRV): Tools that help farmers make better decisions and validate environmental outcomes, from satellite-based yield forecasting to AI-driven irrigation or carbon tracking.

    Each of these verticals contributes directly to restoring balance within planetary boundaries such as climate, water use, biodiversity, and biogeochemical flows.

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

    The biggest shift is that the food system is now understood as central to the climate and biodiversity challenge. That systems view is starting to shape real innovation, in science, policy and finance. The momentum is here, even if it comes with headwinds and tailwinds: sometimes faster, sometimes slower, depending on regulation, consumer appetite or macro trends.

    But overall, the awareness is growing. Now it’s time to match that with serious investment. Public funding for the food transition needs to be on par with what we’ve seen in the energy transition.

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

    We’d stop treating it as B2B tech and start treating it as what it is: food. It deserves its own category: driven by taste, nutrition (think protein, fibre, gut health) and relevance.

    At the same time, we need to level the playing field. Current meat products don’t account for the environmental damage they cause. With impact-based accounting and fair taxation, the good stuff becomes the obvious and better choice.

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

    Clarity. In vision, in communication and in decision-making. Agrifood tech founders deal with long cycles and very complex systems. The ones who can tell a clear story, stay focused and act with conviction tend to have a better chance of succeeding.

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

    Soil Capital. They were ahead of the curve in linking regenerative agriculture to measurable climate outcomes – not via offsetting, but through insetting within food value chains. Their farmer-first, outcome-based model reflects exactly where we see the future of agrifood going.

    At the time, we were still exploring the carbon space in agriculture. Looking back, they were already building what the market now demands.

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

    Ask us again in 7 years!

    That said, we’re optimistic about several themes – from biologicals to food waste valorisation and MRV-based models. These aren’t point solutions; they target the root causes of environmental pressure in the food system and provide for a sustainable business case.

    What has been your most disappointing investment so far?

    We’re not disappointed in startups – the challenges are real and pivots are part of the process. But some verticals (for example, hardware and heavy indoor farming) haven’t lived up to the early hype. It’s a reminder of the fact that a novelty doesn’t equal scale.

    What do people misunderstand/get wrong most about VC?

    That it’s fast and we only get to pick the winners. In impact VC, especially in agrifood tech, it’s long-term work. You’re in it to help founders build through complexity and uncertainty. It’s strategy, not speed, and the biggest returns are usually in system change.

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

    There’s a sample box on its way to us with cocoa-free, fermentation-based chocolate. No tropical land use, no deforestation. A future-proof indulgence we’re really looking forward to.

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

    Big fan of food, especially when an ordinary legume or vegetable gets turned into something spectacular. There’s something special about places that use whole, seasonal produce with care and creativity. That’s where sustainability meets joy.

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

    I always joke that I’m a climate activist disguised as an impact investor, just without the tattoos. Whether it’s restoring biodiversity or greening a city street, I’m driven by solutions that bring us back within planetary boundaries. Sometimes that’s big and systemic, sometimes small and local. But if it moves us in the right direction, I’m in.

    The post 5 Minutes with A Future Food VC: Future Food Fund’s Silla Scheepens appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • Cheap Private-Label Products Drive 2% Growth of Plant-Based Sales in Europe

    plant based sales europe
    7 Mins Read

    Retail sales of plant-based food in Europe grew by 2% in 2024, thanks in large part to inexpensive private-label offerings from supermarkets.

    Over the last year, a wave of retailers in Europe has pledged to increase the share of plant proteins sold in their stores. To do so, some have fine-tuned their lineups to meet consumer preferences, some have put meat alternatives in the meat section, and some have slashed prices to make them cheaper than animal proteins.

    The impact has been tangible. The double-digit growth in low-cost vegan food from supermarkets’ private labels has spurred the category’s rise in several key European markets, Circana data released by the Good Food Institute (GFI) Europe shows.

    Value sales of six categories reached €4.7B in the region’s six largest markets in 2024, up slightly by 1.7% from 2023. Meanwhile, volumes rose by 4.5% and units by 4.3% year-on-year.

    Own-label products drove volume growth in Germany, Italy, France and Spain between 2022 and 2024. That said, people in the UK still exhibited an affinity for branded products, and their counterparts in the Netherlands embraced meat alternatives that could be added to existing recipes, despite a drop in volumes.

    “It’s great to see that Europe’s plant-based retail market remains resilient, with increasing sales volumes across four major countries last year. These foods are becoming ever more mainstream as retailers invest in more affordable products,” said Helen Breewood, senior market and consumer insights manager at GFI Europe. “However, the ongoing success of more expensive products in some categories shows that price is not the only factor.”

    Here’s a country-by-country breakdown of plant-based sales in European retail.

    Germany benefits from price parity

    plant based sales germany
    Courtesy: GFI Europe

    In Europe’s largest market, value sales of plant-based food grew by 1.5% in 2024, reaching €1.68B. This levelling off reflects falling prices, given that sales volume was up by 7% during the same period. Germany also had the highest per capita spend (€19.92) in 2024.

    The country saw sales rise across meat analogues (4%), plant-based milk (3.5%), and non-dairy cream (3.5%), though seafood (-24%) and cheese (-16%) suffered from major declines.

    The overall performance was a result of the lower prices of plant-based alternatives, with many dairy-free milks now on par with cow’s milk, and vegan cream 5% cheaper than the conventional version.

    This itself is driven by private-label offerings: Lidl spearheaded the shift by achieving price parity for its Vemondo line. While sales of branded products fell by 0.4% in 2024, private-label offerings witnessed a 5.5% hike.

    Further, 37% of German households bought plant-based milk at least once last year, and 32% purchased a meat alternative, in line with the previous two years.

    UK embraces tofu over veggie burgers

    plant based sales europe
    Courtesy: GFI Europe

    Despite a 4% drop in sales and a 3% dip in volumes, the UK held its position as the second-largest plant-based market in Europe with a value of €1.07B.

    Even though they’re more expensive, branded products were more resilient than private-label options: sales of the former declined by 3%, compared to a 12% decline for the latter. Several innovative companies bucked the trend with significant growth. This suggests that Brits value taste and quality more than price (which is still critical), and may point to the need for better own-label vegan products.

    The sales value of meat alternatives fell hard (-10%), with household penetration dropping by four percentage points (reaching 31.5%). Still, their volumes were five times higher than that of veggie burgers, showing the “continued importance to consumers of alternatives that look, taste and cook like meat”, GFI Europe said.

    Separately, the volume of tofu sold was 10% higher in January 2025 than 12 months prior, possibly due to its affordability and tempeh and seitan also enjoyed an 85% hike (albeit from a tiny base). In the ensuing months, products like Oh So Wholesome’s Veg’chop and This’s Super Superfood have rolled out in a bid to rival both meat analogues and tofu.

    “The relative performance of these foods in percentage terms may be a response to widespread media concern over ultra-processed foods in the UK, although the absolute increase in uptake of tofu, tempeh and seitan was far smaller than the corresponding drop in plant-based meat sales,” the report noted.

    Italy goes big on vegan cheese

    plant based sales italy
    Courtesy: GFI Europe

    In the home of mozzarella and parmesan, sales of plant-based cheese doubled between 2022 and 2024, thanks to a rise in branded products.

    It wasn’t just cheese that witnessed growth. Three other categories performed better in 2024 than the year before: meat analogues (a 15% growth), milk (3%), and yoghurt (2%). The overall market was valued at €639M, with only plant-based cream suffering a drop in sales.

    That being said, vegan cheese was an outlier, as high inflation in Italy’s food sector led to a strong growth of affordable private-label plant-based products, whose sales were up by 16% last year. In comparison, sales of branded offerings grew more modestly, at 3.5%.

    France happy to spend on better-tasting brands

    plant based sales france
    Courtesy: GFI Europe

    The country that lost its attempt to restrict the use of terms like ‘veggie burger’ saw growth in all five plant-based categories analysed by GFI Europe, led by cheese (19%) and chilled meat (15.5%). The overall market recorded €537M in sales, a 9% increase from 2023.

    Private-label products dominated the growth with an 11% hike in sales value, compared to an 8% rise for branded offerings. Supermarket ranges were particularly important for plant-based milk, the largest segment in the country.

    Own-label brands were particularly important in the plant-based milk and drinks category, overtaking the sales of branded options and undercutting their price by 30% on average.

    At the same time, the relatively expensive branded products gained market share in the vegan meat and yoghurt segments, and made up the majority of sales for plant-based cheese. This suggests that consumers are strongly driven by the taste and quality of animal-free products, not just their cost.

    Spain increased adoption of plant-based milk

    plant based sales spain
    Courtesy: GFI Europe

    Plant-based meat was the only category that underperformed in Spain last year, where overall sales of vegan food grew by 6.5% to reach €491M. Still, meat analogues only fell by 1.5%. On the other hand, plant-based yoghurt enjoyed a 21% increase in value sales, cheese grew by 8%, and milk by 5%.

    Plant-based milk, in particular, has made major strides, making up nearly 10% of all milk sold in Spain in 2024. Household penetration climbed from 42% to 46% between 2022 and 2024. The success is down to the cost reductions achieved by milk alternatives, thanks in large part to cheaper private-label options.

    When looking at sales value alone, the gulf between the sales growth in own-label (5%) and branded products (8%) isn’t that high, but volume sales show a different picture. In terms of weight, plant-based items sold 3% more in Spanish supermarkets last year and private-label products shot up by 13%.

    Netherlands chooses pieces over whole cuts

    plant based sales netherlands
    Courtesy: GFI Europe

    The Netherlands was the only other market apart from the UK that suffered a decline in overall sales of plant-based food in 2024, which plunged by 6% to reach €288M.

    This was punctuated by a decline in value sales across all categories analysed, with meat analogues hit hardest (-7%), followed by cheese (6%) and milk (5.5%). Still, the Dutch spent more per person (€15.78) than all countries bar Germany.

    According to GFI Europe, the 6% fall in volume sales of plant-based milk stemmed from significantly lower sales of chilled options – sales of ambient versions were stable. This is due to a rise in prices of chilled milk alternatives, against a levelling off of shelf-stable product prices.

    Centre-of-plate meat alternatives like burgers and fillets suffered from a decline, but products more likely to be used as part of home-cooked recipes (like mince or strips) remained relatively resilient.

    “There is a huge potential market for sustainable and healthy plant-based foods, and companies have a real opportunity to reach more people by developing tastier, nutritious and affordable products that can fit into their lifestyles,” said Breewood.

    The post Cheap Private-Label Products Drive 2% Growth of Plant-Based Sales in Europe 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.

  • The Rise of Hybrid Dairy: Can It Follow in Blended Meat’s Footsteps?

    hybrid dairy
    6 Mins Read

    From Kerry’s Smug Dairy lineup to a new Dutch-Danish range of ‘hybrid milks’, could blending cow’s milk with plant-based ingredients be a winning solution?

    At Amsterdam’s World of Private Label International Trade Show this week, two companies joined forces to showcase a new range of milk that promises to be more sustainable, without compromising on the flavour of dairy.

    Dutch firm Farm Dairy and Denmark’s PlanetDairy introduced a three-strong lineup of ‘hybrid milks’, combining cow’s milk with plant proteins to deliver a 20-30% reduction in emissions.

    “Consumers are willing to prioritize sustainable food options, but they refuse to compromise on taste, nutrition, or price,” argued Jakob Skovgaard, co-founder and CEO of PlanetDairy, which entered the category last year through its Audu brand of blended cheese (which combines dairy with coconut oil, potato starch, and pea protein).

    “We are targeting dairy lovers who are mindful about the environmental impact of traditional dairy,” Skovgaard added.

    It is one of several efforts looking to blend dairy with plant-based ingredients to offer sustainability wins, with Kerry’s Smug Dairy range (combining milk with oats) perhaps the largest-scale example last year. This has dovetailed with the rise in blended meat, which omnivores have come to love and offer significant climate advantages over 100% meat.

    Can hybrid dairy match the momentum, both in terms of consumer preference and planetary impact, of blended meat?

    Why are brands revving up hybrid dairy?

    dairy plant blend
    Courtesy: Jacob Skovgaard/LinkedIn

    Hybrid milks are by no means a new solution. Companies in Thailand, for example, have been selling soy milk with small amounts of dairy for years. Danish dairy giant Arla used to sell a dairy-oat milk hybrid at one point, while France’s Triballat Noyal retailed a Pâquerette & Compagnie line with 50% cow’s milk and 50% oats, almonds and hazelnuts. Live Real Milk also introduced 50-50 blends with oats or almonds. All of these have since been discontinued.

    The rationale behind these products is threefold and interconnected. Consumers want an all-round nutritional profile with less saturated fat, and they’re concerned about the climate impact of dairy production; at the same time, they don’t universally love the taste of plant-based milk.

    Blends seek to meet them halfway. “We expect that this range will become the standard for the ‘flexitarian’ group of consumers,” Arend Bouwer, managing director of Farm Dairy, said of the new hybrid milk offerings.

    At the heart of the argument is that plant-based milk remains under-adopted. In the US, for example, only 40% of households purchased these alternatives last year, a four-point decrease from 2023. This trend is true elsewhere, too, with household penetration rates reaching 37% and 35% in Germany and the UK, respectively, Europe’s largest markets for vegan food.

    Last year, a poll found that health ill effects were driving Americans to eat fewer animal products like meat and dairy, and many cut back on their purchases of plant-based alternatives because of taste (32%) and price (28%) concerns.

    A recent global survey, meanwhile, suggested that among the 38% of people who don’t buy non-dairy products, 58% showcase the potential to switch if certain needs are met. The biggest problem was unsatisfactory taste or texture, which left 57% of consumers resistant to these products, followed by limited availability (55%) and high prices (37%).

    At the same time, dairy is resurgent in markets like the UK and the US, with concerns around ultra-processing and nutrition playing a role too. How do consumers feel about hybrid dairy, though?

    According to surveys by Mintel in 2022 and 2023, 42% of French consumers found the concept appealing, 56% of Irish respondents said they’d try hybrid cheese, and 26% of Thai citizens expressed interest in hybrid yoghurt.

    Replicating blended meat ratios is crucial to hybrid dairy’s success

    smug dairy
    Courtesy: Smug Dairy

    Would hybrid dairy as a concept work the same way as blended meat? The latter products have leveraged either plant proteins, vegetables and/or mushrooms to lower the content of beef and chicken in burgers and nuggets, respectively, with some brands outperforming 100% meat in the eyes of omnivores and flexitarians.

    It’s an important lever of the protein transition. Almost all (96%) households that bought plant-based meat and seafood in 2024 also purchased conventional versions, putting flexitarians at the heart of the consumer base. Meanwhile, research shows that even replacing half of your meat consumption can reduce emissions by 31% and water use by 12%, while doubling climate benefits.

    The key to these products’ winning mantra – both among consumers and for companies – is the meat-to-plant ratio and the pricing. Can hybrid dairy replicate those features while retaining the flavour?

    Danone has found success here. Its Dairy & Plants Blend was described as an industry-first baby formula and, crucially, contains 60% plant protein. This indicates the importance of having a higher share of plants, which can offer better health outcomes.

    All of this may turn out better for the future of the planet. Kerry’s Smug Dairy range largely focuses on dairy – its blended milk only contains 25% of plant-based ingredients, rising to 30% for its Cheddar and 25% for the block butter. The only offering with an equivalent amount of plants is its spreadable butter, which happens to be the range’s most climate-friendly product, offering 54% lower emissions than its conventional counterpart.

    Dairy accounts for around 4% of global emissions, twice as high as the aviation industry. So minor cuts – like the 18% reduction achieved by the Smug Dairy milk – won’t do much to really move the needle.

    Hybrid dairy isn’t more economical yet

    hybrid milk
    Courtesy: Tesco

    There’s another major barrier for hybrid dairy products: the price tag. The Smug Dairy butter retails for £9.38 per kg, higher than the £7 its Kerrymaid dairy spread costs in the UK. What’s even more striking is the cost difference with plant-based counterparts (which are often knocked for their high prices). The hybrid butter is more than twice as expensive as the dairy-free spreadable butter sold by Kerry’s Pure brand (for £4.30 per kg).

    There isn’t much difference between Smug Dairy’s other products and their 100% vegan counterparts. Its hybrid Cheddar block is only 36p cheaper per kg than Cathedral City’s dairy-free version, and its oat-dairy milk costs only 5p less than Alpro’s oat milk (and 15p less than its barista milk).

    For price-conscious consumers, this is hardly a win. So for hybrid dairy to succeed, undercutting the price significantly from fully plant-based products is the only way to justify the currently high ratios of dairy-to-plants.

    Farm Dairy and PlanetDairy know this and are targeting price parity for their new range. “By offering a retail price and taste comparable to traditional dairy, we believe we can reach a wider consumer base,” said Skovgaard.

    Product formats are important too. A recent poll found that consumers are most receptive to hybrid yoghurts and ice creams, and least interested in beverages and milk alternatives. Moreover, they prefer coconuts and cashews more than other plant-based ingredients for these applications, which are yet to make their way into brand portfolios.

    Will consumers take to hybrid dairy the way they have blended meat? Only if it delivers more substantial benefits than it currently does – on their wallet, on the planet, and on their own health.

    The post The Rise of Hybrid Dairy: Can It Follow in Blended Meat’s Footsteps? 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.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • Vegdog: German Plant-Based Dog Food Firm Raises $10M After Sales Grow by 66%

    vegdog

    4 Mins Read

    Munich-based vegan pet food startup Vegdog has raised €9M ($10.2M) in Series A funding to expand its European presence, after seeing sales hike by 66% in 2024.

    While startups working on alternative proteins for humans continue to face fundraising hurdles, those targeting our furry friends are enjoying more success.

    Vegdog, known for its wide range of vegan dog food and supplements, has secured €9M ($10.2M) in a Series A round led by the European Circular Bioeconomy Fund (ECBF VC) and existing investor the Green Generation Fund.

    Angel investors Dominique Locher, Attollo SA, and Andrea Skersies, financing platform Select Alternative Investments, and existing shareholder SFO also participated in the round, which took the decade-old company’s total raised to $13.7M.

    The investment will be used to expand Vegdog’s footprint across Europe, and comes on the back of a highly successful year for the business, where it reached €10M ($11.4M) in sales in 2024 (a 66% rise from the previous year). Now, it is aiming to achieve a growth rate of up to 80% in the coming years.

    Vegdog looks to conquer Europe with the fresh capital

    vegan pet food
    Courtesy: Vegdog

    Founded by Tessa Zaune-Figlar and Valerie Henssen, Vegdog’s lineup includes both dry and wet food, snacks, and dietary supplements, which use ingredients like pea protein, lentils, and vegetables. They’re developed in collaboration with veterinarians to ensure high nutritional quality.

    Last year, it teamed up with fellow German food tech startup MicroHarvest to roll out Pure Bites, a line of dog treats made from the latter’s biomass-fermented microbial protein.

    Its products are available via its website and Amazon in Germany and Austria, as well as Futterhaus, Zoo&Co, and DM Drogerie stores. During Veganuary, they were listed in Aldi Suisse and Hofer in Austria too.

    This year, Vegdog is planning to double its workforce, as part of its planned expansion into the entire German, Austrian and Swiss region, as well as the Netherlands. It has a wider European rollout earmarked for 2026.

    “Our vision is a world in which healthy dog nutrition is no longer at the expense of other animals or the environment. This financing round enables us to accelerate innovation and growth,” said Henssen, who is co-CEO of the company alongside Zaune-Figlar. “The bigger Vegdog is, the greater our impact on dog health and animal welfare.”

    Vegdog says it will use the capital to refine its production process, scale its operations across Europe, and explore new blends that address diverse dietary needs across different canine breeds and life stages.

    “As consumer demand for ethical and environmentally friendly products rises, VEGDOG is well-positioned to challenge the status quo for the European pet food industry,” said Mathias Brink Lorenz, investment director at ECBF.

    Pet food bucks the alternative protein trend

    vegan dog food
    Courtesy: Vegdog

    The investment in Vegdog contrasts with what has otherwise been a tough landscape for plant-based food companies, which raised 64% less money in 2024 than the year before.

    That said, alternative pet food has enjoyed a fruitful 12 months. The British Veterinary Association has ended its long-standing objection to plant-based dog food, while studies have shown that vegan food is the most effective measure to cut the climate footprint of cats and dogs.

    Meanwhile, the UK became the first country where consumers could buy cultivated meat for their cats and dogs off the shelves, while Germany’s Marsapet rolled out a kibble product for dogs using Calysta’s gas-fermented FeedKind protein in Europe.

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

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

    And last month, Meatly made several breakthroughs to dramatically lower the costs of its cultivated chicken for pets, and BioCraft Pet Food revealed that its mouse meat generates 92% fewer emissions than conventional beef.

    The post Vegdog: German Plant-Based Dog Food Firm Raises $10M After Sales Grow by 66% appeared first on Green Queen.

  • 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.

    The post Australian Lawmakers Get A Taste of the Future at Cultivated Meat Tasting in Parliament appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • 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.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • 5 Minutes with A Future Food VC: Siddhi Capital’s Steven Finn

    steven finn
    3 Mins Read

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

    Steven Finn is the Co-Founder and Co-Managing Partner at Siddhi Capital.

    What future food technologies most excite you?

    I am focused on those that can create actual businesses instead of save-the-world, pie-in-the-sky science projects. That usually translates to an interest in the technologies and ingredients that are positioned to improve taste and price, and can go into food products that are genuinely craveable by the mass market. It also means businesses that can be staged and not rely long-term on fickle capital markets.

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

    • Shared infrastructure, particularly around precision fermentation.
    • Low-inclusion ingredients with borderline pharma-level health claims, many of these being around gut microbiome optimisation. 
    • Replacement ingredients for those with troubled agricultural supply chains or impending supply shocks. Think eggs, cocoa, and whatever the next disasters are.

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

    Probably the approval and sales of cultivated meat products. I’ve tried most of them, and they have been a bit hit or miss – but the good ones are good, and the fact that they exist and are okay to sell is still an incredible achievement.

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

    Make it taste like (or better than!) meat and cost less. As long as I have the magic wand, I’d probably also use Men in Black-style memory-erasing tech on everyone who’s tried the mainstream plant-based options, so they come back at it through a lens of excitement and wonder again, instead of with jaded disappointment.

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

    Scrappiness. This boils down to capital efficiency; the ability to do more with less; the ability to pivot when necessary, no matter how far down a path they are; and the ability to see alternative uses for work they’ve already done to expand markets.

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

    Series B of a well-known new-wave soda company. The valuation seemed like it was near a peak and we wouldn’t hit our return targets from there. I was wrong, and I drink it every day.

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

    Ask me in five years. We’ve got some will-be winners in our portfolio.

    What has been your most disappointing investment so far?

    All losers hurt, but the ones that have hurt the most have been those that raised stupid money from generalist tourist capital, and have run for the hills and left cap tables so messy, nobody could pick up the pieces. It’s what started me on a path to deeply understand cap table mechanics, which has become my speciality.  

    What do people misunderstand/get wrong most about VC?

    At least for me, I expect to be wrong most of the time. Going in with that understanding, when I’m right, I need to be very right. I just hope to not be wrong all the time.

    Also, when we invest, it’s because we believe in the product, market, and team at a point in time. When that shifts, we are not obligated to invest again. 

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

    Cookies made with Plantible’s Rubisco protein instead of eggs. I never would have known in a blind taste test.

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

    BlueNalu’s cultivated bluefin tuna nigiri, in their offices only (for now). Next up, the world!

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

    I love and have always loved food. I want to be a part of the ecosystem and an enabler of great food for others. Most importantly, I want to make money for my investors (and myself and my team) in a way that doesn’t leave the world worse than I found it. 

    The post 5 Minutes with A Future Food VC: Siddhi Capital’s Steven Finn appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • Most Brits Are Open to Precision-Fermented Foods, But Safety & Price Concerns Persist

    precision fermentation survey
    5 Mins Read

    While up to two-thirds of UK consumers are willing to try precision-fermented products, fewer would consume them regularly, exhibiting the need to build familiarity and trust.

    Between 52% and 68% of Brits are open to trying foods made from precision fermentation, though only three in 10 believe they should be made available for sale in the UK, citing concerns about food safety and affordability.

    It’s why only 17-35% say they’re open to regularly eating precision-fermented dairy or eggs, according to research by the UK’s Food Standards Agency, which reviewed 19 studies and analysed data from its own survey of over 2,000 respondents.

    Precision fermentation combines traditional fermentation processes with the latest biotechnology advances to efficiently produce a compound of interest, like a protein, flavour molecule, vitamin, pigment, or fat. It has been in use globally for over 30 years to make medicines like insulin and common food ingredients such as rennet.

    Brits’ interest in the technology’s use for novel food is tied to its benefits for animal welfare (cited by 43%) and human health (41%). Further, they’re curious about the novelty, and some are driven by a belief that they’re similar in taste and texture to conventional animal proteins, and the fact that they’re better for the environment.

    However, concerns about chemicals, ingredients and long-term side effects, a perceived unnaturalness, and their high price are the main demotivators when it comes to these foods. In addition, people are unsure about how to categorise precision-fermented foods, and may be confused about whether these products are vegan or vegetarian.

    Who is the precision fermentation consumer?

    precision fermentation uk
    Courtesy: Better Dairy

    The FSA review found that people in the UK are more likely to incorporate these animal-free foods in their shopping baskets and diets if they are male, young, university-educated, and politically liberal, have a higher income, and are from an ethnic minority.

    These products also appeal more to people who have already heard of precision fermentation, have high levels of conventional dairy consumption, and perceive animal-free products to be tasty, ethical, natural, and climate-friendly.

    In the UK, flexitarians tend to be the most likely to consume these future foods, while vegetarians and pescatarians show greater potential than both omnivores and vegans.

    The benefits and concerns related to precision fermentation are more important for some demographics than others. For example, women are more likely to be worried about chemicals and ingredients, and tend to be more motivated by the fact that it eschews animal farming.

    For men and youngsters, on the other hand, price is a bigger draw, with these groups more likely to be motivated to buy a precision-fermented product if it’s cheaper than its conventional counterparts.

    And farmers are more likely to be convinced of the risks of precision-fermented dairy and less likely to believe in its benefits than people in other professions.

    How do Brits view the labelling and regulation of precision fermentation?

    precision fermentation labelling
    Courtesy: Better Dairy

    The review highlighted the need for consumer education around precision-fermented foods, given that only 5-10% of Brits correctly understood that these innovations come neither from plants nor animals.

    To counter that issue, some companies have decided to use vegan certification labels, though experts argue this creates more confusion, as vegan products are perceived as safe for people with dairy allergies. Precision-fermented dairy innovations contain proteins that are molecularly identical to cow’s milk, so they aren’t suitable for these consumers. It’s why Swiss organisation V-Label has launched a dedicated certification for fermentation-derived products.

    The FSA cited research by the Good Food Institute suggesting that 62-64% of Brits prefer the terms ‘animal free’ or ‘non-animal’ on these products, and these are perceived as most effective at differentiating the products from both animal proteins and plant-based foods.

    There is a caveat, however. Without prior knowledge of this technology, these two terms are more likely to be linked to plant-based products compared to other phrases. It’s also unclear whether ‘animal-free’ or ‘non-animal’ sufficiently conveys allergen information to consumers.

    Interestingly, the terms ‘animal-free’ and ‘made from fermentation’ are perceived most positively by consumers who have no prior knowledge of precision-fermented dairy or eggs. Similarly, the former is most appealing to those who know about the technology.

    The research reveals that one of the most important predictors of purchase intentions of animal-free dairy in the UK is having a positive perception of the product. Moreover, studies show that more people are willing to buy such foods when their descriptions emphasise their benefits (such as a lower carbon footprint and no antibiotics).

    fsa precision fermentation
    Courtesy: FSA

    That said, Brits remain uncertain about the sale of precision-fermented foods. According to a survey by the FSA, only 7% think they should “definitely” be allowed to be sold, while another 22% say it should “probably” be allowed. These consumers skew male, young, and university-educated, and are more likely to be from an ethnic minority, have heard of the technology, and not be omnivores.

    Over a third (34%) are against the sale of precision-fermented products, with 16% feeling strongly about it. The remaining 37% of Brits don’t know where they stand on this issue currently. “People who are already open to trying novel foods generally trust in the regulation of precision-fermented dairy,” the FSA said, outlining the importance of building trust and familiarity in this technology.

    The post Most Brits Are Open to Precision-Fermented Foods, But Safety & Price Concerns Persist appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • While Plant-Based Meat Sales Are Faltering, Blended Proteins Are Back in Vogue

    aldi hybrid meat
    5 Mins Read

    Discount retailer Aldi Nord has become the latest company to hop on the blended meat bandwagon with a burger made from 60% beef and 40% plant proteins in the Netherlands.

    As part of its move towards shifting protein sales in favour of plants, Aldi Nord has quietly released a blended meat burger in its Dutch locations.

    The discount supermarket’s newest burger contains 60% beef and 40% plant-based ingredients, and it is clearly labelled as a product blending animal and plant proteins.

    The product is priced at €2.50 per 300g pack, or €8.33 per kg. This makes it a more affordable option than several conventional meat options at Aldi Nord, including half-and-half mince (€10.83 per kg), ground beef (€14.15), and lean ground beef (€9.99).

    The move is part of its climate strategy. Lowering the amount of animal protein in a product and replacing it with low-carbon alternatives is an effective strategy to slash the emissions of a product.

    Aldi Netherlands has set a target of obtaining 50% of all protein sales from plant-based foods by this year, working towards a larger ‘protein split’ goal of 60% plant proteins by 2030. In 2023, these products made up 37% of its protein sales, but their share reached 40% last year.

    Crucially, it aims to maintain the amount of protein sold, so it would need to achieve this by actively replacing meat with animal-free products. To fast-track the transition, it rolled out its My Vay private-label brand last year, starting with dairy alternatives before diversifying into plant-based meat in the autumn.

    aldi protein split
    Courtesy: Green Protein Alliance/ProVeg Netherlands

    Can blended meat fill the plant-based gap?

    Aldi’s blended meat offering follows a similar launch at Lidl Netherlands, which last year rolled out a minced meat mix with 60% beef and 40% pea protein that was cheaper and far more friendly to the environment than conventional beef.

    Research shows that swapping just half of our meat consumption with plant-based proteins can lower agricultural emissions by 31% and land use by 12%, and halt deforestation.

    Blended meat, or balanced proteins as they are called by US-based sustainable food advocacy non-profit Food Systems Innovations (FSI), is a key lever for doing this, especially as the uptake of plant-based meat products slows down. Dutch retail group Ahold Delhaize, the parent company of Albert Heijn, announced a plant protein strategy at the start of the year, but has since admitted that sales of these products have been disappointing.

    The retailer aimed to raise the share of plant proteins sold to 47% in 2024, 50% in 2025, and 60% by the end of the decade. However, the ratio failed to increase in favour of plants last year, instead falling slightly from 44.5% in 2023 to 44.2% last year.

    A major barrier is the discourse around plant-based meat and ultra-processing. A survey of nearly 20,000 Europeans this year found that 60% would like to avoid processed foods in the future, while only a quarter say the same for animal-based foods. In fact, 12% would like to increase their intake of meat and dairy.

    With blended meat, consumers can have their beef and eat it too. It does away with concerns around the taste of plant-based burgers, and efforts like Aldi’s and Lidl’s ensure that there are no complaints about price either. The climate benefit is almost an added bonus for consumers, whereas for the retailer, it is a driving force of the decision.

    Aldi is one of nine supermarkets that have committed to the 50-50 protein split goal for 2030, though as of last year, its share of meat alternatives (12%) was the lowest on the list. The new My Vay label and its blended meat offering will help it get closer to the goal.

    net zero supermarket
    Courtesy: Madre Brava

    Aldi looks to redeem its blended meat legacy

    This isn’t the first time Aldi has dabbled with blended meat. In 2019, it brought out a BBQ Flexitarian Burger made from a mix of beef and beans in the UK, but it was widely panned. Other supermarkets have had missteps too – Tesco introduced a Lean & Greens range that combined chicken with vegetables in 2021, and discontinued it soon after.

    In the past, blended meat products haven’t been commercially successful, especially from private-label brands. In 2025, it’s a growing category. Companies like Nestlé, Purdue Farms, Quorn and even Disneyland have entered this space now.

    Sensory testing shows that these products are more likely to appeal to meat-eaters and flexitarians than plant-based alternatives. In some cases, they even outperform 100% meat products. Nectar, a non-profit initiative focused on accelerating the protein transition through taste, found four blended meat products that matched or surpassed conventional meat on taste.

    blended meat
    Courtesy: Nectar

    These products can deliver financial wins for shrewd brands. Fable Food, whose Shiitake Infusion product is blended with meat and is one of the four aforementioned products, achieved a 50% year-on-year growth last year and expects to further improve this year.

    “Taste is the gatekeeper for sustainable dietary change. These products represent a real breakthrough – where the more sustainable choice is also the more delicious one,” Tim Dale, category innovation director at FSI, Nectar’s parent organisation, told Green Queen. “Consumers don’t want to be convinced to love ‘better meat’. They want the meat they love to simply be made better.”

    net zero supermarket
    Courtesy: Madre Brava

    It’s not just the Netherlands where Aldi has launched a blended meat product – it has also introduced a BBQ burger with 70% beef and 30% plants in Germany. It comes on the back of research suggesting that the best way for German retailers to meet their climate targets without breaking the bank is to replace 30% of their meat and dairy offerings with plant-based alternatives.

    The largest market for plant-based food in Europe, retailers in Germany are leading the protein transition race. Lidl has announced a protein split target, while Rewe Group has unveiled a plant protein strategy. Now, Aldi has brought blended meat to the market, and the time is ripe for it to redeem its original attempt in the UK all those years ago.

    The post While Plant-Based Meat Sales Are Faltering, Blended Proteins Are Back in Vogue appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • 5 Minutes with A Future Food VC: Thia Ventures’s Mirasbek Kuterbekov

    mirasbek kuterbekov
    2 Mins Read

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

    Mirasbek Kuterbekov is the Principal at Thia Ventures.

    What future food technologies most excite you?

    I see huge potential in abiotic technologies such as cell-free manufacturing and chemical synthesis to unlock much better unit economics, beyond what is currently achievable with fermentation or cultivation.

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

    The broader category of food as health, which encompasses several verticals from healthier ingredients to supplements, is top of mind for us.

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

    Giving consumers lots of choices to consume more fibre without sacrificing taste, texture, or convenience, best exemplified by probiotic sodas.

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

    Remove all subsidies from farmed meat.

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

    Obsessiveness, both with the problem they are addressing and the niche they operate in.

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

    Spore.bio. They are leveraging computer vision to streamline quality control across industries, including food. We missed their pre-seed round and, unfortunately for us, also their Series A. Kudos to the team!

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

    Switch Bioworks gives me a lot of hope in our ability to displace synthetic fertilisers from our fields.

    What has been your most disappointing investment so far?

    I became an investor only two years ago, so I haven’t yet made a disappointing one so far. But time will surely change that, as bold bets necessarily carry risk.

    What do people misunderstand/get wrong most about VC?

    Most generous checks at the highest valuation don’t mean a particular VC is the best partner for you.

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

    Not this month, but a few weeks ago, I tried alternative chickpea-based coffee from Koppie, a Belgian startup.

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

    I will instead highlight my favourite ingredient: buckwheat, a hardy grain used to make delicious kasha and tasty galettes.

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

    Climate change is the biggest threat and opportunity for my generation.

    The post 5 Minutes with A Future Food VC: Thia Ventures’s Mirasbek Kuterbekov 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.

  • This Startup’s Planet-Friendly Solution to Beef & UPFs? Oats, Mycelium & Lego

    millow
    6 Mins Read

    Swedish food tech startup Millow is repurposing a Lego factory to produce an oat and mycelium protein with 97% fewer emissions than beef, and minimal processing.

    A result of three decades of research on mycelium, Millow is gearing up for prime time with a future-friendly protein that sits somewhere between tempeh and meat analogues, and is not shy of challenging beef.

    The Gothenburg‑based startup is repurposing an old Lego production hall to scale up production to industrial levels, backed by a €2.5M grant from the European Innovation Council (EIC). The 25,000 sq m facility will be fully outfitted later this year and will allow Millow to produce up to 500kg of protein a day.

    By refurbishing it into a food factory instead of erecting a new building altogether, it claims to have avoided roughly 1,400 tonnes of embedded CO2 emissions (these are the emissions that would have been released while making and assembling new concrete, steel and façade materials).

    millow factory
    Courtesy: Millow

    The firm turns Nordic oats and mycelium into a beef-like protein with minimal processing, time, and emissions, while matching or outperforming existing proteins – animal or otherwise – on nutrition and flavour. The key technology is a patented dry‑state fermentation process, which uses just three to four litres of water per kg of protein. This means it requires 99% less water than traditional plant proteins like soy.

    “Compared with traditional liquid fermentation used by most other mycelium companies, we only need 2.3% water, one-third of energy, and one-third of capex, and save over 95% of CO2e,” Millow chairman Staffan Hillberg tells Green Queen. “This gives us a cost advantage, allowing our products to compete head-on with traditional products without premium pricing.”

    The company is now finalising distribution agreements with brands, retailers, and distributors to launch multiple products in 2025. “We will start to roll out in foodservice in Sweden later this year. And as volumes grow and we have an adequate supply chain, we will enter retail together with our partners such as large food manufacturers.”

    How Millow makes its two-ingredient protein

    Millow was built on research by Mohammad Taherzadeh, a professor of bioprocess technology at the University of Borås and a renowned mycelium expert. He founded the startup with his son, CEO Esmaeil Taherzadeh, to commercialise the dry-state fermentation tech.

    “We have an upstream process where we handle the basic raw material, which, in our case, are oats and mycelium spores,” explains Hillberg. “We are also doing some interesting work on side streams from food production that can replace oats. This then goes into our unique solid-state fermentation process, which is based on our ‘S-units’ that use proprietary and patented hardware and AI-based software.”

    He continues: “Following the fermentation process, we have a downstream process that prepares the fermented product. This can, for example, involve simple processes like dicing or slicing, depending on the final product. The process is designed to scale in a modular and cost-efficient way.”

    The protein takes less than 24 hours to make, and generates 97% fewer emissions than beef. “Our platform can swap grain substrates overnight, allowing any region to grow its own advanced protein with minimal resources,” explains Prof Taherzadeh.

    millow meat
    Courtesy: Millow

    Millow currently sources oats from at least two large suppliers in Sweden, and has the ability to use local suppliers as it scales internationally. “Since our technology is very flexible, we can use basically any type of plant, which gives us many options,” says Hillberg. “Further down the line, we can see our technology being used in countries that lack food production and then using local Indigenous plants.”

    The resulting ingredient contains 27g of complete protein per 100g portion, as well as fibre, vitamins, minerals, and only 140 calories. It is said to sear like beef and have no aftertaste or boating effects.

    The startup’s business model focuses on end products. “Some of the products we currently have in our portfolio are an amazing minced meat, chicken-like bites, döner kebab, an alternative to dairy ingredients such as paneer for Indian dishes, and of course, as a Swedish company, we have our meatballs,” he says.

    Further, Millow’s product has potential as an ingredient in blended meat applications, with retail brands and foodservice collaborators able to combine its mince with conventional meat to lower emissions and improve health outcomes.

    Can Millow conquer the alternative protein headwinds?

    It isn’t the easiest time for emerging startups in the alternative protein space. Sales have been flatlining or declining, depending on where you are, while investment in these technologies has plummeted alarmingly. The sector suffered a 27% dip in funding last year, following a 44% decline the year before.

    Fermentation startups have been the only bright spot in the category, with venture capitalists investing 43% more money into this technology in 2024, though this segment has taken a hit too. Meati, a leader in mycelium fermentation, raised $100M in last year’s largest investment round for alternative proteins, but is now being sold for $4M, after a bank swept two-thirds of its cash reserves due to a technical default.

    What makes Millow confident, however, is the ability of its protein to outperform both plant proteins and mycelium competitors. “As we produce a complete food product that contains a combination of fermented plants with mycelium, we have a complete nutritional profile. This includes all the essential amino acids, minerals, fibres, and vitamins,” says Hillberg.

    millow mycelium
    Courtesy: Millow

    “Further, our technology reduces anti-nutrients like phytic acids, which increases the bioavailability of important vitamins like iron and zinc. There is an iron deficiency among teenage girls adhering to plant-based diets,” he adds.

    “We use the natural abilities of mycelium to build a dense and pleasing texture that also handles well when cooking. As such, it doesn’t fall apart when boiling or cooked in a high-temperature oven. Also, we have an appealing taste without the typical off-taste that you find in many other plant-based products.”

    The startup is positioning its protein as an additive-free antidote to meat analogues plagued by the ultra-processed food tag. “The wonderful thing with our process is that, compared with most other production processes, we have extremely few production steps,” says Hillberg. “We only have two ingredients: oats and mycelium. There are no binders or other additives. Totally clean label.”

    Taking a bite out of the Apple

    Millow’s marketing and packaging strategy seeks to communicate the clean-label aspect, especially since two in five Europeans are actively avoiding processed foods, and 60% would like to do so in the future, according to a survey of nearly 20,000 consumers this year.

    To build its brand, the firm has hired Rob Janoff, the American graphic designer famous for creating the iconic Apple logo. “Our branding strategy revolves around a ‘Made with Millow’ concept. We are committing significant resources to support our B2B clients in effectively communicating Millow’s unique value to consumers,” explains Hillberg.

    “The goal is to ensure consumers feel confident and satisfied when choosing a new category of meat alternatives that are cleaner and superior to conventional meat.”

    millow meat analog
    Courtesy: Millow

    The company is now pursuing co-branding opportunities that will see end products feature the Millow trademark. “This aligns with our clean label strategy and reflects the increasing demand among consumers and partners for minimally processed and transparent food options. The core mission of our science team has been to contribute meaningfully to this new standard in food production,” Hillberg says.

    While Millow is funded by its own founders and grants, it is looking to raise capital in the future. The €2.5M EIC grant includes the possibility of a further €15M grant from the European Investment Bank, which can invest in conjunction with external investors.

    “Recently, we also received €643,000 in an EU Horizon grant, which is part of a €4M grant in a larger consortium,” says Hillberg. “As we scale further, we can combine debt and equity as our production process is profitable.”

    The post This Startup’s Planet-Friendly Solution to Beef & UPFs? Oats, Mycelium & Lego 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.

  • Bee-Free Honey Startup MeliBio Acquired by Switzerland’s FoodYoung Labs

    melibio honey
    4 Mins Read

    Californian food tech startup MeliBio, known for its plant-based Mellody honey, has been acquired by Swiss innovation hub FoodYoung Labs.

    US bee-free honey startup MeliBio has been snapped up by FoodYoung Labs, a Swiss venture studio and innovation hub.

    The deal includes MeliBio’s consumer brand Mellody, which sells plant-based honey, its Generation 1 technology and related IP. It doesn’t involve the Generation 2 precision fermentation technology, which would have enabled the firm to produce bioidentical honey without the bees.

    It comes months after the Californian startup bagged an undisclosed sum in a pre-Series A round, taking its total raised to around $10M. The financing was a pivot from a planned Series A round that would have netted the business another $10M, but the funding challenges of the food tech market meant this never materialised.

    Co-founder and CEO Darko Mandich told Green Queen in October that the firm would open the Series A again this year. However, the company’s assets have now been acquired to expand the reach of its plant-based honey.

    “For food. tech to thrive, it needs the kind of deep roots that only experienced food companies can offer,” said Mandich about the sale. “With FoodYoung’s longstanding heritage and expertise, I’m confident this is the right environment for MeliBio’s mission to grow and flourish.”

    From Michelin-starred eateries to discount retailers

    vegan honey
    Courtesy: MeliBio

    Mandich established MeliBio with CTO Aaron Schaller in 2020 to commercialise a precision-fermented honey, before adding the plant-based version to its portfolio with the launch of Mellody.

    Unlike other vegan honey products, which make use of apples and lemons, elderflower, carob, or other ingredients, Mellody replicates honey through a combination of fructose and glucose, complemented by a range of plant extracts (red clover, jasmine, passionflower, chamomile, and seaberry), gluconic acid and natural flavours.

    The brand made a big splash by securing New York City’s three-Michelin-starred eatery, Eleven Madison Park, as its first customer. It later debuted the product in the D2C channel via a partnership with the restaurant’s online store.

    Mellody has since been expanded across the US (alongside a new hot honey variety), and is available at independent retailers and a growing list of restaurants, such as Palmetto Superfoods and Joyride Pizza in California and Moto Pizza in Seattle. Moreover, it has expanded its distribution through KeHE, UNFI, Greco and Sons, and ACE Natural.

    MeliBio has also launched vegan honey in Europe through a $10M, four-year partnership with Slovenia’s Narayan Foods. In the UK, this is in the form of Vegan H*ney under the Better Foodie brand, while in Austria and Switzerland, it sells as Vegan Hanny or Ohney under Aldi’s private label, Just Veg. The distribution deal aims to put MeliBio’s plant-based honey into 75,000 stores eventually.

    “It has been a pleasure taking the concept of real honey made without bees to a reality… into 400+ locations worldwide and countless palates,” Schaller wrote on social media. “It is amazing what can be achieved when pairing innovative science with time-tested business strategy and operations.”

    vegan hot honey
    Courtesy: MeliBio

    What’s next for precision-fermented honey?

    FoodYoung Labs operates an innovation facility in Balerna, Switzerland, with a focus on confectionery, baked goods, snacks and bars. Its portfolio of brands includes ZAZ, Kakoo, Bonnap, Frÿze, Man, and CimaNorma.

    “With our Swiss full-stack innovation lab and US commercial powerhouse, we’re taking MeliBio’s bee-free innovation to the next level – making Mellody truly clean-label and unrefined,” said FoodYoung Labs founder and CEO Abouzar Rahmani.

    The fate of MeliBio’s precision fermentation tech is not known for now, though the firm has made several tech advancements on this front in the last year. It has taken at least three of its protein and enzyme targets from ideation to proof-of-concept to bioreactors, and increased the titer – the amount of product per unit volume at the end of the fermentation process – of its main enzyme target by 1,300%.

    mellody honey
    Courtesy: MeliBio

    This was a result of its collaboration with AI-led biomanufacturing startup Pow.Bio; Melibio had been engaging in scale-up efforts with the latter since March 2024. As of October, MeliBio was evaluating further biomanufacturing partners for the next phase of its precision-fermented honey, though the future of this partnership is currently unknown.

    MeliBio’s sale comes amid a dire investment landscape for food and climate tech. Global agrifoodtech funding fell by 51% in 2023, and another 4% last year. The wider climate tech sector, meanwhile, suffered a 38% dip in venture funding in 2024.

    This new reality has forced several future food companies to either cease operations or seek acquisition deals. This year alone, vegan pet food company Wild Earth has filed for bankruptcy, while mycelium cheese maker Bolder Foods recently shut down too.

    And this month, dairy giant Danone bought dairy-free kids nutrition brand Kate Farms, while yoghurt leader Chobani snapped up frozen ready meal maker Daily Harvest.

    The post Bee-Free Honey Startup MeliBio Acquired by Switzerland’s FoodYoung Labs appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • Swap: French Plant-Based Chicken Startup Replaces SEO, Seeks Emergency Funding

    swap vegan chicken
    4 Mins Read

    The co-founder of French plant-based chicken startup Swap (ex-Umiami) has been forced to step down as CEO amid weak sales, with the firm reportedly needing $10M by the end of this year.

    Swap, the Parisian vegan chicken firm formerly known as Umiami, is reportedly in financial trouble amid the wider slowdown of the plant-based meat category.

    According to French financial news outlet L’Informé, the startup is looking to renegotiate its debts with its creditors after recording a turnover of just €1M ($1.1M) in 2024 and running into issues scaling up production and delayed commercial development.

    The troubles have led to co-founder Tristan Maurel stepping down as CEO, moving to the role of board chairman. He has been replaced by former Mondelēz and Pierre Martinet executive Hervé Salomon.

    Swap, which has raised $107M since being founded in 2019, is reportedly in need of immediate funding to stay afloat. According to L’Informé, the company requires €9M ($10.2M) by year-end, and nearly €30M ($34.1M) by the end of 2026.

    Swap’s bet on international expansion

    swap plant based meat
    Courtesy: Swap

    Maurel, Clémence Pedraza and Martin Habfast founded the startup as Umiami, built on its ‘Umisation’ texturising platform for producing whole-muscle replicas of conventional fillets like chicken and fish.

    This involves a technique that transforms plant proteins into structured fibres without high heat or pressure. The tech was touted as a key reason why the company was able to produce plant-based meat with a handful of ingredients; Swap’s chicken features eight ingredients and no artificial flavours, colourants or texturisers.

    The firm opened a 14,000 sq m facility in the Alsace region last year, backed by a €38M ($41.3M) investment with support from local and federal governments. It says it can produce 7,500 tonnes of plant-based meat annually, eventually rising to 20,000 tonnes.

    In October, the company rebranded to Swap and launched into the US foodservice sector, targeting flexitarians via Chicago restaurants like Spirit Elephant, Soul Veg City, Majani, and Clucker’s Charcoal Chicken.

    The brand refresh was positioned as a call to action to encourage “consumers to make a positive choice for themselves and for the planet”, and allowed Swap to expand beyond chicken fillets to all kinds of meat and fish analogues, broadening its future product development plans.

    In April, Swap teamed up with Spain’s Heura Foods to launch a whole-cut chicken breast in over 3,000 stores in France, Spain and Portugal, with each firm labelling it a “turning point” for its European ambitions.

    Plant-based meat’s struggles continue

    alternative protein investment
    Graphic by Green Queen

    Despite these moves, Swap has not been immune to the larger headwinds of the alternative protein sector, especially in the US. Retail sales of plant-based meat fell by 7% in 2024, while in foodservice, these products have suffered a 10% annualised decline since 2022.

    That has come amid a renewed appetite for meat, whose sales reached record highs in the US last year, compounded by growing consumer concerns about ultra-processed food. As a result, investors have remained cautious with their money, with financing in alternative protein startups falling by 27% in 2024. Plant-based startups were hit hardest, raising only $309M, a sharp 64% fall from the year before.

    Swap’s troubles come despite its chicken being the recipient of a Tasty Award by sensory-based research firm Nectar, signalling that more than half of taste-testing omnivores found it to taste the same or better than conventional chicken.

    swap chicken
    Courtesy: Swap

    It’s not alone, though. Beyond Meat, which also received a Tasty Award, posted a 9% decline in revenues in Q1 2025, with founder and CEO Ethan Brown labelling it a “disappointing” quarter reflecting “broader macroeconomic concerns and reduced consumer confidence”. The company received a $100M loan boost as it continues to evaluate further deals to address its $1.1M debt.

    Swap’s troubles echo those of US-based clean-label mycelium meat startup Meati, which filed documents earlier this month that suggest it’s set to be sold for $4M two months after a bank unexpectedly swept most of its cash reserves due to a technical default. The firm has raised $450M to date and was valued at $650M in 2022.

    Since 2024, several plant-based companies globally have been forced to cease operations or declare bankruptcy before being rescued, including Akua, Sunfed Meats, Willicroft, Mycorena, Allplants, and Wild Earth.

    Others have been acquired by larger companies and investment firms: Wicked Kitchen, Nuggs, and Blackbird Foods were all taken over by Ahimsa Companies last year. In recent weeks, dairy giant Danone bought dairy-free kids nutrition brand Kate Farms, and yoghurt leader Chobani snapped up frozen ready meal maker Daily Harvest.

    Back in Swap’s homeland, consumers are now more focused on whole foods like beans and grains, with their dietary habits driven by a health-first approach. The government has sought to ban meat-related terms on vegan packaging labels too, although top courts in the country and the EU rejected that attempt.

    The post Swap: French Plant-Based Chicken Startup Replaces SEO, Seeks Emergency Funding appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • As Cocoa Prices Soar, German Hypermarket Debuts ChoViva Alt Chocolate Products

    kaufland cocoa free chocolate
    4 Mins Read

    German hypermarket chain Kaufland has released two sweet treats using Planet A Foods’s cocoa-free chocolate alternative, ChoViva.

    As cocoa prices become untenable for both consumers and businesses, one supermarket is tackling the situation with a climate- and pocket-friendly alternative.

    German retailer Kaufland (owned by Lidl parent company Schwarz Group) has partnered with local startup Planet A Foods to use its cocoa-free chocolate in two new products.

    Launched under K-Classic, Kaufland’s private-label brand, the Waffle Bites and Neopolitans contain ChoViva, a chocolate alternative made from a base of sunflower seeds.

    “Cocoa cultivation is partly associated with ecological and social challenges,” said Tobias Stricker, head of purchasing for confectionery and pastries at Kaufland. “ChoViva’s chocolate alternative is a true revolution in the market and completely rethinks a traditional product.”

    Kaufland looks to cocoa-free chocolate for climate gains

    This isn’t the first time Kaufland has retailed a product featuring cocoa-free chocolate. Last year, Katjes International introduced a dairy-free version of its famous peanut dragées, Treets, with ChoViva on its shelves.

    To make its beanless chocolate, Planet A Foods combines a base of sunflower seeds, oats and shea butter with a proprietary fermentation process to produce cocoa mass and cocoa butter. The resulting products can be used as 1:1 replacements of conventional chocolate or in hybrid formulations.

    For Kaufland, partnering with the startup is a sustainability play. The industry is linked to vast amounts of deforestation, thanks to the widespread use of palm oil in its production and rising demand – it is directly responsible for 94% and 80% of deforestation in Ghana and Ivory Coast.

    Meanwhile, dark chocolate alone generates more emissions than all other foods barring beef, while each bar of chocolate requires 1,700 litres of water on average.

    ChoViva produces up to 91% fewer emissions than traditional chocolate, with its lifetime carbon footprint estimated at 1.3 to 2.4 kg of CO2 per kg of product, according to an independent life-cycle assessment by CarbonCloud. It also uses 94% less water than it takes to cultivate cocoa beans.

    The use of sunflower seeds fits into its local sourcing strategy. “The solution of producing a chocolate alternative from domestic raw materials is a real game-changer in many ways – one that we are very happy to use for our own-brand products,” said Stricker.

    The retailer said it follows the Planetary Health Diet’s guidelines, encouraging people to eat in a manner better for themselves and the planet. By 2034, it plans to reduce its forest, land use and agriculture emissions across the supply chain by 43% (from a 2024 baseline). ChoViva’s outsized benefits on water (and land) use and emissions will contribute to that goal, as well as its 2050 net-zero target.

    planet a foods
    Courtesy: Planet A Foods

    Why cocoa-free chocolate will soon be everywhere

    ChoViva is already present in over 20 products in Germany, Austria and Switzerland since entering the market 12 months ago, including with Lindt, Piasten, Lambertz, Griesson-de Beukelaer, Peter Kölln, Lufthansa, Deutsche Bahn, and Seidl Confiserie. Apart from Kaufland, it has also been part of private-label offerings from retailers such as Rewe (and its subsidiary Penny), Edeka, Aldi, and Lidl.

    These products are already available in 42,000 stores, but the company is planning launches in the UK and France this year too, with the US and Asia in its sights as well.

    Thanks to climate change, global cocoa stocks have slumped to their lowest in a decade, while their prices have reached all-time highs. Ivory Coast and Ghana – the two largest producers – are the biggest victims of extreme weather, crop diseases, and reduced plantations in favour of illegal gold mining.

    In fact, a new report shows that the climate crisis has made cocoa one of six commodities coming into the UK from countries vulnerable to environmental threats. In fact, in 2023, 77% of cocoa came from nations whose biodiversity was deemed not to be intact.

    choviva chocolate
    Courtesy: Planet A Foods

    All this has hurt the bottom lines of giants like Hershey’s, whose profit forecast for 2025 is below analysts’ expectations. Some are now turning to cocoa-free or cell-based chocolate, like Barry Callebaut, the world’s largest cocoa manufacturer.

    It has opened up opportunities for alternative chocolate, a burgeoning industry populated by the likes of Voyage Foods, Win-Win, Cellva, California Cultured, Compound Foods, Nukoko, and Endless Food Co, among many others.

    Planet A Foods itself is working to expand its annual production capacity from 2,000 tonnes to over 15,000 tonnes, an effort supported by a $30M Series B round in December. “Our mission remains unchanged: to provide sustainable food ingredients that are decoupled from price-volatile and limited resources such as cocoa,” co-founder and CEO Maximilian Marquart said at the time.

    The post As Cocoa Prices Soar, German Hypermarket Debuts ChoViva Alt Chocolate Products appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • Trend Report: Oat Milk Brands Go Beyond the Latte in New Era for the Non-Dairy Alternative

    oat milk
    9 Mins Read

    Oat milk continues to rise in popularity globally, thanks to its flavour and climate benefits – but it is so much more than simply another non-dairy alternative now.

    Despite what was perceived as a bad year for the category, oat milk, with its taste neutrality and climate credentials, remains a firm favourite for baristas and shoppers alike.

    The PR crisis for oat milk came as a group of influencers and media outlets questioned whether it is good for you, blaming it for blood glucose spikes, calling out its low protein content, bemoaning the inclusion of ultra-processed additives like emulsifiers and acidity regulators, and bashing its purported effects on bloating.

    A slew of new launches attest to the fact that oat milk is going nowhere. Beyond lining grocery shelves the world over, oats are the chosen hero ingredient in a range of new, trendy non-dairy products that showcase the grain’s popularity, versatility and omnipresence.

    Product innovators and market makers are creating new oat milk-based formats to serve new customer niches, making oat milk hot property in the plant-based dairy world yet again.

    Below, we deep dive into what coult be oat milk’s new era.

    Oat milk in numbers

    plant based food sales
    Courtesy: GFI
    • Globally, plant-based milk sales were up by 5% in 2024, reaching $22.4B. It is most popular in Asia-Pacific, followed by Europe and North America.
    • While almond milk still accounts for a majority of the US non-dairy market, its share fell from 58% in 2022 to 54% last year. It was oat milk that capitalised, going from a 22% dollar share in 2022 to 25% in 2024.
    • Dollar sales of oat milk were around $700M in the US last year – down by 1% – but the number of units sold increased by 1%.
    • In 2024, the average retail price of oat milk reduced by 2% stateside.
    • According to Oatly, oat milk’s household penetration is still under 30%, though its leaders did not say which markets this data is for.
    best oat milk
    Courtesy: GFI Europe
    • In the UK, oat milk is the best-selling dairy-free alternative, and it’s only becoming more popular, with its market share growing from 46% in 2022 to 52% in 2023 and 53% in the first half of 2024.
    • Sales volumes of plant-based milk jumped by 2.1% in the year to February 2025 in the UK, with oat milk accelerating by 7.2%. In fact, Brits purchase half a million litres of oat milk every day.
    • Annual sales of oat milk totalled £275M in the country in this period, up by 77% from five years ago. This year, analysts predict that oat will make up 40% of the market on a volume basis, with half a million litres sold each day in the UK.
    • One in four coffees sold in the UK is made from plant-based milk, with oat milk the top choice. Meanwhile, non-dairy milk is purchased by 35% of British households.
    • Blind taste tests have found that four times as many Brits prefer oat milk in their coffee than currently purchase it.
    • The global market for oat milk is expected to triple between 2024 and 2032, reaching $10.8B, according to one market research firm.
    • As of 2023, the Asia-Pacific region was the leading consumer of oat milk, responsible for half the market.
    oat milk sales
    Courtesy: Oatly
    • In the 24 weeks to the end of March 2025, retail sales of oat milk grew by 3%, according to Nielsen data cited by Oatly, the world’s largest oat milk company.
    • Oatly itself recorded its second-best quarter since its IPO in summer 2021 in Q1 2025, cutting losses by 73% and reaffirming its outlook for its first full year of profitable growth since going public.

    The problem: Why dairy and other plant-based milks can fall short

    • The climate question: Simply put, dairy is terrible for the environment, producing twice as many emissions as the entire aviation sector. Compared to oat, cow’s milk uses 11 times more land and 13 times more water, while producing 3.5 times more emissions. Plus, oat milk is one of the most water- and emissions-efficient than most plant-based counterparts.
    is almond milk bad for the environment
    Courtesy: Our World in Data
    • Non-dairy milks fall short on taste and texture: While Americans love the flavour of almond milk, baristas don’t as much, since it tends to change the flavour of the coffee significantly, while at the same time being harder to steam. Soy can be too beany, and coconut too overpowering. Oat milk is relatively neutral and performs ideally in coffee and cooking applications.
    • Anti-allergen wins: Oat milk offers an alternative for people with allergies to nuts and soy. And while it has its own allergen concerns with gluten, many brands now offer gluten-free oat milk to meet a wider consumer base – this ability is unique to oat milk, as you won’t find a nut-free almond milk, for example.
    • Opportunities for oat milk: The category has its own issues, too, such as the aforementioned concerns around ultra-processing and sugar content. There are opportunities for brands to clean up their labels and clarify how much sugar comes from the natural processing of oats, and how much is added sugar.

    What are oat milk brands trying to solve?

    Nutrition and functionality

    minor figures hyper oat
    Courtesy: Minor Figures

    Many new oat milk products are targeting the ultra-processed argument with cleaner-label formulations that do away with emulsifiers and other additives. Oatly’s Super Basic milk in the US is in direct response to this, containing just a base of oats, water and sea salt, plus citrus fibre. Meanwhile, its recently launched organic barista oat milk cleans up the ingredient list, with only rapeseed oil and an acidity regulator added to the oat milk base.

    In addition, Oatly is aiming to bat away concerns around the sugar content by introducing unsweetened or No Sugars versions of its milk, just as Alpro has done in the UK too. While this could raise concerns around overprocessing, it will help them avoid being taxed under the extended soft drinks industry levy.

    A growing number of oat milks are now skewing functional, and the UK is leading the charge here. Minor Figures recently unveiled its Hyper Oat range, featuring adaptogens and nootropics in berry, turmeric, matcha and mango flavours.

    Plenish is claiming to be making the country’s “only clean-label fortified” oat milk with no oils or additives. Its Enriched Oat Milk contains water oats, chicory root and citrus fibres, and is fortified with calcium, vitamins and iodine. Plus, it’s gluten-free.

    Another British brand adding adaptogens to oat milk is Floatmilk, whose additive-free oat milk won the Dairy Alternative Innovation category at the 2024 World Dairy Innovation Awards.

    All in on coffee

    oatly lighter taste
    Courtesy: Oatly/Green Queen

    Given baristas and their customers’ affinity for oat milk over other non-dairy alternatives, oat milk brands are making a big play in the coffee space.

    Oatly, for instance, launched its Lighter Taste barista milk last year, designed to pair better with light-roasted coffees. Its ingredient list is identical to the flagship barista milk, but the proportions vary – this version has less fat and a more neutral flavour.

    In Asia, Singapore-based Noomoo has also been working on two barista oat milks for different functions. The one titled ‘Barista’ is crafted from Australian oats and high-oleic canola oil, and geared towards medium to dark roasts, while the ‘Artisan’ version (still under development) preserves the pleasant acidity of light-roasted coffees with Mongolian oats and low-sodium lake salt.

    Oatly is experimenting with packaging formats too; the company is expanding the reach of its barista line through strategic partnerships using its 20ml Jigger, including one with British Airways. Further, it collaborated with Nestlé to co-launch a Nespresso capsule “for use with oat milk only”.

    Heightened sustainability

    blue farm oat milk
    Courtesy: Blue Farm

    While oat milk is already very climate-friendly, some brands are pushing the envelope further through innovative formats and packaging solutions. Some, for example, sell oat milk in bottles, like Oato and Float in the UK, or OatMlk and Alterati in India.

    A range of firms are making powdered oat milks, which aim to cut packaging waste, transport emissions, and water use. These include Overherd and Mighty in the UK, Blue Farm in Germany, Oatbedient in Singapore, JOI in the US, and Nimbus in Australia. In a similar concept, Germany’s Veganz offers 2D-printed oat milk sheets that can be blended with water.

    Meanwhile, in the UK, MYOM makes an oat milk paste, with each 65g pouch making 500ml of milk (it comes with a reusable glass bottle).

    Convenience and accessibility

    potina oat milk
    Courtesy: Potina

    ‘Tis the damn season of flavoured plant-based milks. Alpro recently introduced a caramel barista milk made from soy and oats, while Oatly released vanilla and caramel barista milks at Nordic coffee chain Espresso House. Oddlygood and Califia Farms sell vanilla-flavoured barista oat milks too.

    These milks lean into the demand for ease of use and convenience. Via Nature is a new British brand retailing Oat Shaker, a line of gut-friendly smoothies that blend oat milk with fruits – the three flavours are banana-coconut, blueberry-acai, and matcha-pineapple. They’re made for on-the-go snacking.

    Still in the UK, YouTubers James Marriott and Will Lenney, meanwhile, have launched a ready-to-drink coffee brand called Rodd’s. The dairy-free line comprises an oat latte, a waffle oat latte, and a vanilla matcha oat latte.

    And fellow British firm Potina is targeting gut health too, with a range of banana oat milks for kids. Minor Figures is leaning into this trend with the aforementioned Hyper Oat line too. Elsewhere, in Germany, Blue Farm’s oat milk powders come in a range of flavours.

    Novel taste experiences

    koatji
    Courtesy: Koatji

    Oat milk is already loved for its largely neutral flavour, and some firms are banking on this to offer elevated flavour experiences in different formats.

    US company Koatji, for example, blends oat milk with koji, the mould that forms the base of fermented products like miso, shoyu and soju. Designed by Michelin-starred chefs, its Oat & Koji Milk is being positioned as “the plant milk of the future”, with the fermentation process imparting an umami flavour to make dishes more complex and appealing to the palate, while complementing coffee and matcha’s tasting notes.

    Speaking of fermentation, oat milk is being used to enhance alcoholic drinks. In the US, Misunderstood Whiskey makes oat milk cream liqueurs under its Oatrageous brand, which come in espresso, coconut and bourbon cream with 14% ABV.

    baileys oat milk
    Courtesy: Diageo

    More famously, Diageo recently released two oat milk versions of its popular Baileys cream liqueur, which are available across the US in Coffee Toffee and Cookies & Creamy variants. (The company’s previous dairy-free Baileys iteration, made from almond milk, has since been discontinued.)

    Shrewed brands are noticing the potential of boozy oat milk. Oatly teamed up with Pernod Ricard’s coconut rum brand Malibu on a marketing drive in the UK last year, hosting a series of music, wellness, entertainment and lifestyle pop-ups to accompany the Piña Oatlada, a dairy-free soft serve featuring the brands’ oat milk and rum.

    As oat milk continued to encroach upon its fellow plant-based rivals’ share, there are opportunities for brands across health, sustainability, and new formats to sow their wild oats. The question is: will consumers flock towards the grain?

    The post Trend Report: Oat Milk Brands Go Beyond the Latte in New Era for the Non-Dairy Alternative 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.

  • 5 Minutes with A Future Food VC: Great Circle Ventures’s Jacob Afriat

    jacob afriat
    4 Mins Read

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

    Jacob Afriat is the General Partner at Great Circle Ventures.

    What future food technologies most excite you?

    I’m particularly excited about the application of AI across the food value chain—from ingredient discovery to formulation, bioavailability, and even optimising sensory properties like texture and mouthfeel. AI has the potential to dramatically reduce development cycles, personalise nutrition, and bring precision to taste and function in ways we’ve never seen before.

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

    1. ‘Beyond the label’ food safety and transparency
    2. Precision nutrition and functional food systems
    3. Next-gen preventative nutrition

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

    One of the most encouraging achievements has been the consumer’s growing openness to changing habits. The rapid adoption of plant-based dairy and meat alternatives – even with imperfect products – showed that the market is ready for better options.

    While these categories are currently facing headwinds, mostly due to challenges in balancing taste, health, sustainability, and price, we believe the next wave of alternatives that get these four pillars right could see even faster and broader adoption.

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

    I’d create a product that’s not just an alternative to meat, but superior to it – especially from a health and nutrition standpoint. Today’s plant-based meats are often ultra-processed and nutritionally underwhelming. The ideal version would be minimally processed, clean-label, and deliver functional health benefits without compromising on taste or texture.

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

    Grit. Founders building in food and climate face long timelines, tough science, and sceptical markets.

    Grit – the relentless drive to keep pushing forward despite setbacks – is what sets apart those who endure and ultimately succeed.

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

    Function Health. I had a chance to invest very early – an opportunity that would have returned over 150x in just three years. At the time, it felt slightly outside our core investment thesis, but in hindsight, it was clearly aligned with the broader shift we believe in: empowering consumers with deeper health data and personalisation.

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

    While it’s still early, I’m particularly excited about our investment in Zya, which is pioneering a new approach to sugar reduction. They’re developing a proprietary ingredient that could disrupt the way we think about sugar alternatives. It’s too early to call it a success, but the potential is certainly promising, and we’re watching it closely as they move through their early stages of development.

    What has been your most disappointing investment so far?

    The investments we’re most disappointed with are those where we had to move too quickly and didn’t spend enough time evaluating the founders. It’s a reminder of how important it is to take the necessary time to get to know the team and ensure alignment before committing.

    What do people misunderstand/get wrong most about VC?

    One common misconception is that venture capital is about quick, big returns. People often point to short-term successes, but what they miss is that true value creation in VC takes time. While some companies may see huge returns in the short run, those gains are often unsustainable.

    Over a longer timeline, many of these companies experience an adjustment as they work through scaling challenges or market realities. The real value comes from supporting businesses over the long haul, helping them evolve, and creating sustainable growth.

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

    I recently tried a freeze-dried whole broccoli snack from Veggie Vice. While it might not seem like the most futuristic food at first glance, I was really impressed by how this simple, well-known technology – freeze-drying – can be applied to preserve the full nutritional profile of fruits and vegetables.

    It was amazing to see how the shelf life of a vegetable can be extended while maintaining its integrity and minimal processing. It’s a great example of how innovation doesn’t always need to be groundbreaking technology – sometimes, it’s about reimagining the potential of existing tools.

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

    I recently discovered a small gem near my office in Madison Square Park, New York, called Rooted. It really stood out for its commitment to simplicity and transparency. The menu is centred around a few carefully chosen ingredients, and they’ve made a conscious decision to avoid using seed oils.

    It’s refreshing to see a restaurant that prioritises both sustainability and thoughtful sourcing while creating delicious, mindful dishes.

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

    In a world that moves so quickly and where we’re constantly inundated with information – often contradictory – it’s incredibly satisfying to focus and try to identify the real “blue line”. I’m driven by the challenge of predicting the next trend, cutting through the noise, and finding opportunities that align with true, long-term value.

    The post 5 Minutes with A Future Food VC: Great Circle Ventures’s Jacob Afriat 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.