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Category: Future Foods

  • GOOD Meat and ADM Confirm Strategic Partnership To Ramp Up Cultivated Meat Output

    4 Mins Read

    Californian-food tech Eat Just has announced that its GOOD Meat cultivated chicken brand is now partnering with food processing giant ADM to help accelerate commercial rollout of GOOD Meat products. The collaboration marks the first cultivated meat partnership for ADM, which recently pledged to invest $300 million towards better protein production.

    Photo by ADM.

    How two food pioneers will work together

    ADM’s side of the agreement will see it developing GOOD Meat’s cell growth capabilities, by optimising nutrients used during the production process. Animals ingest certain amino acids and other nutrients from their food, causing them to grow and develop muscle fibre. GOOD Meat’s harvested animal cells also need feeding the right ingredients. ADM will be providing the perfect combination of nutrients, as it has previously for the conventional meat industry, by manufacturing animal feed.

    “ADM has been making and innovating in food over 120 years. We are proud to partner with their incredibly talented team of scientists and engineers to take cultivated meat from a few restaurants today to millions of consumers tomorrow,” Josh Tetrick, co-founder and CEO of Eat Just said in a press statement.

    Simultaneously to nutrition expertise, ADM will be offering insight during product development stages. It will look to improve flavour and texture, alongside other considerations, of GOOD Meat’s cultivated items. Feedback will begin with chicken but extend to future projects.

    “ADM has long been a pioneer in the alternative protein industry, and our strategic focus right now is on developing innovative new technology and solutions to continue expanding our capabilities to serve the fast-growing global demand for protein-based nutritional needs,” Leticia Gonçalves, ADM’s president of global foods said in a statement. “Cultivated meat solutions have an exciting role to play in this space, and we are eager to work together with GOOD Meat to bring great-tasting, innovative cultivated meat products to the Singapore market and beyond.” 

    Photo by Eat Just/GOOD Meat.

    GOOD Meat’s industry-leading developments

    The Eat Just brand has secured its place in history, becoming the first cultivated meat manufacturer to sell its products commercially, anywhere in the world. With two chicken items now approved in Singapore, the company is seeking to continue its momentum. One way it is hoping to guarantee continued growth is through the construction of a new mega production facility, in the Pioneer area of Hong Kong City. A cultivated meat facility in Qatar was also confirmed, last year.

    Despite regulatory approval not yet being granted for the sale of cultivated meat in the U.S., Eat Just continues to build out its infrastructure stateside in preparation. 

    ADM’s positive forecast for the alternative protein sector

    ADM recently unveiled its 2022 Alternative Protein Outlook report. It identified seven emerging trends, as well as relevant drivers, such as consumers choosing health-conscious food sources and concerns surrounding sustainable food production. Of the trends cited, a price reduction in cultivated meats now appears more relevant than ever. Production costs being slashed are expected to have a direct impact on consumer acceptance of cultivated products, via increased accessibility. ADM also notes in its report that FDA and USDA acceptance of cell-based meat is anticipated for mid-2022. 

    Last month ADM revealed its expansion and new alt-protein facility plans, which will form part of its $300 million reinvestment into its own operation.

    Photo by CellX.

    Cultivated partnerships accelerating progress

    China’s CellX recently announced it will be working with Germany’s Bluu seafood to speed up cultivated meat production. The two will be combining their respective meat and seafood knowledge to accelerate regulatory approval within their home countries while sharing technical knowledge. The two have chosen cooperation over competition to promote the importance of cultivated products in the fight for global food security.

    Lead photo by Eat Just/GOOD meat.

    The post GOOD Meat and ADM Confirm Strategic Partnership To Ramp Up Cultivated Meat Output appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • Bosque Foods Just Bagged $3M To Transform Mycelium into Whole Meat Pork and Chicken

    Bosque Foods
    3 Mins Read

    There’s not doubt that mushrooms as a food group are delicious. Chewy, packed with umami and available in an assortment of textures, it’s hardly a surprise that chefs and food entrepreneurs everywhere are looking to create beef, pork and chicken alternatives from fungi. But for a bevvy of new startups, it’s the part growing underground that’s most exciting. Dubbed mycelium, these fungal root-like structure can be mined for their meat-like potential.

    Bosque Foods, a Berlin-based biotech company is cultivating mycelium using fermentation to provide lower carbon footprint options that can replace industrially produced meat in order to help fight the consequences of climate change. First up on the menu are whole-cut “chicken” and “pork” filets that replicate the taste, nutrition and texture of their animal counterpart.

    Founder and CEO Isabella Iglesias-Musachio’s aim is to feed flexitarians who want to cut down on beef and other animal foods and who are looking for clean-label, minimally processed and tasty alternatives. “A growing segment of consumers want to reduce their meat consumption for health or environmental reasons but feel unsatisfied by the alternatives available to them— ultra-processed patties, nuggets high in sodium, and products packed with synthetic chemicals and additives,” she said.

    Bosque Foods Founder & CEO Isabella Iglesias-Musacho

    Solid-state biomass fermentation

    According to non-profit think thank the Good Food Institute, biomass fermentation “uses the high-protein content and rapid growth of microorganisms to efficiently make large amounts of protein-rich food”, unlike cultivated meat, whereby animal cells are grown in bioreactors, or precision fermentation, where microbes are programmed to product protein. In other words, the mycelium is both the maker and the final product.

    While many alternative protein companies make use of liquid fermentation, Bosque works with solid-state biomass fermentation to transform mycelium into meat alternatives. The company, whose name means forest in Spanish, says its mission is to become a global biomass fermentation leader thanks to its proprietary technology.

    Iglesias-Musachio told Green Queen that solid state fermentation (SSF) is offers many advantages compared to liquid state fermentation such as: costs (it’s cheaper to scale and has better unit economics), the ability to use agrifood side streams (allowing for a more circular production process), the option to use mushroom strains (better for consumer acceptance) and a solid end result structure (less down stream processing and cleaner end products).

    Bosque Foods Chicken & Waffles
    Bosque Foods Chicken & Waffles

    Successful seed round

    The company has just announced a $3 million seed funding round led by Berlin-based FoodLabs, with participation from Blue Impact, Blue Horizon, Hong Kong’s Happiness Capital, SOSV (of IndieBio fame), and angel investor Arman Anatürk, founder of FoodHack.  

    Christian Guber, Senior Associate at FoodLabs, says investors are on the lookout for whole-cut innovators: “We’re seeing a major shift in the alternative protein space as fermentation technology is set to replace many plant-based products, combining flavor and texture with a short time to market. However, there are few solutions available addressing whole-cut meats. Bosque Foods has developed a fascinating approach that addresses this problem using the power of mycelium.”

    Bosque plans to use the capital to expedite the development and commercialization of their products and establish with progressive chefs and restaurants. The startup will also test their manufacturing technology at pilot scale and apply for regulatory approval to bring their products to market within Europe and the US.

    Mycelium startups on the rise

    Bosque is far from the only alt protein player focused on mycelium. Also in Europe, Libre Foods is making mycelium bacon, while Keen 4 Greens has created mycelium sausage links. Over in the U.S., both Meati Foods and The Better Meat Co are pioneering mycelium steak. All of Bosque’s peers use liquid-state biomass fermentation.

    All images courtesy of Bosque Foods.

    The post Bosque Foods Just Bagged $3M To Transform Mycelium into Whole Meat Pork and Chicken appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • Biotech Brightseed Scoops $68 Million For Bioactive Compound Mapping

    4 Mins Read

    California-based AI phytonutrient detection startup Brightseed has closed a successful Series B funding round led by Singapore-based Temasek, with added participation from both existing and new investors, the raise garnered $68 million. The new funding has been earmarked for accelerating the startup’s proprietary AI system’s ability to map plant compounds. 

    To date, Forager, as the company’s AI platform is dubbed, has recorded more than two million compounds. These remain in various states of validation, being beneficial for digestive, metabolic and cognitive health, amongst others. Once more compounds have been mapped and fully validated, Brightseed can approach the commercial launch of its first product in earnest. This will be manufactured in its new commercialisation centre, in North Carolina.

    brightseed compound work
    Photo by Brightseed.

    The secret ingredient for health foods of the future

    Brightseed will supply bioactive compounds on a B2B basis to other companies. In the meantime, it has partnered with multiple big names already, including Danone and Ocean Spray, to develop a working knowledge of plant-based food supply chains. From here, it will be able to make recommendations as to added ingredients, in future product developments. 

    “Nature holds an incredibly rich and largely uncharted source of powerful, natural bioactives that create health benefits in humans, and we’re now able to access and integrate them into products for food and health industries,” Jim Flatt, PhD, co-founder and chief executive officer of Brightseed told Food Business News. “Discovering and mapping natural bioactives to human health benefits was just the first step for Brightseed. Now, we’re launching clinically-studied ingredients and insights to illuminate the hidden potential in nature to restore human health.”

    Brightseed’s first product release is said to be a digestive health-boosting ingredient. Investigating upcycled hemp hulls, the startup discovered two bioactive compounds which were deemed to be beneficial to human health. This was Brightseed’s first meaningful discovery and has been granted generally recognised as safe (GRAS) certification from the Food and Drug Administration.

    Photo by Brightseed.

    Tackling health concerns with natural ingredients

    Connections between red meat consumption and cancer, diabetes, obesity and more continue to be highlighted by scientific studies. This in turn is resulting in widespread advice and requests that people look to reduce their meat consumption but a question keeps cropping up: how healthy are meat substitutes and plant-based foods really? 

    The simple answer is that not all plant-based foods are healthy. Many, especially early incarnations of meat analogues, relied on coconut oil, which isn’t great for saturated fat levels. While most meat substitutes are good sources of protein, many rely on common allergens such as soy or wheat as a base and then comes the sodium levels. 

    In one Beyond Meat burger patty, consumers are getting 8 grams of saturated fat and 390 milligrams of sodium. As a highly processed plant-based food, it doesn’t support the idea that ditching meat is always healthy. Though it should be noted that only animal products contain cholesterol, so benefits can be felt here, if nowhere else.

    Less processed options, including tofu and jackfruit, contain almost no sodium and both have zero saturated fat. In order to appeal to consumers, however, they often need spicing up. Brightseed aims to straddle the middle, helping to develop considered plant-based lines for partner brands, with added health benefits gleaned from its verified compounds.

    “Consumers are increasingly looking for natural and accessible solutions to restore their health, but industry has been severely limited by a lack of tools and technologies to look more deeply into nature’s potential to do that,” Sofia Elizondo, co-founder and chief operating officer told Food Business News. “Brightseed is building the opportunity space for health innovation rooted in nature and delivering a clear path forward for clinical validation. We are eager to make our bioactives readily accessible for food and health industries as we move from lab to shelf and embrace consumers along the journey of bioactive discovery.” 

    Photo by Hoow Foods.

    AI to make consumers feel A-OK

    Brightseed is not alone in looking to unlock the natural power of existing compounds. Last year it was revealed that Singaporean startup Hoow Foods had bagged $3 million in a pre-Series A funding round to help it scale for wider product launches. The company works by analysing existing food and drinks, using its in-house AI platform, before creating an alternative composition that will be healthier. The Re-Genesys system is claimed to optimise the nutritional profile of favourite foods, using novel ingredients.

    Lead photo by Brightseed.

    The post Biotech Brightseed Scoops $68 Million For Bioactive Compound Mapping appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • Q+A w/ Sharon Cittone of Edible Planet Ventures: ‘It’s Time To Get Real and Go Beyond The Hype’

    Sharon Cittone
    7 Mins Read

    The stakes have never been higher for the future of food. From deforestation to the climate emergency, from our over-reliance on industrial animal protein to water scarcity, it’s time for a complete rethink. Green Queen founder Sonalie Figueiras chats with Sharon Cittone about her Edible Planet Charter mission, why she chose Italy for her Summit, and the biggest misconceptions about the future of food.

    Longtime systems change advocate Sharon Cittone is the brains behind the Edible Planet Summit, an immersive event happening this June during which she will bring together global industry leaders, activists, visionaries, and changemakers in the Italian countryside and empower them to imagine a radically different food system.

    *This article was edited for length and clarity

    GQ: What are you hoping to achieve with the summit? What would success look like to you?

    SC: I have been organizing conferences and events in food and ag for a while now. For all the talk that goes on, not a lot gets done. When I founded Edible Planet I wanted to find a way to rally the collective passion that I know is out there, and direct it towards action. This is my philosophy and the Summit is an extension of this. 

    Our goals are both really modest and really ambitious, I guess you could say. We want the Summit to spark honest conversations about challenges in the food system and look at the systemic issues that got us here. We’ve reached a critical point as a planet, and for those of us in the food world, it’s time to get real and go beyond the hype. We’ve got to look at the system itself and admit that we’ve made mistakes. But by admitting this we can actually start looking at real possibilities and solutions. 

    The Summit would be a success if it got us out of our comfort zones and echo chambers, checked our egos at the door, and allowed ourselves to really enter into an impact-driven conversation that leads to meaningful collaboration and interaction. And yes, we will really have an “ego-check” at the entrance! 

    The town in Umbria, Italy, where the Summit will take place.

    GQ: Why a summit and not a conference?

    SC: Well, it has many names, to tell the truth: we could also call it an “unconference” or a “regenerative retreat”. We don’t want this to be just another stop on the conference circuit.

    What we’re doing is really unique: we’re bringing together 150+ food system leaders to work together and co-design the future. We won’t have panel discussions or keynotes but will instead be using design and future thinking methodologies to unpack problems and look at them from every angle.

    We’ll explore all the nuances and ask the questions that we should have been asking all this time. We’re also not necessarily looking to find all of the answers but if we can start working together on solutions, that’s already a huge achievement. We’re not there to represent anything more than our collective knowledge and experience but that’s already an enormous asset to create something for the future.

    GQ: Why Italy, and more specifically Perugia?

    SC: I’ve been going there a lot lately. My company is developing a project there, a model for the future of food working on all 17 SDGs, and I just fell in love with the region. It’s a place where you feel catapulted into a different time and space and I felt it had the right vibe for what I was trying to achieve. In addition, both the region and Todi are generously supporting us on this initiative so we definitely owe them a big thanks.

    GQ: What is the Edible Planet Charter and how does it relate to the summit?

    SC: The charter is the concrete result of this shared experience. It is a working document containing clear strategies, an action plan, and objectives that will be signed and distributed around the world to encourage the entire food system to collaborate.

    But it’s not the last word on the subject, by any means. We think of it as a tool kit for stakeholders and a roadmap for policymakers to really understand both the short and long-term actions we need to take to achieve the 2030 and 2050 objectives. The Charter is going to be a living document that bears witness to what we’ve done at the Summit, and one couldn’t exist without the other. 

    Summit Location

    GQ: How do you choose / curate the attendees?

    SC: We decided to include around ten people per topic based on their expertise but also their experience. We wanted to think about who they are and what they’ve done to add to the conversation around the food system. It was obviously also really important to have an inclusive and diverse group that also represented all facets of the field. We included investors, activists, innovators, managers, academics, policymakers, writers, and more to be able to really listen to each other and connect with people we might otherwise never meet. 

    We also really wanted to avoid making it a club or clique of the same people seeing each other over and over again. And most importantly, we didn’t want it to be a case of preaching to the converted. We need people who are ready to learn something new and be inspired at the end of the process. 

    GQ: What are some of the biggest issues in the food system today?

    SC: Among the many, I think that our biggest challenge is how much we still think in silos and don’t think about the nuances and understand that there is no ‘one size fits all’ approach to solutions. Everything is so vertical, we’re all looking to the sky instead of looking across at each other to see how we can help. Then we lament the fact that we don’t have time to think about systems, and we don’t get anywhere. 

    I really do believe that we have all the solutions to the issues of today, but we also need bold policy changes, clear commitments and real conversations about climate change, greenwashing, food security, and true cost accounting, to start. Those issues are so urgent, and we’re not looking with the right lens.

    We need to really think as well about what the pandemic and now the war in Ukraine have taught us about the fragility of our global supply chains and the incredible disparity in a healthy diet. A lot of evidence suggests that people suffering from obesity or diabetes were more susceptible to covid, which tells us a lot about what it really means to be malnourished. 

    GQ: When it comes to the future of food, it seems there is a divide between the regen ag folks and the food tech/alt protein folks. What do you think about this?

    SC: I do agree that there’s a divide but I think instead of arguing we should be looking at what the real issue is: intensive animal farming. The reality is that the plant-based movement needs regenerative ag to source sustainable ingredients and animal products are an essential element of regen ag.

    And yes, while more and more people are embracing plant-based, the world is not yet vegetarian or vegan. Likewise, there are billions of people who depend on animals, either as a source of food or a source of income. I tend to think of it like this: what’s more sustainable, a plant-based protein patty with no clean label and industrially grown ingredients or a regen, grass-fed animal product? Which is healthier?  If we don’t diversify beyond the same three or four types of crops and really work on biodiverse products, what’s the point? 

    If we really want a sustainable food system we have to work together with those things in mind. We just can’t afford to have any redlines when we’re thinking of solutions. 

    GQ: What are the biggest misconceptions about the future of food, according to you?

    SC: I think people really miss the point about the “future of food” because too many people think it’s about finding the next big trends instead of thinking honestly about how to make things better. Then it becomes too trendy, and once it reaches the mass market becomes a status symbol or a brand that just builds upon itself. This isn’t how we’re going to solve the challenge of food insecurity or climate change, and it won’t save lives.

    Thinking about the future of food means thinking of the future we want, and taking steps to change our systems and make them better. Otherwise, we’re just window shopping. 

    All images courtesy Sharon Cittone.

    The post Q+A w/ Sharon Cittone of Edible Planet Ventures: ‘It’s Time To Get Real and Go Beyond The Hype’ appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • Q&A w/ AgFunder’s Louisa Burwood-Taylor, AgriFood Expert & Journalist

    Louisa Burwood Taylor
    6 Mins Read

    Green Queen founder Sonalie Figueiras recently chatted with Louisa Burwood-Taylor, AgFunder’s Head of Media & Research, about what makes an interesting story, covering portfolio company competitors, the rise of angel investing, and whether or not hype is a good thing.

    What started out as a newsletter a decade ago is now a US$90+ million agri-food-tech investment business with tickets in some of the world’s most exciting startups, from Juicy Marbles to Nobell to Supplant. And while many VCs focus on building out robust due diligence teams, at AgFunder, the prevailing mantra is ‘content is king’. So how exactly do they do it? Louisa Burwood-Taylor shared some insights.

    *This article is edited for length and clarity.

    GQ: As Head of Media at AgFunder, how do you decide what content to cover?

    LBT: Well, it’s been quite a journey on this front because in the early days I would have said anything and everything related to agtech and foodtech.

    But the industry has grown exponentially since I started covering agriculture in 2013; now we have to be a bit more careful with what we choose to cover and how we cover it with our limited resources, but also because there are so many other great news outlets around now covering, for instance, the funding announcements that there’s no point us publishing duplicate content.

    We introduced some new story formats to allow us to cover big, breaking news, even if not that in-depth, but ideally we want to be adding as much value to our readers as possible with more research and analysis-based pieces that can draw on our deep knowledge and experience of this industry today.

    GQ: What makes for an interesting story to you?

    LBT: I love in-depth tech pieces about how companies decided to build out their tech platforms, maybe they pivot in some way, and how they build relevant business models for their customers; the latter has been—and still is—a big question mark for many farmtech plays, especially in the software space. Who should be paying? Who is the actual customer? Because it turns out that for many digital ag tools it’s not actually the farmer.

    Obviously, massive funding rounds are exciting to cover but since there are so many outlets covering them these days, we try to take a fresh angle or dig into the use of proceeds. And anything related to the hype around categories.

    [Y]ou and I have talked about the lack of nuance in many categories of foodtech and agtech before—the intersection of a seriously complex industry with venture capital can cause entrepreneurs to oversimplify the problems they’re trying to solve and the solutions they’re presenting, as they try to raise as much money as possible with a clear message on how investors will get returns. I get it; but it could ultimately lead to some catastrophic failures where real traction never catch up to valuations—some believe we might start to see this in indoor agriculture for example.

    So, making sure we add some realism to the conversation is key, as well as holding companies to account; our colleague Jenn Marston is doing a fantastic job tracking the various corporate commitments made around carbon and regenerative ag, for example.

    GQ: Are there ethical walls between you and the investment team?

    LBT: Yes, we have pretty strict ethical walls. The editorial team will only find out about an investment after it’s closed and then we will cover it as we do other funding announcements, with full and clear disclaimers that these are portfolio companies of AFN’s parent company AgFunder.

    GQ: Would you cover portfolio companies’ competitors?

    LBT: Absolutely! We’re a team of professional, experienced journalists and if something is newsworthy we go after it. That doesn’t mean the investment team will be happy about it, but they understand we need to maintain our integrity and fairly cover the industry as much as we can.

    To be honest, we also totally lose track of AgFunder’s portfolio since they’re making so many investments over there. In our annual report, we recorded 22 unique company investments last year and that was apparently a slow year as they raised their fund! So often it’s news to us when we find out a company is in the portfolio.

    GQ: What is the role of a dedicated/niche media in an ecosystem?

    LBT: Education, awareness, intelligence—and nuance. 

    GQ: How much does hype play into the VC game? Is hype a good thing?

    LBT: I jumped the gun and already spoke a bit to this above, probably because it’s the elephant in the room for some agrifoodtech sectors. It’s really hard to say good vs bad, however; you’re always going to get some hype and some hype can be warranted.

    The problem comes, especially in our relatively nascent industry, when you have new investors jumping on a bandwagon without truly understanding the sector yet (and again, agrifood is highly complex and unlike any other industry) and pushing valuations to unrealistic levels.

    We’re seeing a lot of this in alternative protein right now and it makes increasing numbers of startups un-investable for the more disciplined, and dedicated agrifoodtech investors. Without their knowledge and expertise, arguably startups could go down the wrong path and that’s where you might start to see some big failures. When the failures come, the newer money into the space then leaves, and that’s no go for anyone.

    While agrifoodtech startups raised over $50 billion in funding last year, it’s still underweight compared to its contribution to GDP, not to mention the massive climate and supply chain-related issues the industry is facing today.

    GQ: What do you make of the rise of angel investing and the democratization of investing?

    LBT: I’m always in favor of democratization of anything! I’m not sure it’s that new; AngelList has been around for a while—and crowdfunding platforms. It’s actually been an interesting journey for the latter because at one point crowdfunding was almost a dirty word; the implication was if you had to go the crowdfunding route it was because you were desperate and couldn’t get funding from real investors, however, it’s proven to make a lot of sense for food products trying to create a brand but also for agtech startups wanting to get farmers invested in their idea.

    With so many complaints from farmers that entrepreneurs are not building tools for them that they actually want or need, bringing them into the journey from the early days is an awesome idea.

    I’ve actually never dug into how that ends up influencing the direction a startup takes (great story idea there!) but I can’t imagine it’s a negative, even if the crazy big CAP table is a bit of a mess!

    But in short, I think everyone should have an opportunity to benefit—and I mean make money—from the growth of any industry. For too long this has been the preserve—or the pleasure, you could say—of the ultra-wealthy or large corporations and firms. There are of course concerns about the risks for smaller investors, which is why there are limits put in place about who can make venture investments.

    GQ: Are a lot of your readers investors?

    LBT: Our audience is predominantly made up of entrepreneurs, investors, and agrifood execs, but we do also have a significant number of farmers reading us, government bodies, NGOs, and anyone interested in the future of food!

    GQ: Do you get a lot of investment tips from readers?

    LBT: I’m not sure I ever have actually! But we love getting feedback from our readers and find they are pretty engaged. We’re always open to chat!

    GQ: What are some of your predictions for the sector?

    LBT: Food-as-medicine and personalized nutrition. Without wanting to promote the AgFunder portfolio too much, we do have two fantastic companies in this space that I’m very excited about: Faeth Therapeutics is discovering how different foods can aid in the treatment of cancer—mind-blowing!—and BrightSeed is discovering phytonutrients in crops that can combat chronic disease like diabetes.

    Lead photo courtesy of Louisa Burwood-Taylor.

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    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • The Price Gap Between Plant-Based And Conventional Meat Is Shrinking, New Analysis Finds

    A Plant-Based Future Is Certainly Possible
    3 Mins Read

    New findings published by ProVeg Netherlands show pricing between meat and alternative protein is shrinking.

    ProVeg Netherlands Worked with Questionmark on the pricing analysis across Dutch grocery stores. The researchers looked at 36 different products with comparable portion size. The group says while prices will vary by supermarket and product, the same trend “can be seen everywhere.”

    The findings

    According to ProVeg, in February, plant-based burgers were on average 56 cents per kilo more expensive than animal-based burgers. Now, they’ve dropped 78 cents per kilo below the price of meat.

    The report also found that vegan chicken dropped from 1.16 per kilo more than conventional to 37 cents per kilo cheaper today. Mincemeat dropped from 29 cents more per kilo to €1.36 cheaper per kilo currently.

    “The cause of the changes is entirely due to the increase in the price of meat, not to the reduction in the price of alternatives,” ProVeg said in a statement. “In most cases, plant-based meats remained the same price, or became slightly more expensive, but to a much lesser extent than meat. On average, meat became 21 percent more expensive between February and June, whilst plant-based meat alternatives rose in price by only two percent.”

    Photo by Nathalia Rose at Unsplash.

    “Meat has always been a product that requires an enormous amount of raw materials. To make one kilogram of meat, you need up to ten kilograms of grain. Now, in times of scarcity, that takes its toll,” Pablo Moleman of ProVeg Netherlands said in a statement. “Due to the large use of raw materials, meat is much more sensitive to disruptions in the world market than meat alternatives. Plant-based meat clearly wins out on efficiency, and we now see that reflected in the price.”

    Moleman says there are often “wafer-thin margins” on meat products. “Supermarkets try to attract customers by offering meat as cheaply as possible. Margins of around eight percent are common, and sometimes meat is even sold below cost. Meat alternatives, on the other hand, have margins of 35 percent to 50 percent. Those higher margins may have acted as a buffer to absorb the price blows, while with meat, supermarkets had no choice but to raise prices. That could explain why meat has been hit so hard by price increases and plant-based substitutes have not,” he said.

    Vegan meat prices dropping

    The findings follow another recent study on price parity between vegan and conventional meat, published by ProVeg Netherlands in May. That study looked at price comparisons over a five-year period. It found the price gap shrank between conventional and alternative proteins. It also found that more than half of all animal-derived products now have a plant-based counterpart that is either the same price or cheaper.

    Photo by Chuttersnap at Unsplash.

    That study was the first of its kind to look at price differences between conventional meat and plant-based meant in Dutch supermarkets including Albert Heijn, Jumbo, Lidl, Aldi, Dirk, and Plus.

    The research also found that soy milk and margarine are both cheaper than cow’s milk and butter. Dairy-free cheese slices, animal-free burgers, and schnitzels were also cheaper than animal-based alternatives in 50 percent of locations.

    “These results radically break with the established image that plant-based alternatives are by definition more expensive,” Moleman said in a statement following May’s findings. “Previous research has already shown that a largely plant-based diet consisting mainly of fresh plant-based foods, grains and legumes is considerably cheaper than an average Western diet,” he said.

    “The Questionmark research shows that these differences more or less cancel each other out, which means that as a plant-based consumer it is not more expensive.”

    Lead photo by Likemeat

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  • Ethical Pantry Staples Maker Voyage Foods Bags $36 Million To Accelerate CPG Aspirations

    4 Mins Read Californian food tech startup Voyage Foods is a step closer to launching its ethical pantry staples. The company has confirmed a $36 million Series A raise co-led by UBS O’Connor and Level One Fund. This brings total funding to $41.7 million. Other participants in the round included Horizons Ventures, SOSV’s Indie Bio, and Social Impact […]

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  • Gelatex Claims To Have Solved One Of Cultivated Meat’s Biggest Scaling Hurdles: Affordable Scaffolding

    3 Mins Read Estonia-based Gelatex claims that it has scaled its nanofiber scaffolding system to become capable of supporting 300 tonnes of cultivated meat per year. Using plant-based polymers, the startup has been able to drastically reduce the cost of substrates, removing another obstacle to commercial availability of cell-based protein products.  Conventional meat production has tripled in the […]

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  • The Vegan Women’s Summit Brought 800 Women Together for One Day. This Is What It Was Like Being One of Them.

    vegan women summit

    6 Mins Read On a sunny and very hot Friday this past April, I attended the Vegan Women Summit (VWS) in downtown Los Angeles. The all-day event took place at the City Market Social House and brought together 800 vegan female vegan powerhouses, from entrepreneurs and visionary icons to activists and celebs, and I was stoked to be […]

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  • China Holds First Cellular Agriculture Forum To Embolden Cultivated Meat Progress

    5 Mins Read Shanghai-based CellX has announced that the China Cellular Agriculture Forum has held its first event. Hosted on April 19 the panel was attended by approximately 30 companies within the cultivated sector. These represented meat producers, research teams, and infrastructure partners from both within and outside of China. The aims of the forum centred around the […]

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  • OneRare And Honeybee Burger Join Forces To Make The Metaverse More Meat-Free

    3 Mins Read OneRare, builder of the first food-centric metaverse platform has revealed LA-based mini-chain Honeybee Burger will be joining its world. The plant-based brand sees the joining of the ‘foodverse’ as a new way to make meat-free menu items recognisable, desirable and universally accessible. By joining OneRare, Honeybee will create a virtual location that can be accessed […]

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  • Animal Free Dairy Maker Perfect Day Acquires 3 New Manufacturing Plants In India, Announces New U.S. Hub

    3 Mins Read California’s Perfect Day has been confirmed as the winning bidder in an auction for Mumbai-based Sterling Biotech. The reported final figure was Rs 638 crore, with the reserve set as Rs 548.46 crore. Sterling entered into the liquidation process following insolvency and a failure to provide any resolution plan. Proceedings were started in 2018 by […]

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  • What Does the Future of Food Taste Like? A Lot Like Its Past, It Turns Out.

    taste the future luncheon

    7 Mins Read Last month, on an early spring afternoon, I was seated inside the Four Seasons hotel in Beverly Hills for a lunch dubbed “Taste the Future: A Luncheon Celebration of the Future of Food.” The “future of food” is a popular mantra for the times as food tech companies and farmers alike aim to fix a […]

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  • This Swiss Fermentation Manufacturing Platform Snagged $8.1 Million To Scale Its ‘New Food Revolution’

    3 Mins Read Planetary has confirmed it has raised $8.1 million in a seed financing round. Astanor Ventures led the investment, with XAnge, Blue Horizon, Nucleus Capital and more participating. The Geneva-based food tech is planning to use the money raised to complete the design and construction of a flagship site in Switzerland. And transplantable industrial-scale microbial fermentation […]

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  • Dao Foods Unveils Latest Cohort Of China-Focused Startups To Receive Incubator Investment

    4 Mins Read Dao Foods International has released the names of the latest six alternative protein companies to be welcomed into its incubator programme. They represent the third cohort since the project launched in 2020. The incubator scheme is intended to support and invest in 25-30 alt-protein companies that are China-specific, by the end of 2023. Companies do […]

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  • Antibiotic-Free Meat? Not So Fast. New Study Finds Widespread Labeling Inaccuracies.

    antibiotics in meat

    5 Mins Read Public concern over antibiotic use in livestock production has led to a market boom for animals raised without antibiotics (RWA) such as certified organic. But there are loopholes there, too, and new findings published in the journal Science suggest a system that’s riddled with challenges. More than 80 percent of U.S. antibiotic supplies are used […]

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  • Dutch Government Awards €60 Million To Domestic Cellular Agriculture Ecosystem

    4 Mins Read The Netherlands has announced that it has awarded €60 million to support the creation of a domestic cellular agriculture ecosystem as part of the country’s National Growth Fund, which is deploying € 20 billion over the next five years towards innovative, high-potential industries with strong growth credentials. The amount represents the largest ever single investment […]

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  • South African Startup Unveils Continent’s First Cultivated Beef Burger

    3 Mins Read Mzansi Meat has debuted Africa’s first-ever cultivated beef burger. It comes one month after the startup announced it would be showcasing the dish at a special event in Cape Town. Both of Mzani’s co-founders attended, alongside the company’s head of taste. The latter served the dish to Alderman James Vos, a mayoral committee member for […]

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  • The Sustainable Superfood: Big Players Say Microalgae Is The Future Game Changer

    4 Mins Read In just three decades time, we could be looking at a planet of 10 billion people, and we’re going to have to drastically change our current food system if we are to feed the entire world healthily, safely and sustainably alongside the challenges we will face due to climate change. While there is no single […]

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  • ‘Meat Techno-Fixes’ Are Not The Solution to Unsustainable Food Systems, New IPES-Food Report Claims

    5 Mins Read A report from IPES-Food has laid bare what it considers an oversimplification of sustainable food issues. It focuses on the conventional trope of comparing intensive animal agriculture and its resulting products, to plant-based alternatives. Revealing that the move to a viable system is not as simple as adopting alternative proteins, the report claims that zoning […]

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  • Gene-Edited Leafy Greens Are Coming In Latest Push For Consumer Acceptance Of Modified Foods

    3 Mins Read North Carolina startup Pairwise is looking to leverage the power of produce, while making it better. Founded in 2017, the company is focused on using proprietary genome editing techniques to amplify the appeal of fresh fruits and vegetables. Where it claims to set itself apart is with full transparency about the gene alteration methodology. The […]

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  • 5 Reasons Besides Its Delicious Vegan Chicken That Will Make You Fall In Love With Atlas Monroe

    4 Mins Read

    Atlas Monroe is a California-based startup that focuses on delivering succulent plant-based meats with comfort food flavours.

    Known for its vegan fried chicken, Atlas Monroe was propelled to fame, following founder Deborah Torres’ appearance on Shark Tank.

    From founder Torres’ iron-clad will to what many call the best friend chicken, animal or plant-based, that they’ve ever eaten, Atlas Monroe is a company to know, love and support. Here are our top five reasons why you need to get on board:

    Photo by Atlas Monroe.

    1. Atlas Monroe is a Black female-owned business

    Black female-owned businesses in the food industry are making waves. Focused on recreating dishes that speak of community, heritage and love, these women are determined to add an extra nuance to their recipes in the form of health and democratisation. 

    Dietary racism is a scourge, particularly in the U.S, where many low-income communities struggle to access cost-effective healthy food. The result is a natural leaning towards cheap convenience meals that exacerbate prevalent conditions, particularly in BIPOC communities. Heart disease, obesity and diabetes are cited. Add in a higher likelihood of lactose intolerance and the need for accessible vegan and vegetarian options becomes clear. Atlas Monroe is one Black female-owned startup that never lost sight of who could benefit most from the products, similarly to Slutty Vegan, headed up by Pinky Cole, and Souley Vegan, founded by Tamearra Dyson.

    2. Founder Deborah Torres knows her worth 

    When offered $1 million to hand over her entire company to Mark Cuban, on Shark Tank, Torres said no. She recognised the unusually high offer as a sign that there was scope for the company and a growing market for the products. She also knew that she had the power and skills to take the company to its full potential, alone. “The fact you guys are even offering a million dollars lets me know you do understand what we are worth,” she said in the episode. Even when faced with aggressive bullying tactics including being told, at volume, that “everybody in America wants to be here you are right now”, Torres did not back down.

    3. Atlas Monroe is the world’s largest manufacturer of plant-based fried chicken

    What happened after Torres turned down $1 million for her company? She turned Atlas Monroe into the biggest manufacturer of vegan fried chicken in the world. By the end of last year, the company was producing one million pounds of chicken, from its new multimillion-dollar plant in San Diego.

    The need for new premises was highlighted by a surge in sales following the Shark Tank appearance. The company reported one year ago that it had topped $2 million in direct-to-consumer sales. Torres has remained humble and wry, telling VegNews, “I think God works in mysterious ways because what was meant to harm me propelled me to where I am today—the proud and sole owner of the world’s largest vegan fried chick’n manufacturing company and 100-percent owner of a multi-million dollar manufacturing facility,” in an interview in 2021.

    4. Vegan fried chicken was just the start of a groundbreaking menu

    Plant-based crispy chicken might be where Atlas Monroe started but it has expanded significantly since. Today, patrons can find crispy chicken sat alongside lasagne, applewood-smoked ribs, bacon, stuffed turkey rolls and Caribbean rice. The company has sought to build on its legacy and offer more comfort and soul food options that many vegans and vegetarians think they have to miss out on.

    The company makes its vision clear: to serve food that proves an alternative, healthy lifestyle doesn’t have to be bland or sacrificial.

    Photo by Atlas Monroe.

    5. The Shark Tank appearance exposed systemic racism and misogyny

    Setting food aside for one moment, Atlas Monroe being pitched on Shark Tank exposed the prevailing racism and misogyny that Black and female entrepreneurs face. Torres graduated high school at 15 before completing her first degree at 17. Despite this, the show, she claims, was edited to make her look incompetent. She has been explicit in her damnation of the edit that undermines her intelligence and business acumen. 

    “I was completely blindsided when it aired and had no idea the effect it would have on my life,” Torres told VegNews. “I mean, if we are going to talk about it honestly, just imagine being a Black woman in America graduating high school at age 15 and receiving your first degree at 17 all to be made to look like an idiot on national television for the sake of views, when you were just trying to pursue your dreams—it was crushing, to say the least.”

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  • Bluu Seafood Releases Its First 2 Cultivated Fish Products

    Bluu fish sticks
    3 Mins Read

    German food tech company Bluu Seafood, is showing off its first cell-based fish as it readies for regulatory approval processes across Europe, Asia, and North America.

    Bluu is the first European-based cultivated fish producer to reveal market-ready products: fish sticks and fish balls. Both are made from a “one-time” fish biopsy that didn’t take the life of the animal. Cell lines were developed from the single extraction and cultivated in bioreactors.

    This technology—what’s called “immortalized cells”—reduces the need for additional animal samples, proving an independent supply chain is possible without repeated cell samples needed.

    “That is the amazing thing about ‘immortalized’ cells—while ‘normal’ cells double for, let’s say, 20 times and then stop, the immortalized cells keep on doubling—theoretically forever,” Bluu co-founder Simon Fabich told TechCrunch.

    Photo by Bluu Seafood.

    Blluu, which launched in 2020, is working on Atlantic Salmon, rainbow trout, and carp. For now, it’s also sidestepping the more complicated whole muscle meat products like Wildtype’s whole cut Pacific salmon fillets, for fish sticks and fish balls. “From a product perspective, the structure of fish meat is easier to achieve than the more complex mammalian meat structure — think salmon fillet versus steak,” Fabich explained.

    “We are working in parallel on more complex products such as fish fillet and sashimi, of which prototypes already exist,” Fabich said. “But those are without a doubt harder to scale, and it will take more time to achieve price parity with the conventional product.”

    Bluu Seafood and CellX

    In April, Bluu announced a strategic partnership with China’s CellX to address food security concerns.

    CellX is the leading cultivated meat enterprise in China. TheShanghai-based operation debuted a number of products in 2021, most notably its cell-based pork.

    CellX and Bluu are both proactive in moving the cultivated meat sector toward global regulatory approval. Chris Dammann, COO of Bluu Seafood, is a vice president and board member of Cellular Agriculture Europe. Representing for CellX is Ziliang Yang, founder and CEO, who has taken on the role of secretary of the APAC Society for Cellular Agriculture.

    CellX cultivated meat. Photo by CellX.

    “China has the world’s largest consumption of seafood and is, therefore, a particularly important market for Bluu Seafood,” Fabich said in a statement in April. “Together with CellX, we are working to overcome the challenges in sourcing, scaling, and obtaining regulatory approval concerning cultivated fish and meat to bring affordable and tasty products to market.”

    The strategic partnership includes collaborative support along the value chains of both brands including aw material sourcing, construction of regional production facilities, and potential sales partnerships. Together, the two aim to raise consumer acceptance levels for cultivated products and share supply partnerships.

    “We are pleased to form this strategic partnership with Bluu Seafood as an industry leader in cultivated seafood and board member of Cellular Agriculture Europe,” Ziliang Tang, CEO at CellX said in a statement. “CellX and Bluu Seafood have a complementary focus regarding species and market geographies. This partnership will serve as a starting point for deeper collaboration between the two companies and will encourage more collaboration across the industry. We are solving a global issue, and this requires a global solution.”

    Lead photo by Bluu Seafood.

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  • Top 5 Things I Tasted At Future Food Tech San Francisco

    Future Food Tech 2022 Review

    7 Mins Read Despite our team missing what felt like the alt protein industry reunion of the year (major FOMO), we managed to to get Vegan Women Summit founder Jennifer Stojkovic to tell us what her favorite things were so we could share them with you. Below, she offers up her honest review of the creations of five […]

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  • South Korean Cultivated Meat Startup TissenBioFarm Raises $1.6 Million In Pre-Series A

    2 Mins Read

    Preparing to disrupt South Korea’s protein market, TissenBioFarm has closed a 2.2 billion KRW (approx. 1.6million USD) pre-Series A funding round.

    TissenBioFarm, an offshoot of Thyssen Biopharmaceuticals, says the new funding was led by impact investing company, Envisioning Partners, with FuturePlay and Stonebridge Ventures participating. Mirae Holdings, an existing investment company, also made a follow-up investment. The new funding follows its $400,000 raise in the spring.

    The funding will support expansion plans for its research facility and the building of a production system that goes beyond its laboratory setting. It will also work on developing animal cell proliferation and differentiation technologies ahead of consumer launches once regulatory approvals are in place.

    Courtesy TissenBioFarm

    TissenBioFarm says it effectively replicates the texture, marbling, and nutrition of conventional meat. This technique is highly scalable, the company says, with the ability to mass produce whole-cut cultured meat using animal cells and functional bio-ink.

    “In the global cultured meat field, it is very challenging to create meat as thick as a steak through cell culture methodology,” Wonil Han, CEO of TissenBioFarm, said in a statement. “Furthermore, replicating the meat texture and marbling in cultured meat, and mass-producing them requires cutting-edge technologies. Our technologies will provide high-quality cultured meat that is competitive in taste, nutrition, sensory, and price in the near future.” 

    Tissen has created three bio-inks that it says are capable of being mass-produced for about $0.33 per 100 grams. The inks have applications in both cultivated and plant-based meat.

    Tisson’s largest-ever cultivated meat sample.

    “Thyssen Biopharmaceuticals [and Tissen] is showing innovation in mass production technology beyond the limitations of the existing cultured meat production method represented by cells, culture medium, and support,” Kim Jae-hyeon of recent investor Mirae Holdings, said in a statement earlier this year.

    “We expect to grow into a future food company that will solve the problems of animal ethics in the slaughter process and imbalance between supply and demand in the meat market by promoting the popularization of cultured meat in the meat market.”

    All photos by TissenBioFarm.

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  • Mogale Meat Has Big Cultivated Meat Plans for Africa, Starting With Chicken

    4 Mins Read South African food tech startup Mogale Meat has unveiled the first cultivated chicken to come out of Africa. The company claims the innovation represents a new dawn for African food security, alongside biodiversity and wildlife conservation. It also comes as Africa’s population is expected to double in the next 30 years and the continent moves […]

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  • Tobacco Plants Heralded As the Secret To Cultivated Meat Scale-Up By Israeli Food Tech Startup

    4 Mins Read BioBetter has revealed it is using tobacco plants to drive down costs associated with cultivated meat production. Citing scaled production as the remaining big obstacle for the industry, the startup has identified a way to harness tobacco plants. For the good of human and planetary health, BioBetter is using them to create growth factors essential […]

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  • ‘We Can All Win’- Early Alt Protein VC Chris Kerr Talks Overhype, The Role Of Media And Why Success Is About Sticking To The Basics

    Chris Kerr Unovis VC

    17 Mins Read A few weeks, I sat down (via Zoom) with Chris Kerr to talk about the alternative protein industry. Chris is the founding partner and Chief Investment Officer at Unovis Capital Management and their early-stage venture capital fund New Crop Capital to. Their investment thesis revolves around identifying companies that are successfully creating products that can […]

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  • PHW Confirms SuperMeat Partnership To Introduce Cultivated Poultry To European Market 

    4 Mins Read Germany’s PHW group, one of the largest poultry producers in Europe, has confirmed the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Israel-based SuperMeat. It formalises a joint goal of bringing cultivated poultry products to European consumers. Chicken, duck and turkey have been specifically cited for future manufacture.  The two food producers will combine their […]

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  • Europe On Track To Become Leading Global Hub For Food Tech,  New Report Suggests

    5 Mins Read DigitalFoodLab has released its annual State Of The European FoodTech Ecosystem report. Key highlights include 2021 being a record year for total investment, median funding amounts, and number of deals secured. Globally, Europe now holds 20 percent of the food tech sector, up from 12 percent in 2021. Main drivers for growth include grocery delivery […]

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