Agriculture / Agribusiness

yellow peas

@Сергей Михайлов - stock.adobe.com

Equinom Achieves a “Game-Changing” 75% Protein Content for Yellow Pea Protein Ingredient

Equinom announces today it has achieved a record 75% protein content in a minimally processed yellow pea protein ingredient using its Manna™ technology platform.  According to the company, based on current market research and publicly available information, no other pea protein exists on the market today with this high level of protein content without the use of chemical processing. Equinom states that while advancements still need to be made to make this possible at commercial scale, the achievement demonstrates its ability to rapidly develop unique plant protein ingredients optimized for food applications that help producers to meet rising demands for sustainable foods. “We’re proud of this significant achievement with our pea protein and are truly excited by the possibilities our innovative approach can unlock for …

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Protein Power Bowl allplants

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Report: Sufficient Plant Protein is Already Produced to Feed the Entire World

Research by Dr. Stacy Pyett of Wageningen University says that the world is already producing sufficient plant protein to feed the entire population. About 520 million tons of plant protein are produced annually, with a third of this wasted either during processing, storage, or by consumers. This leaves 346 million tons remaining. However, around 50% of this is currently turned into livestock feed. Based on the minimum amount of protein required for good health, 172 million tons would be needed annually to feed eight billion people. Even with a more generous protein allowance, equivalent to the amount currently eaten by the Dutch population, only 227 million tons would be needed. This means that if the world transitioned to a plant-based diet, the amount of protein …

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Soupergirl

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Soupergirl Launches Fair Food Soup at Whole Foods to Fight Farm Worker Abuse

Plant-based brand Soupergirl announces it has become the first consumer packaged goods company to obtain Fair Food certification in an effort to protect farm workers’ rights. Soupergirl’s tomato gazpacho line now carries the Fair Food label, which can be found at select Whole Foods locations.  The Fair Food Program is a national effort to ensure just wages and humane working conditions for migrant workers who pick America’s fruits and vegetables. Created by the Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW), the nonprofit fights rampant labor and gender-based abuses found throughout the agricultural industry. Several major retailers have signed on to the program, including Whole Foods, Walmart, and Ahold.  To celebrate the launch of its Fair Food gazpacho at Whole Foods, Soupergirl held a free sampling event with …

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Moolec Science

©Moolec Science

$504M Moolec to Become “World’s First” Molecular Farming FoodTech Listed on Nasdaq

Moolec Science has entered a new business agreement that will see it become the first molecular farming foodtech to be listed on Nasdaq. The foodtech ingredient pioneer is aiming to become a category creator in the alternative protein landscape and has entered a definitive business combination agreement with LightJump Acquisition Corp, a special purpose acquisition company. UK-based Moolec focuses on developing real animal proteins in plants using molecular farming; a scalable, affordable, and sustainable technology which is the production of animal proteins using plants as small factories. The transaction sets Moolec’s proforma equity value at $504 million and upon closing the combined company is expected to be listed on Nasdaq under the ticker symbol “MLEC”.  Targeting the rapidly expanding alt protein sector, Moolec claims its …

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Beans Willicroft

©Willicroft

Willicroft Sows First White Beans in Renegenerative Farming Project, Preparing For 2023 Upscale

Willicroft, the Netherlands brand which became the first plant-based cheese B Corp this March, reveals to vegconomist it has sown its first white beans — the staple ingredient in the brand’s cheese recipes — as it prepares to upscale in 2023. Two years ago, Willicroft became aware of the extremely high emissions of cashews — the previous main ingredient — through an initial lifecycle assessment. The team set about looking for alternative ingredients that could tackle a multitude of factors – lower emissions, similar nutritional profile, neutral colour and flavour to name a few. Most importantly, this new base ingredient needed to be grown within or close to its consumer base in the Netherlands. Two weeks ago, the first seeds of white beans were sown …

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Steve Howard of Singaporean state investor Temasek

Steve Howard. © Temasek

Singaporean State Investor Temasek Says Alt-Proteins Are Vital For Food Security

Steve Howard, Chief Sustainability Officer at Singapore’s state investor Temasek, has said that plant-based proteins are an important way of improving food security. Speaking to CNBC, Howard explained that about 80% of farmland is used for animal agriculture, with a huge proportion of crops grown being fed to farmed animals. In contrast, only 18% of calories come from animal foods. With climate change already negatively impacting crop production, current grain stores may not be enough to sustain the world’s population. Diversification, especially a switch to alt-proteins, could significantly reduce this inefficiency. Along with preventing food shortages, it could protect those on low incomes from rising food prices. “More plant-based protein, more alternative proteins — that can really build in food security,” Howard told CNBC. “We …

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plant-based protein research

© CSIRO

GrainCorp, v2food and CSIRO Collaborate for $4.4M Plant-Based Protein Research Project

Australia’s GrainCorp has announced it will be joining forces with alt-meat company v2food and the country’s national science agency, CSIRO, to conduct plant-based protein research. Through the partnership, GrainCorp is seeking to improve domestic manufacturing and supply chains for plant-based proteins in order to reduce reliance on imports. The company has already received funding from the Australian Government’s Cooperative Research Centres Projects to process canola, soy, fava bean, and chickpea protein. Together, the three organisations will identify infrastructure improvements needed to commercialise Australian crops — in particular, they will work to improve plant processing capabilities at GrainCorp’s site in Victoria. The Victoria state government has also recently announced it will support plant-based protein research by awarding a A$12 million grant to the Grains Innovation Precinct. …

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COFE EU

Image courtesy of CIWF EU​

EU Citizens Tell Their Leaders to Shift to a More Sustainable Food System

The Conference on the Future of Europe (COFE) has called for a shift to sustainable diets, plant-based eating, and increased animal welfare. The citizen-led EU initiative enables people from across the bloc to propose ideas, with a transition to a more sustainable food system high among citizens’ concerns. The COFE is based on a series of discussions featuring citizens and EU representatives, from which the urgency to shift to a more sustainable food system has arisen. The conference heard about the importance of promoting plant-based diets during the discussions, including fostering knowledge and creating awareness on how reducing the consumption of animal products promotes climate protection and the preservation of the environment. As well as organic farming and sustainable agriculture, according to Compassion in World …

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The Future of Protein Report

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First-of-Its-Kind “The Future of Protein” Report Features 30 Curated Opinions from Alt Protein Experts

TrueInvestor, an international community of investors in the agrifood space, has released The Future of Protein – its first Global Investor Trend Report. Unlike other research reports, The Future of Protein features 30 written contributions from leading experts in the cultivated, fermentation and plant-based fields. Notable excerpts are highlighted here.  Fermentation is outperforming cultivated meat “While cultured meat is not going to be realistically viable in less than a decade or two, fermentation is quickly emerging as the true game-changer of the food revolution…It is not unrealistic to conceive a food system where a combination of vertical farming, plant-based meat manufacturing and small fermentation plants…will become an essential element of large food retail institutions.” -Sebastian Cossia Castaglione, Vegan Capital True deliciousness is essential  “True deliciousness …

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Nature's Fynd Yellowstone Park/ Buffalo

©Nature's Fynd

Nature’s Fynd Awarded $4.76M Grant to Expand Fermentation Tech to Rural Farmers

Nature’s Fynd, a food company growing novel Fy™ protein from fermented microbes, has received a $4.76M grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to introduce its fermentation technology in low- and middle-income farming communities. Intended to bolster global food security, the multi-year grant will support the development of inde­pen­dent fer­men­ta­tion-based pro­duc­tion units that can provide more income and nutritional benefits to rural farmers.  “Decentralizing fermentation” According to the company, approximately 1/3 of the world’s food is produced by 500 million small farming households in Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa. However, most of these households live off of less than $2 per day and manage less than five acres of land, limiting farmers’ opportunities to diversify their income and invest in greater production. By decentralizing the production …

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chicken factory farm

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VegTech Invest Releases Video Describing Harmful Effects of Animal Ag For Earth Day

VegTech™ Invest, advisor to the VegTech Plant-based Innovation financial products, including the VegTech™ Plant-based Innovation & Alternative Proteins Index (Ticker EATVI), releases a no holds barred video for Earth Day, intending to educate the public on animal ag’s negative practices.  Animal ag: outdated in every way  “Animal agriculture is the leading cause of deforestation, a major contributor to climate change, and an inefficient, resource-intensive system that isn’t capable of feeding a growing population of almost 10 billion by 2050. An outdated system in every way, we wanted to share these facts with the financial community at large,” says CEO of VegTech™ Invest, Elysabeth Alfano. “Plant-based Innovation and Alternative Proteins are disrupting the global food supply system. Made possible with plant-based innovation, alternative proteins create fewer …

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Farmer Toolkit

Farmer Toolkit

Miyoko’s Creamery, Mercy for Animals and Animal Outlook Launch Toolkit to Help Farmers Transition to Plants

Three of the largest organizations in farmed animal welfare have joined forces to launch The Farmer Toolkit – a first-of-its-kind online information hub to help US farmers transition away from industrial animal agriculture.  Mercy for Animals’ Transfarmation project partnered with Animal Outlook and Miyoko’s Creamery Dairy Farm Transition program to construct the Toolkit, which provides extensive guidance and support for farmers looking to shift from animal agriculture to plant-focused farming.  Among many benefits, The Farmer Toolkit provides: State-by-state resources Funding opportunities Marketing guidance for selling products Information on growing specialty crops Enterprise budgets Webinars Publicity Facilitating better farming Through its programs, Mercy for Animals’ Transfarmation has already assisted numerous animal farmers to successfully shift their farms to grow sustainable crops like hemp and mushrooms.  As …

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kfc marketing campaign

© VFC

VFC Condemns KFC Marketing Campaign as “Utterly Misleading”

Plant-based fried chicken brand VFC has responded furiously to a new KFC marketing campaign that appears to show high welfare standards at a farm supplying the fast-food chain. For the campaign, KFC teamed up with social media influencer Niko Omilana, inviting him to go “behind the bucket” at the chicken farm. The film shows the floor of the shed covered in fresh straw, perches and bells provided to enrich the chickens’ lives, healthy birds, and a reasonable amount of space. But VFC was sceptical, having investigated several poultry farms and found consistently poor conditions. The company, which has previously said it intends to “take on the chicken industry” and “end factory farming”, tracked down the farm used in the film and entered with a filmmaker. …

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Product developer preparing a burger and fries_Shanghai-5285

Image supplied by ADM

ADM Announces $300M Investment to Grow Alt-Protein Production and Open Protein Innovation Center

Agrifoods giant Archer Daniels Midland Co (ADM) announces the company is investing approximately $300 million to expand its alternative protein production facilities in Decatur, IL, in addition to opening a new state-of-the-art Protein Innovation Center. Once completed, these and other investments are expected to grow ADM’s global alternative protein production capacity by more than 30%, the company says.  Major increase in production ADM says increased production is needed to meet strong and growing consumer demand for quality plant proteins. The expansion of its Decatur-based complex, scheduled to be completed in Q1 of 2025, will significantly increase the company’s soy protein concentrate capacity and double its extrusion capabilities. ADM will also use the latest technology and processes to conform to its environmental sustainability standards.  “Protein partner …

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Canada veg

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Industry Groups Join Forces to Strengthen Canada’s Plant-Based Food Policies

Protein Industries Canada announces it is partnering with Loblaw Companies Ltd., Pulse Canada, and Plant-Based Foods of Canada to strengthen Canada’s plant-based foods regulations and establish a Regulatory Centre of Excellence.  A total of $1.6 million is being invested in the endeavor, which is Protein Industries’ 38th project announcement aimed at supporting Canada’s growing plant-based food and ingredient sector. Through consumer surveys and experiments, the partners will engage with Canada’s government to address critical knowledge gaps in regulating plant-based food products. The group has identified several key policy areas in need of modernization, including: Protein labelling claims (e.g. determining if a product is a “good source of protein”) Naming conventions (how and when companies can use terms such as “plant-based cheese”, “sausage” or “patties”) Development …

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