Agriculture / Agribusiness

The Future of Protein Report

©TrueInvestor

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

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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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Danish Plantbased Business Association

Image source: Danish Plantbased Business Association social media

Danish Government Launches “Plant Fund” to Invest $100M in Plant-Based Foods 

The Danish government will invest over $100 million into a new ‘Plantefonden’ – or Plant Fund – to promote climate-friendly plant-based foods. The Danish Plantbased Business Association has been named on the board of the Plant Fund, an initiative of the Danish Agency for Agriculture. A historic amount of DKK 675 million (100 million USD) has been set aside until 2030 for the Plant Fund, going exclusively to plant-based foods. The Plant Fund is a central initiative in the agricultural agreement in the Danish government, as it looks to embrace the climate benefits and increased food security of the plant-based economy.  All political parties but one in Denmark have got behind the landmark agreement. The Danish Plant-Based Foods Association has pushed hard for the fund …

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Syocin develops platform to protect food crops from bacteria

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Blue Horizon Invests in Syocin to Protect Food Crops Without Harming the Environment

Pure play impact investor Blue Horizon has announced an investment in Syocin, a company that is developing treatments to protect food crops from bacterial disease. The bactericides currently in common use can disrupt soil microbiomes, damage ecosystems, and pose a danger to agricultural workers. But Syocin’s high-precision protein-based solutions will be non-toxic and fully biodegradable. The company is working on a proprietary Synthetic Biology Platform which will allow it to develop new biobactericides in the space of months rather than years. Syocin will begin by developing bactericides for diseases affecting citrus fruits and tomatoes, but it is hoped that the technology could ultimately be used to develop solutions for any plant bacterial disease. LATAM biotech fund GRIDX and the European GISEV Family Office have also …

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Oat Canada

©Oat Canada

Protein Industries Canada Invests $4.1M in Better Oat Protein from Oat Canada & Roquette

Nonprofit consortium Protein Industries Canada (PIC) announces a $4.1 million investment to develop novel, nutritionally superior oat ingredients and products, including Canada’s first oat-based protein.  The project, which will involve a collaboration between beverage brand Oat Canada and ingredient supplier Roquette, aims to build on Canada’s status as a leading global oat producer by expanding applications for its vast oat crop. In order to meet growing demand for sustainably produced foods and to strengthen supply chains, the project also hopes to significantly grow Canada’s domestic processing capabilities.  “Increasing our domestic ingredient processing capacity is one of the most important steps in strengthening Canada’s economy and food supply chain, as well as the health of our environment,” says Protein Industries Canada CEO Bill Greuel.  New oat research …

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Mushrooms growing

Photo by Phoenix Han on Unsplash

Mushrooms and Regenerative Agriculture Top List of Natural Trends for 2022

US natural foods brokerage Presence has released its first annual report, with research conducted by SPINS, assessing major trends in the food, beverage, and wellness industries. Several of the report’s key insights are highlighted here.  Rise of regenerative agriculture According to the report, the popularity of regenerative farming has soared and will play a key role in shaping the future of agriculture. Business interest in regenerative agriculture has increased 138% since 2019, with this approach to farming gaining heavy favor during the pandemic.  As a term, regenerative agriculture refers to a movement that promotes ecological harmony and biodiversity while prioritizing soil health. Regenerative tactics such as no-till planting and the use of cover crops will help make agriculture more appealing to conscious consumers, who don’t …

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PureField Ingredients wheat blue

©PureField Ingredients

Conflict in Ukraine to Cause Spike in Food Prices Worldwide

The G20’s Agricultural Market Information System (AMIS) has warned that the current conflict in Ukraine will bring a spike in food prices that will threaten food security globally. Russia and Ukraine together produce 29% of the world’s wheat, along with 19% of corn and a huge 80% of sunflower oil. The countries are also key producers of fertilisers and fuel, both important for agriculture. AMIS has urged G20 countries to avoid imposing sanctions on Russia that could disrupt food trade flows, with a particular emphasis on ensuring that those in low-income countries have adequate supplies of affordable food. However, food security is still likely to be affected by the conflict, as there may be disruption to crop production. The news comes at a difficult time …

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Kathryn Cook NuCicer CEO

Kathryn Cook CEO ©NuCicer

NuCicer Raises $4.5M to Halve Cost of a Plant Protein for the First Time Ever

Father-daughter-run company NuCicer raises $4.5 million for ultra-high protein chickpeas. NuCicer, a US plant genetics company that is a spinoff from UC Davis, has raised $4.5 million in an oversubscribed seed funding round. The round was led by Lever VC, with participation from The House Fund, Trellis Road, and Lifely VC. Founded by Kathryn Cook (formerly of Facebook and Boeing), along with her father Douglas Cook (a UC Davis researcher), NuCicer has developed a variety of chickpea that contains up to 75% more protein than the regular kind. This has the potential to slash the cost of chickpea protein by half — the first time this will ever have been achieved for a plant protein. The company says it will use the funding to support …

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Salon de l'agriculture

© Salon de l'agriculture

Europe’s Plant-Based Leaders Are Invited to the Salon de l’Agriculture!

The world is changing and opening up to plant-based food. In November 2020, the world’s largest animal meat show, the IFFA, said it would open up to alternative proteins for the first time when the show makes its comeback – following a two-year break due to Covid-19 – in May 2022. Indeed, after seven decades entirely devoted to butchery, plant-based meat will be highlighted for the first time during this iconic show. On the French side, it is the turn of the Salon de l’Agriculture, which takes place from 26 February to 6 March 2022 at the Porte de Versailles in Paris, to open up to plant-based meats. Among more than 1,000 exhibitors, three leading startups from the global plant scene will present their alternative …

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PureField Ingredients wheat blue

©PureField Ingredients

PureField Ingredients Expands Wheat Protein Production by 50% Despite Shortage in The US

PureField Ingredients, the largest domestic supplier of wheat protein in the United States, just announced that it has completed the expansion of a US facility to meet the growing demand for wheat protein. The expansion of its facility in Kansas commenced in 2020 and increased PureField’s annual production by 50% of its Heartland brand protein, positioning the company to help meet increasing demand from the rapidly expanding wheat protein market. This expansion enhances PureField’s ability to serve customers with its reliable, American-made wheat protein. Wheat protein shortage in the US While the global demand for wheat protein is increasing, the US is experiencing a wheat protein shortage due to a twofold plague in 2021, a low-protein winter wheat crop and limited spring wheat production. As …

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