Protein

©Bosque Foods

ProVeg Incubator Announces 10th Cohort, Seeking Startups in Plant-Based, Fermentation & Cultivated Foods

The ProVeg Incubator, the world’s first and leading alt-protein startup accelerator, invites applications for its tenth cohort, announcing that it has increased the amount of investment for this edition. Startups that join and complete the programme can now benefit from up to €300K investment — an increase from the previous €250K — including €75K worth of in-kind services. The Incubator aims to support mission-driven startups working on plant-based, fermentation, and cultured-food products and technologies. Startups applying for the cohort should, through their offering, provide the potential to remove animals from the global food system, either by the production of alternatives to animal products or through supporting technology.  Based in Berlin, the Incubator especially welcomes applications from startups developing egg, seafood, and chicken alternatives, as well …

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Daiz Miracle Meat logo

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Japan’s Daiz to Expand its “Miracle Meat” Internationally Through Roquette Deal

Plant protein leader Roquette announces an investment and business partnership with the Japanese plant-based meat ingredients company Daiz, referred to as the Impossible Foods of Japan. Through the business alliance, the companies will produce the pea-based Miracle Meat  — a texturized vegetable protein originally developed using soy — as part of Roquette’s pea protein portfolio development and Daiz’s market expansion goals. Pierre Courduroux, CEO of Roquette, said: “Our objective is to be the best partner for our customers as they develop delicious products that will encourage more consumers to enjoy plant-based food more often. This investment in Daiz reflects our commitment to developing plant-based ingredients to meet those expectations.” The Impossible Foods of Japan Daiz’s proprietary technology, Ochiai Germination Method, uses plant seed germination and extrusion process …

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3D-printable mycoprotein

© Revo Foods/Mycorena

Revo Foods and Mycorena Receive €1.5M to Develop 3D-Printable Mycoprotein

Austria’s Revo Foods and Sweden’s Mycorena have received a €1.5 million grant for their joint project of developing 3D-printable mycoprotein. The funds come from Swedish innovation agency Vinnova, the Austrian Research Promotion Agency, and cross-border EU funding program Eurostars. Applications were highly competitive, so the companies’ success demonstrates that there is significant interest in innovative mycoprotein solutions. “Getting this recognition from such an attractive and competitive initiative like Eurostars further emphasises that the technology we are developing is really an important part of creating a sustainable food system,” said Paulo Teixeira, Chief Innovation Officer at Mycorena. Whole-cut alt seafood First announced in October, the joint project is working on technologies and processes to create mycoprotein suitable for additive food manufacturing. It has a particular focus …

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a banner that says "regulation"

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The Alternative Proteins Regulatory Tracker: New Tool Provides Up-to-Date Information For Sector

Dentons, which claims to be the largest multinational law firm in the world, announces the Alternative Proteins Regulatory Tracker, a new tool for companies operating in the alt protein space providing an overview of global regulatory regimes for the sector. According to the law firm, since its launch in January 2023, the tracker covers ten jurisdictions, including the EU and its 27 member states, with more jurisdictions to follow. The tracker will help companies with the following:  Staying up-to-date with changes in the regulatory regimes for alternative proteins in different jurisdictions Comparing the regulatory approaches of different governments Staying informed about new developments in regulatory regimes for alternative proteins Dentons explains that food manufacturers often face restrictions concerning the designation and labelling of alternative protein products. “The regulatory pathway for bringing …

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ProVeg Webinar: Hybrid Products – When Plant-Based Meets Cultivated

Food awareness organisation ProVeg International recently released a report on consumer acceptance of hybrid products blending plant-based and cultivated ingredients. In comparison to conventional meat, cultivated meat offers numerous benefits in terms of taste, health, food justice, animal welfare, and the environment. However, it will be some time before cultivated meat products reach the market, other than in Singapore, where it has already gained regulatory approval. Ethical foods In the meantime, there are opportunities to combine plant-based with cultivated meat ingredients in order to respond more quickly to consumer demands for healthier, more sustainable, and more ethical food products. Developing specific cultivated-meat components, such as fat, means facing fewer technological and regulatory hurdles compared to developing a complete meat product, and thus has the potential …

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four heura chorizos on a plate

© Heura

Spain’s Alternative Protein Sector Stands Out Among Food Tech Investments in 2022

In 2022, Spain remained prominent among the top ten European food tech countries according to Eatable Adventures’ report, The State of Foodtech in Spain 2022. Here we take a look at some top-ranking Spanish alt food brands in terms of investments including Heura, Cocuus, Innomy, Cubiq, and Novameat. This year, the total investment figure for food tech in Spain stands at 268 million euros, an increase of 9.38% compared to the previous year, not counting the investment round achieved by Glovo (450 million euros), says the report. Series A rounds saw an increase, growing by nearly 20%, 5 points more than in 2021. According to Eatable Adventures, the emergence of the alternative protein sector stands out among significant investments rounds in 2022, with three startups …

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Shaka Harry

Image: ANI

Shaka Harry Becomes First Plant-Based Meat Brand With Presence at Bengaluru Airport

Indian plant-based meat brand Shaka Harry has opened its first physical location at Bengaluru Airport, featuring dine-in and grab-and-go options. Customers will be able to choose from over two dozen fully plant-based meals, including chicken nugget chaat, mutton samosa, chicken shami sliders, and mutton seekh kebab. The menu has been curated by Indian celebrity chef Manu Chandra. Shaka Harry is the first ever plant-based meat brand to open an outlet at Bengaluru Airport, which has a footfall of about 30,000 passengers per day. The company hopes to target around 10% of these visitors. “Aggressive growth” In July, Shaka Harry received seed funding from Blue Horizon, marking the first time the impact investor had provided capital to an Indian alt meat brand. Indian cricketer MS Dhoni …

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Soy plants/ crops

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Equinom Closes $35M in Funding to Scale Minimally Processed, Non-GMO Plant Protein

Israeli nutrition company Equinom announces the close of $35M in funding to bring its more optimized plant proteins to market. The round brings the company’s total funding to date to $71M.  Equinom will use the capital to accelerate the commercialization of its plant protein ingredients, which will be sold to food companies via established multinational suppliers.  Equinom specializes in breeding new non-GMO varieties of important proteins used by the plant-based industry, such as soy and pea, that are optimized for food production and require less processing. These improved proteins are said to offer better taste and nutrition while reducing production costs and complexities. According to Equinom, this thus enables food companies to develop tastier and more affordable alternatives to meat and dairy. “Today’s food system …

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harvest b co-founders Alfred Lo and Kristi Riordan holding a bag of plant-based proteins with Ed Husic, australia's federal minister for industry and science

Image: Harvest B Twitter

Harvest B Opens “Australia’s First” Plant-Based Meat Ingredient Facility 

Harvest B, an Australian B2B alt protein company, announces the opening of its plant-based meat ingredient facility, which the company claims is Australia’s first plant protein factory. Located in Penrith, Western Sydney, the facility will produce a range of proteins — using locally sourced ingredients — for consumer-facing food brands, manufacturers, and food service companies that develop alternative meat products. According to Harvest B, the federal government’s Advanced Manufacturing Growth Centre (AMGC) co-invested $1 million in the manufacturing plant, which will initially produce up to 1000 metric tonnes of plant-based proteins. Harvest B’s CEO Matt Shillito said: “We are excited to be launching Australia’s first plant-based meat ingredient facility. This is an important step forward in our mission to create a world where food is …

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two pea protein bars with dark chocolate cover on top of a table

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Merit Launches “Superior Quality” Certified Organic Pea Protein for F&B Manufacturers

Merit Functional Foods, a Canadian company that produces plant-based protein ingredients, recently launched its first USDA Certified Organic pea protein, Organic Peazazz C™ 850. The company claims its new pea protein is the most transparent and sustainable ingredient available to F&B manufacturers to date.  Organic Peazazz is intended for use in various applications, including ready-to-drink (RTD) and ready-to-mix (RTM) protein drinks, dairy alternatives, protein bars, and other food products.  Ryan Bracken, Merit’s co-CEO, commented on the recent launch: “Organic protein is undoubtedly more laborious, as it requires stricter growing processes, stringent regulations, and unique filtration processes to get it right. For that reason, certified organic options are scarce in the market with limited availability. We have worked to make organic pea protein scalable, accessible, and the highest …

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a cultivated beef hamburger in a petty dish held by a man's hands

David Parry/PA, image courtesy of Mosa Meat

EU’s Horizon Europe Grants €25M to Cultivated & Fermented Protein Research

The EU’s flagship research and innovation program, Horizon Europe, has announced €25 million in funding for three projects working on cultivated and fermented proteins. The projects are: Cultured meat and cultured seafood – state of play and future prospects in the EU. This project will receive €7 million to research how the cost of cultivated meat can be reduced, and how production can be economically scaled up. It will also look at consumer acceptance and the potential role of farmers. Microbiome for flavour and texture in the organoleptic dietary shift. Receiving €9 million, this project will use fermentation-derived ingredients to improve the properties of alt protein products. It will also pilot new precision fermentation and biomass production methods. Impact of the development of novel foods based …

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ImpacFat's cultivated fish fat in a spoon besides a plate with fish balls and salad

© ImpacFat

Singapore’s ImpacFat to Unveil “World’s First” Cultivated Fish Fat at Demo Day

After undergoing Big Idea Ventures’ five-month accelerator program in Singapore, enrolled startups are set to present their innovations to investors and corporations in the alt protein space. Singapore’s ImpacFat, which claims to be the first food tech company to develop cultivated fish fat, will showcase its innovative product for the first time ever at the demo day on December 1st. The startup will hold a tasting session — granted by the Singapore Food Agency (SFA) — at Singapore’s National Gallery, the venue for the demo day. In a press release, Mandy Hon, ImpacFat’s managing director, said, “As consumers, we may think that fat is bad and want to reduce our fat intake. However, ImpacFat wants the world to know that fat can be good too! …

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Fermented mushroom protein

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MycoTechnology and IFF Partner to Develop Innovative Alt-Proteins for European Market

Mycelium solutions company MycoTechnology and IFF announce a partnership to co-develop alternative proteins and next-generation food and beverage products for the European market.  The new agreement will allow MycoTechology to capitalize on IFF’s RE-IMAGINE PROTEIN innovation program and use its state-of-the-art facilities in Brabrand, Denmark, including the Culinary Design Center, which specializes in novel plant-based foods.  The two companies have previously partnered in the US to combine MycoTechnology’s mycelial fermentation with IFF’s technical expertise. “This is an exciting new level of collaboration,” said Alan Hahn, CEO of MycoTechnology.”IFF understands the importance of innovation and using it to build a better, more sustainable food system. We’re delighted to embark on a new journey together to create the cutting-edge solutions consumers demand for taste, nutrition, and sustainability.” …

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Green Boy New Managing Director

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Green Boy Group Hires Former Interfood CEO Jeroen van den Heuvel as Managing Director

Plant-based protein supplier Green Boy Group announces it has hired Jeroen van den Heuvel, former CEO of global dairy supplier Interfood, as its new managing director.  In addition to managing Green Boy’s daily operations, Jeroen will oversee hiring and provide strategic input to increase the company’s commercial activities.  “I was connected to Green Boy the last two years via the advisory board which allowed me to get to know the company pretty well,” said Jeroen. “The energy and creativity that the team at Green Boy brings to the table is amazing. I’ve never seen a company grow so fast and have such a positive impact on the food industry. It is really exciting to be able to contribute with my experience in a meaningful way …

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Beyond Meat pork

©Beyond Meat

Study: Almost 40% of Chinese Consumers Eating Less Meat, But Many Unaware of Plant-Based Alternatives

A study by market research consultancy Good Growth Co and other researchers has examined the attitudes of Chinese consumers towards meat consumption. Published in the Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics, the research surveyed 1206 consumers, finding that 40% of respondents were actively reducing their meat consumption. This was in spite of the fact that just 2.7% were vegetarian or vegan. However, 60% said they were only somewhat familiar with modern plant-based meat alternatives, or not familiar at all. The researchers suggest that plant-based advocates should attempt to close this gap by promoting the benefits of alt protein products. According to the study, health is the most convincing motivator for Chinese consumers when buying plant-based meat alternatives. Mouthfeel, safety, trendiness, and animal welfare are also …

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