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Alt protein innovation centre to be built at Wageningen Campus

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ADM & Marel to Open Alt Protein Innovation Centre in the Netherlands

March 8, 2023

ADM has announced that it will be partnering with food processing solutions provider Marel to build an alt protein innovation centre. The centre will be based at Foodvalley’s Wageningen Campus in the Netherlands. It will allow food manufacturers, scientists, and culinary professionals to develop and manufacture new alternative protein products, with pilot production capacity available for novel techniques. Trainings and workshops will also be held on site, helping to inspire more alt protein solutions. The innovation centre is expected to open in 2024, with ADM occupying a temporary laboratory in Wageningen Campus’ Plus Ultra II building until then. The future of food “The future of alternative proteins doesn’t stop with plant proteins. We’re exploring mycoprotein, cultivated meat, and precision fermentation as technologies which could play …

Topics:food innovation

Marie-Benedicte-Charpentier, © ADM

Interviews

ADM: “The Future of Alternative Proteins Doesn’t Stop With Plant Proteins”

February 6, 2023

In the alt protein space, ADM has been increasingly making moves and entering new collaborations, including some of the most well-known names in the industry. For example, with Eat Just to accelerate production in its GOOD Meat cultivated chicken division; with New Culture as part of a strategic partnership to accelerate the commercialization of alt-dairy; and with Japan’s next-gen materials company Spiber to support the adoption of regenerative farming practices for Spiber’s Brewed Protein, to name a few. Additionally, in October last year, ADM and Marfig Global Foods announced plans to expand their joint venture, PlantPlus Foods, from Brazil into the US. We spoke with Marie-Bénédicte Charpentier, Marketing Director EMEA, at ADM, to find out more. What were the company’s highlights in 2022? Throughout 2022, …

Ingredients

Company News

ADM and Marfig to Launch PlantPlus Foods Brand in the US

October 12, 2022

As reported by Bloomberg, Archer-Daniels-Midland (ADM) and Marfig Global Foods are to expand their joint venture, PlantPlus Foods, into the US. PlantPlus Foods launched in 2020 and is currently active in Brazil, where it supplies plant-based burgers to both retailers and food service outlets. This includes a partnership with Burger King. The brand is set to launch in the US by the end of this year, though the burger recipe will be altered to cater to American consumers’ tastes. Strategic acquisitions In January of this year, PlantPlus acquired Canadian plant-based food producer Sol Cuisine for about $100 million. The move came just two months after PlantPlus purchased Eat Drink Well LLC, the parent company of US plant-based brand Hilary’s. PlantPlus said it hoped that the …

Topics:PlantPlus Foods

Brewed Protein silk© spiber.jp

Materials

ADM and Spiber Sign New Agreement to Support Regenerative Farming of Brewed Protein in Iowa

September 17, 2022September 17, 2022

Agribusiness leader ADM and biotech company Spiber announce a new joint agreement to support the adoption of regenerative farming practices for Spiber’s Brewed Protein™. Through the agreement, the companies will work with corn farmers in Iowa to implement sustainable farming practices for the production of Spiber’s biomaterials. Made from corn-based dextrose, Brewed Protein is a next-generation polymer that replaces petroleum-derived materials in a variety of applications, ranging from clothing to car seats. ADM and Spiber first partnered in 2020 to build a manufacturing facility in Clinton, IA to convert corn dextrose into Brewed Protein using ADM’s massive microbial fermentation capabilities. Now, both companies are working to expand the environmental impact of Brewed Protein by encouraging Iowa farmers to adopt regenerative farming practices such as the …

Topics:regenerative farming

Tony Day, CTO, Rich Kelleman, CEO, and Pernilla Audibert, CSO©Bond Pet Food

Investments & Finance

Bond Pet Foods Raises $17.5M in Series A From Sia and Top Investors to Scale Fermented Meat Proteins

September 7, 2022September 7, 2022

Bond Pet Foods, a biotech startup using fermentation to create meat proteins for pet food, announces it has completed its Series A fundraising round totaling $17.5M. The startup has also broken ground on a new 15,000 sq. ft. production facility in Boulder, CO. The oversubscribed round included top global agribusiness companies ADM Ventures (Archer Daniels Midland Company) and Cavallo Ventures (Wilbur Ellis), as well as institutional funds Genoa Ventures and Lever VC; and food/tech and sustainability investors Thia Ventures and iSelect Fund, among others. Musical icons Sia Isabelle Furler and Joan Jett also participated in the round. A key trend The startup plans to use the new funding to expand its portfolio of meat proteins and begin scaling production at a new 15,000 sq. ft. …

Company News

ADM and New Culture Announce Strategic Partnership to Scale Animal-Free Mozzarella and Dairy Products

August 18, 2022August 17, 2022

Agribusiness leader ADM and animal-free dairy company New Culture are forming a strategic partnership to accelerate the commercialization of alt-dairy foods. The partnership will include joint product development and scaling of New Culture’s animal-free casein and dairy innovations, which are expected to launch in US food service in 2023. Founded in New Zealand, New Culture creates animal-free dairy products using precision fermentation techniques that produce casein, one of the primary proteins found in cow’s milk. By making casein without cows, New Culture offers cheese and other foods that are indistinguishable in taste and texture from traditional dairy. The new partnership will utilize ADM’s broad product development resources to accelerate New Culture’s applications. The startup will also have access to ADM’s full pantry of sustainable, plant-based …

Topics:Mozzarella

Juan Benitez-Garcia_President-Global_Savory_ADM

Juan Benitez-Garcia © ADM

Interviews

ADM: “We’re Looking Forward to Supporting the Future of the Alternative Protein and Plant-Based Space”

August 10, 2022

ADM has been in the alternative protein headlines almost constantly this year, announcing: $300 million investment to expand its alternative protein production facilities in Ilinois in April; a partnership with Eat Just in May to accelerate its cultivated line GOOD Meat; a new firm called ScaleUp Bio in Singapore earlier this month; and most recently, a strategic partnership with Benson Hill to scale ultra-high soy protein. Juan Manuel Benítez-García, President, Global Savoury at ADM, spoke with vegconomist about such partnerships and how the company fits into the plant-based space. In which areas does ADM offer alternatives? We have a long legacy in plant-based protein solutions development, and we support brands across the food and beverage industry seeking to expand their alternative and plant-forward options, including …

Image courtesy of ADM

Ingredients

ADM Enters Strategic Partnership With Benson Hill to Scale Ultra-High Protein Soy

August 9, 2022

Agri-food giant Archer Daniels Midland (ADM) has entered a strategic partnership with Benson Hill to scale the food tech company’s proprietary ultra-high soy protein for the North American food ingredients market. Since inventing textured vegetable protein in 1965, ADM has led the way in the market for plant proteins and has consistently modified its products to meet shifting customer preferences. Following the invention of the soy vegetable burger three decades ago, soy protein is still an integral part of the company’s rise in the global plant protein ingredients market. Last year, ADM reached an agreement to acquire Sojaprotein, a leading European provider of non-GMO soy ingredients, to enhance ADM’s production capacity and meet the fast-growing global demand for plant proteins. In addition, the agri-food giant …

Topics:Soy Protein

Image courtesy of ADM

Startups, Accelerators & Incubators

ADM Co-Founds ScaleUp Bio to Accelerate Precision Fermentation Startups

August 8, 2022

Agri-food giant Archer Daniels Midland (ADM) has joined forces with Asia Sustainable Foods Platform to create a new firm called ScaleUp Bio. In collaboration with A*STAR’s Singapore Institute of Food and Biotechnology, ScaleUp Bio will open a Singapore-based pilot laboratory for precision fermentation startups. The facility will provide contract development and manufacturing services, featuring co-working spaces and test kitchens alongside fermentation and extrusion equipment. It is set to begin operating in the first quarter of next year, providing startups with up to 100L of fermentation capacity. Successful startups will then be able to transition to ScaleUp Bio’s larger facility, which will have up to 10,000L fermentation capacity and should be in operation by mid-2023. ADM and alt-proteins In recent years, ADM has increasingly been moving …

©Eat Just/ GOOD Meat

Cultivated Meat

Eat Just & ADM Announce “First-of-its-Kind” Partnership to Accelerate GOOD Meat Cultivated Chicken

May 17, 2022May 17, 2022

Eat Just, the US food tech leader, has entered into a joint development agreement with agrifoods giant Archer Daniels Midland (ADM) to accelerate production in the GOOD Meat cultivated division. The partnership marks ADM’s first strategic partnership of its kind in the cultivated meat sector, as the US multinational food corporation continues to diversify in the alt protein sector. Eat Just, famous for its JUST Egg brand, started its GOOD Meat division in 2017 and became the first in the world to sell its cultivated chicken to diners, as well as becoming the most funded company in the emerging industry. The company states its first-of-its-kind partnership with ADM highlights how startups like Eat Just can work with established industry leaders to reach their joint mission …

Topics:Chicken

Product developer preparing a burger and fries_Shanghai-5285

Image supplied by ADM

Agriculture / Agribusiness

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

April 12, 2022

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 …

Topics:Sojaprotein Soy Protein

Market & Trends

New Report Highlights Top 7 Emerging Trends in Alternative Protein

February 15, 2022

Global food processor Archer Daniels Midland (ADM) has released a 2022 report spotlighting emerging trends in the protein alternatives market. The report selected seven prominent trends driving industry growth and innovation: Introduction of novel proteins Air-based meat and volcanically-sourced protein are two examples of innovative protein sources being explored in the field. While novel ingredients vary by nutrition, functionality, flavor and price, there is a strong preference among producers for ingredients that are local and/or fully traceable. Cultivated meat remains a leading area of new protein development, with over $1.2 billion invested in cultivated meat and seafood startups. 2. Fermentation-as-a-Service (FaaS) With increased interest in microbial fermentation for alternative protein products, the report says expanding food-grade fermentation capabilities for brands is essential. ADM will soon partner with …

©Sol Foods

Investments & Finance

PlantPlus Foods Closes CA$125 Million Deal to Acquire Canada’s Sol Cuisine

February 25, 2022January 20, 2022

PlantPlus Foods has completed a CA$125 million (about $100 million) agreement to acquire Sol Cuisine, a Canadian plant-based food producer. The move to purchase Sol Cuisine was first announced in November 2021. The transaction marks the second time PlantPlus Foods has acquired a plant-based brand. Two months ago, PlantPlus – a joint venture by food manufacturers Archer Midlands Daniel Co. and Marfrig – also purchased Eat Drink Well LLC, the parent company of Hilary’s Best plant-based line. According to Forbes, PlantPlus expects the acquisitions to help it quickly expand its presence across the Americas. The company plans to use Marfrig’s established distribution for meat alternatives in South America, especially Brazil, to introduce Sol Cuisine’s products to a new regional market. Serving demand for plant protein …