This May, two Spanish companies based in Navarra — Cocuus and Foodys — joined forces to market products made on an industrial scale from 3D bio-printed plant-based foods. This week, the first output of this alliance is already a reality: 100% vegetable bacon, which from this month will be on all Carrefour’s shelves in Spain.
Together, Foodys and Cocuus are developing new plant-based and sustainable foods, along with the necessary technology to produce them and their subsequent industrialisation at scale and commercialisation. All under the umbrella of a technology they have called “Food to Data, Data to Food”, which was created with the aim of developing, producing and marketing healthy, tasty and sustainable food for this and future generations.
“With our technology, we do in 5 minutes what two pigs do in a lifetime”
The first of these advances to arrive is the vegan bacon produced by 3D printing that is already available in Carrefour nationwide and this will be followed by vegetable analogues of foie, tuna, shrimp, and salmon.
Foodys CEO Gonzalo Agorreta states, “This is the first in a series of products that are clearly superior to those known in the category to date. This technology is unique in the world and will allow us to produce 1,000 tonnes of 100% vegetable bacon per year. We will be able to produce healthy, sustainable and nutritious plant-based foods without giving up consumption experiences that are deeply rooted in the population. In addition, by having the entire value chain at home, we will be able to get them at a very similar price to traditional bacon.”
Reduced environmental impact
Plant-based 3D bioprinting makes it possible to produce meat and fish analogues on an industrial scale and in a very efficient way, a milestone in the plant-based category. In addition, all raw materials needed to produce these foods are sourced from European suppliers, thus reducing the environmental impact of transporting raw materials. “We have a huge advantage: with our technology, we do in 5 minutes what two pigs do in a lifetime. This is the way to solve the lack of protein in the world,” said the founder and CEO of Cocuus, Patxi Larumbre.
Packaged in refrigerated trays of 120 grams, the product launching at Carrefour has less than 10% vegetable fat (pork fat is around 30% and practically all of it is saturated) and its price is almost identical to its analogue, as Foodys points out.
“Our food system and plant ecosystem need new success stories”
In addition, this 100% vegetable bacon has been selected as a finalist in the international V-Label awards in the innovation category, which values novelty, technical complexity, innovation in manufacturing, ingredients and packaging, customer experience and financial results. “Our food system and plant ecosystem need new success stories. The participating brands demonstrate the vitality and dynamism of the plant-based sector today,” said Albrecht Wolfmeyer, international director of ProVeg Incubator and judge of the awards.
