Finland: Latest Plant-based and Cellular Agriculture Market News from Finland on vegconomist

European Innovation Council Funds Solar Foods-Led Consortium Creating Milk Protein from CO2 and Electricity

September 8, 2023September 5, 2023

From over 400 contesting teams, a research consortium led by Finnish company Solar Foods to produce sustainable milk protein from CO2 and electricity has been selected by the European Innovation Council’s Pathfinder Challenge 2022. The challenge, which seeks cutting-edge research projects that could achieve breakthroughs in their respective fields, will invest €5.5 million in the consortium’s four-year HYDROCOW project. Solar Foods will work with the University of Groningen, RWTH Aachen University, and FGen AG, a subsidiary of Ginkgo Bioworks, to develop a novel biotechnology platform independent from agriculture and photosynthesis, to create sustainable food, materials, medicines, and chemical production. A groundbreaking technology HYDROCOW aims to develop a carbon-neutral system by genetically modifying hydrogen-oxidizing microbes to produce beta-lactoglobulin using CO2 and electricity instead of traditional fermentation solutions that use agricultural feedstocks …

Organisations and brands:

Solar Foods

Investments & Finance

Nicoya AB Invests in Foodiq’s Innovative Alternative Dairy Tech

September 5, 2023

Foodiq a Nordic co-manufacturer that says it is committed to transforming the food industry, announces it has received investment from Swedish foodtech investment company Nicoya to support the company’s growth and expansion. According to its own statements, Nicoya has set itself the goal of achieving a positive impact on people, planet and health through the investment. Foodiq is currently introducing its dairy-free Multi-Layer Cooking (MLC) technology, which aims to pave the way for ‘next generation’ plant-based foods. According to Foodiq — developer of Fabea+, an ingredient made from fermented fava beans — its MLC technology is intended to create the conditions for a transformative change towards a more sustainable and tastier food future. All-in-one processing Foodiq’s MLC technology provides the ability to perform multiple functions …

Organisations and brands:

Foodiq

Nicoya

The BeanMan Study in Finland Examines Effects on Male Health of Legume Protein Compared to Meat

August 23, 2023

A study conducted at the University of Helsinki showed that partial replacement of red and processed meat with foods based on peas and broad beans (also known as faba or fava beans) ensures an adequate intake of amino acids in the diet and does not negatively affect bone metabolism. “Reducing the consumption of red and processed meat in the diet to the ceiling of the Planetary Health Diet while increasing the consumption of legumes grown in Finland, such as peas and field beans, is safe from a protein nutrition perspective. Bone health is also not affected by such dietary changes,” says PhD student Suvi Itkonen from the Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry. For the BeanMan study, 102 Finnish men followed a study diet for six …

Image credit: Foodiq

Manufacturing & Technology

Foodiq Introduces MLC Technology, “Leading the Charge in the Plant-Based 2.0 Revolution”

August 22, 2023

Finnish plant-based foods innovator and co-manufacturing provider Foodiq has introduced its new Multi-Layer Cooking (MLC) technology for dairy-free products such as fermented yogurts, puddings, spreadable cheeses, and even ready-to-serve soups and sauces. Presenting it as a key development in the transition to plant-based 2.0, the technology can work with different raw ingredients, including oats, hemp, rice, and fruits. This diverse range of choices facilitates the creation of customized products with desired characteristics, such as high protein content, low sugar, or clean labeling, explains the Finnish innovator. “This offers an exciting opportunity to research and experiment with unconventional raw materials and develop new food products that are healthier, sustainable and delicious,” said Petri Kallio, factory director at Foodiq. From testing to large scale production MLC can perform …

Organisations and brands:

Foodiq

Fermentation

Mycorena and RIP Foods Partner Up to Create Mycoprotein-Based Street Food

June 8, 2023

Mycoprotein specialist Mycorena and Spain’s plant-based street food brand RIP Foods are collaborating to develop mycelium-based street food appealing to mainstream customers. Today, Mycorena announced their first joint creation using mycoprotein — a vegan kofta inspired by Middle Eastern flavors. The product is set to launch soon in the Netherlands at plant-based restaurant Karma Kebab. “Mycorena and RIP Foods share many traits, working tirelessly with R&D and strongly focusing on innovation and technology to improve taste and texture that will please flexitarians and meat eaters,” said the Finnish company. First step in the Mediterranean market Based in Barcelona, RIP raised €625,000 in a pre-seed funding round last year. Its retailer and food service portfolio includes plant-based gyozas and various flavors of bao, skewers, spring rolls, and katsu. Recently, the company …

Organisations and brands:

Mycorena

Solar Foods' protein Solein used in different dishes

Fermentation

Solar Foods and Ajinomoto Unite to Create Next-Gen Air Protein Foods

June 2, 2023

Last week, Finland’s Solar Foods debuted its microbial protein Solein, made out of thin air, at a tasting event in Singapore. After this historic moment in food history, Solar Foods has announced a strategic alliance with Japanese food and biotechnology corporation Ajinomoto to develop products using the revolutionary Solein and introduce them to global markets. The partnership — Solar Foods’ first collaboration with a major global food brand — will make Solein a reality. In the coming years, a new range of sustainable products will launch for the first time in Singapore. In Q4 2024, the companies will conduct a market feasibility study in Singapore for product development. Solar Foods is now ready to commercialize Solein. It received regulatory approval from the Singapore Food Agency (SFA) last October, …

Organisations and brands:

Ajinomoto

Solar Foods

Fermentation

Solar Foods’ Air Protein to Be Tasted by Public Tomorrow in “Watershed Moment” for Food History

May 24, 2023

Finland’s Solar Foods announces the debut of its microbial protein Solein in the first-ever tasting event of an air protein, taking place in Singapore tomorrow, the 25th of May. Solein, described as the world’s most sustainable protein, is developed with microbes, carbon dioxide, and electricity. Its bioprocess is free from the “burdens of agriculture” and weather events, allowing its production anywhere; in deserts, Arctic regions, and even space. Michelin-starred chefs will explore this novel protein’s culinary possibilities in different dishes served at a fine restaurant, announces Solar Foods. Why Singapore? Singapore’s reliance on importing over 90% of its food has led the government to establish food security as a high priority. Over SG$114 million has been invested in alternative proteins as part of the government’s 30 …

Organisations and brands:

Solar Foods

Fermentation

Onego Bio’s Animal-Free Egg White Wins Fast Company 2023 World Changing Ideas Award

May 4, 2023May 3, 2023

Fermentation startup Onego Bio announces its development of Bioalbumen™, an animal-free egg white protein, has been selected as a winner in Fast Company’s 2023 World Changing Ideas Awards. Bioalbumen was named the Winner of the Food category and a Finalist in the Agriculture category. Produced with precision fermentation, Bioalbumen harnesses a scalable biotech process that uses the microorganism Trichoderma reesei. In a method akin to beer production, the microbes are fed water, sugar, and certain minerals to produce Bioalbumen powder, which is identical to egg white protein powder. According to Onego Bio, Bioalbumen provides all the nutritional and functional benefits of egg whites without the environmental, safety and supply chain concerns of chicken eggs. The product also maintains the performance of real egg whites, including …

Organisations and brands:

Fast Company

Onego Bio

Fungi, Mushrooms & Mycelium

Finland’s EniferBio Raises €11M to Scale Up Production of Upcycled Mycoprotein

April 19, 2023

Finnish biotech startup eniferBio, which produces upcycled mycoprotein powder from food and agricultural byproducts, has raised €11 million in Series A funding. The round was led by Aqua-Spark, with participation from Tesi, Valio, Voima Ventures, and Nordic Foodtech VC. EniferBio will use the funding to scale up production of its mycoprotein powder to thousands of tons per year, along with seeking regulatory approval both in the EU and further afield. Called PEKILO, the mycoprotein is produced through fermentation and contains up to 70% protein. It is also highly sustainable, requiring very little land and water to produce. While the protein was initially developed decades ago as a more sustainable form of animal feed, eniferBio is exploring an array of other applications, including human food. The …

Organisations and brands:

eniferBio

Meeat Wins at World Food Innovation Awards 2023 2

Image courtesy of Meeat

Company News

Finland’s Meeat Food Tech Wins Best New Business at World Food Innovation Awards

March 22, 2023March 22, 2023

Finnish plant-based company Meeat Food Tech has won Best New/StartUp Business at FoodBev’s World Food Innovation Awards. Meeat was also shortlisted in the Best Ingredient Innovation and Best Packaging categories, with the judges impressed by the company’s wide range of 50 innovative products. Founded by a group of former meat industry professionals, Meeat offers ready meals and cooking sauces alongside meat alternatives such as hot dogs and nuggets. The company’s hero ingredient is fermented fava beans, leveraged for their neutral flavour, sustainability, and high protein content. Describing its products as “rehab for meat eaters”, Meeat plans to rapidly expand throughout Europe, Asia, and the US after raising €8 million last year. The company also recently announced plans to provide a partnership option to transform meat …

Organisations and brands:

Meeat Food Tech

Company News

Meeat Food Tech Plans to Make Meat Factories Plant-Based With Fermented Fava Beans

March 13, 2023

Finland’s Meeat Food Tech was founded in 2020 by a group of former meat professionals who are working to transform the food industry through plant-based products. Meeat’s “hero ingredient” is fermented fava beans, which are highly sustainable, protein-rich, and have a neutral flavour. Due to its scalable and cost-efficient setup, the company says it can provide a partnership option to transform meat factories into plant-based operations. Last August, Meeat raised €8 million to rapidly expand throughout Europe, Asia, and the US. The company now has a range of over 50 plant-based products, featuring meat alternatives such as hot dogs, ready meals like Tikka Masala, and cooking sauces for dishes such as chilli and bolognese. Meeat also acts as a plant-based distributor, and helped to bring …

Organisations and brands:

Meeat Food Tech

Finnish dairy company launches vegan mozzarella

Cheese Alternatives

Finnish Dairy Company Expands Vegan Range With Mozzarella Alternative

June 12, 2023February 16, 2023

Jokilaakson Juusto is a Finnish dairy company making cheeses and gourmet spreads. In 2007, the producer launched a plant-based brand, Ilo, which was initially focused on hummus. Jokilaakson then introduced a range of vegan cheeses under the Ilo brand, including artisan cashew-based varieties, pizza cheese, and spreads in flavours such as garlic and sweet jalapeno. The products are made alongside the company’s dairy cheeses in the town of Jämsä, where cheese has been produced since the 1950s. Now, the Ilo range has been expanded with Vegan Mozzis, an alternative to mozzarella slices. When melted, the slices are said to have a stringy consistency and a mild flavour, like conventional mozzarella. One package provides just the right amount of cheese for a margherita pizza. The Mozzis …

Organisations and brands:

Jokilaakson Juusto

Redefine Meat and Classic Fine Foods collaborate

Company News

Redefine Meat Reports Record Veganuary With 70 New Restaurant Partnerships

February 1, 2023

Redefine Meat reports a record Veganuary with over 70 new food service customers onboarded across Europe. In the 12 months following Redefine’s impressive $135 million financing round, the Israeli company has seen continued success, bolstered by its partnership with Giraudi Meats, Europe’s leading importer of high-end meat, and further expedited by this year’s Veganuary campaign. The “New Meat” products have now launched commercially across the UK, Germany, Netherlands, France, Austria and Finland, as detailed below. Netherlands New restaurant partnerships in the Netherlands include Boterlap, Koks gemert, Wildschut, Luxembourgh and Shakshuk. Redefine commercially-launched Redefine Pulled Beef, Pulled Pork, and Redefine Bratwurst within the Dutch market. Germany Across Germany, hundreds of restaurants nationwide are serving New Meat following accelerated growth during Veganuary. Mundfein, launching its first Redefine …

Organisations and brands:

Redefine Meat

©Foodiq

Food & Beverage

Finland’s Foodiq Reveals Fabea+ As More Nutritious Alternative to Soy and Pea Protein

December 15, 2022

Finnish food innovator Foodiq announces it has developed Fabea+, a groundbreaking new ingredient made from fermented fava beans. Created as a versatile solution for a wide range of food applications, Fabea+ is said to offer a more nutritious and sustainable alternative to mainstream plant-based ingredients like soy, peas and oats. While fava bean protein is currently sold as isolates and concentrates, Foodiq states Fabea+ is a fermented powder that is new and unique to the industry. Among its key attributes, Fabea+ is said to offer superior nutrition compared to other common plant-based ingredients, with high levels of protein and fiber. Thanks to its fermentation process, the ingredient has a neutral taste profile, with no unwanted side flavors. Fabea+ is also described as a “universally applicable” ingredient …

Company News

‘World’s Most Sustainable’ Protein Solein Gets Regulatory Approval in Singapore

October 26, 2022

Finnish Solar Foods has received regulatory approval for its novel sustainable protein Solein®, made out of microbes cultured with electricity and air-captured carbon. The regulatory approval for Solein® was granted by the Singapore Food Agency (SFA), allowing the sale of food products developed using the novel protein in Singapore. Solar Foods’ CEO Pasi Vainikka, said: “This is a huge day for us as a company. The food revolution we have been working towards for years has taken a major step forward, and we are highly excited about the prospect of bringing Solein to the market in Singapore. However, the impact of any food product, no matter how innovative, is truly realized only once it can be put on the plates of consumers.” First products by …

Company News

Rebl Eats and Mycorena Partner to Make Alt Meat More Accessible in Northern Europe

October 6, 2022

Rebl Eats of Finland and Mycorena of Sweden have entered into a new partnership to make meat substitutes more accessible throughout Northern Europe. As part of the new partnership, Rebl’s product developers and chefs have developed new additions to the ready meals category: fresh ready meals with Mycorena’s flagship product, a sustainable and natural mushroom-based ingredient called Promyc. The products launched by Rebl Eats are branded with Promyc and have already generated great demand after an exclusive launch in 15 selected shops in Helsinki, Finland, according to the company. Multi market launch In the next phase of the collaboration, the products will be launched in the Swedish market, followed by the rest of the Nordic region and then the rest of Europe. Also on board …

Organisations and brands:

Mycorena

©Oddlygood

Products & Launches

Oddlygood Expands US Dairy-Free Portfolio with All-In Barista Oat Drink

September 23, 2022

Oddlygood Global, a spinoff of leading Finnish food company Valio, announces the US launch of the All-In Barista Oat Drink. Available in shelf-stable cartons, the product will be featured this month at the Natural Products Expo East in Philadelphia and Coffee Fest Pacific Northwest in Seattle. Made to provide creamy frothiness with no “flaking”, the All-In Barista Oat Drink was created with input from baristas and offers a full-bodied milk ideal for cappucinos and lattes. Uses whole oat The Barista Oat Drink uses non-GMO oats and utilizes the entire oat, which eliminates food waste, while being free from gluten and artificial flavors and sweeteners. Available in 1 liter, shelf-stable cartons, each serving contains 3 g of protein, 290 mg of calcium, 7 of fat and zero …

Organisations and brands:

Oddlygood

©Onego Bio

Company News

Perfect Day Unveils ‘nth Biology’ Hub, Partners with Onego Bio for Egg White Proteins

September 23, 2022September 20, 2022

Alternative dairy leader Perfect Day announces the launch nth Bio – a new enterprise biology business that will offer the company’s precision fermentation expertise and technology to companies around the world. The startup also reveals nth Bio’s first public partner as Onego Bio, which specializes in making animal-free egg whites. Based in Salt Lake City, nth Bio seeks to accelerate the development of more responsibly sourced food, pharmaceuticals and textiles using the power of precision fermentation. To accomplish this, nth provides bioengineers access to critical tools, expertise, infrastructure and technology needed to create impact in the food sector and beyond. According to the company, the name ‘nth’ perfectly describes its larger vision and mission. “The name nth Bio comes from the exponential impact we stand …

Organisations and brands:

Onega Bio

Perfect Day

Company News

Redefine Meat’s Realistic Meat Cuts Arrive in Finnish Restaurants

September 9, 2022

Redefine Meat announces a partnership with plant-based manufacturer and distributor, MeEat, to distribute Redefine Meat’s range to restaurants in Finland. MeEat will offer Redefine Meat’s New-Meat products to Finnish chefs, beginning with the alt Beef Flank, Lamb Kebab and Beef Burger, marking the brand’s entrance into Finland after rolling out into the UK, Germany, the Netherlands and Israel. The ultra-realistic meat is now served in over 500 restaurants across Europe. The company raised $135 million this January in one of the largest financing rounds seen by an alt meat company in Israel, with the investment funding Redefine’s global expansion. The first restaurant to serve Redefine’s New Meat in Finland will be Helsinki’s Emo, where the Redefine Beef Flank steak will appear on the menu from …

Organisations and brands:

Redefine Meat

The vegconomist-newsletterinformation for decision-makers

The vegconomist-newsletter
information for decision-makers