Switzerland

Planted steak bites

© Planted
Products & Launches

Planted Expands Product Range With Launch of Ready-to-Eat Steak Bites in Switzerland

Swiss alt-protein company Planted has expanded its plant-based meat portfolio with the introduction of planted.steak Bites, a ready-to-eat product developed using its proprietary steak muscle technology and fermentation process. The new product is now available in selected Coop retail locations across Switzerland. The launch comes shortly after the company’s whole-cut planted.steak secured distribution through Tesco in the UK. The new Bites variant is designed for convenience, targeting consumers seeking quick, plant-based meal solutions. Clean-label, high functionality According to Planted, the product consists of umami-flavored cubes formulated from soya flour and rapeseed oil, with added rice and bean flours. The steak bites are positioned as a source of protein, fiber, vitamin B12, and iron. They are low in saturated fat and free from additives. “We created …

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Yellow Sunshine

© Yellow Sunshine
Products & Launches

New Swiss Plant-Based Brand Yellow Sunshine Introduces Fermented Lupin Protein

Alice Fauconnet and Freddy Hunziker, known for their work as co-founders of New Roots, have launched a new plant-based brand called Yellow Sunshine. The brand focuses on fermented lupin protein, a functional ingredient designed to meet both personal health needs and environmental sustainability goals. Yellow Sunshine’s products are built around lupin, a legume with a high protein content that has been underutilized in the plant-based sector. The company uses cutting-edge fermentation techniques to enhance the nutritional profile of lupin while maintaining a commitment to regenerative farming practices in Switzerland and Germany. According to Fauconnet, the new brand represents a next generation of plant-based foods, offering nutrient-dense options that are functional and appealing in taste. “We’re not just offering an alternative; we’re building a future-forward protein …

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MeliBio

© MeliBio
Investments & Acquisitions

MeliBio’s Bee-Free Honey Technology Acquired by Swiss Foodtech FoodYoung Labs

MeliBio, a California-based developer of plant-based honey alternatives, has been acquired by FoodYoung Labs, a Switzerland-headquartered foodtech company specializing in vertically integrated food innovation. The acquisition includes MeliBio’s Mellody® brand, along with its Generation 1 technology and associated intellectual property. FoodYoung Labs operates an innovation facility in Balerna, Switzerland, focusing on the development of snack bars, chocolates, spreads, baked goods, and frozen products. The company maintains a portfolio of house brands such as ZAZ, Kakoo, Bonnap, FRŸZE, Mani, and CimaNorma, supplying products to markets in Europe and the United States. FoodYoung Labs’ expertise encompasses food science, culinary development, and ingredient sourcing. MeliBio’s co-founder and CEO, Darko Mandich, reflected on the acquisition as a progression for the company’s objectives: “Established food companies are essential to advancing …

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burger with swiss flag

Image generated by AI
Politics & Law

Swiss Supreme Court Bans Animal-Specific Terms on Vegan Product Labels

Switzerland’s Federal Supreme Court has issued a final ruling that prohibits the use of animal-derived terms such as “chicken” and “pork” on the labels of vegan food products. The decision concludes a multi-year legal dispute involving Zurich-based Planted Foods and federal food safety authorities. The ruling states that references to specific animal species on plant-based foods are incompatible with national food labelling law, which requires that product information accurately reflects its contents. Terms traditionally linked to meat from animals are not allowed on vegan items, even when prefaced with qualifiers such as “plant-based” or “vegan.” According to the court, such usage constitutes consumer deception. This decision reverses a 2022 ruling from the Zurich Administrative Court, which had initially found that terms like “planted.chicken” were not …

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The Züger plant-based range sets new standards in taste, quality, and design.

The Züger plant-based range sets new standards in taste, quality, and design. © Züger Frischkäse AG
Cheese Alternatives

Plant-based in a Fresh Look – Züger Sets New Standards!

Plant-based pleasure with a fresh twist! Züger Frischkäse is taking its plant-based line to the next level. Starting May 2025, the range will feature improved recipes, delicious flavour, and a modern, fresh design. Creamier, more authentic, and more flavourful – all with a Clean Label approach wherever possible. We focus on natural ingredients, convincing nutritional values, and real taste. Our plant-based alternatives offer a wholesome and conscious diet – without compromising on pleasure. Whether plant-based cream cheese, mozzarella, or cottage cheese alternative – each product stands out with a smooth texture, full flavour, and nutritional values comparable to traditional dairy. A key highlight: we use high-quality soy from the EU – sustainably grown and carefully processed. Our mission? To actively shape the future of nurtition! …

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catchfree founders

catchfree founders Severin Eder and Eduard Müller © catchfree
Investments & Acquisitions

Switzerland’s catchfree Raises CHF 1.2M to Scale Production of Innovative Plant-Based Seafood

Swiss food tech startup catchfree has raised CHF 1.2 million (€1.3 million) in a seed funding round led by FortyOne Group and Stiftung Startfeld. The round also saw participation from industry and private investors, along with various business angels. Founded last year, catchfree develops innovative plant-based seafood alternatives made from ingredients such as rice, soy protein, and algae. The startup’s product portfolio currently includes shrimp, fish burgers, and fish bites. Catchfree will use the new capital investment to scale its production capacity and launch products in Switzerland early this summer. “Today’s environmentally conscious consumers want to enjoy healthier food – for themselves and for the planet,” said Severin Eder, co-founder of catchfree. “That’s exactly what catchfree offers: an alternative that is just as indulgent and …

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Cosaic

Founders Tomas Turner and Dimitri Zogg. © Cosaic
Company News

Cultivated Biosciences Rebrands to Cosaic, Introduces Unique Yeast-Based Ingredient

Cultivated Biosciences, a Swiss producer of yeast-based ingredient solutions, has announced that it is rebranding to Cosaic and launching a new product. The name is intended to evoke the word “mosaic”, bringing to mind the blending of several ingredients into one product. The rebrand comes as Cosaic, which was originally focused on pure fat alternatives, changes its approach to produce a more powerful ingredient. The company has just introduced Cosaic Neo, a multifunctional natural emulsion made through yeast fermentation. The ingredient contains proteins and fibers as well as fat, claiming to provide eight key functionalities. It is said to replace unwanted additives while improving taste, mouthfeel, stability, and more. Strong value proposition Cosaic Neo is suitable for use in a variety of categories, including milk …

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Food Brewer cocoa

© Food Brewer
Investments & Finance

Food Brewer Raises Over $11M with Backing from Lindt & Sprüngli and Sparkalis

Zurich-based food-tech startup Food Brewer has secured new investment from Swiss chocolate manufacturer Lindt & Sprüngli and Sparkalis, the corporate venture arm of Puratos, as part of a CHF 5 million ($5.6 million) seed extension round. The investment brings the company’s total funding to CHF 10 million ($11.1 million), according to AgFunderNews. Food Brewer specializes in producing cocoa and coffee alternatives using plant cell culture, a process that involves selecting and cultivating plant cells in bioreactors. The startup aims to provide a climate-resilient alternative to traditional cocoa and coffee production, which faces increasing challenges due to climate change and rising raw material costs. In a statement on social media, Food Brewer said that Lindt & Sprüngli’s involvement would support its go-to-market strategy and product development …

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bioreactor platform ever after foods

Image courtesy of Ever After Foods
Manufacturing & Technology

Ever After Foods and Bühler Partner to Launch Commercial-Scale Cultivated Meat Production System

Ever After Foods, the developer of a proprietary technology platform for cultivated meat production, has announced a collaboration with Bühler, a global company producing processing equipment for foods and advanced materials. Together, the two companies will work to bring a commercial-scale cultivated meat production system to market. The system will reportedly allow for production at a ten-fold lower scale than existing technologies. “The global food chain faces significant challenges if we are to successfully and sustainably feed our growing population,” said Ian Roberts, CTO at Bühler. “How we produce and consume protein will continue to change, and requires a transition of our protein system to deliver this. Powering cultivated meat production at scale with a patented production system, Ever After Foods will help the food …

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© Mosa Meat
Approvals

Mosa Meat Files for Novel Food Approval in Switzerland

Just weeks after filing the EU’s first cultivated beef dossier, Mosa Meat has taken a similar step in Switzerland, seeking novel food approval with backing from Bell Switzerland. This application specifically covers cultivated fat, an ingredient designed to enhance plant-based products by adding rich, authentic beef flavor to items such as burgers and meatballs. The Dutch company states that cultivated fat can enhance plant-based foods by improving taste and texture. “Thousands of hours of work by our employees and analyses by six independent laboratories have gone into this dossier, and we have the utmost confidence that Swiss regulators will find our product exceeds the robust safety standards of their novel foods law,” said Maarten Bosch, CEO of Mosa Meat. Mosa Meat sees cultivated fat as …

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© Yeastup
Investments & Acquisitions

Yeastup Raises €9.47M to Turn Dairy Site Into Facility Upcycling Spent Brewers’ Yeast

Switzerland’s Yeastup, a company that extracts functional ingredients from spent brewers’ yeast using a patented process, has raised CHF 8.9 million (€9.47 million) in Series A funding. The funding will enable Yeastup to repurpose a former Swiss dairy facility into a large-scale production site with the capacity to upcycle over 20,000 tons of spent brewers’ yeast per year. The facility will require limited capital expenditure while benefiting from top-quality equipment. The new site will help to meet the significant demand for Yeastup’s products while serving as a reference site for global scaling efforts. To ensure cost competitiveness, Yeastup has established several strategic partnerships in supply and engineering. Investors that have provided funding to Yeastup include Beyond Impact, Gentian Investments, Newtree Impact, and Angel House. Various …

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The Cultured Hub opening event

©The Cultured Hub

Fairs & Events

The Cultured Hub Facility Finally Opens, Positioning Switzerland as a Leader in Scaling Cell-Based Foods

The Cultured Hub has launched a “scale-up as a service” facility for cell-based foods in The Valley in Kemptthal, Switzerland, and celebrated its opening yesterday with the State of Play Cultured Foods 2.0 event. The Cultured Hub is a joint venture between three Swiss industry giants — Migros, Givaudan, and Bühler Group as first announced in 2021 —  that aims to leverage their extensive food processing and product development experience to accelerate the production of cultivated meat and other cell-based foods. The new “state-of-the-art” biotech facility features advanced labs and fermentation capabilities to help startups scale from lab to pilot operations (up to 1,000 liters), facilitating a quicker market entry. It can host three companies simultaneously, each in separate suites, encouraging collaboration and innovation without the …

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AI biotech company Cradle has raised $73 million in a Series B funding round led by IVP and backed by Index Ventures and Kindred Capital, bringing its total funding to over $100 million.

© Cradle
Investments & Finance

Cradle Secures $73M to Revolutionize Planetary Health with AI-Driven Protein Engineering

AI biotech company Cradle has raised $73 million in a Series B funding round led by IVP and backed by Index Ventures and Kindred Capital, bringing its total funding to over $100 million. Based in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, and Zurich, Switzerland, Cradle was founded by ex-Googlers Stef van Grieken (CEO) and Daniel Danciu (CTO) in 2021 to make biology engineering more accessible and efficient with AI. Its team comprises machine learning and biotech research specialists from leading companies such as Zymergen, Novartis, Uber, Meta, DeepMind, and Perfect Day. AI-powered protein engineering platform The funds will help Cradle scale its operations to accelerate the adoption of its core product — an AI-powered protein engineering platform — designed to discover and develop animal-free foods, life-changing therapeutics, and sustainable …

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Thermoformed trays

Thermoformed trays -Image courtesy of B'ZEOS
Packaging

B’ZEOS to Scale Industry-Ready Seaweed Packaging with New Round and Strategic Partnerships

Seaweed-based packaging startup B’ZEOS has secured a seed round led by Faber and ICIG Ventures, the investment arm of the industrial holding ICIG, bringing its total raised equity and grant funding to over €5 million. The round contributes to previous funding from Biotope by VIB, Sustainable Ocean Alliance (SOA), and several private and public grants from various entities, including the Research Council of Norway, Global Seaweed Coalition, Innovation Norway, and the Eureka Network’s Eurostars programme. With headquarters in Switzerland and R&D offices in Barcelona, Spain, B’ZEOS will use the new capital to scale its fully compostable materials to meet the rapidly growing demand for sustainable alternatives to plastic. Rita Sousa, Partner at Faber, shared, “As global demand for sustainable packaging solutions accelerates, we’re excited to …

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Bühler opens new grain innovation centre

© Bühler AG
Company News

Bühler Inaugurates New Grain Innovation Centre in Switzerland

Swiss technology group Bühler yesterday inaugurated its new Grain Innovation Centre (GIC) in Uzwil, Switzerland. According to Bühler, the new application centre marks a milestone in the promotion, collaboration and innovation in grain processing. The new location replaces the company’s former Grain Technology Centre, which has served the milling industry since 1951. Spanning five stories and covering 2,000 square meters, the facility boasts a cutting-edge infrastructure, housing 70 advanced machines from Bühler and its partners. This forward-thinking Grain Innovation Center (GIC) is designed as a hub for customer-driven experimentation, innovation, and solution development tailored to specific industry needs. “The Grain Innovation Center is the latest addition to Bühler’s growing network of application and training centres in Uzwil,” says Johannes Wick, CEO of Grains & Food …

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© catchfree
Algae, Microalgae & Seaweed

Switzerland’s Catchfree Develops Shrimp Alternative Made From Microalgae and Plant Proteins

Catchfree is a food tech startup that has emerged from the Swiss Technical Institute of Technology (ETH). The company is developing sustainable, nutrient-rich plant-based seafood, starting with a microalgae-based shrimp alternative. Made using a proprietary process, the plant-based shrimp combines microalgae with other plant proteins to replicate the taste, texture, and nutritional value of conventional shrimp. The product has been made possible by the increasing availability of non-pigmented microalgae, which provides a rich source of protein and fatty acids without undesirable colours or flavours. Paprika is used to give the plant-based shrimp an authentic colour without the need for artificial additives. Catchfree was founded by food scientists Eduard Müller and Severin Eder to address overfishing and the environmental issues associated with aquaculture. “We’re focusing on …

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Nicole Kleger (L), Anna Bünter, and Simona Fehlmann - Image cortesy of Sallea
Investments & Finance

Women-Led Startup Sallea Secures $2.6M to Advance Plant-Based Scaffolds for Cultivated Meat Whole Cuts

Zurich-based Sallea, a startup developing edible, food-grade, plant-based scaffolds for the cell ag industry, announces it has raised $2.6 million in a pre-seed funding round. Founderful, Switzerland’s leading pre-seed fund, led the round, joined by Kost Capital, a VC focused on sustainable food systems. The round follows $1.8 million in non-dilutive funding previously secured through research and startup grants. Sallea was founded in November 2023 by an all-female team, including Dr. Nicole Kleger (CTO), Simona Fehlmann (CEO), and Anna Bünter (CCO). The funding aims to accelerate its proprietary scaffolding technology, which promises to improve the texture and nutritional profile of cultivated meat and accelerate the introduction of whole cuts. Additionally, Sallea plans to upgrade production capacity and initiate pilot projects with cultivated meat companies. Antonia Albert, …

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Planted steak launches in retail

© Planted Foods AG
Meat- and Fish Alternatives

Planted Presents Plant-Based Whole Muscle Steak at SIAL Paris, Announces Listings in French Retail and Food Service

Swiss food tech company Planted has announced that it will be exhibiting at this year’s SIAL Paris. With ‘planted.steak’, Planted has developed a plant-based steak that is already available for consumers in many European restaurants. Following its successful launch in food service, it is now also available in retail outlets in Switzerland at Coop and in Germany at REWE. The steak will be presented to the international trade public at this year’s SIAL Paris in October. Planted’s vegan steak launches in France “We are very proud to showcase our latest innovation the planted.steak at SIAL this year, which has launched across food service as well as retail in Europe such as at Coop, Edeka and REWE. It will also be making its debut in French …

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The UK Government invests £12M in Cellular Agriculture Manufacturing Hub to cultivate meat at scale

© Mirai Foods
Studies & Numbers

Survey Explores Swiss Acceptance of Cultivated Meat and Precision Fermentation

On behalf of Swissveg, YouGov recently conducted a representative survey on the acceptance of cultivated meat and precision fermentation derived products in Switzerland. The survey found that flexitarians are most in favour of cultured meat. 47% of meat-reducers would buy such products if they were already available. The new products received the least approval from vegans and vegetarians with only 22%, but essentially, such products are not aimed at vegans and are essentially “real” meat without slaughter. While an average of 30% of respondents to the new Swissveg study would consume cultivated meat, the figure for 15 to 29-year-old Swiss is 46%. In contrast, only 19% of 60- to 79-year-olds would consume cultured meat. Cultivated meat in Switzerland Noteworthy in this context and pertaining to …

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Cultivated Biosciences on Investment Climate podcast

Investment Climate podcast
Cultivated, Cell-Cultured & Biotechnology

Investment Climate Podcast: Tomas Turner of Cultivated Biosciences – How to Get Funded in 2024

In this podcast series, co-produced by vegconomist, Alex Shandrovsky interviews investors about benchmarks for funding Alt Proteins in 2024 and uncovers the investment playbooks of successful Climate Tech CEOs and leading VCs. Podcast Host Alex Shandrovksy is a strategic advisor to numerous global food tech accelerators and companies, including alternative proteins and cellular agriculture leaders. His focus is on investor relations and post-raise scale for agrifood tech companies. Episode 06: Tomas Turner of Cultivated Biosciences In this episode, Alex talks to Tomas, CEO & co-founder of Cultivated Biosciences which has raised over $6 million, primarily through equity rounds, with a recent $5 million closed in January. Cultivated Biosciences focused on creating creamy emulsions from yeast-grown fats as a B2B ingredient for dairy-free alternatives. Tomas talks …

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