International / Global

BioFluff plant-based fur

Supplied by BioFluff
Textiles

BioFluff Secures $2.5M in Seed Funding for Plant-Based Fur Alternatives

BioFluff, a biomaterials startup describing itself as the first fully plant-based fur alternative, has successfully closed its seed funding round, securing $2.5 million from leading venture capital firms, spearheaded by agrifood tech investor Astanor Ventures. Astanor Ventures has invested in over 45 agrifood companies globally, including plant-based businesses MicroHarvest, Wicked Kitchen, and Umiami. This funding marks a significant milestone for BioFluff, following a pre-seed round of $0.5 million in 2022, led by SOSV, PDS Limited & Joyance Partners. “We were impressed by the passion and determination of the founding team. Biofluff has a unique offering for the luxury industry, fashion, and textiles, which is in full alignment with the Astanor mission of a more regenerative economy,” stated Christina Ulardic, a partner at Astanor Ventures. BioFluff, …

more

Organisations and brands:

Vivici fermentation unit

© Vivici
Fermentation

Vivici Partners with Ginkgo Bioworks to Expand Portfolio of Sustainable Dairy Proteins

Vivici, a Dutch B2B ingredients startup utilizing precision fermentation, and Ginkgo Bioworks, a cell programming and biosecurity platform, have announced a strategic partnership to advance the production of sustainable animal-free dairy proteins. Focusing on meeting the increasing global demand for sustainable and appealing proteins, Vivici utilizes precision fermentation techniques to create animal-free dairy proteins with microorganisms. Ginkgo Bioworks is set to enhance the partnership with its protein production services and generative AI platform. The company’s strategic role involves creating a comprehensive library, where it will screen and cultivate top-performing strains and then deliver them to Vivici for final evaluation. Stephan van Sint Fiet, CEO at Vivici, commented, “We are thrilled to collaborate with Ginkgo. Ginkgo’s scale and AI-driven approach to designing strains for protein expression …

more

Organisations and brands:

Czech startup Bene Meat Technologies (BMT) has become the first company in the world to obtain EU Certification to produce and sell cultivated meat for pet food.

© Bene Meat Technologies (BMT)
Cultivated, Cell-Cultured & Biotechnology

Has Cultivated Meat for Pet Food Really Been Approved in EU? The Complicated Story of Bene Meat (and Others in the Space)

Two weeks ago, a press release was widely distributed by Czech startup Bene Meat Technologies, titled “Bene Meat Technologies is the first company in the world to be licensed to produce and sell cultured meat as dog and cat food” The release stated, ” On 7.11.2023, the Czech startup Bene Meat Technologies (BMT) won the world championship to produce and sell cultured meat for PET FOOD needs. With the certification obtained from the European Feed Materials Register, it becomes the only entity in the world that can produce and sell this product for PET FOOD needs.[…] Bene Meat Technologies is thus the first entity in the world to be authorised to produce and sell cultured meat for PET FOOD.”  This apparently groundbreaking news was covered …

more

Organisations and brands:

Josh Tetrick GOOD Meat

© GOOD Meat
People

TIME Magazine Recognizes Josh Tetrick, CEO of Eat Just, in 100 Most Influential Climate Leaders in Business for 2023

TIME Magazine has unveiled its list of the 100 Most Influential Climate Leaders in Business for 2023, recognizing individuals who have demonstrated substantial contributions to the fight against climate change. The selection process, conducted over several months by TIME’s editors and in-house climate experts, prioritized measurable achievements within the energy, nature, finance, culture, and health sectors. Among the listed figures is Josh Tetrick, CEO of Eat Just, credited as the first company to receive regulatory approval for lab-grown meat under the brand GOOD Meat. Eat Just is the only alt protein company represented on the list and one of the few recognized companies within the food and beverage category. In statements to TIME, Tetrick emphasized the pivotal role of the food system in addressing climate …

more

Organisations and brands:

Future Ocean Foods

© Future Ocean Foods
Meat- and Fish Alternatives

Debut of World’s First Alternative Seafood Association Signals a New Era for Fish-Free Fish & Health of Our Oceans

Future Ocean Foods debuts today as the world’s first alternative seafood association, dedicated to propelling the alt seafood industry into a new era. With an impressive list of inaugural memberships, the alliance already has 36 companies on board, spanning 14 countries. 40% of its members are women founders, and this percentage is set to increase. We spoke with Future Ocean Foods’ founder and Executive Director, Marissa Bronfman, who described the association’s goal to bring together global initiatives united in a shared purpose to create sustainable, healthy seafood alternatives that support ocean conversation and address current challenges in food security. The association’s focus is to foster collaboration and knowledge-sharing with members spanning the sectors of plant-based seafood, fermentation, and cultivated food tech.  A future where seafood …

more

Organisations and brands:

Dr Helena Wright and Dr. Henning Stein

Dr Helena Wright and Dr. Henning Stein, image supplied
Opinion

Op Ed: Dr Henning Stein & Dr Helena Wright Explain Why Investors Should Be Hungry for the Next Food Revolution

Dr Helena Wright is Policy Director of FAIRR, a global investor network that raises awareness of the environmental, social and governance risks associated with intensive food production. Dr. Henning Stein is a Board Member at 1Businessworld, a global business ecosystem, network and marketplace. He has over 25 years of experience across asset management, pension funds, platforms, insurance and academia. Together they here put forward the case for not just a Green Revolution but an Ever-Green Revolution. Examining the Case for an Ever-Green Revolution By Dr Henning Stein & Dr Helena Wright “There are no solutions,” economist and social commentator Thomas Sowell famously remarked. “There are only trade-offs. You try to get the best trade-off you can get. That’s all you can hope for.” Particularly in …

more

Organisations and brands:

The Good Food Institute has released two white papers that explore the potential of alternative seafood.

© The Good Food Institute
Studies & Numbers

New GFI Alt Seafood Reports: Meeting the Global Demand for Seafood Without Depleting the Oceans

The Good Food Institute (GFI) has released two white papers that delve into the potential of alternative seafood to meet the increasing global seafood demand while achieving the world’s climate and biodiversity goals.  With seafood production projected to grow by 14% from 2020 to 2030, traditional fishing and aquaculture will impact the oceans and the environment severely, threatening biodiversity and marine habitats, argues GFI. However, plant-based and cultivated seafood have the potential to mitigate GHG emissions and also address other global challenges, such as biodiversity loss, nutrition, public health, and food security. GFI’s new research reports shed light on how policymakers, researchers, and ocean advocates can advance alternative seafood. Building climate policy momentum for alternative seafood This white paper explores how plant-based and cultivated seafood …

more

Organisations and brands:

Children protest with signs regarding environment

©Pexels-karolina-grabowska, image supplied by the authors
Sustainability / Environment

Leading Scientists Urge Global Shift to Plant-Based Food: “We Only Have 7-8 Years to Prevent a Global Climate Crisis”

A major new study by prominent scientists published in the leading scientific journal Heliyon proposes a new strategy for addressing climate change with what they say are “overlooked” solutions. Co-author Professor Andrew Knight  contacts vegconomist to explain, “Our planet is in a state of emergency and we only have a short window of time (7-8 years) to enact meaningful change to prevent a global climate crisis.” The authors argue that a shift to plant-based diets, a global phaseout of industrialized animal farming, and a global standardization of climate change metrics are effective measures to reduce global warming. Removing animals from the food system could offset the world’s total GHG emissions by 68%, highlights the study.   Meanwhile, the study points out that to avoid an irreversible global climate …

more

Organisations and brands:

A range of vegan dumplings and buns made by Haofood-

© Haofood
Fairs & Events

New Food Conference 2023: Tasting the Future of Plant-Based and Cultivated Alternatives

Food awareness organization ProVeg International will host the fourth edition of the New Food Conference (NFC) from the 25th to the 26th of October in Berlin, Germany. Focusing on the future of plant-based and cultivated meat and dairy products, the conference will provide attendees with a comprehensive overview of the latest innovations in alt proteins driving change in the food industry. The NFC will feature presentations from industry experts and panel discussions, to delve into scientific developments and market trends surrounding plant-based and cultivated products. Additionally, the event will host tantalizing tastings of yet-to-be-released products to offer attendees a preview of future foods. Learn from the experts The event will serve as a platform for researchers, food technologists, and industry specialists to discuss key topics …

more

Organisations and brands:

Veganuary participants

© Veganuary
Charity & Campaigns

80% of Veganuary Participants Have Reduced Their Animal Product Consumption by Over 50%

Veganuary, the campaign encouraging people to try a vegan diet for the month of January, has published the results of its six-month follow-up survey for 2023. 98% of Veganuary participants said they were eating fewer animal products than before they took part in the campaign, while 80% had reduced their animal product consumption by 50% or more. 28% had opted to remain fully vegan; the biggest motivator for this group was learning more about veganism, followed by discovering that being vegan was easier than expected. Better health was also an important factor, with over 60% of participants seeing improvements in this area. 58% had more energy, 51% said their skin appearance had improved, and 43% saw a positive impact on their body weight. Of those …

more

Organisations and brands:

Sprout growing out of money

Supplied by Elysabeth Alfano
Stock market

What Happened to the Beyond Meat and Oatly Stocks and What You Need To Know Before Your Company IPOs

Insights from a Good Food Conference roundtable: what happened to the Beyond Meat and Oatly stocks and what you need to know before your company IPOs. At the Good Food Conference last week, a roundtable discussion took place on how the public markets inform the private markets and what has happened to the Beyond Meat and Oatly stocks.  So much has changed since the heyday of the plant-based foods boom of 2019, 2020, and the first half of 2021.  The public markets took a downturn in the last half of 2021, and this, in turn, caused a tightening in venture capital by 2022 as the private markets follow the public markets usually by around six months. It takes a while for the trickle-down of the …

more

Alt proteins could help to sustainably scale up the seafood industry

© Bluu Seafood
Studies & Numbers

Report: Alternative Proteins Could Be Key in Sustainably Scaling the Seafood Industry

A new report by McKinsey has found that plant-based, cultivated, and fermented fish alternatives could play an important role in scaling up the seafood industry. Despite the fact that more than 85% of global fish stocks are fully exploited or overexploited, demand for seafood continues to rise worldwide. While aquaculture has increased seafood production, it has not been able to keep up with demand, meaning other solutions are needed. Alternative seafood does not have to contend with some of the challenges faced by conventional seafood producers; for example, a limited number of licenses are issued for fishing and aquaculture due to sustainability issues, whereas this does not apply to alt seafood. Additionally, conventional seafood can contain unsafe levels of mercury, and may need to be …

more

Organisations and brands:

Ivy Farm and Finnebrogue partner to bring cultivated Wagyu beef to the UK  

Image courtesy of Ivy Farm
Cultivated, Cell-Cultured & Biotechnology

Biotech Firms Awarded €1.2M for Creating Animal-Free Cell Culture Media to Make Cultivated Meat a “Commercial Reality”

Commercializing cell-based products such as cultivated meat remains challenging due to the substantial costs and ethical implications of fetal bovine serum. To find solutions, EIT Food, the world’s largest and most dynamic food innovation community, and the Good Food Institute (GFI) Europe launched the Cultivated Meat Innovation Challenge to develop a more affordable and efficient animal-free cell culture media. The winners, UK biotech company 3D Bio-Tissues and Israeli biotech startup BioBetter have received €1.2 million from EIT Food. With the funds, the companies will continue their R&D efforts in developing lower-cost alternatives to bovine serum. Moreover, they will produce cultivated meat products using their innovations.  Dr. Adam M. Adamek, director of innovation at EIT Food, said: “The cost of cell-culture media is a significant barrier to scaling …

more

Rachel Calomeni, Senior Vice President of Growth and Innovation at HowGood

Rachel Calomeni, Senior Vice President of Growth and Innovation at HowGood, image supplied
Opinion

Op Ed: Rachel Calomeni, SVP Growth & Innovation at HowGood, on Ingredient Data as a Powerful Tool

Rachel Calomeni is Senior Vice President of Growth and Innovation at HowGood, an independent research company and SaaS platform with the world’s largest ingredient sustainability database.  In this piece, Rachel argues that the next phase of innovation in vegan foods will be led by ingredient data.  Ingredient data is a powerful tool for vegan brands, here’s why. By Rachel Calomeni Consumers are demanding plant-based products. From 2018 to 2021, vegan alternatives to meat and milk grew by 54%, and in 2022, the plant-based food market was worth $7.4 billion according to the Good Food Institute. This exceptional growth has catapulted brands such as Beyond Meat and Oatly into the spotlight and into consumers’ kitchens.  While interest in vegan-based foods continues to grow, consumer interest in …

more

Organisations and brands:

ProVeg NFH school lunchboxes

Image courtesy of ProVeg International

Food & Beverage

Plant-Based Foods for Back-to-School Lunchboxes: What do Parents and Children Want?

In today’s fast-evolving food industry, meeting the diverse needs of consumers is essential for success. One segment that’s rapidly growing is the demand for plant-based products that appeal to children and are convenient for parents and caregivers. With the back-to-school season in full swing, now is the perfect time for food industry professionals to explore innovative solutions for creating plant-based products that kids will delight in when opening their lunchboxes. How to go about it? In its latest New Food Hub article, NGO ProVeg International discusses the growing demand for plant-based products catering to children’s needs and caregivers’ convenience. ProVeg also provides insights that focus on creating appealing plant-based options for kids by focusing on: Taste and texture Nutrition Allergen-friendliness Convenience Sustainable packaging Kid-centric marketing. …

more

Rebellyous Foods nugget

© Rebellyous Foods

Studies & Numbers

Time to Challenge the Price Barrier Concept: Analysis Finds Vegan Diet Saves $500 Per Year

A recent analysis conducted by the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, published in JAMA Network Open, sheds light on the economic benefits of adopting a low-fat vegan diet. Vegan diets have been central to poorer communities and indigenous peoples around the world for centuries; items such as tofu, seitan, TVP, beans, and tempeh, are highly affordable and more so than animal proteins. Furthermore, a recent Gallup Consumption Habits poll highlighted that the largest population of Americans opting for plant-based diets are those in low-income families. Contrary to the widely-held notion that vegan diets are more expensive, and the subsequently perceived obstacle of a price barrier cited by a majority of non-vegans, the new PCRM paper found that those living a plant-based lifestyle can save 16% …

more

Dairy alternatives, showing nuts and other sources

Image courtesy of ProVeg International
Milk- and Dairy Alternatives

Plant Milk’s Ascendance: Revolutionising the Dairy Landscape and Beyond

Plant-based milk has truly entered the mainstream; no longer a niche product consumed by the few, it is a household staple for many. Indeed, plant-based milk is the most purchased category in plant-based food and drink and has both the highest market value and penetration. In its recent New Food Hub article, ProVeg International uses industry statistics and predictions to suggest that plant-milk is now the growth engine for the entire milk category[1] – leading in terms of product innovation and generating huge sales and overall industry growth. Industry driving force ProVeg explains that, in the US, plant-based milk has been a driving force in the milk industry for several years. For example, plant-based milk unit sales grew 19% from 2019 to 2022, compared to …

more

Organisations and brands:

Nestle Maggi Veg

© Nestle
Products & Launches

Nestlé Announces New Shelf-Stable Line in Chile After Registering 333 Plant-Based Patent Applications

Nestlé, the world’s largest food and beverage company, is expanding its plant-based portfolio with the launch of a range of shelf-stable plant-based meat products for the Chilean market. These new items, launched under the brand name Maggi Veg, are certified vegan and include the company’s first shelf-stable plant-based mince meat made from soy.  The launch is part of Nestlé’s efforts to expand its plant-based offerings and give consumers more options for affordable alternatives to meat. The new product line bulks out the company’s plant-based portfolio, which features plant-based eggs, chocolate, and plant-based toddler milk. “We continue launching plant-based products in many regions of the world to offer people tasty, nutritious alternatives to meat that they can enjoy with family and friends,” said Torsten Pohl, Global …

more

Organisations and brands:

Omni Seafood range OmniFoods

©OmniFoods
Company News

What’s Been Happening at OmniFoods?

The Hong Kong-based company continues its efforts to remove animals from plates in various global markets. Let’s look at what OmniFoods has been up to recently.  United States In the United States, the recent launch of the Katsu OMNI Luncheon Musubi at 7-Eleven Hawaii received an impressive response, with the product selling out in just three days. The positive reaction secured it a place as a regular item at 7-Eleven Hawaii locations. OmniFoods is currently selling at Walmart, Whole Foods and Sprouts around the country, but it has also hit the shelves at Lily’s Vegan Grocery store in New York and at New Seasons Market locations where it has received a lot of good feedback already. The brand has plans to continue expanding its food …

more

Organisations and brands:

herd of cows eating hay in cowshed on dairy farm

© Syda Productions-stock.adobe.com
Agriculture / Agribusiness

$7.3 Trillion Investor Group Urges G20 to Reform “Harmful” Agricultural Subsidies

An investor coalition managing $7.3 trillion in assets has signed a statement urging the G20 group to reform “harmful” agricultural subsidies by 2030 to transition to net zero GHG emissions and restore nature by 2050.  Backed by 32 investors, including Legal & General Investment Management (LGIM) and French financial company BNP Paribas, this initiative represents the coalition’s first effort before the G20 summit in India this September. Also, it’s the latest policy engagement from the $70 trillion-backed FAIRR Initiative, which has been warning of an “Apollo 13” moment for the meat and dairy industry since last year. Jeremy Coller, founder of FAIRR, said: “Globally, governments are setting bold climate and nature goals, but in the same breath are undermining those ambitions with almost $500 billion in harmful …

more

Organisations and brands:

load more