Multiple semi-finalists in the prestigious XPRIZE ‘Feed the Next Billion’ competition have pulled out following a rule change enacted mid-way through the process relating to title sponsor ASPIRE which contestants argue is “unrealistic for any venture-backed...
As part of a pivot to a more asset-light supply chain strategy, Oatly has struck a deal with Toronto-based Ya YA Foods to co-manufacture Oatly products in Utah and Texas in a bid to reduce capex and improve cash flow.
While economists predict inflation will ease slightly in the coming quarters, this year could easily become a “groundhog day version of 2022” if the weather takes a turn for the worse and triggers a domino effect that strains transportation, commodity...
While several firms are growing fungi in fermentation tanks to make meat analogs, Israeli startup Kinoko is ditching the stainless steel vessels, adding fungi strains to legumes and grains in stacked trays, and letting them work their magic in a solid...
While almond milk and oat milk dominate the plant-based milk category in the US, Hope & Sesame sesame milk – which has a creamy texture and comparable protein levels to dairy milk (with the addition of some pea protein) – is gaining traction, generating...
A consortium of Dutch businesses and academia have launched a five-year research project examining the use of protein-based biopolymers for potential food and healthcare applications. The outcome could have a significant impact on the cultured meat sector...
Agribusiness giant Bunge has announced it will invest approximately $550 million to build a new soy protein concentrate (SPC) and textured soy protein concentrate (TSPC) facility to meet rising customer demand for plant-based ingredients.
Soup season is in full swing as temperatures across the country drop and cold and flu cases rise. But staying warm and reinforcing their reserves when sick aren’t the only reasons sales of soup are up significantly this year over last, according to new...
No longer a lumbering giant when it comes to R&D, Nestlé significantly increased its number of new product launches and number of patents in priority areas by simplifying its innovation process, fostering an entrepreneurial culture and collaborating...
'Cocoa used to be in a fruit on a tree. Through technology we make it in a cell mass in a bottle...'
New data from IRI and SPINS shows continued steep declines in sales of refrigerated meat alternatives but pockets of growth in frozen products and some plant-based milk, cheese, and yogurt subcategories, which do not all behave in the same way (spoiler...
Does cultivated meat have a lower environmental impact than conventional meat? Given that no one is yet operating a commercial scale facility, definitive data is not yet available. However, a life cycle assessment (LCA) conducted by Ohio State University...
After eight years of research and development, Joywell Foods has rebranded as Oobli, and unveiled the first food products – chocolate bars boasting 70% less sugar – to feature the sweet protein brazzein.
In part three of our gallery of highlights from FoodNavigator-USA's recent trip to Israel, we profile startups exploring everything from high-tech indoor vanilla cultivation to the manufacture of no-sugar-added snack bars using compression and ultrasonic...
Santiago-based NotCo – a food tech company deploying a proprietary artificial intelligence (AI) platform called ‘Giuseppe’ to bring a new level of sophistication to the formulation of meat and dairy alternatives – has raised $70m in a series D1 round*...
Utilizing precision fermentation to produce immune-system-supporting glycoproteins found in breast milk, Helaina is bridging the gap between traditional formula and breastfeeding. Now the company has its sights set on bringing its technology to a wider...
While the alternative cheese market remains relatively small and the focus of a niche consumer-base of vegan and lactose-intolerant consumers, a partnership between cheesemaker Bel Brands USA and animal-free dairy protein innovator Perfect Day seeks to...
In part two of our gallery of highlights from FoodNavigator-USA's recent trip to Israel, we profile startups exploring everything from upcycled yeast proteins and carob to antimicrobial proteins. Best viewed on a laptop!
Israeli startup BELIEVER Meats (formerly Future Meat Technologies) has broken ground on a 200,000-square-foot facility in Wilson, North Carolina, that it claims will be the largest cultivated meat production facility in the world with the capacity to...
Motif FoodWorks has filed a suite of new petitions with the US Patent and Trademark Office challenging US patents held by Impossible Foods over the use of heme proteins in meat alternatives as it defends itself against accusations of IP infringement....
Berkeley-based Orbillion Bio – which is carving a distinct path in the nascent cultivated meat industry by concentrating on premium ‘heritage’ breeds from Wagyu to elk – has teamed up with bioprocessing specialist Solar Biotech to scale up production...
Ingredients giant DSM has launched textured vegetable protein that contains necessary levels of all nine essential amino acids to be a complete protein, has unique textural benefits and is soy-free, gluten-free and dairy-free.
The German ingredients supplier is investing in UK-based Clean Food Group (CFG) – a start-up developing a bio-equivalent cultivated alternative to palm oil – via its investment arm, Doehler Ventures.
It's got a population of under nine million, but in the food innovation stakes, Israel punches way above its weight. FoodNavigator-USA headed to Tel Aviv for the Food Tech IL annual innovation event organized by The Strauss Group’s The Kitchen FoodTech...
Sales of non-dairy yogurt – like those of most plant-based products – have sharply declined in the past year, but a few bright spots revealed by consumer research and recent innovations by players in the space suggest the category could turn around with...
While plant-based meat sales have slowed significantly over the past year with many commentators blaming the inflationary environment, Daring - a premium brand deploying pricy high-moisture extrusion to make its plant-based chicken pieces – is going from...
What’s the most efficient way to make meat, outside of an animal, at scale? Startups in the nascent cultivated meat space are deploying multiple approaches from hybrid strategies combining cell biomass and plant-based protein, to tissue engineering and...
Precision fermentation specialist Perfect Day has completed its acquisition of Indian firm Sterling Biotech Limited (SBL) – which will double its production capability in the near-term - and secured the green light from the Food Safety and Standards Authority...
New shopper data from Kroger’s partner 84.51° shows that plant-based meat and dairy products are displacing animal products, albeit on a very small scale; while consumer survey data from 84.51° and the Plant Based Foods Association shows that personal...
In the US, a cultivated meat product has successfully completed the FDA’s pre-market safety review, moving it one step closer to commercialisation. What implications does this regulatory greenlight have for Europe’s cell-based meat sector?
Biomanufacturing everything from ‘animal-free’ dairy and egg proteins and high-intensity natural sweeteners to heat-and pH-stable red pigments is a hot topic in food tech. But which microbes will be the production workhorses in future, will new cell-free...
Utilized in everything from lipsticks and moisturizers to baked goods and confectionery, palm oil comes with environmental and societal costs – displacing tropical forests across Asia, Latin America and West Africa, and destroying the habitats of endangered...
Unilever has said it is exploring making ‘cow-free’ ice cream and is hoping to soon launch a product made with dairy proteins made via precision fermentation, but admitted there’s a danger they will be ultimately be rejected by shoppers if they are perceived...
While claims about Listeria and contaminants in a food production facility should be taken seriously, the allegations made in a Bloomberg article alleging “dirty conditions” at Beyond Meat’s production facility in Pennsylvania lack vital context, says...
Tate & Lyle has expanded its sweeteners toolbox with ERYTESSE erythritol, which provides 70% of the sweetness of sucrose, a similar temporal profile, and zero calories.
If you’re making cultivated meat in a bioreactor instead of a living, breathing animal, and you want to introduce it to consumers for the first time, what’s the best launch vehicle? A chicken nugget or fillet, a thin beef steak, a high-value item such...
As Americans prepare to celebrate Thanksgiving in a week, many are worried they won’t be able to afford a traditional meal – prompting some to look for alternatives, including plant-based options, and triggering massive promotions by retailers eager for...
Cultivated meat – made from animal cells grown in bioreactors instead of living breathing animals – has edged one step closer to commercialization in the US after the FDA sent Berkeley-based UPSIDE Foods a ‘no questions’ letter affirming the safety of...
Instead of coffee beans, Minus Coffee is taking ingredients such as chicory root, dates, and lentils, which undergo a fermentation process that its founder claims precisely replicates the taste and aroma of cold brew coffee, but in a much more sustainable...
“It's very frustrating to hear people talk all the time about transportation and power [in conversations about climate change] when right in front of you three times a day, there is a solution that's more impactful,” observed Beyond Meat founder...
French cheese and snacks maker Bel Group has entered into a strategic partnership with precision fermentation start-up Standing Ovation. The company says the move will help it ‘meet the challenge of proteins for the future’.
Buoyed by a $120m series B funding round, Israeli startup Remilk is building what it claims is the world’s largest precision fermentation facility in Denmark. FoodNavigator-USA visited the firm’s HQ in Rehovot last week to taste some animal-free dairy...
Growing meat from cells in bioreactors instead of living breathing animals should logically be more efficient, as resources are spent on growing only the cells that make up the meat product rather than keeping an animal alive. But it’s never been done...
Nutrient quality in plant-based beverages should be considered on a par with sustainability credentials, researchers say as they assessed the quality as well as quantity of micronutrients in common plant-based drinks.
Between Americans’ hectic on-the-go lifestyles pre-COVID, the pandemic prompting everyone to hit pause followed by hybrid work schedules, inflation rates at 40-year highs, and increased expectations that food not only nourish the body but also the soul,...
Plant-based foods and beverages co-manufacturer SunOpta continues to see strong growth across its plant-based milks portfolio especially in oatmilk, which is growing at more than twice the rate of the broader oatmilk segment.
Beyond Meat posted a year-over-year net loss of $101.7m on net sales of $82.5m in Q3 2022 as the company executes a "full force pivot" to its operating model, which includes slashing operating expenses to fortify the business and focusing on...
Square Roots is expanding its indoor farming footprint of teched-out converted shipping containers by co-locating one of its new farms at grocery wholesaler UNFI's distribution center near the Twin Cities where frigid winters reduce access to fresh,...
