Better Bioeconomy Weekly - Jun 5th 2023 🌏
The untold victories in alternative proteins
Happy June!
As we kick off a new week, I wanted to remind you of something important: exercise.
Alright, buckle up for another information-packed edition as we dive right into this week's newsletter! 🤿
BIO BUZZ
🌤 10-Point Story of Alternative Proteins Not Being Told
While media headlines tend to emphasize current challenges, there is a significant oversight regarding the substantial progress being made by scientists, policymakers, and industry innovators worldwide.
The alternative protein industry has the potential to create significant job opportunities and contribute to the economy through real facilities and investments.
Governments worldwide increasingly recognise the importance of alternative proteins in addressing environmental challenges and supporting food security, leading to increased funding and support.
Read all 10 points and “proof points” - Good Food Institute
💼 The Most Transferable Skills for a Career in Alt Protein
5 key skills that are sought after are:
1) scientific literacy, research and analysis
2) bioinformatics and data analysis
3) software engineering
4) project management
5) leadershipThe alternative protein industry requires individuals with:
1) an entrepreneurial mindset
2) creative thinking
3) a willingness to embrace new technologies and methodologiesTo showcase these skills, individuals should highlight relevant experiences and accomplishments on their resumes, use descriptive verbs to outline their achievements and tailor their application to the specific job they're applying for.
Read full article - RMS Biotech Consulting
📈 Plant-Based Meats Approach Price Parity in France as Beyond Meat Becomes 40% Cheaper
While high inflation amongst other factors continues to affect the price of animal-based products, some plant-based meats have actually experienced price reductions despite inflation. This indicates their resilience to rising costs compared to traditional animal-based products.
Eg: The price of Beyond Meat's burgers decreased from €27 to €16.34 per kilogram from 2020 to 2023, resulting in a 40% reduction. Nestlé's plant-based Garden Gourmet brand is now offering lower prices than the prominent French meat producer Charal.Price parity between plant-based and animal meats is considered a significant sales driver, as consumers are increasingly unwilling to pay a premium for plant-based options.
This trend is expected to continue as manufacturers invest in the sector and startups scale up, potentially making plant-based meats consistently cheaper than animal meat.
Read full article - vegconomist
🦠 Algae 2.0: This Time It’s Different
Background: From 2005-2012, VCs poured millions of dollars into startups trying to make fuel from microalgae resulting in significant financial losses and limited success, leading to hesitancy in investing in the algae industry.
Now, algae-based startups are focusing on specialized markets such as food and nutrition, personal care, agriculture, animal health, and sustainable packaging, providing better success prospects than the subsidized energy market.
Synthetic biology enhances microalgae productivity and resilience. Manipulating the light and environment in which algae grow can enhance their efficiency and enable the production of target substances.
Algae companies develop diverse products like pigments for alt meats, flavours, feed additives, collagen inducers, palm oil replacements, protein therapeutics, and antimicrobials, showcasing algae's versatility in multiple industries.
Read full article - AgFunder
📊 Givaudan's AI Platform Anticipates Future Food Trends for Strategic Planning and Co-Creation Opportunities
Givaudan has launched a new "futurescaping" Customer Foresight platform that aims to predict food trends a decade in advance by blending artificial and human intelligence.
The platform utilizes data points and synthesizes data about tastes and expectations to identify impending shifts in consumer desires, leading to co-creation opportunities for food and beverage products.
Givaudan's platform has been successful in pilot tests and is part of the company's efforts towards sustainable, disruptive, and transformative innovation in the food industry.
Read full article - Food Dive
🚀 First Hong Kong Agricultural Research Project in Space
The launch of Longhuang Soybeans into space represents the full implementation of the first Hong Kong agricultural research project in space, supported by the China Manned Space Agency.
The project aims to investigate any induced mutagenesis under space conditions and analyze the returned specimens to explore the mutation mechanism of soybean seeds in space.
The project is a milestone for agricultural advancement in Hong Kong and highlights the synergistic scientific collaboration between Hong Kong and mainland China.
Read full article - The Chinese University of Hong Kong
🍲 Solar Foods and Ajinomoto Create Strategic Alliance to Create Next-Gen Air Protein Foods
After debuting its microbial protein Solein, made out of thin air, at a tasting event in Singapore last week, Solar Foods has formed a strategic alliance to develop products using Solein and conduct a marketability study in Singapore.
Ajinomoto has a growth focus on the Green Food business, leveraging fermentation technology, cell biotechnology, "Deliciousness Technologies," and locally adapted marketing capabilities.
Ajinomoto promotes co-creation of new food ingredients and food systems with low environmental impact, connecting food culture to the future and respecting individual preferences and values.
Read full article - Solar Foods
🇮🇩 Indonesia-Based Green Rebel’s Vegan Chicken Launches at Nando’s Singapore
The collaboration introduces the new Green Rebel Chick'n Steak, which contains 18g of protein and 7g of fiber per serving, and will be available at all six Nando's locations in Singapore.
Green Rebel's products can currently be found in 1,500 locations across Singapore, Indonesia, South Korea, Malaysia, and the Philippines.
Singapore is becoming a key launchpad for vegan products (and for alt protein products in general), fueled by growing consumer awareness of sustainability and ethics, backed by government funding for food-tech research and development.
Read full article - Green Queen
🇭🇰 Hong Kong’s DayDayCook and Nestlé Partnered to Create “Special Yet Accessible” Plant-Based Meal Options
The collaboration between DayDayCook and Harvest Gourmet, Nestlé’s strategic brand, aims to bring a line of shelf-stable products incorporating Harvest Gourmet's vegan ingredients.
DayDayCook worked with Nestlé's R+D Accelerator to develop foods that resonate positively with the Chinese audience and generate buzz in the plant-based market.
Last December, DayDayCook collaborated with Float Foods to introduce OnlyEg, a vegan egg replacement, to the Hong Kong consumer base offering clean, contemporary, and healthy meals through OnlyEg Meal Kits.
Read full article - Green Queen
🍵 Oobli Has Launched a Lineup of Sweet Teas Sweetened With Brazzein Protein
Brazzein is derived from the oubli fruit found in West Africa, and Oobli has developed a process to create a chemically identical version of the protein through microbial fermentation.
Oobli's sweet teas have significantly lower sugar content and calories compared to traditional sweet teas, offering a healthier alternative.
The use of sweet protein as a sweetener could be a major selling point, appealing to consumers who associate proteins with healthier lifestyles.
Read full article - The Spoon
🐟 Upstream Foods Is Developing Cultivated Salmon Fat to Enhance the Flavour and Mouthfeel of Plant-Based Seafood
The fat is produced by using stem cells derived from living fish and combining them with a plant-based matrix.
Upstream Foods plans to commercially launch within five years, targeting the US or Singapore due to favourable regulatory landscapes.
Cost reduction and scalability are key challenges for Upstream, and they are seeking €3 million in seed funding and collaborating with the Danish Institute DTU Biosustain to develop a cost-efficient process.
Read full article - vegconomist
BIO BUCKS
🇬🇧 Neat Burger, Supported by Lewis Hamilton, Successfully Raised $18 Million in Series B Funding
The company has become a leading player in the plant-based food industry, appealing to both flexitarian and plant-based consumers with its high-quality, fresh ingredients without compromising on taste.
Neat Burger plans to expand its global reach, with a successful launch in New York and upcoming restaurant launches in Italy and the Middle East.
The company's success is recognized through industry awards, including being named the U.K.'s Best Vegan Restaurant of the Year for two consecutive years at the Deliveroo Restaurant Awards.
Read full article - Green Queen
🦠 Pluton Biosciences Raises $16.5M Series A to Discover and Deploy Microbes That Will Fight Climate Change
The funding will be utilized to accelerate the development of Pluton's flagship product, the Microbial Cover Crop™, through field trials and commercial partnerships.
Pluton aims to revolutionize agriculture by combining genomics and data science through its Micromining™ platform to unlock the potential of soil microbes for sustainable practices.
Pluton's technology, including Microbial Cover Crops™, has the potential to enhance crop yields, reduce fertilizer costs, improve profitability, limit erosion, and promote soil quality and carbon sequestration.
Read full article - PR Newswire
💸 HackCapital Launches As A Game-Changing Platform For Climate Finance
The Investment platform revolutionises financing for private companies focused on impact planetary solutions. It connects founders, fund managers, and syndicates in the ClimateTech sector with its extensive investor network.
The platform has already facilitated capital pooling for >30 startups and it aims to address the need for mobilizing capital towards private companies and funds in the impact sector.
HackCapital offers a range of capabilities, including roll-up vehicles, feeder funds, and micro vehicles, to expedite the process of raising and deploying significant capital for sustainability and health-focused builders and capital allocators.
Read full article - Green Queen
💰 Big Idea Ventures Raises Initial Funds for $75M New Protein Fund II
This funding brings BIV's total assets under management to over $100 million.
BIV claims to be the first global fund dedicated to alt proteins and is the most active investor in the food tech category.
With the launch of NPF II, BIV aims to expand its portfolio with companies focusing on alternative ingredients and impactful food, supporting early-stage startups worldwide.
Read full article - vegconomist
SOCIAL FEAST
🧬 Takeaways from SynBioBeta 2023
Despite economic uncertainties and environmental concerns, there was a strong sense of enthusiasm and belief that synthetic biology can provide solutions to global challenges.
The ability to taste, touch, and smell the products created with synthetic biology in real-world settings was emphasized, particularly in the areas of food products, textiles, and bioplastics.
Algae and plants were prominent at SynBioBeta 2023, showcasing their potential in biomanufacturing and biotechnology. The conference highlighted their rising interest and recognized their significant contributions to synthetic biology.
Read full article by Christopher J. Fisher, Ph.D. - LinkedIn
💴 Shifting Investment Trends in Synthetic Biology
In 2020-2021, the synthetic biology sector experienced a significant influx of capital, allowing start-ups to secure funding based on concepts or strong teams alone.
Since the second half of 2022, investors have become less tolerant of overvalued start-ups without revenue or industrialization capabilities, emphasizing the need for a more practical approach to investment decisions.
In the Chinese domestic market, platform-type synthetic biology contract research organizations (CROs) are expected to have limited growth potential in the short term, while product-type companies are projected to become the market's main players in the future.
Check out full post by Xiwen Qing - LinkedIn
🛫 Should Climate Activists Travel to Conferences?
Attending conferences can provide valuable experiences and opportunities for climate activists. While the decision to travel to conferences as a climate activist is complex, considering the potential benefits and drawbacks is important.
HackSummit, as described, stands out as an exceptional event for climate activists to consider attending. It offers enjoyable experiences, engaging interactions, and well-organized proceedings.
While the decision to travel to conferences as a climate activist depends on various factors, HackSummit provides a compelling case for climate activists to attend conferences. It offers a valuable opportunity to leave energized and connected with like-minded individuals, serving as a source of inspiration and motivation.
Check out full post by Sonalie Figueiras - LinkedIn
🌱 Meat Alternatives Can Save Our Forests and Wildlife
Animal agriculture is a major cause of deforestation worldwide.
By replacing 20% of conventional beef consumption with fermentation-made meat, deforestation could be reduced by 50%.
Fermentation-made, plant-based, and cultivated meat options require less land compared to traditional meat, contributing to the preservation of nature and biodiversity while still enjoying familiar food choices.
Check out full post by GFI Europe - LinkedIn
EAR FOOD
🏛️ Lobbying in US vs. EU, Food Politics and Corporate Influence
Show: Red to Green
This is the second part of the book talk on "Food Politics- How the Food Industry Influences Nutrition and Health" which covers various topics: politics, the economy, innovation, and culture, focusing on global food systems.
The first episode examines food industry lobbying's impact on policy and guidelines, questioning moderation advice, emphasizing single nutrients, and challenging sugar recommendations.
Marion Nestle, a biologist and public health advocate, explores the connections between corporations, government institutions, and public health in her book, uncovering their profound impact on health, environment, and social justice.
🍽️ What Will We Eat in a Post-1.5°C World?
Show: Science Weekly
Guests: Helena Dov (Kitchen gardener at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew), Tiziana di Costanzo (Co-founder of Horizon Insects), Pasi Vainikka (CEO of Solar Foods)
Global temperatures are likely to temporarily rise by more than 1.5°C in the next five years.
Breaching the 1.5°C threshold provides insight into future decades and has serious consequences for all aspects of our lives, including food.
Potential changes in diets due to climate change include climate-resilient vegetables, alternative protein sources like mealworms and crickets, and the production of food from bacteria, electricity, and air.
VISUAL DELIGHT
💥 What Is Disruption?
New technologies that offer better capabilities at a fraction of the cost outperform and outcompete older technologies, leading to disruptions in various sectors of the global economy.
Disruptions show predictable patterns, with costs decreasing exponentially as new technologies are produced. Adoption follows an S-shaped curve, and disruption takes over the market in approximately 15 years.
Solar photovoltaics, wind turbines, electric batteries, precision fermentation, artificial intelligence, and automation are all following cost curves that indicate imminent disruptions in the energy, transportation, food, and labour sectors.
🏭 Plant-Based Meat Manufacturing Capacity and Pathways for Expansion
The webinar summarizes an analysis report on plant-based meat manufacturing capacity and pathways for scaling up production.
The analysis provides insights into the current state of manufacturing capacity and explores potential pathways for expansion, including the feasibility and benefits of retrofitting.
The seminar offers specific recommendations to industry and policy stakeholders to facilitate the growth of the plant-based meat industry.
That’s all for this week. Take care and have an awesome week! 🙌🏾
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