McKinsey of Alt Proteins, India's Promising Smart Protein Sector, and Cultivated Bluefin Tuna is Hot
Also: Talking sh*t about fellow alt protein ecosystem partners online is not cool
BIO BUZZ
💡 Bright Green Partners launched the “world’s largest” alternative protein expert network with over 2,000 experts
This network provides clients with on-demand access to industry experts, aiming to fuel growth, innovation, and problem-solving while addressing challenges like misinformation and inflationary pressures.
BGP's unique value lies in clarity and in-depth insights, distinguishing it from generic expert networks, and their specialised management consultants quickly connect clients with the right specialists.
The service benefits both clients and alternative protein experts by fostering growth and collaboration within the industry while addressing various requirements, from investors to large corporations and consulting firms.
Read full article - vegconomist
🇩🇪 Esencia Foods hosted Europe's first tasting of mycelium-derived seafood
The German startup uses a proprietary solid-state fermentation process to create mycelium-based whitefish alternatives like seabass and cod with only two ingredients.
Esencia's products are high in protein, fibre, and omega-3. Mycelium-based seafood production is more sustainable, using less land, water, and energy while producing fewer GHG compared to traditional animal husbandry.
Esencia Foods aims to partner with restaurants, foodservice distributors, and food corporations to introduce a "new generation of protein" through its mycelium-derived seafood products.
Read full article - Green Queen
🇭🇰 Plant Sifu has expanded its partnership with Cathay Pacific to offer its plant-based pork range to travellers worldwide
The collaboration involves offering Plant Sifu's plant-based pork range in in-flight meals on select long-haul Cathay Pacific flights departing from Hong Kong to various global destinations.
Chefs from Cathay Pacific have created Chinese and Asian dishes using Plant Sifu's pork products, such as braised egg tofu with pork mince and wok-fried mince with Thai basil.
The partnership aligns with Cathay Pacific's Greener Together strategy, focusing on carbon neutrality, climate change mitigation, and sustainability in its in-flight dining experiences.
Read full article - Green Queen
🐾 BioCraft Pet Nutrition has unveiled an AI/ML tool that accelerates R&D for cultivated meat, streamlining the process and reducing costs
The tool gathers data from scientific literature and databases to analyse the biochemical processes within cells, identifying nutrient inputs that promote cell growth and nutrient production.
BioCraft's AI streamlines R&D, reducing costs and accelerating progress in cultivated meat production, surpassing human capabilities in terms of speed and efficiency.
With AI assistance, BioCraft can optimise cell proliferation, improve nutritional value, identify cost-effective inputs, and navigate regulatory approval processes.
Read full article - Pet Food Industry
🧬 QL AG is collaborating with Ginkgo Bioworks to develop animal-free dairy proteins using Ginkgo's strain engineering capabilities
The collaboration aims to reduce the cost of producing dairy proteins through fermentation and provide nutritionally equivalent dairy proteins to the market.
Ginkgo Bioworks sees dairy proteins as an exciting opportunity to address challenges related to productivity, economics, and functionality. Ginkgo plans to use its expertise in protein engineering, bioactivity, and biochemistry to overcome these challenges and scale up production effectively.
Dairy proteins produced through fermentation offer several benefits, including improved taste and texture, reduced land and water requirements, and cost-effective production.
Read full article - PR Newswire
⚒️ GEA has created a digital twin for bioreactors to test them before construction, ensuring optimal conditions for cell growth
Bioreactor configuration is crucial for the food industry, as it must mimic living conditions for predictable and replicable performance.
The digital twin simulates various scenarios to fine-tune parameters like shear stress, temperature, and nutrient distribution.
Computational fluid dynamics is used to model cell growth, oxygen, and nutrient delivery inside the reactor for virtual testing.
Read full article - Food News Business
🥇 Better Nature is the top-scoring meat-free B Corp in the UK with an impact score of 99.7, over 20% higher than industry average
UK tempeh brand is committed to high social and environmental standards, including having a low carbon footprint, certifying products for various environmental and ethical standards, and donating 1% of sales to charity.
Better Nature is focused on producing sustainable, clean-label food and promotes a diverse workplace with an emphasis on team wellbeing. The company also collaborates with mission-aligned partners.
The company plans to continue its sustainability efforts, expand its Net Zero strategy, address childhood malnutrition in Indonesia, and improve how the business is run for all stakeholders.
Read full article - vegconomist
MACRO STUFF
🇮🇳 Key takeaways from GFI India’s first State of the Industry Report
India is second in Asia in terms of the required increase in alternative protein production, with 85% of its protein consumption needing to come from alternative and traditional plant sources if it is to carbonise.
Plant-based dairy is dominant in India's alternative protein market, with 65.8% of businesses focusing on it. Although meat alternatives have potential, plant-based dairy is valued 2.5 times higher than meat alternatives in the market.
The Indian government is providing support for the smart protein sector through initiatives, funding programs, and committees. Regulatory challenges exist regarding labelling, especially for plant-based dairy products, and clarity on health benefits, taste, and price remains pivotal for consumer adoption.
Read full article - Green Queen
🇩🇰 Denmark becomes the first country to release a national action plan for plant-based foods, setting a global standard for climate action
The plan includes initiatives to incentivize plant-based farming and allocates $100 million until 2030 to develop, launch, and promote sustainable plant-based food.
Despite this investment, a study shows that livestock farmers received 1,200 times more public funding than the plant-based food sector.
The Vegetarian Society of Denmark suggests that the plant-based sector is still severely underfunded and recommends an annual investment of €80 million, which is at least six times the current amount.
Read full article - vegconomist
💰 How to design a meat tax that benefits everyone, even low-income families
A study conducted by the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research and the EU Commission's Joint Research Centre debunks the theory that meat taxes always harm low-income populations. It also explores how these taxes can be designed and their revenues distributed to ease the impact.
The study suggests that redistributing meat tax revenue to consumers as monthly or annual transfers can help mitigate the impact on low-income households, benefiting them on average.
Differentiated tax models, such as taxing meat based on its environmental impact, can reduce regressivity. However, to achieve environmental targets in the food sector, complementary measures like redirecting subsidies to the animal agriculture sector may also be necessary.
Read full article - Green Queen
🌱 Plant-based meat brands can attract flexitarians with comfort and familiarity
Flexitarians are the fastest-growing consumer demographic in Europe, making up nearly 30% of the population, while only 4% of European consumers are vegan. This presents a significant opportunity for the plant-based industry.
To appeal to meat-eating and flexitarian consumers, plant-based brands should optimise taste and texture while also balancing nutrition. They should also account for comfort and familiarity and use sensory language in communications, along with bold and colourful packaging.
Creating a "meaty" experience for consumers, emphasising comfort and familiarity through product offerings and marketing, is important for attracting flexitarian customers. These consumers prioritise taste and texture when choosing plant-based products.
Read full article - vegconomist
📈 Food technology adoption follows an S-curve and is not immune to technological disruption
Technological convergence is a key driver of disruptive products, businesses, and services in the food sector. Disruptive technologies in food often focus on changing the processes involved in ingredient production rather than the ingredient itself.
Examples of direct substitution disruptions in the food industry include the transition from traditional lemon-based citric acid production to fermentation-based production, leading to greater efficiency and supply.
Substitution-based food ingredient disruptions, such as the shift from sugar to corn-based sweeteners, can offer benefits in terms of cost, performance, and usability, driving adoption through S-curve growth.
“To produce the amount of citric acid used globally today just from lemons would require more than 40,000x the number of lemons produced in 2021 in the world.”
Read full article - Synthesis Capital
New here? Devour the free subscription and join a list of founders, investors, and biotech enthusiasts leading the food revolution!
BIO BUCKS
🍣 BlueNalu raised $33.5M in Series B funding to support the development and commercialisation of its cultivated bluefin tuna
The company plans to construct a large commercial facility in 2026 with the capacity to produce 6 million lbs of seafood. BlueNalu projected a 75% gross margin within the first year of the large-scale facility being operational by focusing on premium seafood categories.
Initially targeting the US foodservice sector and exploring European opportunities with Nomad Foods, BlueNalu has shifted its primary focus to Asia, given that the region represents over 80% of global bluefin toro consumption.
BlueNalu has extended strategic partnerships with Asian seafood leaders Pulmuone, Mitsubishi, and Thai Union to accelerate the launch of its alternative seafood products in the APAC region.
Read full article - Green Queen
🐟 Wanda Fish Technologies secured $7M in seed funding to produce cultivated bluefin tuna
The Israeli food tech startup aims to replicate the texture, flavour, and nutrition of wild-caught fish using muscle and fat cells.
Wanda Fish has an exclusive licencing and sponsored research agreement with Tufts University and is also working with David Kaplan, a Tufts biomedical engineering professor and cellular agriculture expert.
The funding will help optimise its technology and scale up production of cultivated bluefin tuna, with plans to enter restaurants by 2026 after regulatory approvals in 2025.
Read full article - TechCrunch
🇫🇷 Bon Vivant raised €15M in an oversubscribed seed round for its animal-free whey and casein proteins
The French precision fermentation company plans to open a new manufacturing facility by Q2 next year and expects FDA approval for its beta-lactoglobulin by 2025.
The funding will be used to accelerate commercialization, support R&D, and obtain regulatory approval in multiple countries.
Bon Vivant is working with B2B partners to develop animal-free protein products like yoghurts and ice creams and does not plan to introduce a consumer-facing brand, focusing on collaboration with food manufacturers to reduce the environmental footprint.
Read full article - Green Queen
🇪🇸 Catalonia is investing €7M in the Centre for Innovation in Alternative Proteins (CiPA) to lead alt protein science in Southern Europe
CiPA, funded by the Catalan Government and the Institute of Agri-Food Research and Technology (IRTA), will support the development of sustainable methods for producing meat alternatives, including plant-based meat and fermentation-based products.
CiPA aims to reduce food waste by transforming agricultural surpluses and byproducts into nutritious food, potentially creating new revenue sources for farmers.
Spain's investment in alternative proteins will help meet climate targets, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and address concerns about superbugs and pandemics associated with industrial animal agriculture.
Read full article - GFI Europe
SOCIAL FEAST
🚫 Tearing down your fellow alt protein ecosystem partners on social media is a surefire way to undermine our collective mission
Recent public disputes in the cultivated meat industry involve subjective disagreements with claims of ill intent, but such accusations are likely unfounded.
It’s important to resolve concerns privately rather than resorting to confrontations on social media, especially for those working towards mainstreaming alternative proteins.
Bruce expresses a negative view of individuals who criticise ecosystem partners publicly rather than addressing their concerns through direct communication.
Read post on LinkedIn - Bruce Friedrich
🧑🏾🚀 We associate food with joy and community; it shouldn't be any different in space
Traditional space food options like freeze-dried and pre-packaged meals have limitations, leading to loss of appetite and nutritional issues, posing a challenge for longer space missions.
The Space Culinary Lab by Nonfiction introduces innovative solutions, including an aeroponic garden, a space laser BBQ, and a microalgae bioreactor, emphasising the importance of variety and emotional connection to food in space.
Lessons from space food technology can benefit food-sensitive areas on Earth, highlighting the importance of developing sustainable and diverse food production methods, especially in resource-limited environments.
Read post on LinkedIn - Phnam Bagley
🤭 Don't dunk on plant-based meat because it's GMO, while eating your GMO steak
More than 95% of animals used for meat and dairy in the US are fed with GMO crops. The majority of meat (98.6%) and cow's milk (97.7%) in the US is not organic, meaning it contains GMO feed, even if it's grass-fed.
The top GMO crops in the US, including soy (94%), corn (92%), cotton (96%), canola (95%), sugar beets (99.9%), and alfalfa (99%), are primarily used for livestock feed and oils.
GMOs are prevalent in everyday food consumption unless specifically labelled as non-GMO or organic. The FDA has deemed GMO consumption safe based on extensive studies, with no significant nutritional differences compared to organic foods.
Read post on LinkedIn - Irina Gerry
Got a taste for this newsletter? Dish it out to your friends!👇🏾
EAR FOOD
🎙 The pioneer of cultivated meat, Dr. Mark Post’s perspective on the industry
Show: Green Queen in Conversation
Host: Sonalie Figueiras
Guest: Dr. Mark Post, co-founder and CSO of Mosa Meat
Mark’s involvement in cultivated meat research started by coincidence while working on tissue engineering for medical purposes. He joined a project initially unrelated to cultivated meat but later became enthusiastic about it and continued the work after the initial grant.
Mark expects that in the next four or five years, cultivated meat prices will be competitive with some types of traditional meat. However, the timeline for mass production, as predicted by some, might be optimistic, and it could take a few decades to reach a significant share of the market.
He expressed surprise and disappointment at the lack of public funding in the cultivated meat industry. He emphasised the importance of public funding for scientific research, training, and knowledge dissemination in the field.
THAT’S ALL FOR THIS WEEK!
Take care, and have an awesome week! 🙌🏾
Are you new here?
Know any other geeks who would dig this newsletter?