The world’s population is increasing. The living standards are rising in many countries. To satisfy the expanding demand for meat and fish consumption, industrial livestock and aquaculture production has multiplied. However, aware of the societal, ethical and environmental effects of an animal-based diet, more and more consumers are willing to reduce their meat and fish consumption by introducing healthy non-animal protein sources into their diets. Mankind being omnivorous, we can anticipate that the global population will still, on average, include meat and fish in its diet. However, some of ..read more

Wide Open Agriculture Limited (WOA), an Australian-based regenerative food and agriculture company, announced that it has signed a non-binding term sheet alongside Ingå Group (Ingå), a sustainable food ingredient developer. The term sheet outlines a proposed distribution and investment agreement that positions Ingå as the exclusive distributor of WOA’s lupin-based proteins in Europe. Recently acquired from German lupin protein producer ProLupin, WOA’s lupin-based protein isolates, which the company has branded Buntine Protein®, can be used in plant-based dairy, alternative meats, baked goods ..read more

Biotech startup MyriaMeat, founded by researchers from the University of Göttingen, has come out of stealth mode, claiming it can cultivate 100% “real meat” from stem cells. The startup, with headquarters in Munich and Göttingen, was founded in 2022 to transfer patented “groundbreaking” medical technology to the food field. Developed through more than 25 years of research and a financial investment exceeding €40 million, this technology is based on pluripotent stem cells (iPSC) and parthenogenetic stem cells, enabling the growth of functional muscle — and presumably entire meat cuts. “O ..read more

New York-based biomanufacturing company Synonym has secured funding from Open Philanthropy to further its research into gas fermentation technology for sustainable food production. Recognized for its efforts in developing infrastructure for the biomanufacturing industry, Synonym plans to use the funding to conduct comparative techno-economic assessments of single-cell protein production using various gas fermentation techniques. The company is keen to assess the potential financial benefits of gas fermentation in comparison to processes that utilize plant-based carbon sources such as dext ..read more

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has granted a $25 million loan guarantee to support Agronomics, a leading cellular agriculture and cultivated meat investment firm, in the completion of a large-scale biomanufacturing facility in Indiana.  Allocated for the finalization of Liberation Labs’ 600,000-liter bio-protein facility, the funding will support a resolution to the industry’s fermentation production capacity deficit. With commercial production scheduled to begin Q1 2025, the facility aims to efficiently produce novel proteins, including those that replicate the charac ..read more

Oatly, Alpro (Danone), DUG (Veg of Lund), Planti, Oddlygood, and Sproud, under the umbrella of Plant-based Sweden (Växtbaserat Sverige), have sent a letter to the Swedish government urging it to advocate for the inclusion of plant-based milk in the upcoming review of the EU School Scheme. Currently, the EU School Scheme aids over 20 million European children by providing them with milk, fruit, and vegetables. However, it does not encompass milk alternatives, even though numerous children are unable or unwilling to consume dairy due to medical, ethical, taste, or environmental concerns. La ..read more

Avebe, a Dutch supplier of potato-based ingredients, has launched a new product called PerfectaSOL®, described as the “next generation of potato protein products”. PerfectaSOL is said to be an ideal texturiser for plant-based dairy alternatives, with a range of properties including gelling, smoothness, emulsifying, stability, and a neutral white color. It can replace ingredients such as modified starches and hydrocolloids, allowing for clean-label formulations. PerfectaSOL can also be used to make plant-based baked goods; Avebe’s R&D team has successfully used it to develop products such a ..read more

According to a report by marketresearch.biz, the vegan cheese market will increase in value from $4.2 billion to $8 billion by 2032, growing with a CAGR of 6.2%. The predicted growth — described as “unprecedented” — is attributed to increasing consumer awareness of animal welfare, health, and sustainability. New technologies — such as the recent development of high-protein cheese alternatives made from fermented legumes in Denmark — will also boost the market by improving taste, texture, and nutritional value. Furthermore, the growing availability of vegan cheeses in supermarkets and restauran ..read more

The Danish Foundation for Plant-Based Foods (Fonden For Plantebaserede Fodevarer) has announced the first 36 selected projects of the Plant Fund (Plantefonden) — a DKK 675 million ($100M) a government initiative to promote climate-friendly plant-based food until 2030. The selected projects will receive DKK 58.2 million in funding to support the country’s first phase of its plant-based food agenda: developing new food options, training kitchen staff, and launching national awareness campaigns to promote plant-based foods. Thirty-three of the projects are scheduled to begin work in Jan ..read more

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. “This investment will accelerate o ..read more