🍖 Edible vegan bones

PLUS: 100 promising impact startups, €2.7M for sustainable fats and oils, cultivated cat treats

August 18, 2023

Adoption is the ultimate measure of consumer acceptance.

But alternative proteins are not yet good enough or cheap enough to meet the needs of the majority of consumers who are driven by taste, cost and convenience (as opposed to environmental or social reasons).

That’s according to the latest research by Synthesis Capital.

TL;DR: Focus at the earliest stages of adoption should be on improving and scaling up the technology (i.e. making alt proteins better and cheaper) while at the same time, better educating consumers on these next technologies.

So that consumer adoption is inevitable.

This Week in Food:

  • $5M for TikTok stars’ new snack line

  • €300M sustainability incentive payout

  • Prince William’s million-dollar question

The Digest

📈 What’s up? This article from Wired highlights why alt proteins are still on the up.

📉 What’s down? New research from Ketchum finds that 61% of Gen Z consumers believe they need to eat a certain way to communicate their identity and beliefs, which has created a culture of negativity and anxiety.

🥗 The UK government has been criticised for scrapping food waste legislation, which would have made food waste reporting mandatory for large and medium-sized businesses in England, that campaigners say could have reduced food prices and helped tackle the climate crisis.

👀 Good Read: Melt & Marble CEO Dr Anastasia Krivoruchko explains why reformation of food regulations is “imperative”. 

✨ Check out this list of the world’s 100 most promising impact startups, according to Norrsken and its partners.

New in Funding

Credit: Clean Food Group

💸 D'Amelio Brands, founded by TikTok stars Charli and Dixie D'Amelio and their parents, secured $5 million from Fifth Growth Fund to expand into the food and beverage space with a new snack line.

🍳 UK-based biotech Clean Food Group raised £2.3 million to accelerate commercialisation of its sustainable oils and fats technology, designed to provide an alternative to palm oil in food and cosmetic production.

🛒 Robomart, based in the US, secured $2 million seed funding and debuted its fully autonomous mobile grocery store concept, which will be available for retailers starting in 2025.

🇳🇱 Dutch B2B ingredients company Vivici B.V. closed its seed funding round with investment from DSM-Firmenich Venturing and Fonterra. It will use the funds to bring to market its animal-free dairy proteins, made via precision fermentation.

Energy ice pops

Credit: Sneak Energy

🧊 UK-based energy drink brand Sneak Energy introduced Freezies, a new line of “caffeinated, energy-boosting ice pops”.

🇮🇱 Israel’s Imagindairy has obtained self-affirmed GRAS status in the US, becoming only the third precision fermentation company to do so, and is working towards commercialisation of its animal-free whey protein.

🧀 US-based precision fermentation dairy company New Culture says it is on track to produce animal-free mozzarella at cost parity with its conventional counterpart within three years, and has scaled its operations to be able to produce batches of animal-free mozzarella for 25,000 pizzas.

🥔 LA-based Mi Terro is using waste streams such as potato peelings and brewers’ spent grains to create cost-effective alternatives to polyvinyl alcohol, to replace laundry and dishwasher pod films made with petrochemicals.

🐈 Singapore-based cultivated seafood startup Umami Bioworks announced its first commercial product partnership: a cultivated cat treat that will be launched under the Marina Cat brand by CULT Food Science.

👀 Here’s the full startup roundup including Mzansi Meat’s new name, the tech for perfectly ripened bananas and desserts formulated with collagen.

Plant Based

Credit: Juicy Marbles

🍖 Slovenia’s Juicy Marbles unveiled its Bone-in Ribs, which it says are the world’s first plant-based ribs with edible bones. After eating the meat, the bones, which are made with only plant proteins, can be turned into puffed, crispy snacks with the same protein content as beef jerky by baking, frying, or air-frying them. Sign up for exclusive access.

🦑 Scientists at the National University of Singapore have used 3D printing technology to create plant-based calamari rings from microalgae and mung bean proteins.

🌱 UK-based ingredient company Ulrick & Short has developed a “conceptually new to market” plant-based ingredient based on upcycled rapeseeds.

💰 Several high-profile celebrities and international NGO Generation Vegan have offered £1 million to encourage Prince William to include an “Advance a Plant-Based Food System” category in the Earthshot Prize.

🤝 South Korean alt meat producer UNLIMEAT partnered with Eat Just to co-create a plant-based kimbap, featuring a seaweed roll, vegetables, JUST Egg’s folded egg substitute and plant-based cheese and sausage from UNLIMEAT.

Big Food

Credit: Kellogg Co x Sugarlands Distilling Co.

🧇 Kellogg Co. partnered with Sugarlands Distilling Co. to create Eggo Brunch in a Jar Sippin’ Cream, an alcoholic liqueur designed to taste like Eggo waffles, maple syrup, butter and bacon and invoke the “treat yourself” feeling associated with going out for brunch.

🍩 Dunkin’ unveiled Dunkin’ Spiked, a new retail range of alcoholic ready-to-drink iced coffee and iced tea beverages, featuring several of its most popular flavours.

💸 Arla has made its first payment, €300 million, from its “Sustainability Incentive” model which rewards its farmer owners for their climate-based activities and sustainability efforts using a data-driven and science-based points system.

🥔 Potato product company Idahoan Foods released Idahoan Potato Shreds, a new line of microwavable snack cups designed to offer a gluten-free alternative to similar macaroni products.

🔥 Start a hot debate on food system transformation by bringing up the role of these multi-national food corporations.

Trends: Nuclear Fusion

What if we could find a way to harness the same energy that powers the stars to power the processes that we need to sustain life here on Earth? Well news just in: last week, US government scientists did just that and achieved a net energy gain in a fusion reaction for the second time.

🔎 Discover in the full HackTrends Report:
- 2x case studies (Avalanche Energy, Renaissance Fusion)
- The why, the challenges and the figures behind the space
- List of 15 companies creating energy from the stars right here on Earth

From the Community

New roles to apply for:

📍Let’s meet: Join us at a FoodHack Meetup in Valais (21st August), Melbourne (24th August), Tel Aviv (13th Sept) and Kigali (20th Sept).

📆 The Good Food Conference 2023 is right around the corner, 18-20th September. It’ll be their deepest dive to date on the alt protein science, technology and policy progress. Save 10% with GFICOMMUNITY23

🎧 Catch up on Ryan Grant Little’s latest podcast where he chats to FoodHack’s co-founder Arman Anatürk on how and why we’re democratising investment in Food and Climate.

🇦🇺 Take a read of Cellular Agriculture Australia’s country deep dive.

🇬🇧 A list of 10 startups redefining the future of food and beverages in the UK.

⚔️ Just for fun: Raising a Series B in 2023

⏩ Forward to a friend who loves FoodTech as much as you do

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Curated by Nicola and Laura 

Until next time - Stay Hungry