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PLUS: Enter your startup into the Food Tech World Cup

It’s game ON. This week at FoodHack we launched the 2025 edition of the FoodTech World Cup.

We’re teaming up with Givaudan and Nestle Research + Development Lausanne to scour the globe for the world’s most exciting talents in Food for Health.

If you (or know someone you know) are working on a better-for-you solution in FoodTech then it’s time to submit your application and enter the FoodTech World Cup.

Applications are open across all geographies with the most promising talents invited to the regional Demo Day Semi-Finals and the Grand Final in Lausanne.

2024 Food Tech World Cup Jury and Finalists

This week in FoodTech:

🍕 Fully autonomous end-to-end pizza robot
🥚 187% egg-streme price hike and shortages
🫘 Map of 100 Food for Health startups to know

The Digest

📈 What’s up? The ongoing avian influenza outbreak has led to significant egg shortages and price increases, with large Grade A egg prices rising over 187% since January 2024, according to data from MarginEdge. Green Queen covers a list of startups working on an alternative.

🤝 Also up. More than 175 food businesses across Asia have committed to improving sustainability and animal welfare in their sourcing policies, with 83 new commitments in 2024 driven by US non-profit Lever Foundation.

📉 What’s down? Post Holdings' cereal volumes declined 2.3% last quarter as Gen Z consumers shift towards protein-rich alternatives like yoghurt and cottage cheese, putting pressure on the cereal market.

🧫 A South Dakota legislative committee has advanced a bill to ban the manufacture, sale, and distribution of cultivated meat, alongside another bill restricting state spending on it, though both still require House approval.

👀 Good Read: Systemiq released “A Taste of Tomorrow”, the first study to look at the economic potential of alternative proteins for Germany, while also considering broader social and environmental benefits.

🌾 Good Read: Robert F. Kennedy Jr. advocates for transitioning to regenerative agricultural practices to improve public health and reduce reliance on chemical-intensive farming methods.

Fundraising

Credit: 80 Acres Farms

💡 US-based 80 Acres Farms raised $115 million, bringing its total funding to over $370 million, and acquired Israeli biotech firm Plantae Biosciences to enhance plant genetics for indoor agriculture through advanced breeding technologies.

🧃 Better-for-you soda producer Olipop secured $50 million in a Series C funding round led by J.P. Morgan Private Capital, increasing its valuation to $1.85 billion, as it focuses on expanding product development, marketing, retail presence, and new flavours for its prebiotic soda lineup.

🌫️ Agteria Biotech raised €6 million to accelerate the development and commercialisation of its methane-reducing molecule, with the aim of cutting 1% of global greenhouse gas emissions by tackling methane from cattle.

🏭 Germany’s Kynda secured €3 million seed funding to scale up its fermentation technology and expand production of mycoprotein-based meat made from upcycled food waste, with its new factory set to open in Q2 2025.

🐕 London-based vegan pet food startup Omni secured a £75,000 investment from Dragons' Den investors Deborah Meaden and Steven Bartlett in exchange for a 2.5% equity stake, valuing the company at £3 million.

👀 Catch up on all 14 Funding rounds from the week including jitterless coffee and a sugar reduction tech.

💰 Opinion: Why Agrifoodtech investors are bracing for a tumultuous 2025.

Startup Milestones

Credit: ORF Genetics x Cellmeat

🦞 Icelandic biotech company ORF Genetics partnered with South Korean startup Cellmeat to host what they claim is the first cultivated shellfish tasting outside Asia, featuring dishes by chef Jinyoung Park.

🍳 Dutch biotech company NoPalm Ingredients has scaled its yeast-based fermentation process to industrial production, achieving 120,000 liters of sustainable oil as a viable alternative to palm oil with significantly lower carbon emissions and land use.

🥛 Earth First Food Ventures launched PFerrinX26, the first US-based facility dedicated to precision fermentation of Lactoferrin, aiming to address global shortages and advance cow-free dairy innovation.

☀️ American Farmland Trust and Sol Systems are launching an initiative in Illinois to integrate solar energy with sustainable agriculture by growing Kernza, a deep-rooted perennial grain that enhances soil health and carbon sequestration.

320 Food for Health Startups to Know

Here we highlight 100 of the ‘ones to watch’ in 10 categories across Food for Health. 

These pioneers are redefining how we approach nutrition, wellness, and sustainability through cutting-edge science and bold innovation. 

But we’re just scratching the surface of companies in the space, as this week we tracked over 320 startups and scaleups

Head this way to discover the full list of companies and their technologies driving innovation at the intersection of people, planet, and health.

Plant Based

Credit: Plates London

⭐️ Plates London has become the UK’s first 100% vegan restaurant to receive a Michelin star, earning the accolade in the 2025 Michelin Guide for its innovative plant-based cuisine under chef-owner Kirk Haworth.

🐑 Juicy Marbles debuted Meaty Meat, a high-protein, high-fibre plant-based lamb analogue, in the US and Canada as part of its North American expansion.

🍲 Ella and Matthew Mills, founders of Deliciously Ella, have acquired vegan ready-meal brand Allplants out of administration under their revamped Plants brand, aiming to build a new natural, plant-based powerhouse. Read the update.

🇫🇮 Raisio has agreed to sell its plant protein business, including the Härkis and Beanit brands, to Finnish dairy company Valio for €7 million, with the transfer expected to be completed in March 2025.

🥮 Spanish supermarket chain Eroski has partnered with Ausolan, Innomy, and Leartiker Technology Centre to develop Delifungus, a range of desserts and snack bars made with sustainable fungal protein.

Big Food

Credit: MOTO

🍕 Fast-growing restaurant chain MOTO Pizza is developing a fully autonomous end-to-end pizza robot that handles everything from dough preparation to boxing.

🍌 Givaudan has partnered with Dole Specialty Ingredients to distribute upcycled Green Banana Powder, expanding its Sense Texture range with a natural, clean-label alternative to starch

👎 Arla has been criticised by climate campaigners, including the Changing Markets Foundation and Greenpeace Nordic, for ‘lack of climate action’, with a new report alleging that its sustainability efforts lack effectiveness and do not address key sources like methane.

From the Community

Job opportunities with:

👋 Join us at a FoodHack Meetup in Lisbon, Boston and Lausanne - sign up here

❤️ It might be Valentine’s Day, but here’s 3 things not to say on a ‘first date’ with an investor.

🚀 Agnition Ventures, the innovation arm of Ravensdown, has partnered with Agrifood Futures to launch Land x Launch, a three-month accelerator program helping overseas agritech startups test and scale their innovations in New Zealand.

📆 Recap of 2025 FoodTech Events. See you at HackSummit?

🐶 Just for fun: Day in the life of a Founder’s dog.

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Until next time - Stay Hungry