Proteins

The possibility of ‘net zero carbon’ protein: DSM-Firmenich develops single-cell proteins for food and feed

03-Nov-2023 By Flora Southey

The Dutch-Swiss ingredients supplier has developed single-cell proteins it claims have the potential to offer ‘net zero carbon protein’ for the food, feed, and pet food markets.

‘For the industry to succeed, there will need to be a ramping up of investment’: The past and future of the cultivated meat market

02-Nov-2023 By Augustus Bambridge-Sutton

The number of deals in the cultivated meat market in the first eight months of 2023 has significantly declined since 2022, a report by financial advisory firm Oghma Partners shows. However, strong government investment and potential regulatory approval...

Unilever unearths regen ag findings for Knorr and Hellmann’s: ‘The time for pilots is over. It’s time to go big’

02-Nov-2023 By Flora Southey

The environmental impact results from Unilever’s first set of regenerative agriculture projects in Spain, Italy, and the US have been dug up, with findings suggesting boons for food resilience and environmental sustainability.

Start-up’s chickpea-based protein isolate boosts protein content in dairy-free cheese

01-Nov-2023 By Augustus Bambridge-Sutton

Israel-headquartered plant-based ingredients start-up ChickP has developed a chickpea-based protein isolate that can be incorporated into a range of cheese substitutes.

From deforestation to human rights: EU urged to put indigenous perspective at centre of EU policy

01-Nov-2023 By Flora Southey

Indigenous rights must be ‘at the centre’ of new EU policies looking to stamp out environmental and human rights violations from food supply chains, argues indigenous advocate Edson Krenak from NGO Cultural Survival.

‘A defining feature of stem cells is that they can become other cells’: Strategies for the use of stem cells in cultivated meat production

30-Oct-2023 By Augustus Bambridge-Sutton

The production of cultivated meat will need stable cell lines from multiple different species to be successful. It is produced from stem cells, which are highly flexible and can create yields with the potential to be far greater in volume than the meat...

How cultivated meat could be the key to avoiding the development of antimicrobial resistance

30-Oct-2023 By Augustus Bambridge-Sutton

While the ‘routine use’ of antibiotics in animal agriculture is banned in the EU, increasing globalisation can make it difficult to avoid imported meat reared in this way. While the routine use of antibiotics can increase the risk of antimicrobial resistance,...

Is it time for the ‘outdated’ supermarket free from aisle to evolve?

27-Oct-2023 By Oliver Morrison

As free from brands spot long-term growth potential, a perpetual debate is reigniting: is it best for these products to be in separate or standard aisles?

‘Eat it all, like a cherry tomato’: How edible algae packaging is helping brands ditch plastic

27-Oct-2023 By Flora Southey

When rethinking packaging, London-based Notpla turns to fruit for inspiration. Just like fruit peel, the start-up’s plant-based plastic alternatives are naturally biodegradable, and some can even be consumed whole ‘like a cherry tomato’.

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Industry Insights from NIZO: Great flavour without compromise for plant-based food

26-Oct-2023 By René Floris, NIZO Food Research Division Manager

To successfully launch a plant-based product onto the market today, businesses have to go above and beyond in flavour to stand out. How can a new, more holistic flavour approach put an end to organoleptic compromise?

‘We want happy pigs’… welfare and health outweigh climate concerns for consumers

25-Oct-2023 By Oliver Morrison

Focusing solely on climate improvements in pork production is not what consumers care most about when buying pork, two studies reveal.

‘It has the potential to improve sustainability across the supply chain’: UK mulls regulatory changes to allow insects to eat your food waste

25-Oct-2023 By Oliver Morrison

Food companies can potentially cut their volumes of waste up to 75% using insect bioconversion, whilst at the same time creating valuable new revenue streams, FoodNavigator hears.

Denmark unveils the ‘world's first’ action plan for plant-based foods

23-Oct-2023 By Oliver Morrison

Eighteen months after the Agreement on the green transformation of Danish agriculture was approved by the Danish Parliament, Food Minister Jacob Jensen has launched the government's new action plan for plant-based foods.

‘It is crucial for consumer acceptance’: Replacing animal fats in plant-based food

18-Oct-2023 By Augustus Bambridge-Sutton

While with any food, ‘taste is king,’ texture is also extremely important, especially in products aiming to mimic meat. For optimal texture, many manufacturers argue, animal fats, which contribute significantly to the texture of real meat, must be replicated...

News in brief

French food tech firm Umiami raises €32.5 million to speed up distribution in Europe

17-Oct-2023 By Oliver Morrison

French plant-based whole-cut chicken producer Umiami has secured a further €32.5 million Series A funding, bringing its total raised to date to over €100 million.

'What we do is not artificial': The Michelin-trained chef hoping to revamp the plant-based category

16-Oct-2023 By Augustus Bambridge-Sutton

Emma Bowe, who has worked alongside Heston Blumenthal and cooked for royalty and prime ministers, told FoodNavigator how she brings forth her experience in the culinary world to create her brand.

Catalonia invests €7m into alternative protein research

11-Oct-2023 By Augustus Bambridge-Sutton

The government of Catalonia, Spain has invested €7m into alterative protein research, one of the largest investments into the sector in Spain’s history. It will aim to scale up Catalonia’s plant-based and fermentation-made food production.

Quorn, mycoprotein and the push to grow a ‘third kingdom of fungi proteins’

10-Oct-2023 By Oliver Morrison

Mycoprotein and fungal proteins hope to offer a solution to the negative impact to the environment associated with industrial farming, heard FoodNavigator’s recent Climate Smart Food​​ digital summit.

The effect of masculine marketing on vegan diets

09-Oct-2023 By Augustus Bambridge-Sutton

One of the most pervasive cultural perceptions around food consumption in general is that eating meat is for men and that, conversely, veganism is feminine. A new study explores whether reframing vegan dishes through masculine marketing alters men’s conception,...

‘Having a one-size-fits-all view on regenerative ag is very difficult to do’: In search of a definition of ‘regenerative agriculture’

05-Oct-2023 By Augustus Bambridge-Sutton

How could a common, legal definition be reached, and what could such a term mean for regenerative agriculture as a whole?

Mergers and acquisitions in UK food and beverage sector highest since 2019, but with fewer large deals

03-Oct-2023 By Augustus Bambridge-Sutton

Research by financial advisory firm Oghma Partners reveals an uptick in mergers and acquisitions in the UK food and beverage sector in 2023’s second tertial (period of four months) being the highest since 2019. But there were fewer large deals, indicating...

NPD Trend Tracker: From plant-based steak to Children in Need jam

03-Oct-2023 By Augustus Bambridge-Sutton

In this week’s NPD trend tracker, we have a range of new plant-based products, a new look for a dairy-free drinks range, and a jam’s partnership with Children in Need.

Cargill opens European Protein Innovation Hub to allow customers to create new protein products

02-Oct-2023 By Augustus Bambridge-Sutton

As part of an investment of €50m into Cargill’s Saint-Cyr en Val facility in Orleans, France, American multinational Cargill is opening a protein innovation hub. The hub promises to give the company's customers the tools to trial, create and taste...

‘More than mylk’: Alternatives to coffee, cocoa, salt and sugar on the table at Mylkcubator 3.0

27-Sep-2023 By Flora Southey

The Mylkcubator programme has largely focused on next-gen dairy innovation to date. But for the incubator’s third edition, dairy-major Pascual wants to expand its focus to alt coffee, cocoa, salt, sugar and more.

Cultivated meat ‘breakthrough’: Media supplement achieves full muscle maturation on scaffold within 48 hours.

26-Sep-2023 By Flora Southey

Having achieved muscle and protein gains in 2D environments, Profuse Technology is celebrating a ‘breakthrough’ in cultivated meat growth within 3D environments, CEO Guy Nevo Michrowski explains.

‘There will be trade-offs’: How the Belgian meat industry can make progress in sustainability

25-Sep-2023 By Augustus Bambridge-Sutton

As the EU’s Farm to Fork Strategy continues to outline key sustainability regulations, which are sure to impact the food industry significantly, the Belgian meat sector must learn to manage the effects of such regulations. According to speakers at the...

Fruit seed-based alt dairy to quadruple production capacity, ‘double down’ on NPD

25-Sep-2023 By Flora Southey

Kern Tec, which makes dairy alternative ingredients from stone fruit seeds, has closed a €12m Series A funding round. Co-founder Luca Fichtinger tells FoodNavigator the investment will help the team ‘double down’ efforts on NPD.

EU-27 countries exceed biocapacity, driven in large part by the food system: study

22-Sep-2023 By Augustus Bambridge-Sutton

The food system is a significant contributor to harming the natural world, often stretching its biocapacity beyond breaking point. Now, a recent study shows that the EU-27 countries have exceeded biocapacity within Europe, and the food system in partly...

‘The only barrier now is regulation’: UK cultivated meat company urges urgent approvals overhaul to allow industry to flourish

22-Sep-2023 By Oliver Morrison

Ivy Farm Technologies sounded the warning it will look to open its first production facility in another country, likely the US, if the Food Standards Authority drags its feet on giving regulatory approval to this fledgling industry.

‘We’re not trying to mimic milk’: Rude Health backs nutrition-forward strategy amid plant-based ‘shakedown’

21-Sep-2023 By Flora Southey

The breakfast brand’s commitment to clean label – or as clean label as functionality allows – will see it through the current plant-based ‘shakedown’, co-founder and brand director Camilla Barnard tells FoodNavigator.

How is meat consumption affecting climate change?

20-Sep-2023 By Natasha Spencer-Jolliffe

A recent Oxford University study explores various diets and their impact on the environment, advocating for the reduction in animal-based food consumption.

Better taste, better bite: Can ingredient and tech innovations fire-up plant-based meat sales?

20-Sep-2023 By Flora Southey

Can technological innovations help turn the tide on plant-based meat? We ask ingredient suppliers which technologies might be letting down the category, and what tools can be leveraged to reignite consumer excitement.

The FoodNavigator Podcast: Why avoiding terms like ‘vegan,’ ‘vegetarian,’ or ‘meatless’ may boost the plant-based market

20-Sep-2023 By Oliver Morrison

As arguments rage about the use of ‘meaty’ or ‘dairy-like’ names for plant-based versions of animal-based foods, we ask could plant-based sector momentum be improved if meat and dairy alternatives avoid imitating the names of animal-based products.

From ‘pandemic peaks’ to sales slumps: Grasping the rollercoaster of plant-based meat consumption

20-Sep-2023 By Flora Southey

Why are consumers turning away from plant-based meat? And how can industry renew excitement for the category?

‘A vitamin B12 deficiency can have very unpleasant consequences’: Can B12 work in plant-based meat?

20-Sep-2023 By Augustus Bambridge-Sutton

Despite the abundance of NPDs for plant-based meat in recent years, concerns about nutrition still resound in the sector. There are many nutrients, critics claim, that are difficult to find outside of animal products. One of these is B12. Yet it is possible...

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How to revive flagging demand for plant-based meat

20-Sep-2023 By Katy Askew, managing director, IFIS Publishing

The food industry has responded to bullish predictions of a boom in plant-based meat alternatives with a gold rush mentality. But as sales slow and interest dips, can advances in food science come to the rescue of a category that is struggling to live...

Is a ‘climate cost’ model set to shake up supermarkets’ sustainability stances?

19-Sep-2023 By Natasha Spencer-Joliffe

German discount store Penny’s recent week-long trial saw it raise product prices based on their environmental impact, prompting the food sector to consider whether a ‘climate cost’ model is coming to our retailers and wholesalers.

Danone teams up with Chr Hansen on dairy and plant-based innovation as part of Partner for Growth initiative

19-Sep-2023 By Augustus Bambridge-Sutton

In a wide range of areas as diverse as transportation, education and plastic collection, Danone has teamed up with a range of companies across the private sector in its new ‘Partner for Growth’ initiative. The initiative will begin with a joint business...

Organix eyes ‘window of opportunity’ to introduce new flavours and textures to kids

19-Sep-2023 By Flora Southey

Organix wants to help parents and carers introduce new flavours and textures to kids in the 6-18-month ‘window of opportunity’ prior to food fears kicking in.

Public investment in alternative proteins is strong, but conventional meat still dominates

18-Sep-2023 By Augustus Bambridge-Sutton

With research into cultivated meat becoming ever more abundant, a report from the Good Food Institute shows that funding is strong. However, a study from Stanford University reveals that traditional meat is still receiving more public funding, and a more...

Unilever R&D tie-up develops vegan döner kebab that cooks vertically, mimics ‘shaving and grilling behaviour’

15-Sep-2023 By Flora Southey

Unilever-owned The Vegetarian Butcher has partnered with döner producer The Düzgün Group to reinvent the traditional döner kebab with plant-based ingredients.

Is the EU stepping away from commitments to sustainable food systems and animal welfare?

14-Sep-2023 By Flora Southey

In her 2023 State of the Union address this week, EC President von der Leyen made no reference to the Sustainable Food System law nor animal welfare. With some stakeholders fearing they’ve been dropped, we asked the Commission to weigh in.

Cultivated meat researchers get €1.2 million to solve commercialisation barriers

14-Sep-2023 By Augustus Bambridge-Sutton

Researchers from Germany, Israel and the UK have been given €1.2 million in funding to work on solving the barriers to creating cultivated meat at scale, and thus to provide it on a commercial basis.

WATCH: How Birds Eye grows, harvests, and processes its frozen peas

13-Sep-2023 By Flora Southey

FoodNavigator visits Birds Eye during harvest season to learn how the company works with partners to cultivate, harvest, and freeze its peas for the UK market.

‘It’s a change of agricultural practice‘: Danone’s regenerative agriculture programmes with dairy farmers

13-Sep-2023 By Augustus Bambridge-Sutton

For dairy major Danone, regenerative agriculture isn’t just about the land; it’s also about animal welfare, GHG emissions reduction, and the livelihoods of its farmers.

Keto diets a ‘double-edged sword’ in fighting cancer, research suggests

08-Sep-2023 By Flora Southey

The popular high-fat and low carbohydrate diet is popular for weight loss. But fresh research suggests it may also have positive – and negative – impacts on some cancers.

AI-powered plant-based meat: Non-profit boosts extrusion tech for alt protein players

08-Sep-2023 By Flora Southey

Meet GreenProtein AI: the non-profit leveraging artificial intelligence and advanced machine learning to help innovators improve the texture of their plant-based meat products.

Biotech non-profit launches to mitigate food insecurity in Africa through cell- and plant-based hybrids

07-Sep-2023 By Augustus Bambridge-Sutton

Biotechnology has many uses. According to a new non-profit, the Plenty Foundation, one of these is the creation of plant-based foods to mitigate food insecurity. Through a combination of R&D and philanthropy, and partnerships with NGOs, governments...

Yeast ingredients show ‘great potential’ as alternative proteins in the food industry, project reveals

07-Sep-2023 By Oliver Morrison

More than 70% of German and Swedish consumers liked appetizer spreads made with fermented yeast ingredients, claims the NextGen Proteins project.

How does a cultivated chicken cell line meet kosher standards?

07-Sep-2023 By Flora Southey

A cultivated chicken cell line has not only met kosher standards for the first time, but the world’s largest kosher certification body has recognised cultivated meat as both kosher and meat.