NEW TECH FOODS

Newform Foods has partnered with Project Assignments to develop a scalable demonstration facility for cell-based meat products. Once complete, the facility – which will be based in Cape Town, South Africa – will be the largest of its kind in Africa. The partnership merges Newform Foods’ technology with Project Assignments’ decades of engineering experience, with both parties hoping to ‘shape tomorrow’s food landscape’. Both teams are currently collaborating on a design to introduce Newform Foods’ bioproduction platform to the global food industry. This production model will empower food producers and retailers to expand their offerings by creating and launching cultivated animal products, without the burden of intensive R&D and associated costs. Newform Foods aims to show food producers, retailers and business owners how to incorporate cell-based animal products into their existing production facilities. The company offers an end-to-end solution and will facilitate and curate a cell line of interest, develop a prototype and scale the process in partnership with Project Assignments. Brett Thompson, co-founder and CEO of Newform Foods, said: “We want to create an end-to-end service from prototype to pilot and beyond, simplifying the journey from lab to market. We’re excited to be putting our plans into action, working with Project Assignments who are masters of their craft. This will be an amazing opportunity to show the world what our bioproduction platform can do at scale.” John Clayton, managing director of Project Assignments, added: “Our team of chemical and mechanical engineers are passionate about taking designs from concept stage right up to commissioning and handover. We also provide the necessary training to ensure a successful integrated operation. The combination of experience gathered in both the food and the pharmaceutical fields, working on greenfield and brownfield sites, positions us well to insert Newform Foods’ process train into existing operations. Together we aim to increase customer offerings with a competitive edge in this exciting new market.” Last month, Newform Foods announced it was partnering with French flavour and fragrance supplier Mane to improve the taste, texture and affordability of cell-based meat. The partnership leverages Mane’s experience in food and flavour to enhance the cultivated muscle and fat across species and products. #NewformFoods #Africa #ProjectAssigments

Foremost Farms USA and Ginkgo Bioworks have teamed up to reduce the dairy industry’s carbon footprint. The collaboration seeks to leverage biotechnological advancements for domestic, sustainable biomanufacturing of materials derived from dairy co-products, with the aim of benefitting the environment, family farms and the dairy industry. Through the partnership, Foremost Farms will use Ginkgo’s bioproduction services to create and commercialise a new technology designed to upcycle billions of pounds of dairy co-products annually. Ginkgo’s metabolic engineering and analytical capabilities will allow strain optimisation for challenging environmental conditions while avoiding common toxicity issues. Greg Schlafer, president and CEO of Foremost Farms, said: “We’re excited to partner with Ginkgo Bioworks, which can uniquely help Foremost Farms realise its goals. Ginkgo’s platform gives us access to everything we need to move from concept to commercialisation faster, providing a competitive advantage.” He continued: “We are innovating to continue our trajectory as environmental stewards that take care of our world and create value for dairy farm families by potentially lowering manufacturing costs and creating a significant new revenue stream for those farmers”. Declan Roche, chief commercial officer at Foremost Farms, added: “We’re in a unique position to leverage Ginkgo’s expertise because their flexible R&D service offerings allow us to creatively approach this significant opportunity in our value chain. With Ginkgo, we are able to pursue this exciting opportunity while minimising our internal R&D fixed costs and allowing our team to remain focused on our core business.” #GinkgoBioworks #ForemostFarms

Czech start-up Bene Meat Technologies is the “first company in the world” to be licensed to make and sell cell-based meat as food for pets. According to the company, with the certification obtained from the European Feed Materials Register, it becomes “the only entity in the world” that can produce and sell this product as pet food. Bene Meat says that making pet food using cell-based meat ensures that pets are being fed pure, high-quality animal protein, without compromising on taste or nutrition. Roman Kříž, managing director of Bene Meat Technologies, said: “We’re excited to have achieved certification of a new raw material from the European Feed Materials Register, binding for the entire European Union; this first is the beginning of our journey to include the production and sale of other forms of cultured meat." He continued: “We know that at this stage of the research we have already met the needs of pet food producers, who are constantly looking for ethically and economically meaningful ways to satisfy their demanding customers – pet owners – with their products. And we are personally excited that for the first time in history, we are offering a quality meat alternative without killing animals, and at a competitive price." ProVeg said that the approval represents a major milestone in the development of the cell-based meat market. ProVeg CEO Jasmijn de Boo said: “We are delighted to see the EU take a pioneering role in the field of cultivated meat and issue the very first approval for the production and sale of cultivated meat for pets”. She added: “As the plant-based pet food space grows, this regulatory approval of cultivated pet food will be complementary in phasing out conventional meat for feeding our cats and dogs. This will help to greatly relieve the huge burden that the conventional animal agriculture industry places on the environment in terms of carbon emissions, as well as pollution and biodiversity loss." Widespread approval It looks as though other players in the space are gearing up for more widespread approval, as in the days after Bene Meat’s approval, Agronomics announced that cell-based pet food company Good Dog Food had rebranded to Meatly, in preparation for its UK product launch. Meatly’s CEO Owen Ensor commented: "We're thrilled to announce our rebrand to Meatly, in what marks an exciting new chapter for us as a team and brand. We chose the name 'Meatly' because we wanted to celebrate the fact that that is real meat, made the new way. Our hope is that Meatly will quickly become a household name, loved by pets and pet parents alike, and recognised as the choice for healthy, sustainable, delicious pet food." He continued: "Our pets love meat, but old-fashioned meat, produced through factory farming, requires a huge amount of land, water and antibiotics and is a key cause of environmental degradation. We need cultivated meat now more than ever. Pet food is the natural starting point, given consumers' excitement. We're thrilled to be at the heart of the future of meat production in the UK." Earlier in the year, North American cell-ag company Cult Food Science announced it had developed Marina Cat, a hybrid cell-based pet food brand for cats, developed in partnership with Umami Bioworks. Marina Cat is a blend of ocean snapper, cultivated by Umami Bioworks, and enriched with Cult Food Science’s Bmmune to provide a high protein, low-calorie snack with a savoury umami flavour. Bmmune is a patented blend of high-protein nutritional yeast and fermentation products and is the foundational ingredient in Cult’s Noochies! cultivated pet food brand. Production of Marina Cat products is already underway, with widespread availability anticipated in 2024. #BeneMeatTechnologies #ProVeg #Meatly #CultFoodScience #EU

A new global association, Future Ocean Foods, has launched this week, dedicated to accelerating the alternative seafood industry. The first-of-its-kind association is launching with an inaugural membership base of 36 companies across 14 countries, including the UK, US, Canada and Singapore. It will span cell-based, fermentation and plant-based seafood and technology. Members in the cell-based space include Avant Meats, Atlantic Fish Co, Umami Bioworks and Sophie's Bionutrients. Future Ocean Foods’ mission is to promote food security, human health, environmental sustainability and ocean conservation. Its members have already received significant venture capital from leading food and climate investors, and are already working with large legacy seafood companies to create sustainable food options. Future Ocean Foods members are using plants and cells to help create seafood alternatives, ranging from whole-cut fish filets, sushi-grade tuna, flaky white fish, shrimp, crab, calamari and more. The association emphasises the importance of ocean conservation, with issues such as ocean warming, acidification and plastic and antibiotic pollution causing rapid loss of biodiversity and marine life as well as threatening international food supplies. The global seafood industry is projected to surpass $700 billion by 2030, and the association argues that aquaculture cannot, and should not, fulfil this demand. Future Ocean Foods aims to unite global stakeholders to foster knowledge-sharing and collaboration, as well as increase awareness of the benefits of alternative seafood for human health and sustainability. It will work to increase product trials, deepen market penetration and help to raise the nutritional profile of alternatives with a focus on protein and omegas. Members will work with traditional seafood companies to help diversify their offerings create sustainable solutions and create new jobs in regions that are historically reliant on the seafood sector. The association announced that it is planning a global event to unite alternative seafood start-ups, investors, government groups, trade associations and traditional seafood organisations, as well as retail, foodservice and grocery representatives. It has partnered with the non-profit alt-protein thinktank Good Food Institute as a knowledge partner, as well as with plant-based food awareness organisation ProVeg International and the Global Organization for EPA & DHA Omega-3s, which works to increase consumption of quality omega-3s. Marissa Bronfman, founder and executive director of Future Ocean Foods, described the association’s lunch as an “incredible moment in time for the future of food and our oceans”. She added: “Alternative seafood offers us the opportunity to build a more delicious, nutritious, sustainable and ethical global food system. I am humbled and hugely excited to be working alongside these visionary founders and pioneering companies to revolutionise the seafood industry, and am emboldened by the spirit of collaboration among our members. We all embrace the adage: ‘a rising tide lifts all boats’.”

French start-up Nūmi has raised €3 million in pre-seed funding to expand its R&D and recruit new scientists. Nūmi, which makes cultivated breast milk using mammary gland cell cultures, recreates the optimal environment for the development of mammary glands, feeding them with nutrients to produce breast milk. The funding round was backed by tech investors including Heartcore Capital, HCVC, Financière Saint James and Kima Ventures Kost Capital. These funds’ portfolios boast start-ups such as Gourmey, Neoplants , La Vie, Automata and Ark Biotech. In a statement on LinkedIn, Nūmi said: "This financing will enable us to recruit talented scientists who will help us in our ambitious mission to set new standards in infant nutrition by making the unparalleled benefits of breast milk accessible to all. We're entering a phase of R&D acceleration, and we couldn't be more excited about the challenges ahead!” The company rebranded as Nūmi last month – it was formerly known as MuMilk. #Nūmi #France

Shanghai-based cultivated meat start-up CellX has ventured into mycelium fermentation to expand its portfolio of alt-proteins. CellX plans to combine its cell-based animal proteins with the fermented proteins to make hybrid meat and dairy alternatives that are more affordable than existing solutions. The company says using mycelium proteins will help it to achieve price parity with conventional meat. They have advantages in both cost and scale, and provide differences in raw material performance. According to the company, its raw material uses a mycelium strain that contains 40% protein and 20% dietary fibre, while being rich in active ingredients like antioxidants. Its amino acid score is said to be on par with traditional beef. CellX intends to partner with downstream developers to create new meat and dairy alternatives as well as functional foods using its mycelium protein. #CellX #China

Swedish food chain ICA and Re:meat have partnered to explore the market potential for cell-based meat in Sweden. Together, the companies will initiate a pilot project study cell-based meat in an experimental environment, pending its EU approval as a safe-to-consumer food product. “Consumers’ receptivity will be decisive, and we look forward to exploring this further with Re:meat,” said Maria Gustavsson, interim head of innovation and concept development at ICA Sweden. Initially, the collaboration will explore consumer's attitudes to cell-based meat. Together, ICA and Re:meat will work to define the necessary conditions to create demand from a sustainability perspective. In a statement, ICA said: “It is already clear that the taste, price and nutritional value of the meat will be critical factors, but there are more perspectives, for example how the consumer views cell-based meat”. Jacob Peterson, Re:meat’s CEO, commented: “Our vision is that all people should be able to enjoy good, nutritious and sustainable meat. For Re:meat, collaboration across the value chain is important to succeed in changing both the industry and what the consumer chooses to cook and put on their plate.” He continued: “ICA is an innovative player with deep market insights in food and trade and an invaluable partner for Re:meat – they want to support development and be at the forefront of consumer trends to create the food of the future.”

California-based food-tech company Yali Bio unveiled its precision-fermented dairy fat alternative at the Mista Growth Hack event in San Francisco. The company debuted the product in a demonstration dairy-free ice cream, developed with the help of ingredients companies AAK, Ingredion and Givaudan. According to the company, the demo ice cream ran out in under an hour at the event. By default, the new fat has a pale, buttery colour and neutral flavour. Due to Yali Bio’s precision fermentation technology, various qualities such as melting point can be tuned to suit specific applications. The ingredient can be used to improve the taste, texture, cooking performance, nutrition and eco-credentials of entire food categories including non-dairy butter and cheese, as well as baked goods and confectionery. Yali Bio said that the fat’s nutritional profile makes it an attractive alternative to dairy fat and other plant-based fats from sources like coconut, containing half of the saturated fat and five times the monounsaturated fat of coconut. According to the company, the product can also be made extremely efficiently with low greenhouse gas emissions and high supply chain transparency. #YaliBio #US

Florida House Republican Tyler Sirois introduced a new bill on Monday, aiming to make it illegal to manufacture, sell, hold or distribute cell-based meat within Florida state. The proposed legislation – HB 435 – defines cell-based meat as “any meat or food product produced from cultured animal cells”. The bill states that it would become “unlawful for any person to manufacture, sell, hold, or offer for sale or distribute cultivated meat in this state”. It would come into effect in July 2024 if signed into law. Individuals found violating the proposed law would reportedly face a misdemeanour of the second degree, accompanied by a fine ranging from $500 to $1,000 under section 775.082 or section 775.083. Additionally, the license of any restaurant, store or business found in violation could be immediately suspended or issued an immediate stop-sale order. This move follows the recent approval by federal regulators of cell-based chicken sales in the US, a breakthrough that marked the nation’s first approved cultivated meat. Two restaurants – China Chilcano serving Good Meat in Washington and Bar Crenn serving Upside Foods in California – are licensed to sell cell-based chicken to consumers. Florida’s bill threatens to halt these advancements in the US, which has the highest number of publicly announced companies working in this space (43) and commands 60% of global cell-based meat investments. "This proposed bill by a Florida Republican is short-sighted," Julia Martin, cellular agriculture lead at ProVeg International told The Cell Base. "Cultivated meat, once scaled up, has the potential to provide Americans with meat that produces far less emissions than conventional meat, that requires less land and water use, and that will allow our food system to transition into being cruelty-free. The sustainability and ethical gains for Americans that are at risk are clear." She continued: "However, economic opportunities are also at risk: at the moment, the US is in a leading position in the cellular agriculture arena, being one of the only two countries in the world where the sale of cultivated meat is permitted. If this bill is approved, Americans will also be at risk of losing the future economic gains linked to being early developers and early regulators of future-shaping technology." "At ProVeg, we hope that ethical and sustainability gains and economic opportunities will prevail over political gameplay for the sake of the planet, animals and people in the US." Curt Chaffin, GFI’s director of policy told The Cell Base: "Florida’s proposed bill would not only prohibit prospective academic research, manufacturing, and commerce, but it would also pose a significant threat to the free market—a cornerstone of Florida’s culture. This legislation would restrict consumer choice, stifle innovation, and prevent new economic growth opportunities." He continued: "The government should not pick winners and losers in the marketplace. But this legislation does just that by threatening individuals with fines and jail time for producing or selling products. Dozens of cultivated meat companies are starting up around the US, representing nearly one-third of the global industry. By outlawing cultivated meat, the proposal would block American innovation and send new jobs and revenues overseas. This level of protectionism is unmatched in the State’s history and could spell the beginning of more and more government interference." Florida’s proposed bill highlights the disconnect between meat and climate change in the US – a Washington Post poll in July revealed that 74% of Americans don’t believe consuming meat or dairy has any impact on climate change. Sirois’ proposal reflects many Republicans’ stance on climate change – in one debate, the party’s presidential candidates refused to connect human activity to the ecological crisis, with one calling it a “hoax”. In March, Italy’s government backed a bill banning the use of cell-based food, with breaching the rules potentially resulting in fines of up to €60,000. The country’s Agriculture Minister, Francesco Lollobrigida, said that Italy was the first nation to say no to “synthetic” food. He added that laboratory products do not guarantee quality or wellbeing, nor protect Italy’s culture and traditions. The Minister also stated that if cultivated food production were to succeed in establishing itself, it would produce greater unemployment. This week, it was announce that Italy had passed the legislation, banning the production and marketing of cell-based meat across the country. Similarly, last month the Romanian Senate reportedly voted to prohibit the sale of cell-based meat, pending approval from the Chamber of Deputies, which has the final say. Violations would mean a fine between €40,000-60,000. “This proposal threatens to cut Romania off from investment and job opportunities, undermine efforts to tackle climate change and restrict consumer choice,” GFI Europe’s policy manager Seth Roberts told Romania-Insider. “It would also leave Romania behind as countries around the world invest in cultivated meat as part of a future-proof food system.” #US

Yesterday Meatable announced the opening of a new 3300-square-metre facility at the Bio Science Park in Leiden, the Netherlands, to further scale-up its cell-based pork development. The new pilot facility is double the size of the company’s previous space and is set to enable Meatable to increase its bioreactor capacity from 50 litres to 200 litres, with 500 litres planned later. This will ensure the company has more space to test and produce large volumes of its cell-based pork products. The new Leiden facility has opened following Meatable’s $35 million Series B raise earlier this year – it marks an important step towards commercialising its cell-based pork products. The plant’s location in the university area of Leiden provides proximity to expert knowledge and state-of-the-art facilities. This strategic position will help Meatable expand its development capacity in preparation for its commercial launch in Singapore in 2024, aligning with its mission to enable widespread accessibility of cell-based meat. Krijn de Nood, co-founder and CEO of Meatable, said: “It is fantastic to see how we have grown from an idea of two entrepreneurs five years ago into a mature company with a tangible product that can transform how we eat meat. In this new facility, we can further scale the company’s processes and accelerate commercial launch. This brings us one step closer to our mission to create delicious cultivated meat products without harming people, animals or the planet.” Meatable launched in 2018 and by 2020 the company had achieved many milestones including unveiling its first cell-based pork products and achieving a “world-first” breakthrough with one of the fastest processes in the industry to make cultivated meat, taking only eight days to develop one single animal cell into pork. #Meatable #TheNetherlands

The Italian Chamber of Deputies has passed a law banning the production and marketing of cell-based meat and the use of meat-related names, such as 'salami' or 'steak', for plant-based meat products. Italy made the move in a bid to protect its agricultural history and traditional culinary culture. The stance was first announced in March this year, when Italy’s Agriculture Minister, Francesco Lollobrigida, said that Italy is the first nation to say no to “synthetic” food as laboratory products do not guarantee quality or wellbeing, nor protect Italy’s culture and traditions. In a statement, the Good Food Institute Europe (GFI) said that the bill, which introduces fines between €10,000 and €60,000 for each violation, will “cut the country off from innovation and block sustainable development”. The GFI warns that the move will reduce investment, push Italian researchers abroad and hinder the fight against climate change, while other European countries are investing in the sector. The news comes after Florida House Republican Tyler Sirois introduced a new bill on Monday, aiming to make it illegal to manufacture, sell, hold or distribute cell-based meat within Florida, US. Francesca Gallelli, public affairs consultant at the GFI Europe, said: “This bill not only deprives consumers of choice but also isolates Italy from the investment and job creation offered by this burgeoning industry. The debate surrounding cultivated meat in Italy has been fuelled by misinformation, as hearings in the Senate intentionally excluded cultivated meat companies and supporters while allowing false claims from opponents of this sustainable food.” She continued: “We welcome the intention of the government to submit the law to the EU scrutiny, and we hope member states can voice their concerns regarding the potential violation of the single market.” The decision to ban cell-based meat in the country holds particular significance given that Italy is a substantial importer of meat from both European and non-European countries. Supporting the domestic production of cell-based meat could play a crucial role in bridging this gap. The Italian Alliance for Complementary Proteins, which brings together industry companies, researchers and non-profit associations, commented: “This bill tells Italians what they can and cannot eat, stifles innovation, and likely violates EU law. It is truly disheartening that Italy will be excluded from a new job-creating industry and barred from selling more climate-friendly foods. Once famous for pioneering world-changing innovations like radio, microchips, batteries, performance automobiles and ground-breaking fashion – Italian politicians are now choosing to go backwards while the rest of the world moves forward." A GFI survey of Italian consumers revealed that 55% are interested in buying cell-based meat, while 75% believe that the novel food is necessary to reduce the consumption of conventional meat. The measure also attacks the labelling of plant-based products, prohibiting the use of everyday names like ‘plant-based salami’ and ‘vegan steak’. This measure will directly affect Italian companies that make plant-based meat, which is regularly consumed by one in two Italians. Industry research indicates Italy as the third-largest European market for plant-based products.

Australian cell-based meat start-up Magic Valley has announced that it will boost its cell-based meat production by expanding its operations to a Co-Labs pilot facility. The Co-Labs innovation hub and co-working laboratory is based in Melbourne, Australia, and is set to increase Magic Valley’s production capacity to 3,000-litre bioreactors, aiming to reach 150,000 kg of product per year. Magic Valley says it has developed a scalable platform to grow any type of meat, including cell-based beef and lamb, without using foetal bovine serum. Paul Bevan, founder and CEO of Magic Valley, said: “Our cultivated pork products provide the exact same flavour experience for consumers that enjoy traditionally farmed pork...at scale, our products will be much cheaper than traditional alternatives.” In a post on LinkedIn, Magic Valley said: “Magic Valley remains committed to collaboration with experts and researchers to refine production processes, ensuring top-tier quality and delicious taste while reducing the environmental impact of traditional meat production”. #MagicValley #CoLabs #Australia