NEW TECH FOODS

Earth First Food Ventures (EFFV) has launched a new $10 million Series A funding round via tokenisation. The investment will expand EFFV’s portfolio in the alt-dairy sector, launch a $50 million fund dedicated to ‘The Future of Dairy from Precision Fermentation’ and support team growth. EFFV is a venture capital platform specialising in ESG and impact investments in innovative food technologies, including land-based aquaculture, biomass fermentation and precision fermentation. Brian Ruszczyk, co-founder and CEO of Earth First Food Ventures, said: “We are excited to announce the launch of our Series A round on the Securitize platform. This step helps us become a leader in the scaling of ‘dairy without the cow’ in collaboration with global strategic partners.” Ruszczyk continued: “The traditional dairy industry is facing a dairy deficit to the tune of 20-30 million tons by 2030. That’s a $60-90 billion opportunity that needs solving. Our solution is ‘dairy without the cow’. The technologies from precision fermentation exist today to move towards the production of bio-identical bovine whey at price parity with traditional dairy. It requires infrastructure and manufacturing capacity to be realised at a commercially viable scale. This is the mission of EFFV.” Democratising investments in alt proteins The funding round has been launched in partnership with Securitize. Investors interested in disruptive food technologies and smart proteins can participate in this Series A round immediately – only accredited investors from the US and international markets will be eligible to purchase tokens, subject to requirements, by subscribing to EFFV’s shares through the Securitize platform or directly from the EFFV website. Ruszczyk added: “More importantly, the EFFV platform enables a diverse group of individuals, who often face barriers in venture capital, to invest smaller amounts into our holding company, such as $100,000 instead of $1 million, allowing them to support impactful investment opportunities”. “This inclusive approach aligns with our commitment to democratising investment and fostering innovation, ensuring that more people can contribute to and benefit from our mission of transforming the dairy industry.” Launched in 2020, Dublin, Ireland-based EFFV specialises in ESG investments and innovative food technologies, channelling climate capital toward plant-based, fermented and cultivated proteins. It has four current asset classes: land-based aquaculture, egg replacement from precision fermentation, ‘dairy without the cow’ and ‘dairy farms of the future also from precision fermentation.’ The firm is a long-term partner of US alt-milk company Strive Nutrition and has invested in precision fermentation start-up The Every Co. This new Series A round builds on a previous $3 million seed round led by several Greek Family Offices and seeks to strengthen the company’s leadership position in the alt-dairy sector.

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has confirmed it aims to introduce changes early next year to speed up and 'modernise' the way foods like cultivated meat and precision-fermented products are brought to market. The FSA announced the timetable for the initial reforms at its board meeting today (18 September), following a consultation and approval by new government ministers. The plans, which apply to ‘regulated products’ including animal feed additives, food flavourings and some alt-proteins, were originally announced in March. The changes will see the creation of a new public register of regulated products, replacing the current system, which requires a Statutory Instrument to be laid before new products can be placed on the market – a procedure the FSA estimates can add up to six months to an approval period which currently takes around two and a half years. It would also free up the FSA’s capacity by removing the requirement for products already on the market to be re-authorised after several years – which will also benefit other food sectors. According to the FSA, 22% of regulated product applications are reauthorisations, many of which are for animal feed. The FSA has stressed that it will still conduct a thorough and evidence-based assessment of new products’ safety and nutritional value before they can be sold in the UK, and ministers will continue to make final decisions. In a statement provided to The Cell Base, the FSA said: "Following agreement by our Board earlier this year, the new Government has now approved our proposals for two improvements to our market authorisation system for regulated food and feed products. These are the removal of renewal requirements for products already authorised as safe and allowing authorisations to come into effect following the ministerial decision, and then be published in an official register, rather than by secondary legislation." "These improvements are purely administrative, can be made quickly, and will have immediate benefits for consumers and businesses by reducing the time it takes to review and potentially authorise new products. There will be no reduction of food standards or safety as a result of the reforms we are proposing to make." "Subject to UK Government decisions on legislative timetabling, we hope to introduce legislation for these proposals in early 2025." The UK uses a similar regulatory framework to that of the EU, but concerns have been raised about the increasing size of the agency’s post-Brexit work – with officials earlier this year saying, ‘without urgent action, we will be unable to keep pace with this growing caseload’. The Good Food Institute (GFI) Europe has welcomed the changes, which it says “could benefit a wider range of food sectors and consumers while ensuring rigorous safety standards are maintained”. The GFI stresses that more ambitious measures are needed to ensure the UK does not risk falling behind as a global alternative protein leader. GFI Europe has called on the government to introduce more wide-ranging reforms including producing accessible guidance for alternative protein companies planning to submit applications, sharing information about risk assessments with other trusted international regulators and designing a new system for pre-market tastings. The nonprofit also urged ministers to approve the FSA’s bid to create a regulatory sandbox for cultivated meat in next month’s budget to ensure the body can accelerate its understanding of the food safety aspects of cultivated meat. Linus Pardoe, UK policy manager at GFI Europe, said: “It’s positive to see the Food Standards Agency taking much-needed steps to modernise its process while continuing to enforce one of the world’s most robust regulatory systems – but these measures should just be the start”. Pardoe continued: “Alternative proteins can play a key role in boosting food security and growing the UK’s green economy. But to deliver these benefits while ensuring consumers can have confidence in new foods, the government must urgently bring forward more ambitious proposals such as collaborating on risk assessments with international partners and establishing a regulatory sandbox for cultivated meat.” Top image: British start-up Ivy Farm's cultivated pork sausage #FoodStandardsAgency #FSA #UK #policy #regulatoryapproval

JBS USA has entered into a partnership with GreenGasUSA to produce renewable natural gas (RNG) at various JBS beef and poultry processing facilities across the US. In a bid to address GHG emissions, while also empowering its value chain, JBS will adopt circular economy technologies to repurpose waste streams into renewable energy. The partnership, which builds on JBS’s existing methane capture capabilities, will see GreenGasUSA install on-site gas upgrading systems at multiple JBS facilities. Biogas collected from the meat processor’s wastewater streams will be purified into pipeline-quality RNG, allowing end users to displace fossil fuel usage. GreenGasUSA will initially install the technology at JBS facilities in Grand Island, Nebraska, and Hyrum, Utah; and the Pilgrim’s Sumter, South Carolina, facility. This collaboration is expected to reduce greenhouse gas emissions at these facilities while improving wastewater operations and local air and water quality, supporting the renewable energy market through the distribution of RNG. The project at Pilgrim’s Sumter, South Carolina, facility is scheduled to be completed in early 2025, while the Grand Island and Hyrum projects are slated for completion at the end of 2025. According to JBS, inserting this RNG into existing energy pipelines will displace the GHG emissions equivalent to 60 million miles driven by a car, or 26 million pounds of coal burned, annually. Wesley Batista Filho, CEO of JBS Foods USA, said: “At JBS and Pilgrim’s, we’re committed to reducing the impact of food production by partnering with stakeholders to reduce our carbon footprint. This collaboration with GreenGasUSA is a perfect example of these efforts. This innovative approach takes what was once an unused byproduct of food production and transforms it to offset a significant amount of fossil fuels. This process can be a model for the rest of the industry to follow.” Marc Fetten, CEO and founder of GreenGasUSA, commented: “GreenGas is deeply committed to developing solutions that address GHG emissions in the most difficult-to-decarbonise industries. We see tremendous opportunity in our partnership with JBS USA to significantly reduce on-site environmental impacts, produce sustainable, renewable energy and support climate change initiatives in other industries.”

The ‘world’s first and only’ alt-seafood association, Future Ocean Foods (FOF), has welcomed 17 new members to its global organisation.   The association aims to promote food security, human health, environmental sustainability and ocean conservation. Its member companies work across the cultivated, fermented and plant-based food sectors.   As the association approaches its first anniversary (November 2024) , the membership base has increased to 53 companies, reaching 17 countries around the world.  Marissa Bronfman, founder and executive director of FOF, said: “I am incredibly proud of the passionate, collaborative community we have built, and I am thrilled to welcome these 17 new innovative companies to our group. It’s an honour to work alongside so many brilliant, pioneering people working tirelessly to feed the planet and save our oceans.”  “Despite a difficult economic climate, I’ve never been more optimistic about the future of alternative seafood.”  New members in the cellular agriculture space:  Bluu (Germany) , specialises in cultured fish and caviar from Atlantic salmon and rainbow trout  Cultivated B (Germany) , focuses on breakthrough technologies in cellular agriculture, precision fermentation and bioreactor engineering  Forsea (Israel) , uses organoid technology to produce cultivated seafood, including freshwater eel  Mermade Seafood (Israel) , employs aquaponics to grow microalgae on animal cell culture waste, using it to feed the growing cells  Steakholder Foods (Israel) , develops 3D bioprinting for cultivated meat and fish alternatives  Sustineri Piscis (Brazil) , produces seafood via cell cultivation  Upstream Foods (Netherlands) , cultivates fat from salmon cells for the B2B market  (Top to bottom: Bluu Seafood, The Cultivated B, Forsea, Mermade Seafood, Steakholder Foods, Sustineri Piscis, Upstream Foods) New plant-based members include Beleaf (US), Happy Ocean Foods (Germany), Liven Protein (Canada), Mimic Seafood (Spain), Monkeys By The Sea (Netherlands), Nutrition From Water (Portugal), Oceanium (UK), Ocean Hugger Foods (US), Olala! Foods (France) and Profillet (Canada). Arik Kaufman, CEO of Steakholder Foods, commented: "Future Ocean Foods has provided a valuable opportunity to connect likeminded leaders in the alternative seafood industry. It’s been helpful to exchange ideas and learn from a community focused on sustainable food solutions. We appreciate being part of this effort to make a positive impact in the alt-seafood space.”  Brittany Chibe, co-founder and CEO of Aqua Cultured Foods, a founding member of FOF, concluded: “FOF has been instrumental in fostering inclusion and building camaraderie within the alternative protein industry. By creating an environment where companies can openly share knowledge and innovate together, FOF is helping to accelerate the growth and impact of sustainable seafood solutions.”  #FutureOceanFoods #culturedseafood #seafood #BluuSeafood #TheCultivatedB #Forsea #MermadeSeafood #SteakholderFoods #SustineriPiscis #UpstreamFoods

Aleph Farms has announced that chef Eyal Shani is joining the company as an investor and culinary launch partner. Through the partnership, Aleph Farms will introduce Aleph Cuts – cultivated beef steaks – in Israel through roaming and exclusive dining experiences inspired by Shani. Michelin-Star chef Shani is the head chef of 17 restaurants in Tel Aviv, Israel, and around 50 globally, in the US, Canada, Australia, Austria, France, Singapore and the UK. Didier Toubia, CEO and co-founder of Aleph Farms, said: “We are thrilled to welcome Eyal Shani to the Aleph Farms team. His deep commitment to creating high-quality, accessible and inclusive food that resonates with people from all walks of life aligns perfectly with our mission". Toubia continued: "Eyal’s dedication to using the finest ingredients and raw materials elevates our new category of animal products, ensuring that it is not only sustainable but also of exceptional quality. His innovative spirit and focus on connecting people through food make him an invaluable partner as we launch Aleph Cuts globally." Eyal Shani commented: "When Aleph Farms offered me to help spread its message around the world, it was the greatest honour of my life. I was born into a vegan family and until the age of five was fed only plants and roots. Almost 60 years have passed and today, I have over 50 restaurants across six continents, and I serve meat in all of them. I ask myself constantly, what am I bequeathing to the world?" Shani added: “Aleph Farms has given me the opportunity to bequeath a future that avoids causing suffering to billions of animals, in which people will be one with nature and not harm it, in which Aleph Cuts are more wonderful than the meat we know today and is so without killing a single animal, and in which our happiness does not require that the animals with which we share the world feel pain." "It sounds like a dream that I don’t want to end, and indeed it is a dream, but it is one whose basis is reality, harnessing the spirit of science and human imagination. And it will change the world, making it a more moral, tastier and truly sustainable place." It has been a busy year for Aleph Farms. In January, Israel’s government agency issued regulatory approval for Aleph Cuts , the 'world’s first' cell-based beef steaks, and the following month, Aleph Farms partnered with manufacturer and distributor of bio-based products BBGI and Fermbox Bio , to increase Southeast Asian capabilities in the cell-ag space. In May, Aleph partnered with AI platform BioRaptor to optimise its cell-based meat production process and de-risk its scale-up as it transitions to larger facilities with extensive capital expenditures. In June, the start-up laid off 30% of its domestic workforce to better navigate the challenges of securing capital during its scale-up process. #AlephFarms #Israel #cultivatedbeef

The New Zealand government has pledged NZD 9.6 million (approx. $5.91 million) towards a five-year project to develop and investigate cultivated seafood. The new Endeavour Fund programme will allow Plant Food & Research scientists, led by Georgina Dowd, to develop new fish cell production systems within New Zealand. Plant & Food Research is a New Zealand Crown Research Institute. Its purpose is to enhance the value and productivity of New Zealand's horticultural, arable, seafood and F&B industries. The Endeavour Fund is an initiative of New Zealand’s Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment. In the 2024 round, the fund invested a total of $236 million in 19 research programmes and 53 ‘Smart Ideas,’ aimed at catalysing and testing innovative research ideas with high potential. The researchers hope to produce seafood and generate marine products, such as marine collagen, through cellular agriculture. They hope to develop a production system for fish is an opportunity for New Zealand to meet the global demand for new sustainable seafood and marine products. The programme will also investigate the New Zealand social and cultural aspects associated with the acceptance of cultured fish products, including Māori views with respect to taonga species. Taonga are species that are central to the identity and wellbeing of many Māori communities in New Zealand. Examples of taonga fish species include freshwater eels, freshwater crayfish and freshwater mussels. Four ‘Smart Ideas’ projects from Plant & Food Research were also funded through the Endeavour Fund initiative. One project will focus on developing methods for assessing soil vulnerability that support sustainable soil management practices. The second will investigate the microbiome of vineyards as a method of controlling grapevine trunk disease, which costs New Zealand growers $130 million a year in crop losses. The third project aims to develop a method based on epigenetic DNA testing to support sustainable pāua fisheries management. Pāua is the Māori name given to four New Zealand species of large edible sea snails. The fourth will investigate whether compounds in silvervine, a species of kiwi, can be used as a control method for feral cat populations. In the 2024 round, the Fund invested $236 million in 19 research programmes and 53 Smart Ideas, aimed at catalysing and testing innovative research ideas with high potential. #NewZealand

Swedish precision-fermented designer fats firm, Melt&Marble, has reached a critical milestone by scaling its fat fermentation process to over 10,000 litres. This development paves the way for the start-up's commercial scale production and broader application testing in the alternative protein, confectionery, bakery and personal care industries. Melt&Marble leverages precision fermentation to engineer the metabolism of yeast to create ‘designer fats’ with precisely controlled composition and properties. Melt&Marble’s scientific team successfully maintained comparable strain and bioprocess performance achieved in previous tests, demonstrating the robustness and scalability of its process. The start-up says that the success of the trial will open the door for broader application testing of the fat across various culinary contexts, allowing it to fine-tune the use of its fat for optimal performance in different food and personal care products. Melt&Marble’s CEO Anastasia Krivoruchko said: “Scale-up of fermentation processes can be tricky, and we’re extremely proud of what our scientific team has managed to achieve in such a short amount of time". Florian David, Melt&Marble’s CSO, commented: “The scale-up is a key milestone which proves that our process can create precision-fermented fats in much larger quantities than we had done previously. The success of this was driven by the collaboration of both internal and external teams to ensure that our process is translatable to a larger scale.” Melt&Marble’s CBO Thomas Cresswell added: “This milestone is a pivotal step toward our goal of launching Melt&Marble’s fats commercially. It enables us to accelerate the pilot projects we’ve already initiated with some of our partners, bringing innovative, sustainable fat solutions to market and aligning with global demand for better alternatives sooner rather than later. We are committed to getting Melt&Marble’s fats onto consumers’ plates and enabling the transition to a more sustainable food system.” Building on recent successes, including securing €2.76 million in EU grants earlier this year, Melt&Marble’s successful scale-up puts the company in a strong position for its next steps. In March, the start-up announced its move to a new headquarters in Gothenburg , Sweden. The company says it will continue to further develop its designer fat products, with applications in alt-meat, cheese, butter, confectionery and bakery products, aiming to bring these sustainable alternatives to market in the coming years. #MeltandMarble #fat #precisionfermentation #Sweden

We’ve reached a turning point in the food-tech sector – climate change will begin to eliminate choices or make them inaccessible and too expensive for a growing population. Scientists recognise this shift and have begun engineering solutions, like cell-based foods, that use less land and emit fewer greenhouse gases. However, despite promising breakthroughs, several misconceptions hinder the widespread adoption of cell-based foods. Addressing these myths is crucial if we are to usher in a new era of biological engineering for sustainable food solutions. Weslee Glenn, VP of innovation at US-based plant cell culture start-up Ayana Bio, unpacks. Myth 1: Cultivated meat is the only game in town It seems that most people associate cellular agriculture primarily with cultivated meat. The excitement is justified: US regulators approved the first cell-based chicken products last year. But other cell-based strategies have already found widespread use, including in the world of plants. Cultured meat is the new kid on the block. By extension, plant cell cultivation is more like the college kid returning home: decidedly more mature but still navigating its potential. Already successful in pharmaceuticals and cosmetics, its deployment in food applications is a recent development. While these technologies share a common goal of sustainability, their approaches diverge beyond this. Having multiple players and various platform technologies in the cellular food ecosystem is beneficial for sustainability, nutrition and cost solutions. This diversity allows for mutual learning from challenges and collective celebration of successes. Myth 2: Cell-based foods will never scale Scaling and reaching price parity are biotech’s catch-22. You’ll never be able to reach price parity if you can’t scale. And you’ll never reach large scales unless you show there’s a way to achieve price parity. Precision fermentation is already widely scaled. For example, about 80% of rennet produced today is derived from precision fermentation. Since regulators approved animal-free rennet in 1990, it has become the global standard, largely replacing cow-derived products. This success underscores the method's scalability. Moreover, new products like cow-less whey protein are rapidly entering the market, further demonstrating its expanding impact. The lesson here is to solve the right problem and increase production capacity. Innovation means offering a solution at a price point people are willing to pay for. Notably, plant cell culture has already been scaled, though primarily for the pharmaceutical industry. Food-based applications are more recent and limited to date, but they are on the rise. Traditional agriculture is not usually the optimal way to produce the phytochemicals that improve health. Many of these specialised plants, such as ginseng, are not domesticated and even cultivated varieties like cacao or saffron struggle to meet demand sustainably. Plant cell cultivation emerges as a promising alternative. Plant cell cultivation companies are producing ingredients that increase nutrient density, especially as many of the world’s most nutritionally dense foods tend to be expensive and difficult to harvest. Right now, achieving cost parity with large-scale commodities poses challenges. However, plant cell cultivation has succeeded with pharmaceuticals and cosmetics because those goods sit at higher price points. We can reach cost parity with food ingredients by ramping up the supply and driving down the cost of expensive biomass while building out manufacturing capacity. It’s a virtuous cycle that would eventually place even less expensive botanical products within reach. Myth 3: Cell-based foods are unsafe Food is more than just food; it’s imbued with meaning. Food is connection. Food is culture. Food is comfort. These forces place food in the mind’s holy of holies, a sacred place to be guarded and remain unchanged. This innate protectiveness doesn’t mean that food innovations are unsafe. Quite the opposite: Cell-based foods are heavily regulated and face more scrutiny than foods produced traditionally. Cultivated meat is not made from cancer cells and won’t cause cancer. You’re unlikely to be allergic to cell-derived rennet (i.e., chymosin) unless you are allergic to cow-derived chymosin (the key component of rennet) because they are highly similar proteins. If a regulatory body deems the food unsafe, it doesn’t hit shelves. Therefore, dismissing cell-based foods as unsafe likely reflects societal mistrust rather than factual concerns. We can combat this mistrust by remaining transparent and delivering on our promises, especially the ones that consumers themselves can’t effectively judge directly like health benefits and sustainability claims. Equally important is ongoing communication about how cell-based foods address nutritional and cost challenges in an increasingly challenging global environment As an industry, we should address legitimate safety concerns and the underlying fears associated with them. We should keep our promises. And we should live up to the hype. #AyanaBio #US #plantcellcultivation #opinion

South Korean cell-based meat start-up TissenBioFarm has received ‘Cultured Meat Product of the Year’ in the fourth annual AgTech Breakthrough Awards programme. AgTech Breakthrough is a market intelligence organisation that recognises the top companies, technologies and products in today’s global agri-tech and food-tech markets. The programme awarded TissenBioFarm for its proprietary technologies that can produce whole-cut marbled steaks – the start-up's novel bio fabrication system allows ultrafast fabrication of muscles and fat in fibre form. Compared to conventional 3D bioprinting, the company's lab-scale bio-fabrication system is up to 35,000 times faster, enabling it to produce around 300kg of fibres per hour. TissenBioFarm's optogenetics technology, which uses light to induce cell proliferation and differentiation, results in lower production costs, as it eliminates the need to use traditional foetal bovine serum and other expensive proteins. The product also uses a biomimicry technique that results in the ‘realistic’ appearance of meat. TissenBioFarm can replicate meat texture and marbling by mimicking the structure of muscle tissue and marbles of real meat. One test successfully produced a 10kg alternative meat prototype, and the technology allows TissenBioFarm to produce various cuts of meat such as sirloin, tenderloin and ribeye. Marbling is an important factor in beef grading as it enhances the flavour and texture of beef – TissenBioFarm creates marbling by stacking fat and muscle microfibres for a desired pattern. The pattern or nutritional profile of the final product can be customised to meet consumers’ taste preferences or needs, by adding or subtracting certain nutrients to create a healthier, targeted product. Wonil Han, CEO of TissenBioFarm, said: “Today's alternative meat technologies are limited to making ground meat products such as patties and nuggets. We aim to produce products that are competitive in every way with conventional prime cuts of steak and offer solutions that have overcome technical limitations such as mass production. Thank you to AgTech Breakthrough for recognising our efforts as we get close to commercial scale and get our system ready for mass production. We’ll continue to enhance the ‘world’s first’ technology to mass-produce whole-cut cultivated meat with realistic marbles.” TissenBioFarm expects that, by 2027, it will have developed its technology and lowered the costs of producing cultivated meat to around $10 per kilogram. Bryan Vaughn, managing director of AgTech Breakthrough, commented: “TissenBioFarm is creating a future where people, the environment and animals are safe. This era of agriculture and food technology marks the next major period of sustainable future foods but the low scalability and high costs of producing cultivated meat have caused a gap in the industry. The solution lies within sustainable and scalable technologies used for production.” Vaughn continued: “TissenBioFarm is delivering low-cost, scalable technologies that produce whole-cut cultivated meat products, bringing alternative proteins. We’re pleased to award [the start-up] with ‘Cultured Meat Product of the Year!’ With [its] capabilities, [TissenBioFarm] can quickly and cost-effectively bring the sustainable future of food from the lab to tables everywhere.” Images: ©TissenBioFarm #TissenBioFarm #AgTechBreakthrough #SouthKorea

German producer of animal-free cheese products, Formo, has raised $61 million in a Series B funding round. The funding round included existing investors Foodlabs, EQT Ventures, Lowercarbon Capital, Happiness Capital, Elevat3 Capital and Grazia Capital. Formo also welcomed new investors Sazaby League, Seven Ventures, Woodline Partners, The Nature Conservancy as well as Europe's second-largest retailer, Rewe Group. Formo will use the funding to achieve key milestones, including international expansion, diversifying the product range, driving revenue growth and achieving net profitability by 2027. Formo is also advancing its technology platform to accelerate the commercialisation of animal-free casein products, which will expand the portfolio to include hard cheeses, opening further opportunities in the market. Formo has also launched the ‘world's first’ koji protein-based cheese alternatives, Frischhain and Camembritz. The two new products are available to purchase now at more than 2000 Rewe, Billa and Metro stores across Germany and Austria. Compared to conventional cream cheese, the environmental impact of Formo’s products are significantly lower. Frischhain production generates 65% fewer emissions, uses 83% less land and requires 96% less water. Sandra Wilde, VP of food at Formo, said: "Koji has been used in Japanese cuisine for centuries to make miso, sake and soy sauce, and it's the key to our innovation. Koji Protein resembles whey protein, making it the perfect foundation for our cheese alternatives.” Raffael Wohlgensinger, co-founder and CEO of Formo, commented: "Everything is coming together – the launch of our first products, the positive results of our environmental analyses and the successful funding round. This is the result of five years of intensive research and product development, as well as the work of an incredibly passionate team." Jim Mellon, Agronomics' executive chair and co-founder, added: "This financing is an impressive achievement by Formo in what remains a challenging macroeconomic and funding environment. Since our first investment, the team has successfully achieved its R&D and commercial milestones which is allowing them to lead the charge in the global transition towards animal-free proteins.” Formo uses micro fermentation, where naturally occurring cultures are fermented in a nutrient-rich bath to create koji protein. Traditional cheesemakers can replace cow's milk with plant-based fats and koji protein, using fermentation methods to craft these products. Formo's cheese alternatives are free from lactose, hormones, gluten, preservatives and additives, while being rich and creamy. #Formo #Germany #dairy #cheese #milk #fermentation

Japanese start-up IntegriCulture has announced five new projects under its open innovation platform for cultivated meat, the CulNet Consortium, which was first established three years ago. The start-up has organised joint research projects with five members of the consortium, with the aim to bridge the gaps in the cultivated meat sector and build an efficient supply chain. The first project focuses on culture media – in partnership with food manufacturer TableMark, a subsidiary of food giant JT Group, IntegriCulture is developing a basic culture medium ‘made from food ingredients that minimises the use of highly processed materials,’ and halves the number of raw materials needed. The second project – with ingredient specialist San-ei-gen FFI – IntegriCulture is building a novel scaffold for 3D cultivation. The scaffold is made from food-grade ingredients, and various types of cells can grow on it with high densities. The companies hope to improve scaffold performance and optimise the cultivation process. The third project also focuses on culture media and is in partnership with life sciences company Nacalai Tesque. Together, the firms will develop cost-effective media with safe, reliable raw materials that have already been used in food products. The fourth project is with chemical and pharma company UBE Group. IntegriCulture and UBE will work on producing a long-term supply of growth factors produced by organ cells, focusing on improving the supply stability of growth factors. In the final project, IntegriCulture is working with an anonymous member company to create antibacterial tech using food-grade ingredients. The start-up hopes that this will prevent bacterial contamination of cultured cells. The 14-member CulNet Consortium began with five targets: to create standardised culture media for various cultivated foods, to streamline processing and quality assurance protocols, to certify safety-tested cells and cell licensing schemes, to build the required hardware and to develop efficient bioreactors. The end goal of all these projects is to develop products that will be sold on IntegriCulture’s B2B marketplace, Ocatté Base. The company already sells cosmetic ingredients made from cellular agriculture and cell-ag-related hardware. The start-up says it is also planning to launch a cell-cultured food demonstration product. In January this year, the Japanese government awarded $18.7 million in funding to IntegriCulture , to demonstrate that its cultivated foie gras and serum platforms can operate commercially. At the time, the start-up said it would use the funding to demonstrate the technical capability of developing products at a commercially viable price point. #IntegriCulture #CulNet #Japan

Illinois House Representative Chris Miller has introduced HB 5872, a bill to make the sale, manufacture or distribution of cultivated meat a Class C misdemeanour. Miller, who is a third-generation cattle farmer, said the legislation would protect individual’s health, farmland and agricultural products and that it is in response to “growing concerns from the notion of replacing real meat with laboratories to replicate a natural process.” “Agriculture is big business in Illinois, and we don’t need fake meat laboratories creating a highly expensive product that tries to replicate real meat,” Governor Miller said. “Illinois farmers know what they’re doing, and it they do it well.” Miller continued: “The ideology behind cultivating animal cells to improve carbon emissions is mind-blowing. Here in Illinois, farmers work hard to raise cattle and produce some of the finest meat on the market. My legislation would protect farmers and the high-quality products they help produce to feed families across the nation.” Miller’s bill, which hasn’t been referred to any of the committees yet, calls cultivated meat “a threat to the health, safety and welfare” of Illinois residents. This development could deal a significant blow to Illinois' burgeoning biotech industry. In July, the Illinois Fermentation and Agriculture Biomanufacturing (iFAB) Tech Hub received approximately $51 million from the Tech Hubs Program , managed by the state’s Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration (EDA). The grant was intended to enhance Illinois' leadership in biomanufacturing and precision fermentation, with goals of supporting national security, economic growth and job creation. Additionally, in March, a government investment strategy injected $680 million into strengthening Illinois' biotech sector, focusing on biomanufacturing and precision fermentation . Illinois' proposed ban follows similar moves in other states. Florida’s ban on cultivated meat took effect on 1 July, while Alabama's is set to begin on 1 October. Other states, including Iowa , Ohio , and Nebraska, have also imposed restrictions. Most recently, on 29 August, Nebraska Governor Jim Pillen signed an executive order prohibiting state agencies from procuring cultivated or alternative meat products. Sheila Voss, GFI’s senior vice president of communications and Illinois resident, said: “Illinois has long been a global leader in agriculture and biotechnology. Our state’s farming families, like mine in southern Illinois, are on the frontlines of production, season after season, harvest after harvest, helping feed the world. But to meet growing global demand for meat with business-as-usual production methods, Illinois and other states are running out of room to sustainably grow what’s needed." Voss continued: "That’s why it’s exciting to see Illinois and other Midwest states working to diversify protein production with investments in alternative protein R&D, bio-manufacturing hubs and public-private research and innovation partnerships between the likes of ADM and University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign." "Shortsighted bills like HB5872 restrict agricultural innovation, when we should be investing in it. By folding alternative proteins into the mix, Illinois can create a more resilient protein production ecosystem, new markets, new jobs and new opportunities for rural communities and urban centers alike, positioning our state as a model for the nation and a global leader in protein innovation." It is worth noting that the push to ban cultivated meat has often come from politicians with strong ties to traditional agriculture. Critics argue that these efforts are less about genuine concerns for public health or environmental safety and more about protecting established agricultural interests from emerging competition. Contrary to claims that cultivated meat poses health risks or environmental harm, it has been approved as safe for consumption by regulatory bodies in multiple countries, including the United States Food and Drug Administration. Additionally, cultivated meat is touted by many scientists and environmentalists as a more sustainable alternative to conventional meat production, with the potential to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions, land use and water consumption. #Illinois #US #banning