NEW TECH FOODS

Animal nutrition firm Wilbur-Ellis Nutrition and Bond Pet Foods, a US-based company creating sustainable animal proteins via fermentation, have announced a partnership to develop tailored ingredients for pet food applications. Bond employs a yeast-based precision fermentation process to make ingredients such as vitamin B12, flavours like vanilla and enzymes for cheese manufacturing, but has creatively reassembled the process to more efficiently produce proteins like chicken, turkey and fish without the animal. Its platform also can enhance the finished products' nutritional and functional performance, compared with conventional options available today. Matt Fanta, president of Wilbur-Ellis Nutrition, said: "Our partnership with Bond expands our capabilities and opens up new ways to deliver sustainable, innovative ingredients to pet food manufacturers around the world. We see tremendous opportunity with Bond's technology to expand what's possible with pet nutrition and support our pursuit of a more responsible pet food future." Wilbur-Ellis Pet Nutrition’s VP, Nick Braden, commented: "As the pet food industry focuses more on sustainable solutions, precision fermentation is an increasingly attractive tool to produce proteins, flavours and blends that perform. This collaboration with Bond, and its deep fermentation expertise, will allow us to further advance our ingredient portfolio." CEO and founder of Bond Pet Foods, Rich Kelleman, added: "We are thrilled to partner with Wilbur-Ellis Nutrition on this important work. For more than 100 years, they have been known for high-quality ingredients and have a genuine commitment to innovation in the pet nutrition space. We look forward to developing a new class of products through this JDA program that will provide pet food manufacturers with more sustainable, functional formulary alternatives." #petfood #US

Animal-free dairy company Bored Cow has expanded into 2,000 Albertsons stores across the US, marking the first time that a dairy product made via precision fermentation is available at retail in all 50 US states. Bored Cow uses whey protein derived through precision fermentation as its base. Microflora are taught to convert plant sugars into milk proteins in large bioreactors before Bored Cow adds plant fat, cane sugar and other sustainable ingredients, such as upcycled citrus fibre. The resulting milk is said to look, feel, taste and act just like traditionally produced cow’s milk, but without animal cruelty and with a fraction of the environmental footprint. Bored Cow conducted a third-party, ISO-aligned life cycle assessment to compare the impact of its ‘original’ milk to conventional and organic dairy milk from ‘farm to factory.’ it found that its precision-fermented milk requires up to 96% less land, uses up to 67% less water and emits up to 44% fewer greenhouse gas emissions. The product is 100% lactose-free and cholesterol-free, packed with complete protein and fortified with calcium, potassium, vitamin D and vitamin B12. Unlike some plant-based milk alternatives, Bored Cow milk cooks, bakes, freezes, froths, foams and steams just like dairy milk. The four-packs of 11oz chocolate milk and original milk can be found in the shelf-stable section of US stores including Albertsons, Safeway, Vons and Shaw’s, with a suggested retail price of $6.99-$8.99. The expansion significantly increases Bored Cow's distribution, making sustainable dairy more accessible to consumers across the US. Ben Berman, Tomorrow Farms’ founder and CEO, said: “We are thrilled to partner with Albertsons to bring Bored Cow to more folks across the country. We couldn’t be prouder to launch our Bored Cow four-packs with Albertsons and help to bring sustainable dairy to the next generation.” Bored Cow is the first brand and product line from Tomorrow Farms, a US-based next-gen food-tech company. This update follows the brand's launch of its fruit-flavoured drinking yogurts , made with dairy derived through precision fermentation, in March this year. #BoredCow #US

South Korea’s Pulmuone and Switzerland’s robot automation company ABB have signed a joint R&D agreement to develop technologies for cell-cultured fish. The new MoU hopes to facilitate the mass production of cell-based seafood, leveraging ABB’s robot tech to automate the culture process. ABB and Pulmuone will collaborate on several key areas of innovation in the development and future mass production of cell-cultured seafood. This includes the R&D of robotic automation to enhance the efficiency of production and prevent cross-contamination. ABB will leverage its complete portfolio of automation solutions, including potential AI-based solutions, software, robots as well as automation expertise to develop cell-based seafood. While specific solutions are yet to be identified, some operations will still require human intervention, so ABB’s portfolio of collaborative robots (cobots) will likely play a key role in any future solutions. Cobots can be programmed to work safely alongside human operators without the need for conventional barriers. Pulmuone will use ABB's robot technology to automate the culture process, with the aim of establishing mass production by 2026. Pulmuone expects to become the ‘world's first’ company to apply AI robot automation technology to cell-cultured foods. Craig McDonnell, MD, business line industries at ABB Robotics, said: "We are pleased to collaborate with Pulmuone and provide ABB’s robotics expertise and experience in both the food industry and life sciences. The ability of robots to free skilled lab workers from carrying out dull, repetitive tasks is a key advantage in an economy like South Korea, with a tight labour market. In addition, the precision and repeatability offered by robots is a major benefit in food application.“ In addition to the joint R&D into robot automation of cell-cultured fish, the two organisations will conduct joint research on the production efficiency and productivity improvements gained through automation. They will also share facilities and equipment as well as professional expertise. Kim Sang-gu, director of the food safety department at Pulmuone Technology Institute, added: "By integrating ABB's AI robotics technology...with Pulmuone's specialised foundational technology in seafood cell cultivation, we expect to enhance our technological competitiveness and create greater synergy in the development of advanced seafood technology. We will accelerate the establishment of an innovative mass production system for sustainable cultivated seafood products in the near future, leading to groundbreaking technological innovations.“ #Pulmuone #ABB #SouthKorea #Switzerland

Austrian cell-based meat company BioCraft Pet Nutrition, which manufactures cultured meat for pet food, has announced it has reached price parity with traditional premium pet meat products. The firm said it has achieved a commercial price of $2 to $2.50 per lb of cell-based meat, placing it in the same price realm as premium meat for pet food. For context, Good Food Institute research found that cell-based meat could be cost-competitive with conventional meat by 2030, if it reached a production cost of $2.92 per pound. To address the challenge of price parity, BioCraft focused on solutions to make its ingredients affordable without compromising on nutritional value. R&D lead the company to find a new, cost-effective method of production – instead of discarding the nutrient-rich growth media after cell cultivation, it reformulates it to be part of the final product. This reutilisation eliminates waste and reduces the cost of acquiring and disposing of the media. By incorporating the growth medium into the final product, BioCraft enhances the nutritional profile of the cell-based meat, mimicking the nutrition of traditional meat while adding value to the product without extra costs. BioCraft’s CEO Shannon Falconer said: “Achieving price parity and a robust nutritional profile for pets were the only elements holding back cultivated meat for the pet food industry – and BioCraft has now achieved both.” BioCraft aims to introduce its cell-based meat product to pet food brands in early 2026. #BioCraft #Austria #petfood

Accelerate Estonia, in collaboration with ÄIO and Gelatex, held one of ‘Europe's first’ public novel food tastings last week during the region's start-up and tech event Latitude59. Estonia’s ÄIO uses natural and precision fermentation processes to produce alternatives to fats and oils – its microbial oils are rich in omega-3 fatty acids, providing a source for healthy, sustainable, polyunsaturated fats. Also based in Estonia, Gelatex produces high-performance nanofibrous 3D scaffolds and microcarriers for scalable cultured meat mass production. Accelerate Estonia spent the last year working with ÄIO and Gelatex together with the relevant public sector entities to find ways for Estonia to pioneer the novel foods approval process by guiding deep-tech companies through the regulatory hurdles, possibly using AI to analyse the regulations and past applications to gather insight in how to prepare for the approval process. This initiative is designed to enhance food security, foster innovation and grow Estonia’s position in the food-tech sector. The tasting event explored the current novel food approval process and featured dishes prepared by chef Johannes Hõimoja using novel food ingredients from ÄIO and Gelatex. The courses included tempura battered oyster mushrooms with a BBQ sauce made using ÄIO’s oils. The second course offered tastings of cupcakes with buttercream made with ÄIO’s oils. The tasting also offered chocolate chip cookies, in which the chocolate was made with ÄIO’s ingredients as a substitute for cocoa powder. The final course was eclairs filled with yeast cream, made with ÄIO’s oils. Gelatex provided its potato fibrous scaffold for tasting, which isn’t designed for eating separately, but as a scaffold for cultured meat. #ÄIO #Gelatex #Estonia

PoLoPo has submitted an application for Regulatory Status Review (RSR) to the US Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service for its SuperAA platform. This marks the first step towards regulatory approval for SuperAA, a platform that turns potato plants into micro-biofactories, using proprietary metabolic engineering techniques. PoLoPo first announced its new SuperAA platform in April  – it is currently deployed in potatoes at greenhouse scale and can generate both a native protein (patatin) as well as egg protein (ovalbumin). This development makes PoLoPo the first Israeli molecular farming company to seek regulatory approval in the US. If granted, the USDA approval will establish that PoLoPo’s platform poses no agricultural or pest risk compared to traditional potato growing. The approval – which is expected within six months – will enable PoLoPo to pursue its commercial plans to grow its transgenic potato plants in the US through partners and local growers. PoLoPo’s CEO, Maya Sapir-Mir, said: “This is an important milestone for molecular farming as well as for PoLoPo to establish safety and clearance to begin growing GMO plants. The production of ovalbumin in plants, not animals, will transform food processing with a price- and supply chain-stable option and set off a domino effect on sustainability, a big first step toward changing our food industry.” PoLoPo’s platform enables potato plants to manufacture target proteins in the plant and store them in the tuber. Tubers are harvested when they reach sufficient size, at which point their proteins are extracted and dried into a powder that integrates ‘seamlessly’ into current food processing lines and formulations. While derived from genetically engineered plants, the resulting protein powder contains no genetic material and is considered non-GMO. #PoLoPo #Israel #US

Food-tech start-up NewMoo has developed animal-free cheese using plant molecular farming to produce casein proteins, the essential components of traditional dairy products. This innovation aims to offer a scalable, cost-effective and sustainable alternative to conventional cheese, meeting the growing demand for plant-based foods without compromising on taste and texture. NewMoo’s technology allows for the expression of casein proteins in plant seeds, which can be cultivated through standard agricultural methods. Caseins make up about 80% of the proteins in dairy milk, crucial for replicating the sensory properties of traditional cheese. This development follows three years of research and stealth operations, leveraging intellectual property from the Weizmann Institute of Science. Daphna Miller, co-founder and CEO of NewMoo, said: “Our animal-free liquid casein mimics all the functional traits of real milk protein for crafting cheese the traditional way. It can seamlessly replace dairy milk in any cheese manufacturing facility without the need for special equipment, maintaining the typical aroma, flavour and texture that cheese eaters crave.” NewMoo’s approach offers significant advantages over current methods like precision fermentation, which requires expensive bioreactor machinery. By using plant seeds as natural bioreactors, NewMoo can produce complex proteins abundantly and cost-effectively. Additionally, the process sequesters carbon during cultivation, contributing to a more sustainable food production system. Miller added: “This method of making previously animal-based foods from non-animal sources benefits consumers, dairy producers, farmers, and the global climate. We believe this technology is the most suitable for bringing the future of sustainable animal-free dairy products.” NewMoo’s innovation comes at a time when the global cheese market, valued at $135 billion, is projected to reach $220 billion by 2028, according to Euromonitor. The demand for plant-based alternatives is rising, driven by health-conscious and environmentally aware consumers, with 42% of consumers worldwide identifying as flexitarian. Hod Yanover, VP of food development for NewMoo, said: “Our goal is to assist dairy cheese manufacturers in broadening their market scope to include the burgeoning flexitarian demographic. We empower cheesemakers to create delectable and nutritious guilt-free products with ease and at no added costs.” Founded in 2021, NewMoo has raised $7 million in seed funding led by Lool and Zora Ventures. The company focuses on enabling consumers to enjoy milk proteins without the cow. Its team comprises experts in plant molecular genetics and food business development, including industry veterans from leading Israeli food companies such as Tnuva and Strauss Group. #NewMoo

Meatable has named Jeff "Trip" Tripician as its new CEO, effective 17 June. Tripician will succeed co-founder Krijn de Nood, who will remain on the board of directors. With over 25 years in the organic and natural meat industry, Tripician will lead Meatable’s US market expansion following its upcoming commercial launch in Singapore. He previously served as CEO of Grass Fed Foods and president of Perdue Premium Meat Company. He has extensive experience in the US meat market, with deep expertise in supply chain management, marketing sustainable meat products, fundraising and mergers and acquisitions. Cees de Jong, chairman of the board of directors at Meatable, said: “I am thrilled to welcome Trip to Meatable as he is incredibly well qualified to lead us into this very exciting and important phase of growth for the company". "With our launch in Asia planned for the fall, the next critical part of Meatable’s growth strategy is to drive expansion into the US, and we believe that Trip’s long and successful experience in the organic and natural meat industry will be invaluable in helping Meatable achieve those global commercialization and growth goals. We look forward to his immediate impact as we take Meatable to new heights in Asia, the US and beyond.” Tripician commented: “Meatable is a one-of-kind food tech innovator with patented technology that can produce real and delicious meat at unprecedented speed, allowing product to be produced at lower costs than any other player in the industry". "With global population growth stressing the world’s ability to meet accelerating demand for sustainable proteins, Meatable is positioned to lead the industry in a paradigm shift that will address key global issues, including climate change, water use, soil quality, humane animal care, food security, and, importantly, consumer acceptance – delivering an affordable and remarkable eating experience that could change the world.” He continued: “Our global supply chain as it stands is not able to feed eight billion people without destroying the environment. Throughout history, technology has helped many industries evolve and solve significant challenges in transportation, medicine, communications and food. We expect cultivated meat to do the same, as an alternate solution to help feed a hungry world sustainably. The meat industry should be at the forefront of this initiative through innovation, and Meatable will play a major role in driving this meaningful change.” Additionally, Meatable has appointed Dean Banks, former president and CEO of Tyson Foods, to its board, as part of its commitment to entering the US market. Banks added: “Meatable has enormous potential to disrupt the cultivated meat space with its unique approach to product development and commercialisation. I look forward to leveraging my expertise in food, technology and biology to work with Jeff and the rest of the board to help Meatable gear up for its launch in the US.” #Meatable #US

Governers in Iowa have passed legislation regulating the labelling of cell-based and alt-meat products.   Last week, Governor Kim Reynolds signed into law Bill SF 2391, known as the Iowa Meat Integrity Bill. The bill mandates specific labelling requirements for cultured meat and plant-based meat and egg products sold in the state.  Effective from 1 July, it will be law that food products that include cultured meat and plant-based meat alternatives need to be labelled with terms such as ‘fake,’ ‘lab-grown,’ ‘meatless,’ ‘imitation’ or ‘vegan.’   This legislation follows in the footsteps of Florida and Alabama – both states implemented total bans on cultivated meat earlier this month.   The bill outlines definitions and regulations for both meat and egg products, focusing on ‘cultivated-protein food products’ and ‘fabricated-egg products’ made from plants or other materials.  The bill includes the introduction of ‘identifying meat and egg terms’, encompassing words associated with traditional meat and egg products, such as beef, chicken, sausage, drumstick, omelette and mayonnaise.  The bill states that if the US Department of Agriculture approves these alternative products for federal nutrition programmes, Iowa will seek waivers to exclude them.   Additionally, food processing plants are prohibited from misbranding these products, and violations could result in civil penalties of up to $10,000. The bill states that food processing plant in violation of the bill will be “subject to a civil penalty of not more than $500, not to exceed $10,000 total for violations arising out of the same transaction or occurrence. Each day that a violation continues constitutes a separate offense...Civil penalties collected under this section shall be deposited in the general fund of the state.”  Governor Reynolds said: “This legislation prohibits companies from exploiting the trust consumers have with our livestock producers and misleading consumers into buying products they don’t want. This is about transparency. It’s about the common-sense idea that a product labelled chicken, beef or pork should actually come from an animal.”  Iowa State Representative Heather Hora, who is a pork producer, sponsored the bill. She told Iowa Public Radio : “This is but one thing we can do to help protect Iowa’s ag industry from the climate crazies that want to destroy everything we do right in the name of climate change”.   In the state of Iowa, there are more pigs than humans, with more than 50 million pigs compared to the state’s 3.2 million residents.  #Iowa #banning

PeakBridge Growth Fund II has announced its official closure valued at $187 million, pushing its total assets under management to over $250 million. Headquarted in Luxembourg, PeakBridge’s focus is on scalable and sustainable technologies across the agri-food chain, aiming to support businesses that can demonstrate positive long-term impact on global food systems, health and the planet. Alternative protein companies are a key category of interest, with cell-based meat company Vow, plant-based meat company Rival Foods and animal-free dairy specialist Standing Ovation among its beneficiaries. PeakBridge also focuses on companies innovating in upcycled and sustainable ingredients, such as cocoa-free chocolate food-tech Win-Win and seed upcycling start-up Kern Tec. In a statement shared on LinkedIn, Erich Sieber, founding general partner at PeakBridge, said that the recent close is a vote of confidence in the success of its focused strategy, and is crucial to “changing the food system from the inside out”. Nadav Berger, also a founding general partner, said: “For us, VC stands for value creation and is at the core of what we do. Our team brings to the table a rare mix of experience: food-tech investment pioneers, veteran agri-food industry operators, scientists and financiers. Together with strong industry partnerships, we’re positioned to confront those real-world problems.” PeakBridge is a member of the Edmond de Rothschild Private Equity partnership. Among the fund’s investors are global food companies such as Kraft Heinz, Grupo Bimbo and Puratos. #PeakBridge

Pluri has entered a strategic collaboration with Wilk Technologies to develop unique medical food intended for the elderly. The partnership will combine Pluri’s 3D cell expansion tech with Wilk’s expertise in developing cultured human breast milk and animal milk products, using the components of breast milk to develop medical food on a commercial scale. Wilk uses cell culture methods to produce alternative milk lipids based on breast milk components and cow's milk lipids, essentially making breast milk in a laboratory and cow's milk without cows, it says. Medical foods for the elderly are specifically formulated and designed to meet their unique nutritional needs and health concerns. Demand for medical food products is growing, driven by growing ageing populations and increasing prevalence of chronic illnesses. Avital Beck, Wilk Technologies’ CEO said: “Wilk Technologies is committed to unlocking the potential of cell-based medical foods. This collaboration presents an opportunity to leverage Pluri’s 3D cell expansion technology with Wilk’s unique cell lines. The collaboration aims to develop and scale Wilk’s innovative products to commercial readiness, potentially leading to powerful medical food for the elderly.” Pluri’s CEO and president, Yaky Yanay, added: “At Pluri, our mission is to leverage cell-based technology to tackle humanity’s most pressing issues, like age-related health decline and global food insecurity. This collaboration with Wilk Technologies perfectly aligns with our vision as we harness the unique properties of breast milk cells to create medical food solutions for a rapidly growing elderly population. We’re thrilled about the potential of this collaboration to improve the quality of life for millions and revolutionise senior health on a global scale.” In March this year, Pluri received a patent approval for its 3D bioreactor technology for use in cell cultivation. #Pluri #Wilk

ScaleUp Bio has received a food manufacturing license from the Singapore Food Agency (SFA) for its commercial pilot production facility located in Tuas, Singapore. The 2266-square-metre production facility will focus on submerged microbial and precision fermentation services at a scale of up to 10,000 litres, as well as downstream processing capacity. This move signifies that ScaleUp Bio has successfully met the criteria of Singapore’s food production standards, which encompass requirements for ensuring adherence to specific infrastructure and facility standards for food safety production, emphasising training, collaboration and regulatory compliance to uphold hygiene and operational criteria. ScaleUp Bio said this makes it one of the few CDMO’s in the world that is approved as a food manufacturing facility. The new facility complements the company’s Fermentation Joint Lab, designed and operated in conjunction with the Agency for Science, Technology and Research’s Singapore Institute of Food and Biotechnology Innovation. The Fermentation Joint lab is housed in Nurasa’s Food Tech Innovation Centre and enables food innovators to bring an idea to life, offering start-ups up to 100 litres of fermentation capacity in a dedicated food grade, scientific research laboratory. Francisco Codoñer, CEO of ScaleUp Bio, said: “We are deeply grateful to SFA for this milestone, and we are ready to go. If you are a global food tech start-up in need of pilot-scale manufacturing, we invite you to engage with us. ScaleUp Bio’s value proposition offers anyone with the next best concept in food to bring that idea to reality, and to pilot stage commercial production in Singapore, backed by a blue-chip corporate ecosystem of support. With this milestone, we are moving one step forward towards enabling the next food revolution.” Guo Xiu Ling, CEO of Nurasa, added: “At Nurasa, we are committed to pioneering a new world of sustainably produced nutrition solutions for our planet. ScaleUp Bio’s milestone from SFA is a pivotal step forward in this journey.” Gary McGuigan, president, Asia-Pacific at ADM, ScaleUp Bio’s other corporate parent, commented: “ScaleUp Bio stands as a significant joint venture with Temasek’s Nurasa, demonstrating our commitment to meeting Asia’s unique food needs. Congratulations to the team on receiving the SFA’s food manufacturing licence, and we look forward to continuing our support for ScaleUp Bio and aspiring food-tech companies as we collectively pave the way for a more sustainable food system.” Codoñer concluded: “ScaleUp Bio’s two facilities represent a pioneering initiative for Singapore and globally. Need food-grade facilities? We’ve got you covered. From R&D to pilot scale, our fermentation expertise ensures excellence. Transitioning from bench to market? Our collaborative ecosystem, including parent and sister companies, research institutions, and industry partners, offers guidance. Seeking funding? We tap into our parent companies’ extensive corporate network, ADM and Nurasa. Reach out to us now, and let’s help you ScaleUp for success in Asia’s lucrative markets.” #ScaleUpBio #Singapore