Ahead of Ingredion Aquisition, Tate & Lyle Doubles Down on Cell-Cultured Sugar Alternatives
Tate & Lyle expands its partnership with BioHarvest Sciences to develop multiple plant‑cell‑culture sweetener molecules, just before its $3.6 billion acquisition by Ingredion. The collaboration adds a flexible toolkit of plant‑based sweeteners using BioHarvest’s non‑GMO Botanical Synthesis platform. It aligns with rising consumer demand for lower‑sugar products and supports Ingredion’s projected combined revenue of $9.9 billion. The move also addresses health trends driven by GLP‑1 drugs and sustainability goals.
Dairy Giant Lacto Japan Invests in Rubisco Protein Maker Leaft Foods
Japanese dairy leader Lacto Japan has invested an undisclosed amount in New Zealand‑based Leaft Foods, deepening a partnership to commercialise Rubisco protein extracted from alfalfa leaves. Rubisco is a complete, whey‑like protein with functional foaming and gelling properties and a...
Nestlé Deepens Work on Climate-Resilient Coffee with High-Yielding Robusta Varieties
Nestlé, in partnership with Ivory Coast’s Centre National de Recherche Agronomique (CNRA), has created six new robusta coffee varieties that are climate‑resilient and can increase yields by up to 86% without additional inputs. The mix of these varieties also delivers...
New Dawn Bio Nabs $2.4M to Grow Cell-Cultured Wood, Minus the Deforestation
Dutch deep‑tech startup New Dawn Bio secured €2.1 million ($2.4 million) in pre‑seed funding to commercialize cell‑cultured wood that grows in bioreactors without logging. The technology multiplies tree stem cells, shaping premium timber in days—a process claimed to be 10,000 times faster than...
Allplants Owner Buys Factory Out of Administration to Shore Up Plant-Based Manufacturing
Matthew and Ella Mills have purchased the insolvent Fairoak Foods, securing its 6,700 sq ft Surrey factory and about 60 jobs. The acquisition gives Allplants an in‑house manufacturing base, enabling tighter quality control and higher margins for its vegan meal kits, snacks,...
EU Pumps €7M in Microbial Fermentation Project to Scale Up Waste-Derived Proteins
The EU’s Circular Bio‑based Europe Joint Undertaking is providing €6.9 million (about $7.5 million) toward the €8.5 million (≈$9.3 million) Proscale project, a pan‑European effort to scale continuous fermentation of food‑industry waste into single‑cell proteins (SCP). Running from September 2024 to 2030, the 16‑partner...
French Fermentation Project Looks to Turn Sprouted Grains Into Cocoa Alternatives
French malt giant Soufflet Malt has joined forces with the public‑private research consortium Ferments du Futur on an 18‑month program to create a cocoa‑like ingredient from sprouted grains using solid‑state fermentation. The collaboration will initially target barley and wheat malt,...
Cultivated Meat Can Benefit Farmers – This New Dutch Symposium Explores How
RespectFarms and the South Holland province are launching the inaugural Cell Farmers Symposium in The Hague on June 4, bringing together farmers, scientists, policymakers and cultivated‑meat firms. The event aims to demonstrate how cellular agriculture can become a viable revenue stream...
Sweden’s Kale Foods Snaps Up Plant-Based Meat Brand Färsodlarna
Swedish distributor Kale Foods, the distribution arm of agrifood tech investor Kale United, has purchased the plant‑based meat brand Färsodlarna from investment firm Novax. Founded in 2020, Färsodlarna produces clean‑label alternatives such as mince, meatballs and burgers from Swedish crops...
José Andrés Is Serving Up Wildtype’s Cultivated Salmon at His DC Cocktail Bar
Spanish‑American chef José Andrés is adding Wildtype’s FDA‑approved cultivated salmon to the menu of his Barmini cocktail lounge in Washington, DC, starting June 3. The partnership follows Andrés’s earlier rollout of Good Meat cultivated chicken at his China Chilcano restaurant, marking his second foray into...
Meat-Free Restaurant Clover Food Lab to Close All Locations After 17 Years
Clover Food Lab, a Boston‑based fast‑casual vegan chain, announced the closure of all 11 remaining locations, affecting 182 employees. The shutdown follows a failed buyer search, a Chapter 11 filing in November 2023, and an unsuccessful expansion plan after emerging from...
Daring Foods Brings Clean-Label Plant-Based Chicken to Australia After V2food Acquisition
U.S. plant‑based meat brand Daring Foods has entered the Australian market through v2food, which acquired the startup last year. The frozen original and Cajun‑flavoured vegan chicken pieces are now stocked in Woolworths stores nationwide, marking Daring’s first launch outside the...
Phytolon Raises $23.6M to Launch Yeast-Derived Beetroot Red Dye for Food
Israeli food‑tech startup Phytolon raised $23.6 million in a Series B round to launch a yeast‑derived beetroot red food colour approved by the U.S. FDA. The funding, led by an undisclosed strategic investor and backed by existing backers, will finance sales, supply...
Canadian Govt Invests in $11M Scale-Up Project for Whole-Cut Plant-Based Meat
Protein Industries Canada is investing C$4.9M ($3.5M) in a C$15.1M ($10.9M) scale‑up project led by Toronto‑based NS/TX Industries, New Protein International and Infusd Nutrition. The initiative will automate NS/TX’s directional‑freezing technology to produce whole‑cut plant‑based meat and seafood that mimics...
Irish University Bags $3.5M in Govt Funding to Turn Grass Into Protein
Munster Technological University (MTU) secured $3.5 million from Ireland’s Department of Agriculture to launch the Grass4Value project, a biorefinery initiative that converts grass and legumes into high‑value protein. The effort partners with University College Dublin, the University of Galway and Teagasc,...