Proteins

Cost-efficient scaffolding tech developed for cultivated meat at scale

01-Dec-2021 By Flora Southey

Estonian start-up Gelatex says affordable and scalable cell-cultured meat could ‘soon turn into reality’ thanks to its innovative scaffolding technology.

From taste to affordability: How can food businesses attract more consumers to plant-based?

30-Nov-2021 By Flora Southey

Plant-based analogue categories are trending, but manufacturers are far from taking a majority market share. From organoleptic profile to appearance and accessibility, FoodNavigator asks industry experts where the ‘big wins’ are in attracting more consumers...

‘It is a matter of time until lupins get their deserved spotlight’: Snack start-up bets on little-know legume

29-Nov-2021 By Katy Askew

Tarwi Foods says it wants to ‘normalise’ access to healthier foods through tasty and convenient snacks. The secret? Lupin beans.

Food prices in Germany ‘set to rise’ after new coalition promises shift to sustainable food systems

29-Nov-2021 By Oliver Morrison

Food will become more expensive in Germany, it has been warned, after the new coalition government announced measures aiming to accelerate a shift to ‘sustainable agriculture and food systems’.

Salt content of plant-based meat products ‘unnecessarily high’

25-Nov-2021 By Oliver Morrison

Plant-based meat boasts fewer calories, saturated fat and more fibre, but research is cautioning about what it calls excessive salt levels found in meat alternatives.

Meat consumption dips across Europe, with ‘trend setter’ Denmark at ‘back end of the pack’

24-Nov-2021 By Flora Southey

Close to half of Europeans report they eat less meat today than this time last year, with Denmark ‘finishing last’ in the meat reduction ranking. “I expected a bit more from Denmark,” says Professor Armando Perez-Cueto from the University of Copenhagen’s...

‘There’s no second chance to make a first impression': Givaudan on how to enable alt meat’s ‘final push’ into the mainstream

22-Nov-2021 By Oliver Morrison

Meat alternatives are moving in the right direction on taste, texture and affordability, according to the flavour and fragrance giant. But manufacturers still need to bridge a gap to everyday consumers in order to reap the rewards of the mass market,...

New EU rules for deforestation-free products: Companies will be ‘monitored and held accountable’

19-Nov-2021 By Katy Askew

The European Parliament has said companies supplying products that risk contributing to deforestation will be ‘monitored and held accountable’ through new due diligence regulations. But farming groups have raised concerns that the new regulation might...

Imagindairy targets 2023 launch for animal-free dairy after successful funding round

18-Nov-2021 By Katy Askew

Israeli food tech company Imagindairy expects to launch its animal-free milk proteins by 2023 having completed a US$13m seed funding round.

‘Our main competition is birds, not plant-based’: Next Gen Foods on expanding alt. chicken brand TiNDLE in Europe

17-Nov-2021 By Katy Askew

Food tech company Next Gen Foods has set its sights on rapid international growth. As the company enters Europe, CEO and co-founder Andre Menezes tells FoodNavigator that the group’s ambition isn’t just to become a leading plant-based brand globally....

What do flexitarian consumers want? Plant-based innovation opportunities revealed

16-Nov-2021 By Katy Askew

A pan-European study shows ‘booming’ interest in plant-based products. But barriers to consumption remain with improved health and taste alongside availability and affordability coming out as flexitarian consumers’ top asks.

Start-up ‘cracks the breast milk code’ to make human milk proteins for everyone, not just babies

29-Oct-2021 By Flora Southey

Israeli start-up Maolac is leveraging artificial intelligence to develop human milk proteins for the food industry, with an initial focus on sports nutrition.

Dairy-funded incubator welcomes cow-free start-ups to mark ‘dramatic before and after’ in innovation

28-Oct-2021 By Flora Southey

Global incubation programme Mylkcubator, launched by Spanish dairy major Pascual, is welcoming its first cohort of start-ups.

Cultivated, cultured, or other? Making alt meat terminology appealing and transparent

27-Oct-2021 By Flora Southey

From in vitro to synthetic, lab-grown, cell-based, cultivated and cultured, slaughter-free meat grown from animal cells has been called a myriad of names in its relatively short lifespan. But which term is most appealing, and transparent, to consumers?...

Animal welfare à la franҫaise: What Europe can learn from France’s voluntary labelling scheme

26-Oct-2021 By Flora Southey

A voluntary food label in France that signals the animal welfare standard and method of production to consumers is gaining traction, and Europe should take note, suggests Compassion in World Farming.

‘Before the chicken and the egg, came the planet’: Meet the company selling the UK’s first carbon neutral eggs

22-Oct-2021 By Oliver Morrison

Did you know that chickens that lay white eggs have an 8% lower carbon footprint than those that lay brown eggs?

Eat Just mung bean protein gets novel foods nod: ‘Bringing JUST Egg to Europe will be one of the most important milestones for our company’

20-Oct-2021 By Katy Askew

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has green-lighted the mung bean protein ingredient used in Eat Just’s egg substitute product, paving the way for the company to launch its JUST Egg plant-based alternative in Europe.

Making protein isolates from seaweed, not soy: ‘There is no reason to grow industrial ingredients on land’

19-Oct-2021 By Flora Southey

In an effort to reduce reliance on terrestrial crops for ingredients manufacture, Israeli-based Genesea is looking offshore to marine macroalgae, co-founder Alexander Golberg tells FoodNavigator.

Could graphic warning labels reduce meat intake?

18-Oct-2021 By Flora Southey

Fresh research out of the Netherlands has investigated whether graphic warnings on meat products eliciting disgust could reduce the consumption of meat.

Investor network calls for more protein diversification targets from food companies

13-Oct-2021 By Oliver Morrison

An investor network whose members have around $40tn of assets under management claims more investors than ever are interested in the theme of protein diversification are and looking to encourage food firms to adopt sustainable proteins as both a grown...

Belgium’s first national animal welfare standard developed for pork

07-Oct-2021 By Flora Southey

Belpork, owner of the BePork quality scheme, has developed an animal welfare standard for the Belgian pork sector. “It is the first time that a national animal welfare standard has been launched in our country,” Belpork coordinator Liesbet Pluym tells...

Casein without the cow? Meet the Estonian start-up producing milk proteins from yeast

07-Oct-2021 By Flora Southey

Using precision fermentation, ProProtein is developing the four main types of proteins in casein from microbes, rather than cows. FoodNavigator asks founder and food technologist Kaisa Orgusaar about the process.

What’s next in plant-based? Nestlé accelerates innovation with new shrimp and egg alternatives

07-Oct-2021 By Katy Askew

Nestlé wants to drive growth in plant-based sales through innovation. At an event to unveil its latest creations – plant-based shrimp and egg alternatives – the company’s management weighed in on where the category is likely to go next.

Alt protein start-up develops whole-cut chicken and seafood analogues for Eastern European market

04-Oct-2021 By Flora Southey

Estonian start-up Meet Future is making alt chicken and seafood whole-cuts with short ingredient lists. Founder Triin Remmelgas tells FoodNavigator how its mycoprotein-based products meet demand for ‘less processed’ and ‘healthier’ products.

Roquette warns of soaring pea prices

01-Oct-2021 By Oliver Morrison

The plant protein sector is facing an ‘unprecedented situation’ that is strongly impacting the market, the supplier warns.

From free fruit to on-pack health claims: What opportunities exist to promote healthy and sustainable diets?

01-Oct-2021 By Flora Southey

As pressure mounts to improve public health and reduce out climate footprint, industry is innovating to encourage greater uptake of healthier and more sustainable food and drink products. IGD examines what’s working, and why.

How Nestlé is supporting regenerative agriculture: ‘We need to source in the right way’

28-Sep-2021 By Katy Askew

Seventy percent of Nestlé’s emissions lie in the raw materials it sources. Agriculture is therefore central to the Swiss food giant’s target to hit net zero by 2050. Pascal Chapot, Nestlé Head of Sustainable Agriculture, discusses the challenges and opportunities...

‘Pea has not yet delivered all its potential’: Roquette on its new €11m plant protein centre

28-Sep-2021 By Oliver Morrison

Ingredients supplier Roquette has announced the opening of a new Plant Protein Center of Expertise in north-east France.

Fermenting yeast into ‘cream’: Start-up adds richness and texture to plant-based dairy

27-Sep-2021 By Flora Southey

Cultivated Biosciences is addressing textural challenges in plant-based dairy with a fat ingredient developed from oleaginous yeast. Co-founder and CEO Tomas Turner explains how.

Edible insects ‘more sustainable as food rather than animal feed’

27-Sep-2021 By Oliver Morrison

Insects fed from industrial side-stream waste and then directly consumed as food have the ‘greatest potential to reduce the carbon footprints of European consumers’, claims a new study.

New meat analogue developed with ‘less salt, fat, and more flavour than real meat’

23-Sep-2021 By Flora Southey

Researchers in Lithuania and Finland say a new plant-based product made with soybean pulp, otherwise known as okara, has the potential to change the meat analogue landscape.

Food leaders advance alternative protein development

22-Sep-2021 By Natasha Spencer

The alternative protein market explodes with a wave of innovation in taste, texture and formats to meet uncompromising demands for protein-mimicking market offerings.

‘Hybrids are coming’: Making the case for cell-cultured and plant-based blends

21-Sep-2021 By Flora Southey

Move over meat and plant-based blends, a new hybrid is in town. Or it will be soon, according to industry experts, who believe ‘the perfect match’ of cell-cultured and plant-based ingredients is headed for regulatory approval and market entry.

ENOUGH breaks ground on ‘world’s largest’ fermented protein factory

16-Sep-2021 By Katy Askew

Food tech company ENOUGH broke ground on what it says will be the ‘world’s largest’ fermented protein facility today (16 September). When fully operational the site will have the capacity to produce 50,000 tonnes of mycoprotein ingredient ABUNDA per annum.

Meet the B2B start-up innovating plant-based whole cuts and cultivated hybrids

16-Sep-2021 By Flora Southey

A new platform for whole-cut texturization to produce plant-based meat alternatives and cell-based hybrids has been developed by Israeli firm Alfred’s FoodTech, Ltd.

Nomad and BlueNalu tie-up scouts cell-based seafood sales in Europe: ‘We have a responsibility to protect fish stocks for generations to come’

15-Sep-2021 By Flora Southey

Europe’s largest frozen food company has teamed up with cultivated seafood start-up BlueNalu to explore the introduction of cell-based seafood products to Europe. Nomad will bring a ‘wealth of expertise in fish and seafood’ to the partnership, CEO Stéfan...

GUEST ARTICLE

Industry insights from NIZO - From biomass to high-value food product: fermented non-meat proteins

15-Sep-2021 By René Floris, NIZO Food Research Division Manager

Producing proteins from single cell microorganisms is an exciting and fast-growing area in the food industry. But as Fred van de Velde, NIZO’s Expertise Group Leader Protein Functionality explains to René Floris, NIZO Food Research Division Manager and...

Why do some ‘hybrid’ products make the cut, while others get the chop?

13-Sep-2021 By Flora Southey

Some blended meat and plant-based products are still going strong years after launch. Others, however, are withdrawn within months having failed to pique consumer interest. Instead of blaming taste, appearance, or texture, could the answer lie in…marketing?...

It’s official: plant-based diets make us gassier… so what’s worse for the planet – cow or human farts?

10-Sep-2021 By Oliver Morrison

We all know plant-based foods increase our wind. But with the take up of this kind of diet seen as one of the best ways for individuals to combat climate change, could these gasses potentially bode badly for the atmosphere?

‘We’ll hit net-zero well before 2050’: Nomad decarbonises value chain with new interim targets

09-Sep-2021 By Flora Southey

The largest frozen food producer in Europe has set new emissions targets approved by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi), which will see the company achieve a 25% reduction in absolute terms by 2025.

Meatless Farm, Equinom tie-up on high-protein yellow pea: ‘Food companies have merely scratched the surface when it comes to yellow peas’

09-Sep-2021 By Katy Askew

Israeli seed developer Equinom and plant-based business Meatless Farm have announced a tie up to leverage Equinom’s high-protein yellow pea varieties.

Guest article

NPA: Setting safety limit on CBD key part of regulatory process

08-Sep-2021 By Daniel Fabricant, PhD, Natural Products Association

NPA president and CEO Daniel Fabricant, PhD, argues that FDA does not need new authorities to regulate the CBD market and that determining a safe daily intake level for the substance should be an integral part of that process.

‘Alternative proteins are moving in all directions… it’s becoming like a jungle out there’: Givaudan discusses its new Protein Hub launch

07-Sep-2021 By Oliver Morrison

The Swiss company’s new Protein Hub aims to provide experts and technology to accelerate alternative protein development, Thomas Ullram, Innovation Director Savoury Europe at Givaudan Taste & Wellbeing Division, tells FoodNavigator.

Plant-based market ‘could be nearing saturation point’

02-Sep-2021 By Oliver Morrison

Despite its growing popularity, the plant-based sector is not guaranteed to stay on a growth trajectory, according to a report.

Chicken sold in Dutch supermarkets to lead a ‘better life’ by 2023: ‘This is a big step towards better animal welfare’

31-Aug-2021 By Flora Southey

By the end of 2023, all fresh chicken sold in Dutch supermarket chains will carry the ‘Beter Leven’ (Better Life) label bearing at least one star.

Are saturated fats from meat and dairy equally bad for the heart?

26-Aug-2021 By Flora Southey

How do saturated fats from different dietary sources – notably meat and dairy – impact risk of cardiovascular diseases, ischaemic heart disease, and stroke?

Should plant-based or cow’s milk have a higher VAT?

26-Aug-2021 By Flora Southey

In some European countries, plant-based milk is subjected to a significantly higher VAT than cow’s milk. Is this how it should be?

Cell-based seafood: Scaffolding tech in focus to achieve ‘flaky’ cultivated fish

25-Aug-2021 By Flora Southey

Developments in scaffolding technology will help advance solutions for sustainable seafood, according to the Good Food Institute.

Parmigiano Reggiano and Grana Padano refuse traffic light labelling: ‘Nutri-Score undermines PDOs’

23-Aug-2021 By Flora Southey

The Consortia of PDO cheeses Parmigiano Reggiano and Grana Padano have spoken out against nutrition labelling scheme Nutri-Score, suggesting its algorithm ‘misleads and deceives’ consumers.

Why don’t consumers swap out meat for meat substitutes?

18-Aug-2021 By Flora Southey

Fresh research in Sweden is exploring why, when pressure is building to reduce environmental impact by reducing meat consumption, some consumers are reluctant to do so.