Unilever Food Solutions (UFS), the arm of Unilever that supplies the catering sector, is supporting the growth of so-called ‘ghost kitchens’. FoodNavigator examines what the company is doing in the space and asks why UFS expects ghost kitchens to be an...
French investment firm Roquette Ventures (part of ingredients company Roquette Group), which supports start-ups in the food, nutrition, and health markets, is looking to scale up production of plant protein sweeteners made using precision fermentation.
What’s new in plant-based? FoodNavigator hears from entrepreneurs making whole muscle cut seafood alternatives from microorganisms and Mexican specialties from plants.
The European Commission has set out an ambitious agenda as it works to move food production to a more sustainable footing. However, there is a pressing need to move from target-setting to engagement and achievement.
Ingredient supplier Meelunie is investing in a new fava protein manufacturing facility where it will leverage ‘breakthrough’ process innovation to deliver fava protein that is free from beany off-notes.
The company says it has successfully mastered precision fermentation technology to make animal-free milk proteins from yeast that are ‘indistinguishable from the real thing’ and which it expects will be available on the market in two years.
Verlinvest tells FoodNavigator it is doubling down on the consumer shift towards sustainability, ethics and health. ‘This is where the growth is coming from’, it says.
A traditional Vietnamese meat snack could hold the key to developing a safe and natural food preservative, addressing the twin global problems of food waste and food-borne illnesses, scientists claim.
Food safety is a business-critical issue. People worry about food safety and security as much as global warming, pollution and poverty, research from confectionery giant Mars reveals. FoodNavigator hears from Dr Guangtao Zhang, director of the Mars Global...
Spanish dairy company Pascual has launched a global incubation programme for cellular agriculture technologies. Cow-free dairy can both disrupt and complement traditional operations, Gabriel Torres Pascual tells FoodNavigator.
After nearly two decades of research an international team claims to have found a naturally derived cyan blue colour extracted from red cabbage that could replace synthetic blue dye often used in the food industry.
New Culture – one of a cluster of startups in the emerging ‘animal-free’ dairy space* engineering microbes to produce dairy milk proteins, without cows – is aiming to launch animal-free Mozzarella in late 2023.
From oat-based cheese alternatives to dairy-free iced coffee and functional plant-based yoghurt, meet three start-ups working to disrupt conventional dairy.
Finnish ag tech company iFarm has entered into a multi-year partnership with Sadarah Partners to bring what it describes as the ‘next generation’ of sustainable vertical farming to Qarar.
Chromologics has developed a method of producing natural colourings via a fungal biotech platform that, Co-Founder and CEO Gerit Tolborg says, addresses the ‘main challenges’ in the colourings sector, producing natural colours that are vegan, sustainable...
Unilever has partnered with food tech company ENOUGH, which will supply it with mycoprotein to fuel innovation behind its plant-based brands, starting with The Vegetarian Butcher.
The founders of Israeli meat alternative company SavorEat are expanding into the plant-based egg space with Egg’n’up: a new start-up leveraging plant-cellulose to recreate the texture of egg.
An Oxford University spin-out hopes to become the first British commercial producer of cultured meat after claiming to discover a ‘cheaper, efficient and faster’ cell proliferation process.
Lab-grown meat meat will be a ‘significant’ part of peoples’ future diets, the Isreali cultured meat start-up Aleph Farms has claimed after its study revealed ‘compelling’ support among young UK and US consumers.
Austrian entrepreneurs are extracting cyanide from stone fruit seeds – a side stream of the fruit processing industry – before upcycling them into B2B food ingredients.
The world's largest Agrifood Innovation Ecosystem, supported by the European Institute of Innovation and Technology, says regenerative agriculture is vital in helping the world’s biggest foods brands achieve their net zero plans and meeting consumer...
Israeli seed specialist Equinom says its new variety of protein-rich sesame seed could help the solve the taste and texture challenges of plant-based food and beverages.
German start-up Innocent Meat is developing plug-and-play technology that allows conventional meat processors to produce cultivated pork. We catch up with co-founder and CEO Laura Gertenbach to find out how.
Arbiom is a start-up developing solutions to convert timber by-products into food and feed ingredients. The group recently unveiled its first protein ingredient, SylPro. We caught up with the company to find out more about its technology and commercialisation...
Last year was the biggest to date for sustainable protein company launches, private investments, and retail sales, according to the Good Food Institute, which has just released its annual State of the Industry reports covering the plant-based, cellular...
Researchers are upcycling shrimp side streams to create products for the food and supplement industries, which also makes the production of peeled shrimp more sustainable, explains Associate Professor Nina Gringer from the Technical University of Denmark.
Wunda is a ‘fully versatile’ milk alternative for baking, cooking, frothing, and drinking either hot or cold, according to Nestlé, who is rolling out the new brand in France, Portugal, and the Netherlands.
The cell-grown meat and precision fermentation space is exploding in Europe. But how do consumers feel about it? Three start-ups test the market with research in consumer acceptance.
Swiss food giant Nestlé has a carbon footprint that is twice the size of Switzerland’s emissions linked to fossil fuel use. The company has a target to reach net zero by 2050 – and it believes that the regenerative potential of agriculture and forestry...
Chr. Hansen has developed what it describes as ‘game changing’ food cultures that utilise ‘traditional fermentation principles’ to improve quality, extend shelf life and reduce food waste.
Berlin-based Blue Farm aims to disrupt the alt milk sector with its oat-based powder. The product cuts 80% packaging waste, reduces the complexity of logistics, and saves transporting ‘tonnes of liquid around’, CEO and co-founder Philip von Have tells...
PepsiCo R&D Fellows are a ‘select’ group of innovation specialists with ‘exceptional expertise’ and a proven track record of ‘significant technical innovation’. FoodNavigator speaks to Chief Medical Officer and executive program sponsor, Antonio...
Dairy cooperative Arla has developed Climate Checks, a programme that leverages the power of big data to support a transition to low-carbon production. Climate Checks offer ‘a proof point that there can be a sustainable future for dairy’, Chairman Jan...
A British company is developing the world’s first lab-grown ‘compassionate’ caviar to allow more people to experience the delicacy’s unique taste and nutritional benefits.
Meat and dairy are regularly targeted for their environmental impact. In the UK, for example, the government’s Committee on Climate Change has recommended a 20% cut in meat and dairy by 2030, rising to 35% by 2050 for meat only. Sugar may be next, warns...
No cell-based meat product has yet to apply for a Novel Foods Application in Europe. But supporters of this nascent but quickly growing sector are bullish on its prospects.
Wasteless, which uses dynamic pricing in supermarkets to incentivise consumers to buy soon-to-expire products and thus help cut down on food waste, has recently reported a nearly 40% reduction in food waste at hundreds of test stores and now claims it...
By René Floris, NIZO Food Research Division Manager
In this series of articles, NIZO Food Research Division Manager and FoodNavigator advisory panel member René Floris discusses some of the big issues in today’s food industry. This month, he continues his exploration of the protein transition by looking...
What is the ‘next big thing’ to hit the UK’s plant-based scene? FoodNavigator hears from start-ups making fresh alt milk, vegan Detroit-style pizza, premium cheesecake alternatives, and egg-free fresh pasta.
As a new fund announces it will invest up to €30 million in the most promising companies over a span of up to four years, EIT Food identifies to FoodNavigor the problems for which it is seeking solutions.
Turing AI is a food tech start-up that is exiting stealth mode. The company is already working with some of the world’s largest CPGs and retailers to address a food industry ‘bottleneck’: NPD. FoodNavigator speaks to founder and CEO Manmit Shrimali.
The use of PEF plastic – which is made entirely from plants, is fully recyclable and which degrades in nature much faster than normal plastics -- has the potential to become the standard in the food and drink industry, claims the company attempting to...
