Weekly AgriFoodTech Update: Finance Infusion for Quorn, Mara Renewables, NZN; Barry Callebaut Delves into Plant Cell Cultivation
Headline: Rapid Growth and Innovation in the Alternative Protein Market
The world of plant-based protein and cell-cultured food production is experiencing a wave of growth, investment, strategic partnerships, and innovative product launches, driven by sustainability, health concerns, and technological advances.
Plant-Based Protein Markets Expanding
The global plant-based protein market is expanding at steady to robust annual growth rates, with forecasts of 6.1% to 9.1% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) in major markets like the USA, UK, France, and Japan through 2035. Key players in this market, such as Glanbia Plc, Archer-Daniels-Midland, Cargill, and Kerry, are driving innovations in sustainable extraction, new plant sources, and clean-label formulations for various sectors, including bakery, dairy-free, infant nutrition, sports nutrition, and meat alternatives.
Cell-Cultured Meat on the Rise
In the realm of cell-cultured or cultivated meat, companies like IntegriCulture are attracting significant investments, with NH Foods recently investing in the Japanese firm. This investment signals a strong industry interest in accelerating clean meat technology development. IntegriCulture aims to launch cell-based foie gras in 2021, processed meat in 2023, and cell-based beef by 2025, indicating a maturing product pipeline with imminent consumer market entries.
Ag-Tech Solutions Enhancing Food Supply Chain
The integration of emerging ag-tech solutions, including fermentation-derived proteins and technologies such as blockchain and IoT, is improving the food supply chain for these alternative proteins, enabling better traceability, quality, and sustainability. Major players like Beyond Meat, Hormel Foods, Tyson Foods, and Ingredion are investing in these areas to capitalize on the rising demand for healthier and more sustainable protein sources.
Key Developments in the Alternative Protein Landscape
- Novonutrients, a gas fermentation startup, has ceased operations and is seeking a buyer for its assets.
- Solynta has secured EU-backed financing for advancing disease-resistant potato varieties.
- EmGenisys has completed a $1.5 million raise for transforming livestock reproduction with AI.
- Mission Barns has secured USDA green light for cultivated fat and plans Q3 launches.
- More customers have shared tales of woe in David Protein, Epogee litigation.
- GEA has celebrated the grand opening of a $20M tech hub for precision fermentation and cultivated foods.
- Quorn's owner, Provectus Algae, has secured £18 million ($24 million) for mycoprotein production.
- British NZN has raised €5.6 million for biofertiliser solution development.
- Beyond Meat has debuted a whole-cut mycelium steak filet at US restaurants.
- OlsAro is taking salt-tolerant wheat closer to market with trials underway in multiple markets.
- Äio has received $1.1M from the Estonian government to scale yeast-based palm oil alternative for cosmetics.
- Mara Renewables has raised US$9.1 million for expanding algae-based omega-3 production.
- Walmart has appointed an Instacart executive for an AI role.
- Win-Win has raised $4M for cocoa-free chocolate production and partnered with Martin Braun-Gruppe.
- Jan Agter, a former executive from Henkel and JBT-Marel, has been appointed as the CEO of mycoprotein producer ENOUGH.
- Alt meat company Planetarians is shutting down and seeking a buyer for its market-validated technology.
- PepsiCo has launched the first ever prebiotic cola in the traditional cola category.
- Helaina has scaled human lactoferrin production with the ability to produce 10 million servings per run.
- AWAKE Chocolate has received a $8 Million CAD investment for functional chocolate production.
- Provectus Algae also received funds to scale its seaweed platform for livestock methane reduction.
- Neboda has secured a €1.84 million seed round for indoor vertical farming advancement.
- The Coca-Cola Company has appointed a new leader for its Europe Operating Unit.
Beyond Protein: Other Notable Developments
- Coca-Cola is launching a product with cane sugar in the US following a post by Donald Trump.
- The UK has launched an inquiry into science's role in feeding a growing global population.
- Lactalis Canada is set to shut down its plant-based beverage facility in Sudbury in December.
- The world's largest chocolate supplier is exploring cell-based cocoa.
This robust and rapidly evolving alternative protein landscape is marked by substantial financial flows into startups and established firms, intensified R&D, diversification of protein sources, and a focus on health-oriented, sustainable, and functional food products.
- The innovative product launches in the alternative protein market are not confined to plant-based protein sources, as companies such as IntegriCulture aim to introduce cell-cultured beef by 2025.
- To support the growth of the alternative protein market, key players are not only focusing on technological advances in protein extraction but also integrating ag-tech solutions, like blockchain and IoT, for improved food supply chain traceability, quality, and sustainability.
