Hannah Lester is the CEO of Atova Consulting, a leader in regulatory strategy and compliance solutions for novel foods, with a special focus on cultivated meat. With extensive expertise in navigating the complex global landscape of food regulation, she provides strategic guidance to companies aiming to bring innovative food technologies to market across jurisdictions such as the European Union, the United States, Singapore, and beyond. Hannah's work bridges the science of food innovation with the legal frameworks needed to ensure product safety and public trust. Under her leadership, Atova Consulting has become a trusted partner for startups and established firms seeking to address the regulatory challenges associated with cellular agriculture and precision fermentation. Passionate about sustainable food systems, Hannah collaborates with regulators, policymakers, and industry leaders worldwide to help reshape the future of food through compliant and innovative solutions.

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Hydrosome Labs is at the forefront of ultrafine bubble technology. One promising area of focus is precision fermentation where their technology is poised to make a significant impact.

Ultrafine bubbles' unique properties allow them to stay suspended in liquid for extended periods and deliver gases like oxygen or carbon dioxide with unparalleled efficiency. In precision fermentation, these attributes solve a critical challenge: optimizing gas transfer. Traditional methods rely on bulk aeration, which can be inconsistent, energy-intensive, and wasteful. Ultrafine bubbles, by contrast, provide a consistent, high-density gas delivery system that enhances microbial activity and fermentation rates.

By delivering gases precisely where they’re needed, Ultrafine bubbles reduce energy consumption, minimize resource waste, and create more stable fermentation environments. For industries like brewing, pharmaceuticals, and alternative protein production, this means higher yields, reduced costs, and a lower environmental footprint.

In this episode, Alex Crisp talks to Eshchar Ben-Shitrit, the dynamic CEO and co-founder of Redefine Meat, a trailblazing company revolutionizing the food industry with its 3D-printed, plant-based meat products. Founded in Israel, Redefine Meat uses cutting-edge 3D printing technology to recreate the taste, texture, and appearance of animal meat without the environmental impact of traditional farming. Ben-Shitrit’s vision is clear: to provide a sustainable, ethical, and delicious alternative to conventional meat, making plant-based options appealing to even the most dedicated meat lovers. Under his leadership, Redefine Meat has expanded rapidly, collaborating with chefs and distributors worldwide, and redefining what’s possible in the plant-based food space. Join us as we explore Eshchar’s journey, the technology behind Redefine Meat, and how he envisions the Future of Food for a changing planet.

Paul Wood, a board member at the Australian Academy of Technology and Engineering, advocates for innovative solutions to reduce agricultural methane emissions while maintaining cattle production. His approach contrasts with calls for reducing livestock numbers, as he believes technology can significantly cut emissions without disrupting traditional agricultural systems. Wood emphasizes targeted investments to support methane-reduction technologies like feed additives, genetic selection, and animal management practices, which would help make cattle farming more sustainable without reducing herd sizes.

The Global Methane Hub, a body on which Wood sits, has recieved $200 million to find environmental solutions.

Wood is often critical of alternative protein technology such as cultivated meat, seeing it as too expensive to be a legitimate solution, preferring a path that both addresses environmental goals and meets the economic needs of farmers.

Alex Crisp speaks to the EIT (European Institute of Innovation and Technology) - an initiative that promotes innovation and entrepreneurship across Europe. They work across health, environment, manufacturing, and of course food - driving innovation and collaboration and providing investment where it’s most needed - which at the beginning of a startup’s journey.

FoF talks to Marie Bruser, Corporate Venture Manager at EIT Food. She tells us about their focus on protein diversification and regenerative agriculture and what this means for the future of food.

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Future of Foods Interviews' Alex Crisp speaks to Lance Kizer, CTO at Vitro Labs, a pioneering biotech company making leather from cells.

Around 23billion square feet of leather is produced each year. That's a whole lot of skin.

Vitro Labs creates lab-grown leather that's indistinguishable from traditional leather, but without the environmental impact or animal cruelty.

Vitro Labs is on a mission to merge innovation with sustainability, offering fashion brands and car manufacturers a guilt-free alternative. Their proprietary technology replicates the cellular structure of leather, delivering the same quality and feel while promoting responsible, ethical production.

#VitroLabs #SustainableFashion #LabGrownLeather #Innovation #FashionTech

“McKinsey [& Co] put out a report suggesting that up to 60% of all physical imputs to supply chains could be produced using biomanufacturing”

If true Agronomics has positioned itself perfectly, with substantial stakes in some of the biggest and most significant agri/food biotech companies in the world, including: Liberation Labs, Solar Foods, Blue Nalu, Meatly, Mosa Meat, Formo etc etc. Covering products from cotton and palm oil to hydrogen and dog food.

Anthony tells FoF that the UK is out of favour - that money is leaving the UK markets, particularly in small caps. Which explains 41 months of net outflows and a fall in share price.

Agronomics are doing all they can to reverse this and are beginning a campaign to educated and inform.

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Was the rush to invest in Alt Proteins 4 years ago a big bubble?

Alex speaks to Isabell Decitre who runs a venture Capital investment company in Asia and Europe. They invest in future food technology - animal tech and food tech. Isabelle provides some very interesting insights into what they look for in a start up - the technology, the product and the people.

So if you’re a company looking for investment or an investor looking for a company then listen on.

Senara is based in Germany and is the first company in Europe to produce cell cultivated Milk. It was founded 2 years ago and since then the cost per litre has reduced from €300,000 to €500. Svenja, the CEO and co founder tells me that they expect the price to reach parity following sufficient scale up and collaboration.

Cell cultivated milk may mean we’ll be trying cow free products such as chocolate and cheese before too long. In this latest Future of Foods Interview with Svenja Dannewitz Prosseda I find out how it’s made, the benefits and it’s place in the Future of Food.

Some estimates put cell cultivated milk at 5% of total dairy production by 2030.

Available on all podcast providers and on Youtube.

Innovate Animal Ag are a think tank promoting the use of technology to improve standards for animals used in agriculture. They are at the forefront of In OVO sexing technology currently used in 20% of egg hatcheries in the EU and soon to be introduced to the USA. Without such technology as many as 7 billion male chicks are killed pointlessly each year. Future of Foods speaks to director Casey Downey on the many and varied ways of telling whether an egg is a male or a female.