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Cell-cultured meat company UPSIDE Foods has agreed a partnership with three-Michelin-starred chef Dominique Crenn to serve cell-cultured chicken in her world-renowned restaurant, Atelier Crenn. Following regulatory approval, it will be the first time Crenn will serve meat since removing it from her menus in 2018.  “When I tasted UPSIDE Chicken for the first time, I thought, this is it!  This is the future of food” – Dominique Crenn Crenn – the first female chef in the US to be awarded three Michelin stars – will also provide culinary counsel and recipe development in the new deal. It is the first time UPSIDE Foods has partnered with a chef, as the Californian company approaches commercialization for its cell-cultured chicken.  Based in Berkeley, UPSIDE Foods recently underwent a rebrand from its former name of Memphis Meats. The brand is hopeful its products will come to market later in 2021, but much depends on regulatory approval. In the US, the USDA and the FDA are working together on a regulatory framework for cell-cultured meat approval.  Cell-Cultured Market Entry In anticipation of the regulatory approval, UPSIDE has opened a “first-of-its-kind” cultivated meat production facility and plans to partner with additional chefs and restaurants in the US.  Commercial rollouts in grocery stores and markets worldwide will then come next for the Prince Khaled-backed company.  “When I tasted UPSIDE Chicken for the first time, I thought, this is it!  This is the future of food. The look, smell, and sear — UPSIDE Chicken is just delicious,” ...

The Future of Meat: Hybrid is the theme of this year’s Alt Protein Conference, organised by Protein Directory and Cell Agri. Experts in the field of proteins of the future will be speaking, including Giuseppe Scionti, CEO and founder of NovaMeat, a Spanish company that develops plant-based and 3D cellular meat. The focus of the event is on companies that are transforming the future of meat through cultured and plant-based meat, referring to the future of meat as hybrid. According to the event’s official website, attendees will be able to learn “about the key business opportunities in alternative proteins as the field moves towards hybrid products and network with business leaders and scientists from both cellular agriculture and the plant-based alternative protein industry.” The event will be in English and will be held virtually this 9 September from 4pm until 10:35pm CEST. Those interested can register here. About NovaMeat Founded in 2018, NovaMeat has received funding from New Crop Capital, the private equity fund that focuses on investing in the plant-based sector, including companies such as Beyond Meat, Zero Egg and Good Catch, among others. Earlier this year vegconomist en español reported that the Spanish government had invested €250,000 in NovaMeat, which came from the NEOTEC programme of the CDTI (Centro para el Desarrollo Tecnológico Industrial). The company also claimed this year that it had developed the world’s largest cellular meat analogue. “I personally believe that the future of alternative meat will not be black or white (i.e. with or ...

The International Vegan Film Festival (IVFF) has announced plant-based food brand Wicked Kitchen as the title sponsor for its 2021 and 2022 festival and world tour. The festival takes place each year in Ottawa, Canada, and aims to showcase outstanding vegan films produced worldwide. It also features a vegan photo essay contest, along with a new vegan cookbook competition which it claims is the first in the world. All events are funded by corporate sponsors and donors. The 2021 IVFF will be the fourth annual festival and will be made up of three events — the in-person festival on October 30, a week-long virtual film festival from October 31 to November 7, and World Tour screenings of some of the films. At the screenings, attendees will have a chance to sample Wicked Kitchen foods. Wicked Kitchen Wicked Kitchen first launched in Tesco stores in the UK, where sales quickly exceeded forecasts and the range had to be doubled in size to meet demand. After conquering the UK market, the brand announced it would launch worldwide. Just over a month ago, it rolled out into 2,500 outlets in the US with the largest plant-based brand launch in US grocery history. The launch was partly funded by its Series A funding round, where it raised $14 million. “We’re thrilled to partner with IVFF to further our mutual mission to the benefit of our planet and the people and animals that live on it,” said Pete Speranza, CEO of Wicked Foods, Inc. “We’re ...

Swiss technology group Bühler AG and the food technology research institute DIL Deutsches Institut für Lebensmitteltechnik e. V. (German Institute of Food Technologies) today unveil the Technology Center Proteins of the Future in Quakenbrück, Germany. The new facility provides state-of-the-art research, testing, and production infrastructure for the development of healthy, sustainable protein food products. From today it is now fully operational and ready to receive requests from customers. Closing the protein gap “The opening of the Technology Center Proteins of the Future emphasizes the strong partnership we have forged with DIL in a very short time frame. With our combined expertise we are making a vital contribution to closing the protein gap,” says Stefan Scheiber, CEO, Bühler Group. “The proteins of the future must be sustainable. Resource consumption in their production must be kept as low as possible through appropriate processing and products to meet the expectations of responsible consumers,” says Volker Heinz, Director and CEO, DIL. Plant-based proteins can contribute to solving the current sustainability challenges. It is therefore important to develop underused sources of protein and transform them into attractive high-quality and affordable products that succeed in the food market. The growing consumer demand for healthy, great tasting and sustainable food products, particularly healthy alternatives to animal proteins, represents a great opportunity for the food producing industry. “The center with its advanced technological setup and expert teams assists our customers in the food industry as well as start-ups to fully realize the potential of new plant-based proteins and ...

Canadian investment platform CULT Food Science Corp. has completed a strategic investment in Novel Farms, a cell-cultured meat company based in California. CULT invests exclusively in cell-cultured meat and dairy companies, making Novel Farms an ideal addition to its portfolio. The company is working on proprietary tissue development processes with the aim of producing whole cuts of gourmet cell-cultured meat — this will include products such as Iberian pork and dry-cured Iberian ham. Novel Farms says it will use the new funding to expand its team, begin a pilot, and scale production. It aims for its products to be distributed via high-end restaurants and foodservice, and eventually at speciality retailers. The company has already seen some success — earlier this year, it was announced as a semifinalist of the XPRIZE Foundation Challenge. “A sustainable, safe and secure solution will be required to meet the global growing consumer demand for meat and dairy products, and at CULT Food Science we unequivocally believe that the future of food will be science-based.” Significantly, Novel Farms plans to launch its Iberian Ham at price parity with the conventional variety. Cell-cultured meat is often prohibitively expensive, though this is beginning to change — late last year, an Indian cultured chicken company claimed it had achieved price parity, and other companies are slashing costs. “Using animals to convert plants to meat is incredibly inefficient,” said Dorian Banks, CEO of CULT Food Science. “A sustainable, safe and secure solution will be required to meet the global growing ...

La Taula, a Hong Kong company producing artisanal vegan cheeses and desserts, has announced it is launching a new range of cream cheeses. The flavours include Smoked Truffle Pepper, Seaweed Truffle, and Szechuan Chilli. All La Taula’s cheeses are gluten-free and delivered in environmentally friendly reusable and returnable ceramic dishes. Customers get a discount on their next order when they return their dishes, and the company has also partnered with soy-based candle maker Candle Up to encourage customers to reuse their dishes as candle holders. La Taula says its most popular product to date is its Sriracha Cheese, which it describes as “smooth, creamy, and tangy with a spicy punch”. It also offers four vegan desserts — Banana Cake, Carrot Cake, Strawberry Cheesecake, and Chocolate Orange Crunch Cake. Plant-based in Hong Kong A study last year found that as many as 83% of Hong Kong citizens were planning to reduce their meat consumption. Plant-based eating continues to take off in the region, with Deliveroo last year reporting that it had seen plant-based options there surge by 104% since the beginning of the pandemic. “Having recently switched to a gluten, dairy, and sugar-free diet, I have found it difficult to source compliant, store-bought products in Hong Kong,” said a La Taula customer. “La Taula’s vegan cream cheese has been a game-changer and is a regular feature now at our dinner parties.” ...

US multinational food manufacturer General Mills has revealed it is using fermentation to produce plant-based cheeses. The company will market the products under a development brand called Renegade Creamery. The cheeses will contain dairy proteins such as whey and casein, but these proteins will be produced using fermentation techniques rather than derived from animals. According to the company, this will create plant-based cheeses with the same taste and texture as dairy cheese. This is the first time General Mills has entered the cheese category, either plant-based or conventional. However, the company has previously launched plant-based yogurts and has invested in plant-based dairy company Kite Hill. Since Renegade Creamery is a development brand, the cheeses are an experiment and may not be continued long-term. General Mills told FoodNavigatorUSA that while it often tests new ideas, only some become permanent. Fermentation in plant-based foods Though fermentation has been used for centuries in food and beverage production, it is only in recent years that it has been harnessed to make animal proteins for use in plant-based foods. But already, fermentation techniques are being used to create everything from whole muscle seafood to ice cream. “The use of fermentation is a well-known concept in the world of dairy farming, and it offers similar potential for the fermented plant-based food industry,” said Peter Thoeysen, Director of Bioprotection at bioscience company. Chr. Hansen. ...

Orora Skin Science, Inc., a new Canadian beauty brand, has launched two products made with what it claims is the first vegan bioidentical human collagen ingredient in North America. Made by leading biodesign company Geltor, the ingredient is called HumaColl21®. According to Orora, it helps to stimulate the skin’s natural collagen synthesis and by many measures is more effective than other skincare ingredients such as retinol or marine collagen. The ingredient has been available since last year. Geltor also launched vegan collagen for food and beverages earlier this summer, and animal-free elastin for skincare products last year. In July 2020, the company raised a huge $91.3 million in Series B funding. Orora’s first bioactive collagen products are a cream and a serum, which the company says should be used together as part of a daily skincare routine. It plans to launch several more products over the coming year. “We are a company dedicated to sourcing the best quality ingredients in the world, and intrigued by the endless possibilities of biodesigned innovations to optimize health and wellness,” said Peter Lee, CEO of Orora. “Featuring the first bioidentical human collagen ingredient and the proven effectiveness of HumaColl21® in beauty products is going to change the way customers experience skincare. Inspired by light and new discovery, we are excited to launch Orora with our breakthrough products, providing cutting-edge science in a luxurious and accessible way.” ...

From 2nd of September, Hooray Foods, the mission-driven, plant-based meat company known for its plant-based bacon – will be available via Imperfect Foods –  the leading online grocer at the forefront of building a less wasteful food system. Based in San Francisco, Hooray Foods launched its bacon to the US market on World Vegan Day last November, and has closed a $2 million seed financing round this June to scale production capacity to meet immediate demand from leading national retail and grocery chains. Imperfect Foods strives to eliminate food waste by working directly with farmers and producers to rescue and redistribute goods that might otherwise be thrown away across multiple grocery categories. Imperfect Foods delivers these goods directly to doorsteps through a customizable subscription service that is more affordable and environmentally friendly than the average trip to the grocery store. In an interview with vegconomist last year, Hooray Foods founder and CEO Sri Artham responded regarding the brand’s future plans: “The problem of climate change is both massive and looming, so the most important thing is for us to create products that people love and get them widely distributed. First bacon, and then other products. Along the way, we want to help those adjacent to our journey, from animal sanctuaries rescuing pigs from abuse, to farmers looking to find new ways of making a living. I believe companies have a responsibility not only to their shareholders but to the society in which they operate, and Hooray plans to embody that ...

The UK has been one of the pioneering countries in abandoning animal testing for the cosmetics industry. Indeed, animal testing has been banned since 1998, well before the EU bans that took place in 2004 for “finished” cosmetic products and in 2009 for the ingredients that make up these products. This month, however, the UK authorities said they are considering the reintroduction of animal testing for ingredients used exclusively for the cosmetics industry. According to the statement, some ingredients “must be tested on animals to ensure their safety”. Dr Katy Taylor, Director of Scientific and Regulatory Affairs at the NGO Cruelty Free International (CFI), which works for the end of animal testing, said: “The government says that even ingredients used solely in cosmetics, which have long been safe to use, could be subject to animal testing in the UK. This decision could tarnish the UK’s long-standing leadership in banning animal testing for cosmetics and makes a mockery of the country’s commitment to being at the forefront of research and innovation. The 1998 ban was introduced following campaigns by The Body Shop, the first cosmetics company to take a stand against animal testing in 1989. Committed to animals, the company even announced that 100% of its products would be certified vegan by 2023. The Body Shop said: “We are saddened and angered that the UK government is prepared to change a policy that could result in cosmetic ingredients being tested on animals for the first time in 23 years. He added: ...