Food From Thought: February 2022

Wicked Foods partners with Billie Eilish, NUMU's vegan mozzarella launches at Whole Foods, Upside Foods has acquired cell-based lobster company Cultured Decadence, and more.

What if plant-based proteins become so popular that we start running out of pea protein, coconut oil and other key ingredients? It might sound far-fetched today, but that’s the thesis behind a new report from the Good Food Institute examining what would happen if, by 2030, plant-based meat captures about 6% of the global meat and seafood market. The resulting demand, by their analysis, would require 25 million metric tons of plant-based meat annually.

What would that look like in reality? More than 800 manufacturing facilities worldwide, each producing 30,000MT annually, and capital investment on the order of $27B in the next 10 years to even reach these modest targets.

A challenge? Yes. But also an opportunity. A chance to go big on the infrastructure investments that will be needed to make this change happen. Because consumer demand is rising every day. By the end of the decade just a 6% share might seem small. Will we be ready?

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Abbot’s Butcher

• Freebirds World Burrito Adds Two Plant-Based Options

• Whole30 Just Launched a New Plant-Based Program

• Fobi Signs Marketing Deal with Abbot’s Butcher, A Premium US Plant-Based Protein Company

Aleph Farms

• Why famous people are joining food tech advisory boards

Alpha Foods

• Costco's Fan-Favorite Alpha Chik'n Patties Are Coming Back

Beyond Meat

• Panda Express Tests Two New Plant-Based Dishes Made With Beyond Beef

Black Sheep Foods

• Will your nose know lamb? Black Sheep Foods is betting it will

• Vegan Lamb Maker Black Sheep Foods Raises $5.2 Million

BlueNalu

• BlueNalu Partners With Japan’s Largest Sushi Operator FOOD & LIFE COMPANIES to Supply Cultured Tuna

• Cultivated seafood production advances with strategic deals struck by BlueNalu and Upside Foods

Matrix Meats

• Podcast: Cultivated meat, present and future

Meati Foods

• How an alternative-meat company snagged $50 million in funding, according to its cofounder and its latest investor

• Why fermented meat analogs will steal the spotlight in 2022

Miyoko’s Creamery

• Who Is Miyoko Schinner? From ‘Queen Of Vegan Cheese’ To Business Powerhouse

• LA’s Pizzanista Launches Joan Jett Heart-Shaped Vegan Pizza

Mosa Meat

• Mosa Meat reveals the secret to no-kill lab-grown meat ​that cuts costs by 80%

• How Mosa Meat Ditched Fetal Bovine Serum and Bioengineering In Its Cultivated Meat

Novameat

• Is This 3D-Printed Blue Steak The Future Of Meat? One Spanish Startup Thinks So

NUMU

• Whole Foods Switches Cheese on Its Plant-Based Pizzas to NUMU Vegan Mozzarella

• Here’s the Scoop on Whole Foods’ New Vegan Mozzarella

UPSIDE Foods

• Upside Foods acquires cell-based lobster company Cultured Decadence

Wicked Foods

• Billie Eilish to Incorporate Mom Maggie Baird's Nonprofit Support + Feed on Eco-Friendly Global Tour

• Wicked Kitchen Expands Into Northern Europe & Asia as Part of Global Domination

Forbes: PlantPlus Foods Closes $100 Million Acquisition Of Sol Cuisine To Expand Foothold In America’s Plant-Based Market

GreenBiz: UC Berkeley hatches a new talent pool for the food industry

OrganicMarket.info: North American Sustainable Foods Summit: Upcycled Foods to Take Off in 2022

Spain’s News: The dairy sector milks the possibilities of innovation to the maximum

The Beet: Report: Vegan Meat is on Track to Become Cheaper Than Beef By 2023

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Eat For The Planet with Nil Zacharias: Managing Partner Dan Altschuler Malek recently joined Nil to discuss venture capital in food tech, entrepreneurship, challenges of scaling a food business, and Unovis’ new NCAP II fund. Listen Now