The funding will help the firm scale up manufacturing and support the launch of plant-based ham at 2,000 REWE stores in Germany in mid-2025.
The tech combines two technologies: metamaterials—familiar materials with unique properties due to the way they are structured; and injection molding, which Prof. Yaakov Nahmias claims could enable mass production of plant-based steaks at a fraction of the cost of 3D printing.
A decision by the European Patent Office to revoke a key EU patent granted to Impossible Foods has been overturned following a lengthy appeals process.
Plus: Syngenta launches partnership to speed up R&D for biologicals
Meati has just launched a new line of breakfast patties into Sprouts stores nationwide and secured new listings at Raley’s and Harris Teeter for its mycelium-based steaks and cutlets.
Using gases—instead of sugars—as a feedstock for fermentation can cut operating costs and reduce pressure on arable land, claims Calysta.
The cash injection follows a $61 million series B round announced last fall.
Molecular farming startup Plantopia (formerly Pigmentum) aims to establish pilot-scale production of casein proteins in sprouted oats in the second half of this year.
With funding for cultivated meat almost drying up in 2024 and key players warning the sector could collapse without a huge influx of public money, where does it go from here?
Terms such as ‘meatless sausage’ or ‘plant-based burger’ are too generic and should be replaced by more specific terms such as ‘chickpea sausage’ or ‘soy-based burger,’ says the FDA.
The firm generated some buzz in early 2022 with the launch of plant-based chicken wings featuring edible “skin” from a protein-lipid film, and “bones” from bamboo stalks.
For many foodtech startups 2024 has been a year of resilience and confidence, a time when they managed to win investors’ trust and secure new funding despite an ongoing credit crunch. Here are the top 15 foodtech deals of the year.
The firm—best-known for its meaty tasting heme proteins produced via precision fermentation—told staff it would be closing down last fall but has not commented publicly on the decision.
Given the rapid growth of drones for spraying crops—a market dominated by Chinese supplier DJI—our coverage of lawmakers’ attempts to restrict DJI’s US activities featured heavily in our ‘most read’ list this year.
“A lot of foodtech founders in this dry capital environment are beating their heads against the wall with the conviction that the wall will break before their heads do,” observes Paul Shapiro at The Better Meat Co. “That said, deals are still getting done.”
From the XPRIZE ‘no prize’ debacle to the Israeli agrifoodtech funding scene, here are the articles we enjoyed covering the most this year.
Spanish startup MOA Foodtech has built an AI-powered biomass fermentation platform to transform byproducts from the food industry into high value ingredients.
While multiple startups engineer microbes to produce animal proteins via precision fermentation, PoLoPo and others in the ‘molecular farming’ space claim the unit economics of growing them in genetically engineered plants are more favorable.
Food manufacturers have been looking for viable egg replacements for years as prices yo-yo with every avian flu outbreak, says Onego Bio.
Unsurprisingly, the challenging funding environment was top of mind for many founders, but it’s not the only thing disturbing their sleep…
