The Week in AgriFoodTech: BP invests in green hydrogen, Toyota funds carbon measurement, Bushel gleans $26m
Elsewhere, food robots and restaurant tech saw new funding rounds but also hefty fines for some.
Elsewhere, food robots and restaurant tech saw new funding rounds but also hefty fines for some.
Hiringa Energy and Australian agricultural co. Sundown Pastoral Co have been awarded A$35.8m ($23.6m ) from the New South Wales government to build a green hydrogen and ammonia production facility that will slash carbon emissions from fuel and fertilizer.
Food robotics had a busy week with several new fundraises; vertical farming company CubicAcres launched a partnership with IGS.
This week, Omeat emerged from stealth with an ‘elegant’ solution to scaling cultivated meat; UPSIDE Foods and GOOD Meat finally got the green light to sell cultivated chicken in the US, and drone startup Guardian Agriculture raised $20m.
Agribusiness platform Unnati Agri lands new funding, hospitality startup C3 buys beleaguered virtual restaurant platform Nextbite.
Some commentators argue that cultivated meat is a food tech fantasy. So are they right? It all depends on your approach, says Joshua March, cofounder and CEO at San Leandro-based startup SciFi Foods.
Between 2005-2012, venture capitalists poured millions into startups attempting to make fuel from microalgae, getting their fingers badly burned in the process. But could algae be gearing up for a second bloom?
Plus, $53 million for restaurant tech platform Odeko, new CRISPR-based research and non-browning bananas.
Meanwhile, vertical farm Kalera gets delisting notice from Nasdaq and Australian eGrocer Milkrun shuts down after just 18 months of operation.
Israeli startup Aleph Farms has struck deals enabling it to take an “asset-light” approach to scaling up cultivated meat production in Israel and Singapore. CEO Didier Toubia tells AFN Aleph is also scouting for sites in the US for a larger scale facility and believes it can achieve cost parity with premium beef by 2028.
Long-awaited FDA draft guidance on labeling for plant-based milks has been slammed by the milk lobby for its “circular logic” and criticized by plant-based advocates who say it “undercuts the administration’s climate goals.”
Plus: Multus Biotechnology secures Series A funding, Danone announces plans to reduce methane and Nest’s co-founder launches a circular economy trash bin.
NotCo has big plans for its AI tool, while nutrition platform HealthKart will expand its business and Winter Farm will grow a new crop.
A mix of high inflation, drought conditions, and high energy costs are making the chance of food shortages and food insecurity in the UK ever more likely this winter. We need circular solutions, argues one startup.
The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 will reduce our country’s carbon emissions by roughly 40% by 2030 while minimizing price shocks caused by volatile fuel prices. The bill is complex; this article summarizes the highlights applicable to the agriculture and forestry industries.
USDA Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack also announced new funds, partners and innovators for the AIM for Climate global initiative.
Cloud kitchens continue to rake in the funds; agtech investors swarm around insect protein startups.
Investors will work with the top pork and poultry producers on how to mitigate risks to human and planetary health from poor manure management.
MYCL took tempeh as inspiration for its mycelium-based leather alternative, which uses two-thirds less water than the conventional cow-derived material.
The Beef Alliance is seeking startups offering solutions for feedyards, with a focus on technologies that can enhance sustainability in cattle feeding.