“In my 7+ years of building a startup,” says Rebellyous Foods CEO Christie Lagally, “I’ve never seen a situation where hype, trends, prevailing winds, or models helped to predict or guide our actions.”
From the XPRIZE ‘no prize’ debacle to the Israeli agrifoodtech funding scene, here are the articles we enjoyed covering the most this year.
“With this reduction we’ve hit an essential milestone on our path to achieving cost parity with conventional mozzarella and reaching positive net margins,” claims CEO Matt Gibson.
The firm did not provide any details of the settlement, but confirmed the case—which mirrors a class action filed in 2016 vs Quorn Foods—has been voluntarily dismissed.
While the concept of minimal viable product (MVP) has proven its value in software, it doesn’t translate so well into food Unlike software, a food product cannot be “patched” once it hits shelves…
“When we think about a decentralized food system, which we have to move to, this technology is going to be a major unlock,” says MISTA founder Scott May.
It is “clearly communicated to all competitors in our documentations that awards are not guaranteed,” says XPRIZE. “This is not the first time a winner has not been identified by our judges.”
“This is the culmination of seven years of R&D to get expression levels to a point where the science and the economics make sense,” says founder and CEO Magi Richani.
Opinion is a key milestone on the way to making Impossible Foods’ flagship products available in the EU, pending final approval by the European Commission and EU Member States, says the firm.
“It’s not just about plant-based, it’s about coming up with elevated products in every category,” says CTO Dr. Karim Pichara.
“Our new report provides proof that with the right technology there is a commercially viable path to market” for cultivated meat, claims SuperMeat CEO Ido Savir.
Beyond Meat returned to growth in the third quarter, posting a 7.6% year-over-year rise in net sales to $81 million driven by lower trade discounts and targeted price increases.
“We’re at the precipice of a mass startup extinction,” warn the founders of now-defunct cultivated meat firm SCiFi Foods. But you can plan for a “graceful exit.”
The Israeli startup is launching its plant-based whole cuts in the US retail market at independent retailers in Los Angeles and New York City and eyeing an e-commerce launch before the end of the year.
Israel-based agrifoodtech startups have closed just 17 funding rounds since the start of the conflict. Raising some $161 million since October 7, 2023, the total is a 72% drop on the same period the year before, and some 73% fewer deals.
US retail sales of refrigerated alt meat fell 22.8% year-over-year in September, while sales of frozen products fell just 1.3% over the same period, according to new data from Circana.
Barcelona-based Heura made its name selling alt meat but has since developed novel texturizing technology that can be applied to everything from cheese to pasta.
“We use side stream raw materials rather than dextrose as feedstocks, and our product doesn’t go through the cold chain,” says Enifer cofounder Simo Ellilä.
“For me, supply is the absolute constraint in this [mycoprotein] market right now,” says ENOUGH CEO Jim Laird.
At Mosa Meat, says VP global public affairs Robert Jones, “We tightened our belts, we went back to the drawing board on the long-term strategic plan and got more focused.”
