In our weekly column, we round up the latest news and developments in the alternative protein and sustainable food industry. This week, Future Food Quick Bites covers Alpro’s collaboration with Peter Crouch, a new alternative protein jobs platform, and a host of university-related news.

New products and launches

In the UK, Alpro has partnered with Peter Crouch to kickstart its new Alpro Plant Protein Morning Trials campaign. The former England footballer tests celeb fitness routines, including waking up at 2:30 AM, multiple gym sessions, and plunging into ice baths to promote the recently extended Plant Protein range.

Also in the UK, there’s a new musical about the meat industry. Mad Cow will be coming to Canterbury’s new fully vegan Garlinge Theater next month.

Swiss meat analogues maker Planted has rolled out its fermentation-derived steak in Switzerland at Coop and in Germany at Rewe stores.

Belgian startup Bolder Foods is continuing to showcase its biomass-fermented cheese prototypes, with investors and entrepreneurs getting a taste of its product at an event hosted by ingredients leader Givaudan.

San Francisco-based startup Impact Food has announced its sushi-grade plant-based salmon, with wholesale pre-orders running now. The product premiered at Oisixs Ra Daichi’s annual World Oceans Day event in sashimi and nigiri formats in Japan.

That’s not all for vegan salmon this week – German alt-seafood producer BettaF!sh has also entered the space with SAL-NOM, a hot smoked salmon analogue made from seaweed. It retails for €3.29 per 130g jar, and will be launched as a tinned SKU too in the summer.

As part of its roster of new mini-campaigns, Veganuary ran its Choose Fish-Free Week from June 3-8, shedding light on alternative seafood brands and recipes. A BBQ Month and Choose Dairy-Free Week will be next.

Israeli 3D-printed meat producer Redefine Meat has rolled out its New Meat range of lamb kofta mix, pulled beef, pulled pork, burgers, beef mince and bratwurst in German retail via e-tailer Velivery.

Hybrid meat maker Mush Foods has partnered with French specialty meat purveyor Dufour Gourmet to introduce a charcuterie range made from its 50Cut mycelium meat. Offerings include a bratwurst, breakfast sausage, Italian-style sausage, and chicken sausage.

Californian food tech company MeliBio‘s vegan honey, which retails in some parts of Europe under the Better Foodie brand name, is now available in Switzerland and Liechtenstein through a distribution deal with Swiss wholesaler Honeydew.

Fellow Californian startup Upside Foods served its cultivated chicken at Industry Only LA, as part of buffalo chicken bao buns and cold sesame noodles.

In the US, catering giant Sodexo and the University of Cincinnati have introduced 513 Culinary Group, an immersive campus dining venture to spotlight inclusivity and local ingredients. The partnership entails new menu options with more plant-based foods and special care given to allergens.

If you’re in New York, the Fordham Plaza is hosting the Bronx Vegan Bazaar every third Saturday from noon to 6 PM starting this weekend on June 15.

The Roots drummer Questlove partnered with Stella Artois to host the Questlove’s Cheesesteak Diner pop-up, which features Impossible Foods’ beef. It was the first event of the beer brand’s Let’s Do Dinner: Summer Series, which brings together food, lifestyle and entertainment platforms.

Speaking of which, Impossible Foods‘ new beef hot dog has made its way into Safeway stores in California and Jewel-Osco locations in Chicago – and it’s gone straight into the meat aisle.

And Singaporean beanless coffee startup Prefer has moved into the frozen world with a gelato launched in partnership with local dessert parlour Aphrodite Waffles and Gelato. The ice cream uses Prefer’s bean-free coffee concentrate.

Finance and company updates

Accelerator programme ProVeg Incubator has announced its latest cohort of alternative protein startups, featuring Atlantic Fish Co, Optimised Foods, Friends & Family Pet Food Company (all US), AIProtein (Egypt/US), and Fisheroo (Singapore). The initiative has also been extended from 12 weeks to 20.

Danish startup EvodiaBio has raised €7M to produce natural aromas for the food industry using precision fermentation. Its tech can improve the taste of non-alcoholic beer by producing yeast-derived ingredients that recreate the taste of hops.

Fellow fermentation company The Better Meat Co has slashed the production costs of its mycoprotein, which is now on par with commodity beef when manufactured at scale.

Germany’s Veganz Group – which makes plant-based dairy, meat and snack products – has confirmed the drawdown of a grant from the State of Brandenburg’s investment bank to construct a new facility in Ludwigsfelde.

Fellow German company Tälist has introduced AltProtein.Jobs, an AI-led ‘matchmaking’ platform to connect employers with prospective candidates in the future food sector. Its algorithm has made 2,000 matches with a 9+ score, 9,400 with 8+, and 25,000 with a 7+ rating.

The US Department of Defense has released a call for alternative protein funding proposals under BioMade, the public-private biomanufacturing consortium, with projects receiving between $500,000 to $2M. One of its key focus areas is on fermentation-derived and cultivated proteins for military rations. It has already spawned an outraged response from a cattle association.

Research and policy developments

Researchers at the United Arab Emirates University and the National University of Singapore have teamed up to explore novel plant protein sources that can be incorporated into meat analogues for better taste, texture and nutritional attributes.

In the US, Western Oregon University has signed the Humane Society of the United States‘ Forward Food Pledge, committing to transition its campus dining menus to 50% plant-based meals by 2027.

In more university news, the UK’s Nottingham Trent University has launched a master’s degree in smart agriculture, which will explore how AI, vertical farming and precision agriculture can enhance food security and reduce energy costs. Students will develop ‘recipes’ to produce food crops much more rapidly than currently possible outdoors.

Finally, plant-based food company Strong Roots conducted a 1,000-person survey in the US, the UK and Ireland to find that 52% of consumers are more likely to purchase products with carbon footprints on their packaging, and 82% want to be informed about businesses that contribute to climate change.

Check out last week’s Future Food Quick Bites.

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US biotech startup Pureture has developed an innovation that cuts the production time for its yeast-derived casein protein by 30%, and enables clean-label alt-dairy formulations.

As part of a rapidly expanding market for animal-free casein, US startup Pureture has improved the cultivation process of yeast protein, the base ingredient of its fermentation-derived offering.

By boosting yeast growth and activity via novel ingredients, the company is now able to produce its casein 30% faster than before, bringing in both time and cost savings. Additionally, while traditional yeast cultivation methods lead to foam formation – requiring the use of additives like antifoaming agents – Pureture’s new patent-pending tech “virtually eliminates” this, meeting the growing demand for cleaner-label formulations.

But despite the lack of additives, the startup says the casein maintains its emulsifying and thickening properties, and so products made from the casein retain their taste and functionality.

The case for clean-label casein

Casein comprises 80% of the total protein content found in milk, and is responsible for emulsification – preventing water and fat from separating and giving the cheese its melty and stretchy properties. The ingredient can be used to make superior vegan products like cheese, milk and yoghurt analogues, as well as protein shakes.

Currently, most plant-based dairy products use additives to replicate the functions of casein, but consumers are increasingly looking for foods free from artificial ingredients and with short ingredient lists. According to Innova Market Insights, more than two in three consumers are influenced by clean product labels, with respondents in the Americas and Europe specifically looking for additive- and preservative-free options.

Meanwhile, around half of consumers would pay more for clean-label products. And a separate survey by Ingredion shows that clean-label and natural ingredients were the factors that gained the most importance for CPG purchases between 2020 and 2022. This is perhaps why the research predicts 70% of all food and drink portfolios to be clean-label within the next two years, given that 99% of European manufacturers find them essential to their business strategies now.

Pureture’s casein protein is said to offer a cleaner alternative, as it eliminates the need for starches, gums, and emulsifiers. The company employs a six-step liquid fermentation process that combines yeast with plant-based ingredients.

It begins by cultivating a yeast strain and enriching it. Then, it separates the protein and tests the emulsification functionality, before sterlising and drying the casein. Pureture has one 50-litre fermentation tank for seed cultivation, three 500-litre vessels for the first cultivation, and a further three 30,000-litre tanks for the second cultivation. This means it can produce up to 2,400 tonnes of protein annually.

Pureture’s cheaper-than-dairy casein could attract climate-conscious companies

Pureture has its roots in South Korea. It was founded in 2022 as Armored Fresh Technologies by Rudy Yoo, who rebranded the business in May last year to separate it from his other alt-dairy startup, Seoul-based Armored Fresh.

Its animal-free dairy protein provides health gains too, offering a protein digestibility-corrected amino acid score of one, matching the digestibility of conventional milk. Additionally, since the entire process of yeast fermentation, protein recovery and emulsification is carried out continuously, Pureture’s protein can be supplied at a price 30-40% lower than conventional dairy versions.

This will be attractive to companies looking to streamline their ingredient lists and lower their climate impact. According to an independent life-cycle assessment (LCA) by Standing Ovation, which employs precision fermentation to produce its protein, animal-free casein produces up to 94% fewer greenhouse gas emissions (although the LCA was done at pilot scale, and an industrial-scale analysis would provide a more rounded picture).

Pureture has previously outlined its aim to collaborate with major dairy companies to co-brand its yeast-derived casein, and with global ingredients vendors to expand its use. To that end, in January, it partnered with South Korean food giant Namyang Dairy Products, which will develop a new vegan range with Pureture’s casein protein. Dairy is the third most-consumed protein source in South Korea, but the country’s national action plan now promotes plant-based foods.

Casein is a $2.7B market, and a host of startups are attempting to disrupt the space with planet-friendly innovations. New Culture, Change Foods, Fermify and Zero Cow Factory are all using precision fermentation (like Standing Ovation), while Alpine Bio, Finally Foods and NewMoo are tapping into molecular farming to grow casein in plants.

The post Pureture Develops Technology to Produce Clean-Label Vegan Casein in 30% Less Time appeared first on Green Queen.

Californian biotech startup Prolific Machines has closed a $55M Series B1 round for its photomolecular platform, which leverages light to create novel proteins at significantly lower costs.

The $55M investment represents the first close of Prolific Machines’ Series B round, and was led by Fonterra’s VC arm The Ki Tua Fund. BreakthroughEnergy Ventures, Mayfield, SOSV, Shorewind Capital, Darco Capital, Conti Ventures, In-Q-Tel (IQT), and several others participated as well.

This means the company – which has previously set out its intention to raise a $170M full Series B round – has so far brought in $86.5M in total investment. Investors in its last round in 2022 included the likes of Shark Tank’s Mark Cuban and model and actress Emily Ratajkowski.

Since being founded in 2020, Prolific Machines has developed a photomolecular biology platform to grow and control cells with light, allowing manufacturers to create products across cellular agriculture for the food and medicine industries. It will use the Series B1 capital to commercialise this platform through industry partnerships.

“Photomolecular biology is the use of light and AI to precisely control and optimise cellular behaviour to more efficiently produce superior bioproduct solutions across wide-ranging applications, from food to pharmaceuticals,” co-founder and CEO Deniz Kent tells Green Queen.

“We set out with a vision to use one of our most abundant resources – light – to create an exponentially better way to control biology,” he says, suggesting that this control is “critical to making cheaper and higher-quality products”.

How does Prolific Machines harness light to create proteins?

Prolific Machines argues that current cellular biology processes are constrained by “expensive, inefficient, and imprecise molecular methods”. But the precision of light allows it to control these processes in “fundamentally new ways”.

“Prolific harnesses light to produce everyday essentials more efficiently, from food and lifesaving drugs to novel biosolutions,” explains Kent. “We use light as a signal to control cellular behaviour with unprecedented precision and instantly instruct cells on what to do, and where and when to do it. Our process creates significant cost, speed, yield, and quality advantages compared to existing processes.”

The company’s technology is inspired by the field of optogenetics, a combination of genetic and optical methods to control the activity and behaviour of cells through light.

“We use ‘non-ionising’ light at relatively low intensities in our process, which means it doesn’t carry enough energy to harm living cells. It is safe for use in the production of both food and non-food products,” says Kent.

How can light improve existing production techniques?

“Methods currently used to make bioproducts are limited to imprecise, inefficient, and expensive control levers – like temperature, chemicals, and proteins – to indirectly control cells,” Kent says. “Prolific’s first-of-its-kind photomolecular platform brings together safe and effective tools – light, bioengineering, hardware, and AI – to unlock unparalleled control and precision.”

He explains that living organisms can sense light because of light-sensitive proteins (LSP), which are naturally occurring proteins found in everything from plants and bacteria to human retinas. These exist to detect and respond to light, and can do this very quickly, causing action in cells within seconds.

“Proteins are at the heart of everything a cell does, from perceiving signals from other cells to switching genes on or off. By attaching LSPs to proteins that you want to control within the cell, Prolific makes it possible to precisely control subcellular biology using light,” he says. When met with light, which acts as a signal, the LSPs can control cells across key functions.

“Prolific unlocks dynamic control by pulsating light in specific patterns, intensities, and wavelengths to activate cellular functions when and where it matters most, which is a game-changer for biotechnology,” adds Kent.

What kind of products can Prolific Machines create?

So what kind of products can you produce using light? “Prolific is co-developing the future of biology with innovators across cultivated meat, nutritional and therapeutic proteins, disease models, tissue engineering, cell and gene therapy, and beyond,” he reveals.

“Examples include nutritional proteins used in supplements and infant formula, antibodies to treat diseases, whole cuts of cultured meat, higher fidelity disease models, and other innovations never before possible.”

Kent calls the process a “boon” for cultivated meat, with companies able to achieve “massive cost, scale, and sterility benefits without the need for recombinant proteins or growth factors”.

“Using light, our process can create structured or marbled products, like steaks. We can create all cuts of meat that would be impossible to make in a scalable manner with existing cultivated production methods,” he says. “Our process provides unparalleled spatial control, creating the patterning and structure to make alternative protein products with first-of-its-kind texture, taste, and affordability.”

As for “nutritional proteins”, this could entail many “high-value proteins”, including those found in infant formula, such as lactoferrin (whose precision-fermented version has only recently been commercialised).

Can light help make cultivated meat cheaper?

Prolific Machines suggests that the first applications of its technology will be announced via partnerships with manufacturers in the coming months. The company has already established two “robust” mammalian cell lines to support its food and pharmaceutical partners.

While more details on pricing will be available once these link-ups are established, Kent offers: “One of the key benefits of our photomolecular platform is cost efficiency due to our use of light, which is the cheapest possible input into biology. Our process also removes the need for costly growth factors, which are the most expensive part of the cultivated meat process.”

Reducing the cost and scaling up production are the two key manufacturing challenges facing producers in this space. While companies have managed to reduce costs by 99% in less than a decade, forecasts show these proteins won’t price parity until 2030. But startups like Meatly and BioCraft Pet Nutrition (both making cultivated pet food) have announced breakthroughs in their culture media to drastically bring down the cost of their products.

“Our platform elevates our partners’ existing cell lines and product approaches, providing a critical infrastructure layer for biology,” says Kent. “Think of us as the ‘NVIDIA for biology’. We are already co-developing the future of biology with a number of partners.”

While some countries and US states have imposed bans on cultivated meat, these proteins have been championed by UN climate bodies like the IPCC and the UNEP, since they have a much smaller environmental footprint, can secure the food system against climate and disease shocks, and feed an ever-hungrier planet poised to have 10 billion people by 2050.

The post Prolific Machines Nabs $55M to Create Cultivated Meat & Novel Proteins by Harnessing Light appeared first on Green Queen.

Finnish researchers have come up with a way to make cultivated meat without expensive growth factors, relying on stem cell metabolism instead.

As the race to produce cost-effective cuts of cultivated meat continues, researchers at the University of Helsinki are proposing an alternative to one of the most expensive parts of the manufacturing process.

“All companies run into problems at roughly the same point of scaling up production,” said Pekka Katajisto, who is leading the team at the Helsinki Institute of Life Science (HiLife).

The solution, then, lies in the technology developed under its Myocopia project, which relies on stem cell metabolism instead of growth factors. Can it help companies bring costs on par with conventional meat?

Cells grow meat only when instructed

Culture media are an essential part of cultivated meat production, comprising a mix of nutrients to facilitate the growth of animal cells. This accounts for the majority of the costs involved in the entire process, with growth factors – which help the cells differentiate – responsible for the bulk of those.

Companies have been working on ways to bring these prices down – typically, culture media cost hundreds of dollars per litre. Last month, UK company Meatly, which is on the verge of receiving regulatory approval for its cultivated pet food in the country, announced it had reduced the cost of its culture medium to $1.25 per litre by developing a protein-free version.

And just last week, fellow cultivated pet food producer BioCraft Pet Nutrition announced it had reached price parity with premium conventional meat by developing a nutrient medium composed of plant-based ingredients.

At Katajisto’s lab, which is connected to the Centre of Excellence in Stem Cell Metabolism, researchers studied how cell metabolism regulates the division and differentiation of stem cells. This led to an innovation that can keep the cells expanding longer than with current methods, and grow meat only when instructed to do so, enabling precise control in bioreactors.

“The cells can be kept multiplying in a financially viable way until the reactor is full. The cells are then guided to form meat – again using their own metabolism,” said Katajisto.

Myocopia plans to spin out in two years

The idea was first tested using capital from HiLife’s proof-of-concept funding. Once they achieved promising results, the team received state financing from Business Finland to commercialise its technology. Under the latter, Myocopia will validate the tech on “commercially interesting” meat products like beef, pork and poultry.

“We want to increase our understanding of the market and finetune our technology,” said Swetha Gopalakrishnan, scientific lead of the Myocopia project, who made the original observation that led to the innovation.

The goal is to become a B2B provider that can license its technical knowhow to cultivated meat producers. Olga Balakina, commercialisation specialist for the project, is assessing the market for potential partners. “Our top priority is to identify the companies with which we can launch a pilot,” she said.

Technology companies are of particular interest, since they can help the Myocopia team tailor the innovation based on market needs. The team has already begun the patenting process, and aims to speak to VCs and impact investors for financing next year.

“After two years, we can strive to establish a spinout,” said Balakina. As a “tech enabler” of the industry, one of its solutions could be “a cell-growing cocktail” that could stimulate growth effectively in existing bioreactors.

“I believe our innovation is going to be a game changer in the emerging industry as a whole,” added Katajisto.

The post Myocopia: Can Cell Metabolism Be the Catalyst for Cost-Effective Cultivated Meat? appeared first on Green Queen.

In our weekly column, we round up the latest news and developments in the alternative protein and sustainable food industry. This week, Future Food Quick Bites covers Starbucks’ upcoming Oatly collaboration, a vegan certification for hospitality operators, and Bezos Earth Fund’s alternative protein centre.

New products and launches

For its summer menu, Starbucks is reportedly launching a vegan cinnamon crumble Frappuccino with Oatly‘s vanilla Oat Whip, which will be available for a free swap – a welcome policy change from the coffee chain. It will also offer a non-dairy vanilla sweet cream cold brew, and free plant-based cold foam substitutes for all core drinks.

Speaking of which, Oatly has now launched its 1.5-litre barista milk in the UK, which was teased in its latest earnings call to investors.

Also in the UK, The Coconut Collaborative has unveiled what it says is the country’s first vegan yoghurt and granola topper.

British vegan pet food maker Hownd has gained a listing for three hypoallergenic functional treat ranges – Keep Calm for stress relief, Got an Itch? for healthy skin and coat, and Yup You Stink! for bad breath – at Pets at Home, which will be available in stores nationwide in September.

Fellow UK startup Sun Bear Biofuture has joined the expanding roster of companies offering sustainable alternatives to palm oil. Its deforestation-free innovation is derived from fermentation and makes use of agricultural sidestreams as feedstocks.

Meanwhile, plant-based giant Beyond Meat has rolled out a new SKU in the UK. The spicy jalapeño burger is available at 280 Tesco and Sainsbury’s stores each, with a frozen version coming to 200 locations each in September.

In the US, Tomorrow Farms‘ animal-free milk Bored Cow, which uses Perfect Day‘s precision-fermented whey protein, has expanded into 2,000 new stores nationwide, with additional 11oz packaging for the original flavour plus four-packs now available in Albertsons, Safeway, Sprouts, Fresh Thyme, Central Market, and Shaws, among others.

Consultancy network Vegan Hospitality has launched a global certification programme for tourism and hospitality companies, offering companies expert strategy consulting, online staff training, promotional support, and free auditing.

In Germany, plant-based producer Planteneers has introduced a lineup of vegan desserts, comprising tiramisu, cheesecake, fermented oat dessert, pudding, and soft ice cream. They’re positioned as “healthy but indulgent” alternatives to their dairy counterparts.

German airline caterer LSG Group has teamed up with Unilever-owned plant-based meat brand The Vegetarian Butcher to offer vegan meals for onboard dining.

More news from the skies: Spanish meat analogues maker Heura and vegan cheese giant Violife have partnered with Vueling Airlines to launch a plant-based burger on the carrier’s summer menu, which is priced at €8.50.

There’s a new plant-based butchery in Prague. Located in the Czech capital’s Letná district, Bezmasna features meatloafs, cold cuts, deli salads, as well as chlebíček (Czech sandwiches).

Singaporean startup Jiro-Meat is aiming to commercialise its upcycled plant-based meat made from okara – the fibrous pulp leftover from soy milk and tofu production – in the next six months.

And in India, Nestlé has rolled out a limited-edition edible plant-based fork for its Maggi cup noodles. The two-piece fork is made from wheat flour and salt.

Finance and company updates

The Bezos Earth Fund has opened its first Center for Sustainable Protein at North Carolina State University, supported by a $30M fund. The facility aims to advance alternative protein production and commercialisation, and has onboarded Believer Meats (which is due to open its own cultivated meat facility in the state later this year) as a partner.

Germany’s Planteneers has also opened a Customer Center of Excellence in Aurora, Illinois as part of its North American expansion. The facility will let customers collaborate on product development and create ingredient solutions via a plant-based meat laboratory (it will soon have one for alt-dairy too).

Indian vegan seafood player SeaSpire has rebranded to PROT, as it diversifies into other plant protein sources. Its alt-seafood lineup is being relaunched as a ‘Gill-t Free’ range ahead of World Ocean Day (June 8), supported by Veganuary India‘s Fish-Free Week campaign.

Danish plant protein powder Nutrumami has closed a €450,000 seed funding round to expand its team and prepare for market launch.

Policy and research developments

A 9,272-person survey by YouGov shows that if cultivated meat was on par with conventional meat, only half would continue eating the latter (nearly a quarter remain unsure of what they’ll do). It’s an improvement from the 40% who would otherwise ‘definitely not’ eat cultivated meat. Meanwhile, Americans remain very split over bans on these products.

In the UK, Calderdale Council in West Yorkshire – which adopted a climate change emergency policy in 2020 – wants to make its menus fully plant-based, with a preference for seasonal, non-processed foods.

A joint venture between the Artevelde University of Applied Sciences and the City of Ghent has seen a food waste monitor installed in several restaurants, which will use the smart scale to better measure how much food is being thrown away.

Finally, advocacy group Eat Differently has rolled out a parody ad campaign called Hate Vegans? in Los Angeles. It aims to highlight the reasons people care about plant-based diets and their impact on the planet – ‘injuries’ sustained from preachy vegans could turn into settlements with the help of fictional attorney Seymour Loudermilk.

Check out last week’s Future Food Quick Bites.

The post Future Food Quick Bites: Non-Dairy Starbucks, Vegan Flights & A Bezos Protein Centre appeared first on Green Queen.

The University of Essex has built a new facility to develop crops that can adapt to a hotter and drier planet, which features a vertical farm and is backed by AI-assisted research.

Researchers at the University of Essex will leverage AI, robotics, vertical farming and imitation suites to create crops for “tomorrow’s atmosphere today” in a new flagship facility.

Slated to officially open later this year, the £3M Smart Technology Experimental Plant Suite (STEPS) lab builds on the work of the Essex Plant Innovation Centre (EPIC), which brings together farmers, technologists and scientists to improve crop resilience to drought, increase yields, and enhance food security during extreme weather events.

“This state-of-the-art facility will help the world cope with a growing population by ensuring future food security by developing climate resilient plants,” said project lead Tracy Lawson, a biologist whose expertise lies in plant productivity, improving photosynthetic processes, and boosting crop water use. She suggested that the lab “places plant research at Essex in a unique position” to grow and select future-facing plants.

Leveraging AI, vertical farms and warming suites

The lab features a commercially standard vertical farm (claimed to be the UK’s first for a university), an indoor field that can simulate real environments from anywhere on the planet, and suites that replicate a warming world (researchers can raise both temperature and CO2 levels). According to the University of Essex, this is the only lab in the UK that combines all these facilities.

The team will also use plant scanning technology to monitor plants as they grow, and pick out precise changes in photosynthesis. The research, meanwhile, will be facilitated with AI and robotics, which will develop new ideas, technologies and strategies to predict changes in agriculture and the atmosphere.

The STEPS lab will develop strategies to optimise plant performance whilst working towards net zero. The UK has committed to reaching net zero by 2050, although, based on its current policies, it lags behind the 2030 internationally agreed target of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 68% (from 1990 levels).

It was partly funded by the Wolfson Foundation, which pledged £1M to support the development. It will help the researchers foster connections with agriculture, horticulture, and technology businesses to progress their crop development efforts.

“We are in a race against time to futureproof agriculture against climate change, not just in the UK but globally,” said Paul Ramsbottom, CEO of the Wolfson Foundation. “The University of Essex is leading the way in critical research and development to support innovation and sustainability in food production, and we are delighted to be funding the technology platforms that will help them achieve this.”

Future-friendly crops vital in a climate-threatened country

The climate-resilient crop lab will put students at the forefront of its work, who will help develop and conduct experiments with the University of Essex’s researchers. It means young scientists can begin their careers in the facility.

“This cutting-edge lab will put us at the forefront of research into how we can help plants change and adapt to climate change – helping secure everyone’s future,” said Lawson.

The project also involves vertical farming tech provider Innovation Agritech Group (IAG), which installed the vertical farm unit and deployed a full-scale GrowFrame 360 solution – this system is said to produce a healthier root system, superior crop growth, and higher yields with no climate dependency.

“Our innovative GrowFrame360 technology will empower scientists and students alike to tackle the complexities of a changing climate on future crop production, aiming for future food security,” explained Kate Brunswick, business development director at IAG. “This milestone collaboration embodies our collective dedication to driving positive change in agriculture.”

The UK has been dealing with climate-induced food shocks and price hikes for a while now. A recent study by World Weather Attribution found that the relentless rainfall and storms during the autumn-winter period of 2023-24 were 10 times more likely to happen and 20% wetter because of climate change. And separate research by Lynx Purchasing warns that such wet weather can cause an 8% price hike for in-demand produce – for context, headline inflation rates in the UK were 2.3% in April, and that was after a decline from previous months.

Extreme weather is further causing food shortages in Britain, with many areas unable to grow staple crops like potatoes, wheat and vegetables in the spring – and those that have been planted are of poor quality, and some are rotting in the ground. All this has made the UK more reliant on imports, just as the country battles growing food insecurity. In January, 15% of households went hungry.

With a population set to increase by nearly 10% by 2036, solutions like the ones being developed by the University of Essex’s new lab might be vital.

The post UK University to Create Climate-Resilient Crops in £3M AI-Powered Plant Lab appeared first on Green Queen.

Californian alternative protein leader Eat Just has debuted the fifth iteration of its vegan Just Egg, made from mung beans, which further closes the gap in taste and functionality with conventional eggs.

It’s five years, five versions for Eat Just’s market-leading Just Egg, which now promises to match chicken eggs on flavour and functionality better than ever before.

Announced in time for National Egg Day (June 3), Just Egg v5 is said to be the brand’s “biggest jump” in the taste, texture and functionality of its vegan liquid egg since its launch in 2019, with co-founder and CEO Josh Tetrick calling it “the best Just Egg we’ve ever made”.

The enhanced egg alternative has had no changes in its ingredients – instead, it’s all about the manufacturing of its mung bean protein, which forms the base of Just Egg. “Since the day the idea for this product was born, our goal has been to create an egg that tastes better, is better for you, and has the same or better functionality than a conventional egg, and v5 Just Egg represents a huge step toward that goal,” said Tetrick.

This chimes with the brand’s 2024 goal, as a spokesperson told Green Queen in January, “to sell healthier, sustainable products to millions of consumers in a way that enables the company to sustain itself in the long term”.

Fluffier, lighter, eggier – but no new ingredients

The new liquid Just Egg is said to have a cleaner flavour profile than previous versions, which provides a more neutral palette for dishes from scrambles to quiches and allows its “pillowy, creamy texture” to dominate. The new formulation also elevates baking applications like breads, cookies, pancakes or muffins, thanks to better binding and aeration characteristics.

The latest in a series of updates comes as Eat Just works towards a mung bean egg with superior flavour, functionality and nutritional profile than chicken eggs. The efforts to do so have traversed multiple disciplines, ranging from culinary expertise and protein science to operations and engineering.

Just Egg’s newest iteration doesn’t have any new ingredients or alterations in its current ingredient list. It was actually born out of its team’s attempts to simplify the manufacturing process of its pourable vegan egg. But after testing out several process changes in its mung bean protein processing plant in Appleton, Minnesota, the company discovered positive benefits to the final product, alongside a more streamlined process.

The taste and performance of the resulting vegan egg has impressed professional chefs, including American celebrity chef Andrew Zimmern. “Well over a decade ago, I became one of the first people in the world to try the very first version of Just Egg,” he said, describing it as “absolutely unbelievable”.

“This latest iteration is fluffier and lighter, with better egg texture and more eggy flavour – and it performs better than any previous version I’ve tried. I cannot tell the difference between this and a conventional scrambled egg,” he added.

“And quite frankly, it’s so much better for me. No GMOs, no artificial flavours, no egg, no cholesterol, 50g of protein in this whole carton. That is a delicious egg,” Zimmern said in an Instagram video.

Eat Just has rolled out the Just Egg v5 at stores across the US, including Whole Foods, Sprouts, Walmart, Target, and Kroger. Its pourable and folded eggs are available in 48,000 retail locations, as well as 3,300 foodservice spots in the US and Canada, like Planta, Barnes & Noble, Caffè Nero, Peet’s Coffee, and Philz Coffee.

Meeting consumer needs to drive category forward

Just Egg is responsible for 99% of sales in the plant-based egg market, and Eat Just claims it is one of the fastest-growing egg brands – plant-based or otherwise – nationwide. To date, it has sold the equivalent of 500 million chicken eggs, preventing 87 million kgs of CO2e from entering the atmosphere, saving 18.3 billion gallons of water, and averting 26,900 acres of land from being farmed for soy and corn to feed chickens.

But its product reformulation speaks to a wider need for plant-based brands – whether they’re industry leaders or fledgling startups – to continue to innovate to meet consumer needs. Beyond Meat, for example, relaunched its flagship beef mince and burger earlier this year with a healthier recipe and enhanced taste credentials.

A recent survey of 1,500 Americans revealed that one of the main barriers to consumer adoption of plant-based foods is the health perspective, especially when it comes to vegan eggs. Despite the frequent threat of avian flu, this was the only food category where more respondents felt the animal-derived version was healthier (30%) than vegan analogues (27%).

It perhaps explains why plant-based eggs are only bought by 1% of American households (although repeat purchases increased from 38% in 2020 to 48% in 2023). Last year, sales dropped by 5% to $43M. So there’s a sizeable opportunity for companies like Eat Just, and meeting consumers’ health expectations with newer formulations is a no-brainer.

It will also help the business on its path to becoming profitable. “It’s the most important objective of the company and the team is focused on increasing the probability of achieving it,” Eat Just told Green Queen earlier this year, after relaunching its cult-favourite vegan mayo.

As of November, Just Egg made up 99.9% of its profits. But Eat Just’s cultivated meat arm Good Meat, however, has been embroiled in several legal battles over the years. The biggest dispute concerns contract manufacturer ABEC, which had sued the alternative protein company for $100M over unpaid bills. Last month, a judge in Pennsylvania sided with Eat Just on some matters, and ABEC on others. While the case is ongoing, ABEC has now accused Eat Just of “bad faith” and engaging with “the worst aspects of litigation practice in the profession”.

Good Meat, meanwhile, hit a milestone by becoming the first company to introduce cultivated meat in retail, debuting a hybrid version of its chicken (with 3% cultivated cells) at Huber’s Butchery in Singapore.

The post Eat Just Reformulates Vegan Just Egg with ‘Biggest’ Improvement in Taste & Texture Since Launch appeared first on Green Queen.

Israeli startup Brevel’s first commercial-scale facility will churn out hundreds of tons of microalgae protein powder to supply the plant-based dairy industry.

Biomass fermentation player Brevel has opened a 27,000 sq ft commercial plant on the edge of the southern Israeli desert, which can produce hundreds of tons of microalgae protein for use in vegan cheese and other dairy analogues.

Renovating an existing building in Kiryat Gat to fit its needs, the project took about a year to complete, and will enable the Israeli startup to manufacture its non-GMO, planet-friendly protein powder at an industrial scale.

“Following test runs, the factory will be operational by the end of this year,” Brevel co-founder and CEO Yonatan Golan tells Green Queen. “We have [bioreactors] in all ranges from three litres, 50 litres, 500 litres, and now our new 5,000-litre bioreactor. We will be able to scale further to a total of 30,000 litres in this facility.”

He added that the microalgae biomass it produces won’t just be used to extract protein, but also co-products like polar lipids, fiber, pigments and more. The facility expects to roll out its first products by Q1 2025, with a planned debut in the US. Additional international factories are on the horizon too.

Using microalgae for functional, high-protein dairy analogues

Brevel was founded in 2017 by Golan and his brothers Ido (CTO) and Matan (COO), and employs a technology that unites light and fermentation into a single process, a feat the CEO describes as akin to “putting an electric motor into a Tesla car”. “It may sound like a very simple straightforward task to achieve, but is actually extremely complex,” he says.

“Fermentation has been confined to dark environments and is instrumental in producing extremely high yields. However, microalgae’s natural makeup of nutrients – including protein, lipids, fibre, and pigments – depend on photosynthesis for their development and growth,” he explains.

Brevel uses a strain of microalgae from the Chlorella family, a widely commercialised and highly important source of single-cell protein. This thrives in Brevel’s bright conditions, and has a regulatory advantage – it’s been classed as safe for human consumption by the FDA’s GRAS system in the US, and has been part of the EU’s safe list of novel foods for decades.

“To extract the protein, we developed a unique downstream minimal process that does not involve any solvents or chemicals. It is safe and retains the high quality and nutritional value of the protein, as well as the very high functionality,” says Golan.

The result is a white microalgae powder with 60-70% protein concentration and a full amino acid profile. Its “negligible” climate footprint adds to the functional superiority of the ingredient, which will appeal to plant-based meat and dairy producers.

Brevel is first targeting the alt-dairy market, a segment that doesn’t yet have a plant protein solution with zero flavour or colour compromises, according to Golan. “Our protein is completely white and has a neutral flavour, which enables alt-dairy manufacturers to significantly increase nutritional values and benefits for consumers while maintaining the sensory experience,” he says.

“The protein is very easy to use – similar to how one would use soy or pea protein,” he adds. “We have a team of food technologists and an advanced application lab in our new factory, in which we develop and finetune formulations that allow… maximal value for our partners.”

To demonstrate its capabilities, visitors to the new facility – a group of over 150 investors, food tech startups, government representatives, and food manufacturers – were given a taste of a range of vegan cheeses made using the microalgae protein. It’s an example of the pain points Brevel is looking to address – research suggests that a majority (73%) of Americans are unhappy with the flavour and texture of non-dairy cheese. It’s perhaps why household penetration remains so low: while 97% of US households buy conventional cheese, only 7% purchase dairy-free analogues.

Sidestream valorisation drives down financial and carbon costs

Brevel, which has raised $22.5M in funding, has equipped its new facility with advanced bioproduction labs, spacious working environments, a modern food application lab, and state-of-the-art quality control equipment.

One of the startup’s key differentiators is the low production costs, which are on par with soy and pea proteins. This is facilitated by its efforts to valorise the algae sidestream – instead of discarding the byproducts from the manufacturing process, Brevel uses them to make clean-label emulsifiers and nutritional boosters for functional foods and supplements.

“The reason that soy protein is cheap is because protein is only one of the sidestreams extracted from the soybean, alongside oil, fibres, gluten and others,” says Golan. “Co-products are a key part of Brevel’s business model… The combination of light and fermentation enables the production of a large variety of valuable co-products, and not mere basic sidestreams.”

Making use of byproducts further cuts the company’s climate footprint – food waste accounts for up to 10% of global emissions – and supports further food applications. “The polar lipids will be used as a functional emulsifier in food applications, the soluble fibres will be used in food applications as well, the pigments as high-value health supplements, and we are looking into additional fractions as well,” he explains.

Brevel will supply its protein to manufacturers across the globe, some of which are investors in the startup. While Golan doesn’t go into specifics when asked about strategic partners, he reveals that two of them are dairy and beverage companies worth over $2B, and a couple others are interested in building large manufacturing facilities as joint ventures.

”We have strategised several joint-venture partnerships in the US, Europe, and Asia. The result will be the construction of larger facilities to fulfil growing demands for our sustainable protein in multiple applications,” Golan says. These facilities are set to have fermentation capacities of 900,000 litres and beyond, and while their production capacity will depend on the joint ventures’ needs, this is expected to range between thousands and tens of thousands of tons annually.

“Following these, the final target is to reach capacities of millions of tons to meet the demand of the growing plant-based food industry,” he suggests. Golan adds that Brevel currently has a “long enough runway to work with” in terms of capital, but is “always speaking with investors” over its long-term vision.

It is among a host of startups leveraging the potential of microalgae, which is set to be a $25.4B market by 2033. These include Checkerspot, Mewery, Quazy Foods, Ocean Kiss, Algama, Sophie’s Bionutrients, and Triton Algae, among others.

The post Brevel Opens Microalgae Protein Factory to Create Superior Plant-Based Dairy Analogues appeared first on Green Queen.

Hellmann’s has made a big splash by rebranding its vegan mayo to appeal to flexitarians, in a sign of the influence of labels on sustainable food purchases.

In the UK, Hellmann’s egg-free mayonnaise is no longer labelled ‘vegan’, with the Unilever-owned brand opting for ‘Plant Based Mayo’ as a way to become more “inclusive” to flexitarians.

The relaunched spread – which first appeared in the UK market in 2018 – now comes with a new recipe and redesigned packaging in a move that aims to solve multiple pain points at once: food waste, health concerns, and label barriers.

The decision to drop the term ‘vegan’ from packaging is a conscious one, with the brand saying there was “considerable headroom for growth” in the vegan mayo world, “particularly from consumers who want to cut back on animal-based products without becoming fully vegan”.

Currently rolling out across UK supermarkets, the new mayo now also has less rapeseed oil (down from 72% to 52%), supplementing it with a seemingly lower amount of sunflower oil. Plus, it now has xanthan gum.

Hellmann’s leans into vegan labelling research

Explaining its reasoning, Hellmann’s said its consumer research has shown that “the word ‘vegan’ can be a barrier for flexitarians, who see ‘plant-based’ as more inclusive”.

This chimes with a plethora of other studies on sustainable food labelling. In 2019, analysis by alternative protein think tank the Good Food Institute found that terms like ‘100% plant-based’ and plant-based (both 53%) are much more appealing to consumers than ‘vegan’ (35%), which was amongst the least effective ways to label vegan food.

Similarly, an oft-cited study by the University of Southern California last year – covering 7,341 people – used gift baskets as a gauge for which labels work. Participants were asked to choose between a vegan and non-vegan food basket, with the former being labelled in five different ways.

Only 20% chose the ‘vegan’ gift basket over the meat and dairy one, while 27% picked it when labelled ‘plant-based’. However, describing them with impactful attributes represented a significant upturn: when marked as ‘healthy’, 42% went with the vegan basket, while 43% did so for those tagged as ‘sustainable’ or 44% when labelled as both ‘healthy’ and ‘sustainable’.

This is why phrases like “100% sustainably sourced oils”, “free from artificial colours and flavours”, and “good source of omega-3” are prominent in Hellmann’s messaging around the rebranded Plant Based Mayo.

Vegan giants like Impossible Foods and Eat Just have also been using terms like ‘meat from plants’ and ‘made from plants’ for their meat and egg analogues, respectively. In fact, the latter simply labels its relaunched vegan spread as ‘Just Mayo’ to attract flexitarians, who hold the key to success for plant-based food manufacturers.

But when the world’s largest mayonnaise brand – a subsidiary of one of the biggest CPG companies globally – bids adieu to the word ‘vegan’, it’s a telling reminder that labelling matters. Hellmann’s plant-based sales have been growing for four consecutive years, so for Unilever to make the change, it’s an indicator that ‘vegan’ wording may be blocking the full potential of climate-friendly food sales.

Since the company is aiming to reach €1.5B ($1.6B) in annual sales from plant-based products in categories that would have traditionally used animal-derived ingredients by next year, targeting flexitarians with its Plant Based Mayo is a shrewd move. In a similar move, its latest non-dairy ice cream is branded as Magnum Chill Blueberry Cookie, a departure from the Magnum Vegan moniker.

Redesigned packaging leaves less Plant Based Mayo in the bottle

The announcement accompanied a change in the egg-free mayo’s packaging, part of the brand’s long-standing efforts to cut food waste. Debuting in the UK and Ireland later this year, the new squeeze bottles are now lined with an edible plant-based coating that prevents the mayonnaise from sticking to the sides and minimises the amount left over after the spread is used up.

“We know consumers want to be able to squeeze out as much product as possible – it’s an important cost and value benefit,” Krassimir Velikov, senior science and programme leader at Unilever, said of the new “easy-out” technology. “Some of the ingredients used in the plant-based mayo presented us with specific challenges, as they made the mayo more prone to getting stuck in the bottle. Correcting this issue involved creating an edible, vegan coating that would prevent this sticking problem by making the inside of the bottle more slippery,” he explained.

“We had to make sure that this ‘easy out’ coating hit a balance that would achieve the desired ‘easy out’ effect without interacting with the product. Even a slight change could make an enormous difference. For example, a tenth of a percentage increase of the plant-based ‘egg’ could add a full 15g leftover portion to the waste.”

Velikov added that by minimising the leftover mayo, the tech helps keep its bottles – which are “made with 100% recycled plastic where technically feasible” – in the recycling process. “If they exceed the maximum weight threshold needed, they will be rejected for recycling. By helping consumers to leave less mayo in the bottles, we in effect help them recycle more successfully,” he said.

Hellmann’s has a commendable record with food waste, having launched a Make Taste, Not Waste campaign in 2018 to fight this issue. Its research shows that 59% of consumers feel brands have a role to play here, especially since food waste accounts for 8-10% of global emissions.

The mayo maker’s food waste initiatives have involved a four-week-long Fridge Night challenge, dedicated Super Bowl ads for the last four years, a partnership with Ogilvy for use-what-you’ve-got recipes, a Smart Jar that revealed hidden messages when placed in fridges at 5°C or lower, a Meal Reveal tool to provide recipe ideas from what people have in their fridges, and a collaboration with Italy’s ID.Eight to launch a collection of sneakers made from food waste.

That said, Unilever itself is walking back on several of its climate pledges, including abandoning its goal of cutting food waste in its operations by 50% by 2025. Its commitment to roll out carbon labels on the packaging of all 75,000 of its products by 2026 seems to be forgotten too. “It is possible that some of our brands may wish to communicate product carbon footprints in the future, and for this having accurate data is essential,” a company representative told Green Queen in April.

“We also know information must be provided in context to be meaningful to consumers,” they added, outlining that the business was “committed to improving transparency of GHG emissions” in its value chain. “Our collection of more accurate data will help Unilever to make more informed procurement decisions as we work towards our climate targets.

The post Is Hellmann’s Plant-Based Mayo Rebrand Proof That ‘Vegan’ Labels Hamper Sustainable Sales? appeared first on Green Queen.

The annual HackSummit is fast approaching. As one of Europe’s best climate events, it must deliver a sustainable catering menu – and it has. We speak to the team who designed it.

Later this month, food tech community FoodHack will host its third annual climate conference, the HackSummit, in Lausanne, Switzerland. It’s expected to convene climate activists, startups, entrepreneurs, investors, journalists, as well as food tech and sustainability stakeholders in a two-day showpiece that will also feature the first FoodTech World Cup.

Last year, Green Queen founding editor Sonalie Figueiras attended the event and described it as “truly incredible”, with a calibre of attendees that was “the best I’ve experienced”. She also outlined that all climate conferences should be free of animal products, should not create waste, and should have no plastic bottles – and the summit had delivered on all fronts.

Of particular note were the apples in the conference, which sported some neat customised Hack branding. Sourced from Biofruits, these apples are making a return this year – as is a fully vegan menu that dials up the flavour and spotlights the health credentials of alternative proteins.

Curated by chef Brice Jacverza, the menu has a global tint to it, complete with zero-waste compostable utensils by Originnovation. For breakfast, guests have the choice of the aforementioned apples, Swiss retailer Migros’s own-label V-Love Vegurts in four flavours, MeliBio’s Vegan Ohney, and sweet and savoury brioches from Dutch startup Revyve, which makes proteins and ingredients from brewer’s yeast.

Revyve also appears on the lunch menu with its minced meat making up the filling of Khinkali dumplings (which come alongside a Georgian-style salad). Other lunch dishes include Asian-style ‘burgers’ with Planted’s hoisin duck, TiNDLE Foods‘ crispy chicken wings with Asian coleslaw, Redefine Meat’s lamb kebabs with pea salad, hummus and flatbread, Better Nature’s tempeh (with Indian spices) served with rice and vegetables, and tacos with Vegan Zeastar’s shrimp, courgette guac and Mexican salsa.

These lunch options will be available at the HackSummit Festival Food Trucks. Attendees can also get their hands on BettaF!sh’s vegan tuna sandwiches as an on-the-go option. And for dessert, Migros will provide its mini marble cakes and chocolate bars, and Paleta Loca will serve its artisanal ice cream.

The 2024 HackSummit features two coffee options. There’s espresso from GoodLife Espressos, and, if you’re after a filter, look no further than the beanless option by Dutch producer Northern Wonder. Guests can also opt for teas from ChariTea, and kombucha and super mate from Supernatural Soft Drinks. Swedish pea milk brand Sproud is the milk choice, and Be WTR will install water fountains for both still and sparkling water.

It’s a mouth-watering menu that seems as well thought out as it is climate-friendly. What went behind all the decisions? We speak to Fascal Hukker, event manager at FoodHack, to find out how the HackSummit brought together the menu.

This interview has been lightly edited for clarity and style.

Green Queen: How and why did you choose the brands for the specific products? Do you prioritise local startups?

Fascal Hukker: It all starts with creating a great concept. We wanted three things: to go 100% vegan, offer a healthier menu, and to serve meals which are fun. Healthier meant adding more vegetables and fibre in the dishes. And more fun meant more colours and different cuisines from around the world. 

We started by looking for startups who could match all three of these requirements. For drinks and desserts, we love to work with local startups and companies. They are part of our community and, in turn, they can meet other innovators at the event. 

At the 2023 HackSummit, our ice cream partner Paleta Loca met a packaging company and, since then, they have been working together on more sustainable packaging, which really shows the power of local collaboration.

GQ: What kind of different food technologies does the menu represent?

FH: Fermentation, extrusion technology, mycelium.

GQ: Can you tell us more about the chefs, and why you chose these flavour combinations and cuisines for the products?

FH: Our head chef Brice and I first worked out the concept in specific dishes, we wanted to cover multiple international cuisines. So we selected the products first, and found partners. Then Brice selected chefs from individual food trucks that he was confident could cook these kinds of dishes.

We delivered test products so they could try them before in the kitchen and work out the best-tasting options. Brice did culinary art direction on it and that resulted in the menu. 

You need to believe in good taste to start with and have an amazing chef to believe in making it happen.

GQ: Have the chefs worked with alternative proteins before?

FH: Some of the chefs have worked with alternative proteins before because they were involved in last year’s HackSummit. But to others, it’s completely new. They are all willing to try and create test dishes to find the best application of the products, and I can tell you it looks very promising.

GQ: Where can attendees find the on-the-go snacks, desserts and drinks?

FH: The snacks and drinks will be spread out throughout the venue. We created several coffee and water stations, which will have snacks and Hack-branded apples on the side. The main bar will serve a larger array of drinks in cans, as well as still and sparkling water from BE WTR. 

Desserts will be served after lunch, and we will treat our guests to local vegan ice creams from Paleta Loca.

GQ: What was the motivation behind choosing Goodlife over other specialty coffee brands?

FH: Our main coffee sponsor is Northern Wonder, which will serve coffee-free coffee from its own coffee machines across five stations in the venue. 

GoodLife Coffee supplies the traditional coffee beans served at one coffee station. Those will be sponsored by Algrano, which helps roasters and farmers connect to make direct trade easier and with more transparency via its online platform.

GQ: What made you go with Sproud over other plant-based milk makers?

FH: We worked with Sproud in 2022, and our audience loved it then. So, when we were looking for an alternative milk partner, it was an easy pick.

GQ: How are you dealing with the potential waste generated both from leftovers and packaging?

FH: For fresh and packaged food and drink products that are left over, we are working with Table Suisse. This organisation picks up the leftover products and distributes them to 500 regional centres for those in need, such as shelters for the homeless, soup kitchens, emergency shelters, and women’s shelters.

For the packaging part, we focused on avoiding the most wasteful packaging, so we are ordering aluminium cans instead of glass bottles and are serving water from taps with reusable cups that will be washed and cleaned. We also work with suppliers that use wrapping materials that can be recycled.

We are also partnering with Originnovation to offer 100% food-grade disposable tableware for our attendees. The packaging and tableware can be placed in the food waste treatment system and the packaging contains paper and PBAT – when shredded, the packaging paper composts within six months.

GQ: What is the message behind the HackSummit menu? What do you want people to take away from it?

FH: The message is clear, as our event concept is Welcome to the Hack Arena, where we Hack the Food and Climate space. So we will serve food that matches that ambition and spirit. 

We want to serve the stadium the food of the future. Good fast food. Good for people and the planet that’s vegan, fun and healthy. By serving great-tasting, sustainable foods we hope to showcase how it can add so much fun and memorable experiences to an event. 

I want people to take away that it’s the dish that counts and not the ingredients – this way, we can do so much good for the planet by eating delicious, sustainable food.

HackSummit will be held at the Beaulieu Congress Center in Lausanne on June 13 and 14.

The post What Do You Eat at Europe’s Top Climate Tech Conference? appeared first on Green Queen.