Pacifico Biolabs: “We Could Produce Enough Mycelium to Replace All European Chicken Consumption Using Idle Brewery Capacity”
Zac Austin is co-founder and CEO of Pacifico Biolabs. After graduating from the University of Cambridge, he began his career at McKinsey in London, working as a consultant across a range of industries. In 2020, he joined the UK Government’s Covid Task Force as Assistant Director in the Cabinet Office, focusing on national healthcare. The following year, he moved to Berlin to take on the role of Head of Special …
AMSilk Appoints Former Evolva CEO Christian Wichert as New Chief Executive
German biotech materials company AMSilk has named Christian Wichert as its new Chief Executive Officer. He succeeds Ulrich Scherbel, who will take on the role of Chief Operating Officer for AMSilk’s Premium Filaments division. AMSilk, headquartered in Neuried near Munich, produces silk proteins through precision fermentation rather than traditional sericulture, supplying biodegradable fibers and ingredients to the textile, automotive, medical and consumer care sectors. Wichert commented, “AMSilk is a true …
EU Backs Vivici With €12.5M as Conventional Whey Supply Tightens
Dutch precision fermentation company Vivici has secured €12.5 million in funding from the European Innovation Council (EIC) Accelerator Program. The company will use the award to scale market access and supply of its Vivitein™ ingredient portfolio. Vivici was selected following an evaluation process that included an interview before a jury of investors and entrepreneurs, which named the company among 38 start-ups and SMEs receiving support in its latest funding round. …
Business Finland Commits EUR 77.8M to Solar Foods’ Industrial Solein Facility
Finnish food technology company Solar Foods has secured EUR 77.8 million in combined public financing for the construction and commissioning of Factory 02, its planned industrial-scale Solein production facility in Selkäharju, Lappeenranta. The package, approved by Business Finland, comprises a EUR 39.6 million grant and a EUR 38.1 million R&D loan under the EU’s IPCEI (Important Projects of Common European Interest) framework. Both are conditional on Solar Foods reaching a …
Investment Climate Podcast: Jaap Zijlstra of Navus on Why “Process Tech” is the Missing Link in Scaling AgriFood
In this podcast series, Alex Shandrovsky interviews investors about benchmarks for funding Alt Proteins in 2026 and uncovers the investment playbooks of successful Climate Tech CEOs and Leading VCs. Podcast Host Alex Shandrovksy is a strategic advisor to numerous global food tech accelerators and companies, including alternative proteins and cellular agriculture leaders. His focus is on investor relations and post-raise scale for agrifood tech companies. This podcast is syndicated through …
The Protein Brewery’s Fermotein Wins EU Novel Food Authorisation as First Approved Mycelium Ingredient
Dutch food ingredients company The Protein Brewery has received European Commission authorisation to sell its mycelium ingredient Fermotein in the EU, becoming the first novel mycelium ingredient to clear the EU Novel Food framework. The European Commission adopted the Implementing Regulation on 17 June 2026, formally adding Rhizomucor pusillus mycelium to the Union list of authorised novel foods under Regulation (EU) 2015/2283. The regulation will enter into force 20 days …
EU Parliament Passes Plant-Based and Cultivated Meat Labelling Ban with Large Majority
The European Parliament has voted to ban a range of meat-related terms from use on plant-based and cultivated food products, concluding a legislative process that had been deadlocked since late 2025. The plenary vote passed 560 in favour, 75 against, and 25 abstentions. The regulation, part of a package of measures under the Common Market Organisation designed to strengthen farmers’ position in the food supply chain, formally defines meat as …
The EVERY Company Quadruples OvoPro Capacity After Orders Surge 550% in Four Months
The EVERY Company has agreed a manufacturing expansion with Bulgarian pharmaceutical group Huvepharma that will quadruple production capacity for OvoPro, its precision-fermented ovalbumin protein, following a period of sharp commercial growth. The agreement tasks Huvepharma’s manufacturing subsidiary, Biovet AD, with scaling output at its fermentation sites in Bulgaria, which hold over 9 million litres of installed fermentation capacity. According to the company, EVERY recorded annual orders in the first four …
Five Alternative Protein Companies Named in TIME’s World’s Top GreenTech Ranking
Five companies from the alternative protein sector have been included in TIME magazine’s second annual World’s Top GreenTech Companies list, published in partnership with data firm Statista. The 250-company ranking covers businesses across sectors, including renewable energy, carbon capture, mobility, and food technology, evaluated on environmental impact, financial strength, and innovation. Who made the list Israeli plant-based meat producer Redefine Meat earned the highest food-sector ranking, placing 22nd overall with …
Seprify: “Reformulating Away From Titanium Dioxide Is No Longer a Future Consideration but an Immediate Requirement”
As food manufacturers across Europe scramble to reformulate products following the EU ban on titanium dioxide, Swiss biomaterials company Seprify has developed a plant-based alternative derived from FSC-certified wood pulp. The Marly-based startup, which spun out of the University of Cambridge and the University of Fribourg, produces cellulose-based white pigments designed to replicate the opacity and brightness that titanium dioxide has long provided in food applications. The company recently closed …