Cultimate Foods GmbH Files for Bankruptcy
The Berlin-based startup Cultimate Foods GmbH, a specialist in cell-cultured fat, has filed for bankruptcy with the Charlottenburg Local Court. By order dated April 30, 2026, a provisional bankruptcy administrator was appointed to assess the company’s financial situation and prospects for continued operations. It remains to be seen whether a restructuring is possible. Founded in 2022, the company specializes in the cultivation of animal fat. The fat is intended to …
California Cultured and UC Davis Team Up to Bring Lab-Grown Cocoa Closer to Market
Sacramento-based food-tech company California Cultured is collaborating with researchers at the University of California, Davis, to develop commercially viable cocoa produced via plant cell culture, with commercial powder production targeted for early 2027. The project, funded by grants from the National Science Foundation and BioMADE, focuses on reducing the cost of growing cacao cells in bioreactors. UC Davis scientists will work alongside California Cultured to optimize bioreactor design, improve cleaning …
Meatly Secures £10.4M Series A for 20,000-Litre Cultivated Meat Plant in London
UK cultivated meat company Meatly has closed a £10.4 million Series A round to fund construction of a 20,000-litre bioreactor facility in London, which would become the largest cultivated meat production site in Europe. Fit-out begins immediately, with product releases expected in 2027. The round brings total funding raised to £17.4 million, building on £7 million in seed capital from founding investor Agronomics and Pets at Home. Three new institutional …
Ovalbumin Patent Battle Narrows to Delaware as Wisconsin Court Drops Onego Bio Claim
A federal judge in Wisconsin has dismissed a lawsuit brought by Finnish precision fermentation company Onego Bio against The EVERY Company, ruling that the court lacks personal jurisdiction over the California-based defendant, AgFunderNews first reported. Parallel litigation in Delaware remains active. Background to the dispute The case originated in September 2025 and centers on a patent held by The EVERY Company covering ovalbumin production across a range of microbial hosts. …
MicroHarvest Expands European Pet Food Presence With 15 Products Due by Mid-2026
Hamburg-based MicroHarvest has confirmed more than 15 new pet food product launches scheduled for Q2 2026, as its fermentation-derived protein ingredient gains commercial traction across Germany and the UK. The company produces protein through biomass fermentation, feeding microbes on regional agri-food side streams in a 24-hour production cycle. The resulting ingredient is positioned as a low-carbon, hypoallergenic alternative to conventional meat proteins for cats and dogs, and is already on …
US Legislators Revive FAIR Labels Act With Tighter Restrictions on Alt Protein Labeling
A bipartisan group of US House and Senate members has reintroduced legislation that would impose federal labeling requirements on plant-based and cell-cultivated protein products, building on an earlier version of the same bill that circulated in 2024. The Fair and Accurate Ingredient Representation on Labels Act, known as the FAIR Labels Act of 2026, was introduced in the House on April 30 by Representatives Mark Alford, Mike Flood, and Buddy …
Solar Foods Secures €350,000 in EU Hydrogen Valley Project to Expand Solein Output
Finnish food technology company Solar Foods has joined BalticSeaH2, a large-scale EU-funded hydrogen initiative, receiving €350,000 to increase production capacity of Solein at its Factory 01 facility in Finland. BalticSeaH2 is a five-year project launched in June 2023 with a total budget of €33 million, of which €25 million comes from the EU’s Clean Hydrogen Partnership under RePowerEU. The consortium spans 40 partners across nine Baltic Sea countries and is …
Montreal Cell-Based Dairy Company Opalia Closes $3.2M Seed Round with Commercial Pilots Already Underway
Montreal-based Opalia has closed an initial $3.2 million CAD seed round to advance its cell-based milk platform, having already secured paid pre-commercial pilot agreements with several established dairy players before reaching market. The round was led by Nàdarra Ventures, with participation from Spring Capital, UCEED, and Anges Quebec, alongside existing backers Investissement Québec, Cycle Momentum, and BoxOne Ventures. Whole milk without the cow Opalia uses mammary cells cultivated in bioreactors …
California Startup Fermeate Closes $2M Seed Round for Light-Based Fermentation Control Technology
California-based startup Fermeate has raised $2 million in seed funding to scale its optogenetics platform, which uses light signals to control gene expression inside microbial cells during fermentation. The round was led by Newfund Capital, with participation from SOSV and Ajinomoto Group Ventures. The technology inserts light-sensitive proteins into microbial strains, enabling manufacturers to activate or deactivate specific genes in real time. A targeted promoter directs which enzyme or protein …
AI-Integrated Fermentation Capacity Expands at Praj Matrix as India Targets Bio-Based Economy
Indian industrial biotech company Praj Industries has launched an Advanced Precision Fermentation Lab at its Praj Matrix R&D centre in Pune, India, alongside a formal research partnership with BRIC-NCCS (Biotechnology Research and Innovation Council – National Centre for Cell Science). The facility is designed to support high-capacity, AI-enabled fermentation processes across sectors, including food, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, biofuels, and beverages, with a stated focus on reducing scale-up risks and improving process …