© Formo

Politics & Law

EU Biotech Act Excludes Novel Foods From Regulatory Sandboxes in “Missed Opportunity”

The European Commission has published the new Biotech Act, which aims to boost the EU’s global competitiveness in biotechnology. The Act is mainly focused on the health sector, but also includes measures that could help commercialise the findings of European researchers working on techniques such as precision fermentation. Nonprofit think tank GFI Europe has welcomed parts of the Act, including plans to expand the advice regulators provide to innovators bringing …

more

The Protein Brewery

© The Protein Brewery

Politics & Law

Netherlands First EU Country to Approve Public Tastings of Fermentation-Based Foods

The Netherlands has become the first EU country to allow public tastings of novel foods produced through fermentation. This new policy applies to products made using precision and biomass fermentation techniques, including animal-free alternatives such as cheese, eggs, and fats. Under this policy, companies can host tasting events for these fermentation-based products prior to receiving full market authorization. The tastings will take place in controlled environments, with safety protocols in …

more

Tufts GFI

© GFI

Meat

GFI Acquires SCiFi Foods’ Cell Lines, Joins Tufts to Fast-Track Cultivated Meat Research

The Good Food Institute (GFI) has acquired crucial cell lines and growth media from SCiFi Foods, a cultivated meat company that ceased operations in mid-2024. In partnership with Tufts University Center for Cellular Agriculture (TUCCA), GFI plans to make these resources publicly available for academic and industry research, a move expected to reduce costs and speed up development in the cultivated meat sector. The acquisition includes specific bovine cell lines …

more

Tetra Pak New Food Technology Development Centre

© Tetra Pak

Studies & Numbers

Report Says European Alternative Protein Research Has Tripled Since 2020

A new analysis by GFI Europe has found that alternative protein research in Europe is growing at a rapid rate. Since 2020, the number of studies published and the levels of public funding received have almost tripled. Last year, 798 academic research papers were published examining plant-based foods, fermentation-made foods, and cultivated meat or ingredients; this figure is up 282% compared to 2020. Furthermore, public funding for the field expanded …

more

Adamo Foods' fungi-based steak

© Adamo Foods

Fermentation

Research Says New Fermentation Methods Could Add Almost £10B to UK Economy by 2050

New research conducted by Systemiq, with support from GFI Europe, has estimated that innovative methods of producing food using fermentation could add £9.8 billion to the UK economy by 2050. However, this will only hold true if the right support is in place. The analysis modelled a range of scenarios to assess how fermentation techniques could fuel economic growth in the UK food and drink sector. It estimated the potential …

more

seaweed stock

Image: Oleksandr Sushko on Unsplash

Algae, Microalgae & Seaweed

Seaweed-Based Growth Media Could Replace Traditional Cell Culture Media in Cultivated Meat Production

A new research project led by James Cook University (JCU) and the Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT) is investigating the use of seaweed as a potential alternative to traditional cell culture media in the production of cultivated meat and seafood. This initiative seeks to address the challenges of sustainability, cost, and ethics in cellular agriculture by utilizing seaweed’s abundance and fast-growing nature. Turning seaweed into meat The project, named SeaToMeat …

more

Cultivated bacon on top of a burger

Image courtesy of Uncommon

Politics & Law

Cultivated & Fermented Foods Could Receive Increased Support Through UK Government’s Industrial Strategy

The UK government has published a new Industrial Strategy that pledges £184 million to boost the country’s engineering biology industry by building and upgrading pilot and scale-up facilities. The pledge has been made under the strategy’s Digital and Technologies Sector Plan, and could benefit producers of cultivated meat, cultivated ingredients, and fermentation-based foods. The plan specifically highlights London-based cultivated meat startup Multus to illustrate how clusters of engineering biology expertise …

more

Vegan Egg White

© The Every Co.

Fermentation

UK Government Invests £1.4M to Expand Food Standards Agency’s Precision Fermentation Expertise

The UK government has announced it is investing £1.4 million in a new innovation hub that aims to expand the expertise of the Food Standards Agency (FSA) in new technologies such as precision fermentation. Precision fermentation involves the use of microorganisms such as yeast to make ingredients like whey protein without the use of animals. The process has been used for decades to produce ingredients such as rennet for cheesemaking, …

more

Planted fermented steak

© PlantedFoodsAG

Studies & Numbers

Alternative Proteins Could Create Up to 250,000 Future-Proof Jobs in Germany By 2045

A recent study by the consultancy firm Systemiq has examined how alternative protein sources in Germany could promote economic growth and open up new trade opportunities. It shows how many sustainable jobs could be created in this growing sector, what impact a diversified protein supply could have on climate and environmental protection and what measures are needed to position Germany as an innovation leader in this area. The study “A Taste of Tomorrow: …

more

microbial protein Formo cheese gratin

© Formo

Fermentation

GFI and Accenture Release Precision Fermentation Consumer Research Across Five Markets

A recent study by the Good Food Institute (GFI), conducted in collaboration with Accenture, has examined consumer attitudes and preferences toward precision fermentation (PF) products in five key markets: France, Germany, Spain, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The research explores how consumers perceive PF-produced dairy and egg ingredients, offering insights into effective communication strategies for this emerging food technology. Precision fermentation and its applications Precision fermentation uses microorganisms, …

more