Mission Barns

© Mission Barns

Approvals

Mission Barns Receives FDA Approval for Cultivated Pork Fat, Announces Restaurant & Retail Launches

Cultivated meat company Mission Barns has received a “No Questions” letter from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which is said to make the company the first in the world to receive regulatory clearance for cultivated pork fat. The letter indicates that the FDA has completed a rigorous evaluation of Mission Barns’ safety assessment for its cultivated fat, and is satisfied that the product is “as safe as comparable …

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© Future Food-Tech

Fairs & Events

Future Food-Tech San Francisco 2025: 61 Startups to Showcase the Future of Food

The upcoming Future Food-Tech Summit, set to take place in San Francisco on March 13-14, 2025, will feature 61 startups and scale-ups presenting innovations in food technology. The event, recognized as a hub for investment and collaboration, will address industry challenges such as sustainability, nutrition, and global food security. As part of the summit, Puratos has named three finalists—Future Biome, Postbiotics, and Solarea Bio—for its Gut Health Innovation Challenge. These …

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Whole pizza in close up with New Culture cheese melt

© New Culture

Approvals

New Culture Submits Animal-Free Mozzarella Product Label to California Department of Food and Agriculture

Animal-free dairy producer New Culture has submitted the product label and registration for its mozzarella to the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA). It is believed to be the first time a label for a product made with animal-free casein has been submitted to the department for review. Produced using precision fermentation, New Culture’s casein enables animal-free cheeses to melt, stretch, bubble, and brown. Traditional cheesemaking techniques are used …

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© Oobli

Protein

Oobli Gains FDA Nod for Sweet Protein Monellin, Expands Portfolio of Zero Glycemic Impact Sweeteners

US sweet protein developer Oobli (formerly Joywell Foods) announces that it has received the FDA’s first “no questions” letter for its monellin sweet protein, produced via precision fermentation. With the letter, the FDA confirmed that Oobli’s monellin is safe to use as a sweetener in food and beverages. The acknowledgment follows a previous FDA approval of brazzein, another sweet-tasting protein. Monellin is originally found in the serendipity berry of the …

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Dog puppy food

© Gorilla - stock.adobe.com

Pet Food

Friends & Family & Novel Farms to Launch Cultivated Meat Products for Pets by 2025

California’s Friends & Family Pet Food Co., a startup developing feed options with sustainable proteins, is collaborating with Novel Farms, a cell ag startup also based in California, to introduce cultivated meat products for dogs and cats. Reportedly, the companies are in the testing and prototyping stages, aiming for a product line launch in 2025, targeting the San Francisco Bay Area. The resulting pet food products will combine cultivated meat with …

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Mycoprotein meatballs

Image courtesy of The Better Meat Co.

Fungi, Mushrooms & Mycelium

The Better Meat Co. Expands to Asia with Singapore Approval for Rhiza Mycoprotein

California’s The Better Meat Co. (BMC) announces it has received approval from the Singapore Food Authority to sell its flagship, single-ingredient Rhiza mycoprotein in the country. The approval confirms that Neurospora crassa, the fungi genus that BMC uses in its biomass fermentation process to make the mycoprotein, is safe for human consumption. Neurospora crassa has been traditionally used in Asian foods such as tempeh and oncom, but it has never been used …

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California Cultured cell cultivated chocolate

© California Cultured

Plant Cell Cultivation

Chocolate Giant Puratos Makes Strategic Investment in California Cultured’s Cell-Based Cacao

California Cultured, a startup pioneering plant cell culture to produce cacao, has received an undisclosed investment from Sparkalis, the food tech venture arm of the Belgian international group Puratos. The new capital will fund the startup’s scaling operations at an upcoming new facility (currently under construction) to bring a cell-based cocoa powder product to the market. Filip Arnaut, managing director of Sparkalis, commented: “At Sparkalis, we seek out visionary startups …

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San Francisco-based The EVERY Co. has been granted a new patent (US 12/096,784 ) covering the scope and use of its precision fermentation-derived ovalbumin.

© The Every Company

Company News

The EVERY Company Secures Patent for Fermented Ovalbumin — the Key Protein Behind its Animal-Free Ingredients

San Francisco-based The Every Company has been granted a new patent (US 12/096,784 ) covering the scope and use of its precision fermentation-derived ovalbumin. The scope of the patent includes wild-type ovalbumin variants with performance enhancements and extends to ovalbumin sourced from various avian species, produced using yeast and fungal strains like Pichia, Trichoderma, Saccharomyces, and Aspergillus. The patent covers the use of the novel protein in a wide range of food …

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© MISTA

Startups, Accelerators & Incubators

MISTA Growth Hack Selects Biomass Fermentation as Key Theme for 2024

A unique collaboration of 14 early-stage food tech startups, eight leading global food companies, and key partners, including Accenture, the Good Food Institute, and SOSV, will be part of the 2024 MISTA Growth Hack. MISTA, a food innovation platform, and a Givaudan entity, aims to bring new sustainable ingredients and technologies to life to feed the planet. This year’s Growth Hack aims to develop integrated, nutritious, affordable, and sustainable foods, …

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Perfect Day's animal-free whey protein in whipped cream.

© Perfect Day

Investments & Finance

Pharmaceutical Giant Zydus & Perfect Day Partner to Make India an Animal-Free Protein Hub

Pharmaceutical giant Zydus Lifesciences has announced an agreement to acquire a 50% stake in Sterling Biotech, a manufacturing company based in Mumbai, purchased by the Californian biotech Perfect Day from bankruptcy for $78 million in 2022. Both Zydus and Perfect Day will have equal representation on Sterling Biotech’s Board post-transaction. It is worth highlighting that India is the world’s largest milk producer, contributing 25% of global milk production. According to …

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