Tate & Lyle Expands BioHarvest Deal to Develop Plant Cell-Cultivated Sweetener Range
Ingredient solutions company Tate & Lyle and Canadian biotech firm BioHarvest Sciences have expanded their joint development program to cover a broader range of plant-based sweetener molecules, building on an initial agreement signed in 2024. The enlarged program draws on BioHarvest’s Botanical Synthesis platform, a non-GMO industrial plant cell culture technology that produces plant-derived compounds without cultivating the whole plant, reducing dependence on conventional agricultural extraction for botanicals that are …
FDA Clears Precision Fermentation Lamb Protein for Dog Food in First for Pet Nutrition Sector
Bond Pet Foods and Hill’s Pet Nutrition have secured a Letter of No Objection from the US Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Veterinary Medicine for Lamb Protein Yeast, a fermentation-derived animal protein ingredient developed for use in dog food. The clearance is the first FDA GRAS notice completion for a precision fermentation protein ingredient targeting the pet food market. The ingredient was developed through a collaboration between Boulder, Colorado-based …
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 …
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. …
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 …
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 …
Standing Ovation Secures $34.2M to Bring Fermentation-Derived Casein to US Market
Paris-based Standing Ovation has closed a $34.2 million Series B round as it prepares to bring its precision fermentation-produced casein to commercial scale, with North America as its first target market. The round comprises $28.5 million in equity, co-led by Bpifrance’s Ecotechnologies 2 fund under the French government’s France 2030 initiative, and Crédit Mutuel Innovation, with participation from returning and new investors including Danone Ventures. A further $5.7 million in …
Investment Climate Podcast: Del Afonso of Harmony Baby Nutrition Shares How to Get Funded in 2026
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 …
Vivici Debuts Precision-Fermented Lactoferrin in the US Market
Dutch precision fermentation specialist Vivici has announced the U.S. launch of its lactoferrin ingredient, Vivitein™ LF. The company will showcase its portfolio of functional protein ingredients at Expo West 2026 in Anaheim. According to a company statement, Vivitein™ offers nutrition innovators a lactoferrin ingredient that overcomes the supply and cost constraints of traditional lactoferrin production: “Vivitein™ LF is produced through precision fermentation, unlocking access to one of dairy’s most valuable …