Multus Launches Scalable, Food-Grade Basal Media for Cultivated Meat
Multus Biotechnology, a UK company producing growth media solutions for the cultivated meat industry, has announced the launch of its food-grade basal media, DMEM/F12. The media was developed in collaboration with several global food and feed ingredient companies, using AI to identify functionally equivalent ingredients from the food industry to replace those traditionally used in biopharmaceutical production. It is scalable and provides essentialnutrients such as sugars, salts, minerals, and vitamins …
BlueNalu Expands Partnership With Nomad Foods, Gains Acceptance Into UK Regulatory Sandbox
US-based cultivated seafood producer BlueNalu has announced an expansion of its partnership with leading European frozen food company Nomad Foods. The collaboration, which began in 2021, will support the future commercialization of cultivated seafood products in Europe. The companies will initially work on market-entry strategies in the UK, with a focus on premium food service and limited-time offerings. The news follows BlueNalu’s acceptance into the UK Food Standards Agency’s novel …
Scottish Enterprise Backs Green Bioactives with £1.1 Million Grant for Plant-Derived Product R&D
Green Bioactives, a Scottish biotechnology company specializing in sustainable plant-based natural products, has secured a grant of up to £1.1 million from Scottish Enterprise. This funding will support an 18-month research and development project focused on scaling up the production of plant-derived bioactive ingredients using the company’s proprietary Plant Cell Culture Technology platform. The project will help enhance the company’s ability to meet growing demand for eco-friendly and ethically sourced …
Ivy Farm Appoints Gail Francis to Lead Commercial Efforts for Premium Cultivated Wagyu Beef
Ivy Farm Technologies has appointed Gail Francis as its new Vice President of Commercial, effective immediately. Francis brings over 30 years of experience in the global food industry, having held leadership roles in major food manufacturers, brands, and startups across the UK, Europe, and international markets. Prior to joining Ivy Farm, Francis served as Director of Business Growth & Delivery at Naylor Nutrition. In this role, she was instrumental in …
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, …
Eight Companies Selected for UK’s First Cell-Cultivated Food Safety Programme
The UK Food Standards Agency (FSA) has selected eight companies to participate in a two-year regulatory programme focused on evaluating the safety of cell-cultivated products (CCPs). The initiative is funded by the Department of Science, Innovation and Technology’s Engineering Biology Sandbox Fund and will involve collaboration with academic institutions and industry representatives. The programme is designed to gather scientific evidence on the production and safety of CCPs, which will inform …
uFraction8 Secures £3.4M to Optimise Cell and Biomass Production
uFraction8, a Scottish biotech engineering company with a fully owned subsidiary in Poland, has secured £3.4 million in an investment round led by Foresight Group. The round also includes funding from the University of Edinburgh’s in-house venture investment fund Old College Capital, along with Scottish Enterprise, Alwyn Capital, Thia Ventures, and a grant from the Polish Agency for Enterprise Development. uFraction8 has developed microfiltration technology designed to optimise cell and …
Meatly: “As the Number of Cultivated Meat Companies Proliferates, We Hope to Set the Standard for the Industry”
Meatly is a cultivated meat company which became the first in Europe to receive regulatory approval after gaining clearance to sell cultivated chicken for pet food in the UK last year. The company achieved this milestone with a team of ten after raising just £3.5 million. Meatly also recently became the first company to be certified under C-Label, a new trademark for cultivated food products launched by V-Label. The certification …
Analysis: UK Government Has Invested £75M in Alternative Protein Innovation
A new analysis by GFI Europe has found that the UK government has invested £75 million in alternative protein innovation. This is more than half the total amount recommended by the National Food Strategy, a 2021 report led by businessman Henry Dimbleby. When the National Food Strategy was first published, there were concerns that the UK was at risk of falling behind other countries; however, GFI Europe says this is …
Meatly & THE PACK Launch “World’s First” Pet Food Containing Cultivated Meat
UK cultivated meat producer Meatly has partnered with plant-based pet food brand THE PACK to launch what is claimed to be the world’s first pet food made with cultivated meat. Called Chick Bites, the product combines plant-based ingredients with Meatly’s cultivated chicken, providing an alternative to traditional dog treats. A limited release of the product will be available at Pets at Home Brentford, London, from February 7. Pets at Home …