In industry news this week, Lesaffre is bolstering its presence in Brazil by constructing a new yeast plant forecast to be complete in 2024, while ProVeg Incubator opened applications for cohorts of alternative protein start-ups. Cocuus raised US$27 million for its process of producing plant or cell-based animal protein food analogs, and Olam launched its climate-tech venture, Terrascope.
In brief: Business moves
PerkinElmer made its ready-to-use, Microfast microbial count plates for food safety testing available globally. The microfilm plates are designed to provide efficient, effective, and user-friendly quantification of aerobic, E. coli, coliform, Enterobacteriaceae, yeast and mold and staphylococcus aureus contamination in dairy, meat, poultry, fruit, vegetable, baked goods and environmental surface samples. All six plate types have received AOAC Performance Tested Methods certification.
Chlorella Industry received US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Generally Recognized As Safe (GRAS) certification for its chlorella powder product for domestic cultivation and production. Chlorella is used in green food coloring and the prevention of color fading. It is used in various foods such as health foods and supplements, bread and noodles, confectionery, probiotic beverages, smoothies, protein bars and green curry.
Standard Meat Company acquired Syracuse Sausage of Ponder. Headquartered in Texas, US, the company specializes in meat science, food safety and quality assurance, culinary trends, purchasing and packaging.
The Food and Drink Federation published a Trade and Investment Strategy that promotes the interests of the UK’s food and drink industry to deliver growth and strengthen choice. The FDF aims to drive exports, ensuring the UK is a global hub for innovation and R&D investment and ensuring imports support consumer choice, affordability and local food security.
Lesaffre strengthened its presence in Brazil by constructing a new yeast plant. The facility will open in 2024 and promote the circular economy through a partnership with Cocal. Lesaffre’s activities currently based in the region include baking, nutrition, health, & biotech.
In brief: Funding rounds
Strella Biotechnology closed a series A funding round of US$8 million. Strella’s novel IoT biosensors and real-time data streaming measure the maturity or ripeness of fruit. Strella’s technology enables freshness to be monitored from harvest to grocery store shelf, helping to reduce food waste and drive product quality.
Fresho raised £8 million (US$10 million) in series A funding. More than 38,000 foodservice venues across the UK, Australia, New Zealand and the US use the company’s software solution, with more than £700 million (US$1 billion) processed through the platform annually. The real-time sales data enables suppliers to manage purchases more efficiently and helps eliminate waste.
Spanish start-up Cocuus raised €2.5 million (US$27 million) in its pre-series A funding round for its process of producing plant or cell-based animal protein food analogs. The company achieved this round after completing Eatable Adventures’ acceleration program. The start-up can now scale its business model and expand into other international markets.
In brief: Sustainability
ProVeg Incubator opened applications for upcoming cohorts of alt-protein start-ups. The ProVeg Incubator is particularly interested in receiving applications from start-ups developing egg, seafood, and chicken alternatives, as well as ingredients and technologies that can help substitute animal-derived staple products on a mass scale. According to ProVeg’s consumer survey, seafood alternatives, egg alternatives, plant-based cheese, and ready meals represent some of the biggest white spaces in food tech.
Having celebrated World Milk Day in Hong Kong for nine years, FrieslandCampina has committed to its core mission of “Nourishing by Nature” to promote the importance of dairy and moderate exercise for a healthy lifestyle. Hong Kong World Milk Day focuses on the important role of dairy products through all life stages and introduces a new corporate social responsibility initiative by launching the first “Milk Bank” program with Feeding Hong Kong.
Kellogg created InGrained, a five-year program to help Lower Mississippi River Basin rice farmers reduce their climate impact. Much of the rice used to make Kellogg’s Rice Krispies and Kellogg’s Special K cereals are from the region.
Angel Yeast has been granted the green electricity certificate by China Hubei Power Exchange Center and China Hubei Carbon Emissions Exchange. Angel Yeast is among the first 71 companies to receive the certificate in the Yichang province. The company agreed to purchase 9,012-megawatt-hours of electricity generated by solar and wind power, which accounts for 20% of the electricity used by Angel Yeast’s Yichang-based factory and allows it to offset 6,447 tons of carbon dioxide.
JBS invested R$ 26 milhões (US$ 5.33 million) in the Embrace the Pantanal initiative, which will combine qualified forestry brigades with analytical, operational and community impact data to avoid an estimated 15 million tons of CO2. The forest fire task force aims to protect 2.5 million hectares of the biome through early fire detection, extensive data analysis and rapid response.
McCain Foods unveiled plans for a second Farms of the Future in South Africa as part of its drive to cut carbon emissions. McCain has identified two locations totaling 465 hectares of irrigation and 90 hectares of dryland on which the company will grow 125 hectares of potatoes for use across the country annually. The farm will focus on enhancing productivity while prioritizing soil health, water efficiency, the reduction of agrochemical impacts and introducing and preserving biodiversity.
Olam launched its climate-tech venture, Terrascope, to empower companies to reduce their carbon emissions efficiently. Terrascope has measured more than 230 million metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions for companies including the F&B industry and agriculture. Commercial trials are underway in the UK, France, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia and Singapore.
General Mills and Ecosystem Services Market Consortium (ESMC) designed a roadmap to scale Eco-Harvest, ESMC’s market program that rewards farmers for beneficial environmental outcomes from regenerative agriculture. The roadmap focuses on priority regions in the US and Canada where General Mills sources its key ingredients, like wheat, oat, corn, and dairy.
In brief: Other highlights
Director-general of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, Qu Dongyu, urged Mediterranean countries to work together to mitigate food security risks further exacerbated by the war in Ukraine. He outlined four central axes across which cooperative efforts should be made – more investment in countries that are severely affected by the increase in food prices; reduction of food loss and waste; more efficient use of natural resources such as water and fertilizer; and focusing on technological and social innovations that can significantly reduce market failures in agriculture.
