January in review: Plant-based innovation, zero-alcohol solutions and greenwashing clampdown

29 Jan 2024 --- The year has begun with food tech innovations, regulation advancements in the cultivated meat space, AI-powered solutions, eco-labeling policy developments and annual campaigns like Veganuary and Dry January.

In the first of a new series for Food Ingredients First, we recap the most significant stories of the month to make sure you haven’t missed key highlights from the F&B industry.

Among this month’s news, we look at some of the hottest topics, market dynamics and trends while speaking to some of the most prominent players in the industry.

January
3D-printed eel from Steakholder Foods poised as 2024’s first alt-seafood “catch”
A key innovation from January was the 3D-printed eel from Steakholder Foods. 

The company accurately replicated the complex texture of eel, achieved through precision layering and a unique combination of materials in its proprietary 3D-printing technology. The alternative eel is based on plant-based ingredients and expected to include cultivated eel cells in the future, as economies of scale allow price-competitive cell development.

South Korea banned dog meat as more citizens recognize the animals as pets.South Korea bans dog meat industry as pet ownership proliferates
January saw South Korea make an “historic” move to ban dog meat. The country’s National Assembly voted to outlaw its dog meat industry amid rising political and public pressure to recognize the animals as companions rather than food. Animal welfare groups welcome the new law but want protection extended to other sentient creatures. There will be a phase-out period with forecasts the law will come into full force in three years. Penalties for breaching the new law will include up to three years imprisonment and fines.

Veganuary: Plant-based innovators sharpen focus on clean label as green gastronomy marches into 2024
In a January-specific campaign, Veganuary, we looked into how consumer calls for more compelling plant-based options are rising. As the alt-protein space continues to innovate a diverse range of non-meat options and dairy substitutes, manufacturers and brands know they have more to do to overcome roadblocks in the vegan arena, particularly in terms of cleaning up their label and ingredient lists.

Barry Callebaut unlocks new categories for Cabosse Naturals’ cacaofruit innovation
Barry Callebaut’s brand Cabosse Naturals broke into the wine segment with its upcycled cacao fruit. Adding value back into an often discarded byproduct from the chocolate industry, the solution has already proven its worth applicability across a line of ingredients, including cacao fruit juice, pulp, concentrate and powder. The upcycled cacaofruit innovation has been utilized for a range of beers, but now Cabosse Naturals, a subsidiary of the chocolate and cocoa giant, expects cacao fruit to excel in 2024 with more beer and now wine brands exploring its flavor.

Dry January: Alcohol-free beer innovation pivotal to health movement amid labeling challenges
We spoke with Alcohol Change, the organization behind the Dry January movement, who explained how low- and no-alcohol beers are crucial to the success of the campaign. Reduced alcohol is now a year-round consideration for the increasingly health-conscious consumer, but market barriers — particularly around product labeling — persist. The global market is responding to the growing demand for hangover-free beers while non-alcoholic novel beverages like Bubble Tea are proliferating in Asia-Pacific.

Consumers are shifting toward no and low alcohol beers due to health concerns.M&A activity doubles in UK F&B sector as plant-based firms feel post-pandemic pressure
Merger and acquisition activity in the UK food and beverage sector was spotlighted to have increased in 2023 despite the macroeconomic issues that plagued 2022 continuing to suppress higher value deals in the first half of last year, according to a new report by Oghma Partners. Meanwhile, 2023 was a particularly challenging year for the plant-based market amid cost pressures and diminishing post-COVID health concerns.

Deforestation-free supply chains: ADM’s traceable soybean pilot ships to Europe
In a bid to combat deforestation ahead of new EU rules, ADM spoke to us about expanding its traceable soybean pilot and regenerative agriculture initiatives. The commodities giant loaded and shipped the first vessels of verified, fully traceable soybeans from the US to Europe and intends to expand these capabilities to other key locations across North America in the 2024 growing season.

EU AI Act: Prepare now for major artificial intelligence law, says Rabobank analyst
Food corporations are transforming their businesses through AI but should prepare now for the incoming EU AI Act, according to Julia Buech, a senior consumer foods analyst at Rabo Research Food & Agribusiness. The world’s first major AI regulation, which is expected to come into full force in 2026, will limit AI systems based on their risks to society. Buech spoke to Food Ingredients First about the “lawless jungle” surrounding AI and how this forthcoming directive could help fix that. 

On the theme of AI, Danish company Too Good To Go unveiled an AI-powered solution that helps supermarkets verify the expiry date of food products and reduce the number of expired products on shelves. Meanwhile, farmers offer a mixed bag of perspectives on cultured meat in a new study.

The EU AI act is expected to come into full force in 2026 and will limit AI systems based on their risks to society.EU braces for ban on unverified eco-claims as concerns grow over greenwashing and intensive farming
EU Parliament gave the green light to the Green Claims Directive that will ultimately ban the use of “misleading” environmental claims across food sold in Europe. MEPs zeroed in on sustainability labels, causing “confusion by their proliferation” and targeting companies failing to use “comparative data” in marketing their products. While the food industry expects all green claims on products to require adherence to established Product Environment Footprint calculations, but the organic sector argues these rules represent only a “minor component” in a holistic evaluation — with some cautioning it will only boost intensive agriculture.

Dutch cultivated meat and seafood companies gear up for first legally sanctioned cell-based tastings
Meatable submitted its dossier to hold the first legally sanctioned cultivated meat tasting in the Netherlands following the launch of an independent Expert Committee to evaluate requests for cultivated meat and seafood tastings. We examined how allowing tastings is pivotal to the development of the burgeoning cell-based industry. We also spotlighted some of the Dutch companies expected to apply for tastings and push ahead on receiving EU regulation of their cell-based products. 

By Gaynor Selby