Weekly Roundup: Good Meat cultivated chicken satay debuts, Retailers fund UK pig farmers during export crisis

20 May 2022 --- In industry news this week, Good Meat launched its cultivated chicken satay and Impossible Foods brought out its plant-based chicken nuggets and sausage patties. Meanwhile, Waitrose has come forward to financially support UK pig farmers facing an export crisis and Tesco has also increased funding to pay pig farmers.

In brief: NPD
Singapore-based company Good Meat, the cultivated meat division of Eat Just, launched its chicken satay at Michelin-plate hawker Keng Eng Kee (KEK). The family-run hawker will serve the satay with cucumber slaw, peanut sauce, Singapore bee hoon (stir fried rice vermicelli) and KEK signature tofu. This is the first time the new product will be served to the public. Francis Mallmann, the chef who introduced open-fire cooking was a special guest at Good Meat’s three-day KEK pop-up. He will launch it at one of his restaurants in South America. 

US plant-based food company Impossible Foods debuted in the UK with the launch of Impossible “Chicken” Nuggets and Impossible Sausage Patties. This is the fourth new market the company has expanded to in nine months, following its flagship Impossible Burger launch in Australia, New Zealand and the United Arab Emirates in 2021. The company plans to launch its product portfolio in the UK, including heme (soy leghemoglobin), a key ingredient in its products.

In brief: Business moves
Good Meat cultivated chicken satay has been through a public tasting phaseWaitrose introduced a support package for its UK pork farmers of up to £16 million (US$20 million) in light of an export crisis. Foreign exports of pork have fallen significantly. In addition, supply far outstrips demand, causing meat prices to plummet. At the same time, production costs have risen sharply, with the cost of feed rising steeply due to the war in Ukraine. As a result, many British pork farmers are struggling to stay afloat. The issue has been further compounded by a shortage of trained butchers in the UK, meaning farmers cannot process their existing livestock, resulting in a further loss of sales. Waitrose will cover the total cost of rearing and producing pigs including labor, feed and fuel.

Tesco has also issued extra funding for UK pig farmers of £10 million (US$12 million) as the industry continues to face challenges related to increases in on-farm costs including feed such as wheat and soya. The accelerated and enhanced payment plan will see Tesco suppliers increase payments to farmers until August 2022. 

Nactis Flavours relocated its head office to a new Lieusaint facility. The process will be complete in 2023. With the new facility, the company will meet technological requirements expected by customers. 

In brief: Other highlightsImpossible "Chicken" Nuggets has been newly launched by the brand.
The UK reported a cluster of monophasic salmonella typhimurium sequence type 34 infection cases. The outbreak has evolved rapidly, with children most at risk for severe infection. Epidemiological investigations suggested specific chocolate products of a processing plant in Belgium as likely vehicles of infection. The closure of the plant and the global recall of all their products have reduced the risk of exposure. However, eight cases cannot be explained by consumption of chocolate products such as those manufactured at the plant, suggesting that there may also be other sources of infection.

The US Department of Agriculture has issued emergency relief payments totaling approximately US$6 billion to commodity and specialty crop producers impacted by natural disaster events in 2020 and 2021. The funds have been made available through the Farm Service Agency’s (FSA) new Emergency Relief Program (ERP) to offset crop yield and value losses. 

Researchers from Wageningen University & Research, Aarhus University, University of Copenhagen, Aalborg University and the University of California, US are joining forces in a new project called the Pig-Paradigm. The Novo Nordisk Foundation is funding the project with €20.1 million (US$21 million) to find solutions to antimicrobial resistance (AMR) from pig production. Antibiotic use – a significant driver of AMR – is increasing worldwide. The WHO predicts that in 30 years, antimicrobial resistance will become the third leading cause of death globally. The collaboration will pool expertise, technologies and animal studies to find new solutions to the problem.UK pig farming has received financial support as it weathers an export crisis.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations’ director-general Qu Dongyu called for the transformation of agri-food systems to make them more inclusive, economically viable and resilient to multiple shocks with less negative impact on the environment. 

#EUChooseSafeFood, a regional campaign that offers practical information to consumers when buying food, conducted a survey to answer a few pertinent questions asked by European consumers. Primarily targeting 25 to 45-year-old citizens, the campaign will also explain EFSA’s role in contributing to European legislation that protects consumers and the entire food chain. Building on a successful first phase, a second year of the campaign has been launched to cover new topics. The questions include: “What’s the difference between a ‘use by’ and ‘best before’ date on my food labels? Are there food hygiene rules I should stick to at home to keep my family safe? Should I be concerned about food additives?”. An #EUChooseSafeFood toolkit including visuals, short films and social media posts is available in different languages.

By Inga de Jong