Weekly Roundup: Veganz and Fraunhofer IME develop alt-meat protein source, EIT’s new cohort of agri-food start-ups

24 Jun 2022 --- In industry news this week, Veganz and Fraunhofer partnered to cultivate peas for alt-meat products, Growthwell Foods and Country Farms Group entered a partnership to expand the Happiee! brand into Malaysia and CTRL launched Meal On-The-Go Bars. Meanwhile, the World Bank will help Eastern and Southern Africa increase the resilience of its food systems with a US$2.3 billion program approval.

In brief: Business moves
Veganz and research organization Fraunhofer IME partnered on the cultivation of peas in vertical farming. The concept developed under the OrbiLoop/OrbiPlant brand allows for the cultivation and processing of agricultural produce to take place locally at a single location. Peas will be grown as a source of protein and processed directly into alternatives to meat, under the partnership. 

Singaporean food tech start-up Growthwell Foods and the Country Farms Group, owned by Berjaya Corporation Berhad, entered a distribution partnership to grant Country Farms Organics exclusive rights to its Happiee! product portfolio. The brand will be launched across retailers and food service channels in Malaysia.The Food Authenticity Network's information resource base provides information related to disruptions to the food and drink supply chain resulting from the war in Ukraine.

The Food Authenticity Network created an information resource base for stakeholders to signpost information related to potential or actual disruption to the food and drink supply chain resulting from the current conflict in Ukraine. The data is organized as “government information,” “industry information” and “events.”

EIT Food selected 61 high-impact agri-food start-ups to join the EIT Food Acceleration Network 2022. EIT Food is supported by the European Institute of Innovation and Technology . The chosen start-ups will benefit from industry connections, investment opportunities, programming, and resources to accelerate their growth and impact. 

In brief: Food insecurity
The World Bank approved a US$2.3 billion program to assist countries in Eastern and Southern Africa increase the resilience of the region’s food systems and tackle growing food insecurity. Food system shocks brought on by extreme weather, pest and disease outbreaks, political and market instability, as well as conflict are more frequent and severe, putting more people at risk of food insecurity. The war in Ukraine further exacerbates these effects by disrupting food, fuel and fertilizer markets. An estimated 66.4 million people in the region are projected to experience food stress, a food crisis, emergency, or famine by July.Ctrl is expanding its retail footprint. 

The European Commission adopted a proposal to mobilize €600 million (US$631 million) from the reserves of the European Development Fund to address the current food security crisis aggravated by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. These funds will support African, Caribbean and Pacific countries to cope with the dire situation through humanitarian assistance, sustainable food production, food systems resilience and macro-economic support.

In brief: NPD
Canadian start-up, Infuse Your Life Health Products unveiled G-Cubed, its flagship plant-based cardiovascular support proprietary blended liquid formula. The blend contains high magnesium levels of ginger, ginseng and black garlic in a water-soluble format.

Meal replacement brand CTRL launched Meal On-The-Go Bars to mark the company’s expansion into functional foods. In addition to growing its product line, CTRL recently closed a friends and family funding round, including LoudGG and content creators “Jimmy Here” and “Crispy Concords.” The capital will be used to expand its retail footprint, boost retail visibility and extend product lines.

In brief: Environmental sustainability
Lindt & Sprüngli made further progress in sourcing all cocoa through sustainability programs. The group reinforced its efforts to increase its volume of sustainably sourced cocoa butter. Two additional cocoa countries of origin have been added to the Lindt & Sprüngli Farming Program. 

In brief: Other highlightsThe AHDB has released new figures for antibiotic use in pigs.
The Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) reported new figures for the amount of antibiotics used to treat pigs on UK farms. In 2021, the number fell by 17%, bringing the total reduction since 2015 to 69%. 

Pernod Ricard signed an agreement to sell the Tormore Scotch Whisky brand and distillery to Elixir Distillers. The Tormore distillery has a capacity of nearly 5 million liters of alcohol a year. 

Bel Brands partnered with Land O’Lakes on a three-year pilot program to support adopting sustainable farming and animal feed production methods to improve soil health and reduce greenhouse gas emissions on one of its dairy farms. The program yielded a carbon sink of 784 pounds of carbon dioxide and received the Innovation Center for US Dairy Outstanding Supply Chain Collaboration Award. 

By Inga de Jong