Source: The Spoon

Every week we track the business, tech and investment trends in CPG, retail, restaurants, agriculture, cooking and health, so you don’t have to. Here are some of this week’s top headlines.

In plant-based news, Simulate, the maker of plant-based Nuggs, has raised $50 million to speed the development of new products and expand internationally. Finless Foods has launched its first product, a plant-based raw tuna, as its cell-cultured sashimi is still in development. Geltor has debut its animal-free gelatin made from precision fermentation technology.

Last but not least, JBS was reported to dole out $11 million in bitcoin to a Russian hacking organization to resolve its ransomware attack and prevent a disruption in the meat supply chain.

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Check out our weekly round-up of last week’s top food startup, tech and innovation news below or peruse the full newsletter here.

1. Plant-Based NUGGS Maker Simulate Raises $50M from Ohanian Fund, McCain Foods – AFN

The company uses the mindset of software engineering to continually update its product, releasing new versions of its nuggets every time it makes improvements to their taste, texture, and other features.

2. JBS Paid $11 Million to Resolve Ransomware Attack – Wall Street Journal

The ransom payment, in bitcoin, was made to shield JBS meat plants from further disruption and to limit the potential impact on restaurants, grocery stores and farmers that rely on JBS.

3. China’s Race to Sell Groceries Online Is Getting Crowded – Wall Street Journal

Chinese grocery delivery startups MissFresh and Dingdong Maicai have filed to go public in the US as people continue shopping online for the delivery of everyday essentials.

4. Finless Foods Gears Up to Launch Its First Product… Plant-Based Tuna – Food Navigator

The plant-based substitute for raw tuna will be sold in foodservice channels in early 2022.

5. Geltor Debuts Animal-Free Collagen For Food and Beverage Markets – The Spoon

PrimaColl is a nature-identical replica of poultry collagen derived using precision fermentation technology.

6. Plant-Based Food Sector to Grow 100 Times Larger – Financial Review

A report on the shifts in the global food industry forecasts that global sales will climb from $14b to $1.4t within 30 years for plant-based food producers.

7. E-Grocer Hungryroot Raises $40M to Fuel Personalized Platform – Grocery Dive

The company, which uses artificial intelligence to build shopping carts for customers, plans to expand its offerings, boost marketing and invest in automation.

8. Grabango Raises a $39M Series B Round for Its Checkout-Free Grocery Technology – Forbes

The startup’s systems allow for existing stores to be retrofitted for cashierless checkout and has signed on five corporate chains.

9. Canada: JustKitchen Raising $20M, Expanding into the US, Asia – The Spoon

The company has a number of plans for this new funding, including international expansion, more software development and some brand acquisition.

10. After Closing $27M Maiden Fund, Tenacious Ventures Seeks to Scale Up Australian Agrifoodtech – AFN

Tenacious Ventures has invested $11.5m in six startups so far, with a further 10 deals expected out of its newly closed fund.

11. How Heart of Dinner Delivered Over 65K Meals to Asian Seniors in a Year of Struggle – Eater

Moonlynn Tsai and Yin Chang brought NYC’s restaurant community together to let Asian senior citizens know they’re not alone.

12. Cyberattack on Food Supply Followed Years of Warnings – Politico

Virtually no mandatory cybersecurity rules govern the millions of food and agriculture businesses that account for about a fifth of the U.S. economy. And now, the risk has become real.

13. How New York City Delivery Workers Are Re-Writing the Rules of Gig Work – Forbes

Los Deliveristas Unidos at Workers Justice Project have partnered with several City Council members to introduce 6 bills aimed at regulating delivery apps and improving the working conditions and quality of life for delivery workers.

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