Source: The EVERY Co.

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.

Major breakthroughs were made in the plant-based and cultivated meat and dairy sector this week. Upside Foods and CellMEAT both announced the development of animal-free scaffolding for cultivated meat production. Gelatex has developed a scaffolding that is said to be 90% more cost effective. Fooditive has developed vegan casein for alternative dairy products, and Yemoja has developed a plant-based substitute for heme from red microalgae. Meanwhile, the EVERY Co. has raised $175 million for its animal-free protein products, and Perfect Day is acquiring Coolhaus for an undisclosed sum.

Last but not least, Starbucks workers in Buffalo have successfully voted to unionize – a symbolic win in labor organizers across the country.

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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. Manifesto for Regenerative Agriculture Adopted at Climate Farming Congress – Arc

Over 70 regenerative agriculture practitioners from over 16 European countries gathered to create a manifesto for unifying the voice of regenerative agriculture in Europe.

2. Regenerative Agriculture Market Scan & Consumer Insights Report

Alpha Food Labs, our sister company, was commissioned by Beef + Lamb New Zealand and New Zealand Winegrowers to understand the current state and future market potential of regeneratively produced food and wine within the United States, Germany and the UK. The research reveals consumers may be willing to pay more for regeneratively-produced food, especially if science can show it tastes better, is better for people’s health and better for the environment.

3. The EVERY Co Grabs $175M As It Cracks Code on Animal-Free Protein Products – TechCrunch

Formerly known as Clara Foods, the startup will be bringing its egg protein to market, commercialize further products in its pipeline and expand into new food applications for its technology.

4. Starbucks Workers at a Buffalo Store Unionize in a Big Symbolic Win for Labor. – New York Times

The coffee chain’s executives sought to persuade workers to reject the union in an election campaign that began in late August. Workers at a second store voted not to unionize and the result at a third outlet was not clear.

5. Coolhaus Ice Cream to Be Fully Animal-Free After Acquisition by Perfect Day’s CPG Subsidiary the Urgent Company – Forbes

Coolhaus has been acquired by The Urgent Company for an undisclosed sum, and will transition to become a fully animal-free brand over the next few months.

6. Upside Foods Develops Animals-Free Growth Medium for Cell-Based Meat – Food Dive

Without relying on pricey substances from animals, the company says it can create chicken that is at parity with some upscale traditional options.

7. South Korea’s CellMEAT Makes Fetal Bovine Serum-Free Cell Culture Media For 100% Ethical Cultivated Meat – Green Queen

The product will help drive down production costs and circumnavigate ethical concerns within the cultivated meat industry.

8. Estonia: Cost-Efficient Scaffolding Tech Developed for Cultivated Meat at Scale – Food Navigator

Gelatex claims its scaffolds are 90% cheaper than electrospun and hydrogel alternatives on the market. The company recently closed a €1.2m seed round.

9. Netherlands: Fooditive Announces First Vegan Casein That Can Replace Cow’s Milk Across All Dairy Applications – Green Queen

Suitable for all conventional dairy products, the product is scheduled for market debut in 2022.

10. Israel’s Yemoja Develops Red Microalgae to Make Meat-Free Burgers ‘Bleed’ – Green Queen

The marine ingredient startup will move from cosmetics into the plant-based sector to introduce Ounje, a plant-based substitute for heme.

11. Isreal: Aleph Farms Announces Groundbreaking Partnership to Scale Cultivated Meat – Green Queen

The move will see Wacker offering food-grade growth medium proteins to all Aleph’s cultivated meat operations.

12. The World’s Largest Kombucha Company Is Entering the Cannabis Space – Forbes

GT’s Living Foods is launching a cannabis-infused brew, Cannabliss, in California.

13. AI Agriculture Startups Take in Record Amount of VC Funding – Wall Street Journal

Venture-capital firms have put a record $1.54b into artificial-intelligence agricultural startups this year, as farmers turn to the technology to control pests, eradicate weeds and increase crop yields.

14. Jet.com’s Founder Launches Wonder, a Logistics-Driven Bet on the Future of Restaurants – The Spoon

The ghost kitchen-driven delivery brand is powered by high profile chef recipes and cook-en-route delivery vans. It is currently delivering food to four cities in New Jersey and plans to expand to New York and beyond in 2022.

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