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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.

The Netherlands’ House of Representatives has just passed a motion to make cultivated meat samples legal, adding pressure to other countries to define their frameworks ahead of commercial approval.

Meanwhile, the pandemic has  put the impacts of income inequality on stark display and galvanized a movement of farm and food workers to unionize.

Last but not least, Impossible Foods founder Pat Brown is stepping down as CEO, after a roller coaster two years for the plant-based meat industry and amid a recent slump in sales. He will be replaced with Chobani’s departing operating chief, Peter McGuinness.

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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. The Netherlands Edges Closer to Cultivated Meat Approval with Samples Now Legalized – Green Queen

Formal acceptance of cultivated technology in the Netherlands adds pressure on other countries to define their frameworks ahead of commercial approval.

2. What a Surge in Union Organizing Means for Food and Farm Workers – Civil Eats

Amid historic protests, walkouts and union votes, the pandemic put the impacts of income inequality on stark display—and galvanized a movement.

3. Impossible Foods Taps Chobani Executive As New CEO, Founder Pat Brown Steps Down – CNBC

Brown will continue working at the company as chief visionary officer and will report to the board. Chobani’s departing operating chief, Peter McGuinness, will take the helm.

4. Sustainable Global Consumer Trends and What It Means for Farmers – Evoke

Alpha Foods co-founder and co-CEO Mike Lee observes the top four consumer trends and the opportunity areas for farmers to take charge in designing solutions that will help shape the future of food, which he believes is currently led by celebrity chefs.

5. Our 2022 Hospitality Forecast – Oyster Sunday

Key shifts that will influence independent operators in the coming year include smaller teams with better benefits, a more thoughtful approach to sourcing and the rise of secondary and tertiary markets.

6. Bowery, Plenty Announce Strawberry Plans on Same Day As Competition Heats Up – AFN

Bowery has started selling strawberries, while Plenty and Driscoll’s plan to commence production of the fruit for the Northeastern US.

7. Shake Shack Tests Bitcoin Rewards to Lure Younger Consumers – Wall Street Journal

Shake Shack is offering the cryptocurrency bitcoin as a reward for purchases made at the burger chain using Cash App, a digital wallet offered by Block Inc.

8. India’s Licious Raises $150M for Its Fresh Animal Protein E-Commerce Platform – TechCrunch

The startup has built a supply chain network across several Indian cities to be able to procure meat and seafood, keep them fresh and deliver within hours of the order.

9. Kenya: African B2B E-Commerce Platform Wasoko Raises $125M in Series B Round – AFN

Wasoko – formerly known as Sokowatch – enables informal grocery retailers to restock and finance their stores via its mobile app.

10. Bear Robotics Targets Restaurant Staffing Shortages with Another $81M Raise – TechCrunch

The company has seen some recent success in the deployment of its system into more restaurants in Japan. In the US, it has partnered with Chili’s, Compass Group, Denny’s, Marriot and Pepsi.

11. Bobbie Drinks Up $50M to Expand Infant Formula Product Line – TechCrunch

The company is currently the only DTC company in the infant formula market and touted as being the first in the US to include organic whole milk.

12. Mori Secures $50M to Advance Its Food Shelf Life Extension Process – Built in Boston

The company uses a process with salt, water and heat to slow the time in which food spoils.

13. Zomato and Blinkit Reach Agreement for Merger – TechCrunch

The acquisition comes at a time when Blinkit has been struggling to raise funds and compete with younger and heavily-based firm Swiggy.

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