Asia Selects ‘Cultivated Meat’ As Industry Term, Landmark Study on Diet’s Environmental Impact + More

Image Credit: Courtsey

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.

Good Food Institute APAC, APAC Society for Cellular Agriculture, and more than 30 other key industry stakeholders came together and signed a nomenclature agreement that selected ‘cultivated meat’ as an industry-wide term. Despite a global decline in funding this year, Asia-Pacific agrifoodtech startups defied expectations. Investments reached just $5.3 billion in the first half of 2022, breaking records and defying expectations.

Last but not least, a study released Monday in the journal Nature Sustainability offers a new guide to weighing the total environmental impact of your diet, from crops to livestock to seafood.

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1. Nearly Every Cultivated Food Startup in Asia Just Signed a Historic Nomenclature Agreement. – Green Queen

Cellular agriculture producers across the APAC region have come to a consensus: the preferred English-language term for the category is “cultivated.”

2. Here’s Exactly How Your Diet Affects the Planet, a Landmark Study Finds – Washington Post

A study released Monday in the journal Nature Sustainability offers a new guide to weighing the total environmental impact of your diet, from crops to livestock to seafood.

3. Asia-Pacific Agrifoodtech Startup Funding Defies Global Decline in 2022 – AFN

Investors poured $15.2b into Asia-Pacific agrifoodtech startups in 2021. In 2022, the region continues to break records.

4. Beyond Meat’s Plant-Based Steak Launches at More Than 5K Stores – Food Dive

The product, the first of its kind widely available in US grocery stores, could help turn the company’s fortunes, which have been mired recently by job cuts and slowing sales.

5. The Dutch Government Invests €60M in Cellular Agriculture – Green Queen

The Dutch government’s investment is now the largest government grant in the world. By 2050, it expects €1.25 – €2.0b in growth and a reduction of CO2 emissions by approximately 1.8m tons.

6. Reef Quietly Exists Houston As the SoftBank-Backed Ghost Kitchen Continues to Face Operational Issues and Loses Partnerships – Business Insider

The exit comes as the startup continues to face new violations, and after Jack in the Box and Burger King have ended partnerships with Reef.

7. Kraft Heinz Launches Plant-Based Cheese Slices Through NotCo Joint Venture – Food Dive

The product, which Bloomberg says will be in some Ohio stores next month, is the CPG giant’s first foray into new products made without animal-derived ingredients.

8. Solar Foods Earns Regulatory Approval in Singapore for Carbon-Captured Protein – Green Queen

Solar Foods is using a single-cell-based microbial tech to grow its protein with help from hydrogen and CO2 pulled from the atmosphere.

9. Israel: Trigo Nets $100M As It Eyes ‘Full-Sized’ Supermarkets – Grocery Dive

The Israeli frictionless checkout startup company plans to use the new funding in part to scale its computer vision-based technology for use in larger retail locations than it currently supports.

10. Workers at Trader Joe’s in Brooklyn Reject Union – New York Times

The loss raises questions about whether a national wave of unionization may be slowing. A union had won two previous votes at the grocery chain.

11. BioVeritas Gets $65M for Fermented Upcycled Ingredients – Food Dive

The company, which turns broken pasta and other food waste into ingredients commonly sourced from petrochemicals, plans to open a commercial-scale plant in 2025.

12. AquaBounty in Murky Water After Accusations of Safety Violations at GM Salmon Plant – AFN

A former employee shares evidence of violations ranging from mishandled chemicals to unsafe water at the genetically modified salmon factory.

13. Good Eggs Joins Forces with Momofuku on Fresh Meal Kits – Restaurant Dive

The online grocer has started selling kits that combine its produce, meat and seafood with the culinary brand’s sauces and spices.

14. Deranged Diners, Inflation and Staff Shortages: American Restaurants Are Struggling – The Guardian

Covid rules have been lifted – but things aren’t back to normal for staff or customers.