Food Delivery as a Public Utility, First Cultivated Beef Life Cycle Analysis + More

Image Credit: SCiFi Foods

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.

Cultivated Meat startup SCiFi Foods unveiled results from its life cycle analysis with Ohio State University, which revealed that cultivated meat showed 88% fewer green house gas emissions than its conventional counterpart. The possession and personal use of certain psychedelic drugs, including psilocybin mushrooms and ayahuasca, would be decriminalized in California under a new law backed by mental health professionals and veterans.

And this week, we are excited to announce launch of our new podcast in partnership with AgFunder: New Food Order, a nuanced investigation into the business of tackling our climate and social crises through food and agriculture. Read all about why we launched the podcast and check out our first few episodes:

#5: De-Commodifying Carbon and Our Industrial Food Systems
#4: We’re at the Beginning of a Food Revolution, with Sam Kass 
#3: Looking to Our Indigenous Past For a Regenerative Future, with Nathalie Kelley
#2: Is The World Better With Your Business In It? with Paul Polman, former CEO of Unilever
#1: Introducing: New Food Order

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1. Should Food Delivery be a Public Utility? with Errol Schweizer – New Food Order

This week we have a mini episode featuring snippets from a recent conversation we had with Errol Schweizer, former VP of Grocery at Whole Foods, where we asked him what he sees as the top challenges with the business of food and agriculture.

2. The First LCA on Cultivated Beef Shows 88% Fewer GHGs Than Conventional – Green Queen

Researchers looked at burgers made from cultivated beef and plant-based ingredients, produced by SciFi Foods, the Bay Area startup that emerged from stealth mode earlier this year.

3. Magic Mushrooms’ Would Be Decriminalized in California Under New Bill – Los Angeles Times

The possession and personal use of “magic mushrooms” and ayahuasca could be decriminalized under a new psychedelics bill introduced Monday backed by veterans.

4. Smoke & Mirrors, Not Worth the Extra Cost: 50 US Farmers Speak Out on Carbon Markets – AFN

Today there are claims about carbon sequestration being akin to the holy grail for agriculture. But what do US farmers think about carbon markets?

5. Presto Can Now Make Santa, Celebrities, ‘Appear’ in Your Drive-Thru – TechCrunch

The restaurant tech company has introduced a new automated custom voice feature for its Presto Voice, where restaurants can use almost any voice they want when assisting customers placing orders in the drive-thru.

6. Why the Federal Reserve Can’t Solve Food Price Inflation – Forbes

The Federal Reserve continues to raise interest rates in response to price inflation. But monetary policy misses the link between how corporate profits and pricing strategies are hurting consumers and engineering a recession.

7. In 2022, Mushrooms Cured What Ailed Us – Eater

This year, mushrooms joined an increasingly popular lineup of “functional foods” touting a wide range of health benefits, from improved cognition to less stress.

8. Gig Workers Are Racking Up Legal Victories Around the World, a New Report Shows – Fast Company

The report finds a positive trend in pro-worker legal decisions across 18 countries.

9. Sustainability and Climate Tech Predictions for 2023 – Forbes

Climate change and sustainability have been hot topics for decades, but progress has been painfully slow and the stakes get higher with every year that passes. Leading VCs share climate tech predictions.

10. Historic Deal to Protect Lands and Oceans Reached at UN Biodiversity Conference – LA Times

The agreement aims to protect 30% of land and water considered important for biodiversity and to finance biodiversity efforts in the developing world.

11. Drought Leads to 80% Jump in Vegetable Prices – Food Dive

The price of water has increased for farmers, as rising temperatures and droughts in the Western region of the US have hampered their ability to grow crops.