Image Credit: AgFunder News

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.

Agrifoodtech startups faced a significant setback in 2023 as their investment share plummeted by 50%, comprising only 5.5% of global venture capital funds, down from 6.7% in 2022 and 7.6% in 2021. Meanwhile, in a notable shift, the ‘anti-woke’ agenda in Florida, spearheaded by Governor Ron DeSantis and the state legislature, has taken aim at cultivated meat. As reported by Fast Company, this move has raised concerns within the cultivated meat sector, which relies on capital for expansion, cost reduction, and consumer appeal.

In other news, we’ve wrapped the first season of our 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 be sure to subscribe and share!

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1. Agrifoodtech Startup Investment Drops 50%, Accounts for Just 5.5% of Global VC Dollars – AFN

In 2023, agrifoodtech represented just 5.5% of VC dollars across all sectors in 2023 compared to 6.7% in 2022 and 7.6% in 2021.

2. Ron Desantis and the Florida Legislature Turn Their ‘Anti-Woke’ Agenda on Lab-Grown Meat – Fast Company

The cultivated meat sector needs capital in order to grow, drive down costs, and attract consumers. A ban in Florida could hurt those prospects.

3. How the Meat Industry Tapped Into Academia to Influence Climate Policy & Avoid Scrutiny – Green Queen

A new study digs deep into the sector’s reliance upon academics and universities to validate its pushback against research linking livestock farming to climate change, and influence government policies in their favor.

4. Meet Whole Food’s New Mini Shop, Coming to a City Near You – Fast Company

Whole Foods Market is rolling out its first quick-shop-format store in Manhattan’s Upper East Side later this year called the Whole Foods Market Daily Shop.

5. Vertical Strawberry Grower Oishii Clinches $134M Amid Indoor Farming Woes – Food Dive

An intentional choice to grow artisanal fruit rather than leafy greens has allowed the firm to avoid the financial difficulties facing others in controlled-environment agriculture.

6. The New Science on What Ultra-Processed Food Does to Your Brain – WSJ

Studies are finding links between these foods and changes in the way we learn, remember and feel.

7. What We’re Learning About Ozempic – Food Fix

GLP-1 drugs continue to drive headlines. Here’s a roundup of what we’ve learned so far, from calories to costs.

8. Liquid Death Valued At $1.4B After Latest Funding Round – Food Dive

The beverage maker, which is reportedly looking to go public this year, said the $67m in new financing will be used to grow distribution and accelerate product innovation.