In the first of a four part video series on sustainability and future-proofing the food system, Carolyn Bushnell, director of corporate engagement at the non-profit The Good Food Institute said a better option that meets both consumers’ desires and the planet’s needs is to make meat from alternative proteins – including plant-based, cellular agriculture, precision fermentation and other emerging technologies.
“Making meat with alternative proteins, we can really seize the opportunity to produce the food that people love to eat, while also ushering in a more sustainable, secure and just food future,” Bushnell argued.
Already innovators and entrepreneurs from across the industry are racing to bring to market next generation proteins that offer uncompromised taste and nutrition while also reducing, and in some cases reversing, climate change cause by the food system.
Fifty of these trailblazing startups will join with more than 800 other leaders in cell-based proteins, precision fermentation and next-generation plant-based ingredients later this month in New York City at the Future Food Tech Alternative Proteins Summit to share their advances, brainstorm next steps and forge essential partnerships that promise to help future-proof the food system.
FoodNavigator-USA will be at the event -- networking with startups and others and moderating a session on alternative seafood -- and we'd love to see you there. Be sure to use our discount code -- FN10 -- when you register to save 10%.
“It’s so exciting to bring so many dynamic start-ups together under one roof to showcase their solutions and forge connections with the food brands and investors who can help bring their products to scale,” Callum Alexander-Lindsay, start-up partnerships manager with future food-tech, touted when announcing the who will participate at the event.
Pitch slam: Gone in 60 seconds
On the first of the two-day summit, start-ups will take the stage to pitch their alternative protein solutions ranging from plant-based and cultured meat finished products to emerging technology that supports scaling alternative protein production.
Each company will have just 60 seconds to win over the audience, which will vote for three to present again the next day to judges. The competitors include:
Alternative Animal Technologies – a B2B biotech startup born from the University of Cambridge that offers an end-to-end cultured meat manufacturing system it has dubbed the Renaissance Farm, which aims to help overcome the high financial barriers of entering the cell-based meat space.
Clever Carnivore – A Chicago-based cultivated meat company that strives to make it “possible to be a cruelty-free carnivore” with its beef, pork and chicken.
Impact Food – A startup that joined the race to bring to market whole-cut, plant-based fish in 2022 with the launch of its plant-based tuna that mimics the taste and texture of raw bluefin used in sushi and poke.
Naturannova – A startup that declares itself “on a mission to unlock the potential of novel plant proteins to create healthier, sustainable and clean label ingredients” with a computational platform that analyses the “hidden fingerprints that define the structures, dynamics and functions of proteins.”
Tiamat Sciences – A startup that uses plants as “bioreactors” to produce recombinant proteins through a flexible, modular system that can be assembled on site.
Tasting is believing
Conference attendees also will have a chance to sample many of the newest alternative proteins coming to market, including plant-based products from Daring, MyForest Foods, Nature’s Fynd, Neat Burger, Plant Based Seafood Co, and Rebellyous Foods. For those looking for something sweet, Oobli, the creator of gut- and diabetic-friendly sweeteners from protein will also be sampling, as well Cocuus, which develops intelligent 3D print extrusion for plant-based products.
In addition, a networking lunch hosted by EDB will feature plant-based snacks from ALTN and Uncle Saba’s Poppadoms, jackfruit-based meat from KARANA Foods, plant-based chicken from TiNDLE and Float Foods’ plant-based whole egg substitute OnlyEg. WhatIF Foods, which makes noodles, shakes and soups from the Bambara groundnut.
On the main stage
Dozens more startups will join their peers on the main stage to talk about how alternative proteins can impact the climate crisis, what it will take to shorten the runway to commercialization and overcome bottlenecks for cell-culturing and precision fermentation, how to build trust in alternative proteins and more.
Check out the full list of startups attending Future Food-Tech’s Alternative Proteins Summit in New York City June 27 & 28.
Want to join the conversation? It isn’t too late to register – get all the details and grab your ticket.
