Green Queen Media

🧬🥛 ZYDUS TO ACQUIRE 50% OF STERLING BIOTECH FROM PERFECT DAY AND OPEN ANIMAL-FREE DAIRY FACTORY Californian precision fermentation startup Perfect Day has agreed to sell 50% of its stake in Mumbai-based STERLING Biotech Ltd. - India – a leading manufacturer of pharmaceutical gelatin and fermentation-derived ingredients – to Zydus Group for ₹550 crore ($66M), with the business now becoming a joint venture. The move will give both companies equal representation on the board, and shift Sterling Biotech’s focus towards animal-free protein production, according to local media. Perfect Day and Zydus are now planning a dedicated precision fermentation facility to supply to global markets. It comes two years after Perfect Day – which makes precision-fermented whey protein for use in animal-free dairy – bought Sterling Biotech from bankruptcy in a $78M deal. Zydus’s purchase comes at a 70% premium, on the back of record revenues for the manufacturer in 2023. The joint venture “sends a strong signal to the broader biopharma sector”, according to Aiyanna Belliappa, senior innovation and entrepreneurship specialist at The Good Food Institute India, who called Zydus’s strategic partnership with Perfect Day “extremely encouraging”. “Aligning with the Indian government’s forward-thinking BioE3 policy, this development further solidifies India’s position as a global leader in biomanufacturing for healthcare, food, and nutrition,” he told Green Queen. Sterling Biotech, one of the world’s largest pharma gelatin producers, was admitted into insolvency in 2018, and went into liquidation a year later. After an auction process, Perfect Day emerged as the winning bidder, signalling its interest in India’s precision fermentation sector and manufacturing capabilities. “This partnership allows Perfect Day to significantly boost its capabilities to meet the demands of the fast-growing global market. We deeply value our collaboration with Zydus and believe this joint venture will allow both parties to benefit from each other’s expertise,” said Narayan T M, interim CEO of Perfect Day. Read the full article here: https://lnkd.in/eutHUMEE #GreenQueen #altprotein #futurefoods #foodsystems #sustainability #climatechange

🇮🇳🌱 WHAT INDIA'S BIOE3 POLICY MEANS FOR ALT PROTEINS On Saturday, India announced a biotechnology policy focused on the economy and climate, with smart proteins and functional foods – as well as climate-resilient agriculture – among six pillars of the strategy. With BioE3 (which stands for Biotechnology for Economy, Employment, and Environment) being approved by the Union Cabinet, India is aiming to foster “high-performance biomanufacturing”, with a focus on accelerating tech development and commercialisation by getting up biomanufacturing hubs and biofoundries. The policy is designed to strengthen the country’s net-zero goal of 2070 and its Lifestyle for Environment strategy (which encourages green behaviours), and speed up ‘green growth’ by promoting a circular bioeconomy. The government aims to position India as “a potential leader in the fourth industrial revolution”, science and tech minister Dr Jitendra Singh said in a press conference yesterday. The administration defined “high-performance biomanufacturing” as the ability to produce products from medicine to materials, promote advanced biotech processes for the manufacturing sector, as well as address farming and food challenges. The six focus areas are high-value bio-based chemicals, biopolymers and enzymes; smart proteins and functional foods; precision biotherapeutics; climate-resilient agriculture; carbon capture; and marine and space research. India has also launched a joint climate-smart agritech accelerator programme with Australia. And last week, Mumbai-based Zydus Group agreed to buy a 50% stake in biomanufacturer STERLING Biotech Ltd. - India from Californian precision fermentation pioneer Perfect Day – they plan to open an animal-free protein factory to supply to global markets. The Good Food Institute India’s Sneha Singh provides her insight into what the policy means for India’s smart protein sector. Read the article here: https://lnkd.in/eSeyp7W2 #GreenQueen #altprotein #futurefoods #foodsystems #sustainability #climatechange #BioE3

🍄🥩 NAPLASOL AQUIRES MYCORENA A MONTH AFTER FILING FOR BANKRUPTCY NAPLASOL, a biomass fermentation subsidiary of Belgian animal protein producer VEOS Group, has acquired Swedish mycoprotein counterpart Mycorena. The deal comes six weeks after Mycorena appointed law firm Advokatfirman Lindahl KB as trustee to administer its bankruptcy process, following unsuccessful attempts to raise capital for a Series B round and the decision to halt plans for a commercial-scale factory. The takeover will see Naplasol produce Mycorena’s Promyc ingredient at its industrial plant in Bree, Belgium, diversifying its mycoprotein product portfolio for the food, pet and feed sectors. “Our vision is to become a global leader in the sustainable production of essential proteins through fermentation technology, and the acquisition of Mycorena is perfectly aligned with this goal,” Naplasol commercial director Lowie Vanholme told Green Queen. For Mycorena, the move was always intended as a step towards reviving the business. “Although it was emotionally a difficult decision to make for all of us, filing for bankruptcy was the most viable path forward for the company, allowing it to make a clean restart,” Mycorena founder Ramkumar Nair explained at the time. Mycorena joins Meatless Farm, VBITES®, Tattooed Chef and Plant&Bean (Thailand) as the latest alternative protein startup to come back from the brink in the last 18 months. More information in the full article: https://lnkd.in/eJ3ea-cW #GreenQueen #altprotein #futurefoods #fermentation #foodtech #innovation #sustainability #mycoprotein 

🌱 Excited to announce that our founder and editor-in-chief Sonalie Figueiras will be speaking at Food Frontier’s AltProteins 24 on 10 October 2024 in Melbourne! There, she will be sharing insights on sustainability and the future of food. Join us for insightful keynotes, pioneering research, dynamic panels, and great networking. Don’t miss out—register now: https://lnkd.in/evRrZHqu #AltProteins24 #SustainableFood #FutureOfFood #GreenQueen

🇳🇿🌱 NZ PLAN*T MEAT MAKER SUSTAINABLE FOODS ENTERS ADMINISTRATION Sustainable Foods Limited, the parent company of vegan meat analogue brand Plan*t, has entered voluntary administration, citing harsh market conditions. The company’s directors had appointed administrators on Friday after it struggled to raise capital, CEO Justin Lemmens confirmed to the New Zealand Herald. It planned to raise NZ$500,000 to NZ$1M ($310,000-620,000) to allow it to continue trading in 2025. Sustainable Foods had been “caught in a perfect storm”, he told the newspaper, explaining that consumer and retailer interest cooled in the face of a tough economic environment, just as the manufacturer was investing to develop a new product. Founded in 2018 by Lemmens and Kyran Rei, Sustainable Foods came to prominence via a line of hemp-based meats in partnership with The Craft Meat Co, which it acquired in early 2020. This was rebranded to Plan*t in 2021, with Lemmens calling the asterisk a “versatile” symbol depicting the company’s nutrition, sustainability, origins in New Zealand, and use of novel proteins. The company, which employs over 60 staff and had an annualised revenue of NZ$2.4M, now expects the first report from administrators at PwC soon. “Sustainable Foods will continue to trade while working through possible restructure solutions alongside other options,” Lemmens told the NZ Herald. The development comes months after fellow New Zealand plant-based brand Sunfed® Meats shut down under similar circumstances: supply chain pressure, high costs, and a loss of faith from investors. Read the full article here: https://lnkd.in/eat4vgqg #GreenQueen #altprotein #futurefood #plantbasedmeat #sustainability #foodsystems

🌱🐾 MARS PETCARE AND BIG IDEA VENTURES LAUNCH SUSTAINABLE PET FOOD PROGRAMME Industry giant Mars Petcare and food tech investor Big Idea Ventures have partnered with food and feed technology specialist Bühler Group and plant-based fat producer AAK to launch the Next Generation Pet Food Program. The initiative is on the hunt for human food startups that can help greenify the pet food sector through sustainable solutions like novel ingredients and upcycling. The idea is to use alternative proteins and fats to reduce the carbon emissions of the pet food sector. “This initiative aims to highlight the exciting opportunity for developing sustainable pet food products,” said Andrew D Ive, founder and managing general partner of Big Idea Ventures. “It represents a significant step forward in fostering innovative, eco-friendly solutions within the pet food industry.” The organisers are looking for companies innovating with alternative proteins and fats, nutritionally rich and sustainable novel ingredients, and eco-friendly processing technologies like food waste upcycling and innovative extraction techniques. Startups will be chosen based on how unique their solution is, their ability to be scaled up, their potential to reduce emissions (with quantifiable metrics), and their willingness to openly collaborate with partners using their IP. Companies based in Asia-Pacific are preferred, as the showcase event will be held in Singapore, but other geographies will be considered if they have a highly relevant tech solution. The announcement of this initiative comes amid a flurry of activity in the alternative pet food space: 🐈 Wild Earth entered the vegan cat food category with a “nutritionally complete” Unicorn Pate 🐕 Pets Choice Ltd agreed to acquire vegan dog food maker HOWND 🐾 Meatly became the world’s first cultivated pet food company to be approved for sale 🤝 Friends & Family Pet Food Company announced it was partnering with Umami Bioworks to produce cultivated seafood treats for cats ✅ CULT Food Science began preparing for FDA feeding trials in pursuit of regulatory approval for its Noochies! cultivated dog treats. 🌱 British Veterinary Association (BVA) revised its position on the health credentials of vegan pet food, recognising that it’s possible to feed plant-based diets to dogs More information in the full article: https://lnkd.in/eKXJSwYU #GreenQueen #pets #altprotein #futurefoods #sustainability #emissions

🇳🇱✈️ Amsterdam is leading the way in sustainable travel! Schiphol Airport is making strides in sustainability by committing to 60% plant-based protein sales by 2030, and ensuring all food and coffee products are Fairtrade and deforestation-free by 2025. Progress is in the air! 🌱 Visit our website to discover more food innovation: https://lnkd.in/eqEx5DT #GreenQueen #sustainability #foodsystems #futurefood #altprotein #innovation #foodtech

🌿🍔 The shift to plant-based is gaining momentum! A new study by Meatless Farm shows that two-thirds of meat-eaters are willing to switch to a vegan burger once they find out it reduces emissions by 85%. Change is in the air—and on our plates. 🌱 Visit our website to discover more food innovation: https://lnkd.in/eqEx5DT #GreenQueen #sustainability #foodsystems #futurefood #altprotein #innovation #foodtech

📚🐖🐔 Mark your calendars for an impactful release! Leah Garces, president and CEO of Mercy For Animals, is launching her second book, Transfarmation: The Movement to Free Us from Factory Farming, on September 17. Described as a sharp critique of factory farming, the book is available for pre-order and will be part of a six-city book tour this fall. Dive into the movement for a better future. 🌱 Visit our website to discover more food innovation: https://lnkd.in/eqEx5DT #GreenQueen #sustainability #foodsystems #futurefood #altprotein #innovation #foodtech

🧪🐖 MISSION BARNS REVOLUTIONIZES CULTIVATED PORK FAT WITH SCALABLE BIOREACTORS Moving away from the conventional single-cell suspension reactors of the biopharma sector, Mission Barns is hoping to solve cultivated meat’s scalability and cost problems with a novel solution. The Californian startup is working on a cultivated pork fat called Mission Fat, which is meant to be mixed with plant-based proteins and ingredients to make hybrid meat products like bacon, pepperoni and chorizo. Founded in 2018 by Eat Just, Inc. alum Eitan Fischer, Mission Barns plans to launch these products in both foodservice and retail channels once it receives regulatory approval, for which it has filed dossiers in several countries. But to meet the market demand for cultivated meat, the company (and the industry) needs to solve two major bottlenecks: production capacity and price. To get there, the startup has eschewed conventional bioreactors to develop a novel machine that’s more efficient, easier to scale, and ends up with a cheaper final product. “We have different sizes of our proprietary bioreactors, ranging from R&D-scale units for experiments and optimisation, to our largest scale which is currently at pilot scale,” explains Bianca Lê, technical affairs and growth principal at Mission Barns. The current pilot plant facility “can produce enough product to supply a handful of restaurants and retailers”. This would help with the initial market launch, as Lê points out: “We have a number of exciting partnerships confirmed with major US grocery stores, restaurants and food distributors who we have partnered with to sell our products.” Read the full article here: https://lnkd.in/e98UXYGu #GreenQueen #altprotein #futurefoods #foodsystems #sustainability #climatechange