Slice of Agriculture’s Post

Josh Tetrick's attempts to disrupt our food system with his plant-based food products tell us so much about the "powers that be" in our food systems, and the lengths they will go to to ensure we eat the food they produce regardless of health effects and negative impacts on the environment (not to mention animals in the factory farming system). His "Just Egg" product has cornered the plant-based egg substitute market, but only after some significant struggles- as this article discusses, both Unilever and the American Egg Board have targeted Beyond Egg. BE has had to fight for the right to call its "Just Mayo" mayonnaise- because it does not contain chicken eggs- after a two-year war orchestrated by the Egg Board to eliminate the concept of a plant-based mayonnaise. The entire ordeal helps display the attitude much of the food industry has toward plant-based and vegan products: a harsh competitiveness fueled by energy and effort that could be used to develop products that are both sustainable and desired by consumers- but aren't. The corporatization and industrialization of our food system are well-known, but specific instances of infighting and toxic legal strategies are less so. This is why Tetrick's Beyond Eggs is worth discussing. #FoodSystems #Sustainability #PlantBased

At the start of May, cellular agriculture egg company The EVERY Company announced a partnership with multinational CPG giant Unilever through its plant-based meat brand, The Vegetarian Butcher. According to the announcement, The Vegetarian Butcher plans to incorporate The Every Company’s Every EggWhite, a cell-cultured egg white product made via precision fermentation, into its plant-based meat alternative products. By using Every EggWhite, The Vegetarian Butcher aims to improve the taste and texture of its plant-based meat products while replacing alternative binders like methylcellulose with The Every Company’s product as a clean-label ingredient. Interestingly, while there is no timeline for launching the product, The Every Company shared that the primary market the companies are looking to target is the UK, where The Vegetarian Butcher has a strong presence. To do so, The Every Company shared that it previously submitted regulatory dossiers under the Novel Foods process in the UK and the European Union. At the same time, the companies are also exploring near-term launch opportunities in other regions. Following partnerships with Grupo Nutresa and Alpha Foods in 2023, The Every Company’s latest collaborations highlight the functional role its egg protein products can play in enhancing plant-based meat products. Interestingly, compared to The Vegetarian Butcher’s goal of improving the clean label qualities, The Every Company shared Nutresa’s goal was to establish a price-stable and consistent source of egg white during market volatility due to egg shortages caused by avian flu. The partnership announcement also marks Unilever’s second partnership with a precision fermentation dairy company after Perfect Day’s collaboration with its ice cream brand Breyers. #cellag #precisionfermentation #futureoffood

🥩 What are your thoughts on the topic of #CultivatedFood and its impact on the way we produce and consume what we eat? Read the The Guardian article here 👉 https://lnkd.in/d47EnSks #SustainableFood

At Wanda Fish, we take pride in our commitment to science-driven food development. Which is why it is extremely disappointing to see the level of discussions carried at the Alabama House of Representatives when they passed a bill aiming to ban cultivated meat. The following is a quote from an article published just a few days ago: "There was very little discussion about the bill. Rep. Danny Crawford, R-Athens, who spoke for the bill in the House, mocked the concept of cell-cultured meat in his brief explanation of the bill. “They throw a couple of animal cells in there. Throw some chemicals in there. Some ingredients, and boom, you get a chicken leg out,” Crawford said. That got some laughs but no questions from House members about how the process really worked." Let's set the record straight: Cell cultivation doesn't produce chicken legs; rather, it's used to create products like fish fillets or chicken nuggets, similar to UPSIDE Foods or GOOD Meat's products. Moreover, we don't simply "throw some chemicals" into the mix. We go through a vigorous process to unsure healthy and delicious products. With many companies supporting this process (Nutreco, ADM, Multus, Sigma-Aldrich, Sartorius and many others), some of which also operate in the traditional food business. We should also express gratitude and support to companies and organizations leading the educational process on behalf of our industry. Such as Believer Meats, BlueNalu, Good Meat, Upside Foods, Meatable, Mosa Meat, The Good Food Institute - thank you. Yes, this technology is new and unfamiliar, but novelty doesn't deem it bad (or good), and it warrants a thorough and scientific discussion. #science #foodscience #government #dialog

Exciting developments lie ahead for cultivated meat in 2024! Check out my recent interview with The Food Institute, where I discuss the significance of fermented meat and the crucial need for these plant-based innovations to resonate with consumers this year. Discover more “Plant Based Trends to Watch in 2024” here: https://lnkd.in/gneE3hmG #PlantBasedMeat #ProteinTrends

Would You Eat Cultivated Meat? 🍗🌱 That's @jennystojkovic, a dedicated vegan, trying cultivated chicken for the first time! This is 99% real chicken made from cultivated cells, and she says it tastes just like the real thing. Here’s my take: While it’s a fascinating innovation, I wouldn’t eat it regularly. I’m content with the vegan options we have. Plus, did you know there are bans on cultivated meat in some places? If it goes mainstream, it could revolutionize the food industry, offering a new alternative to traditional meat and eggs. These bans should be lifted to give everyone a chance to try it. What are your thoughts on cultivated meat? Comment below! #CultivatedMeat #FoodInnovation

Would you eat cultivated meat? In a survey from Purdue University, 60% of US consumers said they would be open to it. What's my opinion? In my perfect world, everyone would eat plant-based, and there would be no need for meat at all. But I'm also aware that the likelihood of that is very slim. While I wouldn't eat cultivated meat, as I've thrived on a meat-free diet for over 20 years, I can acknowledge it as a route to provide a slaughter-free food system. And for that reason, I am in support of it. #futureoffood

🌍 Food Production & Water Usage: Here is a Closer Look at the Numbers 💧 Ever wondered how much water it takes to produce your favorite foods? This chart, based on data from Joseph Poore and Thomas Nemecek (2018), highlights the freshwater withdrawals (in liters) required to produce 1 kilogram of various food products. 🔹 Cheese tops the chart, requiring 5,605 liters per kilogram, followed by nuts at 4,134 liters. Farmed fish and prawns also rank high in water usage. 🔹 Animal products like lamb, beef, and poultry tend to require more water than most plant-based foods. For instance, beef (dairy herd) needs 2,714 liters per kilogram. 🔹 On the other hand, fruits and vegetables, such as root vegetables (28 liters) and potatoes (59 liters), have much lower water footprints. It's fascinating to see the variations in water usage across different food categories. While this data sheds light on the environmental impact of our food choices, it’s not about restricting what we eat—it's about being informed. 🌱 With more awareness, we can better understand the connection between food production and water resources, which is essential as we consider sustainability in the long term. 💡 What are your thoughts on the water footprint of food products? Have you come across other insights into how food production impacts the environment? #Sustainability #FoodProduction #WaterConservation #EnvironmentalImpact #DataInsights #Agriculture **Parts of the Post are created with the help of AI

The wiener takes it all! 🌱 Adapting to current demand, famous German sausage makers Rügenwalder Mühle Carl Müller GmbH & Co. KG have announced they’re discontinuing their animal-based ham to expand their range of plant-based meat food products! They’re truly on a roll. 🌭 Founded in 1834, Rügenwalder Mühle had been producing animal-based meat, ham, and sausage products until 2014, when they entered the plant-based category. Now, ⅔ of their product range consists of vegan and vegetarian products, and they are Germany’s top maker of plant-based meat alternatives – a true redemption tale! We love to see more food companies shifting their production to plant-based foods. Learn more about Rügenwalder Mühle’s move through the link below ⬇️ https://hubs.ly/Q02hnGWm0 #ProVeg #ProTaste #ProEnvironment #RuegenwalderMuehle #PlantBasedSausage #PlantBasedHam #PlantBasedMeat #NoAnimalsHarmed #VeganSausage

Would You Eat Cultivated Meat? 🍗🌱 That's @jennystojkovic, a dedicated vegan, trying cultivated chicken for the first time! This is 99% real chicken made from cultivated cells, and she says it tastes just like the real thing. Here’s my take: While it’s a fascinating innovation, I wouldn’t eat it regularly. I’m content with the vegan options we have. Plus, did you know there are bans on cultivated meat in some places? If it goes mainstream, it could revolutionize the food industry, offering a new alternative to traditional meat and eggs. These bans should be lifted to give everyone a chance to try it. What are your thoughts on cultivated meat? Comment below! #CultivatedMeat #FoodInnovation