Food+Tech Connect

Last week’s top food innovation news 📰🚜 Closing the regenerative agriculture financing gap could unlock $4.5t in new investments and save $5.7t in annual costs from damages. Private label products in the US are improving in quality and market share, following European trends. Electronic shelf labels enable dynamic pricing in stores like Walmart, which plans to expand these labels to 2,300 locations. European climate-focused food tech startups raised $2b in 2023, surpassing US investments for the first time. Ever After Foods raised $10m to scale up cultivated meat production, making it 90% cheaper and expanding to include seafood. American Express's acquisition of Tock highlights the competitive landscape of reservation systems. A study found people could not distinguish between real restaurant reviews and those written by AI. #foodtech #foodstartups #foodbiz  #agrifoodtech #privatelabels #regenerativeag #climatetech

Last week’s top food innovation news 📰🍜 DayDayCook (DDC Enterprise Limited) buys Omsom to become the 'General Mills for Asian food.' Larissa Zimberoff explores light-based protein, hidden food costs, and fake pistachio ice cream. Sparkling water startups boom as health-conscious consumers ditch soda for zero-calorie alternatives. meati™ loses alt meat patent battle, accused of “sandbagging and shenanigans.” Perfect Day files $200M counterclaim accusing ex-partner Olon of fraud and misconduct. Collaborative Fund raises $125M for investments in climate, health, and food sectors. Researchers secure $85M to use ancient eDNA for climate-resilient crops. Asian groceries like H Mart reshape American eating habits and the grocery market. #foodtech #foodstartups #foodbiz  #agrifoodtech #omsom #culturedmeat #meatifoods

Last week’s top food innovation news 📰🛒 Foxtrot plans to reopen 15 stores in Chicago, Dallas, and Austin this summer. meati™ secures $100M funding while expanding to 7,000 retail locations. ABEC accuses GOOD Meat of owing $63M and engaging in litigation misconduct. Evaluating new food production solutions based on scalability is often misguided. Pairwise creates the first seedless blackberry using CRISPR technology. Brand Bites explores how restaurant brands successfully enter the retail market. Queensland backs Pollination's $150M fund for climate solution startups. #foodtech #foodstartups #foodbiz  #agrifoodtech  #foxtrotreturns #meati #altmeat

Last week’s top food innovation news 📰🫧 poppi faces a $5m class action lawsuit in California over its "prebiotic" claims. Bored Cow's precision fermentation dairy products debut in 2k Albertsons stores nationwide. Nestlé launches Vital Pursuit, a new brand for GLP-1 drug users, featuring frozen meals available by October. Retailers shift back to offering discounts as consumers become more selective post-pandemic. Land grabs and carbon offset schemes are doubling global land prices, threatening farmers and food production. A new H5N1 bird flu case in Michigan highlights a dangerous escalation in the bird flu situation. Restaurant groups operating multiple eateries in one market are effectively becoming new chains. Mayor Adams' crackdown on illegal mopeds negatively impacts immigrant food-delivery workers in NYC. The Future Market imagines a future where GLP-1 weight loss drugs like Ozempic are affordable and widely accessible. #foodtech #foodstartups #foodbiz  #agrifoodtech  #poppilawsuit #precisionfermentation #groceryinflation

Last week’s top food innovation news 📰 South Korea pioneers unregulated zone for cultivated meat. Foxtrot's demise: 6-figure debts, employee lawsuits, and dashed dreams. Walmart's bold bid against Trader Joe's with new private label. Credit chaos in the CPG industry spotlighted by Snaxshot. Ozempic takes on the alcohol and tobacco industry. Eater delves into restaurant funding strategies. Rethinking innovation: beyond tech's silver bullets. #foodtech #foodstartups #foodbiz  #agrifoodtech  #foxtrot #cultivatedmeat #ozempic

Last week’s top food innovation news 📰🛒 Foxtrot files for Chapter 7 bankruptcy, closing all 33 locations without warning. Moolec Science gains USDA approval for bioengineered pork proteins grown in soybeans. Solar Foods opens the world's first commercial-scale facility for air protein production. Meatable hosts EU's first public tasting for cultivated meat after safety panel approval. UN accused of distorting data to underestimate meat industry emissions in COP28 study. Nutrient decline in vegetables prompts discussion on reversing it through biofortification. Plant-based food sales dip to $8.1 billion due to consumer demand for lower prices and higher quality. #foodtech #foodstartups #foodbiz  #agrifoodtech  #foxtrot #cultivatedmeat #moolec #airprotein

Last week’s top food innovation news 📰🌶️ Backlash hits David Chang over Momofuku's chili crunch trademark, as cease and desist actions draw internet ire. Jing Gao of FLY BY JING advocates empathy-driven operations for emerging food brands challenging market norms. Perfect Day sued by Olon for breach of contract and fraud, seeking $112M unpaid bills and $32M damages. Supermarkets brand fruits and veggies as investors target agriculture. Mosa Meat secures €40M for production expansion after opening world's largest cultivated meat facility. Europe's global investment share rises from 23% to 36% by 2023, despite AgriFoodTech funding decrease, per FoodTech 500. Growing trend links organic certification with regenerative agriculture. USDA's crop insurance restrictiveness prompts call for regenerative agriculture insurance development. #foodtech #foodstartups #foodbiz  #agrifoodtech #chilicrunch #davidchang #trademarkbullies https://lnkd.in/e2aqeDDY

Last week’s top food innovation news 📰🛒 Trader Joe's faces criticism for copying other brands despite its popular image. California raises fast food workers' minimum wage to $20 per hour. World Central Kitchen stops aid in Gaza after staff are killed in a strike. Iowa fertilizer spill causes mass fish deaths in 60-mile river stretch. Bird flu infection in Texas linked to contact with cattle raises concerns amid global outbreak. Scientists find plant extracts with weight loss potential similar to Ozempic, without the side effects. Independent grocers advocate for stronger antitrust measures amid concerns over Kroger-Albertsons merger. Civil Eats investigates Bayer's employment of state-level strategies to defend itself against pesticide lawsuits. #foodtech #foodstartups #foodbiz  #agrifoodtech #traderjoes #fastfoodminimumwage 

Lawmakers nationwide seek to ban lab-grown meat, citing environmental concerns. Marc Lore's startup Wonder secures $700M funding, plans 100 delivery-focused restaurants in New York City. Meatable achieves faster production of cultivated meat, reducing costs for hybrid sausages. FTC discovers major grocers exploited pandemic supply chain disruptions, pressuring suppliers and hiking prices. Kroger's potential Albertsons takeover raises concerns about reduced competition in the supermarket industry. Unilever receives up to $20.9M from US government to reduce carbon footprint at ice cream factories. Investigation reveals harsh realities of sugar cane industry in Maharashtra, India, including debt, child marriage, and unnecessary hysterectomies. Wegovy, a new obesity drug, shows potential to address patient adherence issues common with long-term medications. #foodtech #foodstartups #foodbiz  #agrifoodtech #altmeat #ozempic #rebrandingobesity

Jeff Bezos' $60M pledge aids alternative meat research for cost reduction and nutrition enhancement. Oprah Winfrey's program redefines the weight loss industry: Obesity as a disease, not personal fault. Acre Venture Partners closes $140M fund, focusing on Ag Robotics and AI/ML from pre-seed to series B. Snaxshot discusses SXSW and EXPO, highlighting VC presence and celebrity sightings. Fast Company names The J.M. Smucker Co., Driscoll's and Chomps among most innovative food companies. Mad Capital unveils Perennial Fund II, aiming at de-risking regenerative organic farming with $50M target. Bloomberg explores the technological advancements shaping the golden age of snack food. Erewhon's transformation of grocery into a designer brand earns recognition as an innovative retailer by Fast Company. #foodtech #foodstartups #foodbiz  #agrifoodtech #altmeat #ozempic #rebrandingobesity