Planet First Partners invests millions into UK plant-based success story THIS

So much has happened in this past seven days, it’s difficult to know where to begin…

Undoubtedly, though, the big news this week has come out of the UAE. Its newly launched AgriFood Growth & Water Abundance cluster is partnering with a Swiss company to develop a giga-factory to enable the large-scale production of high-quality, competitively priced alternative protein products, which is hoped to pave the way for mass adoption.

In product developments, a German ingredients specialist has responded to increasing demand for foods with easily understandable ingredient lists with the addition of a new binder to its portfolio, helping manufacturers to not only imitate the typical structure and authentic mouthfeel of nuggets, schnitzels and salami, but also create foods with short ingredient lists free from declarable E-numbers. In Canada, meanwhile, another company has announced a breakthrough in plant-based ingredient innovation with the launch of its F70 LVC Faba Protein Concentrate.

A story that piqued our interest revolved around the findings of a University of Zurich study, which found that men tend to eat meat more frequently than women and people in wealthier countries tend to eat more meat than people in poorer countries. It suggests that different strategies may be needed to promote reduced meat consumption in different contexts, which could have implications for plant-based and cell-cultivated meat.

And while many media outlets have been reporting that plant-based meat and veganism will increase your risk of heart disease, a large-scale study from Harvard School of Public Health suggests diets rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and plant-based proteins are associated with a significant reduction in mortality risk and a smaller environmental footprint. Which has The Telegraph focused on? Clearly the deliberate misinterpretations to discredit the industry rather than the Harvard study. No change there…

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 👏 Danone, DMC, Michelin and Crédit Agricole Centre France team up to develop advanced fermentation technologies

🐥 Loryma introduces clean-label solutions for vegan meat alternatives

💸 Planet First Partners invests £20 million in THIS to accelerate UK growth through a combination of primary and secondary financing