Happy Thursday,

If the last week is any indication, it’s going to be an even tougher 2025 for sustainable protein companies than 2024 was.

Leading startups (including those with regulatory clearance and products out in the market) are conducting layoffs as they preserve runway amidst a tough funding environment. Smaller startups are shutting down (many of these are unannounced). A handful of companies are actively looking to be acquired (not public information). Cultivated meat startups are facing a tougher regulatory landscape with major political shifts in key geographies like the US - see our coverage on this here (plus this piece by AFN’s Elaine Watson is worth a read).

That being said, there are some bright spots, particularly in terms of government support in Europe: a research paper advocating for biotech and a new parliamentary project on cultivated meat in the UK, EU funding for micro-fermentation cheese in Germany, as well as new sustainable protein scale-up facilities in the Netherlands.

Still, while the bloc has been a global leader in climate policy and regulation, this may change. The EU climate chief told Bloomberg that in pursuing net zero “we may have been too one-dimensional”, adding that investing in competitiveness was key. Trump’s influence is already being felt and the climate tech sector needs to adapt to a new reality. Attention founders: Forget about saving the world. Focus on the business case. Reframe, repackage, resell.

I attended The Nature Conservancy Hong Kong’s ‘Nature Based Solutions (NBS)’ conference this week. Speaking about financing NBS, one of the speakers said funding for nature-based and climate solutions needs to come from the private sector because “we all know that governments are not going to do it, we all know where things are going politically.” I think this is correct. But the jury’s still out on whether we can get private capital back in the climate game.

Which is all the more terrifying when we take a good look in the mirror. As South African scientist and IPCC Co-chair Debra Roberts said in her keynote about global progress in addressing the climate crisis: “Action is inadequate. We are not ready.” Below, her slide that says it all.

We gotta do better folks. We’re all implicated in the failure to address this mess. The crisis doesn’t spare anyone or any country. The LA fires (still ongoing, here’s how to help) are a horrific reminder of our new reality, and, to reiterate: We are not ready.

-Sonalie

‼️ Latest Fermentation News

🇸🇬 EXCLUSIVE: Singaporean precision fermentation specialist TurtleTree, which is working on lactoferrin, has laid off nearly all of its employees amid difficulties in securing capital, Green Queen has learned via an unnamed source.
Like most in the novel food industry, TurtleTree has missed previous forecasts of product launch timelines. However, it appeared to have secured some major wins last year.

🇩🇪 German fermentation specialist Formo received €35 million in venture debt from the European Investment Bank, the EU’s lending institution. 
💡It will use the funds to scale up its dairy and egg alternatives and pursue regulatory approval for its animal-free casein protein.

🇵🇹 Portuguese startup CarboCode, which is producing human-identical breast milk molecules via biocatalysis and fermentation, raised $15 million Series C funding.
💡CarboCode plans to use the funds to expand its operations and secure regulatory approvals in the US, Europe, and China.

🇫🇷 France’s Bon Vivant has obtained self-affirmed GRAS status for its precision-fermented whey protein in the US.
💡Bon Vivant operates as a B2B supplier, and secured three commercial partnerships in different markets last year. It’s now in discussions with further potential collaborators.

🧀 French precision fermentation innovator Standing Ovation has partnered with Ajinomoto Foods Europe to produce its animal-free casein protein at industrial scale.
💡Ajinomoto Foods’ move to team up with Standing Ovation comes as more and more conglomerates are relying on startups to make synthetic biology plays.

📈 Must-Read Headlines

🇦🇺 Australian cultivated meat startup Vow has laid off 25 employees as it finalises its latest funding round, citing slower-than-expected regulatory processes.
💡Cultivated meat companies are facing a difficult regulatory landscape in multiple geographies, but the changes it is making should give Vow runway until 2027 - hopefully long enough to reach success.

🇳🇱 The Netherlands has launched two open-access facilities, supported by a €25 million investment, with the aim of scaling up planet-friendly food production via cellular agriculture.
💡Both facilities will provide companies working in cell culture and precision fermentation with the infrastructure to expand their R&D and production processes and accelerate their path to market.

🇸🇬 Industry Insights: Singapore’s parliament just passed a Food Safety and Security Bill to adapt the country’s agrifood systems to climate change and advance future foods. Here’s what it means for novel proteins.

🇺🇸 Deep Dive: Robert F Kennedy Jr could well be America’s new health secretary, overseeing food safety under Donald Trump. What could it mean for cultivated meat?

🍔 Everything Else in Future Food

🤝🏼 Plant-based giant Oatly announced its first partnership of 2025 – and it’s a big one.

🇺🇸 Ozempic, inflation and the Trump presidency will likely dictate how the US deals with food waste in 2025, according to ReFED, a leading non-profit.

👩🏻‍🍳 The Austrian government is set to launch a vegan and vegetarian culinary apprenticeship later this year, a few months after championing plant-based foods in its dietary guidelines.

🤔 An observational study exploring the link between depression and different types of milk is being used to spread misinformation about plant-based milk.

🌱 Elin Roberts, co-founder and co-CEO of Better Nature Tempeh, believes the way people approach dietary change has shifted past vegan eating – and brands must too.

📉 British fast-food chain Clean Kitchen Club, a formerly vegan business that began serving meat last year, has reportedly ceased operations after closing its last remaining site.

🇬🇧 A major survey by The Vegan Society shows that 3% of people in the UK now follow a plant-forward diet, and one in 10 are cutting back on meat and dairy.

🌱🍔  Future Food Quick Bites 

In our weekly column, Future Food Quick Bites, we round up the latest news and developments in the alternative protein and sustainable food industry. This week, Future Food Quick Bites covers Burger King Germany’s new vegan option, a cured root vegetable bagel at Deutsche Bahn, and the UK parliament’s cultivated meat research.

📆 Scene & Heard

Explore the 5th Fermentation-Enabled Alternative Protein Summit

🇺🇸 Don’t miss the 5th Fermentation-Enabled Alternative Protein Summit returning to San Francisco on February 24-26, 2025! This unparalleled forum is bringing together 170+ business executives, innovation and R&D decision-makers from leading CPGs and ingredient providers, investors, and late-stage technology enablers shaping the future of alternative proteins. Leave with actionable strategies for achieving cost parity, quality, and taste through scale-driven R&D, infrastructure development, and strategic partnerships, helping diversify food categories with the next generation of ingredients. Discover the 2025 agenda here.

🌏 The 9th edition of the Future Food Asia Awards has officially launched. This year, ten exceptional finalists will be selected to pitch their innovations at the Future Food Asia Conference, held on 21st-22nd May 2025 in Singapore. Find out more and apply here.

👍🏼 Ajinomoto Health & Nutrition North America, Inc. is organising its first startup challenge. If your startup is tackling functional proteins, new flavor compounds, enzyme systems, and sweeteners, apply here.

🇬🇧 Happening on 17th – 19th March at Excel London, IFE Manufacturing promises to deliver the opportunity to meet the entire food & drink industry. Learn more here.

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