9We’re losing crucial climate data…and fast!

One of the biggest losses to the climate movement that is happening in real-time courtesy of the Trump-led White House is the disappearance of crucial climate data.

As per the New York Times, farmers and environmental groups are suing the US government because its websites have removed critical data that is “crucial for farmers facing risks linked to climate change, including heat waves, droughts, floods, extreme weather and wildfires.” This also includes “information about how to mitigate dangers and adopt new agricultural techniques and strategies” as well as “long-term weather data and trends”, all of which are critical for “planning, research and business strategy”.

Meanwhile, the Washington Post reports that the US government has “blocked work that is central to major international climate change research and barred federal scientists and diplomats from attending a key global climate event in China next week” including a key figure and leading author of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report, which could mean the report is delayed, or worse, incomplete. Millions rely on this report for climate policy across the globe.

And lest we forget to mention Mr Musk, his DOGE blitzkrieg has set its eyes on dismantling NOAA (the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration), the Reagan-era science agency that “provides data and analysis—most notably lifesaving information that aids in forecasting US weather and climate extremes—used daily by the public, local and state governments, emergency responders, and the private sector.”

It may be just as well…Some of the very people who need reliable climate data for their jobs are getting demoted or laid off, according to the Financial Times: “Leading global banks have downgraded their top sustainability roles and shrunk dedicated teams as a result of slower-than-expected climate action and a backlash set off by Republican politicians in the US.”

I cannot stress enough how incredibly irresponsible this all is. As Pete Lehner, a lawyer for NGO Earthjustice told the NYT, “you can purge a website of the words climate change, but that doesn’t mean climate change goes away.” Quite.

Now is the time for more and better climate data, and folks must step up to fill these major gaps, because whether you care or not, the climate crisis is a material risk to all of us and all industries.

-Sonalie

💡 Green Queen Exclusives

🚫 Protein Politics: An ‘Anti-Vegan’ Backlash Is Brewing
Some headline writers and critics suggest an “anti-vegan backlash” is growing – protein and politics are key factors, but these narratives are missing the point.

🥛 Industry Insights: How Dotsie Bausch Got Tim Hortons & Dunkin’ To Drop Their Vegan Milk Surcharge 
Plant-powered Olympian Dotsie Bausch has been fiercely advocating for coffee companies to remove the non-dairy milk surcharge – now, Tim Hortons and Dunkin’ have become the latest chains to drop the levy. Here’s how she did it.

🇪🇺 Explainer: What The EU Agrifood Vision Means For Plant-Based Proteins
The EU has published its much-anticipated food and farming vision, raising alarm bells among climate experts and ignoring calls for a shift to plant-based proteins. Is it the “death of farm to fork”?

💰 5 Minutes With A Future Food VC: Alwyn Capital’s Heather Courtney
In our new interview series, we quiz future food investors about the solutions that excite them the most, their favourite climate-forward restaurant, and what they look for in successful founders. Here, Heather Courtney, General Partner at Alwyn Capital, shares the future food verticals she’s actively looking at in 2025, and her most successful and disappointing investments to date.

❓Opinion: How Will The Ultra-Processed Fight Affect Synbio Foods?
Synbio must prove itself as a superior alternative and win consumer trust to succeed amid the battle against ultra-processed foods, writes our columnist (and Savor’s Director of Business Development) Chiara Cecchini.

🇺🇸 Deep Dive: US Future Food Leaders React To RFK Jr’s Confirmation As Health Secretary
With Robert F Kennedy Jr becoming the new Health and Human Services Secretary, alternative protein leaders are exhibiting optimism, as well as caution. ➡️ We take the temperature with industry investors, founders and insiders on his appointment.

💰 Funding News

🇳🇱 Dutch precision fermentation startup Vivici closed a €32.5 million funding round to scale production of its recombinant beta-lactoglobulin protein and introduce new animal-free dairy proteins.
💡The funding comes a year after Vivici obtained regulatory clearance in the US where it has already secured offtake agreements with food companies.

🥕 New York-based CPG firm Actual Veggies secured $7 million Series A funding after its annual revenues jumped by 125%.
💡GLP-1 drugs and the fight against ultra-processed foods are changing the way Americans eat; could Actual Veggies’ natural products be the answer?

🌾 Tokyo-based Kinish raised ¥120 million (US$800,000) to grow “real deal” milk protein in rice grains via molecular farming.
💡Kinish uses vertical farming to grow dwarf rice crops in stacked cultivation and harvest them in less than half the time required for traditional rice.

✅ Must-Read Headlines

📉 Israeli-cultivated meat pioneer Aleph Farms has lowered its valuation by 73% in its upcoming funding round, but the firm says adapting to “changing market conditions” is necessary.
💡Aleph Farms is now focusing on three strategic priorities: optimising production and reducing costs; commercialising its first product and demonstrating market demand; and achieving profitability.

🇪🇺 The EU has set legally binding targets for all countries to reduce food waste by up to 30% in a revision of its waste framework directive.
💡While climate experts have welcomed the announcement of these first-of-a-kind targets, they have warned that they don’t go far enough.

🧫 Everything Else In Future Food

🇺🇸 The US produces 80% of the world’s pecan crops, growing over 1,000 varieties. At a time when Made in America is all the rage under President Donald Trump, these products are bound to find success. PKN, a Texas-based vegan milk startup, is banking on it.

🛢️ A new study suggests that replacing palm oil with conventional vegetable oils could have unintended climate consequences. So what’s the ultimate sustainable fat solution?

📈 Dutch startup Revyve is tripling its capacity to keep up with growing demand for its upcycled yeast protein, which is designed to replace eggs in various applications.

👩🏻‍🌾 As anti-cultivated-meat legislation heats up in the US, Nebraska and South Dakota’s efforts to ban these proteins are facing opposition from some policymakers – and farmers.

🇧🇷 Researchers at the Federal University of Paraná examined how regional disparities in beef-loving Brazil impact attitudes towards novel foods.

🌱🍔  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 Magnum’s revamped vegan recipe, Heura’s new Tex-Mex Chunks, and a cultivated seafood tasting in Japan.

📆 Scene & Heard

The Future of Protein Production Amsterdam Will Be Biggest Yet!

🇳🇱 Preparations are going well for The Future of Protein Production Amsterdam, taking place on 29th & 30th October. This year, the event will showcase exciting new ideas and solutions for protein production, and is expecting 1,000 attendees and over 60 exhibitors, making it the biggest event yet! Get your early bird ticket here.

✅ The Mills Fabrica announced the launch of its partnership service, designed to help brands and organisations — of any size and at any sustainability stage — discover new opportunities for advancing environmental and social impact in their operations. Learn more here.

💻 ProPak Asia is hosting a webinar on 25th March called ‘Will we Starve? Food (in)security in an exciting world: ways ahead for the food industry and Asia’s food citizens’. Register here.

🇬🇧 In partnership with the UK's Advanced Research and Invention Agency, 5050 is coming to the UK. The first UK cohort runs from March to June ‘25. Sessions are held in London and online. Find out more and apply here.

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