Green Queen Media

🇸🇬🥛🏭 OATLY CLOSES SINGAPORE FACTORY AS PART OF ASSET-LIGHT STRATEGY AFFECTING 59 JOBS In its latest move to streamline operations and reach profitability, Oatly has shuttered its $22M oat milk factory in Senoko, Singapore after three years in operation. The closure will impact the jobs of 34 Oatly employees, plus 25 others who were contracted to local food producer Yeo Hiap Seng (Yeo’s), which ran the facility in partnership with Oatly. As a result of the contractual termination, Yeo’s will receive a compensation package worth S$32M ($23M) from Oatly in instalments, set to be paid in full by January 2027, according to CNA. The decision supports Oatly’s “asset-light strategy”, which was initiated in the US in 2022 and globally in 2023, when the oat milk giant racked up $417M in losses, a 6% increase from the previous year. This was driven by slowing sales, higher manufacturing costs and supply chain difficulties in the post-Covid period and in the wake of Russia’s war on Ukraine. When announcing its Q1 earnings this year, Oatly revealed that it was separating its Greater China business from the Asia segment, bundling the latter in a new Europe & International category. With the closure of the Singapore plant, the market will now be supported by the company’s facilities in Europe. “Over the past two years, our supply chain teams have done a good job at improving utilisation, efficiency, and reliability while also finding solutions to enable us to gradually expand capacity when needed to support our growing business,” said Oatly CEO Jean-Christophe Flatin. “These actions have led to strong service rates and improved gross margins.” Read the full article here: https://lnkd.in/dhMWta2y #GreenQueen #futurefoods #foodtech #sustainability #innovation #climateaction

🇺🇸✅🥛 ALL G EARNS SELF-AFFIRMED GRAS STATUS FOR COW-FREE LACTOFERRIN IN THE U.S. Just weeks after becoming the first company to be cleared to sell cow-free lactoferrin in China, All G has now received approval in the US too. The Australian precision fermentation startup has obtained self-determined GRAS (Generally Recognized as Safe) status in the country, paving the way for the market entry of its recombinant bovine lactoferrin, which is slated for the second half of 2025, founder and CEO Jan Pacas tells Green Queen. All G will look to obtain a “no questions” letter from the US FDA next year, notifying the agency with necessary reports on the safety of the product. It’s a longer, more rigorous process that involves the review of both positive and negative studies on an ingredient, but it’s also viewed as more transparent and breeds market and consumer confidence. The self-affirmed GRAS covers the whey protein’s applications in adult nutrition, but the company needs to clear additional hurdles to sell the ingredient for its dominant use case, infant formula. “We can now engage with US food and beverage companies to bring a stable supply of an affordable, high-purity protein that can either be substituted into existing production processes, or used to open up new markets,” says Pacas. In the meantime, All G is also working on human lactoferrin, targeting a commercial launch in 2025, as well as casein proteins. All G is the second company to achieve self-affirmed GRAS status for animal-free lactoferrin in the US, after Singapore’s TurtleTree. Several other precision fermentation firms are now working on this protein, including fellow Australian player Noumi, New Zealand’s Daisy Lab, and US startups Helaina, De Novo Foodlabs and Triplebar Bio. More information in the full article: https://lnkd.in/eGeru2RH #GreenQueen #altprotein #futurefood #precisionfermentation #innovation #foodsystems #biotech #altdairy

🌎 IPBES NEXUS REPORT: CLIMATE, FOOD, HEALTH, NATURE AND WATER ARE INTERLINKED Environmental, social and economic crises like biodiversity loss, water scarcity, food insecurity, health risks, and climate change are all deeply interconnected, rendering separate efforts to address them “ineffective and counterproductive”, according to a landmark report by the UN Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES). The report – known as the Nexus Assessment – found that governments are prioritising “short-term benefits and financial returns for a small number of people”, while ignoring the costs to the five nexus elements: biodiversity, water, food, health, and climate. Approved by almost 150 countries in Windhoek, Namibia, the analysis is described as “the most ambitious scientific assessment ever undertaken of these complex interconnections”, and argues that “fragmented governance” of these elements is causing unintended consequences and stands in the way of effective action. Instead, tackling these issues can maximise co-benefits for each of the nexus points, according to the IPBES, which laid out 71 “response options” to address the challenges. “We have to move decisions and actions beyond single-issue silos to better manage, govern and improve the impact of actions in one nexus element on other elements,” said Prof Paula Harrison, a co-chair of the Nexus Assessment. Fellow chair Prof Pamela McElwee said that decision-makers have so far failed to hold climate-damaging actors to account. “It is estimated that the unaccounted-for costs of current approaches to economic activity – reflecting impacts on biodiversity, water, health and climate change, including from food production – are at least $10-25T per year,” she noted. Read the full article here: https://lnkd.in/eKpufHEH #GrenQueen #climatechange #climateaction #health #foodsystems #biodiversity #futurefood

💬🌱 AN INSIGHTFUL DISCUSSION ABOUT THE FUTURE OF FOOD Our Founder and EIC Sonalie Figueiras engages in a thought-provoking dialogue with Australian MP Lisa Baker about the future of food transformation. Together, they explore vital topics such as: 👉 Challenges facing the food industry, including climate change and shifting consumer preferences 👉 The critical need for long-term solutions and resources to ensure sustainable practices 👉 The role of women in food security Sonalie emphasizes that "meat consumption reduction is a powerful step to our net zero goals," while Lisa discusses the opportunities for Australia to lead in sustainable food exports to the APAC region. Catch their full discussion here: https://lnkd.in/eMfchzGN #GreenQueen #futurefood #foodtransformation #sustainability #climatechange #climateaction #foodsecurity

🌏📢 AUSTRALIA & UK LEAD CLIMATE ARRESTS AS GOVERNMENTS USE ANTI-TERROR LAWS TO CURB PROTESTS As climate protests become more frequent amid a lack of action by world leaders, a new report reveals that instead of working with these activists, policymakers are actively taking measures and creating laws to clamp down on their efforts. Arrests, disappearances and murders are all part of an increasingly worrying trend for dissent over climate change and the environment. Since 2012, over 2,100 environmental defenders have been killed, while police violence and arrests have also become common occurrences. Meanwhile, legislations meant for organised crime and terrorism are being used against these activists. Reviewing data from Global Witness and Armed Conflict Location and Event Data, researchers at the University of Bristol found that 6.3% of climate and environmental protests end up in arrest globally, with the number jumping by around threefold in Australia (20%) and the UK (17%). Norway, where arrests are a result of 15% of protests, isn’t far behind. The 14-country report suggests that since 2019, there have been 22 new pieces of legislation aimed at limiting people’s ability to protest, which often “undermine existing human and civil rights legislation and conventions, including the Aarhus Convention”. “This is worrying because it focuses state policy on punishing dissent against inaction on climate and environmental change instead of taking adequate action on these issues,” said lead author Oscar Berglund, a senior public and social policy lecturer at the university. “It also represents authoritarian moves that are inconsistent with the ideals of vibrant civil societies in liberal democracies.” Read the full article here: https://lnkd.in/eqXFTXKv #GreenQueen #climateaction #climatechange #policy #sustainability

🍺💡 YEASTUP BREWS $10M TO REPURPOSE DAIRY FACTORY FOR BEER WASTE PROTEIN Turning beer industry waste into high-value ingredients, Swiss startup Yeastup has received 8.9 million francs ($9.9M) in fresh funding to transform a former dairy factory as part of its scale-up efforts. Investors in the Series A round included Beyond Impact VC, Gentian Investments AG, Newtree Impact, and Angel House, alongside participation from several renowned family offices from Switzerland and abroad. The capital will be used to repurpose a former dairy factory owned by CREMO SA, Switzerland’s second-largest milk producer, to manufacture food, nutraceutical and cosmetic ingredients from spent brewer’s yeast, an often underutilised byproduct of the brewing industry. The large-scale facility will have the capacity to upcycle 2,000 tonnes of brewer’s yeast annually, leveraging top-standard equipment while requiring limited capital expenditure. “We are pleased to collaborate with Yeastup, whose innovative process not only brings new life to our facility but also demonstrates how existing dairy infrastructure can be successfully utilized for the alternative protein sector,” said Cremo CEO Ralph Perroud. “We see this as an opportunity to reposition ourselves and explore innovative pathways together with Yeastup.” The company is one of several others making use of beer waste to produce functional ingredients. Germany’s ProteinDistillery uses biomass fermentation to turn spent brewer’s yeast into an egg-white-like ingredient called Prew:tein, while Dutch player revyve is also using the byproduct to make an egg substitute to enhance plant-based meat Read the full article here: https://lnkd.in/ebwrTD3x #GreenQueen #altprotein #futurefoods #foodtech #sustainability #zerowaste #innovation #foodsystems

⚡ FUTURE FOOD QUICK BITES ⚡ This week, Future Food Quick Bites covers two Beyond Meat debuts in the UK, Oatly’s Christmas-themed ad campaign, and an alt-protein university course. 👉 Swipe left for the details. 🛒 New Products and Launches Beyond Meat, Veganuary THIS™ PLANT SHACK Planta Queen All Y'alls Foods Vita Mojo Bonneterre & Compagnie Viva! 💵 Finance and Company Updates Oatly CSM Ingredients MycoTechnology, Inc., Jordi Ferre, Ranjan Patnaik, PhD Brightly, Schreiber Foods, G-Force, Collaborative Fund, Clear Current Capital, WindSail Capital Group LLC ICL Food Specialties, Plantible Foods GOURMEY, Claude Le Tohic, Rasmus Munk, Daniel Calvert Nutcase Milk Givaudan, Moonshot Pirates PoLoPo CULT Food Science, The Better Butchers ⚖ Policy, Research and Awards meati™ University College Dublin King's College London, Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council Genuine Taste, 2024 Invest Together in Climate Innovation Vive BettaFish, Kern Tec, EIT Food Impossible Foods Find out the latest in the alt protein space here: https://lnkd.in/e9PjnnDt #GreenQueen #altprotein #futurefood #funding #investment #foodtech #sustainability -------- Want to see more posts like this? Hit the 🔔 button on our profile so you don't miss any updates. Or subscribe to our newsletter to get the latest in alt protein and sustainability: https://lnkd.in/eqEx5DT

🌎🌾💰 DESPITE RISE IN CLIMATE FINANCE, FOOD SYSTEM'S SHARE FELL TO 2.5% There’s a critical gap between the money the food system needs to safeguard itself from the climate crisis and the funding it actually gets, a new report has found. Despite public finance for climate change adaptation and mitigation nearly doubling to $640B between 2017 and 2022, the percentage of investments allocated to the agrifood sector decreased from 3% to 2.5% (totalling $16.3B). And this dropped to just 1.5% (or $9.1B) for sustainable food system interventions. But food and agriculture account for a third of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions, exacerbating a climate crisis that disproportionally affects smallholder farmers, fishers, pastoralists, and Indigenous Peoples, according to the Global Alliance for the Future of Food (GAFF). Its Public Climate Finance for Food Systems Transformation report calls for an urgent increase “by orders of magnitude” in funding for greener agriculture production, healthier diets, and food waste reduction, among others, which can bring both environmental and economic benefits. “Food systems transformation is crucial not only for climate stability and adaptation, but also to aid the very people and communities who are hardest hit by the climate crisis. We know that farmers, fishers, and Indigenous Peoples the world over are critical to building resilience,” GAFF deputy director Lauren Baker and executive director Anna Lappé said in a joint statement. “The need for sustainable, agroecological food systems to receive significantly more climate finance is more urgent than ever,” they added. Read the full article for more information: https://lnkd.in/eMdAeYcV #GreenQueen #futurefood #foodsystems #climatechange #climateaction #sustainability #emissions #agriculture

🌱🧀 NEW CULTURE'S COW-FREE MOZZARELLA MOVES CLOSER TO PRICE PARITY WITH DAIRY Californian startup New Culture has achieved a significant cost breakthrough in its process to create melty, stretchy mozzarella without the cow. The animal-free dairy company uses precision fermentation – which combines traditional fermentation with the latest biotech advances to efficiently produce a compound of interest – to make casein, the main protein found in milk, from microbes. Its first product – a fermentation-derived mozzarella – combines the protein with water, plant-based fats, and minerals, and has dropped below a key cost threshold. New Culture’s cow-free cheese now needs just 28% of casein, less than half as much as conventional mozzarella. Since its casein makes up the majority of its mozzarella’s cost, the low inclusion rate allows it to lower the markup considerably, and demonstrates the “superior functional properties” of its protein, the company says. “When we started making animal-free cheese, we used the ingredient profile of conventional mozzarella as our recipe benchmark. Over time we developed a deep biochemistry understanding of our casein including the interactions of our casein and how to activate it. Based on these findings, we were able to drop the casein inclusion rate without taking a hit on product quality,” co-founder and CEO Matt Gibson tells Green Queen. While he wouldn’t be drawn on the current price difference between New Culture’s and dairy mozzarella, he tells Green Queen: “This new inclusion rate further proves New Culture’s financial viability. With this reduction, we’ve hit an essential milestone on our path to achieving cost parity with conventional mozzarella and reaching positive net margins.” New Culture is joined by startups like Change Foods, Fermify, Zero Cow Factory, and Standing Ovation working on precision-fermented casein too. California’s Nobell Foods and Israel’s Finally Foods are using molecular farming to produce the protein, while New York-based Pureture and San Francisco startup Climax Foods are making vegan casein. More information in the full article: https://lnkd.in/ewkWkUuC #GreenQueen #altprotein #altdairy #vegancheese #precisionfermentation #foodtech #sustainability

📦🛒 CONAGRA ROLLS OUT ‘GLP-1 FRIENDLY’ LABELS ON FOOD PACKAGING TO ATTRACT OZEMPIC USERS Will a ‘GLP-1 Friendly’ packaging label convince you to buy a product? That’s what Conagra Brands – the parent company of Birds Eye, gardein™, Chef Boyardee and Mrs. Butterworth’s – is banking on. In what it says is a “first-of-its-kind” initiative for the food sector, the CPG giant is introducing On Track badges on its Healthy Choice brand of products in January. The label is intended to denote products that are high in protein, low-calorie, and a good source of fibre, which Conagra says makes them suitable for users of weight-loss drugs like Ozempic, Wegovy and Mounjaro. These injectable medications have exploded in the US over the last year, shaking up the food industry as people’s focus switches to better-for-you, high-fibre foods that are beneficial for their gut health and weight loss. More than 30 million Americans have tried one of these GLP-1 agonist drugs. And with adult obesity in the US falling for the first time in over a decade last year (albeit by 0.6 percentage points), they will only continue to influence how this population eats. “The increased use of GLP-1 medications presents an exciting opportunity to support Americans managing diabetes and weight loss, as well as those seeking to lead a healthier lifestyle,” says Bob Nolan, VP of demand science at Conagra Brands. “Our ‘On Track’ badge reflects our commitment to providing accessible, healthy meal options tailored to their needs.” At the same time, startups like Supergut, OLIPOP PBC, poppi, and Uplift Food are targeting the market with their high-fibre foods. And even the two largest beverage companies, The Coca-Cola Company and PepsiCo, are planning prebiotic launches for 2025, despite previously downplaying the impact of weight-loss drugs on their bottom lines. Read the full article here: https://lnkd.in/ecD7aHUd #GreenQueen #foodtech #sustainability #nutrition #innovation #futurefoods #foodsystems