food tech news

February 27, 2021

Food Tech News: H&M’s Castor Bean Oil Fabric, Self-Heating Coffee Cans

Welcome to this week’s Food Tech News round-up! With March just around the corner, we’re nearly at the “anniversary” of U.S. business shutting down due to the pandemic. We’re not sure if this is the kind of anniversary worth celebrating or crying over, but whatever mood you’re in, we have some news from the world food tech to make your day better.

This week we have news on H&M’s castor bean oil and cactus fiber fabrics, self-heating coffee cans, a plant-based innovation competition, and new vegan hot dogs from Meatless Farm.

H&M is making castor bean oil-based nylon fabric and leather from prickly pear fibers

Swedish multinational clothing company H&M has launched a sustainability concept called Innovation Stories, and recently debuted the first clothing line, Science Stories. In this new line, a castor bean oil-based yarn made by Fulgar will be used to create a fabric much like nylon, which is typically made from a group of plastics called polyamide. Additionally, H&M will be using Desserto’s vegan cactus leather for several clothing items. Pieces made from these fabrics will include women’s pants, shirts, and tracksuits, and will be available in select stores and on H&M’s website starting March 8.

High Brew Coffee now produces self-heating coffee cans

High Brew Coffee produces a variety of canned cold brew, espresso, and latte drinks, and the company’s latest innovation is a self-heating can of black coffee. BevNet reviewed the product this week and found that the temperature of the coffee reached around 120 degrees (which is moderately warm for a cup of coffee). The can is manufactured by HeatGen, and the coffee drinker simply needs to twist the bottom of the can and shake it a few times to activate the solid-state chemical reaction that warms the coffee. The self-heating can is available for High Brew’s 10.3 Oz Black & Bold flavor and costs $20 for a 4-pack.

ProVeg Asia to host plant-based innovation contest

ProVeg International is a non-profit that advocates for sustainable food system change, and this week it announced the Plant-based Food Innovation Challenge. The challenge is looking for students who have innovative ideas for plant-based foods and is open to students enrolled at universities in the ASEAN region. The event is supported by companies in the plant-based space like Oatly, Beyond Meat, HaoFoods, and Nestle. ProVeg is currently accepting applications for proposals from now and until March 13, 2021. Competition finalists receive up to $1,500, mentorship, and internship opportunities.

Meatless Farm to launch plant-based hot dogs during summer

Meatless Farm, a British-based producer of plant-based meat alternatives, announced this week that it will be launching vegan hot dogs during the summer of 2021. The hot dogs will be made from base ingredients of coconut fat and pea protein, and free of both gluten and soy. After launching this upcoming summer, the hot dogs will be available in retailers and foodservice operators throughout the U.S.

February 20, 2021

Food Tech News: Food Waste Protein Powder and Nike Coffee Sneakers

It’s that time of week! Food Tech News is here, and stories on protein powder made from food waste, a cell-based protein ingredient for skin care, and Nike’s new coffee sneakers.

Nutrapharma is making protein powder from food waste

Nutrapharma, a UK-based pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, and agri-tech lab, shared this week that they are creating a protein powder made from food waste. The company is using excess fruits and vegetables and produce scraps and turning them into a protein-rich powder that can be added to a variety of different supplements. It was undisclosed if the company is using any particular types of fruit or vegetables, but it did share that some of the first samples of the protein powder are higher in protein than whey protein. Because the powder is made from dried and milled fruit and vegetables, it will also contain nutrients like a variety of vitamins and minerals.

Avant Meat enters skincare industry

Avant Meats, which produces cell-based fish maw and sea cucumber alternatives, announced this week that it has entered the skincare industry with a new anti-aging ingredient product. The company is using its cell-based biotechnology to create marine protein peptides, which are typically found in supplements, face creams, and other beauty products. The product is called Zellulin, and will be used as an ingredient for anti-aging skin care products. Like Avant’s other cell-based products, the cell-based protein-peptide does not require any animals to be slaughtered or harmed. The company shared that they will be able to commercialize the cell-based marine protein-peptide product faster than its cell-based seafood products because it does not require pre-market approval.

Nike’s coffee themed shoes

Maybe this isn’t directly tied into the world of food tech, but it’s still neat. Nike unveiled a new line of shoes called the “Coffee Pack” on the website called The Drop Date this week. There are three styles, including the Daybreak, the Air Max 97, and the Air Force 1 Low. Each shoe showcases the different colors of coffee beverages, like the dark brown of black coffee and the creamy tan color of a latte. A cat sitting in a coffee mug is printed on the insole, while the heel and tongue of the shoe read “Roasted by Nike”. The shoes are currently only available in Asia, but will launch in the US at some point as well.

February 13, 2021

Food Tech News: Vegan Wagyu Beef, Coca-Cola Transitions To New rPET Bottles

If you haven’t heard, The Spoon is hosting the Food Tech Job Fair. If you feel like you need to get up to date on news and information in the world of food tech before attending, the Food Tech News round-up is a great place to start. This week we have news on vegan wagyu beef, Coca-Cola’s transition to rPET bottles, a new whole cut plant-based chicken product, and an engagement program for snack startups.

Plant-based wagyu beef to be trialed throughout US

Canadian-based Top Tier Foods, a manufacturer of plant-based sushi items, announced that it will be trialing vegan wagyu throughout the US. The company has partnered with Advanced Fresh Concepts for the rollout, which owns over 4,000 sushi locations in the US. The vegan wagyu will be trialed at only certain locations owned by Advanced Fresh Concepts (locations were not disclosed), as well as well inside of Rouse supermarkets located in Louisiana. The wagyu will be soy protein based, and seasoned in a teriyaki marinade.

LIVEKINDLY Collective partners with Rival Foods to create whole cuts of plant-based chicken

LIVEKINDLY Collective, a collection of plant-based start-ups, and Rival Foods, a plant-based meat alternative producer, announced at the beginning of this week that they will partner to create plant-based chicken. Rival Foods has the technology and capabilities to produce whole cuts of different meat analogues, so the new product will be a whole cut of plant-based chicken. It was undisclosed what the plant-based chicken will be made from, or when it will be available.

Coca-Cola and brands begin transition to r-PET bottles

Coca-Cola announced this week that it will begin the transition to using rPET (recycled polyethylene terephthalate) bottles starting in February. Initially, 13.2 oz Coca-Cola and Sprite bottles will be available in California, Florida, and the Northeastern US. Coca-Cola sent me samples of three bottles with the new rPET packaging, and I honestly could say I would not have been able to tell the difference between the rPET packaging and virgin plastic. The corporation aims to make 50% of its packaging from recycled materials by 2030.

Mondelez launches program to support snack start-ups

Mondelez’s International innovation and venture lab, called SnackFutures, just launched an engagement program for early-stage snack start-ups. The program is called CoLab, and it will support snack start-up brands targeting the well-being sector. Up to ten snack food start-ups will be selected for the 12 week program. Start-ups accepted into the program will receive a $20,000 grant, and receive customized support and a curriculum. Applications are open now.

February 6, 2021

Food Tech News: Artificial Pollination for Almond Orchards, Brave Robot Available Nationwide

If you’re anything like me, the days blur together easily after months of stay-at-home orders, and you probably have to look at a calendar to determine what day it is. However, our Food Tech News is out today, which means it’s a Saturday! This week, we have stories on artificial pollination in almond orchards, Brave Robot’s nationwide expansion, Keurig’s phone app, and a fully plant-based Starbucks location.

Edete to use artificial pollination for Australian almond orchard

Edete Precision Technologies for Agriculture, an ag tech startup based in Israel, recently signed a contract with one of Australia’s largest almond orchards. This August, when the almonds trees begin to bloom, Edete will apply its artificial pollination technology to the almond trees. The company’s machines collect flowers and then separate out the pollen. The collected pollen can be stored for up to a year, and when trees are ready to be pollinated, the machines dispense the optimal amount of pollen per flower. Due to the decline of pollinators and issues like bee colony collapse disorder, crops that require insect pollination (around 75% of all crops) are at risk for severe yield declines, so Edete’s technology may become crucial in the upcoming years. The company also plans to work with almond growers in California.

Brave Robot’s animal free ice cream made in partnership with fermentation company Perfect Day Source: Perfect Day

Brave Robot is now available in 5,000 stores across US

Brave Robot, a brand of The Urgent Company, shared that its animal-free flora-based ice cream is now available in 5,000 locations across the US. The ice cream comes in eight flavors, and uses Perfect Day’s proprietary animal-free whey. Although the ice cream does not require the use of cows for milk, it does contain dairy because the whey protein is essentially an exact replica of whey protein from cows. Brave Robot ice cream is available in stores like Kroger, Sprouts, Safeway, Lassen’s, and Ralph’s throughout the US.

Keurig Commercial Remote Brew App

Watch this video on YouTube

Keurig announces new phone controlled and touchless brewing feature

Keurig Commercial announced a new touchless feature available for its commercial coffee makers intended for workplaces. Users can download the Keurig Remote Brew App, and through the app select which coffee or specialty beverage they would like to brew. Developed with the existing Bluetooth Kit, the Remote Brew App can be used with Eccellenza Touch and Eccellenza Momentum models. This new feature was created to make coffee in a COVID-19 safe manner for those employees who may be returning to the workplace.

Starbucks to pilot fully plant-based location

An existing Starbucks location near Seattle, Washington will be piloted for offering only plant-based menu items. This was announced by Starbucks CEO in the recent Q1 earnings call, but it is unclear when the plant-based transition will occur, or which exact location it will be. On the Starbucks website, an article was released in January 2021 that shared that plant-based items will continue to be added at Starbucks locations globally as part of the company’s sustainability initiatives. New plant-based items being trialed in the U.S. include an Impossible breakfast sandwich, vegan bagels, oat milk, and a variety of almond milk-based beverages.

January 30, 2021

Food Tech News: The World’s Largest Piece of Cultured Meat, Coca-Cola Delivery Via Drone

Welcome to this week’s Food Tech News round-up! We found some interesting tidbits this week, including the world’s largest piece of cultured meat, Coca-Cola’s drone delivery, Carnival Cruise’s step towards sustainability, and funding for HIPPEAS chickpea snacks.

NovaMeat produces the world’s largest piece of cultured meat

3D meat printer NovaMeat announced that it had successfully created what it is calling the world’s largest piece of cultured meat, with a volume of 22500 mm3 (1.4 cubic inches). NovaMeat has so far created 3D-printed steak and pork made from plant-based proteins, but is now creating hybrid meat alternatives through the combination of plant-proteins and cells from cultivated meat. After announcing this accomplishment, the company shared it will hold an investment round in the next few months and aims to increase the production speed of its 3D-printed meat to 100Kg/hour.

Coca-Cola delivers coffee flavored soda via drone

Coca-Cola partnered with Walmart and drone provider DroneUP to make aerial deliveries of its new beverage, a coffee-infused soda. The drone was launched from a Walmart in Coffee County, Georgia, and delivered to a select few consumers located within a mile of the Walmart. The coffee soda is infused with Brazilian coffee, and comes in three flavors, caramel, dark blend, and vanilla – with a sugar-free option in the vanilla and dark blend flavors. The 12oz cans are shelf-stable and offer 69mg of caffeine. The soda was trialed successfully in Japan in 2018, and as of it January 25th, 2021, the Coca-Cola with Coffee beverage is now available in the US.

Photo of a digester from BioHiTech’s website

Carnival Cruise Lines and Princess Cruise Lines aim to reduce food waste through BioHiTech’s food digesters

BioHiTech, which offers technology solutions and services to combat the environmental issues of landfill waste, will provide 14 cruise ships from Carnival Cruise Lines and Princess Cruise Lines with its Revolution Series food digesters for food waste onboard. The digesters process food waste through odorless, aerobiotic digestion and convert the waste into a liquid that can be drained into the cruise ship’s wastewater line. This prevents food waste from reaching the landfill and saves the cruise line costs associated with waste management. The order from BioHiTech totals approximately $2 million USD and will be completed in Q2 of 2021.

HIPPEAS raises $50M for chickpea snacks

Whole Foods predicted that chickpea would trend as an ingredient in 2021, and they certainly were correct. Chickpeas are being used in everything from alternative eggs to snack foods, and HIPPEAS Organic Chickpea Snacks announced that it has raised $50 million in funding this week from The Craftory Limited. The company will use these funds to increase production, expand distribution, and add to its positive impact projects. All of the company’s products are organic, vegan, gluten-free, and products include flavored chickpea puffs and chickpea tortilla chips. I can personally attest that HIPPEAS products are delicious, and it is too easy to crush an entire bag of the vegan white cheddar chickpea puffs.

January 23, 2021

Food Tech News: GROW Impact Accelerator 2021 Cohort, US Plastic Pact Sets 2025 Goals

Welcome to the weekend, and the weekly Food Tech News round-up. This week, we gathered news regarding GROW’s 2021 food and ag-tech cohort, the US Plastic Pact’s goals, Sonic’s international expansion, and Kind Healthy Snack’s free dietician program.

GROW Impact Accelerator accepting applications for 2021 Impact Accelerator Program

GROW is a Singapore-based agriculture and food tech accelerator backed by AgFunder, and it recently announced that it has opened its application for the 2021 cohort. Selected applicats will receive mentorship, funding of $200,000, and access to the accelerator’s network. The program is open to food tech and agriculture tech start-ups and will be held virtually for now. Applications close on February 28th.

US Plastic Pact sets goals for 2025

The US Plastic Pact, led by The Recycling Partnership (TRP) and World Wildlife Fund (WWF), is comprised of 84 public and private sector stakeholders in the plastics value chain. The pact recently set forth its upcoming goals for the next few years, which includes ensuring all plastic packaging is 100% compostable or recyclable, taking action to compost or recycle 50% of all plastic packaging, and guaranteeing that at least 30% of plastic packing is comprised of recycled content or bio-based content. The US Plastic Pact aims to achieve these goals by 2025.

Sonic unveils plans to expand internationally with new model

Sonic’s president shared that the fast-casual restaurant chain currently has plans to expand internationally with an updated restaurant design.Sonic didn’t say which countries will be on the list, but the expansion will roll out in the next few years. Sonic debuted an updated restaurant model last summer, which included wider car docks, different drive-thru formats, and an “order ahead” option through its app.

Kind Healthy Snacks launches Kind RD Connect to link consumers with local dieticians

Kind Healthy Snacks, known for its bars and granola, recently announced the launch of its new platform called Kind RD Connect. The platform aims to assist customers who are looking to improve their diet and will match them with local registered dieticians. Three thousand, 15-minute virtual call sessions where customers can ask nutrition-related questions will be offered completely free of charge. Kind RD Connect is currently available and will be running until February 18th.

January 16, 2021

Food Tech News: Muniq Raises $8.2M for Protein Powder, Danone Launches Plant-Based Cheese

Welcome to this week’s Food Tech News round-up! This week, news that caught our attention included Muniq’s recent funding round, Danone’s new plant-based cheese, Torchy Taco’s new contactless services, and Zero Egg’s restaurant debut.

Muniq raises $8.2 million for blood sugar regulating protein powder

Muniq, a protein powder created specifically for blood sugar control and gut microbiome health, raised $8.2 million in its Series A round. The round was led by Alpha Edison and Acre Venture Partners, with participation from Baron Davis (former NBA star and investor) and Cathy Richards (founder of SimplyProtein). The protein powder contains a high amount of prebiotic resistant starch that can help regulate blood sugar and weight management, and it was developed specifically with those who live with diabetes or struggle with weight loss in mind. Muniq’s five flavors of protein powder include Chocolate, Vanilla Creme, Mocha Latte, Vegan Vanilla, and Vegan Chocolate. A bag of protein powder with 28 servings costs $99 and is available for purchase on the company’s website.

Danone launches plant-based cheese through So Delicious Brand

Danone’s So Delicious brand recently announced the release of new dairy-free cheese products, which include plant-based shredded cheese, slices, and spreads. All of the cheeses are vegan, gluten-free, soy-free, and non-GMO, but it is currently unclear what the main ingredient in these new products is. The shredded and sliced cheese products are now available in stores such as Target, Walmart, Market Basket, Fresh Thyme across the US. The cheese spreads will be released sometime in March.

CardFree and Torchy’s Taco partner to develop contactless services

Torchy’s Taco, a fast-casual taco chain, partnered with CardFree, a provider of modern ordering services, to revamp online ordering and contactless services in the restaurant’s location. Customers eating at Torchy’s will now be able to use the Text-to-Pay solution, which enables them to pay on a mobile phone for both phone-in and drive-thru orders. The new Order@Table solution allows customers to add to their order while dining in without getting back in line or interacting with a cashier. The taco chain is also trialing curbside pickup with “I’m Here” notifications for curbside pickups; the customer can simply send this notification from their phone to let the restaurant know they have arrived. These new features and services are now available in Torchy’s 83 locations across seven states.

Zero Egg makes debut in Birmingham, AL restaurant

Plant-based egg producer Zero Egg made its first restaurant debut at Tropicaleo, a Puerto Rican restaurant in Birmingham, Alabama. The restaurant created a special menu to celebrate Veganuary, and several of the menu items showcase Zero Egg’s soy, potato starch, and chickpea-based eggs. The speciality dishes include breakfast sandwich with vegan cheese, Zero Egg biscuit, and Beyond Meat patty, as well as a rice bowl with Zero Egg scramble, Beyond Meat sausage, and sweet plantains. These menu items are available now, and it is unclear if they will become permanent menu fixtures.

January 9, 2021

Food Tech News: DeliverZero Reduces Food Delivery Waste, N!ck’s Ice Cream Partners with Perfect Day

Welcome to our weekly Food Tech News round-up. This week, we have stories on DeliverZero’s waste-free food delivery, a partnership between N!ck’s Swedish Ice Cream and Perfect Day, changes to Albertson’s delivery fleet, and Daily Harvest’s new product.

DeliverZero uses reusable packing for food delivery

DeliverZero is a third-party food delivery service (like DoorDash or GrubHub) based in NYC, but what differentiates the company is its use of reusable packaging. When the food is delivered to customers, it arrives in reusable clamshell packaging made from BPA-free polypropylene plastic. Customers won’t have to worry about a pileup of reusable to-go containers, though. For each order they make, a delivery driver will also retrieve the previous order’s packaging and return it to the participating restaurant. If the packaging is not returned within six weeks, the customer gets charged $3.25.

At the moment, DeliverZero has partnered with over 100 restaurants in NYC. The company also announced that it will soon be expanding to Amsterdam and Chicago.

N!ck’s Swedish Ice Cream uses Perfect Day’s tech to create vegan ice cream

N!ck’s Swedish Ice Cream shared in a press release that it recently partnered with Perfect Day to produce several new vegan flavors. The company will use Perfect Day’s animal-free dairy proteins and a plant-based fat called EGP (N!ck’s has 14 patents for this) to create an ice cream that boasts a smooth and creamy texture. The new line will contain seven vegan flavors, will be keto-friendly, and contain no added sugars. Three flavors, Swedish Mint Chip, Choklad Choklad, and Karamell Swirl, are currently available for purchase on N!ck’s website, and one pint goes for $9.99. The rest of the flavors will be available on the website in February, and several undisclosed retailers will carry the ice cream in Spring 2021.

Albertsons will stop operating its own delivery fleet in several markets

Albertsons announced this week that it will stop using its own delivery fleet to fulfill grocery deliveries in several markets starting February 27, 2021. Which states and markets this will affect remains to be announced, though it was confirmed that California-based Albertsons, Vons, and Pavilions will cease using their own delivery fleets. The grocer will instead transition to using an undisclosed third-party delivery service. In the past, the company has used a combination of third-party delivery services like Instacart and Shipt with its own fleet. Due to the increase in home deliveries, the company said this transition will allow Albertsons to compete more effectively in the home delivery market.

Daily Harvest adds plant-based Mylk as an option

Daily Harvest is a trendy subscription service that targets millennials with delivered boxes of pre-made smoothies, bowls, and flatbreads. Now, the company has added a new product called “Mylk.” The plant-based milk comes in two flavors, vanilla and plain, and contains no artificial flavors, fillers, or gums. Interestingly, the almond milk does not come in liquid form, but rather a triangular cube that must be blended with water to create liquid almond milk. One order of almond Mylk costs $7.99 and makes eight 8-ounce servings.

January 2, 2021

Food Tech News: Virtual Restaurant Accelerator Progam Launch, Mycelium-Based Adidas Shoes

Welcome to our weekend wrap-up of food tech news from around the web.

Happy New Year! I am excited to both say goodbye to the most bizarre year of my life and share some Food Tech News with you. This week, some news pieces that stood out to us included a new accelerator program for virtual restaurants, Adidas shoes made from mycelium, a vegan-friendly Subway sub, and how you can support New York restaurants with a T-shirt.

An accelerator program for “pandemic-proof” virtual restaurants

The Melon Kitchen Food Entrepreneurship Accelerator will be opening a culinary program to Black and Latinx entrepreneurs to assist in the launch of new virtual restaurants. The program will begin in mid-January and take place at AMP (Artisinal Marketplace) in the tech district of Indianapolis. It is a free three-month program that will accept several cohorts consisting of five to seven participants. Through the use of ghost kitchens and delivery through DoorDash, the program aims to build “pandemic-proof” virtual restaurants. The marketplace will open to the public March 2021, and participants are eligible for start-up funding after the completion of the program.

Adidas shoes made from mushroom leather

Adidas announced that they will be launching vegan-friendly shoes made from mycelium-based leather; mycelium is essentially the root system of mushrooms. To produce this new shoe, the company partnered with sustainable materials producer Bolt Threads, which created a mycelium-based leather called “Mylo“. It is currently unclear when the new Adidas shoes will be available for purchase.

Vegan chicken subs at Subway

Now available at Subways in the UK and Ireland, the T.L.C (tastes like chicken) Sub uses soy protein chicken strips to mimic the company’s classic roast chicken breast strips. The new sub will be fully vegan and will also use Violife vegan cheese. The new menu item was added on December 30th, and it is not yet determined if it will be a permanent menu item. Subways located in the UK permanently added a Beyond Meatball Marinara Sub this year, and last year the same sandwich was trialed in the US and Canada.

Morning News clothing company launches T-shirt to support NY restaurants

Clothing company Morning News launched a T-shirt to help struggling local restaurants in New York. The back of the 100 percent cotton T-shirt reads “Support Your Local Restaurants” in hopes of encouraging residents of the state to remember to do so. Additionally, 40 percent of the proceeds from T-shirts will be donated to restaurant owners and employees through ROAR (Relief Opportunities for All Restaurants). Big cities like NYC have experienced a greater number of closures due to the high cost of rent, and over 1,000 restaurants have permanently closed here since March 2020.

December 26, 2020

Food Tech News: First Indoor Saltwater Hydroponic Farm + A Boozy Advent Calendar

It’s our weekend food tech wrap-up of stories you might have missed from around the web.

If you celebrate Christmas, we hope you enjoyed the holiday even if it looked a bit different this year. Maybe your loved ones gifted you something from The Spoon’s 2020 gift guide, and you’re busy playing around with your brand new Bonbowl or BEERMKR. Between new gift admiring and leftover cookie scarfing, we invite you to take time to catch up on some Food Tech News. This week we rounded up news on the first indoor saltwater hydroponic farm, Bombay Sapphire’s advent calendar, and a new vegan vending machine in Las Vegas.

Heron Farms is the first indoor saltwater hydroponic farm

Based in Charleston, South Carolina, Heron Farms uses the most plentiful resource on the planet, ocean water, to grow crops in an indoor hydroponic farm. This is apparently the first indoor saltwater hydroponic farm, and it is currently focused on growing sea beans. Sea beans have a crisp, crunchy texture with a flavor close to asparagus, and can be used in dishes such as salads and stirfries. The farm replaces freshwater, which is a resource being drained faster than its being replenished, and uses micronutrient-rich and abundant seawater to feed the crops.

Bombay Sapphire creates an advent calendar

Most advent calendars are filled with chocolate or candies and distributed at the start of December. Bombay Sapphire has partnered with the London Graphic Centre to provide an atypical boozy and artsy advent calendar that celebrates the days between Christmas and the new year. Behind each door of the calendar, there is some type of tool relevant to either making cocktails or art. The calendar comes with a cocktail-making guide, and behind each window of the calendar, there is a QR code that takes you to a website that provides videos and additional instructions.

Las Vegas is getting a vegan vending machine

The Vintage Vegan Diner in Las Vegas, Nevada has been doing catering, curbside pick-up, and delivery of its American-style vegan food since May of this year. The business will now be launching the city’s first vegan vending machine. The machine will contain the most popular dishes from the diner, including tofu bites, sliders, and cookie dough. The retro pink vending machine will pop-up at different areas throughout Las Vegas, eventually settling in one location.

December 19, 2020

Food Tech News: A New Potato Preserving Technology, Zomato Closes $660M Round

If you need a break from COVID-19 and vaccine-related news, you’re in the right place. In this week’s Food Tech News, we rounded up pieces on a new technology that helps preserve potatoes, Zomato’s latest funding round, a holiday Pepsi flavor, and carbon-neutral oat milk.

Funding for potato preserving technology

Hazel Technologies received an undisclosed amount in grant money this week from the USDA for its new potato preserving technology. The technology is called Hazel Root, which looks like a small package and is placed in a bin of potatoes after harvesting. The small package emits an undisclosed active ingredient that prevents potatoes from prematurely sprouting. Prior to this new development, Hazel Technologies focused on preserving fresh fruits for longer and has received a total of $900,000 in grant money. Last year, the company also raised $13 million in funding in an oversubscribed series B round.

Zomato closes $660M series J funding round

Indian delivery service Zomato closed its series J funding round this week, totaling $660 million USD. The recent round saw participation from Kora, Tiger Global, Luxor, Fidelity, D1 Capital, Baillie Gifford, Mirae, and Steadview. Zomato is currently valued at $3.9 billion USD, and Deepinder Goyal, the CEO of Zomato, shared that the company may launch its IPO sometime in the first half of next year.

Cocoa Cola for Christmas

On Twitter this week, PepsiCo announced that a new flavor is in the works: “Cocoa Cola.” Pepsi said if its tweet reached 2,021 reposts, the company would begin production of the new flavor. As of now, that tweet has been reposted 4,400 times so far, so it’s safe to say the new drink will go into production. It will have tasting notes of chocolate, marshmallow, and the classic cola flavor, and is expected to reach stores sometime this winter. Near Thanksgiving this year, PepsiCo also released a holiday flavor: a limited batch of apple pie-flavored soda.

Carbon neutral oat milk

Minor Figures, a London-based company that produces oat milk, announced this week it has become carbon neutral. The company partnered with EcoFye, a firm that helps companies lower their carbon footprint and purchase carbon credit for carbon offsetting projects. Becoming carbon-neutral has been quite the buzzword this year, with major companies like Starbucks, Amazon, and Microsoft also making the pledge.

December 12, 2020

Food Tech News: Fake Meat Capital of Europe, Plastic Made From Citrus Peels

It’s your weekend food tech news wrapup!

Plant & Bean Ltd. opens massive plant-based meat factory in Europe

Plant-based meat makers Plant & Bean opened a new factory in Boston, England. The factory is capable of producing 55,000 tons of alternative protein products, which will make Boston the faux-meat capital of Europe. The company uses soy as its main ingredient to produce a variety of different plant-based meats such as sausages, burgers, nuggets, and more. Plant & Bean is looking to continue to expand and open more factories, with potential factory locations opening in the next few years in the US, China, Thailand, and Brazil.

VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland creates plastic from produce

A new technology was developed at VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland that uses agricultural waste to produce a more sustainable plastic, PEF (polyethylene furanoate). Agricultural waste such as citrus peels, sugar beet pulp, or other produce containing pectin can be used to develop the plastic. Fossil fuel-based plastic PET (polyethylene terephthalate) is commonly used for food and beverage packaging; according to the press release, replacing packaging with PEF would reduce the packaging’s carbon footprint by 50%.

Whiskey barrel-aged Kit Kat bars to be released in Japan

Japan has released the most exciting flavors of Kit Kat bars over the years, with 400 different flavors like matcha, ube, yuzu, adzuki bean, and purple sweet potato to name a few. The newest flavor, a whiskey barrel-aged Kit Kat bar, will be released on December 15th in Japan. This new flavor was developed by Yasumasa Takagi, a pastry chef and former Iron Chef competitor The bar is made from Ghanaian cacao nibs that have been aged in Scotch whiskey barrels for 180 days, and will cost ¥300 ($2.88 USD).

Michael Jordan's course, The Grove XXIII… well its just the future!! Spent all morning trying to book on here!

🎥 chadilac_fsu pic.twitter.com/EguBujHiu0
— Divot Golf (@InADivot) December 7, 2020

Michael Jordan’s beer and snack- delivering drones

The Grove XXIII, Michael Jordan’s golf course that opened last year, now has drones that deliver boxes of beer and snacks to players. The drones bring beers in a box, while snacks come delivered in a brown paper bag. This new addition to the golf course allows golfers to avoid additional interactions with cashiers or employees.

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