One week in a post #18: Plant-Based Ingredients You Can Pronounce, Celebs Craziness on Cellular Ag, Canned Water, and Upcycled Breakfasts

Now that climate beneficial eating is becoming more popular, and a number of individuals and organizations are getting into the space, I feel called to share with a broader audience what I encounter every single day through my work at Future Food and Food for Climate League. Weekly, I share startups I read about, products I tasted, founders I met (and a bit of personal life!). Every single concept I mention will be tracked on a public database we’re populating. The overarching goal is to increase the general interest in this topic, acknowledging that the challenge is too big not to work cooperatively.

This initiative is possible thanks to our amazing Future Food Ecosystem, where our team is working head-down every single day to research, design, create, and commercialize new food solutions to help our planet.

My word of the week

OUTAGE / NOUN: a period when a power supply or other service is not available or when equipment is closed down.

Food, Climate and Innovation: three highlights of the week

Celebs investing in Cellular Ag and Plant-Based alternatives

From celebrities to major influencers, we are seeing more and more celebrities investing in upcoming brands.

Just recently, Leonardo DiCaprio has invested into two startups focused on creating cell-based meat alternatives: Aleph Farms and Mosa Meat. Not only an investor, DiCaprio will serve as their strategic advisor to assist in the development, production, distribution of cell-based meat products. According to the Co-founder/CEO of Aleph Farms, Didier Toubia, “Leo’s investment and move to our sustainability advisory board not only validates our sustainability hypothesis but also confirms our road map for ushering in a new age of meat production that helps combat climate change and preserve our precious planet.”

Robert Downey Jr. has also recently invested $40 million in the brand Atlas which is using mycelium to grow whole-cut “meats”.

In addition, Katy Perry, Jay-Z, Ruby Rose, Jaden Smith, and Serena Williams have invested in Impossible Food; Snoop Dog in Beyond Meat; Shailene Woodley, Lance Bass and Paris Hilton in Good Catch,; Drake in Daring Foods… the list goes on.

Plant Protein that’s NOT Ultra-Processed

With nearly every form of meat alternative saturating the market, the concern for “less-processed” whole-foods based options has become a questions. At what point is the food we are eating no longer healthy even though it is “vegan”.

While cell-cultured faux meat is experiencing a surge in innovation, there are still brands out there dedicated to highlighting the whole-foods roots such as mushroom and walnut.

Tastewise’s latest alternative proteins report found that sausage makes up 34% of plant-based meat consumption, making it the most replicated form of meat. While soy and pea would usually be the go-to base for these products, Alon Chen, co-founder and chief executive officer of Tastewise has found consumers are seeking more creative protein sources: “Walnut chorizo is an up-and-coming ingredient for sausage replication and offers high-protein content in tasty formats like tacos.”

While innovation into more sustainable proteins is important, “Products that can emphasize both personal and planetary health will stand out in the crowded field,” Chen told Food Business News. “Striking a balance of both will be important for new category players. Health and sustainability are increasingly linked.”

Would you give walnut chorizo a try?

Bringing out Culturally Accurate Flavors on Grocery Store Shelves

Did you know the molded hard-shell yellow corn tortillas you see on grocery store shelves don’t exist in Mexico? How often have you been eating with a friend to only find out the food you are eating is misrepresenting the culture it is labeled as.

From misrepresentation and/or total lack of representation, it is time for culturally accurate flavors to come out:

“Until now, Americans have had to dine out to enjoy a real Mexican meal,” Rodrigo Zuloaga, former head of product innovation at Kind Snacks. Often times, many of the packaged items on the selves are not culturally accurate or represent the true flavors. Kind Snacks founder Daniel Lubetzky has partnered with two former executives from the healthy snacking brand to launch SOMOS, a Mexican food brand. According to Food Business News, the brand offers a variety of rices, beans, tortilla chips, salsas and plant-based entrees, including smoky chipotle mushrooms, cauliflower tinga and two kinds of pea-cadillo, a plant-based alternative to ground beef. All three founders, born and raised in Mexico, launched SOMOS to replace the “fake” Mexican food that dominates American pantries.

On the other hand, some are unable to even find any foods that attempt to represent their cultural flavors: Inspired by the Philippines’ most iconic dishes, Jake Deleon, founder and chief executive officer plans to launch the brand Fila Manila revealing a line of jarred sauces that proudly represent true Filipino cuisine. The sauces include: Kare-Kare, with roasted peanuts, garlic and spices; Adobo, combining soy and garlic; and Caldereta, a tomato sauce with red bell pepper and spices. Deleon has already expressed plans of future launches including snacks, frozen desserts and more. An ube coconut and purple yam jam is set to roll out early next year, and prepared meals such as adobe beef stew may launch later.

Climate Friendly products of the week

OSWALD CO.

OSWALD CO. created Chia Smash, a superfood fruit spread made with upcycled ingredients. The list being only 4 real ingredients — berries, chia seeds, dates and lemon. It contains no added sugar, and is sweetened naturally with berries and dates. What I like about them:

• Market / The North America Jams and Preserves Market was worth USD 2.45 billion in 2021 and estimated to be growing at a CAGR of 3.4%, to reach USD 2.9 billion by 2026.
• Versatility / Their product has numerous uses for their consumer: oatmeal, toast, granola, yogurts, pancakes and waffles, in smoothies, paired with cheese, savory sauces & dressings, baking and more.
• Nutrition / Keto, Paleo, Vegan, 4 real ingredients, No added sugar, sugar alcohols, stevia, or preservatives

CanO Water

CanO Water, a brand that is putting water into aluminum cans as opposed to plastic, is working towards reducing the impact plastic bottles have on the environment by being 100% recyclable, and resealable. Their aluminum cans be recycled and back on the shelf as fast as 6 weeks after they have been recycled.

• Market / According to the Beverage Marketing Corporation (BMC), total bottled water volume grew from 13.8 billion gallons in 2018 to 14.4 billion gallons in 2019, an increase of nearly 4 percent…
• Packaging / CanO Water offers a resealable lid in order to meet the need for resealing. In terms of recyclability, it is separated from the can during the recycling process. It’ll be recycled or incinerated within a controlled environment. The waste energy powers the recycling process.

The Kawa Project

The Kawa Project up-cycles coffee grounds from coffee shops and industrial brewers, extracts and refines the oils in the grounds using clean chemical processes, and the oil is fractionated and ready for use in personal care and food products.

• Market / The Coffee Market was valued at USD 102.02 billion in 2020, and it is projected to reach a CAGR of 4.28% during the forecast period of 2021–2026.
• Product Uses / The Kawa Project’s oils are extremely versatile and can be used as soap, shaving cream, skincare, lipstick and balm, laundry detergent, candles, kitchen cleaner, and more.

The Kawa Project is currently working towards a 2021 release.

The Future Food Institute believes climate change is at the end of your fork. By harnessing the power of our global ecosystem of partners, innovators, researchers, educators, and entrepreneurs, FFI aims to sustainably improve life on Earth through the transformation of global food systems.

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