One week in a post #3: hallucinatory effects, cactus sodas, grocerants and volatility

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 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 diligently every single day to research, design, create, and commercialize new food solutions to help our planet.

My word of the week

Volatility

NOUN

• The degree of variation of a trading price series over time, usually measured by the standard deviation of logarithmic returns.

Food, Climate and Innovation: three highlights of the week

1. Magic mushrooms
   In the past years fungi (neither animals nor plants, but the ‘third branch of life’) have been attracting more and more interest both from the nutritional side (lion’s mane, reishi, cordyceps, chaga) and as a core pillar in the sustainable food production. A number of organizations have been growing mycelium to develop fungi-based packaging, meat mimics, or precision fermentation practices. But 2021 seems to take the trend to the next level. Early this month NeonMind Biosciences announced that its team is exploring the use of psilocybin — a complex organic compound in psychedelic mushrooms — as a potential treatment to improve eating habits and aid in weight loss. In a world where 8% of global deaths are attributed to obesity, and psychedelic therapy for treating anxiety, depression and PTSD is becoming more widely studied, mushrooms could expand their roots (aka, mycelium).
2. Back to the future of supermarkets: Grocerants
   This week Subway announced a partnership with Broad Street Licensing Group, a global brand licensing agency, to bring branded licensed products to grocery stores. The move comes after the chain pivoted early in the pandemic and launched Subway Grocery. And, it was not the only one. Panera launched Panera Grocery in early April, claiming to offer “Clean, Fresh Grocery Items Delivered From Our Pantry to Yours”. Is it a new trend? Partially. Retailers, such as WholeFoods, had featured a dining area for a while; forecasts were talking about Grocerants back in 2015; and some of us grew up with bodegas selling bulk groceries and making yummy sandwiches.
3. There is a new meat in town
   The Israeli 3D-printed alternative meat company, Redefine Meat, revealed its new partnership with the Israeli meat distributor, Best Meister, this week. The two companies set up a carnivore-branded food truck in a small suburb of Tel-Aviv, secretly serving close to 1000 servings of plant-based, 3D printed meat. Upon revelation, consumers feedback showed 90% acceptance rate on taste, texture and mouth feel. The experiment’s success was partially due to the fact that the truck served Mediterranean meat foods, a staple extremely familiar to these consumers.

Climate Friendly products I tasted this week

Pricklee: Soda

I learned about this pre-market company in the Startup CPG room on ClubHouse. Cactus has been heavily on my radar for a while now, and it’s one of the Future 50 Foods promoted by Knorr and WWF. The Procklee’s team believes that cactus water can be the new coconut water, disrupting the beverage industry. It’s packed with natural electrolytes and antioxidants, while being low in sugar and calories. What I like about them:

• Novelty / Cactus is still heavily under-explored as an ingredient.
• Market / According to KPMG Insights, the global functional beverages market size is predicted to rise to $208.13 billion by 2024, with a CAGR of 8.66% between 2019–2024.
• Nutritional profile / The nutritional label shows 35 kcal per can, with a 1% daily value of sodium, 1% of potassium and 8% of Vitamin C.

My full analysis here.

Eat the Change: Jerky

I was aware of the Eat The Chance Impact Grant Program because our beloved Food for Climate League was among 32 nonprofit organizations receiving support from them in 2020. But when someone suggested that I try their Jerky, I was pleasantly surprised! They are climate-friendly (and very tasty) snacks made from organic up-cycled mushrooms.

What I like about them:

• People / Seth Goldman is an icon and inspiring role model in the food and beverage industry.
• Holistic Approach / Eat the Change is creating an “umbrella brand” where a number of products and programs on this topic are being launched.
• Flavors profiles / They currently offer the following super yummy flavors: Salt + Cracked Pepper, Hickory Smokehouse, Maple Mustard, Teriyaki Ginger, Habanero BBQ.

My full analysis here.

ReGrained: Puffs

I’ve known Dan and his team for a while now and I recently decided to taste their Urban Garden puffs. ReGrained started as an up-cycled snacks company, and it’s now an ingredient platform transforming food waste and byproducts into tasty superfoods. What I found fascinating about them:

• Market / The up-cycled food space has been substantially growing in the past couple of years, leading to the world’s first Up-cycled Certification Standard.
• Scalability / It’s awesome to see ReGrained expanding their potential impact due to the fact that they’re becoming more of an ingredient company.
• People / The team is a powerhouse and the company raised money from a few strategic investors which I’m sure will make the difference.

My full analysis here.

My reading of the week

The Untethered Soul: The Journey Beyond Yourself, Michael A. Singer.

I believe this book is awesome! As the title suggests, it took me on a journey to separate myself from the illusion of the ego mind.

We all have inner monologues, 24/7/365, our inner voice is talking, directing how we navigate the world, and it rarely shuts off. Our self is the pure stream of consciousness, that just keeps on flowing. While our personal self is the identity we form, based on how our inner voice perceives this stream of consciousness and the thoughts that emerge from it. The book pushed me to clarify the difference. The first step towards an untethered soul is realizing we have a voice (and we are not the voice) because only then, we can pause, take a step back and look at what’s going on. After all, our thoughts don’t define who we are.

The author extensively talks about death as well. Humans are the only beings that know in advance they will die one day. While death is one of our biggest fears, it’s also what gives life meaning. Knowing that we’re going to die at some point, allows us to see time as finite and therefore care more about every single choice we make.

This book can be perceived as complex (even “trippy”), but it actually helped me unlock an additional view towards myself and the world surrounding me.

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.

Learn more at www.futurefoodinsitute.org, or join the conversation on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, or YouTube.

Or attend a program through the FutureFood.Academy!

Can I help you with the work you’re doing? Please reach out to me here!