Dear friend,

Food Frontier has launched its largest research report to date. Alternative Proteins and Asia reveals Asia’s growing demand for alternative proteins is an opportunity for manufacturers to harness a new market.

After the recent approval of cultivated meat in the US, the momentum of developments in the cultivated meat sector has continued at pace around the world, with the first applications for regulatory approval of cultivated meat in Europe and the UK, and approval granted for public tastings of cultivated meat and seafood in the Netherlands.

And with the clock ticking down to Food Frontier's AltProteins 23 conference in Melbourne, there's a lot to look forward to. In just under eight weeks, you'll have the opportunity to engage with more than 30 local and international speakers. There is still time to book your ticket.

Food Frontier updates

Alternative Proteins and Asia is based on research by Mintel to assess the opportunity for alternative proteins exports in 11 countries across Asia, ranking them for their market suitability based on market size and innovation, market entry and operations, and consumer intelligence. The report focuses on the top five countries with the greatest market potential: China, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand, and Japan and includes new primary research from 5,000 consumers across these markets.

Download here

Singaporeans are the most aware of cellular agriculture, but Chinese and Thais are the most likely to buy the products once they're available. These are findings from Food Frontier's spotlight report on consumer attitudes to cellular agriculture in Asia, which takes a closer look at consumer awareness and acceptance levels of cultivated meat and precision fermentation.

Only 8 weeks to go: The AltProteins 23 conference is right around the corner. Don't miss the chance to expand your understanding through thought-provoking discussions covering essential industry topics. With excitement growing and new speaker and session announcements every week, now is the best time to secure your spot.
Listeners can get to know our new Executive Director, Simon Eassom, in a recent episode of the Future Alternative podcast, where he discusses the future of food, and the role Food Frontier plays in the ANZ alternative protein ecosystem.
Australia's economic complexity ranking has fallen to the 93rd position, partly attributed to its dependence on low and moderate complexity exports. Food Frontier's Executive Director, Simon Eassom, commented on how alternative protein technologies are a great example of value-adding and advanced manufacturing, providing opportunity for the Australian economy.
Food Frontier hosted a roundtable for cellular agriculture companies, with a specific focus on cultivated meat. If you are an alternative proteins manufacturer in Australia or New Zealand and interested in participating in future industry roundtables, please contact our Head of Industry Engagement, Susie O’Neill at susie@foodfrontier.org.

Developments down under

In a disappointing development, Australian Plant Proteins is among eight recipients to have funding withdrawn by the Australian Government. The $113M grant was previously announced in March 2022 under the Modern Manufacturing Initiative Collaboration Stream, aimed at supporting the construction of three new plant protein processing facilities in South Australia.

New Zealand-based FoodHQ identifies four emerging protein sources that NZ is best placed to explore in its report Unleashing Aotearoa New Zealand’s next protein revolution. Report author Dr Victoria Hatton, will be speaking at AltProteins 23 in October.

Precision-fermentation company Nourish Ingredients, which develops fats made to mimic the smell and taste of animal fats, aims to launch its first product late 2024 after it secured $5.8M in funding and grants from the Australian government.

Cultivated meat company Magic Valley announced a partnership with US company Biocellion to improve bioreactor design and the efficiency of the company's cultivated meat production.
Australian B2B plant-based meat manufacturer Harvest B signed a New Zealand distribution deal with food distribution business Dunninghams.
Magic Valley and Vow featured in stories on ABC News, Landline and Behind the News, highlighting the growing interest in cultivated meat down under.
Founder of NZ plant-based jerky company Off Piste Provisions explained to Food Navigator Asia that a deeper discussion around processing and health is required, to differentiate between foods that have high amounts of sugar and fat added, and those that utilise healthier ingredients.
Expressions of interest are open for the Made in Victoria – Industry R&D Infrastructure Fund, available to eligible businesses wanting to invest in new or enhanced R&D infrastructure.

Global developments

The Netherlands has become the first European country to allow cultivated meat and seafood tastings, with a code of practice created in collaboration with Dutch cultivated meat companies Meatable and Mosa Meat.

Israeli cultivated meat company Aleph Farms collaborated with Swiss retailer and meat producer Migros to submit the first application for cultivated meat in Europe to Swiss regulators, followed by an application in the UK.

Building on the successful rollout of dishes featuring plant-based meat from Green Rebel across 364 stores in Malaysia, Starbucks in South Korea has seen a surge of sales after introducing plant-based meat options.

French plant ingredient company Roquette opened a new customer centre in Singapore to support plant-based innovations tailored to Asian cuisine.
Wageningen University and Research launched its Safe Precision Fermentation (SAFERMENT) project, which will research food safety considerations, allergenicity and consumer acceptance of precision fermentation dairy proteins.
US cultivated meat equipment supplier Ark Biotech identified four key areas of focus to overcome current cultivated meat production limitations through its novel techno-economic analysis: reducing the cost of media, improving cell mass, optimising the bioprocess, and reducing capital spend.
UK cultivated meat company Ivy Farm has partnered with UK food producer Finnebrogue to produce cultivated wagyu beef burgers using cells from Finnebrogue’s Wagyu herd.

Low-meat diets halve environmental impact

Oxford University released the biggest and most significant study to date comparing the varying environmental impacts of different diets. The study found that people eating less meat more than halved their environmental impact compared to those eating high amounts of animal products.

The study analysed data from 38,000 farms in 119 countries, as well as information about the diets of 55,000 UK residents. The study demonstrated that low-meat diets had half the impact of high-meat diets on greenhouse gas emissions, water pollution and land use, with completely plant-based or vegan diets having just 25% the impact of high meat diets.

Who's hiring?

The employment opportunities continue to grow in the alternative proteins sector across Australia and New Zealand - check out the roles from:

Please share with your networks in case you know anyone suitable for these roles.

Want to discover more of the latest on alternative proteins? Visit our News page and follow us on LinkedIn and Instagram.

– The Food Frontier Team

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Header image credit: v2food

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