Technology has always been a powerful force in the fight against climate change.
In the world of FoodTech, ten companies are reshaping the future of food production with their innovative approaches to sustainability.
These companies are not just offering meat and dairy alternatives; they are pioneering a shift towards sustainable practices, reduced emissions, and minimal environmental impact.
We spoke to Dr. Tom Simmons, CEO & Founder at The Supplant Company, a pioneering FoodTech company, who helped us pull together the list of companies that are truly paving the way for sustainable food practices.
He commented: “The current food system needs to be fixed – it’s not healthy, it’s not sustainable, and it’s not efficient for our growing population. Start-ups, like The Supplant Company, are driving the force of change to create climate-friendly innovations within the industry. At Supplant, we’re building system-wide solutions to target these 3 pressing global issues, which is the only way to achieve unambiguously positive progress”
Let’s get into it…
1. The Supplant Company:
The Supplant Company has developed a revolutionary ingredient discovery platform to use the leftover parts of crops as replacements for the World’s most pervasive and damaging bulk ingredients. By upcycling the ‘forgotten half of the harvest’, their ingredients have the nutritional benefits of fiber, the functional properties of ingredients, and are innately more climate-friendly than their counterparts.
Their hero ingredient, Supplant™ Sugars from Fiber is made from corn cobs. By making sugars from the hugely abundant agricultural side-streams, Supplant looks to nurture the planet like never before. Sugar cane is one of the most water-intensive crops in the world and greatly contributes to deforestation and biodiversity loss. With Supplant, we can stop this trend and even make more food to support our broken food system with more resilient supply chains – without planting a single extra crop.
2. Nature’s Fynd:
Nature’s Fynd is harnessing the power of fungi-based proteins, offering a versatile and sustainable alternative to meat and dairy.
The protein is produced by a fungus first identified in geothermal springs in Yellowstone National Park.
Their fermentation method allows for production anywhere, reducing land usage, greenhouse gases, and water consumption.
3. Perfect Day:
Perfect Day stands out with its precision fermentation techniques, creating ProFerm, a highly functional whey protein.
ProFerm is a highly functional and innovative dairy ingredient that makes dairy products like milk, yogurt, cream cheese, and ice cream more sustainable and just as craveable, creamy, whippable, spreadable, and delicious.
With impressive reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, water consumption, and non-renewable energy use, they are making a significant impact on the environment.
4. Impossible Foods:
Impossible Foods is encouraging small changes that collectively make a big difference. Their mission to transform the global food system includes a variety of products with reduced land occupation, water consumption, and global warming potential.
The company’s signature product, the Impossible Burger, was launched in July 2016 as a vegan alternative to beef hamburger.
Their approach targets key metrics to create a sustainable impact.
5. Just:
Just is making plant-based eggs from mung beans, minimising the need for factory farms and reducing water and land usage.
The production of the mung bean-based JUST Egg requires 98% less water and 84% less land than conventional chicken eggs.
Their innovation not only provides a healthier alternative but also significantly lowers greenhouse gas emissions.
6. Plenty:
Plenty is redefining agriculture with vertical farming, growing fresh, pesticide-free greens.
Their modular design maximises surface area for plants, doubling the yield compared to conventional farms, all while minimising the need for agricultural farmland and combating soil degradation.
Plenty’s farming technology platform delivers pesticide-free produce that tastes like it was picked fresh from the garden, all year long.
7. Climax:
Climax employs the power of AI to define plant-based eating, identifying sustainable plant sources and creating climate-friendly products.
Their machine learning frameworks delve into the molecular level, optimising plant-based ingredients to produce indistinguishable alternatives, starting with dairy products like cheese.
8. Notco:
Notco utilises AI to recreate the molecular composition of animal-based ingredients from edible plants.
With their AI, coined Giuseppe, they have managed to replicate animal products, but instead using plants and vegetables
By minimising the need for animal farming, they are preserving the planet and reducing its negative impact, all while retaining the flavors we love.
9. The Every Company:
The Every Company uses precision fermentation to create proteins and functional ingredients without relying on animal cells.
It does this by using yeast to convert sugar into proteins that are similar to those found in animals and animal products.
Their innovative protein recipes require significantly less water, land, and energy, showcasing a more sustainable path for the food industry.
10. Upside Foods:
Upside Foods cultivates meat from real animal cells, supporting change for animal welfare, water protection, land usage, climate change, and air quality.
The company was founded in 2015 by Uma Valeti, Nicholas Genovese, and Will Clem.
Their approach is not just human-friendly but also future-friendly, laying the foundation for a more sustainable food future.
These ten companies are not just businesses; they are pioneers, setting the standard for a new era of FoodTech where flavor, nutrition, and sustainability coexist harmoniously. As they continue to innovate and inspire change, they pave the way for a greener, healthier planet for generations to come.
Stay tuned for more updates on the forefront of FoodTech innovation and its impact on our world.
This post is sponsored by The Supplant Company.
