The Week In Food Tech: Green Common’s Plant-Based Bar, Plus Bio-printed Cuts Of Cultured Steak

Just a few short years ago, it was unusual to get more than a handful of stories each week about meat analogues, dairy alternatives, and other alt foods. Nowadays, the opposite is true. In fact, there are so many developments in the alt-protein and food tech space we decided to create a weekly column that gathers all the various bits of news out there into one single place for easy reading. This week, we feature stories about Green Common’s new plant-based beverage bar, researchers bioprinting whole cuts of meat, and an important step by the USDA when it comes to cultured meat.

Green Common opens drinks bar in Kwun Tong Yue Man Square YM2

Green Monday’s plant-based grocery store concept Green Common has opened a plant-based drinks bar in the Kwun Tong YM2 development. Green Common Kwun Tong YM2 will offer a variety of plant-based teas, sodas, and other drinks, as well as desserts and instant meals featuring Green Monday brand OmniFoods’ plant-based meats. The opening of Green Common Kwun Tong YM2 comes on the heels of OmniFoods launching a line of seafood products in China that are available on the Green Common Shanghai menu.

Meatless Farm launches a new item at Pret A Manger

Vegan meat company Meatless Farm has launched a new menu item, the Meatless Meatball Protein Pot, at Pret A Manger stores in the UK. The dish includes Meatless Farms’ plant-based meatballs along with mushrooms and beans, and is part of the chain’s new autumn menu. The Protein Pot follows another hugely successful dish from Meatless, the Meatless Meatball Hot Wrap, from earlier this year.

Osaka University advances the development of whole-cut cultured steak

Researchers at Osaka University have created a whole cut of meat using tendon-gel integrated bioprinting technology to produce 42 muscles, 28 adipose tissues, and 2 blood capillaries. In an accompanying paper, researchers noted the food industry’s current focus on “unstructured” cultured meats (think burger patties) and said that the tendon-gel integrated bioprinting developed here “could be a promising technology for the fabrication of the desired types of steak-like cultured meats.”

USDA takes ‘an important step’ in the naming of cultured meat and poultry

The USDA has issued an advanced notice of proposed rulemaking (ANPR) that asks stakeholders to comment on how cell-cultured meat and poultry products should be labeled once products come to market and can be sold to consumers. The Alliance for Meat, Poultry, and Seafood Innovation, which includes UPSIDE Foods, Eat Just, BlueNalu, and others, said the ANPR is an “important step” in creating a labeling framework that prioritizes transparency and consumer confidence, among other things.

Veg Capital announces majority stake in famed UK vegan bakery

Vegan investment fund Veg Capital led by Veganuary co-founder Matthew Glover, has acquired a majority stake in Devon, UK-based all-vegan bakery Clive’s Purely Plants for an undisclosed sum. Clive’s, a pioneer founded in 1986, has been known for decades for its plant-based pies and other vegan foods, and currently sells to major supermarkets in the UK and abroad. The investment will allow the company to focus on developing new products.

GFI India launches its alt-protein innovation challenge for 2021

The Good Food Institute (GFI) India has announced the India Smart Protein Innovation Challenge 2021 (ISPIC 2021), which hosts multiple companies developing innovations across the three pillars of alternative protein: plant-based, cultivated, and fermentation-derived proteins. Chosen participants will take part in a multi-part program where they build up both the science and business aspects of their companies, with mentorship opportunities and cash prizes. Applications are open now. 

Lead image courtesy of Green Common.