News Roundup: CPG Giants Take Action Through Sustainable Market Initiative; New Culture Secures Investment

CPG Giants Take Action Through Sustainable Market Initiative

Executives from a group of global CPG corporations that includes Mars, McCain Foods, Mondelēz and PepsiCo, released an action plan on Thursday outlining a framework to scale regenerative farming practices with more consistent metrics, government policy incentives and changes to sourcing practices to more equally distribute agriculture transition costs across supply chains.

The report was put together by The Agribusiness Task Force (ATF), part of the Sustainable Markets Initiative (SMI), with data from sustainability analysts at global consulting firm Systemiq. The task force is made up of 12 “cross-industry” executives which also includes delegates from Bayer, HowGood, Indigo Agriculture, McDonald’s, Olam, Sustainable Food Trust, Waitrose & Partners and Yara International.

The report states that adoption rates of regenerative farming practices are far behind the levels needed to effectively tackle climate change, citing that 40% of global cropland must be regenerative by 2030, more than double its current footprint of 15%.

Crops including U.S. wheat, U.K. potatoes and rice from India served as case studies for the report. The crops were analyzed for the environmental impact of their production, sourcing footprint, applicability of growing practices to other crops and geographies and modes for engaging with farmers. The purpose of these metrics was to not only identify best practices for transitioning to regenerative farming, but also to determine what it would take for the adoption of these tactics to be embraced and spearheaded by farmers.

“ATF Members collaborated to identify what actions the private sector could take to make farming regeneratively a ‘no-brainer’ for farmers and develop scalable value chain blueprints to speed up the adoption of regenerative systems,” the group said in a statement.

New Culture Secures New Investment

California-based food tech company and ADM partner New Culture announced Korean biotech conglomerate CJ CheilJedang (CJ Bio) as its new investment partner this week. The animal-free mozzarella maker did not disclose the size of the investment but noted the partnership will accelerate its goal to launch its flagship product in 2023.

“CJ CheilJedang has invaluable experience and connections in the food and pizza industries that will provide New Culture pivotal scale-up momentum as we push our go-to-market strategy forward,” said Matt Gibson, co-founder and CEO of New Culture, in a press release. “This partnership brings New Culture one step closer to being America’s favorite cheese, animal-free or not.”

New Culture, which produces its animal-free mozzarella through precision fermentation methods, will also tap into CJ Bio’s 60-year history of fermentation expertise which includes work with advancing proprietary amino acids for feed and food, savory flavors and seasoning materials as well as for developing plant based protein ingredients. The Korean-based company also acquired Schwan’s Company in 2019, a leading U.S.-based frozen food company and parent to frozen pizza brand Red Baron.

“Our partnership with New Culture reinforces CJ Bio’s alternative protein investment strategy and underscores the overwhelming demand for animal-free ingredients across the industry,” said Yunil Hwang, CEO of CJ Bio, in a press release. “New Culture’s animal-free mozzarella will usher in a new era of bio-based innovations in the dairy category.”

Celebrity Chef Kai Chase Launches New Spice Platform

Flavors that were once served to President Barack Obama, Kevin Hart, Jamie Foxx, and more have now been packaged up and sold under celebrity chef Kai Chase’s new line, Creations by Kai. The line has been influenced by her African American, Creole, Cuban and Californian roots and currently features three blends: Warm Cajun & Chicory, California Citrus Salt and 5 Spice Habanero & Ginger.

“Although I was classically trained in French cuisine at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris, I have dedicated the majority of my culinary career to honoring the bold, complex and inviting flavors from my heritage,” said Chase, in a press release. “After decades of cooking for the most discerning palates in pop culture, I’m proud to introduce Creations By Kai, a universal spice collection featuring my favorite flavors that are made with love and created in Cali.”

The all-natural, gluten-free and non-GMO spice blends are available online for $14.95 per 2 oz. jar and are also available in a 3-count gift set for $39.95. The launch marks Chase’s first step in building out “an expansive culinary brand” which will soon feature a cookbook, masterclass and additional food-related launches.

Impossible Foods Maintains Patent Amidst Motif Foodworks Fight

Alt-protein maker Impossible Foods secured a win from the U.S. Trademark and Patent office this week after a review panel confirmed its patent for its plant-based heme protein will stand. The patent came under scrutiny after Impossible sued competing alt-protein maker, Motif Foodworks, claiming the latter’s use of heme-containing proteins to replicate the aroma and flavors of animal meat in a vegan alternative violates Impossible’s intellectual property.

Motif shot back claiming Impossible aimed to stifle competition with the lawsuit and could not lay claim to all heme-containing protein considering the protein occurs naturally in animal-based products. The food tech firm also highlighted that its protein is derived from bovine cells, unlike Impossible’s which comes from soybean roots.

This led Motif to then challenge the merit of Impossible’s patent, stating that it was overly broad and should not have been granted in the first place. However, the patent review board has now dismissed that claim and reaffirmed the patent’s merit, meaning the case, which ​​was placed under a stay order while the plaintiff’s patent was reviewed, will now move forward.