The Checkout: Motif Debuts Products, Secures Investment; KIND Announces Progress Toward Bee Health

Welcome to The Checkout: an express lane for the weekly news you need to know, always 10 items or less.

Motif Foodworks Debuts Products, Secures Investment

Boston-based food tech ingredient company Motif Foodworks announced the debut of three finished plant-based proteins this week: Motif MoBeef, Motif MoPork and Motif MoChicken. Motif MoBeef is now available to foodservice providers and distributors and for private label retail, with the latter two products rolling out later this year and early 2023, respectively. The announcement marks the first time Motif’s product will be available to consumers.

Alongside its product debut, the company announced it has secured an investment from actor Robert Downey, Jr.’s FootPrint Coalition Ventures to develop its ‘next-generation’ of plant-based products. Motif uses a combination of precision fermentation and 3D printing technology to create its current proteins but said it will soon look beyond animal products to create “better tasting plant-based options” in new food categories.

“If plant-based foods are going to make a real impact on sustainability, we need an approach that’s both delicious and nutritious,” said Downey, Jr., founder of FootPrint Coalition Ventures, in a press release. “By focusing on both better tasting and healthier options, Motif is not only making a difference in products today, but reimagining the future of tomorrow’s plant-based foods.”

Motif, which has been engaged in a legal dispute with Impossible Foods over the use of heme-containing-proteins since March, received GRAS certification from the FDA for its HEMAMI ingredient late last year.

Motif’s trademarked heme protein is responsible for making its plant-based products ‘bleed like meat’ and is the center of the dispute with Impossible, which also uses heme for the same function. Earlier this month, Motif fired back, challenging the validity of Impossible’s patent which the company claims gives it ownership over all heme protein ingredients.

In addition, Motif also partnered with microfluidics screening platform company Nemalife earlier this month to accelerate its innovation process with the use of Nemalife’s tech platform. The company’s microfluidic technology will enable Motif to test and categorize bench-scale proteins using less volumes making the innovation process quicker and more affordable.

KINDness For The Bees: Snack Maker Announces Progress On Sourcing Initiative

Snack maker KIND announced that by the end of the year, it will reach the halfway point towards a commitment to exclusively source its almond supply from bee-friendly farms by 2025. Additionally, the company has expanded the goal, which was first announced in 2020, to now require its almond suppliers to reserve between 3% to 5% of their land for dedicated pollinator habitats and eliminate the use of two pesticides that harm pollinators on its source farms.

The company is aiming to bring more visibility to the initiative by hosting its first virtual Bee Day Bash today, in partnership with TikTok. The Bee Day Bash aims to raise funds through participant donations, each of which will be matched by TikTok, and go to support nature conservation and restoration nonprofit Re:wild.

“Pollinators, like bees and butterflies, are central to the plant-based ingredients that many of KIND’s products depend on,” said Russell Stokes, CEO of KIND, in a press release. “We are excited about the leadership we’ve seen from the almond grower community over the past few years to expedite the transition to bee-friendly practices. We are eager to continue to build on this momentum as we approach our 2025 target and hopeful we can complete this transition ahead of schedule.”

Currently, almonds, the majority of which are grown in California, are the company’s most used ingredient based on both volume and spend. However, increased demand over the past decade and worsening drought conditions in the region have led to a tight supply. Coupled with the nut’s growing process, which requires a significant amount of water, KIND identified that it needed to take action in order to sustain its almond supply long term.

The snack company also extended its relationship with researchers at University of California Davis, donating $350,000 to support research on bee health, farm-level pollinator improvements, among other environmentally-positive initiatives, the company said in a press release.

“By partnering with suppliers to add dedicated pollinator habitat and reduce pesticides, KIND has addressed two of the central components we know are most critical to bee health,” said Neal Williams, an entomology professor at UC Davis. “Here in the Central Valley, we have also seen how this commitment has catalyzed the transition within the almond industry more broadly.”

Angie’s BOOMCHICKAPOP Helps Pop The Question With New Collab-Product

In partnership with jewelry designer Stephanie Gottleib, Conagra-owned brand BOOMCHICKAPOP announced its newest innovation this week: a 3.66 carat popcorn-cut diamond ring.

“Over the past few years, we’ve seen an increase in demand for custom, unexpected and personal engagement ring designs,” said Stephanie Gottlieb, in a press release. “Collaborating with Angie’s BOOMCHICKAPOP on this never-before-seen ring means bringing a touch of whimsy to a milestone moment in a couple’s life, and we can’t wait to be a part of that.”

The ring is available for custom order, with retail pricing starting at $50,000, and comes in a custom box painted by mixed media artist Danielle Becker Stern.

FDA: Abbott Nutrition To Reopen Factory And Ease Infant Formula Supply Shortages

Following nationwide infant formula shortages, the FDA released a memo on Tuesday stating it has reached an agreement with Abbott Nutrition, manufacturer of formula brands including Similac, Alimentum, or EleCare, to reopen its Michigan facility and increase production. The news comes after the company issued a voluntary recall in February when it detected Cronobacter bacteria in the products which can cause potentially deadly infections in infants.

“Today’s action means that Abbott Nutrition has agreed to address certain issues that the agency identified at their infant formula production facility in Michigan​​,” said FDA Commissioner Robert M. Califf, in a press release. “The public should rest assured that the agency will do everything possible to continue ensuring that infant and other specialty formulas produced by the company meet the FDA’s safety and quality standards, which American consumers have come to expect and deserve.”