Startup news and deals
🇬🇧 📦 Bpacks, a British startup, raised €1M for its sustainable packaging technology that can also extend the shelf life of food products.
🇺🇸 🥗 One Bio, a US-based startup, raised $27M for its technology to transform agricultural waste into an affordable source of fibres for food products.
🇺🇸💊 ModifyHealth, a US-based company, raised $13.5M to expand its food-as-medicine platform offering meal plans for managing chronic conditions.
🇺🇸🍽️ CookUnity, a US-based meal delivery service, acquired Cookin, a Canada-based competitor, to accelerate growth as it nears $500M in annual revenue.
🇻🇳🌾 Kamereo, a Vietnam-based startup, raised $7.8M for its B2B marketplace connecting farmers and foodservice businesses.
🇩🇰 🤖 AgriRobot, a Danish startup, raised €2.5M for its safety software for agriculture robots.
🇵🇹🔬 Carbocode, a Portuguese biotech startup, raised €15M to develop human-identical compounds for infant formula.
🇮🇱🧪 Gavan Technologies, an Israeli startup, raised $8M to commercialise its plant-based fat.
Regulation & public support
🇬🇧 🥛 Oatly, the Swedish oat milk brand, can’t use the word “milk” on its products in the UK. That’s the decision of a court which refers to the use by the brand of the moto “post-milk generation”.
Industry new & trends
🇺🇸 🍫 Mondelez is seeking to acquire Hershey to create a confectionery conglomerate. Hershey has refused the bid for now, but it could still evolve. The fact that this potential takeover comes after the announced acquisition of Kellanova by Mars isn’t a surprise: it shows that there is a strong movement towards consolidation and that leading companies are aligned on their goal to create snack giants with each a limited pool of global and strong brands.
🌍 🍔 A recent meta-analysis of randomised studies on the impact of plant-based meat alternatives on health has shown quite positif results (decrease in “bad” cholesterol). That’s good news for the plant-based meat industry and its willingness to position itself as the healthy choice.
