Latest food tech and innovation news, jobs and events.
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food tech connect
climate change report
FEATURED
Climate Change Threatens Food Supply, 33% of Food is Wasted in The Field + More (https://foodtechconnect.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=5137626c88ab3a61c40112a42&id=bbd33a9b61&e=2715c96b29)
Our round-up of this week's top food innovation news.
2018 U.S. Food & Beverage Startup Investment Report (https://foodtechconnect.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=5137626c88ab3a61c40112a42&id=9216701b5d&e=2715c96b29)
Over $1.45B was invested across 247 deals in 2018, according to the research in our second annual investment report produced in partnership with Ryan Willams. Plant-centric alternatives to meat and dairy accounted for one-third of total investment in food and beverage startups in 2018. Check out the report for a deep dive into last year's investor and investment trends.
Peas
CPG
The Rise of the Pea: How an Unassuming Legume Emerged as a Frontrunner in the Race to Replace Meat and Dairy (https://foodtechconnect.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=5137626c88ab3a61c40112a42&id=030315eedc&e=2715c96b29) - TIME
A look at how and why peas have become so popular
Rebranded Ginkgo Spinout & Ingredients Innovator Motif FoodWorks Raises $27.5M, Hones in on Animal-Free (https://foodtechconnect.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=5137626c88ab3a61c40112a42&id=3d934fd448&e=2715c96b29) - AgFunder
General Atlantic lead the round with participation from CPT Capital. Motif FoodWorks will use Ginkgo's fermentation technology to provide food companies with ingredients for alternative protein product lines in the plant-based and meat alternatives space.
Biena Closes $8M Round, Bringing Total Funding to Over $15M (https://foodtechconnect.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=5137626c88ab3a61c40112a42&id=eebbcc9bb0&e=2715c96b29) - Nosh
The round was led by MAW Investments, with all previous venture investors, including Blueberry Ventures, Centerman Capital, Tastemaker Capital and New Ground Ventures, also participating.
Atomo Coffee Raises $2.6M to Develop Molecular Brew (https://foodtechconnect.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=5137626c88ab3a61c40112a42&id=9c36255f44&e=2715c96b29) - GeekWire
Atomo has developed what it calls the world's first molecular coffee created without beans to reduce the environmental impact of coffee. Horizon Ventures led the round.
This Startup Created Compostable Plastic Wrap That's Made From Shellfish Shells (https://foodtechconnect.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=5137626c88ab3a61c40112a42&id=827b580b3d&e=2715c96b29) - Fast Company
The plastic films CuanTec makes out of shellfish shells that are left over from seafood production is naturally antimicrobial and lets people keep using plastic wrap without worrying about plastic.
Pork Giant Smithfield Pushes Into the Market for Plant Protein (https://foodtechconnect.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=5137626c88ab3a61c40112a42&id=00adb85e4b&e=2715c96b29) - Bloomberg
Smithfield Foods, a $15 billion food company, is launching a new line of soy-based products under its Pure Farmland brand, including burgers, meatballs and breakfast patties.
Marfrig, ADM to Produce Plant-Based Meat in Brazil (https://foodtechconnect.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=5137626c88ab3a61c40112a42&id=780355c25c&e=2715c96b29) - Reuters
Brazil's Marfrig Global Foods SA, the world's largest hamburger producer, is partnering with ADM to produce and market vegetable protein products in Brazil.
Hershey Invests in Two Emerging Snacking Businesses (https://foodtechconnect.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=5137626c88ab3a61c40112a42&id=3aa4272917&e=2715c96b29) - Food Business News
The Hershey Co., through its C7 Ventures venture capital vehicle, has announced minority investment in snack businesses Blue Stripes L.L.C. and Fulfil Holdings Ltd. Financial terms were not disclosed.
Protein Replacement Startups Are Coming For Food additives as Shiru Launches From Y Combinator (https://foodtechconnect.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=5137626c88ab3a61c40112a42&id=5f4de9ee5a&e=2715c96b29) - TechCrunch
Founded by Jasmin Hume, the former director of food chemistry at Just, Shiru uses computational biology to identify which proteins are best for creating certain kinds of qualities that are used in food additives, like viscosity building, solubility, foam stability, emulsification and binding.
Target
RETAIL
Target is Launching Grocery Brand Good & Gather in Bid to Boost Its Food Business (https://foodtechconnect.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=5137626c88ab3a61c40112a42&id=741586803e&e=2715c96b29) - CNBC
The brand will include more than 2,000 items ranging from organic snacks to fresh salad mixes and frozen meals. Target expects Good & Gather to be a multibillion-dollar brand by the end of 2020.
Bringing Fresh Produce to LA's Corner Stores Alone Won't Solve Food Inequality. But it's a Start. (https://foodtechconnect.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=5137626c88ab3a61c40112a42&id=1d172a85c2&e=2715c96b29) - Civil Eats
The Healthy Neighborhood Market Network, a project of the LA Food Policy Council (LAFPC), equips small business owners in economically disadvantaged communities with the support they need to sell the kinds of food that are hard to come by in many neighborhoods.
Kroger, Walgreens Expand Retail Pilot (https://foodtechconnect.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=5137626c88ab3a61c40112a42&id=211afed095&e=2715c96b29) - Supermarket News
Kroger will bring its Kroger Express curated grocery assortment and Kroger Pickup service to 35 Walgreens in the Knoxville, Tenn. market.
Ghost Kitchens
RESTAURANTS
The Rise of the Virtual Restaurant (https://foodtechconnect.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=5137626c88ab3a61c40112a42&id=75a89915a5&e=2715c96b29) - The New York Times
Food delivery apps are reshaping the restaurant industry — and how we eat — by inspiring digital-only establishments that don't need a dining room or waiters.
Postmates to Drop IPO Filing Next Month (https://foodtechconnect.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=5137626c88ab3a61c40112a42&id=3022d85f9f&e=2715c96b29) - TechCrunch
Sources close to the matter say Postmates is on track to go complete an IPO this year, though Postmates has not confirmed the rumor.
McDonald's Just Launched Its First New Type of Restaurant Since the Drive-Thru — Here's What It's Like to Eat There (https://foodtechconnect.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=5137626c88ab3a61c40112a42&id=2e2cf34254&e=2715c96b29) - Business Insider
McDonald's recently launched its first "McDonald's to Go" restaurant in London. It has no seating areas and serves only takeout.
Activist Investor Mantle Ridge Reports 20% Stake in Aramark (https://foodtechconnect.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=5137626c88ab3a61c40112a42&id=229f4c2c6c&e=2715c96b29) - Bloomberg
The fund intends to push for changes at the company, saying it plans to hold talks with the company about its strategic direction, governance, board and management composition, among other matters.
AgFunder Invests in TRAY's Self-Service-Centric POS System for Restaurants (https://foodtechconnect.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=5137626c88ab3a61c40112a42&id=09d61f2fb1&e=2715c96b29) - The Spoon
TRAY is an Arizona-based company that makes a cloud-based POS system designed around the concept of customers serving themselves in the restaurant, whether that's through apps, kiosks, websites, or some other channel. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
How Hunger-Fighting Orgs Have Used DoorDash to Help Save 1 Million Pounds of Food From Landfills (https://foodtechconnect.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=5137626c88ab3a61c40112a42&id=402ccb2118&e=2715c96b29) - Fast Company
Project DASH, which uses delivery people to help places like cafeterias and event spaces quickly get their surplus food to nonprofits, is helping fight hunger in a world of food insecurity.
Eataly Finally Cuts Ties With Mario Batali (https://foodtechconnect.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=5137626c88ab3a61c40112a42&id=db2c47b6f4&e=2715c96b29) - Eater
The Italian market and food hall chain bought out his minority stake in the business
India: 1,200 Restaurants Delist Themselves From Dine-In Programmes of Zomato, EazyDiner & Others Across India (https://foodtechconnect.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=5137626c88ab3a61c40112a42&id=d90f6cd407&e=2715c96b29) - Economic Times
Restaurants started the #Logout movement because they say the deep discounting offered by aggregators and reservations services are hurting their business models.
Banana
AGRICULTURE
The Banana is One Step Closer to Disappearing (https://foodtechconnect.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=5137626c88ab3a61c40112a42&id=2a90ac2178&e=2715c96b29) - National Geographic
A fungus that devastates banana plants has now arrived in Latin America, the Colombian government confirms.
The Dirt on Dirt Capital (https://foodtechconnect.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=5137626c88ab3a61c40112a42&id=8fb4756db2&e=2715c96b29) - Modern Farmer
Dirt Capital Partners is one of a small but growing group of for-profit investors who are willing to invest in a savvy farmer's potential. As of press time, Dirt Capital has invested about $15 million in 22 projects spanning 3,800 acres, all in the Northeastern United States.
The Indoor Farmer Who Wants to Remake Appalachia's Agriculture (https://foodtechconnect.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=5137626c88ab3a61c40112a42&id=8bf060a862&e=2715c96b29) - Wall Street Journal
A Startup Called AppHarvest is building a 60-acre greenhouse in an economically distressed part of Kentucky. Will its high-tech approach help fix the U.S. food system?
Oxford-Based Agtech Startup MoA Technology Raises €7 Million to Fight the Herbicide Resistance Crisis (https://foodtechconnect.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=5137626c88ab3a61c40112a42&id=34256ec363&e=2715c96b29) - EU-Startups
The startup has developed a crop protection discovery platform in order to create sustainable herbicides with new modes of action from both natural and synthetic chemistry.
Australia: AgTalent, the "LinkedIn for Regenerative Ag," Clinches Seed Funding (https://foodtechconnect.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=5137626c88ab3a61c40112a42&id=e9d9a7a72c&e=2715c96b29) - AgFunder
The startup has secured A$150,000 ($101,000) from ASX-listed Wide Open Agriculture (WOA) in exchange for a 28% stake in the company.
Bayer Gets Help From Donald Trump as US Regulators Veto Warnings its Roundup Weedkiller Causes Cancer (https://foodtechconnect.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=5137626c88ab3a61c40112a42&id=00658b855d&e=2715c96b29) - Markets Insider
The Trump administration is refusing to approve product labels warning glyphosate — the active ingredient in Roundup weedkiller — is a carcinogen.
Canada: SomaDetect Closes $2M Seed Funding and Plans Expansion (https://foodtechconnect.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=5137626c88ab3a61c40112a42&id=3a557f57c7&e=2715c96b29) - Dairy Reporter
New Brunswick Innovation Foundation, the Western New York Impact Investment Fund and New York Ventures all invested in the artificial intelligence dairy company. Its tech automates analyses of milk quality and herd health in real time without using chemicals or consumables.
World's Largest Urban Farm to Open - on a Paris Rooftop (https://foodtechconnect.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=5137626c88ab3a61c40112a42&id=aaa49fe08b&e=2715c96b29) - The Guardian
The 14,000m² farm is set to open in the south-west of Paris early next year.
Sugar
EATERS
The Barbaric History of Sugar in America (https://foodtechconnect.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=5137626c88ab3a61c40112a42&id=64f9a73e4d&e=2715c96b29 ) - The New York Times
How sugar became the "white gold" that fueled slavery — and an industry that continues to exploit black lives to this day.
UK: No-Deal Brexit Risks Food, Fuel and Drugs Shortages, Leaked U.K. Files Say (https://foodtechconnect.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=5137626c88ab3a61c40112a42&id=7f4ddcd9c7&e=2715c96b29 ) - The New York Times
Britain would face shortages of fuel, food and medicine if it leaves the European Union without a transition deal, jamming ports and requiring a hard border in Ireland, according to government documents leaked to The Sunday Times of London.
Germany: Springlane, The Most Influential Food Content Website in Europe, Closes €10M in Series C Round (https://foodtechconnect.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=5137626c88ab3a61c40112a42&id=5f6892d96f&e=2715c96b29 ) - Silicon Canals
Apeiron Investment Group and S-UBG lead the round. The company is planning to use the funds to continue to expand operations and its business reach internationally.
Baze's Personalized Nutrition Supplement Service Closes $6M Series A (https://foodtechconnect.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=5137626c88ab3a61c40112a42&id=a2ecb1bcab&e=2715c96b29 ) - MobiHealthNews
Nature's Way lead the investment in the subscription platform that ships personalized vitamin supplement packages based on home blood test results. The startup will use the funding for marketing and to offer new tests and supplements.
Weight Watchers Debuts an App That Could Screw Up Your Kid's Relationship With Food for Life (http:// https://foodtechconnect.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=5137626c88ab3a61c40112a42&id=8e87a27aba&e=2715c96b29) - Eater
Kurbo by WW is advertised as a health app for kids and teens, but body image experts warn that it could encourage harmful dieting and disordered eating.
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Strategic Planning Specialist at The Good Food Institute (https://foodtechconnect.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=5137626c88ab3a61c40112a42&id=7a719b43f6&e=2715c96b29) - Remote
Director of Operations at The Meat Hook (https://foodtechconnect.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=5137626c88ab3a61c40112a42&id=b38167497e&e=2715c96b29) - Brooklyn, NY
Director of Operations at Oxtale (https://foodtechconnect.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=5137626c88ab3a61c40112a42&id=e55d3af68b&e=2715c96b29) - New York, NY
WeWork Food Labs Manager (https://foodtechconnect.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=5137626c88ab3a61c40112a42&id=2e685f9951&e=2715c96b29) - San Francisco, CA
Pennsylvania Certified Organic Executive Director (https://foodtechconnect.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=5137626c88ab3a61c40112a42&id=a846e8eeec&e=2715c96b29) - Spring Mills, PA
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Senior Scientist — Cell-based Seafood Specialization at The Good Food Institute (https://foodtechconnect.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=5137626c88ab3a61c40112a42&id=b47c71b575&e=2715c96b29) - Remote
Sales Coordinator at Wynn's Grain and Spice (https://foodtechconnect.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=5137626c88ab3a61c40112a42&id=ec326d2b52&e=2715c96b29) - Birmingham, AL
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