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Every week we track the business, tech and investment trends in CPG, retail, restaurants, agriculture, cooking and health, so you don’t have to. Here are some of this week’s top headlines.
S2G Ventures has launched a $300 million Special Opportunities fund to provide flexible financing for startups working on social and environmental impact in industries such as agriculture, energy, and oceans. Meanwhile, the plant-based food industry is facing questions about its future as consumer sales have been lackluster and investors are turning away. New Food Order ponders whether the industry’s focus on replicas is the right approach or whether new protein formats are needed. Despite some category leaders experiencing lackluster sales, the US plant-based food sector continues to show momentum and resilience with a 6.6% growth in sales, demonstrating a promising future for the sector.
In other news, we are excited to spotlight our podcast in partnership with AgFunder: New Food Order, a nuanced investigation into the business of tackling our climate and social crises through food and agriculture. Read all about why we launched the podcast.
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1. S2G Ventures Launches New Fund To Offer ‘Flexible’ Financing for Cap-Intensive Climate Tech Startups – AFN
S2G has launched its $300m Special Opportunities fund which will provide flexible financing for social and environmental impact startups working in industries including agriculture, energy and oceans.
2. What Is the Future of Plant-Based Alternatives in a New Food Order? – New Food Order
Plant-based alternatives may have exploded onto the food scene in recent years but the hype is catching up, consumer sales have been lackluster and investors are turning away. Are they even taking the right approach by aiming for replicas, or do we need new protein formats altogether?
3. $8B US Plant-Based Food Sector Shows ‘Momentum and Resilience’ – Green Queen
Despite inflation over the last year and lackluster sales for several plant-based category leaders that dipped the sector by 3%, US plant-based food sales grew 6.6%.
4. People Are Sick and Tired of All Their Subscriptions – WSJ
Consumers are rethinking their relationship to subscriptions—and so are companies.
5. One Low-Tech Move Is the Key Behind Chipotle’s New All-Electric Restaurants – Fast Company
The chain has created all-electric restaurants running completely on renewable energy at three pilot locations, and it’s revealings its designs behind the all-electric transformation.
6. Private Equity’s Food Binge Goes Sour – WSJ
Firms snapped up an orange juice company, a dessert maker and other food and beverage companies using bundles of debt before interest rates started rising.
7. The Boiling Waters of Alternative Protein and Agtech – Green Biz
Both the alt protein and agtech market need to focus on making strategic investments with broader adoption and scale in mind – before the bubble bursts.
8. Nestle Takes A Big Swig of YFood in a Deal That Values the Meal Replacement Startup at $469M – TechCrunch
The startup currently sells ready-made drinks, powders to make your own drinks, and nutrition bars both directly to consumers online and via a network of retailers.
9. What GPT-4 Thinks About Food Policy – Food Fix
Conversations with an artificial intelligence tool about American food policy. FDA petitioned on sodium reduction goals. Plus, the dairy industry unveils school chocolate-milk compromise.
10. $388 in Sushi. Just a $20 Tip: The Brutal Math of Uber Eats and DoorDash – New York Times
Delivery drivers were hailed as pandemic heroes. But they say the rise of contactless delivery has made customers less inclined to tip generously and gig work is becoming an even harder way to make a living.
11. Israel: Danone Drops $2M Into Wilk’s Cultured Breast Milk – Green Queen
The dairy giant says it plans to collaborate with Wilk in developing cultured breast milk components for infant formula.
The post Mikyoko Schinner on Future of Plant-Based, S2G’s New $300M Blended Capital Fund for Climate Startups + More appeared first on Food+Tech Connect.