In order to meet its goal of reaching net-zero emissions by 2050, Nestle announced that it will invest USD 3.6 billion over the next five years, focusing on regenerative agriculture, renewable energy and plant-based products. More countries and companies have joined the 2050 net-zero pledge in recent weeks, including Glencore. The group, however, argued that fossil fuels still had a role to play and mentioned that it was not planning to sell its coal mines in Australia. Glencore also announced that the CEO will retire next year and that Glencore Agriculture will be rebranded as Viterra.
Carbon offset programs will be essential to meet these goals, as Mondelez explained that any “product that has to be produced and transported will have some carbon footprint”. Mondelez is testing the concept with a product launched in France, the carbon-neutral NoCOé cracker. Beyond using local and organic products, Mondelez is planting trees in partnership with Rainforest Action. The product will also help verify whether consumers are willing to sacrifice price and convenience in order to help the environment.
Singapore made headlines when it approved the sale of the first cultured meat, produced by the US-based Eat Just. The chicken bites are produced in a bioreactor without the slaughter of an animal. Nonetheless, the company was the first to admit that a lot of progress still needed to be made, as the meat is still expensive and energy-intensive. It also relied on foetal bovine serum extracted from foetal blood, although this could eventually be replaced by a plant-based alternative. For these reasons, an observer argued that the launch was “good news, but not great news.” In the long-term, another observer expressed optimism that cruelty-free cultured meat could replace cuts of traditional meat while plant-based products will replace processed meat like burgers and sausages.
As investment in the plant-based meat sector continues to soar, Canadian researchers highlight the need to properly evaluate the true environmental impact of switching to plant alternatives. Supply chain logistics behind the production and distribution of proteins also play an essential role, along with the choice of base ingredients. Experts also highlighted that working conditions and food safety should be factors when assessing the sustainability of plant-based meat. Separately, a study by Tufts University suggested that the only way for US cities to focus on locally produced foods was by reducing the consumption of meat. The land needed for grazing livestock would make it difficult to supply enough meat locally for more than 20 percent of meals.
The world of machine learning and food development collided when Google’s parent company announced that the DeepMind AI was able to crack a longstanding problem: protein folding. Protein folding contains a number of variations that approach infinity but DeepMind’s DeepFold AI can predict the structure within days. Beyond the huge implications for the biomedical sector, food researchers also pointed out that this could be a fundamental change in the search for new proteins, along with the possibility of replacing rare ingredients like saffron and vanilla.
Google announced other food-related ventures as two prototypes developed by the X factory will now be scaled and commercialised. The first is the “dana-bot”, a food distribution network designed to track food waste to help food banks and redirect waste from grocery stores. The second prototype leverages computer vision to analyse the food thrown out in kitchens. Going even further in the realm of science fiction, Finland-based Solar Foods raised USD 30 million to test the production of “air protein”. Called Solein, the protein is made using carbon dioxide captured from the air and mixing it with bacteria.
When the US prohibited the consumption of alcohol, apple producers started designing sweeter varieties more suited for direct consumption instead of fermentation to make cider, according to Civil Eats. Some cider producers are now scavenging in the wild to rediscover old apple varieties much more suited for cider. South Hill Cider, in the US, is grafting and planting these varieties in its own orchard. Meanwhile, a jogger in Wiltshire, UK, was puzzled when he found a solitary apple on a wooden trackway. With the help of the Royal Horticultural Society, he discovered that the apple was a new variety which means he gets to name it. The choice is tricky and he explained: “My seven-year-old son wants me to call it Cristiano Ronaldo but that’s not happening. My wife, Hannah, is the apple of my eye, so she’s in contention.”
This summary was produced by ECRUU
