Amsterdam’s city council has approved a ban on so-called “fossil” advertising, commercial messages from companies deemed to harm the climate, including advertisements for meat products. The measure, passed last week following a proposal from GroenLinks and the Partij voor de Dieren, will prohibit such advertising across public spaces in the Dutch capital. The new restrictions formalise policies that Amsterdam has been gradually implementing since 2020 through voluntary agreements with advertisers. Under the approved plan, the rules will be embedded in the city’s General Local Regulation (APV), giving them legal standing. While the council initially proposed a May implementation date, Alderman Melanie van der Horst indicated this week that the timeline will be extended to allow for a “reasonable transition period”. Amsterdam joins several other Dutch municipalities, including Utrecht and Zwolle, that have enacted bans on fossil-fuel advertising in public areas. However, it distinguishes itself internationally as the first capital city to adopt such measures, expanding a trend already underway in cities such as The Hague, Delft, and Nijmegen. In addition to meat advertising, the ban will apply to promotions for air travel, cruise holidays and petrol-powered vehicles. The move reflects Amsterdam’s broader climate strategy aimed at reshaping public spaces and reducing the visibility of high-emission products and services. The decision has sparked debate within advertising and business communities. Some advertisers and trade associations have questioned the practical and legal enforceability of the ban, describing it as largely symbolic and warning of potential legal challenges, particularly from companies with existing advertising contracts in public spaces. For food and beverage companies, particularly those operating in the protein, meat and alternative protein sectors, the Amsterdam ban signals a shifting regulatory and reputational landscape in Europe, with public advertising increasingly scrutinised through a climate lens. A definitive start date for the ban has not yet been announced.

Plant-based brand Gosh! has partnered with Urban Eat to introduce two new falafel-led food-to-go products. Launching on14 January 2026, the collaboration will be available through the Samworth Brothers Food for Now network and brings together Gosh!’s best-selling falafel range with Urban Eat’s established food-to-go expertise. Designed for busy, on-the-move consumers, the new products include a Gosh! Falafel & Houmous Wrap and a Falafel, Lettuce and Tomato (F.L.T) Sandwich. Both options aim to deliver bold flavours, quality ingredients and a convenient format, while tapping into growing demand for satisfying plant-based alternatives. The launch reflects shifting consumer priorities in the food-to-go market, with shoppers increasingly seeking meals that balance nutrition, taste and value. Fibre intake remains a key concern, with research showing that 96% of UK adults do not meet recommended daily fibre levels. Gosh! Falafels are naturally high in fibre, positioning the new products as a practical solution for health-conscious consumers eating on the go. Caroline Hughes, marketing director at Gosh!, said: “As more people return to the office and juggle increasingly busy routines, the need for convenient, plant-based food that doesn’t compromise on flavour or nutrition has never been clearer." "In 2026, we believe convenience and nutrition should go hand in hand. Partnering with Urban Eat allows us to meet consumers where they are, with products that fit seamlessly into everyday life," Hughes continued. “As the lead brand in our food-to-go portfolio, Urban Eat is well placed to collaborate with Gosh! to bring wholesome, great-tasting plant-based options to the fixture," Wayne Greensmith, head of marketing at Samworth Brothers Food for Now, said.

FoodNerd, a Buffalo-based food start-up focused on nutrient-dense snacks for toddlers, has closed a $7.5 million Series Seed round led by Selva Ventures. The new capital will support FoodNerd’s upcoming commercial launch on 17 February and accelerate its mission to raise the bar for children’s nutrition in a category long dominated by highly processed options. Founded by parents and built with a science-forward approach, FoodNerd is best known for its flagship product, Mega Puffs, toddler-friendly snacks formulated with whole food ingredients such as sprouted seeds and real fruits and vegetables. Depending on the SKU, each serving delivers 6-9g of plant-based protein and 7-8g of dietary fibre, a nutritional profile that significantly exceeds most conventional toddler snacks. At the core of FoodNerd’s product development is its proprietary Nutrient Lock Cold Processing technology. The process is designed to preserve key phytonutrients and macronutrients that are often lost during traditional high-heat manufacturing, allowing the company to deliver clean-label snacks without sacrificing nutritional integrity. The fresh capital will be used to scale manufacturing, expand distribution and invest in research and development as FoodNerd builds out its portfolio. The financing also included participation from Spacestation Investments, S2 Venture Partners, Cistern Capital, and several strategic angel investors. With its official launch set for mid-February, FoodNerd enters the market backed by experienced investors and a growing coalition of partners aligned around a shared vision: better food for kids, built for real life and long-term health. As the company looks ahead, FoodNerd aims to challenge legacy assumptions in the kids’ snack aisle and help define a new standard for what early childhood nutrition can look like. Top image: © FoodNerd

Danone is entering the fast-growing meal-replacement category with the launch of a new range of on-the-go drinks under its Alpro brand, marking a further expansion of its plant-based portfolio in Europe. The French food and beverage giant has begun rolling out the products, branded Alpro Meal To Go, in select European markets, including Belgium and Germany, with plans to extend distribution across the region. In a LinkedIn post, Guillaume Millet, vice-president of Danone’s plant-based business in Europe, described on-the-go meal-replacement drinks as “one of the most exciting and fastest-growing segments in Europe,” while acknowledging shortcomings in many existing products. “Too often, people don’t finish the bottle,” Millet said. “They’re either too heavy, too sweet or simply not truly ‘meal-worthy’, meaning they don’t get all the nutrients they are being promised and end up being hungry again soon after.” The beverages are made from a blend of soy and oats and are launching in four flavours. Each 500ml bottle delivers 20g of plant-based protein, positioning the product as a nutritionally balanced option for busy consumers seeking a convenient meal alternative. In Germany, the drinks carry a suggested retail price of €3.99 ($4.72).

Planet Oat, the US oat milk brand owned by HP Hood, has entered the zero-sugar coffee creamer segment, launching what it says are the category’s first oat-based creamers formulated with no sugar per serving. The move reflects growing pressure on food and beverage manufacturers to cut sugar without sacrificing taste, as consumers scrutinise labels more closely and regulators and health bodies continue to focus on sugar reduction. The new products – Zero Sugar Caramel and Zero Sugar Vanilla Cinnamon – extend Planet Oat’s presence in the fast-growing plant-based coffee creamer market, a category that has increasingly become a battleground for differentiation as traditional dairy and non-dairy players compete for space in both chilled and ambient aisles. For ingredient suppliers and manufacturers, the launch highlights ongoing innovation around flavour delivery and sweetness modulation in plant-based formats, where sugar has traditionally played a key role in mouthfeel and taste. Brands are now under pressure to deliver indulgent profiles while aligning with 'zero' and 'free-from' claims that resonate with health-conscious consumers. The creamers are free from dairy, lactose, gluten, soy and nuts, positioning them as inclusive alternatives aimed at consumers managing allergies or dietary restrictions – a strategy that has helped plant-based brands broaden their appeal beyond vegans. The US coffee creamer market has been shifting steadily towards functional and 'better-for-you' formulations, with reduced sugar, clean label sweeteners and plant-based fats becoming key areas of product development. Creamers, unlike core milk alternatives, allow brands to command higher margins and experiment more aggressively with flavour and formulation. Planet Oat has not disclosed pricing or distribution details for the new products. The brand has previously focused on mainstream retail penetration rather than niche health channels, suggesting the zero-sugar line is intended to scale rather than remain a specialist offering.

2nd Nature, developer of the AgWaste Portal intelligent upcycling platform, has launched its first portfolio of AI-discovered functional ingredients, including non-calorie natural sweeteners and non-sodium umami enhancers. Discovered in the side streams of widely processed crops such as wheat, soy, rice, peanut and corn, the ingredients are designed to help manufacturers reformulate food and beverage products to reduce sugar and sodium while maintaining taste and functionality. The company has filed a patent protecting the newly identified compounds, which it describes as difficult or impossible to uncover through traditional human-led screening methods. The initial ingredient portfolio directly addresses two of the food industry’s most persistent formulation challenges: delivering sweetness without calories and enhancing savoury flavour without salt. According to the company, the natural sweeteners replicate sugar’s sensory profile without metabolic impact, while the umami enhancers provide depth and flavour amplification without sodium. “What makes these ingredients revolutionary isn’t just where they come from, but how they were found,” said Effendi Leonard, co-founder and CEO of 2nd Nature. “Our AgWaste Portal identified these compounds in the byproducts of crops that are already processed at massive scale." He continued: "These are materials manufacturers typically pay to dispose of, yet they contain high-value functional ingredients that can now be produced efficiently and at low cost”. 2nd Nature discovered the ingredients using its proprietary AgWaste Portal, an AI platform that analyses the molecular composition of agricultural processing side streams. Rather than relying on years of trial-and-error testing, the platform maps what the company describes as the 'molecular universe' of food waste, predicting functional properties of small molecules, fibres, peptides, enzymes and proteins. This approach significantly shortens development timelines, enabling the identification of natural sweeteners and umami enhancers with targeted functional performance in a matter of months rather than years. By sourcing ingredients from the side streams of globally abundant crops instead of exotic plants or animal-derived inputs, 2nd Nature positions its ingredients for scalable, cost-efficient production. Major agricultural processing operations generate millions of tons of nutrient-rich byproducts annually, much of which is treated as waste. The company’s model allows manufacturers to upcycle their own side streams into functional ingredients, effectively converting disposal costs into potential revenue while creating a shorter, more resilient supply chain. The patent protects the newly discovered compounds across a broad field of use, including food and beverage, wellness, personal and home care and pharmaceutical formulations. According to 2nd Nature, the patent reflects both the novelty of the compounds and the flexibility of the AgWaste Portal to identify functional ingredients from a wide range of waste streams. As consumer demand for reduced-sugar and low-sodium products continues to grow, manufacturers face increasing pressure to reformulate without sacrificing sensory appeal. Many existing solutions rely on synthetic additives or fall short on taste. 2nd Nature positions its AI-discovered ingredients as clean label alternatives that preserve full flavour while enabling meaningful nutritional improvements. The company believes this combination could unlock reformulation opportunities in categories where taste trade-offs have historically limited adoption. The ingredients will be available for commercial sampling in Q2 2026. Featured image: © 2nd Nature

Protein has exploded in the past few years, but has it reached its peak? In this opinion piece, Ando Ahnan-Winarno (aka The Protein Doctor), food scientist and co-founder of tempeh brand Better Nature, takes a closer look at the problem with protein. He explains why not all protein is created equal, and reveals why he believes ‘better proteins’ are the future. Protein has never been more popular, or more misunderstood. Scroll social media, walk down a supermarket aisle, or glance at a gym smoothie menu and you’ll see it everywhere: high-protein, extra protein, added protein, protein-packed. It’s become a badge of honour. A shorthand for health. A magic word to reassure us we’re ‘doing food right.’ But here’s the problem: as brands and manufacturers in the food industry, we’ve turned protein into a numbers game and in doing so, we’ve lost sight of what better protein actually means. As a food scientist, I spend my days trawling through new protein research. As a consumer, I also see just how confusing the protein conversation has become. More grams. Less context. Louder claims. And very little discussion about quality, digestibility, what protein actually does inside the body and the importance of other nutrients that come with it. The issue isn’t that protein is bad, it’s that the obsession with more distracts from asking for better. Better for overall, long-term health. Better for digestion. Better for the planet. Better for sustainable eating habits.   Not all protein is created equal Protein is essential. It helps build muscle, supports immunity, regulates hormones, and keeps us feeling full. But the bit we rarely talk about? Protein quality matters. What makes a protein better isn’t just how much is listed on the pack. It’s about the amino acid profile (does it contain all the essential amino acids the body can’t make on its own?) digestibility (how easily the body can break it down and absorb it) and what comes with it (fibre, gut health benefits, antioxidants and polyphenols, or on the flip side, excess saturated fat, sodium, carcinogens and additives).   Many ultra-processed high-protein foods tick one box while quietly failing the others. Consumers might hit their protein target, but their gut, metabolism and long-term health won’t necessarily thank them for it. As an industry, we’ve also made protein feel intimidating. Animal-based proteins are framed as the gold standard, whilst plant-based proteins are often positioned as incomplete, inferior or only for vegans. This narrative is outdated and scientifically inaccurate. The truth is, some of the many exciting developments in protein science are happening in plants, especially when we look beyond isolated powders and toward whole, fermented foods.   Better protein: The fermentation upgrade Tempeh isn’t new. It’s been a staple in Indonesian diets for centuries. But nutritionally speaking, it’s way ahead of its time. Tempeh is made by fermenting whole soybeans, and that fermentation process is a game-changer. It improves protein digestibility, increases antioxidant bioavailability,  reduces anti-nutrients and increases gut-health-promoting benefits. In short, fermentation can make better protein. Tempeh delivers complete protein and fibre, something most animal proteins simply can’t offer. It supports muscle health and gut health at the same time. That’s what better protein looks like: multifunctional, efficient and aligned with how bodies work comprehensively.   The future of protein isn’t louder, it’s smarter Consumers don’t need more added protein products on the supermarket shelves. They need clearer conversations about which proteins serve them best, nutritionally, environmentally and culturally. Better protein isn’t about restriction or perfection. It’s about upgrading what we already eat. Giving chicken the night off. Swapping one meal a week. Choosing foods that work harder for our overall health without demanding we overhaul our lives. Plant-based proteins like tempeh aren’t the future because they’re trendy or ethical (though they can be both). They’re the future because the science stacks up. They’re efficient, resilient, gut-friendly and genuinely health-promoting.   As brands and manufacturers in the food industry, it’s time we stop focusing mainly on how much protein is going into products and start focusing on the wider health picture.  That’s how we help consumers cut through the confusion and make protein make sense.

British plant-based recipe kit start-up Grubby has expanded its partnership with vegan food brand Bosh this year, alongside the launch of its biggest ever menu in celebration of Veganuary. The latest collaboration between Grubby and Bosh – the brand established by plant-based chefs Henry Firth and Ian Theasby – focuses on ‘bold, saucy comfort dishes that don’t compromise on taste, speed or plant diversity’. Grubby’s team is working closely with Firth and Theasby to craft dishes that aim to exceed high standards of taste while keeping cooking times under 30 minutes, appealing to the growing number of busy consumers looking for convenient plant-based options. According to Grubby, the partnership combines ‘weeknight ease and restaurant-quality flavour,’ bringing recipes released in batches throughout January, February and March. They are developed around three core principles – ‘maximum flavour, minimum faff, stealth nutrition and gateway flexitarian appeal’. The brand’s Veganuary line-up this year features 144 simple recipes spanning globally inspired cuisine, comfort dishes and protein-packed bowls, tapping into today’s biggest food trends. These include a series of ten recipes from Firth and Theasby, including Crispy Tempeh Tacos with Peanut & Sesame Salsa Macha; Tofu Curry Udon Noodles; and Chipotle Meaty Mushroom Tacos. Meanwhile, the Global Flavours range includes Caribbean-style Jerk Tofu, Coconut Rice & Pineapple Salsa; Thai-inspired Sticky Thai Tofu Pad Med Mamuang; and Mexican-style Spicy Chickpea Chile Verde with Tomatillos & Pulled Mushrooms. Additionally, the High-Protein range contains up to 47g of protein per dish, all from whole food ingredients. Dishes include on Falafel Smash Wraps with Butter Bean Hummus; Creamy Pea Pesto Tortiglioni with Butter Beans; and Smoky Superfood Stroganoff Gnocchi with Spinach. Martin Holden-White, founder of Grubby, said: “Our recipe development team have absolutely nailed a whole host of new recipes, from authentic world flavours to new Bosh creations and our highest-protein meals yet. We’re out to prove that eating more plants isn’t a compromise.”

Jeffrey Gendelman, CEO of plant-based meat start-up Daring Foods, has announced he will step down after nearly five years with the company. Gendelman became CEO in April 2024, succeeding founder Ross Mackay after he stepped down from the CEO role. Gendelman was chief operating officer at the company prior to this transition. Daring Foods was established in 2018 by Mackay and co-founder Eliott Kessas. The company was founded in the UK, but moved its base to California, US in 2019, launching onto the US market in early 2020. The company’s mission is to replace chicken in the animal food system with plant-based alternatives that are sustainable and made with simple, consumer-friendly ingredients, without compromising on taste. Its portfolio includes plant-based alternatives to chicken wings, pieces and ready meals. In a statement shared on LinkedIn, Gendelman stated that he is “taking some time to reflect and have conversations” as he steps away from the role. “We navigated one of the most challenging chapters in plant-based meat in decades,” Gendelman said. “What was more than $4 billion of private capital invested in 2021 became roughly $300 million in 2025, alongside nearly four years of mid to high single-digit category contraction and many competitors exiting the space.” Praising the Daring team for their “resilience and focus” throughout a difficult time, he described the company as “well positioned for its next phase of growth following a successful exit to strong strategic partners in V2Food and Ajinomoto Co”.

Plant-based beverage brand Califia Farms has introduced a brand-new, three-ingredient, organic soy milk product in the US alongside several new creamers and coffee drinks. Announced today (22 January 2026), the new Simple & Organic Soymilk product delivers 8g of plant protein and is made from simply organic soybeans, water and sea salt. While soy has long been among the leading ingredient bases within the milk alternatives market, Califia Farms said the category has remained largely unchanged despite growing demand for minimal-ingredient and high-protein formulations. In 2025, soy saw an 8% consumption increase among Gen Z consumers, highlighting ongoing relevance and opportunity for modernised offerings. According to the brand, its new clean label soy milk offers a creamy and neutral flavour, ideal for adding to smoothies, cereal, matcha and coffee. The product is debuting in two size options – 32 oz, at an MSRP of $5.99, and 48 oz, at $6.99. Also new to the brand’s US line-up are several additions to its creamer and RTD coffee portfolio. These include: Simple & Organic Sweet Crème Almond Creamer – $6.99 MSRP, available in 25.4 oz Simple & Organic Salted Caramel Almond Creamer – $6.99 MSRP, available in 25.4 oz Vanilla Cold Brew with Almondmilk (RTD) – $5.99 MSRP, available in 48 oz Unsweetened Matcha with Almondmilk (RTD) – $5.99 MSRP, available in 48 oz Brown Sugar Cold Brew with Almondmilk (RTD) – $5.99 MSRP, available in 48 oz

UK-based plant-based food company VFC Foods, which owns Meatless Farm, is separating from the Vegan Food Group (VFG), formed just two years ago . Once independent, VFC and Meatless Farm will operate under the VFC Foods name, following VFG’s closure of its York offices to focus on its plant-based factory in Germany. Co-founder Adam Lyons will return to oversee operations. The move comes amid a wider reorganisation at VFG, which has also led to the closure of Clive’s Purely Plants Bakery in Dartmouth, Devon – a site that received £650,000 in investment just six months ago, including new production equipment. Speaking to Green Queen , VFC and VFG co-founder Matthew Glover said: “Decisions were made in the interest of creating a permanent, profitable operation to produce and distribute sustainable plant protein across Europe. We’re excited about the future of Meatless Farm and the work of the team in Germany to manufacture and distribute high-quality plant protein products across Europe in the decades ahead.” The closure of Clive’s Purely Plants Bakery and the York head office is said to have resulted in over 60 redundancies. In reporting from The Grocer , the separation of VFC and Meatless Farm from VFG is set to be completed in the next few weeks, with Lyons, who exited the VFG in 2024, said to be returning in a ‘hands-on leadership role’ VFC Foods operates plant-based brands Vegan Fried Chicken and Meatless Farm, which it acquired in 2023, and is now in the process of becoming an independent entity. Lyons launched the business in 2020 and left in 2024 following the merger with VFG. The business is now being funded jointly by Lyons and the Ahimsa Foundation. Speaking to Green Queen , Lyons said: “My return is centred on stabilisation across operations, finance and commercial delivery. The business is now governed, funded and managed independently with clear accountability and direct leadership.” The restructuring follows the VFC brand's withdrawal from shelves as the company prepares for product reformulation to address rising concerns around UPFs. Meatless Farm will continue to be stocked in UK supermarkets. Lyons added: “We do not want to be part of the UPF problem; we want to be part of the solution. VFC will be repositioned and relaunched in 2027 with this ambition at its core.” The Plant Base has reached out to the Vegan Food Group and VFC for comment.

In this instalment of Start-up Spotlight – which celebrates lesser-known companies and their innovations – we speak to Daryl Pek, co-founder of Mottainai Food Tech, parent company of Jiro Meat, about the company's recent expansion and its mission to valorise food waste. Congratulations on the recent opening of your facility in Singapore. Could you tell us how the opportunity came about and what you plan to do at the site? After winning the DBS x NEA Hungry for Change Challenge, we were awarded funding support to establish a lab and further develop our idea of producing plant-based protein from okara. The initial trials delivered promising results, which gave us the confidence to raise additional funds. This led to us setting up our pilot manufacturing plant and R&D lab and enabled us to advance Jiro Meat to a higher technology readiness level and begin testing its commercial viability. Could you tell us more about Mottainai Food Tech’s aims and how the company came to be? Mottainai Food Tech is a Singapore-based food technology company focused on developing fermentation-driven solutions to create healthier, more affordable and sustainable nutrition. The name ‘Mottainai’ is a Japanese term expressing regret over waste, which reflects our philosophy of creating value from overlooked or underutilised ingredients. The company came about after we began exploring how nutrient-rich side streams like okara – the insoluble pulp of soybeans that remains after they are filtered to make soy milk and tofu – could be upcycled into high-value food products. Our early work in this area showed strong potential, and this gave us the confidence to scale those ideas into real solutions. Our first product, Jiro Meat, grew out of this journey, demonstrating how fermentation and food science can transform by-products into clean-label, high-fibre protein that supports both taste and health. What inspired the idea to upcycle okara, and why is it so important to reduce food waste by upcycling byproducts? The inspiration to upcycle okara came from recognising both its scale as a waste stream and its untapped nutritional value. In Singapore alone, more than 10,000 tonnes of okara are generated each year, and globally, the number reaches over 14 million tonnes. Because okara is highly perishable due to its moisture content, most producers discard it at a cost or divert it to low-value uses like animal feed, even though it is rich in fibre and protein. Very few companies have been able to effectively transform okara into palatable, high-value food, and those that do typically incorporate only very low percentages of okara in their products. By valorising okara through fermentation, we are able to achieve two goals at once: reducing food waste and carbon emissions, while creating healthier and more affordable nutrition. Beyond reducing emissions from incinerating or landfilling okara, this approach also helps alleviate the environmental burden from conventional livestock production, which contributes 14.5% of global greenhouse gas emissions and places immense pressure on land and water resources. By upcycling nutrient-rich by-products into functional foods, we can build a more sustainable food system that is less reliant on livestock while making better use of existing resources. What challenges do you anticipate when scaling up this kind of production method? Scaling up from lab to pilot production has been challenging due to the larger scale and increased manpower requirements. Automation, customising equipment and fine-tuning fermentation parameters to suit our specific processes will be essential to scaling up our technology. This has been a costly and time-consuming journey, but it is essential to ensure the consistent quality and scalability of Jiro Meat. We envision that similar challenges will be encountered by the team as we scale up further. Can you tell us a bit more about how your flagship Jiro Meat product came about and walk us through the process of creating it? Jiro Meat is created by upcycling okara into a nutritious, versatile protein. The process begins with collecting okara from food manufacturers, adding a proprietary blend and incubating the mixture for a few days to allow fermentation to occur, before packing and freezing it for use in various applications. While the process may appear simple at first glance, it is elegantly simple and achieving this required significant time and effort as we finetuned our fermentation parameters and identified the optimal mix of ingredients. Do you have plans to release Jiro Meat to a wider audience or offer other similar products using the same process? With the launch of our pilot facility, we have begun meaningful business development and are seeing strong interest. Fermentation is a delicate process that can behave differently depending on the substrates used, so careful optimisation is required. We have prototypes in the pipeline that we plan to launch when they are ready. This involves using both side-streams and other ingredients, along with our proprietary blend of cultures, to develop new products and ingredients through fermentation. What key challenges have there been to securing retail slots for a product like Jiro Meat? How does the regulatory landscape look for novel foods like this? Our current focus is on B2B channels, as we believe this approach will help drive adoption in an already competitive and saturated industry. The key challenges are similar to those faced by other plant-based companies, including initial scepticism around product cost and perceptions related to ingredient complexity. These are challenges that we believe Jiro Meat and our production approach can address. In terms of regulation, it is a collaborative landscape. We work closely with regulators to demonstrate that our processes are robust, our products are safe, and everything we create is fit for human consumption. This ensures both compliance and confidence in introducing novel food products like Jiro Meat to the market. How do Mottainai’s solutions compare to other food waste processes, and what challenges have you faced in developing this solution? Many existing food waste processes either convert only a small portion of the waste into products suitable for human consumption or they treat it and produce lower-value outputs such as animal feed. In contrast, Mottainai Food Tech’s fermentation platform enables us to valorise a much higher proportion of food manufacturing side-streams directly into nutritious, functional foods for people. This means we are creating higher-value, healthier products while maximising the resource efficiency of the input materials. One of the key challenges we have faced is that this approach represents a novel application of fermentation science. Turning side-streams into high-quality food ingredients requires significant R&D and process optimisation, and we have invested a great deal of time and effort to scale our technology to where it is today. While this has been complex, it has also allowed us to build a strong technological foundation and unique expertise that set us apart in the field. For other start-ups in this industry, especially those focused on reducing waste and promoting sustainability, what advice would you offer in regards to securing patents and funding? One strategy worth considering is to carefully weigh the benefits of patents versus trade secrets. Patents can provide strong protection, but the application process is time-consuming, costly, and can expose sensitive information if unsuccessful. For some key processes, keeping them as trade secrets can be a more efficient way to safeguard competitive advantage while avoiding unnecessary disclosure. Equally important is ensuring there is a clear market fit. Too often, start-ups in sustainability and food tech focus heavily on R&D and product development but neglect early validation with customers and partners. Demonstrating commercial viability early on not only sharpens the value proposition but also makes fundraising conversations more compelling. Finally, assembling a well-rounded team is crucial. Having someone with financial expertise (whether as a co-founder, advisor, or early hire) can help navigate funding strategies, manage costs, and plan for sustainable growth and scaling. Looking ahead, what are your long-term goals at the facility, and where do you see Mottainai Food Tech in five years? In five years, we hope to expand our production capacity with a larger plant so that Jiro Meat and our other innovations can reach a much wider audience. At the same time, we envision our current facility continuing to serve as a hub for R&D, where ideas can be tested and piloted before scaling.