Welcome from the editor: a shift

Welcome and thank you for joining me this weekend.

In the last few weeks there have been several news stories we’ve reported on regarding progress in the alternative protein world. Possibly, the biggest story is about the approval of cultured meat in the United States, making it the second country in the world (after Singapore) to approve this novel ingredient for sale and human consumption. Get the scoop in The US says yes: United States approve the sale of Upside Foods and GOOD Meat’s cultivated meat.

Much research, development and investment is going into mushrooms at the moment. Easy to grow sustainably, nutritious and ideal to use in plant-based meats and other applications, fungi are seen as a bit of a wonder ingredient. Dive into the world of mycelium in The magic of mushrooms: the versatility and sustainability of fungi.

Investment is being poured into other projects researching alternative plant-based proteins to soy in the UK. Whilst the vast majority of soy is grown to feed livestock and only around 15-20% is used in human food, researchers are looking into more sustainable ingredients that can be utilised to create vegan meats and other products. Discover what these are in our feature From lupin to brassica: 6 novel crop innovations shaping the future of plant-based proteins.

Wishing you a wonderful weekend,

Stef