4 innovative companies that are changing the face of food

From climate change and COVID-19 to conflicts, food supply chains and systems across the world face numerous challenges that impact the cost and availability of food. 

Innovative solutions are needed to feed our growing global community while reducing our environmental impact. Britain is playing a leading role in this exciting new field, unlocking opportunities for innovators, investors and entrepreneurs alike. 

Here are four companies CPI is working with that are transforming the food industry… 

MarraBio – A pioneering protein manufacturer

Based in the North East of England, MarraBio is working to accelerate the development of cultivated meat in order to reduce the carbon emissions associated with food production. 

With meat production contributing up to 60% of food-production-related greenhouse gas emissions, we need alternatives that will enable us to feed a growing population while reducing our environmental impact. 

Lab grown meat has the potential to drastically reduce these emissions, and MarraBio is working to develop innovative engineered protein materials that can improve largescale production while also reducing costs. 

Immune Boost Clinic - A novel approach to better health

Immune Boost Clinic is a novel food ingredient company that is producing innovative consumer products that safely harness the health benefits of naturally occurring microorganisms. 

Humans harbour trillions of bacteria in our guts, harmless microorganisms that are collectively known as the​“gut microbiome.” These complex microbial communities have a direct impact on our health, thought to influence everything from inflammation to allergies, and even the brain. But our gut microbiomes are under constant attack. 

Immune Boost Clinic​’s microbe-containing foods and supplements offer an opportunity to replenish our natural defences, creating a new frontier in wellbeing. 

3D Bio-Tissues – A novel alternative to traditional agriculture

Traditional meat farming accounts for around 57% of all greenhouse gas emissions. As a result, society faces a challenge: How can we feed a growing population while reducing our environmental impact?

Cultivated meat could provide the solution by creating animal-based products from cell cultures rather than directly from animals. 

The problem is that cultivating meat can be an expensive process. But that’s where 3D Bio-Tissues comes in. A spin-out from Newcastle University, the company has developed an alternative to the expensive materials currently used to produce meat in labs. 

It’s an exciting innovation that will help lab-grown meat to become a truly viable, ethical, and environmentally friendly alternative to traditional resource-intensive meat production. 

Qkine – Scaling up cultivated meat manufacture

While cultivated meat offers an exciting alternative to traditional agricultural methods, current manufacturing processes are currently too expensive to produce protein at the kind of scale the world needs. 

One of the biggest challenges are growth factors that stimulate the production of cells. Qkine is helping to solve the issue by developing novel alternatives to current growth factors. Their animal-free products could help to eliminate the use of slaughterhouses forever while also making cultivated meat cheaper to produce at larger scales.