<div>
  <p>
  </p>
  <ul>
    <li>
      <p>
        Mushlabs, a German biotech firm specializing in mycelium-based alternatives, has rebranded as Infinite Roots, marking the shift from an emerging startup to a mature corporate stage.
      </p>
    </li>
    <li>
      <p>
        The rebrand underscores Infinite Root&rsquo;s dedication to sustainability and food security and aims to highlight the use of mushroom root in its core offerings. According to the company, its production process eliminates the need for land, fertilizers, and pesticides and reduces water footprint and CO2 emissions by 97% and 90%, respectively.
      </p>
    </li>
  </ul>
  <p>
  </p>
  <p>
  </p>
</div>


<div>
  <p>
    <a href="https://vegconomist.com/company-news/mushlabs-becomes-infinite-roots-new-era-sustainable-foodtech/">
      Vegconomist
    </a>
  </p>
  <p>
  </p>
</div>


Food Waste

PROMINENT_CATEGORY

<div>
 <p>Mushlabs, a German biotech firm specializing in mycelium-based alternatives, has rebranded as Infinite Roots, marking the shift from an emerging startup to a mature corporate stage.</p>
 <p>The rebrand underscores Infinite Root’s dedication to sustainability and food security and aims to highlight the use of mushroom root in its core offerings. According to the company, its production process eliminates the need for land, fertilizers, and pesticides and reduces water footprint and CO2 emissions by 97% and 90%, respectively.</p>
</div>

Mushlabs rebrands to Infinite Roots, reaffirms commitment to sustainable food production

<div>
 <ul>
  <li>
   <p>Kentucky Harvest, a FoodTech non-profit, has created the Food Rescue Hero mobile app. The app connects food providers with excess food to volunteers who can deliver the food to organizations helping the hungry.</p>
  </li>
  <li>
   <p>The app aims to make volunteering easier by providing instant notifications about available food and a pick-up and delivery coordination system. Kentucky Harvest supports over 85 non-profit organizations in Kentucky.</p>
  </li>
 </ul>
</div>

Kentucky Harvest launches Food Rescue Hero app to redirect excess food

<div>
 <ul>
  <li><p>Ida, a French startup developing an AI-based inventory management solution, has raised EUR 2.7 million (~USD 2.9 million) in seed funding. The round was led by Frst, with Daphni, Motier Ventures, and Kima Ventures participating.</p></li>
  <li><p>Ida works with supermarkets and grocery stores to optimize fresh product orders and plans to use the funds to develop their solution. The company estimates that 70% to 75% of their suggestions are accepted without any manual changes and help improve sales while minimizing food waste.</p></li>
 </ul>
 
</div>

Ida raises EUR 2.7 million in seed funding to develop fresh inventory optimization solution

<div>
 <ul>
  <li><p>Goodie Bag, a FoodTech startup based in Boulder, Colorado, announced plans to expand to Denver later this month, adding to its existing footprint in Boulder and Fort Collins. Goodie Bag's app enables customers to purchase surplus food from local businesses at discounted prices.</p></li>
  <li><p>The company’s expansion to Denver will be an important test of the company’s operations in a larger market. Presently, the company counts over 70 business partners, while the Denver expansion will add 25 local restaurants, grocers, and other food providers.</p></li>
 </ul>
</div> 

Goodie Bag, a FoodTech startup from Boulder, Colorado, will expand to Denver, adding to its existing presence in Boulder and Fort Collins. The company's app allows customers to buy discounted surplus food from local businesses. This move to Denver is seen as a significant test for the company's operations in a larger market. Currently, Goodie Bag has more than 70 business partners, and the Denver expansion will bring an additional 25 local restaurants, grocers, and food providers on board.

Goodie Bag announces expansion in Denver

DISRUPTOR_PRESENT

<p>Ginkgo Bioworks, a platform specializing in cell programming and biosecurity, has partnered with dairy cooperative Foremost Farms USA to manufacture environmentally friendly materials derived from dairy co-products.</p><p>The partnership aims to use biotechnology to convert low-value dairy co-products into environmentally friendly materials. This process aims to reduce the carbon footprint of the dairy industry while also potentially creating a new revenue stream for dairy farmers.</p>

Ginkgo Bioworks and Foremost Farms partner to develop cycling dairy products technology

<div>
 <ul>
  <li><p>Positive Carbon, a firm that develops sensors to manage food waste in commercial kitchens, has secured EUR 2.3 million (~USD 2.46 million) during its seed funding round led by Business Venture Partners' EIIS fund, with Heartfelt, Gateway Ventures, and Enterprise Ireland also participating. This brings the company's total funding to just over EUR 3 million (~USD 3.2 million).</p></li>
  <li><p>The funds will be utilized for research and development, strengthening marketing strategies, and expanding the company's operations across the UK and EU. The company claims its technology has contributed to a 50% reduction in food waste at various sites, diverting over 4,000 tonnes of waste from landfills.</p></li>
 </ul>
</div> 

Positive Carbon, a firm that develops sensors to manage food waste in commercial kitchens, has raised EUR 2.3 million (~USD 2.46 million) in seed funding. Business Venture Partners' EIIS fund led the round, with Heartfelt, Gateway Ventures, and Enterprise Ireland also participating. This brings the company's total funding to just over EUR 3 million (~USD 3.2 million). The funds will be used for research and development, marketing, and expanding operations in the UK and EU. The company claims its technology has reduced food waste by 50% and diverted over 4,000 tonnes of waste from landfills.

Positive Carbon raises EUR 2.3 million in seed funding

<div>
 
 <ul>
  <li><p>Letoon Holding (LHL), a UK company that reclaims vegetable waste and plant matter, has secured a GBP 20 million capital commitment from Nimbus Capital, which will be made available to the company for a 36-month term following a public listing of the LHL common stock.</p></li>
  <li><p>The funding is aimed at advancing LHL’s technology, which transforms vegetable waste and plant matter into high-value added nutrients and ingredients for pharmaceutical, cosmetic, and food applications.</p></li>
 </ul>
 
</div>

Letoon Holding secures GBP 20 million capital commitment

<div>
  <ul>
    <li><p>AgroRenew, a company that converts food waste into environmentally friendly bioplastics, plans to invest USD 83 million by 2026 to build a processing facility in Knox County, Indiana. The facility will repurpose food waste from the county's watermelon, cantaloupe, and pumpkin industry.</p></li>
    <li><p>The facility is expected to begin construction in early 2024 and will be developed in four phases, covering an area of 200,000 sq ft. AgroRenew also intends to establish a 16,000 sq ft Bioplastics Innovation Center in the second phase.</p></li>
    <li><p>AgroRenew, launched in 2023, aims to reduce the environmental impact of plastic production and create a circular economy by producing 100% biodegradable plastics. These plastics will be sourced from a combination of crop food waste, cover crops, and other bio sources.</p></li>
  </ul>
</div>

AgroRenew announces launch of bioplastics factory utilizing food waste

ANALYST_QUICK_TAKE

<div>
<ul>
  <li>
    <p>Invafresh and Price Chopper/Market 32 have extended their partnership. Price Chopper will continue utilizing Invafresh's AI-enhanced Fresh Retail Platform to manage inventory and plan production in its supply chain using in-store production data.   </p>
  </li>
  <li>
    <p>Price Chopper reports preventing 20 tons of fresh food waste per week through the initial partnership with Invafresh.</p>
  </li>
  <li>
    <p>The extended partnership aims to increase sales, reduce food waste, and improve the shopping experience in multiple departments. Invafresh will provide real-time analytics, compliance reporting, and enhanced forecasting capabilities through cloud technology.</p>
  </li>
</ul>
</div> <p><b>Analyst QuickTake: </b> Initially a grocery management platform, Invafresh is now working toward reducing food waste through technology improvement and collaborations. Early this month, it <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/22615"> acquired </a> WhyWaste, a Swedish waste management platform, to improve its demand forecasting “Fresh Retail” platform with Whywaste's technology solutions. The company’s initial <a href="https://www.supermarketnews.com/sustainability/price-choppermarket-32-cuts-food-waste-and-emissions-tech-platform"> partnership </a> with Price Chopper also planned to launch Invafresh’s Fresh retail platform across all 131 northeastern US stores.</p>

Invafresh secures extended partnership with Price Chopper/Market 32 to reduce food waste

<div>
 <ul>
  <li><p>Berlin-based biotech startup Zayt Bioscience has launched Zayt Butter, a sustainable fat alternative made from upcycled fruit waste. The product aims to be available for orders by the end of 2024.</p></li>
  <li><p>Zayt Butter is solid at room temperature and can be used for food and cosmetic applications. Its main advantage is that it provides an environmentally friendly substitute for conventional fats and oils.</p></li>
  <li><p>Zayt recently revealed its upcycled butter and is working towards bringing it to market. The company uses precision fermentation to convert discarded fruit waste into sustainable fats and oils.</p></li>
 </ul>
</div>

All Updates