Browsing category

Japan

Japan’s CulNet Consortium: New Open Innovation Platform For Cell-Based Meat & Materials

3 Mins Read Japanese cultivated protein startup IntegriCulture recently launched its CulNet Consortium, an open innovation platform dedicated to cellular agriculture. With twelve companies on board, the platform aims to accelerate and scale cell-based solutions across the meat, cosmetics, nutraceuticals and materials industries.  IntegriCulture says its new open innovation consortium has “moved into full swing” with eleven other […]

Next Meats & IKEA Japan Partner To Debut Plant-Based Gyudon Beef Curry

3 Mins Read Tokyo-based food tech Next Meats is collaborating with home furnishing giant IKEA Japan to debut a brand new plant-based dish to customers. The dish, made from IKEA’s plant-based curry and Next Meat’s flagship soy-based beef alternative, will be available in select IKEA stores in the country as part of a Sustainable Food Fair.  Partnering with […]

Japan ‘Healthy Junk Food’ 2foods Operator Launches Plant-Based ‘FoodTech Park’ Retail Concept In Tokyo

3 Mins Read Tokyo-headquartered wellness company TWO Inc has just launched its new “healthy junk food” concept to offer Japanese consumers nutritious plant-based offerings. The brand, 2foods, will be opening three new retail outlets in the Japanese capital Tokyo to cater to the rising numbers of plant-forward, ethical and conscious consumers.  The new “healthy junk food” brand 2foods […]

Novel Cell Ag Tech: Tokyo Scientists Develop New Process To Culture ‘Millimetre-Sized Chunks Of Meat’

4 Mins Read Researchers from the University of Tokyo have come up with a novel way to cultivate “millimetre-sized chunks of meat” by stacking and fusing together cultured beef cells. Their innovation marks another step forward in the race to develop sustainable cell-based proteins that resemble whole muscle cuts of animal meat without the need for slaughter.  In […]

Green Monday Launches OmniMeat In Japan As Plant-Based Takes Off Across Asia

3 Mins Read OmniMeat, the flagship plant-based pork mince product developed under Hong Kong-based Green Monday’s food tech arm OmniFoods, has just launched in Japan. It will be available across eight outlets and chains across the country, as well as via foodservice in a number of restaurants, in yet another expansion of Green Monday’s global presence amid surging […]

Israel’s Aleph Farms Partners With Mitsubishi To Bring Cultivated Meat Manufacturing Platform To Japan

3 Mins Read Israeli food tech Aleph Farms has announced a new agreement with the food industry arm of Japanese corporate giant Mitsubishi to bring cultivated meat to Japan. Under the newly formed partnership, the Israeli cell-based meat maker will provide its manufacturing platform to cultivate whole-muscle steaks while Mitsubishi will bring in biotech, food production and local […]

DiverseFarm: Japanese Michelin-Starred Chef Launches New Cell-Based Meat Venture

3 Mins Read Renowned chef Shimamura Masaharu of Michelin-starred Osaka restaurant Unkaku has launched DiverseFarm, a partner venture with Tokyo-based cellular agriculture company TissueByNet. The startup will bring together Masaharu’s culinary expertise and TissueByNet’s food science know-how to offer an entire menu of cultured meat delicacies, from deep-fried cell-based duck to steamed cultivated chicken and aemono.  A collaboration […]

Canadian Company Top Tier Foods To Launch Its Plant-Based Wagyu In Japan

4 Mins Read After developing the world’s first sticky quinoa designed specifically for the sushi industry, Canadian firm Top Tier Foods has now created a plant-based wagyu, which is slated to launch in Japan by the end of this year. While the verdict is still out on whether the vegan analogue of Japan’s most famous beef will appeal […]

Asia Expansion: Plant-Based Dog Food Brand V-Planet Launches In Japan

2 Mins Read San Francisco-based vegan dog food brand V-planet has announced that its 100% plant-based kibble products are now available in Japan for the first time. Partnering with Wholefoods, Inc., a Kyoto-based distributor of plant-based foods, V-planet says that the launch marks a major step forward in making animal-free pet food options more widely available in Japan […]

Vegan Yakiniku: Japanese Firm Develops Plant-Based Barbecue Beef Steak

2 Mins Read There’s no doubt that Japan’s vegan scene is heating up, with the emergence of plant-based kombinis and big names like Muji and Mos Burger introducing new all-vegan options. But until now, there hasn’t been a vegan version of yakiniku, a popular Japanese barbecued or grilled beef dish typically served with rice. Japanese plant-based meat firm […]

Muji: Retail Giant Launches Shelf-Stable Plant-Based Meat Range Amid Vegan Demand Surge

3 Mins Read Japanese retail chain Muji has announced that it is releasing four new plant-based meat alternatives across its online and brick-and-mortar stores this month. The news comes amid the rising demand for plant-based foods among mainstream consumers, who are increasingly concerned about health, food safety and sustainability in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.  Announced on […]

Japan’s Largest Chemical Giant Enters Plant-Based Meat Supply Chain

2 Mins Read Shin-Etsu Chemical, one of the world’s largest suppliers of plastics and chip-making materials and the biggest chemical company in Japan, has just made its first entry into the plant-based meat supply chain. It has developed a new binding agent, which can help improve the texture and structure of plant-based meat alternatives.  In search of a […]

IntegriCulture Gets US$2.2M Government Grant To Build Cell-Ag Facility

2 Mins Read Japanese food tech IntegriCulture Inc. has been awarded a ¥240 million (US$2.2 million) grant from the government’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry to build its commercial cellular agriculture facility. Constructing its commercial bioreactor will mark a huge step forward in the company’s goal to launch its first publicly available cultivated product.  The grant money […]