Japan

Oslo startup Norwegian Mycelium has set up a subsidiary in Japan and launched an upcycling service to turn food industry sidestreams into sustainable proteins. In another sign of Japan's growing appetite for alternative proteins,…
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Connecticut-based Wayback Burgers' franchisee in Asia has opened a 100% plant-based chain called Next Restaurant in Japan, with major expansion plans in sight. Fast-casual chain Wayback Burgers is going all-in on Asia's hunger for plant…
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To meet Japan's alternative protein potential, the Good Food Institute has opened an office in the country just as a new prime minister is sworn in. The Good Food Institute (GFI) has opened a new office in Japan, banking on the…
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Japanese startup IntergriCulture has announced five new projects under its CulNet Consortium, with its CEO emphasising the importance of knowledge-sharing. If we're to commercialise cultivated meat on a mass scale at affordable prices,…
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Israeli alternative protein startup Forsea Foods held an intimate tasting event for its cultivated unagi in Tel Aviv, with plans to launch the eel meat in Japan by 2026. Investors, journalists, food manufacturers, opinion leaders and…
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Over four in 10 Japanese consumers are willing to give cultivated meat and seafood a taste as long as it's safe, but 58% have never heard of it, highlighting the challenge for the country's alternative protein sector. In April, the…
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The government of Japan has awarded grants worth $19.6M to two alternative protein startups, just after a new report shed light on the country's consumer preferences around meat alternatives. The Japanese government has included two…
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A new report by marketing activism group Clean Creatives explores how Asia's fossil fuel industry is failing communities in the region, using greenwashing techniques to shift the blame from its climate impacts. These include loyalty credit…
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Launching this week, a new platform of industry stakeholders across nine Asia-Pacific countries is looking to facilitate collaboration to advance the regulatory approval of cultivated meat in the region. Established by the APAC Society…
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Japanese plant-based meat company DAIZ, which uses a proprietary soy germination tech to make 'miracle chips' for vegan analogues, has raised ¥7.1B (about $47.4M) in Series C funding, which it will use to build a new 40,000 sq ft facility.…
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Umami United, the Tokyo-based startup that makes plant-based egg products, has closed a pre-Series A funding round with an injection of ¥240M ($1.64M). The company plans to use the funds to develop a vegan egg white alternative and enter…
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Reducing seafood intake is one of the key ways you can help alleviate your negative effect on the planet, but there are also a host of other important reasons make a pass on fish for dinner. From biodiversity loss to more frequent…
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The Asia-Pacific Society for Cellular Agriculture (APAC-SCA) and the Japan Association for Cellular Agriculture (JACA) have solidified a partnership through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). The new MoU aims to boost the growth of…
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Japanese vegan food CPG brand 2foods, which offers plant-based eggs and chicken nuggets, has announced its U.S. launch. With new North American headquarters in downtown Los Angeles and making its U.S. market debut at the Vegan Women…
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Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida says the country will move forward with a plan to develop an industry of "cell agriculture" bringing a focus to cultivated meat and fish as a means to reduce the country's carbon footprint. Prime…
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University of Tokyo professor Shoji Takeuchi and his colleagues say they have succeeded in producing the world's first cultivated cubed steak. The diced steak was first produced in 2019, when Takeuchi and his team produced a…
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A new report by Green Queen Media argues that while plant-based meat sales may be flat in the US and Europe, in Asia Pacific, the alternative protein industry is booming. Green Queen Media has published the 2022 edition of its…
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Beyond Meat is gearing up for a Japan launch in a new partnership with United Super Market Holdings. The partnership will include both product development and distribution. United Super Market Holdings (USMH), one of Japan's largest…
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The alternative protein market is taking-off in the land of the rising sun as consumers become more health and sustainability conscious, climate concerns flare up and the government looks to decarbonize. Between 2019 and 2022 Japan’s…
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The Japanese government has announced that it is pulling together a team of experts to analyse the safety of cultivated meat. The move is seen as a precursor to implementing a regulatory framework for future commercial product approvals.  …
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Japanese plant-based manufacturer Next Meats has announced a new product line to be manufactured in its San Jose, Calif., facility. The Next Wagyu Japanese Premium Brisket is the company’s first meat analogue with carbon-negative…
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