Can alt become norm?
What I talk about when I talk about alternative proteins, AI and food and an end to the heme battle.
Hey everyone,
I guess it’s time to wrap up summer now that I’m back from vacation. That means back to regularly scheduled newsletters! Thank you for reading, writing and subscribing. You all are my in-box VIPs.
This week, I hit the ground running. On Monday, I attended the 3rd annual meeting of iCamp, the integrated center for alternative meat and protein at UC Davis. UC Davis is one of 3 UC schools that received funding from California state to conduct more research into alternative proteins. Tofu has been eaten for millennium. Veggie burgers have been a thing in the 80s. Soy is the king of plant proteins for its excellence in nutrition and performance. Is it time we drop the word ‘alternative’?
I got to Davis early hoping to find a bakery. I was unsuccessful, but I did find a glorious cup of cold brew. Once I made it to iCamp, I sampled the new fungi protein yogurt from Nature’s Fynd—it’s made from a microbe discovered in Yellowstone National Park; I talked genetically engineered purple tomatoes with Dan Kurzrock, the CEO of Regrained, an upcycled ingredient company; and I had mycelium tacos courtesy of Paul Shapiro and The Better Meat Co.
**You can read my piece in the SF Chronicle about the funding the UC schools received. It wasn’t a lot — $5 million — and it won’t last long — 3 years. Many folks I talk to wonder when the government will put more money towards food innovation — and not just academic institutions but commercial projects.
Yesterday, I attended the 7th annual Cultured Meat Symposium. I attended the very first one in downtown San Francisco. Another year, I brought Loren Poncia of Stemple Creek with me. It was fun to see him make new friends. This year another rancher – Joe Morris of Morris Beef -- was on the panel I moderated at CMS. On the panel, Joe made sure we all understood how important it is that we consider what holds plants up: soil; and the animals: grazers on grass. Every industry touching food relies on crops was his point.
It’s important that a wide range of voices weigh in on what direction our food system is going because we can see how the current ultra-processed, cheap-food model is going. (See obesity, high rates of Type-2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.)
Here are 5 policy ideas on how to battle UPF foods in our diet by Jerry Mande.
On the 25th, I’ll be moderating panels at The Spoon’s Food and AI Summit at UC Berkeley. The agenda is great and I’ve got one pass to give out. Drop me a line and I will pick one name at random. (The event is live and in-person at the UC campus.)
**This Fortune article says that 90% of the food we touch will be touched by AI in 3 years.
Anyways, I spend way too much time writing my newsletters, so I thought this week might be a good week to bubble up a few past issues.
My most read newsletter was about the new food hall that opened next to the IKEA in downtown San Francisco. The hall is serving a healthy dose of plant-based foods and their vegan cheeseburger is outstanding. (Granted, the numbers may be skewed because I have more subscribers now!)
My most opened email was one where I attempted to define regenerative farming in April 2022. I like this one a lot.
My second most read newsletter was titled, “What is Real Food?” In this edition, I wrote about the ingredients created using food-tech versus whole foods or more straight-forward foods we already know. As someone with Type-1 diabetes, I understand that my body runs smoother when I eat fewer packaged, highly-processed foods. There are lots of great photos in this edition.
The newsletter that drove the most subscriber sign-ups was one titled, “Can food be a vaccine?” I love this one. And, not to toot my own horn, but when I’ve gotten Covid -- twice in the past four-plus years – I’ve had very mild cases and bounced back quickly. Is this because I take good care of myself – diet, exercise, sleep, stress? Or is it because I’m a woman? Read this NYTimes story that says maybe women have a “greater immune response.”
The one I enjoyed writing the most may have been “Shiny, happy UPF people?” And you all liked it too! This means a lot, because over the last decade or so I’ve been getting closer to knowing what I want to be writing about and how important it is for me to make a difference when it comes to the food we eat and our health.
Just here for the one tidbit:
In a surprise twist, Impossible Foods came out ahead in the heme legal battle against Motif FoodWorks. The settling of the case is fascinating. Impossible acquires the heme business from Motif and both companies walk away to cry about their own legal bills. What happens to the rest of Motif? Anyone?
Where you can find me:
UC Berkeley at The Spoon’s Food and AI Summit on September 25th. Tickets here.
Los Angeles for the HNGRY Summit on October 25th. Tickets here.
Hope you have a great week and eat something that’s delicious and makes you feel great.