The Protein Digest

BENEO survey finds taste and price drive UK hybrid meat appeal. A 3,500-respondent study by Meatless, a BENEO brand, found that six in ten UK consumers would purchase hybrid meat products if taste and price are satisfactory, with sausages the most preferred format and high protein content the leading driver for younger shoppers. (nutraceuticalbusinessreview.com)

Maple Leaf Foods revives Yves Veggie Cuisine with five plant-based products. The company acquired trademarks from Hain Celestial Group and plans to bring five products, including veggie deli slices and ground round, to stores this summer as it expands its plant-based portfolio alongside LightLife and Field Roast. (cbc.ca)

Beyond Meat narrows Q1 loss and edges past revenue estimates. The plant-based meat maker posted a loss of $0.10 per share for the quarter ended March 2026, beating the consensus estimate of $0.12, though revenue fell year over year to $58.21 million. (zacks.com)

Cambridge researchers seek sustainable farming without sacrificing yields. Researchers are deploying AI-driven genetic screening to breed pest-resistant crops and evaluating regenerative agriculture, as early evidence suggests environmental gains may come at the cost of yield consistency. (cam.ac.uk)

UK legume conference targets food security and sustainable farming. The third annual UK Legume Research Community meeting, held at the James Hutton Institute, will bring together scientists, farmers, and food industry leaders to address barriers to expanding domestic legume production for climate and food security goals. (agcc.co.uk)

Marigold petals explored as novel plant protein source. Researchers at the American Chemical Society presented findings suggesting the flower's petals could yield a new plant protein ingredient, though scalability and functional properties remain under investigation. (acs.org)

Wisconsin court dismisses Onego Bio patent suit against EVERY Co over ovalbumin. The judge found no basis for personal jurisdiction in Wisconsin, but parallel litigation in Delaware over the contested ovalbumin patent continues between the two microbial fermentation companies. (agfundernews.com)

Biosphere wins $9 million Pentagon grant for portable gas fermentation bioreactors. The $9 million, three-and-a-half-year award will fund development of UV-sterilized bioreactors that produce protein via gas fermentation for use in contested environments where conventional supply chains are unreliable. (agfundernews.com)

MicroHarvest scales microbial protein into European pet food retail. The Hamburg-based biotech company reports repeat orders from multiple partners and more than 15 new pet food SKUs scheduled for the second quarter of 2026, while advancing plans for a 15,000-tonne production facility in Germany. (Protein Report)

Meatly raises £10.4M to build Europe's largest cell-cultured meat bioreactor facility. The Series A round will fund a 20,000-liter bioreactor facility in London, with product releases expected in 2027, bringing the company's total funding to £17.4 million. (tech.eu)

NOAA crabmeat import ban threatens U.S. seafood supply and prices. With 98% of pasteurized crabmeat consumed in the U.S. imported from abroad, the restriction could cause severe shortages and higher prices. Phillips Seafood and the National Fisheries Institute have filed suit to block the measure while regulators reconsider. (sourceofthespring.com)

DOJ settles with Agri Stats over decades of anticompetitive data sharing among meat processors. The proposed settlement requires the data-sharing firm to stop distributing non-public pricing and production information among competing chicken, pork, and turkey processors and to make most of its reports available to buyers on equal terms. (justice.gov)

USDA and Wisconsin scale back avian flu testing on dairy farms. Federal officials removed pre-movement testing requirements for dairy cows in 42 "unaffected" states, while Wisconsin shifted from monthly to bimonthly surveillance, but laboratory leaders warn USDA staff reductions may be undermining disease monitoring capacity. (wpr.org)

U.S. Senate faces showdown over Farm Bill provision to preempt state animal welfare laws. The House-passed measure, known as the "Save Our Bacon Act," would preempt California's Proposition 12 and Massachusetts' Question 3, but faces long odds in the Senate where bipartisan opposition and the 60-vote threshold pose significant hurdles. (thenewlede.org)

H5N1 found in dairy parlor air and wastewater, raising transmission concerns. A study across 14 California dairy farms found infectious virus in milking-parlor air and wastewater, with viral RNA also detected in cows' exhaled breath, suggesting dairy workers face significant inhalation risk in enclosed parlor environments. (cidrap.umn.edu)

U.S. meat industry posts record $112 billion in sales amid tight cattle supply. The National Provisioner's 2026 ranking highlights a 2% rise in pounds sold and continued dollar growth, with market leaders Cargill, Tyson, JBS, and Smithfield driving the bulk of revenue amid historically tight cattle supply and record beef prices. (provisioneronline.com)

Hong Kong suspends poultry imports from parts of Canada and France over avian flu. The Centre for Food Safety cited avian influenza outbreaks flagged by the WOAH, noting that Hong Kong imported about 410 tonnes of poultry meat and 400,000 eggs from France in the first three months of 2026. (info.gov.hk)

Mozza Foods eyes late 2028 for soybean-grown casein launch. The California startup, which has raised roughly $24 million, plans USDA and FDA submissions over the next year and says its molecular farming approach can reach cost parity with conventional dairy by leveraging existing soy and dairy infrastructure. (agfundernews.com)