The Protein Digest

Pulmuone's U.S. tofu sales surge nearly 17% as demand for plant proteins grows. The Korean food company's U.S. subsidiary reported tofu revenues of $71.3 million through May, led by a 24% jump in its Water Pack line, and is expanding manufacturing capacity at plants in Massachusetts and California to keep pace with demand. (koreatimes.co.kr)

RMIT researchers use ultrasound to extract protein from cauliflower leaf waste. The early-stage research found that high-power ultrasound improved protein recovery from discarded leaves, producing a concentrate with potential food and animal feed applications. Further work is needed to test scalability and sensory acceptability. (eurekalert.org)

Molinos Río de la Plata acquires plant-based food company NotCo. The acquisition, covering operations in Argentina and Uruguay, gives Argentina's largest food company access to NotCo's AI-driven product development and its portfolio of plant-based foods across beverages, frozen foods, and condiments. (dairynews.today)

Quebec court greenlights class action over plant-milk surcharges at Starbucks, Tim Hortons and Second Cup. A Quebec judge found that Starbucks admitted the substitution cost it about 12 cents per drink while charging customers 80 cents, and allowed claims against Tim Hortons and Second Cup to proceed as well. (montrealgazette.com)

Solar Foods secures €78 million in Finnish government funding for Factory 02. Business Finland awarded the company a €39.6 million grant and a €38.1 million low-interest loan to advance its industrial-scale hydrogen fermentation facility in Lappeenranta, contingent on a final investment decision expected this year. (inderes.fi)

Vivici secures €12.5m EIC funding to scale microbial dairy proteins. The blended grant-and-equity award from the European Innovation Council Accelerator Program will help the Dutch startup, formed by Fonterra and DSM-Firmenich, expand industrial production of dairy proteins made through microbial fermentation. (agfundernews.com)

Louisiana enacts labeling laws for cell-cultured and fermentation-derived foods. Governor Jeff Landry signed two bills requiring prominent disclosures on foods made through microbial fermentation and cell cultivation, reflecting a broader push by state lawmakers to establish labeling standards for emerging food technologies. (neworleanscitybusiness.com)

FSA warns on allergen labelling for microbial fermentation dairy products. The agency highlighted that dairy-equivalent products made through microbial fermentation may contain potent milk allergens like β-lactoglobulin, posing risks to consumers who conflate terms such as "animal free" with "dairy free." (food.blog.gov.uk)

UQ researchers turn industrial waste gases into fish feed, bioplastics, and fuel. Researchers at UQ's Biosustainability Hub are using microbial gas fermentation to convert CO₂, methane, and carbon monoxide into single-cell protein for food, biodegradable plastics, and ethanol, building on a decade-long collaboration with LanzaTech that has already reached commercial-scale fuel production. (aibn.uq.edu.au)

University of Nottingham's PluriCells supplies cell lines for cultured meat R&D. The platform, founded by Professor Ramiro Alberio, supplies bespoke sheep, pig, and cattle pluripotent stem cell lines and tailored growth media to academic and commercial partners across the UK, Europe, and the United States. (nottingham.ac.uk)

EU Parliament reserves meat terminology for animal-origin products only. The plenary voted 560 to 75 to bar cell-cultured and lab-grown products from using terms such as steak, fillet, and liver, as part of broader agricultural reforms that also strengthen producer organizations and introduce fairer pricing benchmarks. (eunews.it)

Protein Brewery wins first EU novel food approval for whole-food mycelium ingredient. Fermotein, produced by the Protein Brewery from Rhizomucor pusillus mycelium, is the first whole-food mycelium ingredient authorized under the EU's Novel Food Regulation, unlocking commercial access across the bloc after a five-year review. (foodbev.com)

MSU Extension offers guidance on PFAS contamination in dairy farming. MSU Extension is providing free soil and water sampling and confidential risk-mitigation strategies to farmers contending with PFAS, which can accumulate in cattle and be excreted through milk, with no federal food safety standards yet in place. (canr.msu.edu)

FAO mobilizes emergency support as foot-and-mouth SAT1 serotype reaches East Asia. The UN agency is providing $400,000 in emergency preparedness funding to seven South and Southeast Asian countries after the SAT1 serotype—historically confined to sub-Saharan Africa—was confirmed in China and Mongolia, with potential annual regional production losses estimated at $5–6 billion. (fao.org)

Marine toxins caused over 1,200 illnesses in the U.S. across 13 years, CDC finds. Scombroid toxin and ciguatoxin together drove 95 percent of the 402 outbreaks reported to the CDC between 2011 and 2023, with Hawaii, Puerto Rico, Florida, and Alaska recording the highest rates. (food-safety.com)

New York restricts livestock imports to block screwworm spread. The state Department of Agriculture and Markets now bars entry of any domestic animal from an infested area unless it has been examined and cleared by an accredited veterinarian. Eleven confirmed U.S. cases—all in Texas and New Mexico—have prompted the precautionary move, with the USDA estimating over $1 billion in potential response costs. (spectrumlocalnews.com)

Clover Hill Dairy expands Listeria recall to all cheese products. The FDA, CDC, and state officials linked the outbreak strain to requeson cheese produced at the Mechanicsville, Maryland, facility, where six product samples and one environmental sample tested positive for Listeria monocytogenes. Nine illnesses, eight hospitalizations, and one death have been reported. (qualityassurancemag.com)

Danone sues Chobani over protein claims on yogurt packaging. The complaint, filed in Manhattan federal court, alleges that Chobani's 20G Protein yogurt line uses larger containers to meet the 20-gram threshold while delivering roughly 26 percent less protein per ounce than Danone's Oikos Pro products. (complex.com)

Michigan judge upholds winter manure-spreading limits for large livestock farms. Judge Richard Garcia found that winter application limits and phosphorus testing requirements for concentrated animal feeding operations are grounded in solid science, but struck down additional rules imposed by Michigan's environmental regulator as violations of farmers' due process rights. (freep.com)

Iceland's ORF Genetics uses engineered barley to produce growth factors for cell-cultured meat. ORF Genetics has developed a molecular farming platform using genetically engineered barley seeds to produce growth factors essential for growing animal cells, and has been conducting confined field trials in Canada since 2013 to scale production and reduce costs. (farmtario.com)