The Protein Digest

Steakholder Foods ships Perfecta plant-based meat line to the U.S. The first shipment of the Perfecta line, which includes whole-cut steaks, chicken, burgers, and fish patties, has arrived in the country, with initial retail distribution planned through KeHE Distributors in the Northeast. (asiafoodjournal.com)

Raisio Group completes oat mill expansion in Finland. The $1.7 million Nokia Mill upgrade is part of a broader €19 million program to expand Raisio's oat and grain ingredient capacity, supporting the company's push into plant-based dairy analogues across European markets. (dairynews.today)

U.S. plant milk sales decline as consumers demand more functional benefits. Dollar sales fell 2.1% to $2.3 billion over the past year, with almond milk declining 5.1%, though soy and coconut segments posted gains as consumers increasingly seek protein, clean labels, and functional benefits from non-dairy options. (bevindustry.com)

Oatly co-founder wins European Inventor Award for pea milk technology. Angeliki Triantafyllou, the Greek biotechnologist who co-founded Oatly and developed its core enzymatic process, received the 2026 award for her work at Cerealiq AB on a whole-pea dairy alternative designed to retain full nutritional value. (euronews.com)

Trek One Capital acquires No Cow and Good Karma Foods. Hyde Park Capital advised the deal, which adds the plant protein bar brand and flax-based dairy-free producer to Trek One Capital's growing portfolio of better-for-you food and beverage companies. (tbbwmag.com)

ADM and EVERY Company partner on commercial-scale microbial egg protein production. The collaboration will produce EVERY's OvoPro egg protein ingredient at ADM's Clinton, Iowa, facility, targeting growing demand for protein fortification across major food segments. (preparedfoods.com)

Most cheese worldwide relies on microbial fermentation enzymes, not calf rennet. The enzyme chymosin, first approved in 1990 and produced by genetically modified microbes including Aspergillus niger and Kluyveromyces lactis, replaced traditional calf rennet across most industrial cheesemaking within a decade — largely without consumer awareness or labeling changes. (siliconcanals.com)

FSANZ assesses GM yeast-derived beta-casein for use in food. The agency found no safety concerns with the yeast-fermented beta-casein A2 ingredient but is proposing mandatory milk-allergen labeling and front-of-pack advisories for dairy substitutes containing the preparation. (foodprocessing.com.au)

EU-funded project develops 3D bioprinting platform for cell-cultured meat and tissue models. The PRISM-LT project, coordinated by the University of Glasgow and funded by the European Innovation Council, uses encapsulated stem cells and engineered microorganisms to build complex tissues for biomedical research and cell-cultured meat with realistic fat distribution. (projects.research-and-innovation.ec.europa.eu)

Italian study finds innovation perception drives acceptance of cultured meat and algae products. A survey of 238 Italian consumers found that favorable perceptions of innovation strongly increase perceived value and reduce perceived risk for both product categories, with perceived value proving far more influential than risk in shaping consumer attitudes. (iris.unina.it)

IUCN urges stronger EU livestock policy tied to land restoration goals. The organization welcomed the European Commission's July 7 strategy for recognizing livestock farming's role in addressing the triple planetary crisis but called for concrete policy measures, stronger alignment between the Common Agricultural Policy and the Nature Restoration Regulation, and ambitious commitments at UNCCD COP17. (iucn.org)

Iowa's CAFO count surges 13% as manure pollution strains water and health. An analysis found the state now hosts more than 15,300 livestock farms producing 107 million tons of manure a year, with more than a quarter unmonitored and nitrate contamination driving water restrictions and elevated cancer rates. (thenewlede.org)

Coalition sues Oregon over CAFO permit it says fails to protect waterways. The petition, filed in Multnomah County Circuit Court, argues the state's new CAFO permit lacks enforceable safeguards to prevent manure pollution from roughly 350 large-scale livestock operations. (statesmanjournal.com)

Federal judge narrows meat industry challenge to California's Proposition 12. A U.S. district court allowed Triumph Foods to proceed with a single Commerce Clause argument while dismissing other claims, as the case intersects with ongoing Farm Bill discussions in Congress that could preempt state animal welfare standards. (thenewlede.org)

JBS drops net-zero and deforestation pledges from sustainability report. The company's latest sustainability report omits its 2040 net-zero target and all time-bound deforestation commitments, narrowing its climate focus to direct operations that represent roughly 2 to 3 percent of its total emissions. Environmental groups say JBS used the now-abandoned pledges to secure favorable financing and its New York Stock Exchange listing. (insideclimatenews.org)

North Dakota court weighs permit challenge for 25,000-cow dairy. Dakota Resource Council argues the state environmental agency's review of Riverview LLP's planned Herberg Dairy in Traill County was inadequate, while the company and regulators defend the permitting process as thorough and lawful. (northdakotamonitor.com)

Hebrew University engineers plant seeds to produce bovine dairy protein. The research, published in Frontiers in Plant Science and conducted in collaboration with New Zealand–based Miruku, revealed an unexpected cellular pathway in which bovine β-casein formed micelle-like structures inside seed cells, achieving substantially higher yields than previous attempts. (eurekalert.org)