© TIME
TIME Magazine together with Statista, a leading statistics portal, recently unveiled America’s Top GreenTech Companies in 2024, recognizing 250 firms leading the charge in sustainability and environmental stewardship.
Among these, FoodTech companies have a notable presence, with a total of 19 making the list, showcasing their pivotal role in advancing green technologies within the food industry.
“Time’s feature is an astonishing declaration on the importance of replacing animal-based meat, dairy, and eggs in our food system”
This high profile list is the result of an in-depth analysis aimed at identifying companies that are not only financially robust but also innovatively reducing their environmental impact. Statista’s methodology included a comprehensive review of various data points. Key metrics such as the value of a company’s intellectual property portfolio, revenue, funding, and industry-specific environmental contributions like carbon capture, use of renewable energy, and efforts to offset carbon emissions served as the basis for this ranking.
© Better Meat Co Prominent among the FoodTech innovators are Air Protein, Atomo Coffee, Meati, Wildtype, and MycoTechnology, all of which have secured high positions on the list. The Better Meat Co., based in Sacramento, also earned a spot and was recognized for its groundbreaking approach to sustainable food production.
Global food sustainability
The Better Meat Co. develops a sustainable alternative to traditional meat through the use of fermentation technology. This process efficiently transforms microscopic fungi into Rhiza
, a high-quality mycoprotein that mimics meat in texture and nutritional value. Targeting the business-to-business market, The Better Meat Co. supplies Rhiza as an ingredient for animal-free meat products and as a nutritional enhancer for traditional meat, improving its texture, cost-effectiveness, and environmental footprint.
Paul Shapiro, CEO of The Better Meat Co., underlined the importance of microbial farming in addressing the global food sustainability challenge. “To feed humanity without destroying the planet, rather than going big with animal farming, we must go small with microbial farming,” Shapiro remarked. He further commented on the company’s commitment to reducing dependency on animal agriculture and how it is pivotal to ensuring a healthier planet for future generations.
© TIME The company’s innovative efforts have been recognized through the granting of four patents, and its products have already reached tens of thousands of consumers. These offerings include a range of animal-free options such as steaks, foie gras, and carne asada, and the company has recently partnered with Oshi to produce mycoprotein-based salmon fillets.
Food system and climate change
Other FoodTech companies making the list include Rebellyous Foods, Prime Roots, Finless Foods, Mission Barns, BlueNalu, Shiru, GOOD Meat, Ripple Foods, and The EVERY Company.
Christie Lagally, founder and CEO of Rebellyous Foods, reflected on the industry’s potential impact in an announcement on social media, stating, “Time’s feature is an astonishing declaration on the importance of replacing animal-based meat, dairy, and eggs in our food system to tackle climate change, and the urgency to support diverse product and production replacement strategies ready to make an impact at the size and scale of the global animal protein industry.”
Find the complete list here.
