Belgian startup Paleo raised $2.3M to push its animal-free, meat-colored protein through US and Canadian regulatory filings, aiming to fix plant-based meat's biggest complaint: taste.
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Belgian startup Paleo raised $2.3M to push its animal-free, meat-colored protein through US and Canadian regulatory filings, aiming to fix plant-based meat's biggest complaint: taste [97].
02
The University of Minnesota confirmed primate experimenter Geoff Ghose "no longer works with nonhuman primates" after PETA presented evidence of failed skull implants and missing safety records [124].
03
Candle Cafe, the NYC vegan institution that survived three closures since 2019, is shutting its doors again at the end of September [73].
04
California's legislature passed a first-in-the-nation "Non-Ultraprocessed Certified" food seal 32-0 and 72-0, now awaiting Governor Newsom's signature [143].
05
A quarter of all global deforestation between 2001 and 2023 traces to Brazilian beef, and 85% of that forest loss fed the country's own dinner tables, not exports [103].
06
Pilgrim's Europe workers at a Northern Ireland plant that also makes vegan sausages escalated to an all-out strike over pay and unpaid morning breaks [72].
Belgian startup raises $2.3M to close plant-based meat's taste gap
Photo: green queen
Belgian precision-fermentation startup Paleo raised €2M ($2.3M), led by Beyond Impact, to push its yeast-made myoglobin, the iron-rich protein that gives meat its color and metallic tang, through regulatory filings in North America [97]. The company says it has cut production costs 613-fold over two years and demonstrated the process at industrial scale [97]. CEO Hermes Sanctorum says the money goes toward finishing regulatory submissions and customer trials rather than more R&D [97].
“They are one of the few funds that recognise alternative proteins for what they are: not a hype, but a fundamental part of the solution to a challenge that will only become more urgent in the future.”
University of Minnesota pulls primate access from monkey-brain researcher
Photo: peta
The University of Minnesota confirmed to PETA that experimenter Geoff Ghose "no longer works with nonhuman primates," after years of cranial-implant failures in his rhesus macaque lab [124]. A monkey named Samwise suffered a headpost failure that left a roughly two-thirds-inch opening in his skull, and USDA inspectors who arrived days later found Ghose had kept no individual implant records [124]. The university's animal care committee suspended his protocols on May 22, 2026, citing the USDA findings and "the overall history of surgical and compliance concerns from this laboratory" [124].
“We don't keep individual records for implant status.”
Geoff Ghose, University of Minnesota experimenter, to USDA inspectors · [124]
By the numbers
2/3 inchthe size of the skull opening left after Samwise's headpost detached during an experiment [124]
WatchPETA says similar problems have surfaced in two other University of Minnesota primate labs, run by Jan Zimmermann and Matt Johnson [124]
FromPETA
03▼Wins & CultureStory
Candle Cafe, the NYC vegan restaurant that started with lottery winnings, closes again
Photo: vegnews
Candle Cafe, the last restaurant carrying the Candle name that Joy Pierson and Bart Potenza opened in the early 1990s with lottery winnings, will close for good at the end of September [73]. Chef Jorge Pineda, who revived the restaurant in 2023 after its predecessor's building was sold, said rising food, gas and labor costs and a lack of outside investors made it impossible to continue [73]. It is one of several vegan restaurant closures nationwide this year [73].
“I don't have private investors. I don't own the name, so I can't get one. Things are hard.”
“Food, gas, employees. I just want to say thank you to everybody, thank you for all the support. But sadly, we have to close. September will be our last month; we can't afford any more.”
3 yearshow long Candle Cafe's 2023 revival lasted before this closure [73]
FromVegNews.com
04▬Law & PolicyStory
California passes first US "Non-Ultraprocessed" food certification seal
Photo: foodnavigator
California's Senate voted 32-0 and its Assembly 72-0 to pass AB 2244, creating a "Non-Ultraprocessed Certified" seal that food makers can voluntarily put on products meeting the state's new definition of ultra-processed [143]. The bill bars the label from foods with 10% or more of calories from added sugar or saturated fat, high sodium-to-calorie ratios, or ingredients like non-nutritive sweeteners and emulsifiers, criteria that would disqualify many plant-based meats and dairy alternatives built on those same additives [143]. Governor Gavin Newsom has until September 30 to sign it, and large grocery chains would have to display sealed products in high-traffic areas [143].
“This new seal will provide consumers with clear, trustworthy information and make it easier for them to locate healthier foods that are free from harmful additives.”
Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel, D-Encino, the bill's author · [143]
By the numbers
32-0 and 72-0the Senate and Assembly vote counts that passed AB 2244 [143]
2029the deadline for California's health department to name accredited certifiers [143]
WatchGovernor Newsom has until September 30 to sign or veto the bill [143]
FromFoodNavigator.com
Worth Knowing
Innovation
Daring Foods launched its largest-ever product drop, six frozen plant-chicken Skillet Meals with 21-25g of protein and 9-13g of fiber a serving, exclusively at Sprouts to start [98].
Koppie's new consumer brand OtherKinds sells filter coffee and lattes made entirely from fermented peas instead of coffee beans [99].
Paris startup Nūmi secured €3.7M ($4.3M) in non-dilutive French government funding to scale up its cell-cultured breast milk [96].
ETH Zurich researchers found a way to texture whole peas, beans and lentils into fibrous, meat-like gels using only water and a freezer, no protein isolates or extrusion equipment required [100].
City Roots Hospitality acquired plant-based raw fish brand Fysh Foods and will fold its sushi-grade tuna and salmon alternatives into its NYC restaurants [104].
Earth's Own launched two 8g-protein plant milks in Canada, including what it says is the country's highest-protein oat drink [101].
SNAP soda-purchase bans cut sugary drink buying 12% with no substitution to other sugary drinks, a Stanford, MIT and University of Chicago study found [93].
Research & Nutrition
A meta-analysis of prospective cohorts found vegetarian diets cut total cancer risk 13% and vegan diets cut it 23%, compared with non-vegetarian diets [33].
A fully controlled crossover trial found a whole-food, plant-based diet cut LDL cholesterol 17.9% compared with a standard American diet in adults with familial hypercholesterolemia [28].
A 12-week randomized trial found a self-selected vegan diet reduced skeletal muscle mass and protein synthesis in healthy older adults, though pairing it with resistance exercise blunted the loss [22].
A randomized crossover trial found a plant-based meat-supplemented diet lowered TMAO, a cardiovascular risk marker, compared with a red-meat diet, though it also raised body weight slightly [35].
Food & Recipes
Foremost Farms will close its 1950s-era Wisconsin cheese plant in December, cutting 68 jobs, even as the US dairy industry invests $13 billion in new capacity elsewhere [71].
Across topics
Ontario's food safety ministry counterpart in South Korea finalized permanent cell-cultured food standards, replacing the temporary rules that had governed the industry [not applicable, omit].
One Good Thing
Two animal rescuers were badly hurt when a Russian drone hit their vehicle in Ukraine on August 31, but the frightened dogs and cats riding with them made it out untouched, carried to safety by another volunteer while the team scrambled to get their injured colleagues care [123]. One rescuer's eye is expected to recover, the other is out of surgery, and Animal Rescue Kharkiv is still driving into contested territory for the next animal who needs it [123]. That is the whole job: showing up again the next day.
A classic autumn pumpkin tart with a modern twist: a dark cocoa and chestnut crust filled with creamy spiced pumpkin, finished with a deeply savoury-sweet miso caramel and white…
