Animal-free whey heads to EU review; UK maps cultivated meat exports
21st.Bio filed an EU novel food application for its animal-free whey protein BLG and asked for a fast-track route, though the EU has approved none of these proteins yet.
4 top stories35 sources read140 articles scanned6 sides of vegan life
21st.Bio filed an EU novel food application for its animal-free whey protein BLG and asked for a fast-track route, though the EU has approved none of these proteins yet [69].
02
UK regulators published a single export process map for cell-cultivated food businesses, while no cell-cultivated food is yet authorised for sale in Great Britain [81].
03
Mercy For Animals graded 48 food giants on cage-free eggs and says 34 advanced unevenly or reported no regional data [79].
04
A Nature Food model projects large emissions savings from swapping ruminant meat for plant-based versions, with nutrient trade-offs once the swaps go deeper [98].
05
Daring launched Plant Steak Bites, its first beef alternative, exclusive to Publix with other retailers due in 2027 [80].
The Stories: the day’s biggest developments, in the sources’ own words
01▬InnovationStory
21st.Bio files EU novel food application for animal-free whey protein BLG
Photo: green queen
Copenhagen-based 21st.Bio filed an EU novel food application for BLG Essential+, its precision-fermented beta-lactoglobulin, and asked regulators for a faster route for well-characterized, nature-identical proteins [77]. The company says it has held self-affirmed GRAS status in the US since September 2024 [77]. Perfect Day, Remilk, Imagindairy, Vivici and Verley are cleared to sell their versions in the US, but the EU has approved none of these ingredients [69].
“This is not a choice between safety and speed. It is an opportunity to apply the best science to achieve both.”
Thomas G. Schmidt, co-founder and CEO of 21st.BIO · [77]
By the numbers
fivefoldrise in the cost of whey over the last year, with prices at all-time highs in the US and Europe [69]
31 million tonnesof milk equivalents: the projected global dairy shortfall by the end of the decade [69]
€86Minvested in 21st.Bio by Novo Holdings in 2021 [69]
Fromvegconomist the vegan business magazineGreen Queen
UK regulators publish cultivated meat export guidance while none is approved for sale at home
Photo: vegconomist
The Food Standards Agency and Food Standards Scotland published guidance that pulls export rules from HMRC, APHA, BIST and Defra into one process map for shipping cell-cultivated products from Great Britain to non-EU countries [116]. As of the regulators' September guidance release, no cell-cultivated food had been authorised for sale to consumers in Great Britain [81]. The guidance does not guarantee market access, which depends on each destination country's laws [116].
“Businesses have told us that understanding the cross-government export process was a priority, so we have worked across government to explain the path to export cell-cultivated products from GB to non-EU markets.”
Dr Thomas Vincent, Deputy Director of the Sandbox and Innovation, Food Standards Agency · [116]
By the numbers
February 2025 to February 2027is the run of the Cell-Cultivated Products Sandbox Programme that produced the guidance [81]
threeearlier batches of Sandbox guidance came first: December 2025, July 2026 and September 2026 [81]
WatchThe Sandbox Programme runs until February 2027 [81].
FromNews and communications from Food Standards Agencyvegconomist the vegan business magazine
03▬Activism & AnimalsStory
Mercy For Animals report: 34 of 48 food companies uneven or silent on global cage-free eggs
Photo: vegconomist
Mercy For Animals' EGG-XIT 2026 report graded 48 multinationals on cage-free egg sourcing and found 34 had either advanced unevenly across markets or reported no regional data [79]. Five companies (Aldi Nord, Alimentation Couche-Tard, Crepes & Waffles, MBRF and Royal Caribbean) reported 100% completion of their commitments, and Rewe Group was the only Gold-tier company [79]. The group says Unilever dropped its global cage-free commitment after fulfilling it in Europe and North America, and that Walmart missed its deadline in the US and Canada [79].
“Animals everywhere deserve the same welfare protections”
“global metrics may be masking potentially slower progress in other regions”
EGG-XIT report, on General Mills, which publishes no regional figures · [79]
By the numbers
Thirty-four of 48companies assessed advanced unevenly or failed to report regional data, 70.8% of the group [79]
Seventeencompanies landed in the Orange and Red tiers [79]
22.6%is Costco's reported cage-free progress in Canada, against roughly 85% in the US, per Mercy For Animals' July scorecard [79]
Fromvegconomist the vegan business magazine
04▬Research & NutritionStory
Nature Food model projects large emissions drop if plant-based meat replaces ruminant meat
Photo: sentient
A Nature Food study modeled emissions and nutrition through 2100 as plant-based meat gradually replaced 25%, 50% or 75% of animal products, as reported by Sentient [98]. Replacing 75% of ruminant meat alone delivered about half the emission reductions of replacing 75% of all animal products, with minimal nutritional cost, while deeper swaps raised deficiency risks for vitamin B12, folate, zinc and vitamin A [98]. It is a projection rather than a trial, and the nutrient inputs came from existing products [98].
“Our findings suggest that even moderate dietary changes can produce meaningful environmental benefits”
Zhaowu Yu, professor of environmental science and engineering at Fudan University and study author · [98]
“Sometimes the plant-based meat alternatives may not always be the healthier choice. It depends on what kind of plant-based meat we are talking about”
Sangeetha Shyam, senior postdoctoral fellow, Rovira i Virgili University · [98]
By the numbers
up to 65%lower agriculture, forestry and other land-use emissions by 2100 in the scenario replacing 75% of animal products, versus baseline [98]
383 million acresof forest preserved in that scenario, about the size of Alaska, assuming spared land regrows wild plants [98]
56existing plant-based meat products supplied the nutrient data [98]
FromSentient
Worth Knowing
Food & Recipes
For the Christmas table: THIS's Turkey Crown, a wheat and pea protein roast with a self-basting vegan sage butter melt, is £8.50 for 400 grams at Waitrose from 9 December, and its Nut Roast returns at £7.50 [53].
Wins & Culture
Buenos Aires' legislature passed a Compassion Law unanimously, with 56 affirmative votes, making animal-protection education mandatory in public and private schools and in higher education [118].
Activism & Animals
England's Chief Veterinary Officer ordered poultry housed indoors from 13 November for keepers with 50 or more birds, and Viva! says a 2025 change lets eggs from housed hens keep the "free range" label for the whole order [99].
Innovation
Amyris, which filed for bankruptcy protection more than two years ago, agreed to acquire precision-fermented sweet protein maker Oobli; terms are undisclosed and the deal is due to close in the coming weeks [71].
Meatable co-founder Daan Luining donated an 80-terabyte archive of the closed company's research to New Harvest, which also received its cell bank [55].
Research & Nutrition
NutritionFacts.org summarizes a study in which vegans carried a significantly lower load of antibiotic-resistance genes in their guts than omnivores or vegetarians, with no significant difference between omnivores and vegetarians [14].
One Good Thing
Jaguars have a reputation as loners, and a 13-year study in Brazil's Pantanal politely disagrees. Researchers recorded 167 pair interactions among the 459 jaguars they have identified since 2013, and nearly 39% were social: playing, grooming, hunting together, including two sisters from different litters grooming each other [87]. An outside expert notes that every observation comes from riverbanks with very high prey and jaguar density, so the results may not hold elsewhere [87]. Still, a big cat with friends is a fine thing to learn on a Friday.
Looking for a simple way to make green beans a bit more exciting? These sautéed green beans and mushrooms are just what you need! They're tossed with vegan butter, olive oil…
30 min2 servings9 ingredients
See the ingredients
11.5 ounces fresh green beans
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp vegan butter
5.5 ounces mushrooms (sliced into 1/4 inch (1/2 cm) thick slices)
vegconomist the vegan business magazine
Sentient