Cargill is investing in Bflike, a start-up in the Netherlands that has developed technology to create plant-based meat alternatives that look, feel and cook like its animal-based counterparts.
The partnership will make Bflike’s vegan fat and blood platform technology and premix ingredient solutions available for licensing to food manufacturers and retailers looking to bring plant-based products to market. The technology improves the visual appearance, texture, mouthfeel, melting behavior and cooking performance of plant-based meat and seafood.
“Together with Cargill as a development partner, we can help expand the possibilities with a new generation of nutritious products that will continue to revolutionize the plant-based marketplace,” Koos van Haasteren, Chief Executive Officer of Bflike, said in a statement.
Cargill will provide support to these customers, enabling them to scale up quickly and move from pilot to commercialization.
“Global volume consumption of protein is expected to nearly double by 2050. Plant-based protein, as a complement to animal protein, will help fulfill growing consumers’ desire for more options as part of a balanced diet,” said Belgin Köse, Segment Director Enrichment & Renewability for Cargill Starches, Sweeteners & Texturizers Europe.
Not the first investment in plant-based
Cargill, the largest feed company and third largest turkey company in the U.S., is one of the numerous meat processors that has dipped its toes into the plant-based market. In 2019., the company invested $75 million in Puris, the largest North American producer of pea protein.
In 2020, Cargill announced that they would begin selling plant-based patties and ground products to retail food and foodservice businesses. Later that year, the company partnered with quick service restaurant chain KFC to sell a plant-based fried chicken product in China.
“This joint venture [with Bflike] is another way in which Cargill is enabling plant-based alternatives that exceed consumer expectations and enrich consumer diets with responsible, sustainable and affordable options in various geographies,” Köse said.
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