Maximilien Souvereyns

Last week we had the honour of welcoming Director General Agro, Mr Marten van den Berg for a substantive consultation. On this occasion, we were the first to hand him our sustainability report 2024. It was with great interest that we were able to talk together about the importance of biodiversity, sustainable chain processes and making ecosystem services visible and measurable.    This year’s report reflects an improvement in both scope and quality. New disclosure requirements and comparative metrics between 2023 and 2024 have been incorporated, as we continue preparing for the mandatory sustainability reporting requirements that will take effect from financial year 2027. The report also includes our recently approved climate targets and our alignment with Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation. It offers a transparent overview of our ESG performance over the past year, providing an honest reflection of our business realities. This presents a clear opportunity to strengthen our systems, build internal capabilities, and streamline our ESG data processes moving forward. The full report will be available from next week.

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Hello world, I had several discussions around precision fermentation and its future with some of my former customers and the VC crowd. I always get asked the same questions: Eva, do you still believe in the technology? Yes, it has become very quiet around precision fermentation. There are fewer conferences to the topic, and even the biggest players often no longer attend. One reason is that a lot of money was pumped into alternative protein a few years ago. Many startups in the intersection of #biotech and #foodscience have already stopped operations. The slowdown from VCs reflects a broader shift: many funds without experience in #finance, technology, or #entrepreneurship followed the hype but lacked the capacity to provide follow-on or bridge financing. Founders feel this acutely when they share their experience with investors. At the same time, inflation and economic uncertainty have forced #corporates into survival mode. Long-term innovation strategies are being postponed, and precision fermentation still falls into that category. But I still strongly believe in precision fermentation and its future and here is why: 1. Shrinking milk pool: Many governments, e.g. Denmark, the Netherlands, and Ireland, are limiting the number of cows. The result is a shrinking milk pool, which drives price volatility. Dairies are deeply concerned, as declining milk availability directly threatens revenue. 2. Climate impact: Changing weather patterns — droughts, floods, rising temperatures — directly affect feed crop yields and animal health. Precision fermentation decouples protein production from climate volatility, providing resilience and predictability. 3. Resource efficiency: Dairy and meat production consume enormous amounts of land, water, and fertilizer. Precision fermentation requires only a fraction of these resources. 4. Policy & regulation: Governments are setting ambitious targets for carbon reduction, methane mitigation, and biodiversity protection. Precision fermentation is one of the few scalable tools available to meet these goals, and supportive policies are beginning to emerge. 5. Consumer demand: Younger generations and urban populations continue to demand sustainable, animal-free proteins. Precision fermentation delivers identical functional proteins that plant-based alternatives often cannot. So, precision fermentation is not a passing trend. It addresses systemic challenges in agriculture, climate, and food security. The current silence should not be mistaken for irrelevance, it is a necessary consolidation before the next growth wave. I still highly believe in precision fermentation and I strongly believe, that early adopters will be the big winners in the game. PS: A few years ago, when I lived in Bali, I walked home from a bar with a friend, and we found that little cute calf on the middle of the street. It was so curious and friendly, that I had to hug it. I highly recommend hugging cows over eating them!

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Mycoprotein is on a roll! Seems like not a month goes by without great news in the sector: In August, Paul Shapiro and The Better Meat Co. raised $31M In September, Thijs Bosch and The Protein Brewery raised €30M And now in October, Randi Wahlsten and Matr Foods completed a €40M raise Congrats to all! In a sometimes gloomy funding environment, it's great to see that investors recognize the potential of fungal fermentation. Fundamentally it's about value. Thanks to their excellent functional and nutritional qualities, fungi can deliver real value to customers at a price point that is compelling. The Future is Fungi! (right Susanne Gløersen? ;)) #mycoprotein #futurefood #fungi

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