The oceans are running out of fish to eat. Good thing this startup is growing them in the lab

The oceans are in bad shape—and overfishing and the presence of pollutants pose specific challenges to the food industry. Finless Foods is one of a slew of startups looking for a more sustainable way for the world to enjoy its seafood by growing fish in a lab using cellular agriculture. By Finless's method, cells are cultured from stem cells and incubated in a bioreactor until they become tissue that can be harvested and made into foods. Currently, the company has an initial prototype it debuted at a private tasting in September but is continuing to refine its process, hoping to bring down the cost. Like cultured meat company Memphis Meat and more recently Terramino Foods, which is working on a plant-based salmon burger alternative, the company emerged from the science accelerator IndieBio. Read more at Inc…

Frutarom launches food tech innovation lab

One of the world's largest flavor and fragrance companies, Israel-based Frutarom, has opened an innovation lab for food tech companies in their earliest stages. The lab is part of a network of incubators in Israel backed by the government's innovation investment arm and will focus on natural food colors, functional food and natural pesticides. Selected companies will also have access to mentoring and technical, scientific and marketing support from Frutarom. Read more at CTech…

Probiotics for babies and kids? New research explores good bacteria

A common practice in some other parts of the world is to give probiotics to babies born under a certain weight, to help fend off the intestinal infection Necrotizing enterocolitis. But new research suggests probiotics could help babies born at a healthy weight, too. In a new study, funded by the makers of a children’s probiotic called Evivo, healthy babies who were given probiotics had a 79 percent increase in levels of good bacteria in their poop and lower levels of potentially harmful bacteria like clostridium. Read more at NPR…

Maryland salad dressing maker Tessemae’s hit with supplier lawsuits

A contract manufacturer is suing fast-growing Tessemae’s for damages related to what it says are thousands of dollars in late fees and unpaid services. The co-packer, Maryland Packaging Ltd., alleges that the company stopped paying for production of single-serve salad toppings for its salad kits several months ago. But the CEO of Tessemae’s says the co-packer failed to follow the food company’s procedures, so they had to part ways, and Maryland Packaging wouldn’t accept a payment plan to cover the raw materials. “We’re coming off our best month ever,” CEO Greg Vetter told the Baltimore Sun. “There’s nothing going on with the business. This is something that happens with brands and raw materials suppliers.” Four other suppliers have also filed lawsuits against the company since July. Read more at The Baltimore Sun...

Millennials are leading Australia’s organic shift

Australia’s organic market reached $2.4 billion this year, with sales growth being led by those born in the 1980s. (For context, sales of organic food in the U.S. eclipsed $40 billion last year). About 10 percent of the country’s farmland is under organic management, and it exported the most to the U.S., China, South Korea, Japan and Singapore. Read more at The New Daily…