Using cutting-edge technology and Australia’s best researchers, V2food has created what it has dubbed Version 2 of meat.
The Australian company spun out of CSIRO now supplies its meat-free, protein-based patties to fast food stores and supermarkets. Using protein extracted from legumes, the company aims to offer a product with the taste and texture of meat, but without the associated environmental impact.
V2food was founded in 2019 as a collaboration between Jack Cowin’s Competitive Foods Australia, which owns Hungry Jack’s, CSIRO, and Main Sequence Ventures, and has a goal of being the leading global provider of plant-based meat products.
V2food is a finalist in the InnovationAus 2023 Awards for Excellence in the Food and Agritech category. You can secure your tickets to the black-tie event here.
V2food’s first customer was Hungry Jack’s, and the company now supplies the plant-based Whopper in Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Korea, Thailand and the Philippines.
To accelerate its rollout, the company partnered with existing meat industry facilities rather than buying and operating its own manufacturing facilities.
To ensure its products accurately replace the taste, texture and cooking features of animal meat in a sustainable and cost-effective way, V2food has also collaborated with research institutions including CSIRO and universities in Australia and the United Kingdom.
The company can access CSIRO research in exchange for the science agency taking an equity stake in it.
On top of its burger patty, the company also offers plant-based versions of mince, sausages and chicken, among others.
V2food has an overarching social good mission too. By 2050, it’s estimated that a global population of 10 billion people would need a second planet of livestock to meet hunger demands. In order to address this issue, the company is striving to offer affordable and sustainable alternatives that don’t sacrifice flavour.
It is using cutting-edge technology to do this too. The company uses machine learning to interpret flavour research data so it can better formulate flavour systems to better mimic the chemistry of meat.
As part of a current project, V2food is utilising biotechnology to create a novel, non-GM algal-derived pigment that can change colour when it is cooked in the same way and at the same time as meat.
The company has also recently brought on board celebrity chef Miguel Maestre, who will feature in a national television campaign this financial year, along with appearances at the Good Food and Wine Show in Australia.
With mock meats now well and truly in the mainstream, the company is hoping to capitalise on this and offer its products to the world, with plans to soon extend its reach into China and other parts of Asia.
The InnovationAus 2023 Awards for Excellence are proudly supported by Investment NSW, AusIndustry, Australian Computer Society, Technology Council of Australia, Agile Digital, CSIRO, TechnologyOne, IP Australia, METS Ignited and Q-CTRL.
Protecting your great ideas with intellectual property (IP) rights can lead to lasting benefits for your growing business. IP refers to creations of the mind, such as a brand, logo, invention, design or artistic work. Head to the IP Australia website to find out more about IP, and how it might help your business.
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