Vol.24 Meals suggested by AI(EXPO2025) | What Agriculture Needs Is a "Nature-Led Revolution" Beyond Technology

Welcome back to Foodtech EYES where we deliver the latest global food innovation news and community updates from UnlocX.

In this issue of the newsletter, we featured several interesting articles on agriculture. While awareness of regenerative agriculture continues to grow year by year, one article highlighted the gap between the industry's claim that consumers should also bear part of the cost for its wider adoption, and the more reluctant attitude among consumers.

Another article discussed the often perceived dichotomy between tech-based agriculture and nature-based agriculture. It argued that it is not a matter of choosing one over the other; rather, by prioritizing nature-based interventions and using technology to reinforce and scale these practices, we can achieve a more systematic and effective impact on solving the environmental challenges faced by our food systems. Walmart's recent adoption of AI-powered crop monitoring could be seen as one such example of this integrated approach.

When it comes to primary industries, it's crucial to consider a wide range of factors — not only carbon emissions but also soil health, water resource management, and the well-being of agricultural workers. Moving forward, the key will be not just focusing on individual technologies or viewpoints, but looking at how different solutions can be thoughtfully combined and implemented.

This edition is an English translation of the original Foodtech Eyes in Japanese published on April 16, 2025.

This email is being sent to newsletter subscribers as well as those who have connected with UnlocX in the past.

To unsubscribe, please see below.

RECENT FOOD INNOVATION ARTICLES

Expo West 2025 Tried & Tasted: Our Favourite Future Food Eats

green queen,2025/4/8 (EN)

#Protein boost #Alt-milk #Clean&helathy ingredients #Functional snacks #AltProteinSlowdown

Japan’s Income Level Projected to Rank 45th in 50 Years, Falling to the Middle Tier

Nikkei, 2025/3/28(JP)

#RealGDPPerCapita #BoostingGrowthRequiresAIAndLaborReform

Alt-Meat Brands Address Pain Points Through Tech Integration

The Food Institute,2025/4/8(EN)

#AltProteinToday #NextGenProtein

MycoTechnology discontinued alt protein biz last year, reveals CEO

AgFunder News,2025/4/8(EN)

#PrecisionFermentation, #FlavorModulator, #Fermentation_as_a_Service

The “Cultured Meat Future Creation Consortium” will exhibit real cultured meat and a meat-making device under the theme “Marbled Meat Made at Home” at the Osaka Healthcare Pavilion of Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai.

SIGMAXYZ Inc. Press Release, 2025/4/7

#Expo2025OsakaKansai #3DBioprinting #CulturedMeat #IndustryAcademiaCollaboration #OsakaUniversity #ItohamYonekyuHoldings #ShimadzuCorporation #TOPPANHoldings #SIGMAXYZ #ZACROS #🥩

Suntory Holdings: “Driving Innovation Within Existing Business Domains”

Nikkei, 2025/4/9(JP)

#BeverageInnovation #NonAlcoholicMarket #SeniorTalentUtilization

Japan's IntegriCulture Exhibits Cultured Duck for Restaurants & Supermarkets

green queen,2025/4/9(EN)

#IntegriCulture #CellBasedFoodLaunch #DuckCellCultured #CraftEssenConference

Shiseido Measures 13 Factors Including Skin & Posture — Predicts Your Future Face Over 3 Hours

Nikkei, 2025/4/2(JP)

#StartingWithMeditation #TeaBasedDiagnosis #FiveSensesApproach

AEON to Launch Blended Rice with U.S. Grain — Meeting Demand Amid Soaring Prices

Asahi Shimbun, 2025/4/2(JP)

#NewAEONProduct #StrongSales #AffordableAlternativeToRisingRicePrices

“¥10,000 Sandwich” and “¥1,500 Ramen”? What Kind of Place Is Grand Green Osaka’s Ultra-Luxury Food Court?

Toyo Keizai Online, 2025/4/6(JP)

#FoodCourtFromPortugal #NoTrayReturnNeeded #SharedUtensilsAndDishes #ManyAffordableOptionsToo

(Korea Trend) Authentic Japanese Cuisine Gains Recognition — Over 100 Attend Tsuji Culinary School's Study Abroad Briefing

Nikkei, 2025/4/9(JP)

#KodokuNoGourmetBoom #NoMoreBoycotts? #GrowingInterestInAuthenticity

Keurig is Beta Testing Compostable Pods as Partner CoffeeB Blows Past 400 Thousand Customers

The Spoon, 2025/3/31 (EN)
#Keurig #CoffeeB #Compost #SustainableCoffee #🇺🇸

Food Recycler Startup Mill Hits $20M in Revenue as It Launches Mill for Workplace

The Spoon, 2025/4/3 (EN)
#Mill #SmartDisposer #Upcycling#🇺🇸

DeepSeek AI Now in TVs and Air Conditioners — China Accelerates AI Home Appliance Development

Nikkei, 2025/4/4(JP)

#AWE #TCL #Haier #Panasonic

Walmart adds AI partner for produce crop monitoring

Food Dive,2025/4/3 (EN)

#Cropin #Improve forecasting for its fresh produce #AI-powered agri-intelligence platform#🇺🇸

At Expo 2025 Osaka, AI Recommends Meals Based on Your Health Data

Nikkei, 2025/4/8(JP)

#PersonalHealthRecord #WacoalHoldings #StartingfromJune

“I-Robo2” Cooking Robot to Be Deployed at Osaka Ohsho Booth During “Osaka Noren Tour – Food & Festival EXPO” at Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai

TechMagic Inc. Press Release, 2025/4/8(JP)

#Expo2025OsakaKansai #TechMagic #OsakaOhsho #CookingRobot

Food Assembly Robot Startup Chef Robotics Raises $43M Series A as it Reaches 40 Million Meal Milestone

The Spoon,2025/3/31 (EN)

#Chef Robotics #AICooking #SeriesAFunding #🇺🇸

Why agriculture needs a nature-based revolution beyond tech

AgFunder News,2025/4/2 (EN)
#TheTrapOfShortTermSolutions #SixNatureBasedStrategies #SystemsThinking

European Vegetables: 100 Varieties Shipped Annually

Nikkei, 2025/4/9(JP)

#FarmersDistributorsRestaurantsSeedCompaniesCollaboration #BypassingWholesaleMarkets #6.7xGrowthIn10Years

Ag industry professionals want consumers to pay for regen ag

AgFunder News,2025/4/2 (EN)

#Agrifood Economy Index report #1200ConsumerSurvey #NutritionMatters #ActiveFarmersPassiveConsumers

Developing New Sustainable Materials from Resource Waste — Mr.Goto of Nomura Kogeisha's Sustainable Design Lab

The Nikkei, 2025/4/2 (JP)

#ImperfectVegetables #MarineWaste #SoundDevicesThatChangeWithMaterial

ADM, Mitsubishi Corporation Sign Non-Binding MOU, Form Strategic Alliance

ADM Press Release,2025/3/27 (EN)

#FoodSecurity #Resilient Supply Chain #ADM, #MitsubishiCorporation

EU Loans €50M for Lantmännen to Build Pea Protein Factory in Sweden

green queen,2025/4/4 (EN)

#PeaProtein #SwedensLargestAgriCoop #EuropeanInvestmentBank #ParisAgreementAlignedInvestment

Overcoming the 'Corporate Wall': The Struggles of Muscle Deli Post-Acquisition by DM Mitsui Sugar

Business Insider Japan,2025/4/1 (JP)

#StartupM&A #BusinessSynergy #PaceMismatch

Tokio Marine Enters Healthcare Sector

Nikkei, 2025/4/8, 2025

#PreventiveCare #HealthCheckInitiatives #DietaryImprovements #500KUsersBy2030

Panasonic Ventures into Femtech with Menstrual Prediction Wearable

Nikkei,2025/4/2 (JP)

#SleepTemperatureMonitoring #ClipWearableDevice #FemtechMarketGrowth

<Eater's Trend>

Decaf Coffee Market Surpasses ¥5 Billion in 2024

Shokuhin Shimbun,2025/4/1 (JP)

#DecafCoffeeSalesUp7.3% #HealthConsciousConsumers #CaffeineManagement

7-Eleven Expands Freshly Brewed Tea to 10,000 Stores

Nikkei,2025/4/4 (JP)

#UnlockingLatentDemand #PopularAmongWomen #Currently90Stores

Here is the latest news from the SKS community.

【EVENT】Sustainable Food Night #26 "Innovation for Achieving FIVE WIN: A Happy Sweetener Made with Rice Malt Fermentation, No Sugar Needed"（May 20）

At Sustainable Food Night #26, we will welcome Mr. Yasuhide Koizumi, CEO of ORYZAE Co., Ltd., as our guest speaker. Under the theme "Innovation for Achieving FIVE WIN: A Happy Sweetener Made with Rice Malt Fermentation, No Sugar Needed," we will host a talk session followed by a tasting and networking event.

ORYZAE, celebrating its fifth anniversary this year, is an inner beauty food brand developed with the concept of "supporting health and beauty from within the gut," utilizing koji (rice malt)—a cornerstone of Japan’s proud fermentation culture. Their flagship product, sugar-free "Rice Malt Granola," has surpassed 1.5 million servings sold and is now available at over 50 locations, including major department stores and commercial facilities nationwide. In September last year, ORYZAE opened its first directly operated store, "ORYZAE SHOP TOKYO," in Nakameguro, Tokyo! (From the official website)

*This event will be held in Japanese.

Click here for more details

【EVENT】Hokkaido Food Innovation Summit (May 29)
The Hokkaido Food Innovation Summit is a collaborative initiative by MUFG Bank, Fighters Sports & Entertainment, and UnlocX. Held at Hokkaido Ballpark F Village, this event will bring together leading practitioners and experts from Hokkaido and across Japan to engage in discussions and actions aimed at continuous value creation in the food industry.

Click here for more details

【EVENT】FOOMA JAPAN 2025 (June 10–13)

The Japan Food Machinery Manufacturers’ Association (located in Minato-ku, Tokyo; Chairman: Yukio Okawara) will host FOOMA JAPAN 2025, one of the world’s largest comprehensive exhibitions for food manufacturing, from Tuesday, June 10 to Friday, June 13, 2025, at the entire East Exhibition Halls of Tokyo Big Sight.

Celebrating its 48th edition this year, the event will be held under the theme "Touch FOOMA, Taste the Future." As of April 3, 992 companies have registered to exhibit. FOOMA JAPAN 2025 will showcase cutting-edge technologies and innovative ideas, offering a platform for discovering the future and possibilities of next-generation food manufacturing, and creating new opportunities for the industry.

Click here for more details

【EVENT】SKS Returns in 2025 With Global Virtual Summit
SKS 2025, hosted by The Spoon, is set to take place in July 2025! The event will run for two weeks, with daily programs of up to 2 hours, featuring discussions, product showcases, and trend analysis shaping the future of food and cooking.Registration is now open! Don’t miss out on this exciting event.

Click here for more details

【BOOK】Robotics for Well-being: 13 Perspectives on Using Technology to Create a More Comfortable Life Together by Takeshi Ando

Technology only truly serves people when it is used in everyday life—and when it is doing its job well, it often goes unnoticed. To unlock the potential of both technology and humanity, technology must sometimes "melt" into the environment, becoming almost invisible.

The author, Takeshi Ando, began his career as a researcher after earning his Ph.D. at Waseda University, later embarking on a second career as a robotics developer at Panasonic. He has led numerous robotics projects that have been successfully implemented in diverse real-world settings such as airports and hospitals. As a leading figure in the industry, he has also supervised permanent robot exhibits at the National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation and collaborated with various sectors both inside and outside his company.

In this book, Ando offers "13 perspectives" on how technologies can and should be deployed in society. How can technology truly enhance our lives? This thought-provoking volume invites readers to explore and reflect together on what it means for technology to contribute to human happiness. (From the official website)

*Available in only Japanese.