FoodBytes! Alumni Press Coverage

As sugar continues to gain prominence as public enemy No. 1 in America for contributing to obesity and other chronic health problems, Berkeley-based biotech startup Sugarlogix has taken on the daunting task of teaching manufacturers and consumers that not all sugar is bad.

Bored of beef jerky? New York City-based start-up Beyond the Shoreline has an intriguing alternative: a plant-based mix of sugar kelp, mushroom stems, nutritional yeast, brown rice flour, sea salt and pea protein, which is due to hit the market in January 2018.

The mail order oyster company Real Oyster Cult launched last May out of equal parts desire to deliver to consumers the freshest tasting oyster experience and a need to address food safety risks that threaten public health and commercial viability of shellfish farms.

The ready meal category in the US is set to explode in part as a natural evolution of the meal kit craze that taught consumers how to cook healthy, fresh food at home, but which still ultimately takes more time than many people have daily, according to one entrepreneur.