In this episode of Future of Foods Interviews, Alex speaks to Dr. Sonja Billerbeck, synthetic biologist and researcher at Imperial College London, whose groundbreaking work is redefining how we produce food at the cellular level. Sonja’s research explores cell cultivation and gas-based precision fermentation, using hydrogen-oxidizing bacteria to convert carbon dioxide into nutritious biomass — a process that could one day decouple food production from land, water, and climate constraints.

Sonja discuss how technologies could revolutionize global food systems, Bezos Earth Fund financing, and the challenges of scaling cell-based innovations, and the ethical questions that come with reprogramming biology for human use.

In this episode of Future of Foods Interviews, Alex talks to Caroline Cotto, co-founder of NECTAR, the world’s first sensory intelligence platform for alternative proteins. NECTAR is reshaping how the industry measures success — not by novelty or nutrition alone, but by what truly wins over consumers: taste.

Caroline shares insights from NECTAR’s latest Taste of the Industry 2025 report, which blind-tested over 120 plant-based products with thousands of everyday eaters. The findings??? Before you launch a product make sure it tastes great. The future of food hinges on flavour.

We explore how NECTAR’s data-driven approach is helping brands close that “taste gap,” what it means for scaling alternative proteins, and why the next wave of growth depends on sensory science as much as sustainability.

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The Danish government committed one billion kroner to support the development of plant-based foods, a landmark decision that positioned sustainability and innovation at the core of its agricultural future.

While the country has long been celebrated for pioneering wind power and building one of the most advanced organic sectors in the world, the push towards plant-based agriculture signals recognition that diets, too, are central to tackling the climate crisis.

Frej, a Danish think tank, has been a crucial voice in shaping the political and cultural conversation around this strategy.

Marie Louise Boisen Lendal is the CEO of Frej and now Chair of the plant based strategy fund.

Listen now to this episode of Future of Foods interviews to find out how she got the farmers on board with the strategy - and how the money will be spent.