Posted on 05/19/2022 2:01:03 PM PDT by nickcarraway
Robert Downey Jr. is channeling his Iron Man character Tony Stark with his latest philanthropic venture aimed to help save our planet. Downey Jr. just announced that he is investing in Motif Foodworks – a food tech company working to improve sustainability in the food system. Through his investment firm FootPrint Coalition Venture (FPCV), the actor will help propel Motif into the forefront of the alternative protein industry.
Motif Foodworks developed a heme-binding myoglobin protein called HEMAMI. The company’s proprietary method expertly replicates the texture, aroma, and taste of traditional animal meat using exclusively plant-based ingredients. The food tech company's mission lies in developing a plant-based meat alternative that will appeal to all consumers, eventually helping promote an inclusive sustainable food system.
The Boston-based company is behind APPEXTEX – a proprietary technology that copies the texture and taste of traditional animal products. This technology creates an innovative meat alternative that intends to appeal to meat-eaters worldwide. The heme, which is most notably used in Impossible Foods products, provides a “bleeding” plant-based meat that mirrors traditional meat products.
“If plant-based foods are going to make a real impact on sustainability, we need an approach that’s both delicious and nutritious,” Downey Jr. said in a statement. “By focusing on both better tasting and healthier options, Motif is not only making a difference in products today but reimagining the future of tomorrow’s plant-based foods.”
Motif Breaks Into the Alternative Protein Market Downey Jr.’s recent investment follows Motif's successful Series B funding round last year. The company secured a $226 million investment package, which would be allocated towards improving its signature technologies and expanding its distribution capabilities. The company currently has plans to debut three plant-based meat products to foodservice providers, retailers, and distributors across the United States.
“Whether on the store shelf or a menu, we’re focused on making our customer’s plant-based foods so desirable that people actually crave them,” Motif FoodWorks CEO Jonathan McIntyre said in a statement. “We couldn’t be more excited to have Robert [Downey Jr.] and FootPrint Coalition on board as an investor and a partner in our work to grow the category.”
The three products include the Motif MoBeef Plant-Based Burger Patties, Motif MoBeef Plant-Based Ground, and Motif MoPork. The burgers will be the only product available until later this year when the company is set to release the grounds and pork selections. Motif also revealed that it plans to release its Motif MoChicken next year, entering the rapidly expanding plant-based chicken sector.
Motif will unveil these innovative plant-based products with the help of Chef Chloe Coscarelli at the Flavor Foray’s Championship BBQ and Cook-Off at the National Restaurant Association Show in Chicago. Coscarelli will cook with the Motif meat products during the competition on May 22.
“With our Motif MoBeef, Motif MoPork, and Motif MoChicken options, chefs, retailers, and distributors can offer the absolute best plant-based experience, with umami, mouthwatering flavor, and a meaty bite that consumers have been asking for from products in the category,” McIntyre said.
Robert Downey Jr.’s Vegan Investments
Downey Jr. is betting big on the plant-based world. Other than Motif, the major celebrity invested in a vegan cheese company that makes dairy-identical cheese using soybeans. Nobell Foods secured $75 million dollars with the help of FPCV, putting the company's total valuation at $100 million. The company’s innovative product uses a proprietary technology that extracts proteins from soybeans to replicate dairy caseins to give its plant-based cheese a creamy, cheesy texture.
Earlier in 2021, Downey Jr. also invested in a vegan bacon company MyForest Foods (previously known as Atlast Food). The $40 million dollar investment round helped MyForest Food expand its production capabilities and distribution range. The company – known for its mushroom-based bacon – plans to build the largest mycelium production facility in the United States with the help of this funding package.
well said
Too much money. Not enough brains
Well, no, I’m not sure. I have a recollection that Downey Jr was somewhat conservative after his first cleaning up and career revival.
Nope it’s mine. I claimed it in 1987. I was 17 and ignorant.
The more you have to torture food to taste differently from it’s original state cannot be healthy.
I see lawsuits down the road.
Excellent picture!
After being a vegetarian for many years my husband decided to become a vegan. He has been a vegan for 12 years and it has completely addled his brain. He insists that his “healthy lifestyle” will save the planet and guarantee long life. So far he has fractured his pelvis, lacerated his bladder and broken five ribs. He has learned that being a vegan does not protect you from slips and falls and car accidents.
I won’t eat that cr@p, so more for you and your Hollywood friends, Robert.
(I’m betting they chow down on Wagyu beef. Regularly.)
I'm up for eating vegans.
Right on. I’ve been saying it to people I know, who have bought into this ridiculous idea...that shit will kill you!
Soy is a male poison.
“Why Robert Downey Jr. Believes Vegan Meat Can Save the Planet”
Because he is a moron?
A little bit of coke must still be stuck up in his nose!
Come at me with that hsit on a plate and you won't like my response.
You may be right!
“Doesn’t Robert Downey Jr. regularly overdose on drugs?”
Y’all might wanna quit acting like a couple of leftist Hollywood tabloid writers. Guy went through rehab YEARS ago and has stayed clean. His old man was a real piece of — uh — work.
Anybody who comes through a past like his and ends up flying straight and level deserves a freakin’ medal.
Say what you want about his vegan meat substitutes notions; that’s fair game, but you can’t bash the guy over his past and then turn around and howl when leftists treat Trump like he made his pussy comment yesterday and acted on it last night.
You think it’s reasonable to expect that journalists let folks live down their past, and quit clutching their pearls over the occasional decades-old life mistake of some Conservative public figure, then you need to toe that line yourself, first.
Bttt..
Rather than get rid of meat, a better course is to get rid of Robert Downey
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.