Unique food production technology from Finland

Finnish food tech startup SuperGround says it has invented a unique food production technology.

The company claims it can help the food industry improve its efficiency instantly while reducing its environmental impact, such as emissions and food waste – without major investments or any compromise on food safety or taste options.

For consumers, SuperGround’s food production technology means that the food industry can offer commonly-known food choices, such as chicken nuggets and meatballs, that are more nutritious and cause less burden on the environment.

This enables people to make more sustainable dietary choices without drastically changing their diet or vastly increasing their budget on sustainable food choices.

SuperGround says it can get up to 30 per cent more poultry-based foods from one chicken compared to existing methods.

Instant food production efficiency and sustainability gains are possible thanks to SuperGround’s food production line.

It enables the production of up to nearly a third more poultry-based food immediately from the same amount of chicken without the need to increase chicken farming. Due to the closed process, zero raw material is lost, reducing food waste.

“Food production companies are trying to achieve cost control and efficiency, while customer demand and more strict regulations put increasing pressure on companies to achieve ambitious sustainability goals,” says Tuomas Koskinen, chairman of the board of SuperGround and one of the investors in the company.

“Our food production line technology enables the food industry to instantly produce well-known poultry-based foods more efficiently and sustainably, without major investment or an increase in production costs.

“This, therefore, makes it easier for consumers to make more sustainable daily food choices without the need to change their dietary habits or spend more on sustainable alternatives.”

For centuries, humans have used bones for dietary purposes, such as bone marrow soups.

But previously it has not been possible to use the nutrition and dietary aspect, such as high calcium content, of bone more broadly in food production.

Calcium deficiency is a serious problem worldwide as more than 3.5 billion people are at risk of calcium deficiency.

Producing up to 30 per cent more poultry-based food from one chicken is possible due to SuperGround’s food production line technology.

It uses an extrusion method enabling the use of bone safely and in a non-visible way in food production.

The extrusion process is also used for producing many vegan proteins.

SuperGround has the first implementation that enables the food industry to produce and offer desirable and tasty consumer poultry products.

“We evaluated and tested various food raw materials and then quickly settled on chicken,” says Santtu Vekkeli, CEO and founder of SuperGround and the inventor of the process.

“Chicken is among the most environmentally efficient grown terrestrial animals, consuming the least land and water resources.

“Around 35-40 per cent of chicken net weight is bones after guts and feathers are removed, making it optimal for our process.

“Let’s take a chicken nugget as an example. The nuggets look and taste the way consumers are used to but are more nutritious due to higher calcium content, and are produced more efficiently with less environmental impact.

“It is the same nugget, just better in numerous ways. And consumers no longer need to make the compromise between being sustainable or being price-conscious.

“Everyone wins – the customer, the food industry and our planet.

“This is no fantasy or upcoming innovation, but something that is available for the food industry right now.’’

The company is now seeking investors to support its global and sales expansion.