Fooditive, Dutch Casein Maker, Is Sole

Rotterdam-based biotechnology company Fooditive has been named a finalist in the 2026 Grow-NY competition. The New York State food and agriculture accelerator will award a total of $3 million to seven winning companies.

Fooditive was selected from 334 applicants across 49 countries. It is the only finalist based outside North America, according to the source report from Vegconomist. The Grow-NY program is backed by Empire State Development and Cornell University.

The Grow-NY Competition Process

Grow-NY selects up to 20 finalists each year. These companies receive ten weeks of mentorship and business development trips across Upstate New York's 22 counties. The process culminates in pitches at the Grow-NY Food and Ag Summit in Rochester on November 12 and 13.

Seven finalists will ultimately share the $3 million prize pool. This includes a top prize of $1 million. In exchange for the funding, winners grant an equity stake to Cornell University and commit to operating in the Upstate New York region.

A Licensing Model for Scale

Fooditive develops animal-free ingredients using precision fermentation and bioconversion. Its primary products are casein, a milk protein key for cheese texture, and a zero-calorie sweetener named 5-KDF.

The company does not build its own production plants. Instead, it licenses its technology to established food and beverage manufacturers who already possess the necessary infrastructure. Founder and CEO Moayad Abushokhedim positioned this as a strategy for achieving scale without the capital cost of dedicated facilities.

"The food-tech industry has a fatal flaw: it is obsessed with building concrete factories instead of building better food," Abushokhedim stated. "We are not flying to New York to build a factory. We are going there to plug into the infrastructure that already exists."

For its sweetener product, the company reports that 5-KDF is self-affirmed GRAS (Generally Recognized as Safe) in the United States. A formal GRAS notification is under review by the FDA, listed publicly as GRN 1326 with a pending evaluation status.

Targeting US Dairy Partnerships

Fooditive has indicated that forming manufacturing partnerships, not winning prize money, is its main goal for entering the competition. Upstate New York is home to more than 40 percent of the state's farms. This geography offers proximity to dairy processors as Fooditive seeks to place its casein technology with US producers.

Abushokhedim linked the company's unique position as the sole European finalist to its business model. "Out of 334 companies, a Rotterdam startup is Europe's only representative because we bring the one thing the market actually needs, which is scale without the wait," he said.

The final pitch event for the $3 million in prizes will be held in Rochester this November.