Clean Food Group Update
Summary by AI BETAClose X
Agronomics Limited
("Agronomics" or the "Company")
Clean Food Group acquires the assets of Algal Omega 3
Agronomics (LSE: ANIC), a leading company in the field of clean food, reports that its portfolio company, Clean Food Group Limited ("CFG"), a pioneering UK food tech business in the manufacture of sustainable oils and fats through fermentation, has announced that it has acquired the assets of Algal Omega 3 Ltd ("AO3").
The acquisition provides CFG with immediate access to one million litres of fermentation capacity, positioning the Group as one of the world's largest manufacturers of yeast fermentation-derived sustainable oils and fats. The 12-acre site in Liverpool, already recognised as a centre of biotech excellence, includes extensive R&D facilities and significant opportunity for future expansion.
With this acquisition, CFG is uniquely positioned to produce microbial oils at commercial scale, significantly reducing the capex required to supply sustainable oils and fats at competitive price points to agricultural equivalents across food, cosmetics and pet food markets. CFG announced earlier this month that it had received regulatory approval for its CLEAN Oil™ 25 product to be used as a cosmetic ingredient in the United Kingdom, Europe, and the United States.
Commenting on the announcement, Jim Mellon, Executive Chair of Agronomics, said: "We are on the brink of a technological revolution in food, one which can shorten supply chains and bolster food security, while meeting consumer demand for more sustainable and affordable options. In the near future, brands and manufacturers will no longer need to rely on large global supply chains for in-demand ingredients such as oils and fats, and will instead be able to source them directly from facilities such as this one in Liverpool. We are proud to support Clean Food Group as it scales and demonstrates how biotechnology can drive economic growth across Britain."
To date, Agronomics has invested a total of £1.6 million in CFG which, subject to audit, is currently carried at £6.9 million. This position represents c.4.8% of Agronomics' last stated Net Asset Value as of 30 June 2025.
The full announcement is set out below without any material changes:
Clean Food Group
('CFG' or the 'Group')
Transformational acquisition of one million litre fermentation facility
Fast-tracked commercialisation process and
CFG now uniquely positioned to address US$20 billion market
Clean Food Group, a leading UK food tech business pioneering the manufacture of sustainable oils and fats through fermentation, today announced that it has acquired the assets of Algal Omega 3 Ltd (AO3').
This transformational acquisition provides CFG with immediate access to one million litres of fermentation capacity, positioning the Group as the world's largest manufacturer of yeast fermentation-derived sustainable oils and fats. The 12-acre site in Liverpool, already recognised as a centre of biotech excellence, includes extensive R&D facilities and significant opportunity for future expansion.
CFG has already validated commercial-scale production at the facility, manufacturing two tons of oil in a recent fermentation run. This milestone materially de-risks the acquisition, demonstrating the robustness of CFG's proprietary technology platform, and proving its ability to scale in existing manufacturing facilities without costly new-build infrastructure.
With this acquisition, CFG is uniquely positioned to produce microbial oils at commercial scale, significantly reducing the capex required to supply sustainable oils and fats at competitive price points to agricultural equivalents across food, cosmetics and pet food markets. CFG announced last week that it had received regulatory approval for its CLEAN Oil™ 25 product to be used as a cosmetic ingredient in the United Kingdom, Europe, and the United States.
Food manufacturing veteran Bill Thurston, former Managing Director of Dawn Foods, CSM Bakery and CFG NED, has been appointed Managing Director of the Liverpool facility. Bill has extensive oils and fats experience, having led the acquisition of Unilever's edible oils and fats business as CEO of CSM, and served as MD of Arkady CraigMillar. Bill will lead a senior manufacturing team on-site to oversee operations and integration with immediate effect.
Alex Neves, CEO of CFG, said: "With this acquisition, we have fast-tracked our route to market, leapfrogging the traditional, capital-intensive path from pilot to demo to new build commercial plant, which can take years and cost upwards of US$100 million. With commercial-scale validation already established at our new Liverpool facility, Clean Food Group is ready to capitalise on the US$20 billion market opportunity ahead, and to advance its planned Series A funding round, now expected for H1 2026.
"This is not just the opening of a fermentation plant, it is the dawn of a new era in UK biotechnology, one that places Liverpool at the beating heart of the new Bio-Industrial Revolution."
Bill Thurston, Managing Director, added: "I am very pleased to be joining the executive management team of Clean Food Group at such a transformational time for the business. With my 30 years of experience in commercial and food manufacturing, I look forward to rapidly establishing this site as a global leader in sustainable alternatives to tropical oils."
Regional support and sectoral impact
Knowsley Council welcomed CFG's investment, commenting: "Clean Food Group's decision to establish their new biotech manufacturing facility here is testament to the strength of our local skills base and the supportive business environment we have built. This acquisition will not only create high-value jobs but also positions our area at the forefront of biotech innovation in the UK."
- Ends -
Notes to Editors:
About Clean Food Group
CFG is a leading UK food tech manufacturer of sustainable oils and fats for the global food, cosmetic and pet food industries. Through its proprietary CLEAN OilCell™ technology platform, CFG delivers functional oils (CLEAN Oil™) and fats (CLEAN Fat™) at price parity to agriculture alternatives, whilst meeting the growing need for local and sustainable production.
Founded in 2022 after eight years of pioneering research, CFG manufactures its oils and fats from food waste, leveraging scalable yeast strains and fermentation technology to deliver sustainable alternatives to traditional oil and fat ingredients. With the manufacturing process now validated at scale, CFG has strategic and industrial collaborations in place with leading global FMCG and ingredients manufacturers and has a strong demand pipeline for its products.
CFG has an extremely experienced management team with a successful track record in scaling businesses in high growth regulated industries. For more information on CFG, please visit cleanfood.group.
About Agronomics
Agronomics is a leading London-listed company focusing on investment opportunities within the field of clean food. The Company has established a portfolio of over 20 companies in this rapidly advancing sector. It seeks to invest in companies owning technologies with defensible intellectual property that offer new ways of producing food and materials with a focus on products historically derived from animals.
These technologies are driving a major disruption in agriculture, offering solutions to improve sustainability, as well as addressing human health, animal welfare and environmental damage. This disruption will decouple supply chains from the environment and animals and improve food security for the world's expanding population. A full list of Agronomics' portfolio companies is available at https://agronomics.im/.
For further information, please contact:
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Agronomics Limited |
Beaumont Cornish Limited |
Canaccord Genuity Limited |
Cavendish Capital Markets Limited |
Peterhouse Capital Limited |
33Seconds Limited |
|
The Company |
Nomad |
Joint Broker |
Joint Broker |
Joint Broker |
Public Relations |
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Jim Mellon Denham Eke |
Roland Cornish James Biddle |
Andrew Potts Harry Pardoe
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Giles Balleny Michael Johnson |
Lucy Williams Charles Goodfellow |
Jack Ferris Calum Warren-Piper |
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+44 (0) 1624 639396 info@agronomics.im |
+44 (0) 207 628 3396 |
+44 (0) 207 523 8000 |
+44 (0) 207 397 8900 |
+44 (0) 207 469 0936 |
agronomics@33seconds.co |
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