New School Foods diversifies operations

Toronto-based foodtech company New School Foods launches a new entity, NS/TX Industries, to consolidate its proprietary manufacturing platform, consumer brand, and operations under one umbrella.

The company uses a scaffolding process to produce whole-cut plant-based alternatives. Photo © New School Foods

The NS/TX platform uses a patented scaffolding process that applies directional freezing at scale to produce whole-cut plant-based alternatives. This method allows for the integration of muscle fibres and connective tissue into a single macrostructure and has been used for both seafood and red meat applications, including steak and bone-in ribs.

The scaffolding process is used for both seafood and red meat applications. Photo © New School Foods

The platform supports various product formats and customizations. Scaffolds can be adjusted in shape and size, and embedded with plant-based ‘bones’ to replicate cuts like steak and ribs. Muscle fibre dimensions and resistance can be tuned to match specific meat textures, while the connective tissue can be modified to alter texture, flavour, and appearance. Additionally, multi-layered scaffolds can be infused with various proteins, oils, flavours, and colours to replicate the complexity of conventional meat products.

NS/TX will be divided into three businesses. Photo © New School Foods

NS/TX will include three business divisions:

• New School Foods: the consumer-facing brand currently offering a plant-based salmon filet and salmon burger;
• NS/TX R&D: a research and development unit working with external companies to create custom formulations; and
• NS/TX Manufacturing: an upcoming division that will offer private label and co-branded manufacturing services using the company’s proprietary technology.

Chris Bryson is the founder and CEO of New School Foods. Photo © New School Foods

“Our scaffolding technology has proven to be more flexible than we imagined, and shown that it can be a superior manufacturing alternative to extrusion for red meat as well as seafood applications,” said Chris Bryson, founder and CEO. “We have spent the last year scaling up our manufacturing process into an assembly line that can create all of these products, and we decided that we don’t want to reserve this technology for a single brand. The creation of NS/TX allows us to partner with other brands to develop and manufacture the next generation of alternative protein products.”