The 2026 Class
Mars, Incorporated and Unreasonable Group have named 13 growth-stage ventures to the 2026 Unreasonable Food™ cohort — the program's third since launching in 2024 — selecting companies from the United States, United Kingdom, Netherlands, France, Portugal, and India. The cohort convened September 12–18 in Windham, New York, for a week of structured mentorship alongside Mars enterprise teams and a global investor network.
The strategic priorities for this year's class span six categories: fiber and gut health, ingredients and nutrition innovation, protein enhancement, functional protein, data and wellness platforms, food safety, and circularity. That breadth reflects Mars's stated ambition to drive innovation across the entire supply chain — from ingredient sourcing and processing through to packaging end-of-life.
What the First Cohort Delivered
The program has established a measurable track record. Ventures from the inaugural 2024 cohort collectively reported nearly $200 million in additional revenue since joining, along with 140,000 metric tons of CO₂e avoided, 310 million liters of water conserved, and 1.14 million kilograms of food sold. Those companies also reached 24 million additional people with nutritious food — figures that give the program a concrete return-on-investment narrative as it pitches growth-stage founders.
For foodservice operators and food manufacturers tracking ingredient supply chains, several 2026 ventures carry direct relevance. Spore Bio offers contamination detection on the factory floor within minutes rather than days — a capability with clear applications for food-safety compliance at scale. Lasso Labs is developing a mechanical fiber-spinning process that gives foods the texture of meat without additives or high-heat processing, targeting formulators seeking clean-label alternatives. Nutrition from Water is producing complete protein from microalgae via fermentation at up to 3.0 times lower cost than conventional dairy protein — a potential lever for cost-per-pound reduction in high-protein menu and packaged-food development.
Supply Chain and Sustainability Context
The cohort's makeup reflects pressures well understood across commercial foodservice: tightening food-safety regulation, operator demand for clean-label and functional ingredients, and growing retailer and chain scrutiny of supply-chain environmental footprints. HowGood, one of the data-platform ventures selected, operates what it describes as the world's largest database on food sustainability, helping brands and retailers measure ingredient-level impact — a tool increasingly relevant as ESG reporting requirements tighten globally.
Amanda Davies, Chief R&D, Commercial and Sustainability Officer for Mars Snacking, framed the cohort's role in terms of scalable innovation: "This year's Unreasonable Food cohort brings the bold, scalable thinking we believe can help advance nutrition, ingredient innovation, food safety, circularity and supply chain resilience." Unreasonable Group CEO Daniel Epstein said the program's core function is compressing the timeline for founders — giving them access to Mars's enterprise network to accelerate commercialization.
For commercial operators monitoring the ingredient and technology vendor landscape, the Unreasonable Food network — now spanning three cohorts — represents an early-signal pipeline for the next generation of food-tech suppliers. Coverage of adjacent ingredient and supply-chain developments is available in /food-and-beverage/ingredient-innovation and /supply-chain/sustainability.
Written by Michael Politz, Author of Guide to Restaurant Success: The Proven Process for Starting Any Restaurant Business From Scratch to Success (ISBN: 978-1-119-66896-1), Founder of Food & Beverage Magazine, the leading online magazine and resource in the industry. Designer of the Bluetooth logo and recognized in Entrepreneur Magazine's "Top 40 Under 40" for founding American Wholesale Floral, Politz is also the Co-founder of the Proof Awards and the CPG Awards and a partner in numerous consumer brands across the food and beverage sector.
