Not another new protein source. This one’s Just Meat

Weight loss drugs like Ozempic are changing the way we eat. Not just how much, but how intentionally. Consumers want more protein in every mouthful, and food companies are racing to reformulate.

Social media is amplifying the shift. Protein has become a buzzword amongst health and wellness influencers. And with 72% of supplement consumers purchasing online – and nearly half saying their choices are influenced by what they see on social media – digital channels are driving protein demand in real time.

But the current ‘gold standard’ ingredient, whey protein isolate, is considered an allergen, and is becoming increasingly expensive. Meanwhile, plant proteins struggle with raw ingredient supply, and cultivated meats face steep barriers around scalability and regulation.

Those factors act as a checklist for success in the complementary protein space – and Just Meat Protein, a new start-up raising a $1 million seed round, ticks every box. 

Just Meat Protein turns meat cuts – the underutilised by-products of Australia’s existing meat processing industry – into a 90%+ protein powder with a complete amino acid profile. 

The company was co-founded by food scientist and growᴬᴳ Catalyst program alumni Dr Aarti Tobin, science commercialisation expert Ellie Whelan, and Nick Tomkins, formerly of CSIRO’s Future Protein Mission and animal nutrition giant, Ridley Corporation.

They’ve combined skills to develop a product that meets the protein market’s highest functional standards: allergen-free, shelf-stable, fully soluble, and neutral in flavour. Unlike whey, it’s allergen free. Unlike many plant proteins, the taste doesn’t linger. It mixes cleanly into shakes, bars, soups, and savoury snacks, without disrupting the consumer experience.  

“It does have a slight ‘brothy’ taste,” explained Dr Tobin. “But it’s one that is easily masked through simple, commonly used flavouring techniques. We’ve had demo products like chocolate-flavoured protein balls and orange flavoured drinks made, and people are amazed when they try them that they can’t taste our protein powder at all.” 

And because it’s made from real meat, Just Meat sidesteps persistent consumer scepticism around ultra-processed ‘Frankenstein’ formulations.   

For users of appetite suppressing GLP-1 drugs, every bite has to count, and protein is critical. But the ‘Ozempic effect’ is filtering into mainstream food culture, too.   

“There’s a growing group of people who don’t want just enough protein to satisfy their recommended daily intake, they want more,” explained Ellie. Recent research from the United States showed over 60% of consumers are increasing their protein intake.   

Consumers like gym-goers, women focused on strength and healthy ageing, those with dairy or soy allergies, and aged care providers who need to boost protein intake in a more digestible format than a full steak dinner.  

For food manufacturers, the Ozempic effect translates into demand for precisely what Just Meat offers: a neutral-flavoured, shelf-stable protein ingredient that enhances protein content without altering product format or serving size.  

Just Meat uses a hydrolysis process developed by Dr Tobin and her colleagues during her 31-year tenure as a meat scientist at CSIRO. The initial R&D was conducted in a collaboration between CSIRO and Meat & Livestock Australia. Drawing on the insights from that early research, CSIRO’s Future Protein Mission advanced and refined its own process.

The company now holds the exclusive global license to CSIRO’s patent-pending process, which breaks down complex meat proteins into smaller, bioactive peptides and free amino acids. Dr Tobin called it “pre-digestion.”  

“The exact process is our ‘secret sauce,’ but essentially we’re doing the work of the gut before consumption, which means the body can more efficiently absorb and utilise the protein.” 

“We have a hypothesis that Just Meat Protein powder is more digestible than a whey protein isolate, and initial trial data supports that,” added Ellie. “But part of our R&D roadmap is to put more rigour into that data and prove it.”  

Unlike plant protein startups reliant on imported ingredients or waiting for domestic supply to catch up, Just Meat uses what’s already available from Australia’s existing meat supply chains.

The product is currently poultry-based, but the process is species-agnostic. “We’ve trialled it on beef, goat, kangaroo, and the resulting powder is the same,” said Dr Tobin.

Just Meat sources underutilised meat that would otherwise be diverted to pet food or landfill.

“Imagine a BBQ chicken,” said Nick. “You’ve cut off the wings, legs, and breasts, and there’s still meat on the frame. In a family kitchen, someone will pick that meat off. But in an industrial setting, it just goes into pet food.”

By valorising these ingredients, Just Meat addresses a core sustainability tension in the protein market: the assumption that more protein must come from more animals, more land, or more intensive production. To that, Ellie countered, “We don’t need more chickens. We just need to make better use of the ones we already have.”  

The company has run pilot production at CSIRO’s Food Innovation Centre in Werribee, with plans to scale initially via contract manufacturing while progressing its own greenfield facility.

“The location in Australia is still to be determined,” said Nick. “But ideally it’s within reach of the major meat processors.” 

To meet projected demand, they’re looking to produce hundreds of tonnes of powder within the next 12 months.

“We’ll need equipment that can handle quite large volumes of meat, but the manufacturing facility will have a modest footprint compared to other protein manufacturers,” said Nick, “certainly nothing like the expense of scaling a precision fermentation facility.”  

Just Meat is already working with a range of customers across sports nutrition, ready-made meals, hybrid proteins, and nutraceuticals.  

“Our pricing model is very competitive with whey protein isolate,” said Ellie. “That’s the benchmark in the protein ingredient space and our product comes in at the bottom end of the whey range.”   

This competitive cost, combined with superior functionality and ease of integration into existing product lines, positions Just Meat for rapid commercial uptake, without requiring shifts in consumer or manufacturing behaviour.  

If you’re looking to invest in a scientifically backed protein solution that ticks all the boxes, Just Meat Protein offers an exciting, locally grown opportunity. With a product designed for evolving consumer needs and a clear path to scale, Just Meat is on a mission to transform the global protein landscape – right here, from Australian farms.