Bill Gates recently revealed he enjoys eating fungi-based yogurt for both the taste and the environmental benefits.
In a post on Threads, Instagram’s public conversation platform, the billionaire Microsoft founder discussed his hope for multiple climate change solutions in the coming year. He talked about vacuum-insulated windows, for example, which help to reduce energy consumption, as well as innovation in batteries for electric vehicles and carbon capture. And he also talked about progress in the dairy alternatives market.
Nature’s Fynd
“In 2025, climate innovations will enter our homes, workplaces, and supermarkets to become part of everyday life—not only because they fight climate change, but because they save time, cut costs, and perform better,” he wrote.
The tech founder continued, adding: “While the meat replacement market is already pretty robust, sustainable dairy protein alternatives are improving daily. I now prefer a fungi-based yogurt over the ‘real’ stuff.”
The dairy-free yogurt Gates is referring to is likely Fy Yogurt, which is made by the Chicago-based food technology company Nature’s Fynd. Available in three flavors (Strawberry, Peach, and Vanilla), the yogurt’s main ingredient is Dairy-Free Fy Milk, which is made with fungi sourced from Yellowstone National Park.
“Seeing as though we’re the only fungi-based yogurt on the market, we’re hoping he’s talking about our Dairy-Free Fy Yogurt available at Whole Foods Markets,” Nature’s Fynd’s Threads’ account commented on the post. “Perfectly balanced & planet-approved.”
Fungi is often hailed as one of the most sustainable food ingredients. It has an incredibly low environmental impact, as it requires minimal resources–including land, water, and energy—to grow. It’s also nutritious and versatile. As well as yogurt, Nature’s Fynd uses fungi to create meaty breakfast patties.
Pexels
In contrast, animal agriculture is extremely resource-intensive. According to Our World In Data, livestock farming accounts for around 80 percent of agricultural land use. This is despite the fact that in total, meat, dairy, and farmed fish are responsible for providing around 17 percent of the world’s calories.
The dairy used in milk and yogurt is also a leading driver of deforestation, habitat destruction, and methane emissions. Over the course of one year, just one cow will produce around 220 pounds of methane, a greenhouse gas 28 times more potent than carbon dioxide.
Bill Gates backs plant-based climate solutions
Gates doesn’t just support Nature’s Fynd by eating the brand’s yogurts. In the past, he has also financially backed the company. For example, in 2022, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation—a nonprofit founded by Gates and his now ex-wife Melinda in 2000—granted the brand $4.67 million to introduce its fungi fermentation technology to farming communities in low- and middle-income countries.
“Impact has always been at the heart of what we do at Nature’s Fynd. We know that across the world, access to protein is a major challenge,” said Thomas Jonas, Nature’s Fynd’s CEO, in a statement at the time. “In regions like Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa, this challenge will increase significantly as population pressures, income growth, and urbanization increase demand for protein, while the effects of climate change constrain supply.”
“This grant gives us the opportunity to develop breakthrough technology that can potentially impact the lives of millions of farmers and nutritionally challenged communities across the world,” he added.
As well as Nature’s Fynd, Gates has backed multiple plant-based brands, including California-based plant-based meat brands Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods. Last year, Gates stated that he “believes plant-based meat is the future.” He made the comments in an interview with Questlove, a Grammy-Award-winning musician and plant-based food backer, who has also invested in Impossible Foods.
“Of all the climate areas, the one that people are probably least aware of is all the fertilizer and cows, and that’s a challenge,” Gates said in the interview. “But when you meet people like [Impossible Foods’ founder] Patrick Brown, you go, ‘Wow.’”
Impossible Foods
In his book How to Avoid a Climate Disaster, Gates has even advocated for rich countries to move away from beef completely (like dairy, beef is a major driver of deforestation and methane emissions).
In his recent Threads posts, Gates commented that innovations like plant-based meat, fungi-based yogurt, and insulated windows aren’t just good for the planet, but they’re also good for business. He encouraged more business leaders to get involved in climate solutions in 2025. “Going forward, climate solutions are market solutions,” he said. “Corporations that invest in them aren’t just future-proofing; they’re future-seizing.”
For more plant-based stories like this, read:
Charlotte is a VegNews editor and writer based in sunny Southsea on England’s southern coast.
