65. JUX Food Fighting food waste with no impact on flavour is what JUX Food promises with its array of herbs, spices, super-foods and vegetables. Written by Helena Young Sponsored by Sage Published on January 12, 2026 About the Startups 100 Now in its 18th year, the Startups 100 is the definitive list of the most promising new UK businesses. There's no fee for entry or for inclusion in our index. The Startups team of new business experts judge all our top 100 entrants in collaboration with specialist industry consultants. See our guide to this year’s hottest new businesses and most exceptional founders in the complete 2026 Startups 100 index. Founder: Anna WoodYear founded: 2022Website: juxfood.comCost, local accessibility, and perishability make eating fresh plants a daily challenge, says JUX Food founder Anna Wood. She started JUX Food to make it easier by creating freeze-dried vegetables, herbs, spices and super-foods.This technology means that the team can “capture the nutrients of fresh produce in a shelf-stable form, reducing spoilage in the supply chain and helping consumers to waste less”. They are essentially pressing pause on perishability, but without using heat dehydration or oil or vinegar – both of which detract from the taste.For Wood, the journey started when she hit burnout when working in the music industry. She grew up on a farm in Norfolk and this, perhaps, gave her insight into what would help in this situation; and that was good, fresh plant-based food. This was something she had neglected when she was working too hard and sleeping too little.Wood came across freeze-drying technology when studying for a Masters at the University of Cambridge. She also delved into research that revealed how broken our food system is.“On the one hand, food waste is rife,” she explains. “One-fifth of food produced for human consumption is lost or wasted globally. This amounts to one billion meals a day. Yet despite this, only one in ten in Europe eat their recommended portions of five a day.”The resulting waste has physical, mental and financial implications. The East of England-based Wood shares that poor diet costs the UK economy £74bn per year. One-fifth of food produced for human consumption is lost or wasted globally. This amounts to one billion meals a day. Yet despite this, only one in ten in Europe eat their recommended portions of five a day. Wood launched the venture while heavily pregnant and came up against pushback when fundraising because of this. “But this just fuelled my ambition further,” she states. The business is now growing 338% year-on-year and partners include larger retailers like Tesco and Ocado, wholesalers like CLF, and hundreds of independents nationwide.JUX Food has also won the custom of chefs James Martin, Steven Wallis and Elizabeth Haigh. Partnerships with Oddbox, Mindful Chef, and even Wild have strengthened the brand’s mission to be eco-conscious and lifestyle-changing.Now claiming to be the UK’s fastest growing “herbs and spices” brand, keep an eye on your fridge; JUX Food hopes to be in every Brits’ kitchen in the next five years.View the full Startups 100 Index for 20261. Omnea2. HIVED3. MAGIC AI4. OXCCU5. Lightyear6. Neuranics 7. Hormona8. Burbank9. Better Dairy 10. Lenkie Technologies11. Userled12. Hoxton Farms13. Rensair14. PulpaTronics15. TradeKart16. 32Co17. Carmoola18. cheqd19. Sightline Analytics20. Adamo Foods21. Bold Bean Co22. Beams Renovation 23. Pan Galactic24. Capi Money25. Spotted Zebra26. ANTHROTEK 27. Unravel28. Perci Health29. Untap Health30. 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Recondition Share this post facebook twitter linkedin Tags 2026 Written by: Helena Young Deputy Editor Helena is Deputy Editor at Startups. She oversees all news and supporting content on Startups, and is also the author of the weekly Startups email newsletter, delivering must-know SME updates straight to their inbox. From interviewing Wetherspoon's boss Tim Martin to spotting data-led working from home trends, her insight has been featured by major trade publications including the ICAEW, and news outlets like the BBC, ITV News, Daily Express, and HuffPost UK. With a background in PR and marketing, Helena is particularly passionate about giving early-stage startups a platform to boost their brands. That's one reason she manages the Startups 100 Index, our annual ranking of new UK businesses. Sponsored by: Sage Startups 100 Index Sponsor 2026 Sage exists to knock down barriers so everyone can thrive, starting with the millions of Small and Mid-Sized Businesses served by us, our partners and accountants. Customers trust our finance, HR and payroll software to make work and money flow. By digitising business processes and relationships with customers, suppliers, employees, banks and governments, our digital network connects SMBs, removing friction and delivering insights. Knocking down barriers also means we use our time, technology and experience to tackle digital inequality, economic inequality and the climate crisis.