Nestle SA revealed it's evaluating and getting involved with companies developing cultured meat, specifically mentioning work with Israeli company Future Meat Technologies.
"For many years we have been investing in our protein expertise and the development of proprietary technologies for plant-based meat alternatives," said Reinhard Behringer, head of the Nestlé Institute of Material Sciences, in a July 13 web posting. "We’re also exploring technologies that could lead to animal-friendly alternatives that are nutritious, sustainable and close to meat in terms of taste, flavor and texture."
The web posting noted, "The company is evaluating innovative technologies to produce cultured meat or cultured-meat ingredients with several external partners and start-ups. … For example, scientists at Nestlé Research in Lausanne are working with Future Meat Technologies, a leading cultured-meat start-up… [its] novel and cost-efficient proprietary technology can produce non-GMO cultured-meat components from animal cells, therefore reducing the need for land and resources to raise animals."
We devoted a feature story to this fast-evolving technology in May.
Future Meat Technologies last month opened what it claims is the world's "first industrial cultured meat facility" in Rehevot, Israel. It's capable of 500 kilograms of cultured products a day, equivalent to 5,000 hamburgers. Currently, the facility can produce cultured chicken, pork and lamb without the use of animal serum or genetic modification, with the production of beef coming soon.
“This facility opening marks a huge step in Future Meat Technologies’ path to market, serving as a critical enabler to bring our products to shelves by 2022,” said Future Meat CEO Rom Kshuk.
