May 2024 was another busy month for the cultured meat sector. Here is a detailed summary of the month’s most important news, companies, market trends, laws, ethics, and research in the cultivated meat industry.
GOOD Meat’s retail launch of cultivated chicken in Singapore has sparked debate among industry experts. The product, with only 3% of meat, is seen by some as a strategic move to address financial difficulties, while others view it as progress for the industry. The EIT Food Accelerator Network announced its 2024 cohort, highlighting startups like Esencia Foods and Sea2Cell that are innovating in the alternative meat space.
A lot of new from key players in the cultivated meat industry in may 2024 ! Steakholder Foods announced an investment in Wilk Technologies, aiming to diversify its portfolio into cultured milk production. Wanda Fish,backed by significant seed funding, is gearing up to commercialize its cultivated Bluefin Tuna Toro by 2026. Vital Meat from France has applied for UK regulatory approval for its cultivated chicken, marking a milestone in the B2B ingredient market for hybrid meats. Simple Planet from Korea secured significant government funding to boost food security and is targeting regulatory approval for its products in 2025. Ivy Farm Technologies partnered with Synbio Powerlabs to scale up manufacturing, leveraging Synbio’s innovation hub in Finland. GOOD Meat made headlines with the world’s first retail sales of cultivated chicken, partnering with Huber’s Butchery in Singapore. GEA, a leading technology supplier, broke ground on a new tech center dedicated to alternative proteins. MyriaMeat in Germany unveiled the world’s first cultivated pork fillet, and Magic Valley in Australia received positive feedback during a public tasting of its cultivated pork bao buns.
Looking ahead, the biomanufacturing sector continues to grapple with the scale-cost paradox, especially outside the pharmaceutical industry, which traditionally operates on high-margin, low-volume models.
In the USA, legislative actions in Alabama and Florida drew criticism for outlawing certain types of meat, perceived as influenced by financial ties to the animal agriculture industry. Conversely, South Korea designated Gyeongsangbuk-do as a regulation-free zone for cultivated meat, significantly advancing commercialization efforts in the region.
Research efforts continue to address critical challenges in the industry. A study on cell line development highlighted the need for robust cell lines to advance cultivated meat production, identifying several knowledge gaps as research opportunities. Another study focused on stabilizing myoglobin from various species using food-grade antioxidants, offering insights that could enhance the sensory properties of plant-based meat substitutes.
See you next month!
News
Expert opinions clash over GOOD Meat’s 3% cultivated chicken launch in Singapore May 26, 2024
Cultivated meat brand GOOD Meat’s recent retail launch of a new chicken product in Singapore has divided experts across the food industry as to whether this is a step forward for the sector or simply a means to cut costs amidst the firm’s financial struggles. Source: Expert opinions clash over… Read more: Expert opinions clash over GOOD Meat’s 3% cultivated chicken launch in Singapore
Caladan Bio raises $5m to build next gen benchtop bioreactors May 10, 2024
Caladan Bio’s hardware is cheaper than commercially-available options but also features more sensors to generate data that can provide more actionable insights, claimed Kobida. “Our first product, the Caladan 250, features modular 250ml bioreactors designed to be used in sets of up to 24 on the benchtop, with a suite… Read more: Caladan Bio raises $5m to build next gen benchtop bioreactors
Synthetic Biology’s Path to Sustainable Food Systems May 6, 2024
Thanks in large part to synthetic biology, I was too quick to dismiss cellular agriculture—the industrial production of animal-based foods. The industry has made a lot of progress in the 11 years since that first burger was introduced, and costs, while still prohibitive to consumers, have dropped exponentially, largely due… Read more: Synthetic Biology’s Path to Sustainable Food Systems
EIT Food Accelerator Network reveals 2024 cohort May 3, 2024
The European Institute of Innovation and Technology’s (EIT Food) Accelerator Network program on Tuesday announced its 2024 cohort of 50 European and eight Brazilian startups. Several alt-meat startups made this year’s cut, including Esencia Foods (Germany), Melt & Marble (Sweden), Pacifico Labs (Germany) and Sea2Cell (Israel). Source: EIT Food Accelerator… Read more
Companies and key players
Steakholder Foods tests investing muscles May 30, 2024
Steakholder Foods Ltd. continued morphing from its base as a cultivated meat company, announcing it would participate in a strategic investment round in Wilk Technologies Ltd., which is developing technologies for producing cultured human breast and animal milk, according to a news release. Source: Steakholder Foods tests investing muscles |… Read more: Steakholder Foods tests investing muscles
Wanda Fish’s Cultivated Bluefin Tuna Toro Set for 2026 Launch May 28, 2024
Armed with its patent-pending technology, whole-cut downstream manufacturing process, and a $7M in seed investment in October, Wanda Fish is now preparing to commercialise its cultivated seafood, with regulatory applications planned for 2025. These efforts will be supported by its upcoming Series A round, which will help the startup fine-tune… Read more: Wanda Fish’s Cultivated Bluefin Tuna Toro Set for 2026 Launch
Vital Meat Files for UK Regulatory Approval of Cultivated Chicken May 27, 2024
France’s Vital Meat, which makes cultivated chicken as a B2B ingredient for hybrid meats, has applied for regulatory approval in the UK, making it one of only a handful of companies to do so. The startup has submitted a novel food dossier to the Food Standards Agency (FSA) and Food… Read more: Vital Meat Files for UK Regulatory Approval of Cultivated Chicken
Simple Planet Eyes 2025 South Korea Approval for Cultivated Meat May 24, 2024
Korean food tech startup Simple Planet has received ₩11B ($8.1M) for a government project to boost food security, and targets regulatory approval for its cultivated meat ingredients next year. “Simple Planet is applying for regulatory approval from the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, aiming for approval in the first… Read more: Simple Planet Eyes 2025 South Korea Approval for Cultivated Meat
Ivy Farm forms partnership with Synbio Powerlabs May 23, 2024
UK cultivated meat firm Ivy Farm Technologies has formed an exclusive scale-up and manufacturing partnership with Finnish company Synbio Powerlabs. The collaboration will grant Ivy Farm access to Synbio’s food innovation hub near Helsinki, which is due to open in early 2025, where it hopes to demonstrate the scalability of… Read more: Ivy Farm forms partnership with Synbio Powerlabs
GOOD Meat Begins the World’s First Retail Sales of Cultivated Chicken May 22, 2024
Today, GOOD Meat announces that for the first time ever, cultivated meat will be sold at retail for shoppers to purchase and bring home to cook and serve to their families. For this world-exclusive launch, GOOD Meat has partnered with Huber’s Butchery in Singapore to sell a new, lower cost… Read more: GOOD Meat Begins the World’s First Retail Sales of Cultivated Chicken
GEA to open ‘green’ alternative protein tech center May 21, 2024
International technology supplier GEA, looking to meet industry demand for complementary proteins and ingredients, broke ground on a 12,900-square-foot technology center for alternative proteins on May 8 The company said it plans to support manufacturers by scaling up the production of novel plant-based, microbial and cell-based foods. GEA already has… Read more: GEA to open ‘green’ alternative protein tech center
Steakholder Foods signs supply agreement with Wyler Farm May 16, 2024
Wyler, under the terms of the agreement, will manufacture alternative proteins, including burgers, meatballs and minced meat, at commercial scale using Steakholder Foods’ SHMeat premix blends of plant proteins, fats, fibers and natural flavors. In return, Wyler will pay Steakholder royalties from sales. Source: Steakholder Foods signs supply agreement with… Read more: Steakholder Foods signs supply agreement with Wyler Farm
MyriaMeat unveils ‘world’s first’ cultivated pork fillet May 5, 2024
Germany-based cultivated meat company MyriaMeat has unveiled its latest innovation, the ‘world’s first’ cell-based pork fillet. MyriaMeat’s product, made from cultivated pig cells, is 100% real meat – without hybrid additions of soy or other plant substances, which are commonly found in many cultivated meat products. Source: MyriaMeat unveils ‘world’s… Read more: MyriaMeat unveils ‘world’s first’ cultivated pork fillet
Magic Valley holds public tasting for its cultivated pork bao buns May 4, 2024
Australia-based cultured meat company Magic Valley debuted its new cell-based pork bao buns at a tasting at John Gorilla Café in Brunswick, Victoria. Magic Valley stated that their presence and positive feedback “reflected a resounding confidence in the industry’s potential for sustainable growth and innovation as newer cultivated meat start-ups… Read more
Market, investment, prospective
Addressing the scale-cost paradox in biomanufacturing May 29, 2024
Since insulin produced by genetically engineered bacteria—rather than the pancreases of slaughtered animals—was first approved in 1982, the market for ‘biomanufactured’ products produced by microbial, animal, or plant cells has grown rapidly. “But in areas other than pharma—whose business models are built on high-margin, low-volume products with low sensitivity to… Read more: Addressing the scale-cost paradox in biomanufacturing
In Italy, pols seem not to speak for the populace May 2, 2024
According to a study by the University of Ferrara and SWG, an Italian market research firm, Italians are curious about cultivated meat, provided that it does not replace traditional meat Source: In Italy, pols seem not to speak for the populace | Alt Meat
Laws, ethics and lobbies
Alabama and Florida just outlawed this type of meat. It’s colossally stupid May 15, 2024
The laws dealing with labeling are typically justified in the name of “consumer protection.” But in many cases, there are clear financial ties between the states (and sometimes the individuals) and the animal agriculture industry. DeSantis and Ivey and the other politicians behind these bills didn’t even provide an ostensible… Read more: Alabama and Florida just outlawed this type of meat. It’s colossally stupid
South Korea Creates Regulation-Free Special Zone for Cultivated Meat May 11, 2024
South Korea has taken a massive stride towards the commercialisation of cultivated meat, designating the eastern province of Gyeongsangbuk-do a regulation-exempt zone for companies innovating in this space. Source: South Korea Creates Regulation-Free Special Zone for Cultivated Meat
Research
Cultivated meat: research opportunities to advance cell line development May 25, 2024
In this Science & Society paper, we outline challenges the industry is facing in obtaining robust cell lines for the development of cultivated meat products. Through an industry survey, several knowledge gaps in cell biology were identified and are presented as research opportunities here. Source: Cultivated meat: research opportunities to… Read more: Cultivated meat: research opportunities to advance cell line development
Stabilization of myoglobin from different species (produced by cellular agriculture) using food-grade natural and synthetic antioxidants May 1, 2024
Cellular agriculture products, like myoglobin, are increasingly used by the food industry to provide desirable sensory properties to plant-based meat substitutes. This study elucidated the physicochemical properties and redox stability of myoglobin from both natural (equine) and cellular agriculture (bovine, sperm whale, and leopard) sources. The insights obtained may have… Read more