The Month In Cultivated Meat: December
Your monthly update on the cultivated meat industry. The future is harm-free meat, join me on the journey!
This month:
A newly added jobs board, with open positions at Mosa Meat, Vow and Upside Foods.
Australia’s Victorian government signaled support for cultivated meat.
The Cultivated Hub finally launched in Switzerland.
Cultivated meat investment hit a multi-year low.
Vow inch closer to approval as Australia opens second round of consultation.
🍽️Small Bites
Orbillion hit a milestone with the first production of its beef muscle cells at its manufacturing facilities.
“This achievement is more than just another milestone—it’s proof of our vision to make sustainable cultivated meat accessible worldwide. And Dr. Beck’s strategic insight, combined with our innovative technology, positions us to overcome the final hurdles to commercial production and affordability.”
Plant-based meat producers, The Better Butchers signed a letter of intent with student-founded cultivated fat startup Genuine Taste.
Gourmey announced the creation of its inaugural “culinary advisory board”, including three Michelin-star chefs, as it prepares to bring its cultivated foie gras to market in anticipation of regulatory approval.
💲 Raises & Investment
CULT Food Science Corp, a company advancing cellular agriculture, started the process of acquiring The Better Butchers Inc. (TBB).
Celleste Bio raised $4.5M in seed funding to produce its cell-cultivated cacao.
Luyef received two grants worth $1.25M to accelerate cultivated meat production.
The Every Company received a $2M award from the U.S. Department of Defense to explore establishing a precision fermentation facility in the U.S.
Although not cultivated, it shows biomanufacturing is seen as critical for shoring up domestic supply chains.
“Investing in biomanufacturing will allow the United States to safeguard reliable domestic supply chains”
Quarterly alternative protein funding statistics from the Good Food Institute (GFI) found that cultivated meat funding continues to dry up. Cultivated start-ups experienced a 75% decline, attracting only $3M in the third quarter of 2024. This is more than plant-based and fermentation start-ups.
🏆Awards
Genuine Taste received $100,000 after winning the Top Venture and People’s Choice Awards in the 2024 Invest Together in Climate Innovation program for its cultivated fat product.
Cambridge student Callan McDonald won PETA’s first-ever ‘Future Without Speciesism’ award for his open-source cell bank to advance cultivated meat research.
🗺Large Bites
It comes three years after announcing the partnership—the joint venture by Migros, Givaudan, and Bühler Group will produce next-gen foods such as cultivated meat, cow-free dairy, and cell-based chocolate.
✅Positive words from an Australian state government
Magic Valley CEO Paul Bevan shared a positive response from the Victorian inquiry into Pig Welfare.
“The Victorian Government is fully committed to supporting the development of cultivated meat right here in our backyard.”
The positive response signals a powerful endorsement for the cultivated meat industry. As some jurisdictions fight cultivated meat, it’s positive to see other states show support for the sector.
It’s a big deal because cultivated meat will require substantial government support to compete on cost and help get the industry off the ground.
🥄Tastings
Upside Foods partnered with New York Restaurant Wildair to showcase its cultivated chicken. On the menu: crispy chicken and chicken skewers.
Biokraft Food hosted India’s “first” formal tasting event for a cultivated meat product in Mumbai, serving up cultivated chicken.
📦Product Announcements
Integriculture launched a starter kit to make prototyping cultivated meat easier.
Multus launched a new animal-free alternative to fetal bovine serum (FBS). FBS is an important ingredient in the production of cultivated meat that provides a rich source of nutrients that support the cell growth of the cultivated meat. Think of it as the fertilizer or nutrient broth of cultivated meat.
Traditionally, this has been a roadblock for adoption, as FBS is traditionally derived from the blood of cow fetuses, making it non-vegan. Non-animal alternatives are needed for mainstream adoption.
📰Regulation
Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) opened a second round of public consultation regarding the regulatory approval of cultivated quail.
The application was led by Australian cultivated meat company Vow, which has already released products in Singapore and Hong Kong.
FSANZ previously concluded last year that cultivated quail is safe to eat, following a comprehensive scientific assessment.
Aleph Farms submitted a regulatory approval application to sell its cultivated beef product in Thailand. It marks Thailand's first application for a cultivated meat product.
🏢Jobs Board
Vow Meat: 6 positions (Australia)
Upside Foods: 10 positions (USA)
Mosa Meat: 1 position (Netherlands)
Believer Meats: 7 positions (USA & Israel)
Aleph Farms: 5 roles (Israel)
SuperMeat: 8 roles (Israel)
Gourmey: 8 roles (France)
📻Cultivated Listens
Two listens caught my eye in the last month.
The first one was NestFresh who sat down with Alex Crisp of the Future of Foods podcast.
Although not specifically about cultivated meat, it tackles the problem at the heart of the sector. For those like myself who can turn a blind eye to the suffering that goes on, it’s an important listen.
Although confronting, it offers a very optimistic picture of the future, where new technology can end some of the most horrific suffering caused by traditional animal farming.
The second is for policy junkies like me, with Hannah Lester, CEO of Atova Consulting, jumping on the same show. For a written summary of the episode see this write-up.
Although a dry subject area, it’s important to ground our expectations. It’s a long road ahead, especially in areas such as Europe.
“For a novel food to gain approval, 55% of EU member states representing 65% of the population must vote in favor.”
📑Cultivated Reads
AG Funder News’ yearly FoodTech roundup was my favourite read of the month. I highly recommend the entire thing, but if you just want a round-up of the biggest news for cultivated meat in 2024 there is a dedicated section.
A big takeaway and something I heard multiple times during the September Cultured Meat Symposium was the importance of government funding into the sector.
“There’s a valley of death we’re not going to cross as an industry without a massive infusion of public investment” - Robert Jones of Mosa Meat
📅Looking Ahead 📅
SFNV Impact Forum: Cultured Food: A free event on January 15th.
That’s a wrap for this month’s bite. As always, stay curious, and stay cultivated!
Let’s hope we see a blockbuster 2025 for the cultivated meat sector!