Mosa Meat, the Dutch company responsible for the world’s first cultured hamburger, is working together with Nutreco, a specialist in animal nutrition, and Lowercarcon Capital, a U.S.-based venture capital fund, to bring lab-grown meat to the U.S. market by 2022.
“As we enter a new phase, we’re excited to work with Nutreco, who have brought us their deep expertise managing manufacturing supply chains at a truly global scale, as well as Lowercarbon Capital, who draw on deep experience accelerating companies to have a global impact” Maarten Bosch, CEO of Mosa Meat, said in a press release.
Cultured meat – created from real animal cells and grown in the laboratory – has generated a lot of excitement from consumers. Younger consumers, in particular, are interested in trying food made in the laboratory, citing “the coolness factor” and “environmental impact.”
Challenges to market release
However, the cultured meat industry has faced scientific and economic challenges in bringing the new product to market.
One of the biggest challenges to creating lab-grown meat at an industrial volume, Sarah Lucas, head of Operations at Mosa Meats, explained, is the lack of availability of large-scale bioreactors – large vessels that simulate the conditions inside of a farm animal – to help cells differentiate into muscle tissue.
Another difficulty facing lab-grown meat is the high-cost of production. The first burger made of cultured animal cells, created in 2013 by Dr. Mark Post, the founder of Mosa Meat, cost more than $280,000.
The most expensive production expense in lab-grown meat is the growth medium at $400 a liter Up to 600 liters are required to produce one kilogram of meat, so costs can quickly add up.
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