Aleph Farms is collaborating with Mitsubishi Corporation’s Food Industry Group in the push to sell cultivated beef in Japan.
“Japan is one of the world’s densest populated countries with increasing demand for meat consumption, and while it has an incredibly robust economy (the 3rd largest), this small island nation of 127 million people relies on importing over 60% of its food and resources from abroad,” explained Dider Toubia, Co-Founder and CEO of Aleph Farms.
“Cultivated meat can be produced locally without relying on the availability of local natural resources (land, water) and with a significantly reduced carbon footprint, at least when talking about beef.”
The partnership between the two companies will look to tailor Aleph’s unique process of growing lab-grown whole-muscle steaks to meet the tastes and demands of Japanese consumers and gain regulatory approval from the Japanese government.
Mitsubishi Corporation will contribute valuable insights on biotechnology processes, branded food manufacturing and Japanese distribution channels.
The two companies signed a Memorandum of Understanding on January 5.
Ultimately, the plan is to sell lab-grown meat to consumers in Asia by the end of 2022 with a focus on the Japanese consumer.
The race for regulatory approval
Cultured meat is made from real animal cells that are grown with the help of a culture medium in a stainless-steel tank known as a bioreactor, resulting in a product that resembles the taste, appearance and texture of chicken, beef, pork and other meats.
Advocates of cultured meat say that the process is more efficient, flexible and consistent than traditional agriculture and there is a growing interest in and openness in trying cultured meat among consumers.
U.S. startup Eat Just Inc. made headlines when the company received regulatory approval to sell its lab-grown chicken nuggets commercially within the city-state of Singapore last month. The December 1, 2020 announcement marked the first time worldwide that cultured meat received the green light for human consumption.
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