Israeli startup Future Meat Technologies has opened the first industrial cultured meat production facility in the world.
The production facility is located in the city of Rehovot southeast of Tel Aviv and is capable of producing half a ton of cultured meat per day. That's the equivalent amount necessary to produce 5,000 hamburgers.
The faux meat startup is using bioreactors to manufacture cultured meat, which includes, ham, chicken, and lamb, as well as beef in the near future.
“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. Having a running industrial line accelerates key processes such as regulation and product development.”
Rom Kshuk, CEO, Future Meat Technologies
The methodology of production
The company's process for production involves taking proprietary animal cells and then placing them in a bioreactor, where the cells will continuously grow and grow.
This usually requires the usage of a certain amount of animal serum but the Israeli startup is using other methods that do not require material from animals.
Future Meat Technologies also developed a media rejuvenation process that removes cellular waste more efficiently. The company says this method has yielded 10 times more product than the average industry standards and has reduced significantly the production cost.
They also said that the manufacturing process needs 99 percent less land and generates 80 percent less greenhouse gas emissions, and uses 96 percent less freshwater than the typical average meat production plant.
With this technology Future Meat Technologies plans to save the lives of 170,000 pigs by developing pioneering cell-cultured meat technology
The cultured meat industry is booming everywhere and is expected to reach USD 94.54 billion by the year 2030 to provide our growing population with affordable and sustainable food,
Last year, for the first time cultured meat became available to buy in a restaurant in Singapore.
However, the production costs currently are in the clouds and they are extremely high; the first lab-grown burger cost USD 330,000 to produce in the year 2013.
However many companies like Future Meat Technologies are quickly cutting these production costs down and they are producing price parity faster than market predictions.
At USD4 per 100 grams, the company says that this is the lowest price yet for a cultured chicken breast. And they predict costs will go down even further in the next 12-18 months.
“After demonstrating that cultured meat can reach cost parity faster than the market anticipated, this production facility is the real game-changer. Our goal is to make cultured meat affordable for everyone, while ensuring we produce delicious food that is both healthy and sustainable, helping to secure the future of coming generations.”
Yaakov Nahmias, Chief scientific officer, Future Meat Technologies
Future Meat Technologies are aiming for its products to reach the markets in the US around 2022 and are they are currently searching for several US locations for expansion.
