Mosa Meat and Nutreco have signed a Letter of Intent to collaborate on creating a cell feed supply chain, a new milestone in their longstanding partnership. This joint venture results from the ‘Feed for Meat’ project. Both companies were awarded a REACT-EU grant in October 2021. The project aims to reduce the cost of cultivated meat and create a robust supply chain to scale production.
Scientists at Mosa Meat and Nutreco have confirmed that a basal media formulated with food-grade ingredients performs equally well as pharma-grade ones but at a substantially lower cost. This is a critical step in further developing the cellular agriculture supply chain. The successful replacement of pharma-grade ingredients with food-grade ones means cell-based meat production can be more cost-effective and commercially viable. This collaboration between Mosa Meat and Nutreco is a significant move towards creating a sustainable food system and providing consumers with a more sustainable and ethical source of meat.
Maarten Bosch, the CEO of Mosa Meat, expressed in the company’s press release that their collaboration with Nutreco is a testament to their dedication to enhancing the cellular agriculture supply chain and reducing expenses. He stated that their scientific findings are a pioneering accomplishment in the industry, as they have demonstrated that food-grade components perform as effectively as pharma-grade in cell feed. This breakthrough will result in substantial cost reductions as they expand their production capabilities.
The Market For Cultivated Meat: A Larger Focus On Bringing Costs Down
The concept of consumers paying the same price for high-end meats like Wagyu beef and bluefin tuna as they do for fast-food staples like chicken nuggets and burgers seems like a far-fetched idea. However, with the rise of cultivated meat, it might just be a reality. According to McKinsey’s latest report on cultivated meat, by 2030, cultivated meat could make up half a percent of the world’s meat supply, translating to billions of pounds. This means that the meat industry could change drastically, with implications for various sectors. The next decade will likely focus on proving the commercial viability of cultivated meat with gradual market penetration. The key factors determining the pace of adoption and market size are consumer acceptance, cost, regulation, innovation, and investment. If the cultivated meat industry can address these factors successfully, then the future of meat production could be very different.
Indeed, the McKinsey aarticles states that “Creating a globally cultivated-meat industry is a massive undertaking that requires billions of dollars to scale to even 1 percent of the worldwide protein market. The industry’s success depends on several factors, including addressing concerns about the novelty of the product while delivering it at the right price and flavor.” However, creating a booming cultivated-meat industry also presents opportunities for participation for various companies, including food and pharmaceutical companies, flavor and fragrance players, engineering, procurement, and construction firms, and investors. As the animal-protein market continues to grow at 1 percent annually, with volume expected to reach 531 million tonnes by 2030, cultivated meat could be a game-changer for the industry. The industry is still waiting for regulators to decide which term to adopt for cultivated meat, but the potential for this new industry is enormous.
Image provided by Mosa Meat
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