Welcome to this July 2024 edition dedicated to last news on cultivated meat.

UK farmers, traditionally opposed to cultivated meat, are beginning to recognize its potential benefits. A recent interdisciplinary study, “Cultured Meat & Farmers,” explores how farmers view this technology and its impact on agriculture. It highlights a shift in perspective, acknowledging that cultivated meat could complement traditional farming by using agricultural by-products in its production. Additionally, despite layoffs (such as those at UPSIDE Foods’ Emeryville plant) , the alternative protein job market remains stable, with a growing demand in food safety, food science, and marketing. Renowned cardiologist and entrepreneur Uma Valeti, in a recent TED Talk, emphasized cultivated meat as a sustainable alternative that does not compromise on taste.

In the industry, notable developments include a partnership between Friends & Family Pet Food Co. and Umami Bioworks to create lab-grown fish treats for cats, set to launch by early 2025. Jellatech, a company under CULT Food Science, achieved a milestone by developing bio-identical human collagen, marking significant progress in sustainable collagen production. South Korea saw the launch of the Bio Future Food Industry Association, aimed at advancing the country’s cultivated meat sector. The UK became the first European country to approve lab-grown meat, starting with pet food from the company Meatly. Livestock Labs is making strides in developing stable cell lines for cultivated meat, potentially reducing production costs and uncertainties. Meanwhile, Earth Venture Capital invested in Orbillion Bio to scale up its cultivated meat production.

A new study revealed that attitudes towards cultivated meat are more positive among the political left, younger individuals, and better-educated people. Men and meat lovers also showed greater acceptance of this technology. Quorn introduced a hybrid meat product targeting flexitarians, consumers who aim to reduce but not eliminate their meat intake.

In the regulatory arena, the new Labour administration in the UK could impact the Food Standards Agency’s efforts to reform novel food regulations, potentially creating hurdles for cultivated meat products. The Hungarian presidency of the EU is pushing against novel foods, emphasizing traditional culinary practices.

Research advancements are crucial for the cultivated meat industry. Recent studies have focused on scaffolding biomaterials essential for cell-cultured meat production. These materials need to support scalable, cost-effective, and safe meat production, and ongoing research is essential for future development in this area.

See you next month!

News

UK Farmers Recognise Potential Benefits of Cultivated Meat July 25, 2024
Farmers have always been pitted against cultivated meat, but a new report suggests that despite concerns, they recognise the opportunities presented by these proteins. Source: UK Farmers Recognise Potential Benefits of Cultivated Meat

Culture Clash? What cultured meat could mean for UK farming July 23, 2024
This report summarises Cultured Meat & Farmers, a two-year interdisciplinary study, analysing social media, discussing the technology with groups of farmers, working with diverse farm businesses across the UK, and modelling novel approaches to cultured meat production based on agricultural by-products. Our team and partners included natural and social scientists, farming… Read more: Culture Clash? What cultured meat could mean for UK farming

State of the Alt Protein Job Market July 2024 July 17, 2024
Despite recent layoffs, the number of monthly job openings has been steady over the last 12 months. There have been notable increases in positions in Food Safety, Food Science, and Marketing & Sales, while the number of open jobs in HR & Administration fell in 2Q 2024, likely in correlation with… Read more: State of the Alt Protein Job Market July 2024

Uma Valeti: Is cultivated meat the future of food? at TED Talk July 3, 2024
The way we raise animals is destructive to humans, animals and the environment, says cardiologist and entrepreneur Uma Valeti. He presents a solution that doesn’t require you to give up your favorite protein-packed meals: cultivated meat, grown directly from animal cells. Reportedly some of the “most chicken-y chicken” you’ll taste,… Read more

Companies and key players

Friends & Family, Umami Bioworks Create Lab-Grown Fish for Cats July 31, 2024
San Francisco’s Friends & Family Pet Food Co. has partnered with Singaporean cultivated seafood producer Umami Bioworks to launch cat treats in both geographies by early 2025. Source: Friends & Family, Umami Bioworks Create Lab-Grown Fish for Cats

Cultivated meat co UPSIDE Foods initiates new round of layoffs July 29, 2024
Cultivated meat pioneer UPSIDE Foods has engaged in a fresh round of layoffs in a bid to conserve capital and extend its runway as it expands its facility in Emeryville, California, the company has confirmed. Source: Cultivated meat co UPSIDE Foods initiates new round of layoffs

CULT Food Science Venture Arm Company Jellatech Included in New Bezos Earth Fund Research Centre at N.C. State July 28, 2024
Founded by Stephanie Michelsen, Jellatech focuses on producing functional, native collagen without relying on animals. Their recent achievements include developing a full-length, triple helical, bio-identical, and functional human collagen from their proprietary cell line. This advancement marks a milestone in sustainable collagen production, offering a high-quality alternative to animal-derived collagen. Source:… Read more: CULT Food Science Venture Arm Company Jellatech Included in New Bezos Earth Fund Research Centre at N.C. State

CULT Food Science Venture Arm Company Jellatech Included in New Bezos Earth Fund Research Centre at N.C. State July 27, 2024
Founded by Stephanie Michelsen, Jellatech focuses on producing functional, native collagen without relying on animals. Their recent achievements include developing a full-length, triple helical, bio-identical, and functional human collagen from their proprietary cell line. This advancement marks a milestone in sustainable collagen production, offering a high-quality alternative to animal-derived collagen. Source:… Read more: CULT Food Science Venture Arm Company Jellatech Included in New Bezos Earth Fund Research Centre at N.C. State

Bio Future Food Industry Association Launches in South Korea to Boost the Cultivated Meat Sector July 26, 2024
The Bio Future Food Industry Association has launched in South Korea to support and develop the country’s cultivated meat sector. Established under the Korean biotechnology Industry, the new association boasts participation from 32 members, including the cell ag companies Simple Planet, SeaWith, CellQua, and TissenBioFarm and established food giants like… Read more: Bio Future Food Industry Association Launches in South Korea to Boost the Cultivated Meat Sector

UK first European country to approve lab-grown meat, starting with pet food July 25, 2024
Lab-grown pet food is to hit UK shelves as Britain becomes the first country in Europe to approve cultivated meat. The Animal and Plant Health Agency and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs have approved the product from the company Meatly. It is thought there will be demand… Read more: UK first European country to approve lab-grown meat, starting with pet food

Leading Lab-Grown Meat Company Cuts Dozens of Jobs July 12, 2024
Upside Foods has cut its workforce as the industry continues to struggle with bans from legislators and a significant downturn in venture capital funding. In an email sent to employees, Upside CEO Uma Valeti wrote that 26 people would leave the company and that executive and leadership teams would be… Read more: Leading Lab-Grown Meat Company Cuts Dozens of Jobs

Livestock Labs is creating stable cell lines with desirable characteristics to advance commercial production of cultivated meat July 4, 2024
Livestock Labs, which recently pitched at the Future Food Tech Alternative Proteins Summit in Chicago, uses advanced genetic engineering, data analytics and machine learning to develop cell lines for the cultivated meat sector, which it says could significantly reduce cost, time and uncertainty for stakeholders in this rapidly evolving industry.… Read more: Livestock Labs is creating stable cell lines with desirable characteristics to advance commercial production of cultivated meat

Earth Venture Capital Invests in Orbillion Bio to Scale Up Cultivated Meat Production July 1, 2024
Earth Venture Capital (Earth VC), a global climate tech venture capital firm based in Vietnam, has announced its strategic investment in the innovative US-based cultivated meat startup Orbillion Bio (Orbillion). This investment round, co-led by The Venture Collective and At One Ventures, with participation from Y Combinator and Metaplanet, marks… Read more

Market, investment, prospective

New Study On Morals Reveals Purity Trumps Harm in Attitudes Toward Cultivated Meat July 30, 2024
Regarding political orientation, those on the political left exhibited more positive attitudes toward novel meat than those on the right, consistent with US and German studies. Furthermore, younger and better-educated individuals generally showed more favorable attitudes. Notably, men and meat lovers also had more positive attitudes toward technology. Source: New… Read more: New Study On Morals Reveals Purity Trumps Harm in Attitudes Toward Cultivated Meat

Sustainable Synergies – Lessons from the Adoption of Electric Vehicles July 24, 2024
Mass adoption of alternative proteins is critical in tackling climate change. Animal agriculture accounts for roughly 15% to 20% of greenhouse gas emissions—more than cars, motorcycles, and other passenger light vehicles. If alternative proteins could capture half of the global protein market, including dairy, this switch would mitigate 5 gigatons… Read more: Sustainable Synergies – Lessons from the Adoption of Electric Vehicles

Quorn’s hybrid meat product aimed at flexitarians July 16, 2024
While suitable for vegetarians and vegans, a large proportion of the market for plant-based meat and dairy products is made up of ‘flexitarians’ – meat and dairy consumers who aim to cut down on their consumption of animal products. One answer to this category of consumers comes in the form… Read more

Laws, ethics and lobbies

Could Labour Hamper the UK’s Novel Food Regulatory Reform? July 22, 2024
However, the new Labour administration may yet have a negative impact on the Food Standards Agency’s (FSA) plans to overhaul its regulatory framework for novel foods, which include cultivated meat and precision-fermented products. The UK has retained the EU’s regulatory process post-Brexit, which has created a massive backlog and made… Read more: Could Labour Hamper the UK’s Novel Food Regulatory Reform?

Hungarian presidency launches offensive against ‘novel’ food to defend EU’s ‘culinary tradition’ July 11, 2024
According to a note from the Hungarian Council Presidency circulated to EU delegations and seen by Euractiv, the 27 ministers will hold an informal exchange of views on the topic over lunch during next week’s Agriculture and Fisheries Council (AGRIFISH) meeting. In the document, the Hungarian presidency emphasised that meat and… Read more

Research

Recent advances in scaffolding biomaterials for cultivated meatJuly 15, 2024

This review summarizes the most recent scaffolding biomaterials used in the last five years for cell-cultured meat, detailing their respective advantages and disadvantages. We suggest future research directions and provide recommendations for scaffolds that support scalable, cost-effective, and safe high-quality meat production. Source: Recent advances in scaffolding biomaterials for cultivated… Read more