Aleph Farms to Introduce Slaughter

Aleph Farms is introducing cultivated meat to Europe, particularly in Switzerland. Swiss consumers are amenable to trying lab-cultured meat out of curiosity. Besides, they want to support sustainability and animal welfare.

Otherwise called cultured meat, cultivated meat is made of authentic animal meat and produced through direct animal cell cultivation. This process dismisses the need to raise farm animals for food, meaning there are no slaughtered cows or chickens.

Cultured meat consists of the same cell types put together in the exact or similar structure as animal tissues. This method reproduces the sensory and nutritional profiles of traditional meat.

In 2013, Dutch scientist Mark Post exhibited the first cultivated meat burger on live TV. After two years, four cultured meat companies were established. Since then, the industry grew to over 150 companies on six continents as of late last year. Funded with $2.6 billion, each intends to create lab-grown meat products.

The process starts by getting and building up stem cells from an animal. These cells are grown in bioreactors (cultivators) at high concentrations and volumes. The cells feed on an oxygen-rich cell culture medium consisting of basic nutrients. This sustenance includes glucose, inorganic salts, amino acid, and supplements such as other proteins and growth factors.

Transformation in the medium composition activates immature cells to develop into skeletal muscle, fat, and connective tissues, that constitute meat. The transformed cells are accumulated, readied, and packed into final products. This procedure takes about two to eight weeks, based on the type of meat being cultured.

Cultivated meat uses fewer resources and minimises agriculture-related pollution and hypertrophication. According to a study, using renewable energy in lab-cultured meat production can lower greenhouse gas emissions by up to 92%. It can also reduce land use by up to 90% against conventional beef.

Moreover, commercial production doesn’t require the use of antibiotics. Besides, there will be fewer occurrences of foodborne illnesses because of the absence of exposure to gastrointestinal pathogens. The transition to cultured meat production will diminish biodiversity loss, industrialized animal slaughter, antibiotic resistance, zoonotic disease outbreaks, and agriculture-related deforestation.

Cultivated meat is the new trend and Aleph Farms wants to sell the world’s first cultivated beef steaks. This lab-grown meat would be under the Aleph Cuts brand in Switzerland.

The company applied for regulatory approval from the Swiss Federal Food Safety and Veterinary Office (FSVO). The application is part of the company’s collaboration with Switzerland’s largest food enterprise, Migros, which invested in Aleph Farms in 2019.

Migros helped facilitate Aleph Cuts’ worldwide go-to-market activities, scale-up, and commercialisation. Aleph’s, on the other hand, maximises the expertise and infrastructure of leaders in food production.

Both companies conducted comprehensive consumer research in Switzerland. They also addressed the complexities of the country’s regulatory structure for novel foods. Part of their agreement is to continuously develop a go-to-market strategy, involving Aleph Cuts’ distribution and commercialisation through fine dining food service networks in Switzerland.

“Food systems affect everyone, and it will take a coordinated effort between regulators, innovators and incumbents to ensure food security in a way that helps humanity live within its planetary boundaries. At Aleph Farms, we carefully consider partnerships that reflect our core values and sustainability commitments,” said Didier Toubia, Co-Founder and CEO of Aleph Farms.

Apart from seeking Switzerland’s commercialisation, Aleph Farms also consider launching in Singapore and Israel.

Image Credit: World Economic Forum/WikimediaCommons

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