Dutch feed producer now feeds cultured meat in addition to animals

Animal feed manufacturer Nutreco has traditionally focused on feeding animals. Now it also makes nutrition for cultured meat. At a plant in Boxmeer, the company produces nutrients with which cultured meat can be raised.

With its animal feeds, Dutch Nutreco is raising many farm animals worldwide. As a addition, the company is going to feed cultured meat derived from the lab. That is meat for which no animals were killed, but which was grown in a bioreactor. The stem cell of a pig, cow or chicken is fed nutrients, mimicking the natural growth process. Thus, sausages, steaks and fillets can be made without the need for an animal to die.

Powder

The feed company makes powders in Boxmeer to raise meat from the lab. Meanwhile, the first commercial batch of 50 kilograms has been produced. The ambition is to produce hundreds of kilograms per week. With a production of nine billion kilograms of feed per year, the nutrients for cultured meat are only a fraction in the big picture.

Despite this, the folks at Nutreco see cell-based nutrition production as a major contribution to global food security. "The cell-grown protein industry is in the development stage and one of the biggest challenges is how to feed protein cells in a cost-effective, sustainable and large-scale way. We are committed to helping the industry grow by becoming suppliers and solution providers," says Susanne Wiegel, head of the Alternative Protein Program.

Collaboration Mosa Meat

The animal feed producer previously collaborated with Dutch cultured meat company Mosa Meat. They were doing joint research on low-cost and efficient nutrients for cultured meat. At the time, they were looking into the possibility of raising meat using residual streams from Nutreco's animal feed chain. This would significantly reduce the cost of cultured meat. For the research, the companies received a grant of nearly 2 million euros from the European Union. To what extent this research has had an impact on the powder now being produced is unclear.

Not allowed

The European Union is putting money into cultured meat, but does not yet allow it. The rules are strict and extensive. Because it is considered a novel food, it must be extensively tested and controlled before it is allowed on the market. This process quickly takes years. And since the production process for meat from the lab is constantly being modified, meat farmers are not yet venturing into this time-consuming procedure. Thus, the market remains small and economies of scale fail to materialize. The strict laws and regulations led Krijn de Nood to step down as top executive at Meatable. His successor, an American CEO, will establish Meatable in America. There, cultured meat is already allowed.

In the Netherlands, cultured meat is allowed to be tasted. Both Meatable and Mosa Meat already organized a tasting this year. There, bratwursts and beef burgers were presented to a select group. The tasters concluded: it just tastes like meat. For Dutch meat breeders, it is important to know whether the product is to their liking before the companies apply to market it in Europe.

Source: change.inc