Real meat, no animals
Another Bay Area company, Memphis Meats, has taken another approach by creating real meat, but in a lab. Memphis Meats produces beef, chicken and duck directly from animal cells, without the need to raise and slaughter animals.
Earlier this year, Memphis Meats announced support from a group of investors that included DFJ, a venture capital firm, Cargill, Bill Gates, Richard Branson as well as multiple research institutions. The company’s Series A fundraising round raised $17 million.
“We’re going to bring meat to the plate in a more sustainable, affordable and delicious way,” Uma Valeti, M.D., co-founder and CEO of Memphis Meats, said in a statement. “The world loves to eat meat, and it is core to many of our cultures and traditions. Meat demand is growing rapidly around the world. We want the world to keep eating what it loves. However, the way conventional meat is produced today creates challenges for the environment, animal welfare and human health. These are problems that everyone wants to solve, and we can solve them by bringing this incredible group of partners under one tent. This group will help us accelerate our progress significantly.”
Memphis Meats begins its process by harvesting meat cells from livestock, then identifying cells capable of self-renewal. The company has learned which cells produce the flavors, textures and aromas desired by meat lovers. Those cells are then grown into meat in a time frame lasting between four and six weeks depending on the cut.
Memphis Meats’ meat is not currently cost-effective, but as of earlier this summer the company’s plan was to have it available by 2020-2021. Costs were $18,000 per lb. approximately two years ago. Roughly seven months ago the cost was lowered to $6,000 and then to $3,800. While those are significant drops, reducing that cost to something comparable to traditional meat will be key in bringing the product to market.
