The things we all love about technology is the fact that it is always trying to look for the next best way to do things effectively and efficiently. Take, for instance, the meat you eat if you are not a vegan. So much energy goes into creating it; in terms of money and time. Industrial farming is far from being efficient or effective. Well, an Israeli biotech and food-tech startup, SuperMeat, has developed a lab-made chicken meat.
The lab-made chicken meat is so good that venture capitalists have invested #3 million seed funding into the startup. SuperMeat is only the most recent startup venturing into the ‘clean meat’ business. Others players in that space include Memphis Meats backed by Bill Gates, Antomico, and DFJ. Another one is Hampton Creek, is also exploring into the lab-grown meat business.
The backers of SuperMeat are the U.S.-based venture capital fund New Crop Capital, and Stray Dog Capital. SuperMeat also has a strategic investor PHW, who is also the biggest poultry producer across Europe.
SuperMeat CEO and Founder, Ido Savir has been an ethical vegan for the last two decades. He says the fact that PHW is investing in their startup is proof enough that the animal husbandry for food production industry is ready to move with technology. It shows SuperMeat will not be disrupting their industry, but simply ushering in the next chapter of its evolution.
Who lab-made Meat Production works
SuperMeat’s idea is really straightforward, yet ingenious. They simply extract meat from the chicken and grow it in a lab. By providing it all the nutrients, it requires while in the living chicken through a lab-made concussion of nutrients. In simple terms, the cells in the meat are fed with all the correct nutrients they need to produce fat and muscle; just as they would inside a living animal’s body.
These lab-meat growers startups promise the world huge benefits when they will be able to do away with the need to rear (and slaughter) animals. From the environmental point of view, the technology will reduce significantly spread of food-borne illnesses carried by some of these animals. One of which is the infamous bird flu. It is also reassuring that the animals will not be subjected to pain and torture so that you can eat them.
“The potential benefits for public health and animal welfare are considerable,” says Savir. He also pointed out the danger to public health posed by the fact industrial animal farming in marred with use of a lot of antibiotics. It is also frightening at the rate at which what is being treated is developing antibiotic.
Research by Oxford and Amsterdam University show switching from eating the ordinary meat to clean meat will reduce the emission of greenhouse gasses by up to 98%. There will also be 99% less demand for land for farming, and 96% drop in water usage. Putting in mind that the demand for meat is projected to double by the year 2050. In a world where land and water are increasingly becoming scarce yet mouths to feed are increasing, the lab-made meat technology, could be just what the world needs.