GFI founder calls on more governments to follow US and invest in cultivated meat

Bruce Friedrich made the comments following the recent announcement that the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) was making a $10m investment into the nascent cultivated meat industry.

The founder of the Good Food Institute has called for more governments to follow the US and back cultivated meat.

Bruce Friedrich made the comments following the recent announcement that the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) was making a $10m investment into the nascent cultivated meat industry.

The move-  $10 million awarded to Tufts University for the creation of a new National Institute for Cellular Agriculture -marked the department’s first investment into the cell-based alternative protein industry.

“We need to see a lot more of that sort of thing happening globally, Friedrich said, speaking at  Israel's AgriFood Summit.

“This is how an industry is built. It needs governments and it needs industry,” he added.

Friedrich was speaking with Elizabeth Gutschenritter, managing director, Alternative Protein, Cargill, the US meat giant.

Friedrich pointed out that it was the Israeli and Singapore governments that had hitherto been at the forefront of the cultivated meat industry.

Speaking on the potential evolution of the nascent industry, Friedrich said it was crucial that the price of cultivated meat was palatable to consumers so it becomes more than a “niche” product.

He said the involvement of more legacy meat companies in the space like Cargill would help bring the price down of cultivated meat and maximize supply chains efficiencies.

“We would like to see more legacy food and meat companies going all in,” he said.

Cargill has invested in cultivated meat firms Upside Foods and  Aleph Farms, as well as investing in plant-based alternatives.

Friedrich said there were encouraging developments of more legacy corporates moving into the cultivated space, highlighting Nestlé teaming up with Israel startup Future Meat.

Gutschenritter said alternative proteins were “highly complementary” to animal proteins.

“Our early investments into cultivated [are] certainly indicative of just how important and excited we think this category could be," she said.

On the future of cultivated meat, she said, “so much of it will be about the consumer experience”.