Pioneering British meat substitute brand Meatless Farm is considering moving into the lab-grown meat sector in the future.
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According to The Grocer, pioneering plant-based meat alternative brand Meatless Farm is considering venturing into the lab-grown meat industry.
CEO Morten Toft Bech told the news outlet that they were looking to acquire brands “on the frontline of creating cell-based meat in labs.”
According to Toft Bech, lab-grown meat is “an inevitable part of the transition away from animal protein,” and “these types of products make sense.”
He added that “it fits with our mission of reducing industrialised animal agriculture” which it hopefully will if it becomes accessible and affordable.
But Meatless Farm has no clear plan for acquiring these brands yet, and it seems to be firmly in the vague future. “I think we can pull in some of these interesting products under our umbrella – although I do not know eventually how big the space will be.
“I don’t have all the answers because there are ethical, regulatory and sustainability issues,” Toft Bech continued.
Lab-grown meat is still a long way from being commonplace, despite going on sale in Singapore at the end of 2020. It won’t be a viable option until it is equal to, or even cheaper than its animal counterpart, and that will be at least a few more years.
Expansion into Canada
This news comes shortly after Meatless Farm announced an expansion into Canada with a new factory named Lovingly Made Ingredients.
The new manufacturing plant will produce up to 14,500 tonnes of meat-free protein ingredients by 2023, and the process will be rooted in sustainability.
In fact, the factory process will enable “a significant reduction in water and energy use — a key challenge in plant-based protein production”.
While the brand has already had huge success in the UK, the new factory and its £8.5 million investment will allow Meatless Farm to experiment with new recipes and produce “customised plant proteins for selected external partners”.
Meatless Farm seems to have no signs of stopping, and we can’t wait to see what else the brand has up its sleeve!
Not sure how you feel about lab-grown meat?
Read our article on Lab meat: Miracle or mire
