MAASTRICHT, Netherlands and REHOVOT, Israel, 4th Oct, 2021- Leading cultivated meat firm Aleph Farms and Mosa Meat announced an investment from Hollywood actor, Leonardo DiCaprio. Both companies have demonstrated the ability to grow beef directly from animal cells, with the unveiling of the first cultivated hamburger by Mosa Meat in 2013 and the first cultivated steak and ribeye by Aleph Farms in 2018 and 2021 respectively.
The detail of the deal has not been disclosed yet.
“One of the most impactful ways to combat the climate crisis is to transform our food system. Mosa Meat and Aleph Farms offer new ways to satisfy the world’s demand for beef, while solving some of the most pressing issues of current industrial beef production. I’m very pleased to join them as an advisor and investor, as they prepare to introduce cultivated beef to consumers.” said Actor & Investor Leonardo DiCaprio.
With global meat consumption projected to grow 40-70% by 2050, cultivated meat offers a solution to greatly reduce the current negative impacts of industrial beef production. Additionally, cultivated meat will enable diners to enjoy the qualities of the meat they love, eliminating the need for any major behavioral change. Analysts have projected the cultivated meat market could reach $25 billion by 2030, as part of the broader protein transformation.
According to an independent Life Cycle Analysis study, cultivated beef production is projected to reduce climate impact by 92%, air pollution by 93%, use 95% less land and 78% less water when compared to industrial beef production. Cultivated beef production offers the opportunity to use the spare land for re-wilding habitats which would naturally reduce emissions or for producing more food for people. Moreover, the automated process through which cultivated meat is produced, and the sterile environment of its manufacturing, will eliminate the use of antibiotics and greatly reduce the risk for pathogens, contaminants, and foodborne illnesses associated with concentrated and intensive animal farming.
Aleph Farms grows beef steaks, from non-genetically engineered cells isolated from a living cow, without harming animals and with a significantly reduced impact to the environment. The company was co-founded in 2017 by Didier Toubia, The Kitchen Hub of the Strauss Group, and Professor Shulamit Levenberg from the Biomedical Engineering Faculty at the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology.
While Neatherland based Mosa Meat is a global food technology company pioneering a cleaner, kinder way of making real beef. The company introduced the world’s first cultivated beef hamburger in 2013, by growing it directly from cow cells. Founded in 2016, Mosa Meat is now scaling up production of the same beef that people love, but in a way that is better for people, animals, and the planet.