Lab-grown meat grabs most of the headlines, but in 2019 we may see other types of lab-grown proteins hit our plates.
Could Just, the plant protein startup formerly known as Hampton Creek, put out the world’s first commercially available lab-grown meat?
The startup has pledged to do so, and repeatedly discussed aims to start selling lab-grown meat in select restaurants by late 2018 to early 2019.
But the clock is ticking, and Just hasn’t always had the best track record.
Once valued at $1.1B, the startup struggled after a failed scheme to buy back its own animal-free mayonnaise from stores to boost sales numbers, and in 2017 much of its board resigned.
Now, having revamped, re-branded, and returned to the public eye, Just aims to bring lab-grown chicken meat to restaurants.
Lab-grown protein products could finally hit shelves this year
Regardless of what happens with Just, lab-grown meat hasn’t yet become widely available. But in 2019, we could begin to see the first lab-grown protein products hitting shelves.
Lab-grown meat grabs most of the headlines, but the first products we’ll see will likely come from other areas.
Where’s the beef?
Dutch startup Mosa Meat debuted the first lab-grown burger in 2013, at the not-quite-mainstream cost of $330,000.
Since then, the field has progressed. Future Meat Technologies, an Israeli lab-grown meat startup, can reportedly produce lab-grown beef at $363 per pound — a 99.9% drop in 5 years. Meanwhile, startup Memphis Meats, backed by Bill Gates and others, successfully produced lab-grown chicken and duck meat last year.
Rather than ignoring the threat, traditional meat leaders have hopped on board.
But lab-grown meat has a dirty secret: To grow the cells, scientists today still rely on a base of fetal cow blood (“fetal bovine serum”), which is extremely expensive, contributing to lab-grown meat’s current high cost.
Now, startups including Memphis Meats are working on animal-free alternatives to fetal bovine serum.
Ecovative aims to use mushrooms, for example. The company got its start designing mushroom-based alternatives to styrofoam packaging for Ikea, among others, and recently shared plans to adapt its technology into a base for growing meat.
Ecovative’s mushroom material
As the field progresses, Memphis Meats believes it can bring lab-grown meat to market in 2021.
Other proteins may come first
Despite the buzz around meat, other lab-designed proteins are speeding ahead.
What’s first? Collagen, the skin-supporting protein found in cosmetics and gelatin.
Startup Geltor has already become the first company to commercially ship a lab-grown protein. Geltor uses fermentation to create vegan collagen, replacing the traditional inputs of cow bones and fish scales.
In October, Geltor raised an $18.2M Series A with participation from GELITA, a leading incumbent collagen producer, and food giant Archer Daniels Midland’s venture fund.
ADM — quickly establishing itself as a lab-grown advocate — also just moved into animal-free dairy.
It partnered with Perfect Day, which uses a fermentation process (similar to Geltor) to produce dairy proteins from sugars rather than from cows. ADM aims to scale up Perfect Day’s technology and start shipping cow-free dairy ingredients to food businesses in 2019.
Perfect Day’s product description
Finless Foods, a startup creating bluefin tuna in the lab, believes it can hit markets by late 2019 or 2020. Since the cost of standard bluefin tuna is high — and since the fish itself is endangered — Finless Foods says its product should hit price parity with natural bluefin tuna more quickly than can lab-grown beef with natural beef.
Keep an eye out for lab-grown collagen and dairy next year, lab-grown fish in 2020, and lab-grown meat in 2021 and beyond.