An Israeli cultivated meat consortium has received $18 million from the Israel Innovation Authority, an arm of the government that aids the development of industrial R&D.
The consortium is made up of 14 companies — including Aleph Farms and SuperMeat — and ten academic labs. With the new funding, the organisations will work to bring down the cost of cultivated meat and scale up production.
Israeli food conglomerate Tnuva Group led the establishment of the cultivated meat consortium, along with GFI Israel grantee Gaya Savion. The consortium will work together for three years.
Cultivated meat in Israel
The Israeli cultivated meat industry is ahead of that in many regions, and consumer attitudes are generally positive in the country. At a recent live consumer test by SuperMeat, 71% of participants chose a cultivated burger instead of a meat burger, attracted by the environmental benefits. The company previously opened what it claimed was the world’s first “cultivated chicken restaurant experience” in Tel Aviv, allowing consumers to sample its products.
Additionally, Israel is home to other cultivated meat producers such as Aleph Farms and MeaTech 3D. GFI figures show that in 2021, 36% of cultivated meat funding worldwide went to Israeli companies. Earlier this year, Tnuva and biotech company Pluristem also announced they were collaborating to develop cultivated products.
“This is an unprecedented governmental commitment on a global scale, in a cellular agriculture consortium and more particularly cultivated meat which will enable Israel to maintain its leadership in one of the most significant areas in foodtech,” said Shai Cohen, Chief Innovation Officer at Tnuva Group and Chairperson of the Consortium.
