The EIT food communication project ‘The V-Place’, coordinated by Germany’s University of Hohenheim, intends to improve acceptance and reach of plant-based alternatives in Europe. Its recent research reveals insufficient levels of diversity in plant-based products available and a lack of consumer-orientation, but anticipates this will improve.
Biotech Firms Awarded €1.8M for Creating Animal-Free Cell Culture Media to Make Cultivated Meat a “Commercial Reality”
Commercializing cell-based products such as cultivated meat remains challenging due to the substantial costs and ethical implications of fetal bovine serum. To find solutions, EIT Food, the world’s largest and most dynamic food innovation community, and the Good Food Institute (GFI) Europe launched the Cultivated Meat Innovation Challenge to develop a more affordable and efficient animal-free cell culture media. The winners, UK biotech company 3D Bio-Tissues, Israeli biotech startup BioBetter, and German pharmaceutical company LenioBio have received €1.8 million from EIT Food. With the funds, the companies will continue their R&D efforts in developing lower-cost alternatives to bovine serum. Moreover, they will produce cultivated meat products using their innovations. Dr. Adam M. Adamek, director of innovation at EIT Food, said: “The cost of cell-culture media is a significant barrier to scaling …