INTERVIEW Alternative Proteins Magazine October 2024 43 when the cells pass this stringent screening are they approved for further development. Throughout cultivation, we maintain a completely sterile environment, as the cells are grown outside an organism without the natural immune defenses that would typically protect them. Even the presence of a single bacterium is enough to spoil an entire batch. Our cultivators are thus held to absolute 100% sterility, levels that exceed even those of operating rooms. We have a robust system in place to monitor every input, output, and potential vulnerability in the process. Once the cultivated meat is ready, we conduct an extensive laboratory analysis, testing for bacteria, heavy metals, pesticides, chemicals, molds, toxins, and other harmful substances. Our final lab test currently screens for over 50 different elements, ensuring the highest possible quality and cleanliness of the product. No conventionally produced meat undergoes the level of scrutiny, screening, and cleanliness control that cultivated meat does. Furthermore, we are collaborating with several independent research institutions and universities to conduct a series of feeding trials on the final product. We have already completed in-vitro studies, and multiple feeding trials, including digestion and long-term feeding tests, are either in progress or about to begin. What is the current price difference between cultured meat and real meat? When can cultured meat become a real affordable and accessible alternative for pet food manufacturers? From the outset, our goal has been to make cultivated meat accessible to the broader public. We believe it should not be a luxury available only to the wealthiest consumers. In the near term, we are pricing our ingredient to be compatible with current premium pet food formulations. Over time, our aim is to further reduce costs, making our cultivated meat affordable even for the mass pet food market. What are your expectations for the future of the cultured meat industry? Meat cultivation is still an emerging industry. The first cultivated burger was introduced in 2013, and by 2020, small quantities of cultivated meat became available to consumers in few restaurants in Singapore, followed by few restaurants in the U.S. in 2023. In 2024, the first cultivated meat product appeared on retail shelves in a single store in Singapore. At Bene Meat Technologies, we are working diligently to bring cultivated meat to our four-legged European consumers. Our initial cultivation facility will have an annual production capacity of around 200 tonnes. For context, 42 million tonnes of meat were slaughtered in Europe alone in 2022, and globally, that number reached approximately 330 million tonnes. Even scaling our current facility 10,000 times would only account for less than 5% of the European market. This reality underscores the challenge and the scale of work ahead. Therefore I can confidently predict that over the next decade, our industry will be focused on scaling production, optimizing processes, and meeting the demand of early adopters. Looking forward, I am confident that cultivated meat will become a viable, ethical, and sustainable protein source, offering consumers—and their pets—a meaningful alternative.
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