Tyson Foods, the leading US meat, pork and chicken producer has invested in Israeli clean meat business, Future Meat Technologies (FMT). FMT are a clean meat company who produce animal meat from cells without killing an animal for the product.
Justin Whitmore, Executive Vice President, Corporate Strategy and Chief Sustainability Officer at Tyson Foods, said: “This is our first investment in an Israeli-based company and we’re excited about this opportunity to broaden our exposure to innovative, new ways of producing protein.
“We continue to invest significantly in our traditional meat business but also believe in exploring additional opportunities for growth that give consumers more choices.”
Other benefits to clean meat are also a reduced environmental impact. Animal agriculture accounts for 18 per cent of greenhouse gas emissions, which is more than the combined exhaust emissions from all of the world’s transportation.
However, clean meat is costly. FMT’s founder, Yaakov Nahmias, said: “It is difficult to imagine cultured meat becoming a reality with a current production price of about $10,000 per kilogram. We redesigned the manufacturing process until we brought it down to $800 per kilogram today, with a clear roadmap to $5-$10 per kilogram by 2020.”
Clean meat is still receiving mixed views, with the process being an alien and uncomfortable concept for many people. As the concerns surrounding the environment and animal welfare are becoming more apparent and information is reaching a wider audience, clean meat could be available the public sooner than first thought.