Medicine:BioTech Foods

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BioTech Foods
TypeSubsidiary
IndustryFood technology
Founded2017; 9 years ago (2017)
FoundersMercedes Vila and Iñigo Charola
Headquarters
San Sebastián
,
Spain
ParentJBS S.A.
Websitebiotech-foods.com

BioTech Foods is a Spanish biotechnology company dedicated to the development of cultured meat from the cultivation of muscle cells previously extracted from animals. It is a subsidiary of Brazilian company JBS S.A.

History

Origins

The company is based in Donostia–San Sebastián, Basque Country and was co-founded in 2017 by the CTO of the project, Mercedes Vila,[1] and CEO Iñigo Charola.[2]

This project is based on the construction of tissues from the natural proliferation of animal cells in a controlled environment of humidity and temperature, without genetic modification or antibiotics.[3] Cultured meat based on tissue engineering aims to help alleviate three serious sustainability problems: the high increase in global demand for animal proteins, the environmental impact of factory farming, associated with the production of greenhouse gases and deforestation[4] and animal welfare.

Development

The start-up obtained the support of the CIC Nanogune, a research centre promoted by the Basque government. In 2019 BioTech Foods received the Entrepreneur XXI Award and came first in Expansión's Start Up awards in the Food and Agrotech category.[5]

By February 2020, BioTech Foods was in the development phase of Ethicameat,[6] its brand of pig protein products for the general public and the meat sector. BioTech Foods was one of the first companies to emerge in the global cultured meat sector[7] which could help increase food safety and prevent zoonotic diseases.[8]

Pilot plant and JBS investment

As of July 2019, one of the main challenges of the cultivated meat was the high production costs of products.[9][10] BioTech Foods stated it sought 'to reach pilot scale by 2021'.[9] By the end of 2019, BioTech had opened its first pilot plant.[11]

In November 2021, BioTech Foods announced an agreement by which JBS S.A. was going to acquire a majority of shares in the company, including the pilot plant it operated in San Sebastián. JBS was going to invest in the construction of a new production plant to help BioTech achieve commercial production capacity in mid-2024.[12]

References

  1. ↑ Stock, Andrea Núñez-Torrón (2018-10-28). "Mercedes Vila (Biotech Foods): "La carne ética mejorará el..." (in es-Es). https://www.ticbeat.com/entrevistas/biotech-foods-carne-etica/. 
  2. ↑ Oliver Morrison (5 November 2019). "'Everybody accepts the cultured meat trend is happening': Biotech Foods" (in en-GB). Food Navigator. https://www.foodnavigator.com/Article/2019/11/05/Biotech-Foods-discusses-cultured-meat-trend. 
  3. ↑ Ruiz, Alfonso Simón (2018-10-11). "Una empresa vasca compite con Bill Gates por llevar al mercado carne cultivada" (in es). https://cincodias.elpais.com/cincodias/2018/10/10/companias/1539189862_324716.html. 
  4. ↑ Doncel, Luis (2019-05-25). "Carne 'in vitro' a la conquista de nuestras mesas" (in es). El País. ISSN 1134-6582. https://elpais.com/economia/2019/05/24/actualidad/1558700876_051340.html. 
  5. ↑ "Biotech Foods, Nucaps y Green Killer Weeds, las mejores en 'Alimentación y Agrotech'" (in es). 2019-11-04. https://www.expansion.com/expansion-empleo/2019/11/04/5dbaaff8468aebbe158b4597.html. 
  6. ↑ Pellegrino, Roberto (2020-02-02). "Macellazioni addio. Sulla tavola arriva la bistecca biotech" (in it). https://www.ilgiornale.it/news/macellazioni-addio-sulla-tavola-arriva-bistecca-biotech-1820036.html. 
  7. ↑ "New GFI State of the Industry Reports Show Alternative Proteins Are Poised to Flourish Post-Covid-19" (in en). 2020-05-13. https://www.gfi.org/blog-state-of-the-industry-2020. 
  8. ↑ Quetteville, Harry de (2020-07-16). "The future of meat: plant-based, lab-grown and goodbye to the abattoir" (in en-GB). The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/food-and-drink/features/future-meat-plant-based-lab-grown-goodbye-abattoir/. 
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Vincent West (10 July 2019). "The €250,000 lab-grown burger could be a more palatable €9 in two years" (in en). Irish Independent. https://www.independent.ie/business/farming/beef/the-250000-lab-grown-burger-could-be-a-more-palatable-9-in-two-years-38298335.html. 
  10. ↑ "La viande de laboratoire pourrait se vendre à des prix abordables en supermarché d'ici à deux ans" (in fr). Le Monde.fr. 2019-07-11. https://www.lemonde.fr/festival/article/2019/07/11/la-viande-de-laboratoire-pourrait-se-vendre-a-des-prix-abordables-en-supermarche-d-ici-deux-ans_5488174_4415198.html. 
  11. ↑ Agnieszka de Sousa (10 December 2020). "Lab-Grown Meat Is Getting Closer to Supermarket Shelves". Bloomberg. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-12-10/lab-meat-is-getting-closer-to-supermarket-shelves. "[Aleph Farms Ltd.] is also working on a pilot plant. Companies such as BioTech Foods, SuperMeat and Eat Just have already started testing sites." 
  12. ↑ AgE (7 December 2021). "JBS takes over Bio Tech Foods". AgrarZeitung. https://www.agrarzeitung.de/feedmagazine/feedmagazine-news/cultured-meat-jbs-takes-over-bio-tech-foods-98640. 

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