Israel Backs SuperMeat To Scale Cultivated Meat Production

Tel Aviv-based food-tech startup SuperMeat, announced on Tuesday that it has received a grant from the Israel Innovation Authority to establish an open high-throughput screening system that will optimize feed ingredients (cell media), supplements, and cell scaffolds for cultivated meat, which will in turn aid the entire industry achieve commercial viability. 

The announcement comes after two recent strategic partnerships SuperMeat formed to expedite commercialization and establish viable supply chain platforms: Japanese multinational food and biotechnology corporation Ajinomoto, and Europe’s largest poultry producer PHW Group.

SuperMeat partnered with scientific instrument supplier Thermo Fisher Scientific, which developed an advanced screening platform and will support the development and operation of the high-throughput system. 

The system will allow SuperMeat to screen hundreds of thousands of materials every month to pinpoint the highest quality ingredients that offer the lowest production costs. The largest expense in cultivated meat production are the ingredients used in cell media. 

Through the optimization process, SuperMeat will effectively provide an open standard for cell media ingredients that can be used by cultivated meat companies pursuing commercialization around the world.

Founded in 2015, SuperMeat offers high-quality, sustainable, and slaughter-free meat grown directly from animal cells. SuperMeat’s proprietary cultivated meat platform enables food companies to manufacture a wide range of products consisting of cultivated meat. SuperMeat is also the first B2B company to provide a sustainable solution for the entire category of poultry. The company has been showcasing the versatility of its meat platform in various events at its pilot production plant The Chicken, the world’s first farm-to-fork facility for local meat production, and is planning to host additional events in the near future.

“The Israeli Innovation Authority has long been a leader in innovation of all kinds. We are honored to receive its support to help pave the way to a standard for a healthier, more sustainable food system for all,” says Ido Savir, CEO of SuperMeat. “The system establishment supported by this grant will allow SuperMeat to leverage the cultivated meat production technology it has built to help reduce costs and provide the cultivated meat industry an open platform for commercialization through its strategic partners globally.”