Consumption of cultured meat, meat produced in a lab without harming animals, has a future ahead. The fact that the first company to bring this product to market was founded in Spain and that the firm invested 30 million euros into the project signals momentum in the sector.
Biotech Foods, a Basque company, plans to open in Donostia the first industrial plant in Spain dedicated to cultured meat production, positioning it as one of the early facilities in Europe. The company indicates that the factory should be ready in 2024 and will span about 11,000 square meters. All Biotech Foods activities, which currently operate from a temporary facility, will be centralized here.
how to make meat
So how is this type of meat created? The process begins with obtaining cells through an animal biopsy. The sample typically consists of muscle cells that will later be replicated on an industrial scale. The tissue moves into steel tanks resembling those used in dairy facilities or warehouses, where the cells receive amino acids, vitamins, minerals and oxygen to grow.
Biotech Foods currently works with cattle, but intentions are to expand to poultry and pigs in the future as capabilities scale.
As the tissue grows, it forms a mass known as cultured meat.
Among the many benefits of this production method, sustainability stands out. It reduces the land and water needs tied to traditional farming and lowers greenhouse gas emissions associated with livestock farming.
Moreover, cultured meat achieves high production levels with relatively few animals. In the case of Biotech Foods, a single biopsy from one animal could yield meat equivalent to 50 pigs, producing a product that is leaner, free of antibiotics, and without any need for animal slaughter.
Destination of the final product targets mainly users involved in creating processed foods such as sausages, hamburgers and meatballs, among others.
Experts describe this as an emerging market with strong growth prospects over the next decade. The Basque company aims to expand to a workforce of about 150 as demand grows and production scales up.
The Basque company pursues collaborations with potential customers including Aldelis, Sigma Alimentos, Argal and Martínez Somalo. Its investor is IBS, a Brazilian company known as a major global meat protein player.
IBS is reported to have become the lead shareholder, though the exact share percentage has not been disclosed publicly.
Biotech Foods projects that by 2032, roughly 12 percent of proteins consumed worldwide could originate from cultured production systems, a trend drawing increasing investor interest from around the globe.
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For inquiries related to sustainability and environmental impact, a department inquiry channel was noted as a contact point.