January 21, 2020

By Lynda Kiernan

Animal nutrition and aquafeed leader Nutreco announced two strategic investments in cellular meat companies within a week’s time  – the first in cell-based meat startup Mosa Meat, and the second in cellular seafood startup BlueNalu. 

Mosa Meat

Dutch cellular meat startup Mosa Meat, the company name behind the development of the first cultivated hamburger in 2013, is still striving to commercialize its lab-made meat. As the company shifts beyond the challenges of the lab, and toward getting products onto retail shelves, it has announced a strategic partnership with Nutreco, which has made an undisclosed investment in the company.  In addition to capital, Nutreco will also be helping Mosa Meat by providing certain inputs used in its production process.

“I am thrilled that Nutreco has partnered with Mosa Meat as this investment opens the opportunity to produce real meat on a large scale in a highly-sustainable and animal-friendly way,” said Rob Koremans, CEO, Nutreco.

“As the global population continues to grow, the increased demand for protein will place more pressure on our food production system. If we are serious about Feeding the Future in a sustainable way we will need to produce protein from a variety of sources, including animal agriculture as well as alternative proteins.”

Lowercarbon Capital, a U.S.-based venture capital investor dedicated to investing in “planet healing technologies”, has also partnered with Mosa Meat, bringing its experience and history in accelerating companies with the potential to spark a positive global impact.

“As we enter a new phase, we’re excited to work with Nutreco, who have brought us their deep expertise managing manufacturing supply chains at a truly global scale, as well as Lowercarbon Capital, who draw on deep experience accelerating companies to have a global impact,” said Maarten Bosch, CEO, Mosa Meat.

Mosa Meat’s first pilot lab-created hamburger cost approximately $280,000 due mostly to a lack of scale, and the high price of inputs needed for production, including costly fetal bovine serum. However, as technology advances, scaling becomes more easily attainable, and Mosa Meat has replaced fetal bovine serum with an unidentified non-animal replacement. The company stated that it envisions its burgers being on European shelves within two years at a price point of about EUR 9. 

“To really realize a global supply of good raw ingredients to feed ourselves and at a price level that is enabling us to be truly competitive, we need a company that’s set up like Nutreco, and we’ve been talking to them for awhile,” Bosch told Food Dive. “They see the opportunity and also really believe in our mission and in the positive impact we can make on some truly big problems in the world.”

BlueNalu

Within days of announcing its partnership with MosaMeat, Nutreco also invested in BlueNalu, a San Diego-based cellular aquaculture startup founded in 2018 by Chairman Chris Somogyi, President and CEO Lou Cooperhouse, and Chief Technology Officer Chris Dammann. The name BlueNalu incorporates “Nalu”, a Hawaiian word that when used as a noun refers to the waves of the ocean, and when used as a verb means to meditate, ponder, or contemplate.

A partnership between the two companies has been forged with a foundation in BlueNalu’s technology platform that makes cell-based seafood products from a wide range fish species. Together, the two companies will create a more stable and sustainable supply chain better equipped to meet the challenges of increasing demand.

“The partnership with Nutreco is another significant milestone for BlueNalu, which will enable our team to accelerate our journey toward commercialization, while also securing a global supply chain partner,” said Lou Cooperhouse, president & CEO of BlueNalu.

“We expect this will provide significant value to our company, as it is our objective to introduce our seafood products in a test market during the next two years, and launch our products in several global markets by the end of this decade.”

BlueNalu is entering the fray at a critical time for worldwide food security. Global protein consumption is expected to climb at a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of 1.7 percent, reaching 943 million tons by 2054, according to Lux Research, as global population is expected to tip at 10 billion by 2050. 

Rising global populations and increasing wealth – particularly in emerging economies – along with diminishing wild fish numbers have put pressure on the aquaculture industry to fill the gap in supply. However, BlueNalu offers another alternative that can meet this demand in a sustainable way that benefits both the environment and human health.

“Since the global demand for protein is increasing, we need to provide protein from a variety of sources, including traditional aquaculture farming as well as new innovative solutions,” said Koremans. “Nutreco’s strategic partnership with BlueNalu is very exciting as it opens the opportunity to up-scale real seafood production in a highly sustainable way.”

– Lynda Kiernan is Editor with GAI Media and daily contributor to the GAI News and Agtech Intel platforms. If you would like to submit a contribution for consideration, please contact Ms. Kiernan at lkiernan@globalaginvesting.com.