Believer Meats Wants To Build An Enormous Cultivated Meat Plant

Food Dive suggests that lab-grown meat is well on its way to becoming an actual food product that could soon be consumed by the public. Eager to turn skeptics into believers and get products to market, the company formerly known as Future Meat Technologies rebranded itself as Believer Meats (per a press release). Founded in 2018 in Israel, it has become one of the top-funded efforts in this area of meat production, reports Food Navigator. The company's mission, according to its website, is to preserve the meat-eating experience in the long term, as the current food system may not be equipped to handle consumer demand in the future.

"It's like the meat you know and love. Only better," Believer Meats promises on its homepage. According to Food Dive, Believer makes meat with fibroblasts, connective tissue cells that quickly replicate and grow. CEO Nicole Johnson-Hoffman recognizes the challenges of producing meats that are both affordable and delicious, explaining to Food Navigator that the company is striving to create meat that is irrefutable in not only taste, texture, and experience but also has an affordable price tag for potential customers. The company's latest initiative, a massive campus in North Carolina, is a step in this direction.

According to a press release, Believer Meats broke ground on its first American commercial facility, a planned 200,000-square-foot campus that will become the world's biggest facility for cultivated meat production. The company chose North Carolina for its base due to the existing manufacturing chains and talent pool, as the company plans to make 100 new hires in the next few years.

Believer's proposed project will house bioreactors that will replicate the company's proprietary information, including patented processes that result in high-cell densities that can help the company produce its unique meat efficiently and safely (via Food Navigator). The site will also include a research development information center, conference rooms, office spaces, and a kitchen dedicated to on-campus food tastings.

Food Dive reports Believer Meats is awaiting FDA approval, but considering the cultivated meat sold in Singapore and the FDA's approval of Upside Foods' cultured chicken, it seems like only a matter of time before this kind of meat is made available in stores.