Cultured meat collaborations drive innovation, flags ADM and Believer Meats as new partnership takes off

13 Apr 2023 --- ADM and food tech company Believer Meats are collaborating to create novel products made with cultivated meat, including hybrid plant and animal cell options. The partnership brings together ADM’s food formulation expertise and global footprint with Believer’s proprietary cell-cultivated meat process to address growing demand for proteins.

“We must diversify the protein ecosystem while keeping the health of the planet in mind and our memorandum of understanding with Believer Meats is an important step to achieving just that,” Leticia Gonçalves, president of global foods at ADM tells FoodIngredientsFirst. 

“By bringing our unique skill sets together, there is a great opportunity to help the commercialization of cultivated meat products. Scalability and cutting-edge technology are the tools needed to ensure success in this space and this partnership brings both to the table.” 

One area being explored is a hybrid concept with cultivated meat used with other protein sources like soy, says Gonçalves, noting that the collaboration is still in the early stages. 

“Given our deep expertise in alternative and plant proteins, we are working together to drive solutions like this forward and help with consumer acceptance and adoption.” 

ADM and Believer Meats are investigating ways to improve the sensory and nutritional profile of cell-based chicken.Scaling up for success 
The partnership, outlined in a non-exclusive memorandum of understanding, will explore “a wide variety of opportunities spanning the cultivated meat production process.” 

The non-exclusive agreement also lays out a path to further support the partnership and industry growth by utilizing ADM’s processing expertise and footprint to potentially commercialize new products arising from the collaboration.

“Partnering with ADM enables an important next step with our groundbreaking cell-cultivation technology – scalability,” Gustavo Burger, CEO of Believer Meats, tells FoodIngredientsFirst.

“We will also be able to reach crucial development and commercialization goals efficiently with access to ADM’s technical and formulation knowledge in taste and texture.” 

In addition to hybrid concepts, the partnership will be investigating different species and the distinct sensory and nutrition targets for each, says Burger. 

“One of our first focus areas is on chicken, working with our cell-cultivation technology and ADM’s product development expertise to ensure the final products deliver an experience that fully satisfies consumers’ expectations of taste, texture and nutrition.” 

Many proteins for many people
ADM and Believer’s collaboration is “a natural fit” due to their shared commitment to sustainability and expanding protein choices, says Burger. 

"We have an opportunity to shape the future of the protein industry and create a more sustainable food system for generations to come.”

Gonçalves adds that new technologies supporting novel protein development are increasingly imperative as the global population rapidly grows and food insecurity continues to be a concern for more than 300 million people worldwide. 

“Cultivated meat represents an exciting evolution and yet another way to meet long-term food security needs – along with other traditional and novel sources of protein.”

ADM notes that seven in ten consumers are aware of cultivated meat, with flexitarians representing more than half of consumers globally, there is an important opportunity to continue to expand the universe of protein choices. 

Gonçalves adds that ADM plans to continue exploring new ingredients and valuable partners to address food security and sustainability across the industry. 

ADM has made several investments in soy protein in the past years.Collaboration vital to space 
For the cell-based space to truly succeed, ADM and Believer Meats believe that collaboration and education will be essential. 

“Companies must come together to support the scalability, commercialization and adoption of these novel sources,” says Gonçalves. 

“Cultivated meat is ripe with opportunity and by working together with [food-tech] companies like Believer Meats, we see great potential in bringing nutritious and delicious cultivated meat products to market. This will ultimately support sustainability goals and a more resilient food system.”

Burger points out that collaboration between companies, academic institutions and government agencies will play a crucial role in driving innovation in this industry. This cross-pollination will aid in knowledge and resource sharing to accelerate progress. 

Education and cost are other hurdles to be overcome. “Given this is a novel food, companies must prioritize educating consumers on the sustainability, ethical advantages and technology behind cultivated meat.” 

“It will also be important to address misconceptions about taste, texture and safety,” he says. 

In the future, he envisions that there will be significant advances in cell-cultivation technologies and engineering, which will help increase efficiency and reduce costs. 

Such innovation is already underway, with Singapore approving Good Meat’s serum-free media in cultivated chicken, reducing manufacturing costs and boosting scalability. 

Forging a future with soy
ADM has made several investments in soy in recent years, including the acquisition of Sojaprotein in 2021, which gave the company access to high volumes of European soy ingredients. 

Last April, the company invested US$300 million in its Decatur, Illinois facility in the US to boost its soy protein concentrate production and double its extrusion capacity. 

By Missy Green, with additional reporting by Gaynor Selby