NETHERLANDS – Nutreco, a global leader in animal nutrition, has announced the completion and operational commencement of the world’s first dedicated food-grade powder production facility for cell feed in Boxmeer, The Netherlands.
This milestone marks a significant advancement in the cell-cultured meat industry, as the facility produces the first cell feed product specifically developed for this innovative sector.
The construction and operation of this facility align with Nutreco’s overarching mission of Feeding the Future. By 2050, the global population will require significantly more food than is produced today.
This facility’s innovative approach presents a substantial solution to the food challenges facing the industry worldwide.
Nutreco is committed to addressing this challenge through pioneering new solutions and advancing its innovation journey, with this new facility representing a crucial step forward.
The Boxmeer facility has produced its first commercial batch of 50 kilograms of cell feed. Plans are in place to scale up production to several hundred kilograms per week, supporting the growth of the cellular agriculture industry.
Although this initial output is a small fraction of the 9 billion kilograms of products Nutreco produces annually, it holds immense potential for further scaling and contributing to the industry’s expansion.
Susanne Wiegel, head of Nutreco’s alternative protein program, emphasized the critical role of cost-efficient, sustainable, and scalable cell feed in developing the cell-cultured protein industry.
“The cell-cultured protein industry is in its development stage, and one of its biggest challenges is how to feed protein cells cost-efficiently, sustainably, and at scale. We see the potential for this industry to be one solution to the challenge of feeding the rising global population and are committed to helping the industry grow by becoming a supplier and a solutions provider,” Wiegel stated.
Nutreco CEO David Blakemore highlighted the importance of diversifying protein sources to meet future food demands while reducing the environmental footprint.
“We must continue to drive productivity and reduce the environmental footprints in the animal protein value chain and produce protein from more and more varied sources – animals as well as alternative sources of protein such as plant-based protein, meat or seafood developed from animal cells and protein produced through fermentation,” Blakemore said.
He emphasized that Nutreco’s investments and innovations in the cell-cultured protein industry are vital components of their strategy to address the global food challenge.
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