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REYKJAVIK, Iceland, Feb. 13, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Icelandic biotech company ORF Genetics and Australian food innovators Vow are proud to announce the success of their first cultured meat tasting in Europe on February 12, 2024, with Gourmet dishes created from Japanese quail cells. Among those attending was the Prime Minister and Acting Minister of Food, Fisheries and Agriculture of Iceland, Katrín Jakobsdóttir, who at the event tried cultured meat for the first time, which she loved.
A sustainable option for the future
Cultured meat production is much more sustainable than traditional livestock farming. Vow is a pioneer in this new sector and develops methods to grow meat directly from animal cells. This nascent sector has the potential to provide high-quality meat on a large scale with a minimal carbon footprint: It emits far fewer greenhouse gases and requires less land and water than traditional livestock farming.
Growth factors for an expanding market
Although the cultured meat market is still in the early stages of development, it is expected to grow exponentially in the coming years and decades; A McKinsey report predicts that the cultured meat market could reach $25 billion by 2030.
To adapt to the climate and meet demand, farmed meat producers will have to rapidly increase production. This is where ORF Genetics comes in, an innovative company in the development of a range of animal growth factors, based on its extensive work bioengineering barley grain. ORF Genetics has been focused on expanding its portfolio of high-quality animal growth factors as well as increasing its production capacity to meet the cultured meat industry’s needs for a reliable supply of growth factors. Growth factors are critical components in cultured meat production.
Katrín Jakobsdóttir, Prime Minister and Acting Minister of Food, Fisheries and Agriculture of Iceland: “It is clear that our food systems must change so that we can feed a population estimated to reach 9 billion people by 2040. It is also evident that We must use innovation and technology to establish new ways of addressing the climate challenge. This is exactly what we are seeing here today at the tasting tables. Cultured meat is one of the solutions to the climate challenge. The Icelandic authorities are determined to pave the way for the adoption of new solutions in Iceland and we are eager to see the development of an EU regulatory framework for cultured meat.”
Berglind Rán Ólafsdóttir, CEO of ORF Genetics:
“We are excited to bring this innovative and novel food product to this important tasting event here in Iceland, showing that cultured meat is not only a more sustainable alternative to traditional meat, but is also delicious.
“The growth factors in ORF-grown barley allow cultured meat companies like Vow to not only grow but also rapidly increase their production to meet future market demands.”
George Peppou, co-founder and CEO of Vow:
“Vow is a unique company in the cultured meat industry focused on expanding the options available to consumers today, not just replicating what we already eat. We have a vision of producing meat that is deliberately different: exceptionally delicious, nutritious and “sustainable, and unlike anything you’ve tried before. That’s why we’re so excited to partner with ORF to announce today that Icelanders will be the first to try a completely new food at Europe’s first official cultured meat tasting.”
For more information, contact:
Berglind Rán Ólafsdóttir, CEO of ORF Genetics, 354 617 -2736 – Berglind.olafsdottir@orfgenetics.com
George Peppou, co-founder and CEO of Vow, 61 421 525 682 – george@vowfood.com
About ORF Genetics
ORF Genetics is an innovative plant biotechnology company and pioneer in the development and manufacturing of high-quality recombinant proteins in genetically modified barley plants. ORFEUS, ORF Genetics’ unique expression system, uses barley grains as a vehicle for large-scale protein production. The system is highly efficient, ecological and 100% based on GRAS plants. This technology has allowed ORF Genetics to develop a portfolio of growth factors, including a portfolio of animal growth factors called MESOkine, developed specifically for cultured meat production.
About Vow
Founded in 2019, Vow is a cultured meat company creating better meat for meat lovers. Vow’s vision is to become a brand house that uses advanced biomanufacturing to produce a differentiated range of food products. These products are not intended to be direct replicas of today’s traditional meat; rather, they are intended to be meat-based products that harness the nutrition and flavor of a variety of cells and species, and that take advantage of the sustainability offered by modern cell culture and manufacturing technologies.
Vow currently operates two food manufacturing and R&D facilities in Sydney, Australia, with plans for a third export-focused commercial facility in development, aiming to be in multiple markets by the end of 2024.
Vow’s cultured Japanese quail cells have already been deemed safe for consumption in both Australia and New Zealand, with similar confirmation expected imminently in Singapore, with more to follow soon.
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