Science

Founded in 2017, Higher Steaks describes itself as “a mission-driven company creating real meat without harming our health, planet and animals.” It is one of a number of start-ups aiming to provide meat products through new industrial processes, rather than traditional farming and slaughter. 

The farming of animals for food is a major cause of global warming, with environmental impacts ranging from greenhouse gas emissions to deforestation and groundwater overuse. Cultivated meat is a lower-carbon alternative, which doesn’t ask people to make radical changes to their diet or to sacrifice the taste of meat. 

Cultivated meat – sometimes called cultured, cell-based or clean meat – also offers public health benefits. By producing meat without antibiotics, it cuts the risk of antibiotic resistance developing. And it doesn’t require intensive farming or slaughter, which matters to a growing number of consumers concerned about animal welfare.

But for Higher Steaks, it is not enough to offer a less environmentally-damaging alternative to conventional farming. The company is focused on ensuring sustainability at every stage of its processes.

 “We continually assess and reduce the environmental impact of our actions,” says Dr Faram. “On the technical side, we’re constantly assessing sustainability – using appropriate raw materials, looking at energy consumption considerations, recycling, waste disposal and so on”.

“As a company we have diverse specialisms – we have stem cell scientists, molecular biologists, bioprocess engineers, food scientists and regulatory experts. But we also have core values that we want to adhere to. For us, culture and values are at least as important as the technical skillset. Most people working here joined because of the impact we have on sustainability.”

Based in Cambridge (UK), the company hit the headlines in 2020 when it produced the world’s first lab-grown pork belly and bacon, by combining cultivated animal cells and plant‑based ingredients. It is now working towards commercialising its breakthrough.

As Dr Faram explains, the process involves taking a cell sample from a pig and then growing reprogrammed cells in huge numbers in bioreactors, by feeding them a rich and animal-free growth medium. “Using a process called cell differentiation, we then guide them to become muscle and fat - the types of tissue that you would find in traditional meat. The cells are then harvested as an ingredient and turned into pork products by our Product Team.”

According to the Good Food Institute, there are now well over 100 cultured meat start-ups worldwide. Nearly 25% are in the US, with the UK and Israel accounting for over 10% each. Over $1.36bn was invested in the sector during 2021. But the challenges of upscaling a cultivated meat production process into a competitive commercial operation remain significant.

For Dr Faram, “cost has to be the main focus, because no-one wants to pay a million dollars for a piece of pork. We’re always looking at how we can incorporate cost reduction in our bioprocesses, in our operations, in every aspect of what we do.”

As this isn’t a sector where a start-up can expect quick profits, or even revenue, the participation of informed investors is particularly important. Says Dr Faram: “We’ve benefitted greatly from the business insight and support of investors who believe in what we are doing, and who share our commitment to sustainability.”

“What we now need in cell-based meat as a whole is more consortiums that can work together to help solve the problems that we’re all grappling with. I’d love to see more cooperation between biopharma and cellular agriculture.”

“The main cost of production is the culture media. If it were possible to collaborate on a basal media formulation that was suitable for the needs of many cultivated meat companies, who could then in turn work with other growth factor companies to make those media bespoke, there’d be scope for real economies of scale.”

Dr Faram is a firm believer in co-operation between the cultivated meat industry and clinical applications using stem cells, such as allogenic therapy. “There’s a synergy between the fields, even though their end goals are different. It’s not just the technological overlap between the two – which should drive collaboration – but the fact that quality is paramount for both and that we face many of the same challenges. We all need cost-effective, scalable and robust manufacturing processes.”

Regulation also remains a challenge. Singapore is the only nation that has so far permitted a cultivated meat company to market its products.

Other countries are expected to follow suit. Indeed, some have used public money to support the cultivated meat R&D. But the approval process may take long enough to cause problems for many start-ups.

There may also be marketing and distribution issues. It is even possible that some more traditional advocates of animal farming and traditional meat will object to the labelling of cultivated meat as ‘meat’.

This aside, with the urgent need to reduce the environmental impact of traditional farming, and an ever-widening range of increasingly viable alternatives – not only cultivated meat but also options ranging from familiar plant-based meat substitutes, to innovations such as 3D-printed food, insect-derived products and sustainably farmed protein sources – this is clearly a sector on the edge of a massive expansion. 

Higher Steaks is an alumnus of CMS equIP, our accelerator programme for start-ups that aims to help the most promising and innovative early-stage businesses.

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