ProVeg welcomes Poland’s €2m investment in cultivated meat company
Summary
LabFarm has been awarded Government funds to develop its technologyFood awareness organization, ProVeg International, has today welcomed the awarding of 2 million (PLN 9 million) to cultivated meat company LabFarm by Polands National Center for Research and Development (NCBR).Cultivated meat is an extremely promising way to diversify food resources and expand protein source choices for consumers towards a sustainable food system, Marcin Tischner, Public Affairs Coordinator at ProVeg Poland, said.The technology can also allow for potential benefits for sustainability, health, and animal welfare. There are still some technological challenges that need to be solved to reach a significant scale, but we are convinced that mass consumption of cellular meat is realistic in the long term.To reach its full potential, the collaboration of all stakeholders is required, so we are thrilled to see such leadership from the Polish government in extending their support with this funding, Tischner added.LabFarm presented the first prototype of cultivated meat in Poland at the New Food Forum, which was held in June this year and organized by ProVeg Poland.Obtaining the grant means that LabFarm will be able to implement a research plan to increase production capacity and scale up production, optimize bioprocesses, work on proprietary nutrient formulations, structure the food product, and increase employment, LabFarm said in a Linkedin post.ProVeg Poland has been actively supporting the development of the cellular agriculture sector for years. ProVeg collaborated on the Przemiany Festival 2019 at the Copernicus Science Center in Warsaw, where the first tasting of cultivated meat in continental Europe took place.ProVeg Poland actively communicated and educated about the possibilities and potential of cellular agriculture on television and at industry events. The topic of cellular meat was also featured at the last three editions of the New Food Forum.Cellular agriculture is gradually breaking through into the consciousness of Poles, with 56% believing that cell-grown meat should be available to consumers, subject to a positive opinion from food safety regulators1.We are delighted that Poland is joining the ranks of countries investing in alternative protein sources to ensure food security in Europe. Our vision is a world where everyone chooses delicious and healthy food that is good for all humans, animals, and our planet.