10 inventive European tech startups working on making meat substitute without slaughtering any animals

With the increased awareness about animal abuse and the consequences of the food supply chain on health, consumers are looking forward to healthier options with fewer chemicals. Apart from animal abuse, the conventional practices of animal farming are harmful and unsustainable for both human and animal health. There are pandemics such as mad cow disease, swine flu and bird flu in the livestock farms, making consumers want a sustainable solution. This is where clean meat companies play a major role.

Clean meat companies grow fat cells and muscle cells in a bioreactor and this eliminates animals to a great extent. In fact recently, Twitter co-founder Ev Williams’ venture capital firm made an investment in California’s Beyond Meat, the maker of plant-based meat substitutes that went public earlier this month.

At the same time, there are are many European startups which are making efforts in a similar field in an attempt to fight negative carbon footprint. Let’s take a look at the top 10 list we prepared with the help of Dealroom.

Mosa Meat (Netherlands)

Founders: Mark Post, Peter Verstrate
Funding: €7.5 million

Dutch startup Mosa Meat is backed by Merck KGaA, a German drugmaker and a leading European meat processor. Founded in 2016, this company produces beef from cattle cells. It is aimed at transforming the global meat industry with cell-culture technology. The company launched the world’s first cultured hamburger last year and intends to develop commercial products available for consumers by 2021.

Algama (France)

Founders: Alvyn Severien, Gaëtan Gohin, Mathieu Gonçalves Alves
Funding: €3.5 million

Founded in 2013, Algama reinvents everyday food. It is a next-generation daily food product company, which harnesses the unique potential of nutritional microalgae. This company produces a sustainable, tasty and healthy alternative to everyday food. Its innovative platform is developed in conjunction with food professionals helping the company produce alternative food that is good for health.

Meatable (Netherlands)

Founders: Krijn De Nood, Mark Kotter
Funding: €3.2 million

Meatable founded in 2018 produces 100% delicious, real and guilt-free meat. The company revolutionises the meat industry and reduces the impact on climate change. Also, the company increases food security without any compromise on the culinary experience of eating real and tasty meat.

Veganz (Germany)

Founders: Jan Bredack
Funding: €1.5 million

In 2011, Veganz was founded with the vision to shift people across the world towards sustainable lives and make them follow a plant-based diet. Based in Berlin, Veganz is a leading brand of plant-based food. The company has developed over 160 plant-based products including snacks, sweets, alternatives, meat, cheese, fish and functional foods. Also, it has made frozen foods such as ready-made pizza.

nextProtein (France)

Founders: Mohamed Gastli, Syrine Chaalala
Funding: €1.3 million

nextProtein was founded in 2015 is driven by the desire to address land and resource scarcity and the challenge of feeding the growing population in a sustainable manner. The company is touted to be able to produce the same amount of protein as 100ha of soya field from just 100sqm. It process is EU-approved to be used for aquaculture and pet food.

Neoalgae (Spain)

Founders: Fidel Delgado Ramallo, Ignacio Albert de la Rosa
Funding: €820k

Established in 2012, Neoalgae is biotechnology startup with the objective of bridging the gap between industrial processes and laboratory scale in the field of applications of microalgae. There are three divisions that are interconnected to be more efficient in developing skills and providing optimal service to users.

Meatless (Netherlands)

CEO: Jos Hugense
Funding: €390k

Meatless operating since 2006 is involved in the production of vegetable textured products that can be used in a variety of processed food products. The company’s products are used as raw materials or ingredients in the vegan and vegetarian food production. Also, these products are effective, healthy and sustainable alternatives for meat or fat in processed meat products. Meatless is made using pure natural wholefood raw materials and is free of preservatives, colouring agents, artificial binders and flavour enhancers.

New Wave Foods (United States)

Founders: Dominique Barnes, Michelle Wolf, Mary McGovern
Funding: €230k

New Wave Foods is a market leader when it comes to producing truly sustainable seafood. Founded in 2015, the company products plant-based seafood, which is better and healthier for the environment. Its products have high protein content and deliver a great culinary experience for consumers. It also combats the negative environmental impact caused by commercial fishing.

Ojah (Netherlands)

Founders: Frank Giezen, Jeroen Willemsen, Wouter Jansen

This Dutch production company exists since 2009. Ojah produces next-generation meat substitutes or alternatives called Beeter in Dutch. It is a 100% plant-based, non-GMO and gluten-free product. It has sublime meat-like versatility and bite. The company was rewarded as the most innovative Dutch SME in 2012.

HiProMine (Poland)

Founders: Damian Józefiak

HiProMine is a spin-off company under the BridgeAlfa program (NCBiR) program created in 2015 to commercialise scientific research. The company is active in research and development in biotechnology. It focuses on the development of innovative technological solutions in insect breeding as well as solutions-based on the use of insects as a protein source. HiProMine was awarded the Most Disruptive innovation by Deloitte recently.

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Also read,

https://siliconcanals.com/news/startups/meet-the-three-innovative-european-startups-that-have-been-honoured-with-the-future-hamburg-award/