Meatable has announced the opening of a new pilot plant in Leiden, the Netherlands, which is twice the size of its previous lab and office space. This expansion enables Meatable to increase its bioreactor capacity from 50 liters to 200 liters, with potential for further expansion to 500 liters. The opening of the new plant follows a $35m series B funding round in the summer and is seen as an important step towards commercializing the company’s cultivated pork products, scheduled for launch in Singapore in 2024.
Krijn de Nood, co-founder and chief executive of Meatable, is pleased with the company’s progress, stating: “It is fantastic to see how we have grown from an idea of two entrepreneurs five years ago into a mature company with a tangible product that can transform how we eat meat.” In addition, he revealed that the new facility will allow the company to further scale its processes and accelerate commercial launch, bringing Meatable one step closer to its mission of creating delicious, cultivated meat products without harming people, animals, or the planet.
Established in 2018, Meatable has expanded to more than 90 employees and is known for having one of the fastest processes in the industry to produce cultivated meat, with the ability to develop one single animal cell into pork in just eight days. In July, the Netherlands became the first EU member state to approve cultivated meat tastings, following the US, which permitted two companies to market cultured meat earlier in the year.
Despite the progress made in developing the market for cultivated meat, some countries have pushed back against the technology. For example, the Italian Chamber of Deputies recently passed a law banning the production and marketing of cultivated meat, and the use of meat-related names for plant-based meat products. Meanwhile, food and drink firms from across Europe gathered at the Plant-Based World Expo Europe at the London Excel Centre to learn more about the latest trends in the sector. For further information on the latest trends, you can read more here.