Cargill Announces Cultivated Fat Development Partnership With Cubiq Foods
Cargill, one of the largest meat companies in the world, has recently announced its partnership with Cubiq Foods, a Spanish biotech startup focused on developing cultivated alternative fats. This move is significant as it highlights the growing demand for sustainable and ethical food production, even among traditionally meat-centric companies.
Cultivated alternative fats, also known as cultured fats, are produced using cellular agriculture. They are created by isolating and culturing the cells that produce fat in animals, such as cows and pigs, and then scaling up the production of these cells to create a sustainable and ethical alternative to traditional animal fats.
This technology has been gaining traction in recent years as concerns over the environmental impact and ethical issues surrounding traditional animal farming have come to the forefront. The production of animal fats is a resource-intensive process that requires large amounts of land, water, and feed. Additionally, animal farming is often associated with issues such as deforestation, greenhouse gas emissions, and animal cruelty.
Cultivated alternative fats offer a more sustainable and ethical solution to these issues. They require significantly fewer resources to produce, as they can be produced in a controlled environment, and do not involve the slaughter of animals. Furthermore, they offer the potential to create healthier products with lower levels of saturated fats.
Cargill's partnership with Cubiq Foods is a significant step towards mainstreaming this technology. As one of the largest meat companies in the world, Cargill has the potential to influence the industry and shift it towards more sustainable and ethical practices. By investing in alternative fats, Cargill is acknowledging the importance of reducing the environmental impact of its operations and addressing the growing demand for sustainable and ethical food products.
This move also highlights the importance of collaboration between traditional companies and startups in driving innovation in the food industry. Cubiq Foods, as a startup focused on the development of cultivated fats, brings expertise and innovation to the table, while Cargill's resources and industry experience can help bring these products to market and scale up production.
In conclusion, Cargill's partnership with Cubiq Foods is a significant development in the pursuit of more sustainable and ethical food production. The cultivation of alternative fats offers a more environmentally friendly and humane alternative to traditional animal fats. The involvement of a large meat company such as Cargill is a positive step towards mainstreaming this technology and reducing the industry's impact on the environment and animal welfare.
About Cargill
Cargill helps the world’s food system work for you. We connect farmers with markets, customers with ingredients and families with daily essentials—from the foods they eat to the floors they walk on. Our 160,000 team members around the world innovate with purpose, empowering our partners and communities as we work to nourish the world in a safe, responsible, sustainable way.
From feed that reduces methane emissions to waste-based renewable fuels, the possibilities are boundless. But our values remain the same. We put people first. We reach higher. We do the right thing. It’s how we’ve met the needs of the people we call neighbors and the planet we call home for 157 years—and how we’ll do so for generations to come. For more information, visit Cargill.com and our News Center.
About Cubiq Foods
Dr. Raquel Revilla and Andrés Montefeltro started the Granollers (Barcelona, Spain)-based company in 2018. CUBIQ FOODS uses cell culture, microencapsulation of omega-3 oils and new oil/water emulsion formulas to respond to the growing demand for healthy ingredients in the food sector. The company has developed a technology platform to produce cultivated fats and omega-3-rich cell-based oils and has new patented methods for preparing structured oil/water emulsions to replace plant and animal fats in food production. It is the first company focused on these types of food applications on an industrial scale. CUBIQ FOODS aims to lead the quest to incorporate the "omega-3 daily dose" for a variety of functional food products. (Functional foods offer additional or enhanced benefits above their basic nutritional value.) The company is ready to replace animal fats in processed meat, and coconut oil in plant-based products globally. It is partnering with large food and ingredients producers to make this vision a reality. For more information visit cubiqfoods.com.
