Alternative Protein

Future Meat Technologies Produces Cultivated Lamb

Future Meat uses animal fibroblasts to replicate the meat in a lab, producing a non-GMO product that is cost-effective, sustainable and completely scalable, without harming a single animal through the process, the company says. Image courtesy of Future Meat Technologies

Future Meat Technologies announced that it has produced its first cultivated lamb, which reportedly looks, cooks and tastes like conventional ground lamb meat. Reaching this milestone with ovine cell lines means the company can now produce cultivated lamb at scale and accelerate its focus to expanding into even more animal species.

"In passing this milestone, Future Meat reinforces its position as a leader and pioneer in the cultivated meat industry and shows again the limitless potential of how innovation can drive sustainable solutions," says Nicole Johnson-Hoffman, CEO of Future Meat. "The key learnings will be leveraged as we work to produce other meats, including beef and pork, increasing Future Meat's market offerings for consumers."

Future Meat's development of cultivated lamb started in 2019 with fibroblast cells isolated from Awassi sheep, generating two independent ovine cell lines, that divide indefinitely.

"Future Meat has been the first company to remove Fetal Bovine Serum, and all other animal components, from its growth media," says Prof. Yaakov Nahmias, president, founder and chief science officer of Future Meat Technologies. "Future Meat's approach leans on the natural spontaneous immortalization of fibroblasts, rather than genetic modification. This is the key to Future Meat's cells being non-GMO."

"Since lamb has a uniquely distinct flavor, it is very clear if a cultivated substitute is on or off the mark," says Michael Lenahan, general manager of Future Meat. "The reason Future Meat's cultivated lamb is indistinguishable from conventional lamb is because it is, first and foremost, real meat. It sizzles, sears and tastes just like people expect—it's amazing."

Moving forward, as the company prepares to enter the U.S. market, Future Meat says it will shift its focus to scaling up production of its cultivated meat products, including lamb and chicken, at its new production facility, which is expected to break ground this year.