The UK government has announced a £12 million investment in a new initiative – the Cellular Agriculture Manufacturing Hub (CARMA) – to help the country lead the world in delivering a safe food supply.
Led by the University of Bath, the Cell Ag Hub Will help British scientists and companies develop farmed meat at scale. Aim of the initiative To transform meat production into an environmentally, economically and socially sustainable model where innovative production systems complement traditional food production.
Feeding a growing population
The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), part of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), funded the Cellular Agriculture Manufacturing Hub. It is the largest single investment the UK government has made in sustainable protein as part of the £120 million earmarked for R&D in last year’s government food strategy.
“The Cellular Agriculture Manufacturing Hub will lead the development of new processes to sustainably and cost-effectively produce key food groups such as protein to feed a growing global population,” said George Freeman, Minister of State for Science, Research and Innovation.
World leading research
Professor Marianne Ellis of the University of Bath is leading the multidisciplinary initiative, which involves experts from University College London and the Royal Agricultural University, as well as the universities of Birmingham and Aberystwyth. UK-based farmed meat companies including Hoxton Farms, 3D Bio-Tissues, Ivy Farms and Quest Meat will also be part of the hub.
CARMA will run for seven years and aims to create a world-leading research ecosystem that advances basic science for meat and precision fermentation material farming.
Specifically, it aims to develop and deliver practical and scalable manufacturing technologies, systems, process feedstocks and skills that can impact and create regional, national and international benefits (with spin-off benefits in future exports and attract world-class talent). ) United Kingdom).
A new way of preparing meat
The Good Food Institute Europe welcomed the investment and said a shift towards these foods would help the UK meet its climate targets.
Linus Pardo, UK Policy Manager at the Good Food Institute Europe, said: “Today’s announcement is a seismic step in the development of a sustainable protein industry in the UK and I want to commend the Government for investing in the tremendous potential of this new way of building. the meat
“This landmark investment is a strong signal that the UK Government recognizes the importance of cellular agriculture and the need to invest in the R&D needed to help British companies scale production, reduce costs and make this food available to all.”