2023-05-03 00:11:06
Imagine being able to produce real milk without cows and farms. This is the challenge launched by an Israeli startup. The young company Remilk (different milk, in French) intends to meet the food needs of the future, against a backdrop of climate and environmental issues.
From our correspondent in Jerusalem,
Remilk manufactures its milk protein in the laboratory, using a technique called “precision fermentation“. The protein is developed from micro-organisms (bacteria), so it is not a synthetic product, but a 100% natural product, assures Caroline Dahan, milk project manager, within this start-up founded in 2019.
Remilk has just obtained the agreement of the Israeli authorities to start production. It will start in six to eight months. This young Food Tech company has also received the green light from the FDA (the US Food and Drug Administration) to also launch production in the United States and Canada. At the European level, Remilk says it hopes for marketing authorization within two years.
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This start-up does not intend to compete with the giants of the dairy sector, such as Nestlé or Danone, but aims to sell them its raw material: milk protein, developed in the laboratory. Thanks to this protein, we can make milk, but also yoghurt and cheese spreads. This milk protein is also intended, more broadly, for the entire agro-industry, for the manufacture of chocolate or biscuits for example.
An “eco-responsible” milk
But why give up traditional cow’s milk, to opt for cow’s milk developed in the laboratory? Because this new Remilk milk is eco-responsible. “It’s time to move to a food system that cares about the environment and animal welfare», Explains the start-up.
This new milk requires only a fraction of the resources needed to produce regular milk. The start-up did the math, and put forward impressive figures: 95% less greenhouse gas.
In comparison with a conventional farm, for an equivalent milk production: water consumption for Remilk represents only 10%, livestock feed 4%, and the area required for production only 1%.
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