Cultivated meat for the military draws ire

In the US, BioMADE has issued a call for proposals for food and material innovations with military applications. The  Department of Defense manufacturing innovation institute is offering grants ranging from $500,000 to $2 million.

BioMade emphasized “innovations in food production that reduce the CO₂ footprint of food production at and/or transport to DoD operational environments… These could include, but are not limited to, production of nutrient-dense military rations via fermentation processes, utilizing one carbon molecule (C1) feedstocks for food production, and novel cell culture methods suitable for the production of cultivated meat/protein.” Other focus areas include converting waste to bioproducts and carbon capture.

Vegconomist noted pushback from industry groups such as the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association.  “US cattle producers raise the highest-quality beef in the world, with the lowest carbon footprint – and American troops deserve to be served that same wholesome, natural meat and not ultra-processed, lab-grown protein that is cooked up in a chemical-filled bioreactor,” Ethan Lane, NCBA Vice President of Government Affairs, said in a statement. “This misguided research project is a giant slap in the face to everyone that has served our country. Our veterans and active-duty troops deserve so much better than this.”