Over 50 delegates from the cell-cultured protein industry came together for the official opening of the world’s first dedicated food-grade powder production facility for cell feed at Nutreco in Boxmeer, the Netherlands.

The team at the facility has successfully produced the first commercial batch of 50 kilograms of cell feed, with plans to produce several 100 kilograms per week, further growing in pace with the cellular agriculture industry. While this is a small portion of the total nine billion kilograms of products Nutreco produces each year, there is great potential to scale further at attractive margins and contribute to the growth of this fledgling industry.

“The cell-cultured protein industry is in its development stage and one of its biggest challenges is how to feed protein cells cost-efficiently, sustainably and at scale. We see the potential for this industry to be one solution to the challenge of feeding the rising global population and are committed to helping the industry grow by becoming a supplier and a solutions provider,” said Susanne Wiegel, head of Alternative Protein Program.

“We must continue to drive productivity and reduce the environmental footprints in the animal protein value chain, and produce protein from more and more varied sources – animals as well as alternative sources of protein such as plant-based protein, meat or seafood developed from animal cells and protein produced through fermentation. Our investments and innovation in the cell-cultured protein industry are just one way we’re tackling the challenge,” said David Blakemore, CEO Nutreco.