Higher Steaks’ hits major milestone in the commercialisation of cultured pork products
Future Space residents, Higher Steaks, announced this week the world’s first cultivated bacon and pork belly. The demonstration establishes the Bristol-based business as the market leader in the cultivated pork sector.
“Our mission is to provide meat that is healthy and sustainable without the consumer making any sacrifices on taste.” – Benjamina Bollag, CEO
The most widely consumed meat, demand for pork continues to increase, while supply is under major threat due to African Swine Fever. Rabobank estimated that at least 40% of China’s 360-million pig population in 2019 could have been lost, and this shows no sign of slowing down.
Benjamina Bollag, CEO Higher Steaks said “The production of the first ever cultivated bacon and pork belly is proof that new techniques can help meet overwhelming demand for pork products globally.”
She went on to say, “this is a major milestone for Higher Steaks, we have made substantial advancements in a relatively short amount of time whilst managing cashflow. We are accelerating the development of cultured pork products and the company is now focused on the next steps to bring our products to everyone’s homes.”
Leading the next phase of production, Dr James Clark, former CTO of PredictImmune, has been appointed as Chief Scientific Officer to scale the cultivated meat process. James has successfully led the development of biotech and pharma products from discovery to commercialisation to IPO. With over 25 years of experience in R&D and +70 patents, the appointment is a major accomplishment for the Higher Steaks.
“The addition of Dr James Clark to the team gives Higher Steaks a significant advantage,” said Dr. Ruth Helen Faram, Head of R&D. “Cultivated pork belly and bacon have never been demonstrated before and Higher Steaks is the first to develop a prototype containing over 70% cultivated pork muscle, without the use of bovine serum.”