American actor Leonardo DiCaprio has invested in Dutch companies Aleph Farms and Mosa Meat, which develop technology to grow meat as an alternative to slaughtering animals.
This isn’t the first such investment from DiCaprio, who has already been supporting Aleph Farms in Israel.
DiCaprio views cultured meat as one of the solutions to climate change, as traditional cattle farming for meat production is environmentally taxing.
“One of the most impactful ways to combat the climate crisis is to transform our food system,” DiCaprio said.
“Mosa Meat and Aleph Farms offer new ways to meet the global demand for beef while solving some of the most pressing problems of today's industrial beef production.”
Global meat consumption is expected to grow by 40 to 70 percent by the year 2050, according to the Flemish infocentre for agriculture and horticulture (VILT).
“That's when cultured meat offers a solution to greatly reduce the current negative effects of industrial beef production,” said Mosa Meat in a press release.
“Moreover, cultured meat ensures that people can continue to enjoy the meat they like to eat, without the need for a major behavioural change.”
Analysts have predicted that the cultured meat market could reach around €21.3 billion by 2030, as part of the broader protein transition, VILT says.
Mosa Meat is a spin-off from Maastricht University that was founded in 2016.
They produce their beef using just a few animal cells, which are fed in order to grow meat.
The company’s co-founded made headlines when he presented the world’s first cultured hamburger, which at the time cost €250,000 to produce.
Their goal now is to make such cultured burgers affordable for consumers.
They’ve raised around €82 million in capital from various investment rounds.
Neither of the Dutch companies has disclosed the sum of DiCaprio’s investment.
