Bill Gates has significantly invested in food-tech companies exploring both cultivated meat and 3D-printed alternatives, supporting innovations that could transform the food system. For instance, Israeli startup Steakholder Foods partnered with Singapore’s Umami Meats to create the world’s first 3D-printed, cell‑cultured grouper fillet, using precision 3D bioprinting to assemble fish muscle and fat cells layer by layer with digital designs. This fillet was showcased publicly in Rehovot, Israel, earlier this year.
In parallel, Steakholder Foods also printed what claims to be the largest-ever 3D‑printed steak composed of animal cells—bio-ink derived from stem cells and scaffolding materials is printed and then incubated over several weeks until mature muscle fibers form .
The process begins by formulating a bio-ink from selected cell lines plus scaffolding. The printer layers this construct within precise microns, forming a cut of meat within minutes. Subsequently, these printed tissues undergo incubation to allow cells to differentiate, developing natural muscle and fat structures .
Bill Gates supports both plant-based brands (Beyond Meat, Impossible Foods, Redefine Meat) and cell-based firms (Upside Foods, Steakholder Foods), endorsing innovation that matches taste and texture of real meat and seafood in order to supplant traditional livestock farming . He particularly highlighted that consumers are more likely to accept meat if alternatives are indistinguishable in flavor and cost .
While these technologies remain nascent, early pilots show cultivated chicken and seafood are nearing commercial scale. Upside Foods gained FDA approval for its cultivated chicken fillets, and Steakholder continues developing seafood prototypes. Though challenges around scaling, cost reduction, and regulation remain, Gates and fellow investors forecast that continued R&D will make these products cost-competitive within 5–10 years .
34news.online
In parallel, Steakholder Foods also printed what claims to be the largest-ever 3D‑printed steak composed of animal cells—bio-ink derived from stem cells and scaffolding materials is printed and then incubated over several weeks until mature muscle fibers form .
The process begins by formulating a bio-ink from selected cell lines plus scaffolding. The printer layers this construct within precise microns, forming a cut of meat within minutes. Subsequently, these printed tissues undergo incubation to allow cells to differentiate, developing natural muscle and fat structures .
Bill Gates supports both plant-based brands (Beyond Meat, Impossible Foods, Redefine Meat) and cell-based firms (Upside Foods, Steakholder Foods), endorsing innovation that matches taste and texture of real meat and seafood in order to supplant traditional livestock farming . He particularly highlighted that consumers are more likely to accept meat if alternatives are indistinguishable in flavor and cost .
While these technologies remain nascent, early pilots show cultivated chicken and seafood are nearing commercial scale. Upside Foods gained FDA approval for its cultivated chicken fillets, and Steakholder continues developing seafood prototypes. Though challenges around scaling, cost reduction, and regulation remain, Gates and fellow investors forecast that continued R&D will make these products cost-competitive within 5–10 years .
34news.online
