Aleph Farms and Mitsubishi Corporation’s Food Industry Group have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to bring cultivated meat to the Japanese table
Aleph Farms will provide its manufacturing platform (BioFarm) for the cultivation of whole-muscle steaks. Mitsubishi Corporation will provide expertise in biotechnological processes, branded food manufacturing and local distribution channels in Japan.
“The MoU with Mitsubishi Corporation’s Food Industry Group marks an important milestone for us, as we methodically build the foundations of our global go-to-market activities with selected partners,” noted Didier Toubia, co-founder and CEO of Aleph Farms.
Mitsubishi Corporation is a global integrated enterprise that develops and operates a global network of 1,700 group companies in 90 countries. With annual revenues of US$140bn, Mitsubishi Corporation is made up of 10 business groups covering almost every industry.
The Food Industry Group covers food resources, fresh foods, consumer products, and food ingredients. It is active in every link of the food supply chain, from the production and sourcing of raw materials to the manufacturing of finished food products.
“The cooperation demonstrates Aleph Farms’ strategy of working together with the food and meat industries to ensure a successful integration of cultivated meat within the ecosystem, while maximising the positive impact we make,” added Toubia. “We are excited to bring cultivated meat production closer to the Japanese market.”
This cooperation plays a leading role in the fight against climate change, especially now that the Japanese government has set a target of zero greenhouse gas emissions. In April 2020, Aleph Farms committed to eliminating emissions from its meat production by 2025 and achieve the same net zero emissions across its entire supply chain by 2030.
As demand for meat continues to rise with changing lifestyles, cooperation will also provide actionable solutions to address the societal challenges facing the local population in the context of domestic meat supply. This includes the implementation of stable food quality nutrition channels.
“This is part of a network of ‘BioFarm to Fork’ strategic partnerships being developed by Aleph Farms in APAC, LATAM, and Europe, following the successful 2019 Round-A strategic investment by Cargill and the Migros Group in Switzerland,” reported Gary Brenner, vice-president of market development at Aleph Farms.
Aleph Farms and Mitsubishi Corporation are members of the ‘Cellular Agriculture Study Group’, a consortium implementing policy proposals under the Japanese Center for Rule-Making Strategy. The consortium brings together a range of experts on the definition and construction of cellular agricultural foods.
