The big-money community that has funded startups such as
Apple and Facebook is taking a keen interest in making products to replace
beef, pork and chicken.
Fortune Magazine has a feature article in its current issue about
who is doing what, including startups that have attracted investments from
Tyson and Cargill.
The developers break into two basic camps.
One is those who use plants to make products that the developers
hope will taste, smell, cook and have the mouth feel of the meats they aim to
replace.
The other uses cells taken from animals or chickens and
seeks to multiply them, usually in fermentation tanks, and then structure them
into products.
So far the cellular approach has been extremely expensive.
It also faces more challenges gaining regulatory approvals to make it to
market.
But the cellular approach is the one that some of the
venture capitalists with the deepest pockets have chosen to support.
Maple Leaf Foods Inc., which has bought two companies this
year on either side of the United States, is investing in those taking the
plant-based approach and with products already on the market.
