Cultured meat, hybrid food, milk without cows or honey without bees are some of the innovative ideas presented by leading Israeli companies in the food technology sector

The food industry of the future is in Israel

photo_camera ATALAYAR/MARGARITA ARREDONDAS - SuperMeat's innovative kitchen, The Chicken, offers a unique experience where you can enjoy a tasty fried cultured chicken burger.

In recent years Israel has been pushing FoodTech with the aim of making the planet more sustainable.

The world's population is growing by leaps and bounds. According to United Nations data, it is expected to increase by 2 billion people in the next 30 years, from the current 7.7 billion to 9.7 billion in 2050, and could reach a peak of around 11 billion by 2100.

In this context, and taking into account the serious effects of climate change and pollution on the planet, several Israeli companies have taken action and started to develop ideas that contribute to the sustainability of the planet. These ideas have focused on the food sector, specifically on industrial livestock farming and the production of other animal-based foods, such as dairy products and honey, as these are some of the most polluting industries. According to the FAO (Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations), "the livestock sector contributes significantly to total human greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions". According to the UN agency, this industry is responsible for 14.5% of global GHG emissions. 

agricultura israel

This situation is pushing the meat industry to change. We must change certain areas of our lives in order to achieve a more sustainable world while taking care of our own health. This is what Israeli research institutes such as MIGAL or Margalit Startup City Galilee and several companies dedicated to FoodTech (food technology) are proposing and developing. These are centres and companies that a group of European journalists have had the honour of visiting during a press trip organised by the Europe Israel Press Association (EIPA).

agricultura israel

But what makes Israel the centre of this industry? Firstly, as Ali Teicher, head of the Food and Food Technology Unit at the Israel Export Institute, explains, the nation has a history of food and water scarcity, which has created a demand for advanced technology. Secondly, there is a strong link between the academic and business sectors, which leads to innovation, an aspect that is very present in Israeli society. Finally, Israel's mix of cultures due to migration, especially from Eastern Europe, the Middle East and North Africa, must be taken into account. This scenario, in Teicher's words, "demands a great variety of flavours" and promotes "openness to new foods". However, a key factor for this industry to function and move forward is state support, a key backing that Israeli FoodTech is counting on.

Northern characteristics favour innovation and research  

The north of the country is one of the main areas where the industry's most innovative research is being carried out. The region, with its unique weather conditions, is the ideal setting for experimentation in agriculture. This is precisely what Northern Agriculture R&D, an agricultural R&D (Research and Development) organisation near the city of Kiryat Shemona and associated with the MIGAL research institute, is engaged in. However, it also operates in the Galilee area, parts of the Golan Heights and the Jordan Valley. Northern Agriculture R&D focuses on intensive agriculture with innovative methods both in the open air and in greenhouses. In the latter, techniques are used to boost the growth of tropical fruits, such as watering the roots of the trees with hot water.

agricultura israel

Work is also being done to grow avocados at low temperatures, which, if successful, would be a real "revolution" in avocado cultivation. So far, they have already concluded that the main problem is the first radiation the plant receives after a cold night. Northern R&D also produces foods such as biscuits or biscuits based on carob, a fruit similar to Mediterranean beans. 

tecnologia alimentaria israel

Another of MIGAL's units is The Center for Postharvest Innovation, which focuses on developing natural treatments to prevent food waste. Like Northern R&D, one of the foods they work with and research is avocados, a fruit whose quality and flavour they have managed to maintain until August, a month in which it normally loses quality and increases in value.

MIGAL also works with food technology companies such as Mush Foods. This company produces sustainable protein foods based on the mycelium of mushrooms, as this element enhances flavour and offers nutritional value. Also, thanks to its texture, it is very suitable for mixing with meat to create hybrid foods to reduce meat consumption. "This can have a big impact, as many people don't think about giving up meat," explains Jonathan Caspi, vice president of the company's R&D department and an expert in protein engineering.

tecnologia alimentaria israel
Grasshoppers, a possible solution to the food crisis 

"And his meat was locusts and wild honey". This biblical reference to John the Baptist can be read at the entrance to the world's first intensive grasshopper farm. Hargol in the Golan Heights produces grasshopper flour and even grasshopper jelly beans with a high protein content. In addition, foods made from grasshoppers contain high levels of omega-3, magnesium, potassium, calcium, vitamin E, vitamin B3 or vitamin B12. As Dror Tamir, co-founder and CEO of Hagol, explains, grasshoppers lower blood pressure, improve brain and digestive function and are beneficial for skin care. 

tecnologia alimentaria israel

Hargol, which is halal and kosher certified, could be part of the solution to the food crises currently being experienced in many countries. Furthermore, the maintenance of grasshoppers causes hardly any ecological footprint. "We are talking about more than 99% reduction in carbon emissions, water consumption, farmland use, and waste production," says Tamir.

carne-saltamontes-israel

Hagol's important work has been recognised by the country's authorities. Just a few weeks ago, the company was honoured by the Israeli president in parliament for being a company that has changed the world. "It's a long journey on which we have just taken our first steps," says Tamir. 

Despite the benefits, Tamir acknowledges that "not everyone is brave enough to try the products". However, he says, "insects will be part of our diet whether we like it or not, as we have to change the way we eat".

tecnologia alimentaria israel
Cultured meat and plant-based meat

Cultured meat is meat that is created by obtaining cells from an animal without slaughtering it. Through a series of laboratory procedures, it is possible to produce meat with a texture identical to that obtained after killing an animal. This is precisely what the startup Aleph Farms and the innovative kitchen The Chicken, from the company SuperMeat, are doing, offering a unique experience where you can taste a delicious cultured fried chicken burger at first hand. 

tecnologia alimentaria israel

Both companies, located in the Rehovot technology park south of Tel Aviv, aim to reduce animal suffering and environmental impact, as cultured meat reduces the carbon footprint, as well as water and soil use.

tecnologia alimentaria israel

As Neta Lavon, Aleph Farms' chief technology officer and vice president of R&D, stresses, people must "be willing" to try this type of meat. The company introduced its first cultured steak in December 2018 and the first cutlet in February 2021. Lavon admits that young people are "more open" to it. According to a survey exposed by the company, 49% of young people in the so-called Generation Z would be willing to try this meat, compared to 33% of people of an older age who would not try it.

tecnologia alimentaria israel

Aleph Farms is a company with a very futuristic vision. Proof of this was its collaboration with 3D Bioprinting Solutions in 2019 to develop the first meat grown in space. The company has even conducted experiments in space to test conditions in zero gravity. It is also presented as an option for possible future colonies on other planets, as well as for astronauts.

Another positive aspect of cultured meat is that it can also be consumed by certain vegans. Those who are vegan for ethical reasons and because they are against animal abuse and suffering can enjoy this innovative and tasty lab-grown meat.

tecnologia alimentaria israel

However, the meat that is suitable for all vegans is produced by Redefine Meat. The products marketed by the company offer the same taste and texture as animal meat due to the efforts and research of workers who seek to ensure a unique and healthy experience while advocating sustainability. 

tecnologia alimentaria israel

Redefine Meat partners with several renowned Michelin-starred chefs, such as Ron Blaauw from Amsterdam, Marco Pierre White from London, Joachim Gerner from Berlin or Shahaf Shabtay from Israel.

Honey without bees and milk without cows

But the innovation of the country's food technology companies goes beyond meat. Producing honey without bees is another goal that Bee-io, one of these pioneering Israeli companies, has achieved. Bee-io argues that the current method of honey production endangers bees. According to Ofir Dvash, CEO of the company, the current mass beekeeping does not help the bees, on the contrary, it takes away their food - honey - during the winter. Dvash explains that there are thousands of bee species, but only seven make honey, so humans tend to breed the ones that produce food, displacing the rest and reducing diversity. 

tecnologia alimentaria israel

The honey produced by Bee-io contains only natural ingredients from flowers. As a result, several types of honey can be created depending on the plants with a more intense and special taste, such as eucalyptus, citrus, lavender or coffee honey.

"Cleaner, better and with healthier ingredients. Bee-friendly and anti-bacterial" is how Dvash presents the product before offering a range of delicious foods made with Bee-io honey.

tecnologia alimentaria israel

Just as Bee-io produces honey without bees, other companies such as Imagindiary and Wilk produce milk without cows. The latter is also working to create cell-based breast milk.

Healthier food for us and for the planet

In addition to caring for the environment, Israeli food technology companies are advocating a healthier diet. This is the case of Better Juice and Blue Tree, two companies working to reduce sugar in natural juices. On the other hand, there is Innovopro, a startup that produces food based on the protein contained in chickpeas, a staple food in the region's diet.

Among these initiatives that promote a healthy lifestyle while caring for the environment is Anina, a startup that has turned healthy food into an art form. Technology and design come together to create healthy and sustainable food. "We create art," says Anat Natán, CEO and co-founder. 

tecnologia alimentaria israel

The food industry is changing. Part of society is aware of the effects that climate change may have in a few years' time. However, some of these consequences can already be felt today with numerous heat waves or droughts.

Like some members of the public, certain companies - such as the ones we have seen - are advocating sustainability and striving to reduce their ecological footprint while maintaining quality in their products for the sake of consumers. Today, with the critical environmental landscape, they are more important than ever. They are the companies of tomorrow, of the future. Companies that are contributing to leaving a greener, greener and healthier world for future generations. Because of their work and social responsibility, such companies should receive funding from governments - something that happens in the case of Israel - as well as from international investors. To bet on these companies is to bet on sustainability and the future of our planet, the only one we have

More in Reports
PORTADA 

Una combinación de imágenes creadas el 9 de febrero de 2024 muestra a ucranianos fotografiados entre edificios y casas destruidos durante los dos años de la invasión rusa de Ucrania - PHOTO/AFP
In a post-pandemic scenario, Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a major offensive against Ukraine, bringing the first full-scale war since World War II to Europe

Mapping a failed invasion