How Indian Alt-Meat Startups Are Changing The Way We Perceive Food - The Economic Times

7/1/2021 How Indian alt-meat startups are changing the way we perceive food - The Economic Times
How Indian alt-meat startups are

changing the way we perceive
food
Traditional Romanian minced meat rolls called 'mici' are stored before being served to customers, in Bucharest, Romania, June 11, 2021. Inquam
Photos/Octav Ganea via REUTERS
Synopsis
A few Indian startups and research institutes are devising plant and cell-based alternatives to meat to help
revolutionise the sustainable food market.
When actor couple Genelia and Riteish Deshmukh turned vegetarian five years
ago, they could hardly have predicted that they would launch an alternative meat
startup in 2021.
Imagine Meats, India’s newest plant-based food startup which starts off next
month, will offer a variety of cooked food, from kebabs to biryani, and cater to
those who want something that tastes and feels just like real meat.
In fact, Imagine Meats has been buzzing on photo-sharing platform Instagram,

giving a glimpse of what’s in store even before launch.
“As a hardcore meat eater for 35 years, I developed a craving for meat after I
turned vegetarian,” Riteish, the Bollywood star of the Houseful movie series, says.
https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/tech/startups/how-indian-alt-meat-startups-are-changing-the-way-we-perceive-food/printprimiumarticle/836… 1/7
During a trip to the United States, Genelia and Riteish chanced upon plant-based
meat substitutes and indulged themselves without feeling guilty about causing
environmental damage or harming their health. That is when the idea took root.
“We want to cater to that segment of the population which is conscious about
what they eat. It could be vegetarians who like to have a taste of meat, as well as
those who want to quit eating meat and embrace vegetarianism,” says Riteish.
The high-income slice of India’s urban population is open to the idea of switching
to alternative meat, a trend popularised by their US and China counterparts,
showed a 2019 survey by Canada-based journal Frontiers in Sustainable Food
Systems, which publishes peer-reviewed research on global food security.
The interesting revelation has brought cheer to dozens of Indian startups and
companies working in the alternative meat sector.
The survey, led by Christopher Bryant from the University of Bath in the United
Kingdom, showed that 56% of Indian meat-consuming city-dwellers were likely
to purchase lab-grown meat regularly, while 63% were expected to switch to
plant-based meat.
To be sure, the concept of alternative meat is only gaining in momentum across

the world. Even so, the survey came as a shot in the arm for Indian startups,
investors and research institutes that are rigorously working in the alternative
meat space, or what is broadly called the alternative protein sector.
These startups and institutions are developing a range of food technologies to

address the country’s growing demand for meat and nutrition, which is likely to
reach a tipping point by 2050 when conventionally produced meat is no longer
enough to feed its about 70% meat eaters.
The climate impact (meat and dairy account for about 14.5% of global greenhouse
gas emissions), a focus on sustainability and harmful effects of processed meat on
human health, are driving innovations in the sunrise sector.
Evolution, Cultivation
The global alternative meat industry is witnessing an evolution in the form of

plant-based and cultivated meat. Plant-based meat mimics meat derived from
animals, by using resources like soy, beans, potato, pea protein, beetroot, among
other substances. Cultivated or lab-grown meat is made using animal cell culture
technology that does away with the whole process of rearing animals for
consumption.
US-based Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods are two of the leading
international brands that make plant-based meat, while Upside Foods
(previously Memphis Meats) and Eat Just are well-known global food technology
companies developing cell-based meat alternatives.

As with the global trend, plant-based meat is evolving at a faster pace in India
compared to the more complex cultured meat substitute, which is currently
produced in lab settings.

Several startups selling vegetarian meat products have been launched in the last
couple of years alone, apart from pioneers like Ahimsa Food and GoodDot.
The market for plant-based meat is slowly maturing in India, says Yasmin
Ahmad Jadwani, founder of Delhi-based Ahimsa Food, one of the oldest
companies in the alternative meat sector.
“We started Ahimsa Food…with the assumption that the market was ready 12
years ago, but it was not,” she says.
However, there is wider acceptance of plant-based meat products now, though

people are extremely price sensitive, Jadwani says.
Ahimsa Food, launched in 2008, has its own brand - Veggie Champ - selling
cooked meat substitutes, including chicken, mutton, fish and prawns, for Rs 150
to Rs 300.
Escalating demand for food worldwide has spurred the development of lab-
grown meat, which can be gradually scaled up for mass production.
Last December, Singapore became the first country to permit the sale of lab-
grown meat.
Eat Just, a food technology company from San Francisco, has become the world’s
first manufacturer to have its cell-cultured chicken served at a restaurant in
Singapore.

The Singapore story has raised the hopes of entrepreneurs, researchers and
advocacy groups in India about the future of cultured meat, seen as the next big
thing in food technology.
Lab-grown meat company ClearMeat has applied for a patent for a technology it
developed to grow cultured chicken mince. It is currently in the lab-to-market
transition phase.
The startup, founded by scientists Siddharth Manvati and Pavan Dhar of
Jawaharlal Nehru University, has successfully developed two major components

of cultured meat -- creating cost-effective methods to store animal cells for
industry use and developing nutrient media required for the growth of cells.
The biggest challenge in the production of cultured meat at scale is the growth
media, which give enough nutrients for animal cells to grow and have the
appearance, texture and taste of real meat.
pp ,

Industry experts say 80% of the cost of cultivated meat goes into developing
growth media.

Although foetal bovine serum (FBS) is commonly used as a low-cost growth

supplement in animal cell culture, researchers and startups working in the sector
want to do away with FBS to make the cell-cultured meat truly animal-free.
“The in-house nutrients we have developed for minced chicken address price
parity issues. We are now working on models that can provide substitutes to
meat varieties like pork and beef,” Manvati says.

The company plans to launch minced chicken in India once it receives regulatory
approvals.
Cost factor
Cost is a barrier to cultured meat production worldwide.
Shiok Meats, a cell-based clean meat company in Singapore that plans to

commercialise shrimp products in 2023, is developing some growth factors in-
house, while also partnering with others.

“We are building a system to work with many different animal-free growth
factors, food-grade media, and plant-based alternatives that have the potential to
yield at scale and lower price points,” says chief executive Sandhya Sriram, a
stem-cell scientist who set out to make the meat business ethical, cruelty-free,
environment-friendly and healthy.
Elsewhere, California-based Upside Foods says it has made technical advances to

produce meat at lower cost and greater scale.
“We have reduced the production cost dramatically. Our goal is to make cultured
meat at a cost comparable to -- and eventually lower than -- conventionally
produced meat,” says co-founder Uma Valeti, a cardiologist with Indian roots.
Its first product, chicken, is likely to be available in the United States later this
year and is pending regulatory review.
Both Sriram, a non-meat eater originally from Chennai, and Valeti see great
opportunity for cell-based meat in India, considering the growing inclination
towards alternatives.
“We are hopeful that other countries, including India, will be inspired to design
regulations and policies in favour of cell-based meat and seafood after
Singapore’s stamp of approval,” Sriram says.
Valeti says Upside eventually plans to sell products wherever there is demand,
including in India.
“In fact, India has a special resonance for me since I was born there, and it’s
where I first started learning about the challenges facing our food system,” he
says.
Bright future
The government has also backed cell-based meat projects.
In 2019, the Department of Biotechnology granted Rs 4.6 crore to Hyderabad-

based Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB) and the National
Research Centre on Meat to conduct research on cultivated meat.
The project is being done in collaboration with the Good Food Institute (GFI), a
non-profit which works to support alternative protein innovations.

CCMB’s former director Rakesh Mishra, who led the project, says the team has
successfully identified about four growth factors to culture chicken cells.
“We can now work with willing industry partners, start a pilot and scale up the
lab experiment,” he says, adding projects such as these require “sustained
commitment from the government and industry involvement.”
Industry experts say it will take 10-15 years for the Indian alternative meat sector
to evolve.
GFI India managing director Varun Deshpande says the alternative protein or
‘smart protein’ sector is “at the vanguard of food innovation globally.” Despite the
initial success, he says India is only at the “beginning of protein transformation.”
GFI works closely with various stakeholders -- the government, entrepreneurs,

investors, universities and research institutes – in the country.

With hundreds of entrepreneurs and young Indians looking to enter the sector to
launch delicious, sustainable smart protein foods including meat alternatives,
Deshpande is optimistic about India’s future in the alternative protein space.
“With its vast talent pool, agricultural biodiversity, and track record, India has the
potential to play a leading role in this exciting space, but it will demand major
investment in the supply chain, research and development, and skill
development, from government and industry alike,” he says.
Since the country may take a little longer to emerge as a full-fledged market for
cultured meat, some Indian biotech companies are sensing an immediate
opportunity to extend technology support to cell-based meat producers outside
the country.

For instance, Bengaluru-based Laurus Bio (formerly Richcore Lifesciences) has

partnered with some of the leading global players in the cultured meat segment
to supply low-cost, animal-free growth factors or proteins to nurture cells.
From developing ‘non-animal origin’ recombinant proteins for pharmaceutical

companies, the firm now supplies cell-growth technology to US and non-US
cultured meat companies.
“India should grab this opportunity to become ingredient suppliers or become

protein farmers to the cultured meat industry. Our inherent cost advantage and
resource availability will work in our favour,” says Rajesh Krishnamurthy,
executive director, Laurus Bio.
The value of India’s alternative meat market is estimated to touch about $48
million by the end of financial year 2026, according to market research data
provider Research and Markets.
The sector is likely to be driven by rising health concerns and a growing

awareness about diseases stemming from a lack of access to good proteins.
Moo over?
Will the acceptance of alternative meat pose a threat to the conventional meat
industry, which produces around 5.3 million tonnes of meat and 75 billion eggs
annually?
“It is premature to predict,” says Ramesh Chander Khatri, president of the Poultry
Federation of India.
Traditional meat producers are sceptical about the mass production and
Traditional meat producers are sceptical about the mass production and
consumption of alternative meat, since a lot of factors - including price, texture,
taste, smell and quality - will play a decisive role in the evolution of the market.
“Right now, alternative meat appears to be a niche product catering to the high-
class market. Mass adoption will need a great deal of cost cutting and we are not
sure if it is feasible for them,” Khatri said.
While some investors are hopeful about the future of alternative meat, others are
uncertain.
Entrepreneur Harsha Moily, who said recently that he would raise a $200 million
venture capital fund to focus on climate technology sectors, says alternative meat
will be a niche market.
“Going green is premium. Mass market for alternative meat does not look
prudent at the moment.”

How Indian Alt-Meat Startups Are Changing The Way We Perceive Food - The Economic Times

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

How Indian Alt-Meat Startups Are Changing The Way We Perceive Food - The Economic Times

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

7/1/2021 How Indian alt-meat startups are changing the way we perceive food - The Economic Times

How Indian alt-meat startups are

In fact, Imagine Meats has been buzzing on photo-sharing platform Instagram,

To be sure, the concept of alternative meat is only gaining in momentum across

These startups and institutions are developing a range of food technologies to

The global alternative meat industry is witnessing an evolution in the form of

However, there is wider acceptance of plant-based meat products now, though

The startup, founded by scientists Siddharth Manvati and Pavan Dhar of

Jawaharlal Nehru University, has successfully developed two major components

Although foetal bovine serum (FBS) is commonly used as a low-cost growth

Cost is a barrier to cultured meat production worldwide.

Shiok Meats, a cell-based clean meat company in Singapore that plans to

Elsewhere, California-based Upside Foods says it has made technical advances to

The government has also backed cell-based meat projects.

In 2019, the Department of Biotechnology granted Rs 4.6 crore to Hyderabad-

initial success, he says India is only at the “beginning of protein transformation.”

GFI works closely with various stakeholders -- the government, entrepreneurs,

For instance, Bengaluru-based Laurus Bio (formerly Richcore Lifesciences) has

From developing ‘non-animal origin’ recombinant proteins for pharmaceutical

“India should grab this opportunity to become ingredient suppliers or become

provider Research and Markets.

The sector is likely to be driven by rising health concerns and a growing

You might also like