BioTech Foods

The company is based in Donostia–San Sebastián, Basque Country and was co-founded in 2017 by the CTO of the project, Mercedes Vila,{{Cite web|last=Stock|first=Andrea Núñez-Torrón|date=2018-10-28|title=Mercedes Vila (Biotech Foods): "La carne ética mejorará el...|url=https://www.ticbeat.com/entrevistas/biotech-foods-carne-etica/|access-date=2020-07-24|website=TICbeat|language=es-Es}} and CEO Iñigo Charola.{{Cite web|url=https://www.foodnavigator.com/Article/2019/11/05/Biotech-Foods-discusses-cultured-meat-trend |title='Everybody accepts the cultured meat trend is happening': Biotech Foods |author=Oliver Morrison |access-date=2020-07-24|work=Food Navigator|date=5 November 2019 |language=en-GB}}

This project is based on the construction of tissues from the natural proliferation of animal cells in a controlled environment of humidity and temperature, without genetic modification or antibiotics.{{Cite web|last=Ruiz|first=Alfonso Simón|date=2018-10-11|title=Una empresa vasca compite con Bill Gates por llevar al mercado carne cultivada|url=https://cincodias.elpais.com/cincodias/2018/10/10/companias/1539189862_324716.html|access-date=2020-07-24|website=Cinco Días|language=es}} Cultured meat based on tissue engineering aims to help alleviate three serious sustainability problems: the high increase in global demand for animal proteins, the environmental impact of factory farming, associated with the production of greenhouse gases and deforestation{{Cite news|last=Doncel|first=Luis|date=2019-05-25|title=Carne 'in vitro' a la conquista de nuestras mesas|language=es|work=El País|url=https://elpais.com/economia/2019/05/24/actualidad/1558700876_051340.html|access-date=2020-07-24|issn=1134-6582}} and animal welfare.

The start-up obtained the support of the CIC Nanogune, a research centre promoted by the Basque government. In 2019 BioTech Foods received the Entrepreneur XXI Award and came first in Expansión's Start Up awards in the Food and Agrotech category.{{Cite web|date=2019-11-04|title=Biotech Foods, Nucaps y Green Killer Weeds, las mejores en 'Alimentación y Agrotech'|url=https://www.expansion.com/expansion-empleo/2019/11/04/5dbaaff8468aebbe158b4597.html|access-date=2020-07-24|website=EXPANSION|language=es}}

By February 2020, BioTech Foods was in the development phase of Ethicameat,{{Cite web|last=Pellegrino|first=Roberto|date=2020-02-02|title=Macellazioni addio. Sulla tavola arriva la bistecca biotech|url=https://www.ilgiornale.it/news/macellazioni-addio-sulla-tavola-arriva-bistecca-biotech-1820036.html|access-date=2020-07-24|website=ilGiornale.it|language=it}} its brand of pig protein products for the general public and the meat sector. BioTech Foods was one of the first companies to emerge in the global cultured meat sector{{Cite web|date=2020-05-13|title=New GFI State of the Industry Reports Show Alternative Proteins Are Poised to Flourish Post-Covid-19|url=https://www.gfi.org/blog-state-of-the-industry-2020|access-date=2020-07-24|website=The Good Food Institute|language=en}} which could help increase food safety and prevent zoonotic diseases.{{Cite news|last=Quetteville|first=Harry de|date=2020-07-16|title=The future of meat: plant-based, lab-grown and goodbye to the abattoir|language=en-GB|work=The Telegraph|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/food-and-drink/features/future-meat-plant-based-lab-grown-goodbye-abattoir/|access-date=2020-07-24|issn=0307-1235}}

As of July 2019, one of the main challenges of the cultivated meat was the high production costs of products.{{Cite web |url=https://www.independent.ie/business/farming/beef/the-250000-lab-grown-burger-could-be-a-more-palatable-9-in-two-years-38298335.html |title=The €250,000 lab-grown burger could be a more palatable €9 in two years |author=Vincent West |work=Irish Independent |date=10 July 2019 |access-date=7 December 2020 |language=en}}{{Cite news|date=2019-07-11|title=La viande de laboratoire pourrait se vendre à des prix abordables en supermarché d'ici à deux ans|language=fr|work=Le Monde.fr|url=https://www.lemonde.fr/festival/article/2019/07/11/la-viande-de-laboratoire-pourrait-se-vendre-a-des-prix-abordables-en-supermarche-d-ici-deux-ans_5488174_4415198.html|access-date=2020-07-24}} BioTech Foods stated it sought 'to reach pilot scale by 2021'. By the end of 2019, BioTech had opened its first pilot plant.{{Cite news |url= https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-12-10/lab-meat-is-getting-closer-to-supermarket-shelves |title=Lab-Grown Meat Is Getting Closer to Supermarket Shelves |author=Agnieszka de Sousa |work=Bloomberg |date=10 December 2020 |access-date=8 December 2021 |quote=[Aleph Farms Ltd.] is also working on a pilot plant. Companies such as BioTech Foods, SuperMeat and Eat Just have already started testing sites.}}

In November 2021, BioTech Foods announced an agreement by which JBS S.A. was going to acquire a majority of shares in the company, including the pilot plant it operated in San Sebastián. JBS was going to invest in the construction of a new production plant to help BioTech achieve commercial production capacity in mid-2024.{{Cite news |url=https://www.agrarzeitung.de/feedmagazine/feedmagazine-news/cultured-meat-jbs-takes-over-bio-tech-foods-98640 |title=JBS takes over Bio Tech Foods |author=AgE |work=AgrarZeitung |publisher= |date=7 December 2021 |access-date=8 December 2021}}

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• {{official|https://www.biotech-foods.com/}}

{{Cultured meat startups}}

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Category:Cellular agriculture organizations

Category:Food technology organizations

Category:Biotechnology companies of Spain

Category:Tissue engineering

Category:Spanish companies established in 2017

Category:Spanish subsidiaries of foreign companies

Category:JBS S.A. subsidiaries