“Canadian food tech startup Opalia has secured what it claims is the world’s first commercial supply agreement for cell-based dairy, weeks ahead of an expected $4M fundraise,” reports Green Queen:
Taking a big step forward for the nascent cell-based milk category, Opalia has secured the first sale of its ingredients from Dutch dairy giant Hoogwegt.
The two-year agreement (starting in 2026) will see the firms create a range of cell-cultured dairy products and showcase the viability of Opalia’s tech. The startup called it a major milestone for its scale-up and commercialisation plans.
Côté describes cell-based milk production as a hybrid process between precision fermentation and cultivated meat. ‘Mammary cells are not the final product, unlike fat or muscle cells in cultivated meat products. The milk produced by our mammary cells is harvested as a fluid. After a harvest, the cells remain in culture and continue producing milk,’ she explains.”
In other news, lab-grown salmon was recently cleared for sale in the United States by the FDA.
Britain has approved lab-grown meat, but it has been banned in Italy to protect farmers from competition.
A company has created woolly-mammoth meatballs, resurrecting the flesh of long-extinct giants.
