The World Won’t Wait for New Zealand…

Exploring the Opportunity for Cellular Agriculture in NZ

Written by Lucy Manahi

By 2025, the global demand for protein is expected to reach 271 million tonnes (CSIRO, 2022), driven by a growing population with a desire for delicious and accessible sources of protein. To prepare for the growing demand, countries around the world are advancing the research and development of alternative protein products and technologies, with one such suite of technologies being cellular agriculture. Here in New Zealand, we are world renowned for our high-quality proteins, which draw on our abundant natural resources, stringent food safety laws, high-grade infrastructure, agribusiness know-how, and number eight wire mentality. With this combination of exceptional strengths, we are in an advantageous position to contribute our expertise towards a solution for meeting the global demand for protein. We already have a rapidly evolving plant-based industry, but is cellular agriculture another option we should be considering?

Encompassing a suite of technologies, cellular agriculture is the production of animal-sourced products from cell cultures. (New Harvest, n.d.) Cultivated meat is an example of a product that could be produced via this technology. Unlike plant-based meat analogues which aim to create the feel, look, and taste of meat from only plant sources, cultivated meat production uses a small sample of animal cells, grown in a controlled environment, to produce a product which has the potential to replicate the qualities of conventional meat (Brennen et al, 2021).

Across the world, companies in this nascent industry are poised at the start line, pushing for regulatory approval to begin production. Upside Foods, Wild Type, and BlueNalu are a few in this position, ready to launch as soon as approval is granted. In New Zealand however, conversations regarding cellular agriculture are just getting started. The opportunity is there to be an industry-leader in this fast-growing field. But what will it take for these novel technologies to become part of conventional production, and what challenges do we face in achieving it?

Overseas, companies are already starting to leverage the New Zealand label to help build a reputation and trust in their products. Black Sheep Foods, a San Francisco plant-based startup, markets their product as “New Zealand heritage lamb”, despite having no connection with our country. The reason for the labelling is New Zealand lamb is world-class in taste and quality, creating a desirable marketing strategy. This is a prime example where the world won’t wait for New Zealand to “steak” its claim in exploring alternative protein options. With our outstanding record for safe and high-quality food production and exporting, we have the perfect opportunity to authentically promote our national brand and create a novel option for our thriving primary sector. The first step needs to be taken, and it is exciting to see conversations about the technology starting to take place.

The first New Zealand Symposium for Cultivated Meat

In February, I attended the first NZ Symposium for cultivated meat, organised by three of New Zealand’s leading researchers in this field; Olivia Ogilvie from the University of Canterbury, Laura Domigan from the University of Auckland and the Riddet Institute, and Georgina Dowd, who leads the Marine Cell Technology team at Plant & Food Research. The purpose for the symposium was to initiate a conversation about cellular agriculture technologies in New Zealand, and explore the opportunity for cultivated products in the future market. Alongside the science of cultivated meat, insights from wider industry experts Amos Palfreyman from Food HQ, Denise Conroy from Plant & Food Research, and strategist Mark Buntzen from The Distillery, presented the case for cultivated meat in New Zealand.

The major themes of the symposium were: understanding cellular agriculture technology, the state of the industry now and in the future, understanding consumer attitudes and highlighting current research into cultivated seafood, and exploring the possibilities of cultivated meat in New Zealand.

Will consumers accept the industry?

A challenge we face when beginning to explore opportunities is our initial knee-jerk reaction to defend traditional agriculture. There is no denying it, conventional meat, dairy, and seafood production has been imbued in our psyche for generations. I understand this firsthand, having been raised on a farm in Hawkes Bay which finished sheep, angus beef, and deer. But as a scientist and an engineer, I can also see how these technologies can open avenues for new markets here and overseas. So instead of pitting the two industries against each other, my thought is this: how can we shift the perception of cellular agriculture products to being accepted alongside conventional products?

Conroy, a Consumer Behaviourist from Plant & Food, has been researching how people respond to the idea of cultivated seafood. She discovered that consumers generally understood and acknowledged the benefits of cultivated fish, such as its potential to feed more people, cost less than conventional-farmed fish, and support the regeneration of the oceans. Consumers were, however, also concerned about the “unnaturalness” of the product, and its impact on the current industry, with food quality and safety being a major concern. Overall, Conroy determined that consumers were relatively open and forward-thinking about the technology, but required more knowledge about it.

Building awareness and creating a positive public perception of cellular agriculture technology and the industry is vital to its acceptance and ability to grow. We know consumers are curious about it, but socialising the concept through transparent communications about its production processes, safety, challenges, and potential benefits, will help establish consumer trust before the products become commercially available. Events like the symposium are the perfect chance for researchers, industry, government, and the wider public to come together and present a forum for education and constructive discussions. As Buntzen said, “research modifies and satisfies concerns”, so having opportunities to involve future consumers will potentially make cellular agriculture a more approachable subject.

Opportunities need to be created for people to acquire a balanced knowledge about cellular agriculture. This will help future consumers better understand the potential positive impacts for New Zealand, but also the challenges the industry faces in terms of scalability and production. So, what are these opportunities?

Opportunities for New Zealand

Cellular agriculture presents a potential opportunity to diversify land-use, potentially licence new technologies to other countries, and leverage our own existing facilities and knowledge, such as our research institutes and bigger food manufacturers. Additionally, cellular agriculture could facilitate the establishment and growth for a pipeline of skilled talent to enable and operate the industry. This could provide an option for the existing workforce to retrain or redeploy, and foster talent through designing new university and vocational training courses, establishing research partnerships and internship positions, and creating new roles in both a technical and non-technical capacity.

Scaling-up from pilot trials to commercial production will require considerable funding and investment. Historically, government investment has been instrumental in accelerating the introduction of new technologies, such as renewable energy. They are uniquely placed to fund pre-competitive and multidisciplinary research and development of new technologies, to enable the full scope of potential environmental, societal, and economic benefits to be realised. Targeted government investment and support for cellular agriculture will act as a catalyst, encouraging private investment into the field to accelerate individual companies. According to Buntzen, a mindset of “volume to value to values” needs to be adopted. This means the industry needs to focus on overcoming the barriers of scaling-up production to generate a good market value, while staying true to the core values of cellular agriculture: a possible solution to meeting consumer demand for protein.

Lastly, since New Zealand is in the early stages of understanding cellular agriculture, we have the ability to look towards other countries to ask ourselves, how do we implement or develop the technology in our own way? In Australia, Vow, Magic Valley, Nourish Ingredients, and All G Foods, are examples of companies who are producing a variety of products using cellular agriculture technologies; from cultivated meat through to animal-free fats and dairy proteins. Also in this space, not-for-profit organisations like Cellular Agriculture Australia are providing opportunities to attract talent, funding, and gather support for the industry. It is useful for New Zealand to look at the likes of Australia’s cellular agriculture industry, to consider what we may potentially establish here that will complement our existing primary producers and products.

The Australian Cellular Agriculture Ecosystem. Courtesy of Cellular Agriculture Australia.

In New Zealand, several organisations are starting to explore the challenges and opportunities for cellular agriculture. Plant & Food Research, the Riddet Institute, Food HQ, Future Food Aotearoa, and even some universities, are conducting research and initiating inclusive conversations about cellular agriculture. They want to understand how this technology can impact and fit into our livelihoods, and provide transparent dialogue about their research and the wider industry.

As Palfreyman said, “Cellular agriculture is not the answer to a broken food system, though it could be an answer. Invest with intent, engage in the space, and seek out high-value niche opportunities”. There is no doubt that cellular agriculture is a disruptive technology, and there is no certainty about its debut in the market. But if we want to explore this opportunity for our country, we need to actively take steps to make it happen. We have the knowledge, the technical expertise, and the natural resources to bring New Zealand to the cutting edge of alternative protein production. The challenge is taking that first step.

References:

Brennan, T., Katz, J., Quint, Y., & Spencer, B. (2021, June 16) Cultivated meat: Out of the lab, into the frying pan | McKinsey. Retrieved March 19, 2022, from https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/agriculture/our-insights/cultivated-meat-out-of-the-lab-into-the-frying-pan

CSIRO Futures (2022) Protein — A Roadmap for unlocking technology-led growth opportunities for Australia. CSIRO, Canberra.

New Harvest (n.d.). What Is Cellular Agriculture? New Harvest. Retrieved March 19, 2022, from https://new-harvest.org/what-is-cellular-agriculture/

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