Aleph Farms: cultivating a more resilient future for protein
Aleph Farms is developing cultivated meat as a complement to sustainable animal agriculture. Using biotechnology to produce beef from animal cells, the company is exploring how protein diversification could strengthen food security, increase food-system resilience and reduce pressure on natural resources.
Imagine ordering a steak that looks, cooks and tastes like conventional meat but began with a small number of animal cells.
Under the right conditions, these cells multiply and develop into the muscle and fat that make up meat. This process, known as cultivated meat, is an emerging application of biotechnology and the focus of Aleph Farms' work.
The meat of the matter: food security and sustainability
Feeding a growing population requires producing enough nutritious food while reducing pressure on the natural resources on which food production depends.
The scale of the sustainability challenge is significant. More than 60% of human-induced land degradation occurs on agricultural land, while agriculture accounts for around 72% of global freshwater withdrawals. Agricultural expansion is also responsible for nearly 90% of global deforestation, with consequences for habitats and biodiversity. Livestock adds to the climate challenge, with its supply chains contributing around 12% of global human-caused greenhouse gas emissions.[1][2][3][4]
At the same time, food security remains a major global challenge, with more than 2.8 billion people unable to afford a healthy diet.[5]
Protein diversification could help address this challenge. Aleph Farms is developing cultivated meat for production in controlled systems, potentially closer to where it is consumed.
Turning biotechnology into scalable food production
Moving cultivated meat from research to production at scale requires more than a scientific breakthrough. It also requires technology, expertise and partnerships that can turn an idea into a viable source of protein.
Aleph Farms has been building these foundations. By the end of 2022, the company reported 129 full-time employees, with women representing 66% of senior management. It had raised more than US$150 million in capital, developed 12 patent families and established relationships with seven leading protein-industry partners.
Its research has expanded from cultivated steak to prototypes of cultivated ribeye and collagen, as well as experiments on the International Space Station.
This work is moving closer to the plate. Aleph Cuts, the company's first product brand, focuses on cultivated beef steaks made from cells originating from a Black Angus cow named Lucy, bringing together years of research and biotechnology development as the company works towards commercial-scale production.
Exploring a smaller environmental footprint
The potential contribution of cultivated meat to sustainability depends on how it is produced at scale, particularly the energy used in production.
Aleph Farms contributed data to a CE Delft industry study modelling the environmental footprint of cultivated meat at scale. When produced using renewable energy, the research found that cultivated beef could use 66% less water and 90% less land, while generating 92% fewer greenhouse gas emissions, 94% less pollution and 98% less soil acidification than conventional beef.
Aleph Farm impact in numbers
Connecting innovation across the food system
Aleph Farms joined EIT Food's RisingFoodStars programme in 2018, becoming part of a wider European food innovation ecosystem. That connection has grown alongside the company, creating opportunities to collaborate across a network working to accelerate food-system innovation.
Aleph Farms remains an EIT Food community member. It is also involved in the EU Agri-Food Biotech Alliance and participates in the consortium behind the CRAFT project and an EIT Food Impact Funding Framework project.
Collaborating with EIT Food has not only amplified our mission at Aleph Farms but also fostered invaluable connections and partnerships that have propelled innovation across the cultivated meat ecosystem.Â
Building resilience through diversification
Aleph Farms' journey shows how new technology can be developed alongside existing agriculture rather than framed as an alternative to it.
The company sees cultivated meat as complementary to livestock farming. Building food security and resilient agriculture will require solutions that consider farmers, consumers and communities alongside environmental impact.
For protein diversification to deliver meaningful change, technologies also need to earn consumer trust, meet rigorous safety and regulatory requirements, reach commercial scale and demonstrate their environmental benefits in practice.
From potential to measurable impact
The next challenge for Aleph Farms is to translate cultivated meat's potential into measurable impact at commercial scale.
Its 2022 impact report set a target of reaching net zero carbon emissions across its wider value chain by 2030, supported by energy efficiency, electrification, renewable energy and collaboration with suppliers.
Wider impact will depend on commercial scale-up, regulatory progress, affordable production and continued collaboration across the food system. If these conditions are met, cultivated meat could add another option to a more diverse protein landscape and contribute to food security, sustainability and resilience.
About EIT Food's Healthier Lives Through Food mission
We will make a material difference to quality of life by enabling more consumers to have better choices through access to affordable, healthier food products and actionable information.
Through Healthier Lives Through Food, EIT Food brings together innovators, researchers, businesses, policymakers and communities to help create a food system in which healthier choices are more accessible, attractive and achievable for everyone.
Protein diversification is a key part of this mission. By expanding the range of nutritious, sustainable and appealing protein choices available to consumers, we can support healthier diets while building a more resilient food system. EIT Food’s Protein Diversification Think and Do Tank brings together stakeholders from across the food system to identify shared challenges, develop solutions and accelerate action.
Have an idea that could help shape a healthier food system? Explore EIT Food’s entrepreneurship programmes for startups and discover how we can support you in turning it into impact.
Learn about the latest opportunities, research and innovations shaping the food industry.
References
- Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. (n.d.). The state of the world's land and water resources for food and agriculture. https://www.fao.org/publications/fao-flagship-publications/the-state-of-the-worlds-land-and-water-resources-for-food-and-agriculture/
- Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. (n.d.). Water scarcity. https://www.fao.org/land-water/water/agricultural-water-management/water-scarcity/
- Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. (2025). Tackling land degradation for sustainable agrifood systems. https://www.fao.org/interactive/2025/tackling-land-degradation/en/
- Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. (n.d.). FAO launches global e-learning course to assess livestock greenhouse gas emissions using life cycle assessment. https://www.fao.org/in-action/enteric-methane/countries/highlight-detail/fao-launches-global-e-learning-course-to-assess-livestock-greenhouse-gas-emissions-using-life-cycle-assessment/en
- Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. (n.d.). Water is life, food is water: Sustaining water and ensuring food for the future. https://www.fao.org/director-general/articles/details/water-is-life--food-is-water--sustaining-water-and-ensuring-food-for-the-future/
