Hollywood star Leonardo DiCaprio backs cultivated meat firms
Both companies have demonstrated the ability to grow beef directly from animal cells, with the unveiling of the first cultivated hamburger by Mosa Meat in 2013 and the first cultivated steak and ribeye by Aleph Farms in 2018 and 2021, respectively.
Aleph Farms grows beef steaks, from non-genetically engineered cells isolated from a living cow, without harming animals and with a significantly reduced impact to the environment.
Hamburger
The Mosa Meat founders introduced the world’s first cultivated beef hamburger in 2013, by growing it directly from cow cells.
“One of the most impactful ways to combat the climate crisis is to transform our food system. Mosa Meat and Aleph Farms offer new ways to satisfy the world’s demand for beef, while solving some of the most pressing issues of current industrial beef production," said DiCaprio. "I’m very pleased to join them as an advisor and investor, as they prepare to introduce cultivated beef to consumers.”
Maarten Bosch, chief executive officer of Mosa Meat said: “Leonardo DiCaprio’s work to bring about positive change is closely aligned with our mission at Mosa Meat. We are thrilled to bring him on board as advisor and investor and work together to feed current and future generations sustainably.”
Committed environmentalist
Didier Toubia, co-founder and chief executive officer of Aleph Farms said: “As a committed environmentalist, we welcome Leonardo DiCaprio to our advisory board and family of top tier investors. Our team is committed to improving the sustainability of our global food systems and we’re thrilled to have Leo share in our vision.”
According to an independent life cycle analysis study, cultivated beef production is projected to reduce climate impact by 92%, air pollution by 93%, use 95% less land and 78% less water when compared to industrial beef production.
