Getinge bioreactors to support Dutch cellular agriculture initiative

The Dutch government has confirmed allocation of €60 million to support an ecosystem around cellular agriculture, the technology used to produce animal products such as meat and milk proteins directly from animal and microbial cells. As member of the Cellular Agriculture Netherlands Foundation, Getinge will support the project with its bioreactors and bioreactor knowledge.

Getinge is part of the Cellular Agriculture Netherlands Foundation, which consists of a fast-growing community of 34 organizations (educational and knowledge institutions, NGOs, startups, industry) with the common goal of building a healthy cellular agriculture sector.

"Our bioreactors play an important role in the development of cellular agriculture," stated Timo Keijzer, Director Product Marketing at the product area Bio-Processing at Getinge. "By growing the cells in a closed environment, the bioreactor, you ensure that meat or fish is cultivated in a clean and controlled manner. This is critical for optimal growth of cells and therefore the development of healthy and nutritious food."

The Dutch government's financial support is the world's largest-ever national government grant for cellular agriculture. It was reserved under conditions from the National Growth Fund in April of this year. The implementation of the plan will start under the coordination of the Cellular Agriculture Netherlands Foundation, in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality.

The confirmation of this public investment in cellular agriculture is an example of the commitment of the Dutch government to build a food system that is healthy and sustainable. Combined with reforms in traditional agriculture, cellular agriculture could provide an additional option to meet the growing demand for protein worldwide.