The USDA Has Made its First Investment in Cultivated Meat
Tufts University has been awarded a $10 million grant to establish the first-ever government-funded, cultivated protein research center.
Photo: Upside Foods
The USDA has awarded Tufts University a $10 million grant to establish the first-ever government-funded, cultivated protein research center: the National Institute for Cellular Agriculture.
The award is part of a $146 million investment announced by the USDA on October 6th by its National Institute of Food and Agriculture’s (NIFA) Sustainable Agricultural Systems program - — the nation’s leading and largest competitive grants program for agricultural sciences. The funding will be distributed to sustainable, solutions-focused agriculture research projects that are working to create a climate-smart food and agriculture system.
“USDA’s historic funding for a National Institute for Cellular Agriculture is an important advancement for cultivated meat research and science,” said Appropriations Committee Chair, Rep. DeLauro. “I am pleased that USDA’s leadership continues to recognize the important role these technologies can play in combating climate change and adding much-needed resiliency to our food system.”
The world’s current food system, which relies on industrial animal farming, is having a devastating effect on our land resources, water usage, and amount of carbon emissions, as well as causing immeasurable suffering to billions of farmed animals every year. This huge problem is leading countries and the world’s biggest food companies to invest in more sustainable alternatives to feed the global population, with cultivated animal proteins one of the leading solutions.
Also known as cell-based or lab-grown meat, cultured meat, is one of the leading solutions to eliminating factory farms and making the suffering of animals in the farming industry a thing of the past. And because it’s crafted in a lab rather than via animals on a farm, it’s healthier than conventional meat because it contains no antibiotics.
The project will be led by renowned cultivated meat expert and Tufts University, Professor David Kaplan, and will be joined by investigators from Virginia Tech, Virginia State, University of California-Davis, MIT, and the University of Massachusetts-Boston.
“This is a major step forward in our work to tackle climate change, infuse resiliency into our food systems, and build a stronger, more sustainable future,” said Rep. Katherine Clark whose district includes the Tufts School of Engineering, where this research will primarily take place.
“I am thrilled that this historic grant will be housed in the 5th District at Tufts University, a true leader in cultivated meat research, and am eager to see this transformative research brought to life.”
The new institute will “develop outreach, extension, and education for the next generation of professionals” in cellular agriculture and lead research that will help to expand the menu of climate-friendly protein options and improve food system resilience.
Fascinated by cultured meat? Check out our podcast focus The Future of Food - where we talk with the game-changers who are leading the way toward a world without factory farms and slaughterhouses.
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