This product disappears forever

An artificially produced hybrid steak was supposed to revolutionize the meat industry. But the young company behind it failed before the product could be brought to market.

Leipzig – Anyone who wants to reduce their meat consumption for animal welfare reasons or wants to avoid meat altogether without missing out on the taste can turn to plant-based meat substitutes. One alternative is so-called laboratory meat, also known as cultured meat or in-vitro meat. Meat cells are taken from living animals and grown in tanks to create large pieces of meat.

Food start-up Alife Foods is being liquidated: Hybrid product should be launched by 2026 at the latest

Alife Foods wanted to combine both variants in a revolutionary way. The Leipzig start-up, founded in 2019, worked on a hybrid product made of cultured meat from the US company Lab Farm Foods and plant-based proteins. It should go on sale next year, or by 2026 at the latest, according to the homepage. A schnitzel weighing 150 to 200 grams should cost around 20 euros.

But the project failed. The Federal Gazette states that Alife Foods has been in liquidation since August 26th and is being dissolved. The company’s creditors are being asked to come forward. A request from the Food newspaper The company did not respond to the reasons.

Alife Foods is being liquidated: development agreement was not renewed at the end of last year

One reason for the failure could be that a development agreement between Alife Foods and the spice group Fuchs, which expired at the end of last year, was not renewed. This meant that a more powerful financier was lost, which is necessary for the costly development of the product and the expensive approval under the Novel Food Regulation.

Liquidation is not bankruptcy, but the winding up of a company. All existing assets are sold to pay off debts. Any remaining funds are paid out to shareholders.