Israeli bio-foodtech startup joins Cellular Agriculture Europe as first cell-cultured dairy member

By Jim Cornall

- Last updated on GMT

Pic: Getty Images/Monty Rakusen
Pic: Getty Images/Monty Rakusen

Related tags cellular agriculture Dairy Milk

Wilk, a developer of cell-based human and animal milk and milk components, has joined Cellular Agriculture Europe, a coalition of companies committed to building a more resilient and sustainable future.

It is the first, and currently only, dairy company to join the association.

Wilk develops technologies for producing cultured human breast and animal milk. Having launched operations in 2020, the company is introducing laboratory production processes that replicate the milk-producing cells of humans and other mammals to create 100% real milk and milk components in laboratory settings. 

Wilk holds a patent from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for Methods and Systems for in-Vitro Milk Production and is publicly traded on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange.

"We are honored to be the first dairy company to receive membership to this important organization, whose mission is so closely aligned with our own to introduce new technologies that facilitate the sustainable cell-based production of high-quality food products,"​ said Rachelle Neumann, chief marketing officer at Wilk.

"We are excited to collaborate with like-minded visionaries and innovators of Cellular Agriculture Europe to make a difference in the way society perceives the cell-based industry, advance regulations around cell-based foods and ingredients and lead us all to a better, more ecological future."

Launched in December 2021, Cellular Agriculture Europe was founded with a mission to bring together producers of cultivated meat, poultry, seafood, dairy, and other animal-based cultivated products with stakeholders to find common ground and speak with a shared voice for the good of the industry with consumers and regulators.

Founded by a royal decree from King Philippe of Belgium, the association is working to help Europe meet the growing demand for protein in an environmentally-responsible manner.

"We are delighted to welcome Wilk into our ranks of entrepreneurs and innovators working to bring cellular agriculture products to European consumers," ​said Hélène Miller, vice president at Cellular Agriculture Europe.

"With the addition of Wilk, we now total 14 companies united in a shared vision to develop an alternative to the current food production process and create a more sustainable future for the planet."