Simple Planet (CEO Jeong Il-doo) will hold the ‘7 Agri & Food Tech Start-up Rising Expo 26’ held at COEX Hall A in Seoul for three days from July 28 (Wed) to 3 (Fri). ‘ said he would participate.
Simple Planet is a bio food tech company that develops functional future food ingredients with cell culture platform technology and organizing technology. Officials explain that it has secured 13 cell lines, the only one in Korea, and has a platform for building animal cell lines specialized for mass production. In addition, we have developed a ‘lactobacillus-based serum-free edible culture medium’ to replace Fetal Bovine Serum (FBS), which accounts for more than 80% of the production cost of cultured meat, and is entering the commercialization stage of cell cultured food by securing price competitiveness. .
In addition, Simple Planet aims to improve food production methods for future generations and provide a sustainable food supply chain based on the UN SDGs (United Nations Sustainable Development Goals), a common goal of 193 countries.
Simple Planet makes powder-type cell culture raw materials, not cultured meat in the form of chunks of meat. We are developing cell cultured food ingredients such as animal substitute protein and cultured fat by mass-cultivating cells isolated from livestock tissues. High-protein powder produced using cultured meat manufacturing technology and unsaturated fatty acids whose content can be adjusted can be used as food raw materials, so they improve the taste and nutritional structure of existing foods with high absorption rates and nutrients, and are functional ingredients specialized for the elderly and infants. can be used as
The current population growth and increase in meat demand are emerging as problems that are difficult to cope with in the existing food production system. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the land used for livestock farming accounts for 83% of the world’s agricultural land use, and the amount of grain used for livestock feed accounts for one third of the world’s production. Cellular agriculture is emerging as a horizontal development plan that complements these unstable existing agricultural and livestock systems. Maintaining biodiversity through cell culture and promoting the circulation of resources rather than using limited earth resources.
In fact, if you produce 1 ton of Simple Planet cultured meat powder, you can create values such as planting 55,000 trees and reducing 16,650 tons of carbon dioxide emissions, providing a sustainable food supply chain, the company explained. The ability to maintain a stable supply is also considered a strength.
An official from Simple Planet said, “Our cell culture food raw materials fall under ‘cell farming’ technology, which produces food by culturing animal and plant cells instead of growing crops or raising livestock. Cellular agriculture is a new way to produce and utilize raw materials for various foods and industrial products by changing the existing agricultural method, which was centered on production, distribution, and processing,” he explained.
Recognized for these technological prowess and capabilities, Simple Planet was evaluated as a company that will lead the 4th industrial revolution with ‘cultured meat R&D’ and received the ‘2021 5th 4IR Awards Bio Health Division Grand Prize’. In addition, it has successfully carried out the ‘Alchymist Project (2nd year)’ of the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy with companies and universities such as CJ CheilJedang, Yonsei University, Hanyang University, and Kangwon University.
Overseas, it was selected as one of Foodtech 500, which selects companies with world-class food, technology and sustainability, by FoodForwarding in the UK, and was also selected as an official partner of GFI Asia Pacific, a non-profit organization that studies sustainable future food systems. In addition, it was finally selected for MassChallenge 2023 in Switzerland, the only one in Asia, for its cell culture and organization technology.
Future plans were also announced. An official said, “We want to produce seafood of various fish species in a lab unit in an environmentally friendly way through a cell line construction platform. “To this end, we established a subsidiary in Vancouver, Canada in the second half of this year to establish and implement a North American alternative meat advancement strategy based on global cell-derived raw materials, and at the same time, We plan to secure production facilities of more than 1,000 tons.”
“In addition, we are in the process of discussing the type of protein, animal fat, and raw materials with global companies. Through this, we are seeking to expand our territory into overseas markets.”
Meanwhile, at AFRO 2023, the largest Agtech & Foodtech event in Korea, domestic startups with global growth potential in Agtech, Foodtech, and Green Bio will exhibit products and services to solve various problems in the agriculture and food industries, Various programs such as conferences discussing the present and future of Agtech and Foodtech and investment briefings (IR competitions) are held. This exhibition is hosted by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs and supervised by the Korea Agricultural Technology Promotion Agency, NH Nonghyup, COEX, and the Korea Food Tech Council.