JBS announced construction is underway in Brazil on a cultivated protein research and development center. The JBS Biotech Innovation Centre claims to be the “largest research facility focused on food biotechnology in Brazil.”
The center will include labs, a pilot plant and, eventually, a commercial-sized plant. JBS says it has invested $22 million in the project with plans to add another $40 million. Expected to open in late 2024, the facility will be staffed by a team of 25 post-doctoral researchers as well as support staff.
“The JBS Biotech Innovation Centre reinforces our commitment to the cultivated protein sector, consolidates our position as one of the main players in this very promising market, and reinforces our commitment to offering innovative, high-quality products to our consumers,” Jerson Nascimento Jr., JBS global supply and innovation director, said in a statement.
JBS also holds a 51% stake in Biotech Foods, a Spanish cultured meat production company, which currently operates a pilot plant in Brazil and is expected to open its JBS-funded commercial plant in mid-2024.
