Amazon founder Jeff Bezos’s charity is establishing a multimillion-dollar research facility at North Carolina State University for manufacturing fake meat products, both plant- and cell-based proteins.
According to a release from NC State, the Bezos Earth Fund awarded the university $30 million over five years to create the Bezos Center for Sustainable Protein. The center will become a “biomanufacturing hub for dietary proteins that are environmentally friendly, healthy, accessible and affordable.”
Bezos currently ranks third on Forbes list of wealthiest people with a net worth of more than $196 billion.
NC State also said the center will include numerous partners from academia and industry, as well as chefs and policymakers, to research, create and commercialize new technologies for manufacturing various protein products. It will also provide training for the new workforce needed for advanced food processing. The center will also work with consumers to gauge their protein perceptions and preferences.
“Alternative proteins are unlikely to displace animal proteins,” said Bill Aimutis, co-principal investigator on the grant and co-director of the new center who has experience working with sustainable protein producers and start-up companies. “It is difficult to create an alternative protein product that rivals the flavor and texture of meat and that is also appealing and affordable for consumers. This center is more interested in growing the sustainable protein industry as another option for consumers rather than displacing animal proteins.”
