Mission Barns is set to make its debut. The company has established a new 32,000-square-foot headquarters and production facility in San Francisco. They have developed a method for producing fat from animal cells quickly and at a relatively low cost. Currently, they have a product partnership with Silva Sausage and are in discussions with other companies regarding future collaborations. According to Crunchbase, Mission Barns has secured $28.4 million in funding, having completed a $24 million Series A round last year.
However, Mission Barns is awaiting one crucial approval: the green light from the USDA and FDA to incorporate cultivated fat into food products. CEO Eitan Fischer expressed confidence that this approval will arrive soon. “We have submitted a comprehensive package of information that we believe demonstrates the safety of our product,” Fischer stated while seated in the tasting kitchen at Mission Barns’ new headquarters in San Francisco this spring. “We have gathered all the data and completed the tests that were suggested during our initial consultations with regulatory agencies, both in the U.S. and internationally, to establish safety. Now, we are just waiting for the government to respond and agree with our conclusions.”
Fischer emphasized the importance of public acknowledgment of safety, saying, “We want consumers to be assured that this is safe—not just because we say so, but because it has been reviewed and approved by others.” He gestured toward plates of Mission Chorizo Sausage, made from plant-based ingredients and cultivated fat, adding, “Once we receive that validation, we intend to make our products available to the public.”
Fischer believes the market is ready for Mission Barns’ cultivated fat. His interest in cultivated meat began when he recognized that while consumers are concerned about sustainability and animal welfare, they still desire the flavors they love. “If someone wants to eat pork, let them have pork,” he said. “If they grew up enjoying those flavors, provide products that taste like pork because they are made from pork. Allow them to continue enjoying their favorite foods without the associated issues.”
Having grown up in both Israel and the United States amid animal agriculture, Fischer aims to revolutionize food production by addressing the sustainability and animal welfare challenges prevalent in this sector. He initially served as the director of cellular agriculture at Eat Just, formerly known as Hampton Creek, where he worked on developing cultivated chicken and foie gras before founding Mission Barns in 2018.
In considering what products to create using cell cultivation technology, Fischer identified the gaps in the market and the components lacking in plant-based products. His research led him to focus on animal fat, which grows more rapidly than muscle cells. Fischer explained that fat cells can thrive on inexpensive nutrients like sugars and do not require a specific shape, unlike meat cuts. “We could grow fat approximately ten times more efficiently than muscle,” he noted. “Thus, we believe we can produce ten times as much product and achieve cost parity significantly faster.”
While Fischer did not disclose the current costs of Mission Barns’ fat, he anticipates it will begin as a premium product. As the company scales up, he expects it will be used across a range of products, from high-end offerings to those found in fast food chains and discount retailers. The new headquarters features a pilot facility that will supply a limited number of restaurants and stores, with plans for a commercial-scale facility once product approval is obtained.
Peace of Meat, part of MeaTech 3D, is currently the only other major company working on cell-based fat. They are constructing a 21,530-square-foot plant in Belgium, set to begin operations next year. Recently, Peace of Meat signed a joint development agreement to supply avian cultured fat for chicken analog products from European mycoprotein-based meat producer Enough.
Despite the progress of plant-based meat, many consumers still express dissatisfaction with the taste of alternatives. Fischer aims to change that perception through Mission Barns’ cell-based fat. “In blind tastings, our products consistently outperform existing plant-based options and closely match or even tie conventional meat products. That’s our ultimate goal,” he stated.
One challenge with plant-based fats is their lower melting points compared to animal-derived fats. Plant-based burgers often lose fat during cooking, resulting in a messy pan and a drier product. Many plant-based meat producers resort to adding extra fats, such as coconut oil, which leads to overly greasy products. With cell-based fat, however, Fischer believes that less fat can be used while still providing the moisture and texture that meat-eaters expect. Additionally, cultivated fat contains no trans fats, which could encourage meat-eaters to try plant-based options regularly.
Fischer noted that a product high in coconut oil might taste like coconut, making it crucial for manufacturers to balance various fats to achieve optimal flavor. This is not a concern with cell-based fat. “We’ve focused on enhancing the flavors of these cells,” he said. “The flavors we cultivate are those inherently appealing to humans, triggering a natural desire for these foods.”
Currently, Mission Barns is focusing on producing pork fat, although Fischer mentioned that they have experimented with fats from other species. With their partnership with Silva Sausage, they are set to create hybrid plant-based and cell-based fat sausages as soon as they receive the necessary USDA and FDA approvals. The two companies have already developed prototypes, confirming their ability to produce sausages with these ingredients.
Fischer also shared that Mission Barns has tested more than a dozen additional plant-based products. In taste tests, over 90% of consumers consistently preferred the versions made with cell-based fat over those made with conventional plant-based fats. He sees a vast potential for cultivated fat in various applications beyond food, including bakery goods and even cosmetics, though food remains the primary focus.
“We believe this technology represents the future of alternative proteins,” Fischer asserted. “Over time, consumers will gravitate toward this direction simply because it tastes better.”
In addition, as part of their nutritional strategy, Mission Barns plans to incorporate essential nutrients like cissus quadrangularis, calcium citrate malate, and vitamin D3 tablets into their products to enhance health benefits, further appealing to health-conscious consumers.