The Swiss voice in the world since 1935
Top stories
Stay in touch with Switzerland

Swiss supermarket invests in Israeli lab-grown steak firm

In December 2018, Aleph Farms unveiled its first lab-grown minute steak.
In December 2018, Aleph Farms unveiled its first lab-grown minute steak. Aleph Farms

Switzerland’s biggest retailer Migros has invested in an Israeli start-up, Aleph Farms, which specialises in lab-grown meat. 

The Swiss cooperative has not specified exactly how much it has invested in the Israeli start-up founded in 2017, which has raised $11.7 million in a funding round. 

Aleph Farms External linksays it is able to reproduce different types of beef cells, such as muscle, fat, and blood vessel cells, to create a structure that closely resembles that of a conventional cut of meat. In December 2018, the company unveiled its first lab-grown minute steak. The lab-grown meat does not require the slaughter of a cow. 

“We believe that cultivated meat has enormous commercial potential and will make it possible to cover growing global meat consumption needs in a sustainable way,” Eliana Zamprogna, Chief Technology Officer of M-Industrie, which is part of Migros, said in a statementExternal link.

The lab-grown steak is at least three to four years away from commercial sale, according to Didier Toubia, the co-founder and chief executive of Aleph Farms. 

Migros says the new technology “enables meat to be produced while preserving resources” and providing an “attractive” alternative to conventional meat and plant products. Through this investment, M-Industrie is also contributing the skills of its meat processing specialist, Micarna, the Swiss retailer went on.

Aleph Farms was founded by the Israeli agro-food group Strauss Group and Technion. M-Industrie comprises 23 companies in Switzerland and nine abroad. The company employs 14,000 people. 

More

Popular Stories

Most Discussed

News

The start of the holiday season means long traffic jams on the Gotthard

More

Gotthard traffic queue hits 11km at start of holiday season

This content was published on The start of the summer holidays saw a long traffic jam in front of the Gotthard tunnel on Saturday. Traffic jams between Erstfeld and Göschenen in canton Uri were up to 11 kilometres long early in the morning.

Read more: Gotthard traffic queue hits 11km at start of holiday season
Study: Rhine could become up to 4.2 degrees warmer by 2100

More

Rhine could warm by 4°C by 2100, scientists warn

This content was published on The water temperature of the Rhine River could rise by up to 4.2° degrees Celsius by the end of the century due to the warming planet, scientists warn.

Read more: Rhine could warm by 4°C by 2100, scientists warn
'Leopard 1 A5' combat tanks in Germany.

More

Switzerland eyes joining EU rearmament programme

This content was published on The Federal Council wants to explore the possibilities of joining the European Union’s €800-billion rearmament programme without compromising Swiss neutrality.

Read more: Switzerland eyes joining EU rearmament programme
Premiere for Swiss Air Force on French National Day

More

Premiere for Swiss Air Force on French National Day

This content was published on On July 14, the Swiss Air Force will take part in the traditional air parade in Paris to mark the French bank holidays with an F/A-18 fighter jet. This is a first for Switzerland.

Read more: Premiere for Swiss Air Force on French National Day

In compliance with the JTI standards

More: SWI swissinfo.ch certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative

You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!

If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.

SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR

SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR