Israel Approves Country’s First Vegan Precision Fermentation Dairy

Israel’s Ministry of Health has granted regulatory approval to a faux milk and dairy company based in Rehovot, called Remilk. Remilk has already received approval in Singapore – a nation on the cutting edge of plant-based and lab-grown meats and other animal-based alternative; along with it being on the cusp of getting approval by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

This is a defining moment, not only for Remilk but for the entire global alternative protein industry and the state of Israel, one of the first in the world to recognize the significance of precision fermentation.

The opening of the Israeli market to real, animal-free dairy products will place Israel not only at the forefront of global food-tech research and development but also as a leading market in the world for new food consumption. Today’s news opens the door for the introduction of high-quality and nutritious animal-free dairy products.

Aviv Wolff, CEO and co-founder of Remilk, said in a statement.

Green Queen explains the process of this fermentation and the market share of this new type of product:

The precision fermentation category is set for a boom; the number of companies focused on fermentation for alternative proteins rose to 136 last year, according to The Good Food Institute.

The sector, which is sandwiched in between the two food tech extremes — made from plants (or fungi) and cultivated or lab-grown — is gaining traction for a number of applications, chiefly dairy.

Fermentation has been used for years in products including medicines, vitamins, and in traditional cheesemaking. But unlike conventional dairy, precision fermentation products are free of lactose, cholesterol, antibiotics, and growth hormones, making them suitable for those with dietary restrictions or concerns.

It’s also a vastly more sustainable way to produce dairy. Category leader, California’s Perfect Day, says its milk produces up to 97 percent fewer carbon emissions than conventional dairy.

Remilk is being primed to make a big splash in international markets, having are already raised more than $130 million; while also landing a deal with ‘the Central Bottling Company (CBC Group), the exclusive Israeli franchisee of Coca-Cola, and one of the largest food companies in Israel, to launch a line of dairy products made with Remilk’s protein for the Israeli market. It is also already producing its protein at industrial volumes in facilities around the world,’ Green Queen added.

Wolf added that this helps in the company’s vision of “creating new food systems that can provide nutritious and high-quality solutions for the world’s growing population.”

The breakthrough achievement of Remilk’s R&D team lies in its success in converting a technology that has been used for decades to create components for the food industry such as vitamins and enzymes in small quantities, to produce one of the most significant and high-quality components in the food industry.

Our milk protein, produced on an industrial scale, allows us to practically change the face of the dairy market.

Dr. Ori Cohavi, Chief Technology Officer and co-founder of Remilk, added