The French company Gourmey has begun the production of foie gras grown in laboratory conditions, writes Bloomberg.
To produce artificial foie gras, the stem cells of a fertilized duck egg are placed in a test tube. A similar technology is used in the cultivation of artificial meat. The specialists managed to preserve the taste and texture of the delicacy, said a Bloomberg journalist who attended the private tasting.
“Foie gras is going through an existential crisis. We will unleash the full potential of the dish and free it from contradictions, ”said Nicolas Morin-Forest, co-founder of Gourmey. According to him, now artificial foie gras is expensive, but in the coming months it will be possible to reduce production costs 40 times.
The company has already invested $ 10 million. In addition to foie gras, artificial turkey and nuggets are planned for the future.
Recently, the ethical side of the issue of foie gras production has begun to be paid attention in many countries. So, in 2022, a ban on the use of foie gras in restaurants and shops in New York comes into force. Foie gras production is already banned in Ireland, Sweden, Switzerland, the Netherlands and the UK. The ban is associated with the technology of obtaining a delicacy, in which birds are forcibly fed through a tube to enlarge their liver by 10 times.
At the end of June, the country’s first artificial meat production facility was opened in the Israeli city of Rehovot. It produces about 500 kilograms of meat per day, including chicken, pork and lamb. Investors have poured $ 43 million into the startup.
