What does future of food look like as Jeff Bezos invests millions in protein alternatives?

What does the future hold for us in terms of alternative meat sources as the search for sustainable proteins intensifies?

The Money Show tackles the subject on the Signals feature, as Amazon founder Jeff Bezos announces a $60 million investment into exploring viable options.

The money will go towards establishing Bezos Centers for Sustainable Protein as part of the Bezos Earth Fund’s $1 billion commitment to food transformation.

We need to ‘invent our way out of climate change and pursue advancements in technologies to find solutions for our future’, said the Fund's Lauren Sánchez.

"We need to feed 10 billion people with healthy, sustainable food throughout this century while protecting our planet... To date, challenges in bio-manufacturing – the production, at scale, of sustainable protein products, whether plant based, fermented, or cultivated – are resulting in high costs and limited quality."

"There are also enormous opportunities to enhance the texture and boost flavor through innovation in cell biology and engineering."

Lauren Sánchez, Vice Chair - Bezos Earth Fund

 Bruce Whitfield gets some insight from Brett Thompson, the co-founder and CEO of Newform Foods.

Newform started out as Mzansi Meat Company, known as the first cultivated meat company in Africa.

The Bezos investment is certainly a positive sign and 'speaks to where we are', says Thompson.

He notes that the business he is in, requires money from a venture capital source.

"When money's only coming from this source, it puts a lot of pressure on industry to actually deliver immediately, whereas what Bezos and others are doing is  providing some other source of funding which is actually coming from a philanthropic angle..."

"This allows for biotech, which has a longer cycle of development to be able to flourish a bit more before we have to get to market."

Brett Thompson, CEO - Newform Foods

There are a lot of consumers who aren't happy with the current meat alternative products that are available, he says.

Thompson notes that what Newform is doing, is a far more difficult and capital-intensive process.

It involves growing meat from animal cells without the need to raise or slaughter animals.

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Their products are not on shelves yet, and Thompson says South Africa's regulatory environment still requires some changes.

"That is an ongoing conversation we're still having... In the UK and the US there is some movement on this front..."

Brett Thompson, CEO - Newform Foods

To listen to this enlightening conversation, scroll to the top of the article