CellX Raises $4.3 Million in Funding to Expand 3D-Printed Pork Business

With China currently consuming 30% of the world’s meat, it’s no wonder a food tech company tackling global meat supply and sustainability has emerged from the region. After debuting its 3D printed cell-based pork meat at a tasting event for investors, Shanghai-based startup CellX founded in 2020 was able to raise a whopping $4.2 Million dollars in its second round of funding. The company’s motto is ‘Eat meat, not animals’, and with that objective, the food startup’s primary goal is to reach price parity with conventional pork by 2025.

Quite different from lab-created “plant meat” which uses plant protein as raw material, actual animal meat is used as the cell meat’s building material. Though we have frequently seen bioprinting applied in the medical field, CellX is using bioprinting technology with animal cells, which has enabled the company is able to 3D print different edible meats such as fish, chicken, beef, and pork. “Our vision is to change the way meat is produced. This isn’t just a China issue, it’s a global issue, so for us to achieve our vision, we need to be a global company,” stated CellX founder Yang Ziliang in a statement to the press.

(Photo Credit: CellX)

Sustainability & 3D-Printed Meat

Traditional methods of mass-producing meat have detrimental impacts on the environment. In addition to its ecological impact, traditional methods of animal breeding and meat production gives rise to food safety problems related to pesticide residues and the overuse of antibiotics. CellX’s cell culture pork is created using 3D bioprinting. First, the team of scientists harvests cells from China’s native black pig and 3D-bioprints the cells into pork structures that have the taste and mouthfeel of pig meat.