JBS Is Entering the Cultivated Protein Market with the Acquisition of Biotech Foods and the Construction of A Plant in Europe
November 18, 2021 at 09:00 am EST
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JBS entered into an agreement to acquire control of Spanish company BioTech Foods. The deal signals the company's entry into the cultivated protein market, which consists of producing food from animal cells and includes investment in building a new plant in Spain to scale up production. Along with the acquisition, JBS is also announcing the setting up of Brazil's first cultivated protein research & development (R&D) center. In all, JBS will channel US$ 100 million to the two projects. Under the terms of the deal, JBS becomes the majority shareholder of BioTech Foods. The deal enables both companies to pool their strengths and accelerate the development of the cultivated protein market. JBS will have access to BioTech Foods technology and protein production capability while providing the industrial processing capacity, marketing structure and sales channels to bring the new product to market. When commercial operations begin, the cultivated protein will reach consumers in the form of prepared foods, such as hamburgers, steaks, sausage meats, and meatballs, among others, with the same quality, safety, taste and texture as traditional protein. The technology has the potential not only for the production of beef protein, but also chicken, pork and fish.
JBS S.A. is one of the worldwide producers of beef. The group proposes carved beef and pork as well as prepared frozen products (cooked meats, sausages, mortadella, etc.). Products are marketed with food-processing industrialists, food retailers, supermarkets, restaurants, etc.
JBS also develops manufacturing of poultry products, milk products, leather items, hygiene products, pets foods, canned food activities, etc.
At the end of 2021, the group has over 500 production sites worldwide.
Net sales are distributed geographically as follows: South America (25%), the United States (74.1%) and other (0.9%).