Vegan Steak from a 3D Printer

Israeli startup Jet Eat, which is developing plant-based beef-like steaks using proprietary 3D printing technology, is the winner of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology 2018 Food Accelerator Network Program (EIT FAN).

Jet Eat was chosen out of dozens of successful food technology startups participating in the initiative and was one of three final winners who received a €60,000 zero-equity prize.

This innovative Israeli startup is the first company in the world to develop 3D printing technology specifically to address major problems facing the food industry. Established in 2018, Jet-Eat aims to help reduce food waste, contribute to a more sustainable food production system, and provide vegans, vegetarians, and flexitarians with healthy, natural and sustainable alternatives to meat without comprising their culinary experience.

The cattle beef industry is a major cause of adverse environmental impact and represents a massive economic potential for disruption. Incorporating 3D printing technology into the quest to find an alternative to meat, and especially beef, could fundamentally change this reality and help build a more sustainable future while opening new opportunities in high-end plant-based meat.

The Israeli startup was one of some 40 food startups, poised to change the world’s food system, taking part in the EIT Food Accelerator Network.  The Technion-Israel Institute of Technology. the Swiss Federal Polytechnic School ETH Zurich and the Technical University of Munich (TUM) were chosen to run the program.

At the Technion, 10 startups took part in the four-month accelerator, led by the Department of Biotechnology and Food Engineering.  They received mentoring by leading academics at the university as well as food industry professionals from the Strauss Company.

The Future Is Here: Lab-Grown Steak

Israeli startup Aleph Farms with ties to an Israeli research institute and an incubator that's part of the food giant that owns Sabra — the most popular hummus in America — announced that it had produced the world's first lab-grown steak.

If there were a holy grail in the world of real meat made without farm animals, it would be steak. While many companies make plant-based burgers, a handful of startups are trying to make real, environmentally friendly beef and chicken from animal cells — bypassing the farm animals.

Other companies were able to produce prototypes of lab-grown burger, sausage, chicken nuggets, and chicken strips, but none has achieved the goal of replicating the texture, shape, and mouthfeel of savory, chewy sirloin.

That's because crafting a burger, meatball, or any other product that combines several ingredients with ground meat or seafood is much easier than mimicking the complex texture and flavor of a steak or a chicken breast.

Rather than spending time trying to create meatballs or nuggets, Aleph headed straight for the goal of a steak. That's a goal the company has had since the outset and one it may be uniquely poised to tackle thanks to its foundations in regenerative medicine.

Aleph was cofounded by the Technion Israel Institute of Technology and an incubator called The Kitchen, which is part of Strauss Group. Strauss owns Sabra hummus and distributes Cheetos and Doritos in Israel as part of an agreement with Pepsi.

Shulamit Levenberg, the dean of the Technion Israel Institute of Technology's biomedical engineering faculty, serves as Aleph's chief scientific officer, and Neta Lavon, an experienced stem-cell researcher who developed cell-therapy products from stem cells for diabetes and the neurodegenerative disease ALS, serves as Aleph's vice president of research and development.

Instead of growing only one or two types of animal cells on a flat surface, Aleph grows four types of animal cells in three dimensions. While other companies grow animal cells using fetal bovine serum (FBS), a standard and relatively inexpensive lab medium made from the blood of pregnant slaughtered cows, Aleph is growing them in a medium that is free of FBS.

Each of the thinly-sliced steaks made as part of Aleph's prototype took 2-3 weeks to produce and cost $50. Back in 2013, when Dutch scientist Mark Post became the first person in the world to make a beef burger from cow cells, the patty cost $330,000.

Source: Business Insider

Drones in the Air and Sensors in the Ground: How Israeli Farmers Plan to Feed Billions

With the number of people on earth rapidly rising, there's a mad rush for agriculture to keep up.

So far, the human race has managed to avert an agricultural crisis. But, there are new challenges on the horizon.

Global warming is expected to cause setbacks, particularly in more remote parts of the world, and our rising population creates further strain on an already taxed system.

As usual, Israeli entrepreneurs are lining up to rise to the challenge. There are currently over 500 technology companies in Israel that are focused on agriculture.

Around the world, 7% of all transactions in high-tech agriculture were partnerships with Israeli companies.

Bringing high-tech to agriculture means that there are sensors that can tell when plants need water, light, and fertilizer. This involves the use of drones flying overhead, taking high-resolution images and transmitting the data to a central computer that analyzes it.

This requires fewer resources--fewer chemicals, fewer polluting fertilizers--and higher crop yields.

Years of Israeli defense experience has led to capabilities for precision agriculture.

Read all about it here.

Off to water my own plants, till next time!

J

Industrial Air Pollution Drops Significantly Over the Past Year

Since 2012, there has been a reduction in emissions, ranging from 8% to 62%, largely due to restrictions placed by the Israeli government, following the 2011 Clean Air Law. An increase in the use of natural gas instead of coal (to produce electricity) is also a contributing factor.

A significant reduction in emissions in key parts of the nation has gone a long way in reducing pollution.

Emissions of carcinogenic pollutants have decreased by 44% since 2012.

Meanwhile, offshore emissions from natural gas fields are expected to drop by 98% in early 2019, due to the construction of pollution-reducing facilities.

While air pollution was the focus of the report, it also mentioned that the quantity of seeping into the Mediterranean Sea dropped by 96%.

Israel's Environmental Protection Minister stated that the country will continue focusing on methods to reduce emissions by implementing various programs his ministry created.

Read more about it here.

Off to enjoy some fresh air at the beach, till next time!

J

Only Environmentally Friendly Vehicles in Israel by 2030

Israelis will no longer be able to buy new gasoline or diesel-powered vehicles after 2030, the Energy Ministry Yuval Steinitz announced, unveiling a plan to replace them with electric cars and trucks that run on natural gas.

The challenge will be creating an initial "critical mass" of cars that will move the local industry away from gasoline and diesel engines.

"We are already encouraging by funding charging stations, more than 2,000 new charging stations around the country," Steinitz told Reuters.

The government, he said, will also "reduce taxation on electric cars to almost zero, so they are going to be much cheaper".

The electric vehicle campaign is part of a broader plan to completely wean Israel off gasoline, diesel, and coal. Israel in recent years discovered huge deposits of natural gas, a cleaner-burning fossil fuel, and it is converting its power stations accordingly.

The plan was released a day after a U.N. report on climate change called for major changes in the way humankind uses energy.

The tipping point is expected around 2025, when, according to the ministry's target, there will be about 177,000 electric cars on the road in Israel. Today there are just a few dozens.

After that, it will become easier and cheaper to own electric cars, so the ministry expects their number to jump to nearly 1.5 million by 2030.

"From 2030 we won't allow anymore the import of diesel or gasoline cars to Israel," Steinitz said.

All new cars will be electric. Buses and trucks will be either electric or run on compressed natural gas.

"We are forcing companies to bring electric cars to Israel and for oil and gasoline companies to shift to charging stations in their gasoline or petrol stations," he said.

The government is expected to approve the plan by the end of the year.

Source: Devdiscourse

The Most Vegan Army In The World

One of Israel's most prominent combat units has the highest number of vegan soldiers.

And, its most senior vegan officer, Deputy Chief of Staff, Major General Aviv Kochavi is in the running to become the next IDF Chief of Staff. If selected, he'll become the first vegan in Israeli history to hold that position.

Veganism is on the rise in Israel, with as many as 5% of Israelis living the vegan lifestyle. Israeli soldiers are no exception, with 10,000 vegans currently serving in the IDF.

The IDF started providing vegan soldiers with leather-free boots and wool-free berets, along with a food allowance to buy their own vegan meals in 2014. In 2015, the IDF introduced vegan rations in its own meal service. And in 2017, vegan rations were made available for combat soldiers.

At the present time, there are many vegan options for meals and desserts in army mess halls. IDF cooks are also trained in vegan options, and they are provided guidance from nutritionists.

Some soldiers have still found the options inadequate, so in all likelihood, there will soon be even more accommodations for burgeoning vegan population in the IDF.

Read more about it here.

Off to enjoy a vegan meal of my own, too bad I don't have a specialized chef and nutritionist on hand! Till next time!

J

It’s a Girl! A Rhino Girl!

Israel's Ramat Gan Safari, a 250-animal reserve, just announced the birth of a healthy female baby rhinoceros. The new calf, born in August, has not yet been named. The zoo says there are looking for a name that starts with a "T" to match her mom's name Tanda. It's the 30th birth of a rhino baby in the safari since its creation on the outskirts of Tel Aviv back in 1974. Their first baby rhino – named "Shalom" – was born 40 years ago.

Israel is part of an international breeding program for rhino conservation, which is organized by the European Endangered Species Program (EEP). It's a population management program for animals of the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria, of which Israel is a member. The Ramat Gan Safari, with 13 rhinos, is the largest herd of the entire program, which includes more than 300 rhinos across 78 zoos.

As a commitment to breeding this highly endangered species, two young females were imported from South Africa's Pretoria Zoo to Israel in 2012. In addition to normal pregnancies, the EEP is looking at all possible angles to increase the rhino population – including using test-tube techniques and stem cell science.

Rhinos, who can live up to 35 years in the wild, rank among the most endangered species on the planet. At the beginning of the 20th century, 500,000 rhinos roamed Africa and Asia, but that number has decreased exponentially. The current population is under 30,000. Indeed, very few rhinos survive outside national parks, nature reserves, and zoos. Valued for their horns, they face a dire threat from poaching, which is rapidly pushing them towards extinction.

The Israeli safari has welcomed several baby rhinos in recent years. As for the new addition, she seems to be acclimating well.

Source: From the Grapevine

Israel Will Stop Livestock Imports for Slaughter Purposes

In about 3 years Israel will forbid entirely any import of livestock for slaughter purposes, according to a new bill proposal approved on Sunday, July 9, by Israeli Ministerial Committee on Legislation.

In the coming years, the export will reduce until it stops completely. The bill has the full support of the Knesset (parliament) members. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also gave his support.

"We approved a law proposal to stop livestock deliveries to Israel. It is necessary to make a real change to this great sorrow caused to the animals", posted Netanyahu on his Facebook account.

His wife Sara Netanyahu also greeted the new bill proposal, saying "I welcome the approval of the moral bill proposal to stop animal shipments to Israel. No living creature deserves to endure such terrible suffering, and we as a society must not accept the current situation."

Around 86% of the Israeli public supports this new law proposal according to the poll results.

In recent years, animal rights organizations have released several videos filmed undercover and showing the unbearable suffering of the calves and lambs during weeks of shipment to the Middle East.

It is estimated that around 15% of Israel's population is vegan or vegetarian, who choose not to eat animal products for moral reasons.

Source: XINHUANET

Israeli Twin Teens Invent Algorithm To Prevent Forest Fires

Seventeen-year-old twins Gilad and Neta Drori developed a special algorithm to identify wildfires at an early stage before they spread, preventing damage and saving lives.

This invention could not have had better timing. The latest tactic in Hamas-led warfare against Israel is eco-terrorism by kites flown across the security fence from Gaza. Westerly winds send the helium balloons with attached ignited firebombs (rags soaked in kerosene and set aflame) flying towards the Israeli communities. Once the heat from the IEDs (improvised explosive devices) causes the balloon to explode, the flaming firebomb is dropped into whatever field it has reached, setting the dry ground ablaze. So far, the damage has reached tens of thousands of dollars. All of the fires were extinguished by firefighters who raced to the scene.

Source: Jewish Press

Traditional Meat Companies Supporting "Clean Meat" In Israel

The Good Food Institute (GFI) reported that Soglowek, Israeli-based food company, has announced it is launching a new range of vegan meats. According to GFI, the plant-based line, Zoglo’s, will donate 20 percent of its profit to SuperMeat, an Israeli "clean meat" start-up.

Soglowek is as well-known for its salami and sausage as it is for its kosher and vegetarian products. However, Eli Soglowek, the CEO of Soglowek, has now expressed interest in investing time and money "to do to the meat industry what Elon Musk is doing to the automobile industry."

"I was born to a family of butchers, spending time in slaughterhouses since the age of 5. Despite that, I love dogs, horses and also cows very much and would like to transition to eating cultured meat that is produced by machines using stem cells taken from real animals without causing harm to the animals and without polluting the planet," he said.

Currently, Zoglo’s offer a line of plant-based meats that include nuggets, chicken and beef-style patties, and crispy cutlets. However, much of line contains animal products, such as egg. Reportedly, the new range by Zoglo’s will be vegan-friendly.

Increasingly, consumer habits around the globe are shifting away from animal products and toward plant-based food options. A recent article by Forbes revealed: "A full 70% of the world population reportedly is either reducing meat consumption or leaving meat off the table altogether."

Pioneering this movement is the rise of "clean meat" and vegan meat products, which have become so popular they are now considered mainstream. These cruelty-free meats allow the most carnivorous consumer to indulge in the foods they love while avoiding the ethical and environmental concerns that are increasingly troubling the modern consumer.

Soglowek’s decision to donate 20 percent of its profits to SuperMeat, a clean meat company, is of notable importance. This is yet another exciting example of the traditional meat industry supporting the efforts of bringing clean meat to life.

Tyson Foods, an American multinational corporation that is the world's second largest processor and marketer of meat, invested in clean meat brands with intentions to "disrupt the meat industry."

Tyson Ventures, the venture capital arm of Tyson Foods, is co-leading a $2.2 million seed investment in Future Meat Technologies. Based in Jerusalem, Future Meat Technologies is a biotechnology company advancing a distributive manufacturing platform for the cost-efficient, non-GMO production of meat directly from animal cells, without the need to raise or harvest animals.

Tyson Ventures is being joined in the seed investment by several groups, including: Neto Group, one of the largest food conglomerates in Israel; S2G Ventures, a Chicago-based venture capital fund; BitsXBites, China’s first food technology venture capital fund; Agrinnovation, an Israeli investment fund founded by Yissum, the Technology Transfer Company of The Hebrew University; and New York-based HB Ventures.

It is hard to imagine cultured meat becoming a reality with a current production price of about $10,000 per kg. Future Meat Technologies redesigned the manufacturing process to bring it down to $800 per kg currently and established a clear roadmap to $5 to $10 per kg by 2020.

One of the challenges of "clean meat" technology is reproducing  animal fat that is responsible for the unique aroma and flavor of meat. Today, Future Meat Technologies is the only company that can produce this fat, without harvesting animals and without any genetic modification.

Future Meat Technologies said it plans to use the funds from the seed investment to establish its engineering activities and increase its biological research. The company is currently recruiting engineers, chefs and scientists.

The vice president of international campaigns for PETA Asia, Jason Baker, said about Israel: "The country is a leader in the switch to vegan eating: plant-based restaurants are thriving and easily accessible to the one million Israelis – out of a population of eight million – who don’t eat meat."

Source: LIVEKINDLY and Food Business News

Israel Aims To Eliminate Use of Coal, Gasoline, and Diesel By 2030

The Energy Ministry of Israel forecast that the country would be fully reliant on natural gas and alternative fuels for the production of electricity and for transportation within 12 years.

 Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz announced at the energy conference in Tel Aviv that from 2030 onward, the State of Israel would no longer allow the import of cars that run on gasoline and diesel fuel. In 2014, electricity was produced through a 50-50 split between coal and natural gas. The aim for 2030 is to alter that proportion to 83% natural gas and 17% renewable energy, with zero pollutants. Steinitz said he would be submitting a master plan with this vision to the government.

Already this year, the balance of electricity production will be 71% natural gas, 25%-27% coal, and 2% renewable energy, with the economy transitioning to using coal only for emergency and backup purposes by 2030.

“We have abolished the strategy of diversification of fuels,” Steinitz said, noting that Israel had previously believed that this kind of diversification — using coal and natural gas — was essential for energy security. “We realized we can reach energy security even without this diversification.”

“There is a historic opportunity to transform Israel into one of the first Western countries in which energy is produced with zero pollution and harm to the environment,” he said.

The controversial natural gas legislation passed two years ago has been a huge success, having enabled the development of Leviathan, Israel’s largest natural gas field, which is expected to come online next year.

The development of the field allowed Israel to sign its most significant export deals with neighboring Egypt and Jordan since the signing of peace accords with these nations.

In the beginning of February, the partners in the Tamar and Leviathan offshore natural gas fields said they signed deals to export 64 billion cubic meters of gas to the Egyptian firm Dolphinus over a 10-year period. In September 2016, Jordan struck a deal to buy 8.5 million cubic meters of Israeli gas per day over 15 years, a deal estimated to be worth $10 billion.

Israel, a country with scarce natural resources, discovered offshore natural gas fields that may enable it to achieve energy independence and become an exporter of natural gas. The Tamar gas field was discovered in 2009 and started production in 2013, while the Leviathan field — the largest deep water natural gas field discovered in the world in the past decade — was discovered in 2010 and is expected to start production in 2019.

More deals with Egypt are expected to follow the one already signed with Dolphinus. Egypt is estimated to need some 20 to 40 billion cubic meters of natural gas a year for the next decade, and this presents an opportunity for Israel.

The pipeline infrastructure already in place will allow Leviathan to supply gas to Egypt and Jordan when production starts in the fourth quarter of 2019 It will allow Israel to be part of a regional grid connected to the two Arab countries, as opposed to the energy island it has been until now.

Source: The Times of Israel

Too Fat To Roll

A really strange problem has hit Israel, and it is apparently caused by people’s love for animals.

Ten overweight hedgehogs have been brought to the wild animal hospital at the Ramat Gan Safari. These hedgehogs ate so much on the streets of Israel that they are no longer able to curl up into a ball to fend off predators.

A lot of Israelis put cat food on the streets for the stray cats. The problem is that there’s other wildlife that eats it.

Obese hedgehogs had to be put on a strict diet and rigorous exercise regimen. Once their weight returns to normal, they will be released back into the wild.

New fat patients are joining other dieting hedgehogs who are already being treated at the same hospital.