In recent years, billionaires like Bill Gates, Jeff Bezos, Mark Zuckerberg, and others have taken an interest in farmland and food production. Of those, the charity run by Amazon founder and Washington Post owner Bezos’ charity has zeroed in on plant-based and lab-grown meat alternatives.
Most recently, Bezos’ charity awarded North Carolina State University $30 million, to be divided over five years to create a Bezos Center for Sustainable Protein.
In a news release, NC State says that the center will become a “biomanufacturing hub for dietary proteins that are environmentally friendly, healthy, accessible and affordable.”
NC State says that the new center will collaborate with academic and industry partners to revolutionize the production of protein alternatives.
The Research and Development team will focus on innovating the materials used in protein extraction and fermentation. They aim to enhance manufacturing processes for sustainable protein products, making them more efficient and cost-effective using advanced biotechnology and manufacturing methods. Additionally, the team will train faculty and students on innovation, intellectual property, and commercialization strategies, facilitating the transfer of new technologies to the industry.
“Alternative proteins are unlikely to displace animal proteins,” said Bill Aimutis, co-principal investigator on the grant and co-director of the new center who has experience working with sustainable protein producers and start-up companies. “It is difficult to create an alternative protein product that rivals the flavor and texture of meat and that is also appealing and affordable for consumers. This center is more interested in growing the sustainable protein industry as another option for consumers rather than displacing animal proteins.”
This isn’t the only facility Bezos hopes to open at universities to improve meat alternative options — in total, Bezos’ philanthropic arm, Bezos Earth Fund says it will donate $60 million to establish research centers. In March, Bezos Earth Fund Vice Chair Lauren Sánchez indicated that the Bezos Centers for Sustainable Protein was just part of the Bezos Earth Fund’s $1 billion commitment to food transformation.
“We need to feed 10 billion people with healthy, sustainable food throughout this century while protecting our planet. We can do it, and it will require a ton of innovation,” said Sánchez. “Our world is poised for transformation, for a future not constrained by compromise. Solutions to our greatest challenges often come from the quiet persistence of those willing to question, reimagine, and innovate.”
Bezos is one of the wealthiest people in the world, with a net worth of over $194 billion, ranking third on the Forbes Real-Time Billionaire List. The fact that Amazon has owned the Whole Foods Market grocery store chain since 2017 reinforces his intent to have a stake in America’s food supply.
Still, the investment in alternative proteins seems an odd contrast to Bezos’ upbringing. The billionaire credits his resourcefulness to working on his grandparents’ South Texas ranch every summer.
Bezos also owns the Corn Ranch, a repurposed 165,000-acre spread located north of Van Horn, Texas, that serves as the base site for Blue Origin, the aerospace company that Bezos founded in 2000.
Despite his ag-rooted past, the Bezos Earth Fund claims that its commitment to alternative proteins centers around unsustainable food systems, stating that, “Food is the second largest cause of climate change, and agriculture is the primary driver of deforestation and biodiversity loss.”
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