CRB’s Moses Featured in the Washington Post

Tony Moses, Ph.D., Fellow – Product Innovation, contributes to the conversation around alternative proteins, specifically precision fermentation for lab-grown dairy, in a recent article with The Washington Post. Tony offers his thoughts on the challenges companies are facing when it comes to bringing their products from the lab to consumers, including how those products are marketed.

Many brands are leaning into sustainability and cruelty-free messaging while avoiding explicit references to “alternative.” To their advantage, consumers are loyal to brands, not ingredients.

“Nestlé and Mars, they have the reach and the customers,” Moses told the Post. “They could position these new products as extensions of existing product lines, but the jury is still out on what the labels will say.”

Cow dairy companies have pushed back against plant-based milks using the word “milk” or “cheese”, but in February the FDA announced that oat, soy, and almond drinks can continue to use the word “milk” in their names. This battle around precise language will likely recur when additional precision dairy products reach the market. Future struggles with FDA regulations, competition with plant-based milk companies, and Americans’ increasing discomfort with processed food are all challenges that could strain start-ups.

“This is an industry that jumped to the market way faster than I thought it would, and part of that is the regulatory hurdles.” “Great things are happening in the lab, but it’s that getting to market, that commercialization piece, that is less certain.”- Tony Moses

The next generation of alt dairy is here, but the road to getting products to consumers holds challenges that will likely require manufacturers to front-load regulatory expertise into their plans and designs. Contact CRB to learn more about these challenges.

Read the full article: Moooove over: How single-celled yeasts are doing the work of 1,500-pound cows