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Beyond Meat has opened its major new research and development center at the company’s headquarters in Los Angeles.
The 26,000 square foot Innovation Center is the home of Beyond Meat’s Manhattan Beach Project – a plan to perfectly build meat directly from plants by employing the skills of almost 100 scientists, engineers, food technologists, chefs and managers. According to the brand, it will create 50 new jobs over the coming year, and is working with universities and research centers in the U.S. and abroad to identify the best scientists and engineers in their respective fields to fill them.
The center, which is seven-times the size of its existing facility, is broken into eight distinct labs. It also features a test kitchen that will be used to host chefs and culinary experts, offering a gourmet-style space where chefs can experiment and test new products.
PBN interviews Beyond Meat CEO Ethan Brown.Subscribe to PBN’s YouTube Channel here
Building meat from plants
Ethan Brown, Beyond Meat CEO and Founder, said: “The use of science and technology to build meat directly from plants, coupled with a commitment to all natural and non-GMO ingredients, is the core of our company. At Beyond Meat, we strive to understand meat at new levels, and then rebuild it using amino acids, lipids and minerals from plants.
“What the animal has done throughout history – organize plant material in the form of muscle or meat – we believe we can do more efficiently to the benefit of human health, the environment and animal welfare.
“The path to the perfect build of meat from plants is both long and steep, but with every iteration we are getting closer and closer. I am so pleased to join our special group of scientists, engineers, chefs and managers in announcing the opening of our new state-of-the-art innovation center.”