The conventional meat industry has come under pressure due to several external factors like ethical, environmental, demographical and concerns about health issues. The industry is seen as polluting due to its high footprint for high carbon emissions and high-water consumption. Due to increasing living standards and a growing population on a global scale, there is a rising demand for meat products. This leads to the recent trend of searching for alternatives to animal protein production. Besides the possibility of replacing the consumption of animal proteins by vegetable proteins, a new technological evolution has emerged in the last decade: the technology to produce animal proteins in lab conditions by growing muscle mass from stem cells. The motivation for this trend is the idea that this technology mitigates the harmful effects of conventional meat production and is therefore a better alternative.
Adifo has been developing specific software tools for the nutrition industry for more than 40 years and is one of the world leaders in this area. Among others, Adifo provides solutions specific to the feed industry in order to compose the most optimal feed to the specific needs of the farmer's livestock. This ensures that the farmers are provided with a feed that contains all the necessary nutrients and can be produced at the lowest cost. If the conventional meat industry shifts to a more lab-meat industry, new challenges can arise and Adifo wants to be prepared for this.
The first part of this assignment is to perform a literature study on how the artificial food (‘lab meat’) technology works and which processes are involved. Identifying and naming these processes would be the first step to assess the likelihood of new emerging industries. Furthermore, this information is vital for judging which techniques are likely to prosper in the market. Also, the economic landscape needs to be assessed for the impact on the current business (prediction for the meat landscape in 2040). For example, some studies suggest that in 2040 more than half of the sold meat is cultivated. What would this mean for the existing Adifo customer base? What is the synergy with the dairy industry and how will this industry be impacted?
Second part of this assignment is to analyze where Adifo's products can be used during the industrialized processes (price optimization, procurement optimizations, quality control, product labelling, lot production optimization, etc.). If the existing products would not fully meet the business needs of this sector, opportunities can be identified for new solutions.
The feed sector is watching this new technology very closely. Some of our customers even invest in startup companies using this technology. An option would be that the intern encounters one of these companies, using the existing Adifo’s connections.
Based on this, the student gives an overview of where the developments in the artificial lab meat industry stands today and which technologies are likely to prosper in the future. The student gives his/her view for recommended changes in Adifo’s products of which this new industry can benefit.