Remilk Is the First Precision Fermentation Dairy Approval In Israel

Israel’s Ministry of Health has granted Remilk approval for its non-animal dairy products, marking a historic first for the country’s nascent precision fermentation sector.

The Rehovot-based Remilk can now bring its non-animal dairy products to market, says the Israeli Ministry of Health. The approval follows Remilk’s regulatory approval from the Singapore Food Authority (SFA) and a “no questions letter” from the U.S. FDA earlier this year.

‘A defining moment’

“This is a defining moment, not only for Remilk but for the entire global alternative protein industry and the state of Israel, one of the first in the world to recognize the significance of precision fermentation,” Aviv Wolff, CEO and co-founder of Remilk, said in a statement.

“The opening of the Israeli market to real, animal-free dairy products will place Israel not only at the forefront of global food-tech research and development but also as a leading market in the world for new food consumption. Today’s news opens the door for the introduction of high-quality and nutritious animal-free dairy products,” Wolff said.

The precision fermentation category is set for a boom; the number of companies focused on fermentation for alternative proteins rose to 136 last year, according to The Good Food Institute.

The sector, which is sandwiched in between the two food tech extremes — made from plants (or fungi) and cultivated or lab-grown — is gaining traction for a number of applications, chiefly dairy.

Fermentation has been used for years in products including medicines, vitamins, and in traditional cheesemaking. But unlike conventional dairy, precision fermentation products are free of lactose, cholesterol, antibiotics, and growth hormones, making them suitable for those with dietary restrictions or concerns.

It’s also a vastly more sustainable way to produce dairy. Category leader, California’s Perfect Day, says its milk produces up to 97 percent fewer carbon emissions than conventional dairy.

Global distribution

Like Perfect Day, Remilk is poised for market domination. The company has already raised more than $130 million and has signed deals with leading players in the global food industry. Its recent Singapore and U.S. green lights make the global market even more attainable. Remilk is only the second precision fermentation company to receive a “no questions” letter from the U.S. FDA.

Remilk’s funding and scalability will see it quickly go toe-to-toe with Perfect Day, which has secured deals with food giants including Nestlé, Mars, and General Mills (which later gave that contract to Remilk before discontinuing the product altogether). It also outsources its tech and provides its dairy-identical whey to other labels.

Last year, Remilk announced a large-scale commercial agreement with the Central Bottling Company (CBC Group), the exclusive Israeli franchisee of Coca-Cola, and one of the largest food companies in Israel, to launch a line of dairy products made with Remilk’s protein for the Israeli market. It is also already producing its protein at industrial volumes in facilities around the world.

“The breakthrough achievement of Remilk’s R&D team lies in its success in converting a technology that has been used for decades to create components for the food industry such as vitamins and enzymes in small quantities, to produce one of the most significant and high-quality components in the food industry,” said Dr. Ori Cohavi, Chief Technology Officer and co-founder of Remilk.

“Our milk protein, produced on an industrial scale, allows us to practically change the face of the dairy market,” Cohavi says.

Wolff says Remilk was “born to be an international company,” particularly one that “dares to challenge the traditional dairy industry.” The regulatory approval as well as its forthcoming product launch with the Central Bottling Company are the beginning of an exciting road ahead — all just part of what Wolff says is the company’s vision of “creating new food systems that can provide nutritious and high-quality solutions for the world’s growing population.”