Manufacturing and innovation group BioMade announced that it has received hundreds of millions of dollars from the Department of Defense to develop food innovations that “reduce the CO2 footprint of food production at and/or transport to DoD operational environments.”
Such “innovations” include “novel cell culture methods suitable for the production of cultivated meat/protein,” according to a project call. Other innovations considered for the reduction of a carbon footprint include the “production of nutrient-dense military rations via fermentation processes” and “utilizing one carbon molecule (C1) feedstocks for food production.”
“Processes that convert greenhouse gases including CO2 or methane into bioproducts that are of industrial use and are recalcitrant to degradation are encouraged through this project call,” the project call notes.
Another aim of the project is the prevention of “coastal erosion.”
“[B]ioproducts that can be used to prevent or slow coastal erosion, or bioproducts that mitigate the impact of drought or fluctuating weather patterns are encouraged,” the document adds under its “Mitigating Environmental Impacts” focus area. “Innovations that decrease the water footprint of biomanufacturing processes or allow for biomanufacturing using saline or brackish water fit into this category.”
A higher priority will be given to proposals that “outline the specific benefit to DoD interests or operations of the climate change impact mitigation technology.”
The Center for Environment and Welfare brought attention to the DOD-funded endeavor, explaining the call for carbon-friendly proposals.
Last year, BioMade announced a $450 million budget increase from the DOD to “strengthen bioindustrial manufacturing innovation and education.”
The total budget now exceeds $500 million.
According to Stephen Luckowski, the DoD MII Program Director, the “budget increase and planned investment is a direct reflection of the Department’s strategy to accelerate technologies that will play critical roles in securing America’s advanced manufacturing capabilities. BioMADE’s ability to support the needs of the Nation’s nascent bioeconomy illustrates the value of the DoD’s nine MIIs and their public-private partnership model.”
The push for innovative technologies, including those that produce lab-grown meat, have been marked by controversy.
Two states, Florida and Alabama, have banned lab-grown meat.
