Israel-based cultivated beef steaks producer Aleph Farms has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Mitsubishi Corporation to sell lab-grown beef in Japan.

Under the MoU, the two companies will begin the groundwork to introduce lab-grown beef in the Japanese market, wher demand for meat is said to be increasing.

Aleph Farms co-founder and CEO Didier Toubia said: “The MoU with Mitsubishi Corporation’s Food Industry Group marks an important milestone for us, as we methodically build the foundations of our global go-to-market activities with seleced partners.”

According to the agreement, Aleph Farms will be providing its scalable manufacturing platform (BioFarm) for the cultivation of whole-muscle steaks while Mitsubishi will offer its expertise in biotechnology processes and branded food manufacturing, as well as local distribution channels in Japan.

With annual revenues of $140bn, Mitsubishi Corporation includes ten business groups and its food industry group covers food resources, fresh foods, consumer products, and food ingredients.

from the production and sourcing of raw materials to the manufacturing of finished food products, Mitsubishi is said to have been active in all aspects of the food supply chain.

Toubia added: “The cooperation demonstrates Aleph Farms’ strategy of working together with the food and meat industries to ensure the successful integration of cultivated meat within the ecosystem while maximising the positive impact we make.

“We are excited to bring cultivated meat production closer to the Japanese market.”

Last October, Aleph Farms launched the ‘Aleph Zero’ programme to produce cell-based meat in outer space.

The new project will focus on cultivating fresh meat anywher, irrespective of climate change or the availability of natural resources.

The company, which grows meat directly from cattle cells, said it wants to ‘push the boundaries’ of its production process through this initiative.