Remilk has received “first-of-its-kind” approval from the Israeli Ministry of Health (MOH), making it the first animal-free dairy protein company permitted to sell and market its product across Israel.

The open sale of Remilk’s alternative milk, produced via precision fermentation, will “open the door for the introduction of high-quality and nutritious animal-free dairy products,” according to Aviv Wolff, CEO and co-founder of Remilk. 

“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,” he continues.

This news follows a wave of regulatory endorsements for Remilk, which has also received a generally recognized as safe (GRAS) approval from the Food and Drug Administration and similar regulatory clearance from the Singapore Food Authority. Israel’s approval came following a thorough assessment. 

“We thank the Ministry of Health for an in-depth process, in which our non-animal milk protein was thoroughly tested and found to be safe, of high quality, and identical to its cow-derived counterpart,” says Dr. Ori Cohavi, chief technology officer and co-founder of Remilk, who feels that precision fermentation technology is behind the company’s present and future success.

“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,” he notes.

He adds that the milk protein, produced on an industrial scale, allows the company to practically “change the face of the dairy market.”

Scaling Remilk
Remilk, an alumnus of the ProVeg Incubator, has further developments in store.

Last year, Remilk announced a large-scale commercial agreement with the Central Bottling Company, which is the exclusive Israeli franchisee of Coca-Cola and one of the largest food companies in Israel, to launch a line of dairy drinks, cheeses and yogurt products made with Remilk’s protein, specifically for the Israeli market. 

Wolff is especially excited for the line to launch.

“The product launch planned with the Central Bottling Company is on the horizon as we continue to realize our vision of creating new food systems that can provide nutritious and high-quality solutions for the world’s growing population,” he says.

Precision fermentation frothing at the bit
As one of the primary means for producing plant-based proteins, precision fermentation has become the go-to means for many start-ups to develop alternative protein products. 

However, regulatory approval and success, as enjoyed by Remilk, is rare, with many similar companies struggling to leap the many roadblocks of the regulatory process, especially in the EU.

Recently, key players in the precision fermentation space formed Food Fermentation Europe to call on the EU to updat its lethargic process to a more expedient and efficient system.