Jeff Bezos Founded Initiative Pledges $60M For Improving Alternative Meats: 'We Need To Feed 10 Billion People'

Lauren Sánchez, the vice chair of the Bezos Earth Fund, has announced a $60 million commitment to establish the Bezos Centers for Sustainable Protein. This initiative is part of the Fund’s $1 billion pledge to revolutionize the food industry.

What Happened: On Tuesday, at the Aspen Ideas: Climate event, Sánchez, a media personality and fiancée of the Amazon chair, said that the Bezos Centers for Sustainable Protein will focus on overcoming technological hurdles to improve the quality, reduce costs, and increase the nutritional value of alternative proteins.

These centers will concentrate on bio-manufacturing, which involves the large-scale production of sustainable protein products, whether plant-based, fermented, or cultivated.

The aim is to address the high costs and limited quality associated with this process, as well as explore opportunities to improve texture and flavor through advancements in cell biology and engineering.

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“We need to feed 10 billion people with healthy, sustainable food throughout this century while protecting our planet. We can do it, and it will require a ton of innovation,” said Sánchez. It should be noted that the current population of the world is estimated at 8 billion, according to the United States Census Bureau.

This announcement builds on the Bezos Earth Fund’s $1 billion commitment to support farmers and expand food production in a sustainable manner. The Fund is also collaborating with inventors, researchers, and entrepreneurs to enhance the resilience and carbon absorption of major food crops.

Why It Matters: Jeff Bezos, the founder of the Bezos Earth Fund, has been actively involved in philanthropy and environmental initiatives following his departure from Amazon as CEO. The billionaire is currently the second person listed on Bloomberg’s Billionaire Index, with a net worth of $198 billion.

The primary focuses of the Bezos Earth Fund include diminishing the carbon footprint associated with construction-grade cement and steel, advocating for financial regulators to consider climate-related risks, progressing data and mapping technologies for carbon emission monitoring, and establishing extensive, naturally formed plant-based carbon sinks.

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Photo by Lev Radin on Shutterstock

Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of Benzinga Neuro and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.