Remilk gets first-of-its-kind permit to sell non-animal dairy in Israel

Israeli company Remilk has received first-of-its-kind regulatory approval from the Health Ministry to market and sell its non-animal dairy products to Israeli consumers, the company and the Prime Minister’s Office announced Thursday.

“This permit is an initial breakthrough and a genuine milestone in an area in which the State of Israel is a technological leader,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said. “The development of this technology will lead to the economic strengthening of Israel, food security, better dealing with climate change and the welfare of animals.”

Remilk, based in Ness Ziona, copies the gene responsible for producing milk proteins and inserts it into yeast. The gene instructs the yeast to make the protein, then the yeast is placed in fermenters, where it rapidly multiplies and produces real milk proteins, just like cows produce. Eventually, the proteins are combined with vitamins, minerals, non-animal fats, and sugars to create dairy products.

Real dairy made without cows

Netanyahu, representatives of his office, various supporting ministries, the Good Food Institute and the Israel Innovation Authority visited Remilk last month.

“This is a defining moment, not only for Remilk, but for the entire global alternative protein industry,” said Remilk CEO and founder Aviv Wolff. He added that the move establishes Israel as one of the first in the world to offer people access to sustainable, real dairy products made without cows and free of lactose, cholesterol, antibiotics and growth hormones.

The Health Ministry issued the permit in collaboration with the PMO, the Science and Technology Ministry and the Israel Innovation Authority (IIA). Netanyahu hinted at the impending license earlier this month during a visit to Steakholder Foods, which 3D prints meat.

The prime minister has made promoting alternative proteins a national goal to help guarantee Israel’s food security and to strengthen the economy. The Good Food Institute and the IIA are assisting in formulating a national alternative protein strategy under the aegis of the PMO and its director-general, Yossi Shelley.

“Israel is a global leader in the field of alternative protein, and we will see to it that we continue to lead,” Netanyahu said during his visit to Steakholder Foods. “We will have new permits and achievements to change the world.”

The dairy industry has been scrutinized recently for its negative environmental impact. According to researchers at the University of California, Davis, a single cow will belch 220 pounds of methane yearly – methane that is 28 times more potent in warming the atmosphere than carbon dioxide.

Technologies like Remilk are meant to reduce emissions and use less water and land than animal-based milk production. As the company proudly states: “We see ourselves as part of an international revolution, powered by companies around the world which, like us, are working relentlessly to safeguard our planet for future generations.”