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Toronto Sun
a day ago
- General
- Toronto Sun
CHARLEBOIS: Plastic ice cream and cow-free butter? Pushing food too far?
Vegetables, meat, poultry, fish, bread and dairy products inside a Metro grocery store located at Victoria Park Ave. and Danforth Ave. at Shoppers World on Thursday December 12, 2024. Jack Boland/Toronto Sun Producing butter without cows, pastures, or even crops — using only carbon and hydrogen synthesized in a laboratory — sounds like science fiction. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account Yet, in the era of climate urgency and resource constraints, it's increasingly being framed as the next frontier in food innovation. A new generation of philanthropists and investors is betting on disruptive technologies to reimagine how we produce food. One such player is Savor, a Chicago-based company backed in part by billionaire Bill Gates. The firm claims it has developed a product indistinguishable in taste and texture from traditional butter. Unlike margarine — made from plant-based oils such as soybean or canola — this 'butter' is created entirely without animals or crops. Its fat molecules are reconstructed in a lab from carbon dioxide captured from the air and hydrogen extracted from water, processed through heating and oxidation. The result mimics the molecular structure of fats found in beef, cheese, or vegetable oils — without a single acre of farmland. Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. From an environmental standpoint, the footprint could be dramatically smaller. Commercially, Savor is targeting a market launch within 12 to 18 months but has yet to reveal pricing. It's reasonable to expect a premium positioning, perhaps in the organic butter range. On nutritional value, however, the company remains silent. Molecular agriculture—sometimes called synthetic or cellular food production — has gained significant traction in recent years. Meat, coffee, cocoa, seafood — virtually every category is being replicated. These innovations are often marketed as climate saviours. But the variables that truly shape consumer decisions — labelling, price, taste, and nutritional value — are often treated as secondary considerations. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Occasionally, the race for novelty veers into the absurd. In 2023, a U.K. company announced it could make ice cream from recycled plastic. Yes, plastic. One has to wonder how far we're willing to go in the name of saving the planet. Food science also has a history of unintended consequences. Consider trans fats: once hailed for improving texture and shelf life, they were ultimately banned due to their impact on public health. And here lies the economic and cultural tension: food is not merely a matter of calories produced with minimal resources. It is an expression of culture, heritage, and pride — rooted in centuries-old traditions. According to the Food Sentiment Index published by our lab earlier this year, just 9% of consumers identify the environment as their primary purchase driver. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Cellular and molecular agriculture research certainly has its place, but it must be guided by the right motivations. Projects that attempt to 'play God' or adopt eco-authoritarian narratives risk alienating the very consumers they aim to serve. Any credible pathway for these technologies must incorporate the cultural, economic, and sensory dimensions of eating. After all, we don't just eat to reduce carbon footprints — we eat to support our farmers, our food businesses, and the communities they sustain. The future of food will not be defined solely by lab breakthroughs or carbon math. Success will hinge on taste, transparency, affordability, and respect for culinary traditions. In the end, not all of us aspire to eat like Greta Thunberg. — Dr. Sylvain Charlebois is the Director of the Agri-Food Analytics Lab at Dalhousie University and co-host of The Food Professor Podcast Columnists Sunshine Girls CFL Money News Sunshine Girls
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Fact Check: Bill Gates-backed company created lab-made butter
Claim: A company backed by billionaire philanthropist Bill Gates has produced lab-made butter using carbon. Rating: Context: Breakthrough Energy Ventures, an investment fund Gates founded, is a shareholder in Savor, the company that manufactures the lab-made butter. Gates is not personally involved in Savor's management or leadership, according to a Savor spokesperson. In August 2025, a claim spread online that a company backed by Bill Gates had started manufacturing lab-made butter created with carbon, rather than dairy products. The butter rumor churned its way through the internet via posts on X, Facebook and Reddit. According to a 2024 blog post by Gates, he did, in fact, invest in a company called Savor, which announced the commercial launch of its lab-made butter created "directly from carbon without the need for conventional agriculture" in March 2025. Thus, we rate this claim true. Over email, a Savor spokesperson confirmed that Breakthrough Energy Ventures, a mission-driven investment fund Gates founded in 2015, became a shareholder in the company in 2022. According to the spokesperson, Breakthrough Energy Ventures did not own a majority stake and Gates was not personally involved in "the management or leadership of Savor." Carbon-made butter Many social media users expressed concern that the company's lab-made butter was toxic or unsafe for human consumption. However, according to Savor's FAQ — scroll to the end of this page — the company produced its butter by recreating the chemical profile of fats found in dairy-based butter — just through using science, instead of a cow. "The fats we produce are chemically identical to the fat we already eat, just in varying concentrations – they are the same fuel for your body as the fats you already consume every day," the company's FAQ said. In simple terms, natural fats are made from carbon, hydrogen and oxygen. According to Savor, the company's scientists took carbon from gases like carbon dioxide and hydrogen from water (see Page 2). Then, they added heat, pressure and oxidation, which produced the same kind of fat molecules found in milk, beef and vegetable oils. A food scientist for Savor, Jordan Beiden-Charles, told Chicago's WBBM-TV that the company's scientists then added water, lecithin and some "natural flavor and color" to get the final butter product. Lecithin is a group of fatty substances found naturally in foods like egg yolks and peanuts; as is common in the food industry, the company used it as an emulsifier. According to a 2024 Smithsonian Magazine article, Savor used rosemary oil for flavor and beta-carotene, a pigment found in fruits and vegetables, for color. Savor's spokesperson confirmed the continued use of these ingredients and said they also used thyme oil for flavor, adding, "The full ingredients list for Savor's butter is: Savor Fat (MLCT Oil), Water, Salt, Sunflower Lecithin, Rosemary & Thyme oil, Beta Carotene." Per Page 3 of this Savor document, as of 2025, the company has conducted consultation meetings with the FDA and was seeking a "no questions" letter from the agency, which would essentially state that the agency does not have any concerns about the safety of a food product. The Savor spokesperson confirmed that the company was in the process of securing that letter in August 2025. Peer-reviewed research — produced in part by Savor's CEO, Kathleen Alexander — found chemical and biological food processes like those used by Savor could result in "enormous potential reductions in greenhouse gas emissions as well as in land and water use." Gates investment A Feb. 13, 2024, blog post from Gates further confirmed the Microsoft billionaire's investment in Savor. Here's the relevant part (emphasis ours): What we need are new ways of generating the same fat molecules found in animal products, but without greenhouse gas emissions, animal suffering, or dangerous chemicals. And they have to be affordable for everyone. It might sound like a pipe dream, but a company called Savor (which I'm invested in) is in the process of doing it. […] I've tasted Savor's products, and I couldn't believe I wasn't eating real butter. (The burger came close, too.) According to Savor's press kit, the company launched in 2022 via Orca Sciences, a climate-focused research and development organization with reported ties to Gates. "Since then, we have secured $33 million in venture capital funding from Breakthrough Energy Ventures and Synthesis Capital," Savor said (see Page 1). Gates established Breakthrough Energy Ventures, a climate technology-focused investment fund, in 2015 and at the time of this writing was the fund's co-chair, according to its website. This wasn't the first time we've looked into a rumor about lab-made food. Previously, we investigated a claim that a Dutch company was 3D-printing meat cultivated from animal stem cells. Bassi, Margherita. "New 'Butter' Made from Carbon Dioxide Tastes like the Real Dairy Product, Startup Says." Smithsonian Magazine, Smithsonian Magazine, 17 July 2024, "Beta-Carotene." Breakthrough Energy. "Breakthrough Energy Origin Story | Breakthrough Energy." 5 Jan. 2024, Costa-Pinto, Rahul, and Dashiell Gantner. "Macronutrients, Minerals, Vitamins and Energy." Anaesthesia & Intensive Care Medicine, vol. 21, no. 3, Mar. 2020, pp. 157–61, Davis, Steven J., et al. "Food without Agriculture." Nature Sustainability, Nov. 2023, pp. 1–6, Accessed 7 Dec. 2023. Davis, Steven J., and Ian McKay. "To Save the Climate, Let's Consider Making Food without Farms." 5 Aug. 2024, Accessed 14 Aug. 2025. "Foreword from Bill Gates." Breakthrough Energy, 2023, Accessed 13 Aug. 2025. Gates, Bill. "Greasy—and Good for the Planet." 13 Feb. 2024, "Ian McKay | Hertz Foundation." Fannie and John Hertz Foundation, 22 Mar. 2024, Accessed 14 Aug. 2025. "Lecithin." Molina, Tara. "Butter Made from Carbon Tastes like the Real Thing, Gets Backing from Bill Gates." 7 Aug. 2025, Accessed 13 Aug. 2025. "One Process, Many Fats." 18 July 2025, Accessed 13 Aug. 2025. "Orca Sciences." 2025, Accessed 14 Aug. 2025. "Savor." 2022, Accessed 13 Aug. 2025. "Savor Launches Butter Made without Agriculture, Showcasing the First of Its Revolutionary Sustainable Fats." 20 Mar. 2025, Accessed 13 Aug. 2025. "Savor One-Pager 2025." 2025, Accessed 13 Aug. 2025.
Daily Mail
5 days ago
- Science
- Daily Mail
Bill Gates's butter is slammed for taste
A synthetic butter made entirely from carbon, hydrogen and oxygen and backed by Bill Gates, has been called 'disgusting'. The spread is made by Savor, a company based in Batavia, Illinois, and is backed by the Microsoft founder. Their products are described on their website as: 'Delightfully rich foods without animals, farmland, fertilizers, hormones, or antibiotics. These are real fats, not a substitute.' Many users have slammed the product online as 'disgusting.' Celebrity chef Andrew Gruel wrote on X: 'Disgusting. They are combining hydrogen, carbon and oxygen to create fat molecules then manipulate that to taste like butter. Why do this when we already have butter?' The scientists say their recipe is made up of fat, water, a touch of lecithin as an emulsifier, and natural flavor and color. The finished butter allegedly contains no palm oil and is already being tested in restaurants and bakeries to hit the market in 2025. Retail sales could begin around 2027. Instead of farmland, fertilizers and cows, Savor uses an industrial process to turn carbon dioxide from the air and hydrogen from water into fat molecules identical to those in dairy butter. The result, according to the company, looks, smells and tastes just like the real thing but is made with zero agriculture and zero emissions. 'So you're using this gas right now to cook your food and we're proposing that we would like to first make your food with-with that gas,' Kathleen Alexander, co-founder and CEO of Savor told CBS News. 'This is really about how we feed our species and heal our planet at the same time,' she added. While Gates has admitted the concept 'may seem strange at first,' he insists its potential to slash greenhouse gas emissions is 'immense.' 'The idea of switching to lab-made fats and oils may seem strange at first. But their potential to significantly reduce our carbon footprint is immense,' he wrote on his blog. Another critic accused Savor of using sustainability as a cover for centralizing food production. 'They're not trying to solve a food shortage. They're trying to engineer one… Once they own the source code for your food, they can alter it, gate it, and revoke access at will… The goal isn't to make butter without cows. The goal is to make humans without sovereignty.' Others emphasized health concerns and warned synthetic butter could 'cause heart attacks and obesity at a minimum.' Still some defended the concept, saying it could help feed developing countries if it's cheap to produce. 'If it's cheaper to produce, then it's great for developing countries, e.g. in Africa,' one user added. But the same person added that 'No one will force me to eat this butter, because the molecules can be cloned, but the authentic taste certainly cannot. Imagine putting this on your $50 steak.'
Economic Times
6 days ago
- Business
- Economic Times
Butter made from Carbon? Lab-grown butter backed by Bill Gates to hit shelves by 2027; chocolates coming this holiday season
TIL Creatives Butter made from carbon to revolutionize food industry, retail launch expected by 2027 A pioneering food technology company in Batavia is set to change how we think about butter and chocolates. Savor, a startup backed by Bill Gates, has developed butter made entirely from carbon and hydrogen, without using animals, plants, or oils. The company announced that chocolates made with this innovative butter will hit the market this holiday season, with wider retail availability expected by 2027. Also Read: China unveils 'gunpowder-powered' space debris catcher that could covertly disable enemy satellites Unlike traditional butter, which relies on farmland, cows, and associated emissions, Savor's carbon-based butter is produced by converting carbon dioxide from the air and hydrogen from water into fat molecules. Kathleen Alexander, co-founder and CEO of Savor, told CBS that the process 'releases zero greenhouse gases' and has a land footprint thousands of times smaller than conventional its industrial production method, they reported that the butter looks, smells, and tastes remarkably like real dairy butter. Food scientist Jordan Beiden-Charles told CBS, 'This is pretty novel, to be able to make food that looks and tastes and feels exactly like dairy butter, but with no agriculture whatsoever.'Also Read: Jessica Radcliffe wasn't attacked by an Orca; in fact, scientists reveal these killer whales are friendly and often let dolphins swim right beside them Savor is currently collaborating with restaurants, bakeries, and food suppliers to introduce chocolates made with their lab-grown butter in time for the 2025 holiday season. Alexander shared, 'Savor Butter, in either its current manifestation or with our partners, we expect that to be on the shelves kind of more like around 2027.'Savor butter contains only fat, water, lecithin as an emulsifier, and natural flavor and color, no long, unpronounceable ingredients. Crucially, the product contains no palm oil, a major driver of deforestation and climate and oils from animals and plants account for about 7 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions annually, so Savor's method presents a groundbreaking, climate-friendly alternative to traditional fat production. Also Read: Turkey unveils world's first sea-skimming combat drone, a stealthy, production-ready WIG craft unlike anything US, Russia or China has Bill Gates, the visionary billionaire and prominent investor in clean technology, praised the breakthrough in his blog, noting, 'The idea of switching to lab-made fats and oils may seem strange at first. But their potential to significantly reduce our carbon footprint is immense.'
Time of India
6 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
Butter made from Carbon? Lab-grown butter backed by Bill Gates to hit shelves by 2027; chocolates coming this holiday season
Live Events Innovative butter made without agriculture Chocolates are arriving this holiday season Environmentally friendly and simple ingredients Backing from Bill Gates (You can now subscribe to our (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel A pioneering food technology company in Batavia is set to change how we think about butter and chocolates. Savor, a startup backed by Bill Gates, has developed butter made entirely from carbon and hydrogen, without using animals, plants, or company announced that chocolates made with this innovative butter will hit the market this holiday season, with wider retail availability expected by traditional butter, which relies on farmland, cows, and associated emissions, Savor's carbon-based butter is produced by converting carbon dioxide from the air and hydrogen from water into fat Alexander, co-founder and CEO of Savor, told CBS that the process 'releases zero greenhouse gases' and has a land footprint thousands of times smaller than conventional its industrial production method, they reported that the butter looks, smells, and tastes remarkably like real dairy butter. Food scientist Jordan Beiden-Charles told CBS, 'This is pretty novel, to be able to make food that looks and tastes and feels exactly like dairy butter, but with no agriculture whatsoever.'Savor is currently collaborating with restaurants, bakeries, and food suppliers to introduce chocolates made with their lab-grown butter in time for the 2025 holiday shared, 'Savor Butter, in either its current manifestation or with our partners, we expect that to be on the shelves kind of more like around 2027.'Savor butter contains only fat, water, lecithin as an emulsifier, and natural flavor and color, no long, unpronounceable ingredients. Crucially, the product contains no palm oil, a major driver of deforestation and climate and oils from animals and plants account for about 7 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions annually, so Savor's method presents a groundbreaking, climate-friendly alternative to traditional fat Gates, the visionary billionaire and prominent investor in clean technology, praised the breakthrough in his blog, noting, 'The idea of switching to lab-made fats and oils may seem strange at first. But their potential to significantly reduce our carbon footprint is immense.'
