Israel approves cow-free milk for sale

Jerusalem: Israeli government has issued its first marketing and sales license for milk and dairy products made with precision fermentation, a green technology that grants the products the quality of real milk without cows.

The Israel Innovation Authority (IIA) announced in a statement on Thursday that local food startup Remilk received the license to market and sell these diary foods, whose proteins, identical to real milk proteins, are produced by specially-engineered yeast in fermentors.

The proteins are then combined with vitamins, minerals and non-animal fat to form dairy products including cheese, yogurt, and ice cream.

According to Remilk, this production process allows them to get rid of unwelcomed ingredients such as cholesterol and lactose, and free from growth hormones and antibiotics used in animal husbandry.

The process requires a fraction of Earth's resources compared to traditional dairy, while dramatically increasing efficiency in production, the company said in a statement.

"This is a historic day in the field of food tech, both in Israel and in the world," the IIA said. "The approval given is also a first and significant milestone for the entire Israeli food-tech market." (UNI)