Is cow-free milk the next lab food?

You’re shopping for some milk, and there it is. A bottle of the white stuff in just the right shape for picking up and putting into your shopping cart. But wait. Its label boldly proclaims “COW FREE.” You know there are dairy free milks such as soy milk, almond milk, and even hemp milk, to name just a few. But a label proclaiming “COW FREE”? What is this all about?

As a starter, food and beverage company Israeli-based Strauss Group is gearing up to get its cow-free milk and cream cheese into retail markets in Israel this month. In doing this, they are joining forces with Imagindairy, a company that specializes in dairy-free products.

The companies describe this as a “historic step in bringing animal-free dairy products to market.”

“A turning point in the food industry,” said Barak Weinstein, head of Strauss Neo.

As for the science behind this, Imagindairy’s whey protein, which is used to make the cow-free milk, is made from microbes using precision fermentation, a process similar to making wine and beer in a bioreactor. The microbes are fed water, sugar, minerals and vitamins to produce the whey. 

In contrast, instead of feeding cows, this new approach will involve feeding microorganisms that the scientists say are up to 20 times more efficient than a cow’s system in turning feed — hay and grain, for example — into human food.

The whey protein, which is identical to the protein in cow’s milk, is made using the help of biotechnology and AI to duplicate the DNA of the cow’s protein. The end result is Beta-lactoglobulin, a “next generation” whey protein that has no lactose, cholesterol and hormones, and contains a higher content of essential amino acids. However, since the protein is structurally identical to milk protein, the company’s NoCow products are not suitable for individuals with milk protein allergies. 

Already, some start-up companies using this type of science have secured a “no questions letter” from the Food and Drug Administration for animal-free beta-lactoglobulin. 

Researchers involved in precision fermentation say food safety isn’t an issue if standard food-safety practices are followed. They point out that the process is done in sterile labs under strict supervision, with no blood and guts involved.

“It’s dairy done differently,” says Imagindairy’s website.

In simple terms, this is what some people would call “lab milk.” 

The developers say this advance can give us a “cow-free future” by bridging technology innovation and culinary excellence, which, in turn, creates new choices for consumers, some of whom can’t tolerate lactose and others who are vegans, as well as those who have concerns about humane treatment of cows and the environmental impact of the dairy industry.

Then, too, it makes it possible for Jews who follow Kosher standards, which forbid eating meat and dairy in the same meal, to enjoy such things as ice cream or cappuccino coffee with a meal.

As for the environment, the average American consumes 655 pounds of dairy a year, which comes to 9.4 million cows. That represents a lot of water, both for growing the hay and the grain that the cows eat, and the water that the cows drink. 

For example, a milking dairy cow drinks about 30 to 50 gallons of water each day. During periods of heat stress water intake may double.

Several consumers who were asked about their reaction to this new approach to dairy said they’d be willing to try it. Some see it as a change that’s on its way.

“Things do evolve,” said Beverly Anderson of Anacortes, WA, “I’d definitely want to try it. But it’s got to pass the taste test. And it’s got to pass the budget test.”

Another consumer, Tom (last name not given),100, also of Anacortes, said he wouldn’t be interested in drinking the milk. But he also said he has seen a lot of changes in his 100 years on the planet, and considering that the world’s population is growing and available farmland is decreasing, this is something “we’ll probably see more of.”

Another consumer, Tom Kennedy of Ferndale, WA, agreed, saying that that future perspective is probably true.

“The newer generation might endorse something like this,” he said, “but I wouldn’t drink it. I like natural and organic foods.”

A company that tracks sales of various foods says consumer confusion about this and the price of the products may initially result in lower sales. The price of the products is not yet available. 

Now what?
This sort of new technology has the potential to usher in a host of significant changes in agriculture — changes that were not foreseen by most people and policymakers even just five years ago, according to independent think tank, ReThinkx, which analyzes and forecasts the scope, speed and scale of technology-driven disruption and its implications across society.

“We are on the cusp of the deepest, fastest, most consequential disruption in food and agricultural production since the first domestication of plants and animals ten thousand years ago,” says the executive summary of a report by ReThinkx.

“The impact of this disruption on industrial animal farming will be profound.

“By 2030, the number of cows in the U.S. will have fallen by 50 percent and the cattle farming industry will be all but bankrupt. All other livestock industries will suffer a similar fate, while the knock-on effects for crop farmers and businesses throughout the value chain will be severe.”

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Source: https://www.foodsafetynews.com/2025/09/is-cow-free-milk-the-next-lab-food/