Roman Kriz, is CEO of Bene Meat Technologies, an ambitious and perhaps one of the most unconventional players in the cultivated-meat landscape. Bene Meat recently captured attention by using hamster-derived cell lines to produce affordable, scalable cultivated meat — a strategy Roman says is rooted in scientific pragmatism, regulatory clarity, and a relentless focus on cost reduction.

Roman breaks down why these specific cells are uniquely suited for industrial-scale production, how the company has navigated early EU regulatory pathways, and why Bene Meat is confident it will be selling cultivated meat in the European Union as early as next year.

Bene Meat plans to conduct human tastings in 2026, (not #hamster lines) a bold move that signals confidence not only in safety and functionality, but in the sensory potential of their product.

Roman offers transparent and frank look at the scientific decisions, business models, and unexpected breakthroughs that are bringing cultivated meat closer to everyday consumers.

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Future of Foods Interviews speaks to Nusa Urbancic, CEO of the Changing  Markets  Foundation, where she leads investigations exposing how the meat and dairy industries deploy misleading science, aggressive lobbying and mass-online disinformation campaigns to delay action on climate, health and sustainable food systems.

Her team’s landmark report, The New Merchants of Doubt, analysed 22 of the largest global meat and dairy companies and revealed how they invest far more in green-wash advertising than in emissions-reducing innovations. Under her direction the Foundation also commissioned Truth, Lies and Culture Wars, a social-listening study tracing nearly one million meat-industry-aligned misinformation posts over 14 months.

Listen now to find out how, where, how much and who.

In this episode of Future of Foods Interviews, host Alex Crisp speaks with Guilhem Jarmin, Category & Portfolio Solutions Director Meat & Dairy Alternatives at Cargill, about the company’s growing role in alternative proteins and the transformation of global food systems. Guilhem shares how one of the world’s largest agribusinesses is investing in plant-based and cultivated protein innovation, partnering with startups, and rethinking supply chains to reduce environmental impact.

Together, they explore what it takes for major corporations to drive a fair and scalable food transition and why collaboration between industry, science, and policy is essential for the future of sustainable protein.