Cow-less milk to be sold in Israel; U.S. launch next year

New dairy products promising real milk taste without the involvement of cows will soon be available for food service and retail sale in Israel.

The products are a partnership between two Israeli companies: Gad Dairies and Remilk, whose scientists are behind the animal-free formula.

Remilk takes the cow gene that allows for the production of milk protein and inserts it into yeast. The yeast is then fermented, producing the milk proteins that are combined with non-animal fat, sugar, vitamins and minerals to produce dairy products.

“We believe that we have reached the level that we can claim it to be the new milk. … It foams like regular milk, it tastes like milk and behaves like milk, whether it is used for cooking or other applications,” Remilk co-founder Ori Cohavi told The Times of Israel.

The new milk is being introduced to restaurants, hotels and cafes in Israel.

Next month, regular-tasting milk and a vanilla-flavored milk will start being sold on the retail market there.

The two companies plan to expand to major Israeli supermarket chains starting in January.

The companies are also working on yogurt, cream cheese and other dairy products using the animal-free milk, Mr. Cohavi told The Times of Israel.

Since the milk does not involve animal cells, consuming it or a product made from it along with meat would not violate Jewish dietary law. And people who are lactose intolerant can drink it, the companies said.

Remilk said its yeast-made protein has also been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and by officials in Canada and Singapore.

Remilk CEO Avi Wolff told food technology news site The Spoon that the company wants to launch the product in the U.S. sometime next year.