The U.S.-based startup Brown Foods is planning to launch UnReal Milk, the world’s first lab-grown whole milk produced without cows. This was reported by Daphne Ewing-Chow, senior contributor to Forbes, in an article published on Feb 24, 2025. The milk is created using mammalian cell culture and is designed to have the same nutritional composition, taste, and texture as conventional cow’s milk. It can be processed into butter, cheese, and ice cream, offering a sustainable, animal-free alternative. According to Brown Foods, the production of UnReal Milk reduces CO₂ emissions by 82%, water consumption by 90%, and land use by 95%. The company was founded in 2021 by Sohail Gupta, Bhavna Tandon, and Avhijeet Kapoor and has secured $2.36 million in funding from investors, including Y Combinator and AgFunder. Currently, UnReal Milk is undergoing laboratory validation. Tests conducted by the MIT Whitehead Institute have confirmed that it contains all essential dairy proteins, making it structurally identical to cow’s milk. Brown Foods emphasizes that its production method is scalable and controllable, operating independently of climatic conditions.

Fig.: This could be milk from the lab