NotCo Uses Hyper-Realistic AI to Address Livestock Life Expectancy

When was the last time you saw an old cow, pig, or chicken? Most people have never seen these animals grow to a mature age, because in the current food system they only live a fraction of their natural lives. NotCo, the global food tech company known for its patented AI technology (Giuseppe) and mission to create a more sustainable world by removing animals from the food equation, is now leveraging AI in a new way – to help educate people on the disparity between how long animals live in nature compared to that of the conventional food system.

The captivating AI images can be seen on social media, billboards, and print ads in selected cities in the US through the end of Earth Month. The campaign, created by AKQA Bloom, wants to expose how surprised most people are to learn that cows can live up to 48 years in nature, pigs up to 23 years, and chickens over 20 years. However, in the current global food system, these animals only live a matter of months and sometimes even days. NotCo is also deploying the images across other countries where it operates, including Chile, Brazil, Canada, Mexico and Argentina.

“This campaign reminds us that AI can help humans have a better relationship with animals and nature. We believe that seeing an old farm animal shouldn’t be a surprise, and AI can be the accelerator for a plant-based revolution in the food industry” said Zampa & Zaro, founders of AKQA Bloom.

“At NotCo, we believe humans can collaborate with AI to build a better future for our planet,” said Fernando Machado, global CMO for NotCo. “We’re already doing this through our patented AI that creates remarkably delicious plant-based foods that taste identical to animal-based foods. But to shine a light on what a better future could look like, we turned to AI again – because right now animals like cows, pigs, and chickens that are grown for food only live a fraction of their natural lifespans. These AI-generated images give us a clear picture of what these animals should actually look like in nature, and we hope this sparks a larger conversation about how we can all do our part to create a better future together – for ourselves, our planet, and the animals.”

Global food production, which is based on animal farming, uses up one-third of the earth's surface and emits more CO2 than all of the world's transportation combined. Since its inception, NotCo has been on a mission to push the boundaries of sustainable food production through its one-of-a-kind tech and science. NotCo’s patented AI technology, Giuseppe, analyses the structure of animal-derived food at a molecular level to replicate the flavour, texture, functionality, and smell – using only plants. In addition to incredible taste, the resulting plant-based foods have a significantly smaller impact on the planet and its precious resources. For example, NoChicken uses 86% less water and generates 73% less CO2 than traditional chicken production, while NotMilk uses 92% less water and 74% less CO2 than traditional dairy manufacturing.

The company’s new educational campaign comes hot on the heels of NotCo announcing it is now a Certified B Corporation. B Corp is a global movement of companies pushing for high standards of social and environmental performance, transparency, and accountability. NotCo’s B Corp Certification applies to all its products in the U.S., including NotMilk, NotBurger and NotChicken, as well as additional products like NotMeat, NotIceCream and NotMayo in countries across the world where the brand operates, including Canada, Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Mexico, Peru, Colombia, Ecuador and Paraguay.

NotCo products, including NotMilk, NotBurger and NotChicken can be found in over 10,000 stores in the U.S. including Whole Foods Market, Sprouts, Stop & Shop, Kroger, Fresh Market, Imperfect Foods, Amazon and more. In addition to its branded products NotCo is advancing transformation of the food industry globally through international partnerships like TheKraftHeinzNotCo, Burger King, Shake Shack, Starbucks and Dunkin Donuts. For more information, please visit here.