The Woolly Mammoth Is Back to Bring Hope to the Future of Food

The world’s first meatball made from mammoth DNA has been revealed at the Nemo Science Museum in the Netherlands - a scientific experiment and creative collaboration between Wunderman Thompson Benelux, Australian cultured meat start-up Vow, Wefilm and a group of international experts to demonstrate the potential of cultured meat to revolutionise the food industry.  

The Mammoth Meatball concept is more than a cutting-edge innovation - it’s a striking statement which aims to challenge the public and the meat industry to think differently about how we produce and consume food, highlighting cultured meat as a viable alternative to traditional animal agriculture. The idea was initiated by creative disruptor Bas Korsten, chief creative officer at global creative agency Wunderman Thompson, best known for The Next Rembrandt, a 3D-printed painting that was the result of AI learning from the complete works of Rembrandt.

Using new and innovative technology, the mammoth meatball was created from the DNA of the extinct woolly mammoth and completed with fragments of African elephant DNA (a close relative to the mammoth).

Cultured meat is genuine animal meat, grown from the cells of animals - instead of the animals themselves - using innovative molecular technology. Cultured meat can be designed to be preferable in both taste and nutritional value, and has the potential to significantly reduce the environmental impacts normally associated with traditional meat production.

The Mammoth Meatball is a unique experiment - but one that also has a very serious ambition which is to start a conversation around the future of food for a rapidly growing population - and to introduce the idea of cultured meat to a wider audience.

Credit: Rob Harrison

Bas Korsten, initiator of the project and global chief creative officer, Wunderman Thompson, says: “In much the same way that The Next Rembrandt in 2016 harnessed cutting edge technology to produce something unexpected and ground breaking, the Mammoth Meatball shows the world that when cutting edge technology meets creativity it can change our future. Our aim is to start a conversation about how we eat, and what the future alternatives can look and taste like. Cultured meat is meat, but not as we know it. It’s the future.”

Jasper Korpershoek, senior creative Wunderman Thompson Benelux, says: "As soon as we first came across cultured meat we were amazed, and were convinced that this innovation had a huge role to play in the future of how we eat on this planet. The thing we also noticed immediately was that the general public had limited or zero awareness of cultured meat and its potential. A big opportunity to make a big statement, with a big idea. In fact a mammoth idea. We probably had a thousand no’s along the way, but we never lost hope. We kept on believing that we were doing something important that couldn't be ignored. And we seem to have succeeded as it’s gone viral - we broke into pop culture and more people are talking about cultured meat than ever before. We broke the internet. With a Mammoth Meatball.”

Amsterdam-based creative film agency Wefilm joined Wunderman Thompson as creative partner in the project, and produced a short documentary in which the cutting-edge process is documented. Juliette Stevens directed the documentary on Wefilm’s behalf. 

Juliette Stevens, director, says, "When people from different fields come together, remarkable solutions can be developed for major problems. As a part of this Mammoth Meatball team I couldn’t be more thrilled, because I love it when creativity meets science to make the impossible possible.  I hope with this short documentary people - but also governments - will be inspired and start to think differently about how we make and eat food today. Let’s embrace animal and earth friendly technologies like cultured meat that will radically improve our food system, sooner rather than later.”

As Australia's first cultured meat company, Vow is committed to creating food that is not only more sustainable but also more delicious and nutritious. Unlike most other cultivated meat start-ups, Vow is using this technology to create new products that go beyond replicating existing pieces of meat. By working with a team of scientists, chefs, and creators, Vow is exploring new flavours, textures, and nutritional benefits that have never been seen before. In November 2022, the Sydney-based company announced a $49.2M Series A funding to continue its mission, bringing forth the next generation of food products fit for a rising population. This significant new funding marks the world record for a Series A raise in the cultured meat industry.

Having launched less than four years ago, Vow is already leading the way with their world changing innovation, and they’re just getting started. The company will be launching their first brand, Forged by Vow, in Singapore later this year, creating dining experiences unlike anything we’ve seen before.

James Ryall, Vow, chief scientific officer, says, “What's truly exciting about this project is the ability to create a protein that hasn't existed in thousands of years. Cultivated meat allows us to push the boundaries of culinary innovation and create entirely new food experiences. Rather than simply replicating existing products, this technology offers us the opportunity to create something truly unique and better. It's a missed opportunity not to take advantage of the potential of cultivated meat to revolutionise the way we think about food. Cultured meat is going to need the support of political systems to generate enough momentum and money to support this brand new technology.”

Tim Noakesmith, Vow, founder, says, “With our first brand, Forged by Vow, we are aiming to pioneer a new school of thought: that food as we know it doesn’t need to be the way we know it. We are on a mission to break the status quo of food using unexpected, delicious flavours and unforgettable experiences. The future of food favours the brave.”