Isha Datar

Isha Datar (born January 6, 1988) is the executive director of New Harvest, known for her work in cellular agriculture, the production of agricultural products from cell cultures.

Isha Datar
Born (1988-01-06) January 6, 1988
Education
OccupationExecutive Director of New Harvest
OrganizationNew Harvest
WebsiteNew Harvest Profile

Early life and education

Datar was raised in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.[1][2] Her mother worked at a dairy farm, where Datar spent much of her childhood growing vegetables alongside her mother. Her mother was also a sculptor and her father was a doctor.[3] After an elementary school field trip to a landfill, she became invested in reducing global waste and the impact of climate change.[1] Datar received a B.S. from the University of Alberta in 2009.[2][4] During her time as an undergraduate, Datar took a meat science class that challenged her idealistic vision of the sustainability of the animal agriculture industry and introduced her to cellular agriculture.[5] Datar received her M.Biotech from the University of Toronto Mississauga in 2013.[2][4]

Career

In 2009, Datar published "Possibilities for an in-vitro meat production system" in Innovative Food Science and Emerging Technologies, which detailed the progress of cellular agriculture.[4][3] The paper was sent to Jason Matheny – founder and then-director of New Harvest – who forwarded the paper to those who were mentioned in it.[4][6] In 2013, Datar became the chief executive officer at New Harvest.[1][2][7] Datar also co-founded Muufri (now Perfect Day)[8] and Clara Foods (now The EVERY Company).[2][4][6][7] In 2021, Robert Downey Jr. funded Datar's work through his 'fast grants' project.[9] Datar has been profiled in media venues including USA Today,[10] the magazine Toronto Life,[11] the Calgary Herald.[12] She has spoken with NPR's Science Friday,[13] The New Republic,[14] Food & Wine magazine,[15] and the National Observer.[16]

Awards and honors

Canadian Business spotlighted her work as a 2016 Change Agent.[17] In 2019, Datar was named one of 25 Food and Agriculture Leaders to Watch by FoodTank.com.[18]

Maclean's listed Isha Datar in its "The Power List: Top 10 Food Titans", where she is credited with coining the term cellular agriculture.[19]

References
  1. Wong, Kristine. "Isha Datar is Creating a Path Forward for Alternative Animal Protein". Food & Wine. Meredith Corporation. Retrieved 25 February 2021.
  2. Hui, Ann (14 February 2020). "Milk's next frontier: Lab-made food could change the way we eat – and it's quickly becoming a reality". The Globe and Mail.
  3. Palet, Laura Secorun. "Isha Datar Can Grow Your Steak in a Lab". ozy.com. OZY. Retrieved 5 December 2021.
  4. McGivern, Chris (October 2019). "Isha Datar: New Harvest and the Post-Animal Bioeconomy". Shuttleworth Foundation. Retrieved 25 February 2021.
  5. Treleaven, Sarah (July 2016). "Ms. Chatelaine: Isha Datar". Chatelaine. Vol. 89, no. 7. St. Joseph Communications. p. 16. Retrieved August 2, 2021.
  6. Shapiro, Paul (2018). Clean Meat: How Growing Meat Without Animals Will Revolutionize Dinner and the World. Gallery Books.
  7. Smith, Allison. "Conversation with Isha Datar, Executive Director of New Harvest". Animal Charity Evaluators. Retrieved 24 March 2021.
  8. Hui, Ann (February 15, 2020). "Milk's next frontier: Lab-made food could change the way we eat - and it's quickly becoming a reality: Dairy farmers are pushing back and current regulations are a roadblock, but proponents say the future is already here". The Globe and Mail (Online), Toronto.
  9. Downey, Jr., Robert; Lang, David (2021-12-15). "Robert Downey Jr.: Here's how to accelerate discoveries to help the planet". Fast Company. Retrieved 2022-01-02.
  10. Palet, Laura Securon (June 10, 2014). "Growing meat … in the lab". USA TODAY. Retrieved 2022-01-02.
  11. Fraser, Ashley (2019-11-07). "This woman wants to make chickenless eggs and cowless milk". Toronto Life. Retrieved 2022-01-02.
  12. Stephenson, Amanda (October 19, 2020). "As industry begins to take off, Alberta researchers working on lab-grown meat". calgaryherald. Retrieved 2022-01-02.
  13. "What Is The Future Of Meat?". Science Friday. November 27, 2020. Retrieved 2022-01-02.
  14. Aronoff, Kate; Dutkiewicz, Jan; Rosenberg, Gabriel N.; Dutkiewicz, Jan; Rosenberg, Gabriel N.; Martin, Nick; Martin, Nick; Republic, The New; Republic, The New (2021-09-29). "Lab to Table". The New Republic. ISSN 0028-6583. Retrieved 2022-01-02.
  15. Wong, Kristine (May 24, 2017). "Isha Datar is Creating a Path Forward for Alternative Animal Protein". Food & Wine. Retrieved 2022-01-02.
  16. "How We Eat". Canada's National Observer. 2021-10-12. Retrieved 2022-01-02.
  17. Castaldo, Joe (October 13, 2016). "Change Agents 2016: Isha Datar, New Harvest". Canadian Business.
  18. Dion, Barth (21 March 2019). "25 Food and Agriculture Leaders to Watch in 2019". FoodTank. Retrieved 6 December 2021.
  19. Maclean's (October 13, 2016). "The Power List: Top 10 Food Titans". Archived from the original on August 2, 2023.
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