A synthetic butter made entirely from carbon, hydrogen and oxygen and backed by Bill Gates-backed, has been slammed online as ‘disgusting.’
The bizarre spread is made by Savor, a company based in Batavia, Illinois, and is backed by the Microsoft founder.
Their products are showcased on their website as: ‘Delightfully rich foods crafted without the need for animals, farmland, fertilizers, hormones, or antibiotics. These are genuine fats, not replacements.’
But the rollout plan has received mixed reviews with many users slamming the product online as ‘disgusting.’
Celebrity chef Andrew Gruel commented on X: ‘Disgusting. They are engineering hydrogen, carbon, and oxygen to form fat molecules and altering them to mimic butter. Why bother when real butter exists?’
The scientists say their recipe is made up of fat, water, a touch of lecithin as an emulsifier, and natural flavor and color.
The final product claims to have no palm oil and is currently undergoing trials in restaurants and bakeries with plans to launch in 2025. Retail availability is anticipated by 2027.
A synthetic butter derived entirely from carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen and supported by Bill Gates has faced online criticism as ‘disgusting.’ This unconventional spread is produced by Savor, a company located in Batavia, Illinois, and is financed by the billionaire philanthropist.
Kathleen Alexander, co-founder and CEO of Savor said the product ‘is really about how we feed our species and heal our planet at the same time’
Foregoing traditional farming and dairy processes, Savor employs an industrial method to convert carbon dioxide from air and hydrogen from water into fat molecules identical to those found in conventional butter.
The result, according to the company, looks, smells and tastes just like the real thing but is made with zero agriculture and zero emissions.
‘The gases currently used for cooking can also be used in food production,’ Kathleen Alexander, co-founder and CEO of Savor, mentioned to CBS News.
‘This is really about how we feed our species and heal our planet at the same time,’ she added.
While Gates has admitted the concept ‘may seem strange at first,’ he insists its potential to slash greenhouse gas emissions is ‘immense.’
‘The idea of switching to lab-made fats and oils may seem strange at first. But their potential to significantly reduce our carbon footprint is immense,’ he wrote on his blog.
Another critic accused Savor of using sustainability as a cover for centralizing food production.
While Gates has admitted the concept ‘may seem strange at first,’ he insists its potential to slash greenhouse gas emissions is ‘immense’
But the rollout plans have received mixed reviews with many users slamming the product online. Celebrity chef Andrew Gruel wrote on X: ‘Disgusting … Why do this when we already have butter?
‘They’re not trying to solve a food shortage. They’re trying to engineer one… Once they own the source code for your food, they can alter it, gate it, and revoke access at will… The goal isn’t to make butter without cows. The goal is to make humans without sovereignty.’
Others emphasized health concerns and warned synthetic butter could ’cause heart attacks and obesity at a minimum.’
Still some defended the concept, saying it could help feed developing countries if it’s cheap to produce.
‘IF it’s cheaper to produce, then it’s great for developing countries, e.g. in Africa,’ one user added.
But the same person added that ‘No one will force me to eat this butter, because the molecules can be cloned, but the authentic taste certainly cannot. Imagine putting this on your $50 steak.’
