Cornucopia

Background
The Defense Sciences Office (DSO) at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is soliciting innovative research proposals to develop capabilities for field-deployable, on demand production of a range of nutritious, palatable foodstuffs from engineered microbes, air, water, and electricity. The primary goal is to enable production of nutrition on demand, at the point of consumption within parameters associated with two DARPA-defined use cases. The current food supply chains are resource intensive and known targets of adversaries. The primary source of nutrition in many military operations abroad, Meals Ready to Eat (MREs), are not recommended as a sole source of nutrition for long duration missions and not tailored for age/sex differences that are needed in Humanitarian Assistance/Disaster Relief (HADR) missions supporting distressed civilian populations.

Work Details
The program, named Cornucopia, aims to develop capabilities for field-deployable, on demand production of a range of nutritious, palatable foodstuffs from engineered microbes, air, water, and electricity. The program will focus on producing all four human dietary macronutrients (protein, carbohydrate, fat, dietary fiber) in multiple food formats that meet military nutritional standards and palatability requirements. The program will be executed through three phases: Domestication of Microbes for Human Consumption; Tailorability of Microbial-Origin Food; Integrated System Demonstrations for Military Use Cases. Each phase has specific technical objectives related to the production of essential nutrients and flavors in various food formats. The program is expected to last 48 months.

Period of Performance
The program is scheduled to start in June 2022 and will be executed through three phases: Phase 1 Base period of 18 months; Phase 2 Option of 12 months; and Phase 3 Option of 18 months.