Fire guts Gates-funded synthetic meats store in Netherlands

FPI / July 13, 2022

A Bill Gates-funded grocery in the Netherlands which sells synthetic meats was destroyed in a fire on July 10.

Officials in the Netherlands are investigating the cause of the blaze which gutted the online-delivery grocery store Picnic in the town of Almelo. The chain, which received millions of dollars in funding from Gates, was designed to provide “climate-friendly” and “sustainable” products.

The Dutch financial magazine Quote previously reported that Picnic raised €600 million (approximately $604 million) last September, with The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation providing the largest donation.

As of July 11, an official cause of the blaze has yet to be determined. Investigators have said the facility was completely gutted by the fire, which burned for more than 24 hours. Local residents were urged to stay inside in order to avoid health issues caused by smoke inhalation.

Picnic, which was founded in 2015, currently delivers groceries to customers in electric vans in 125 cities across the Netherlands and Germany.

Gates, who has spent billions on funding “climate-friendly” and “sustainable” options in agricultural and technology sectors, is also the largest private owner of farmland in the United States, with more than 270,000 acres across America.

Last month, locals in North Dakota were reportedly upset when it was learned that a shell company linked to Gates bought up some 2,100 acres of potato farmland some 50 miles away from the Canadian border.

The timing of the Picnic fire has led to speculation as farmers across the Netherlands are protesting the Dutch government’s radical climate change policies. Prime Minister Mark Rutte’s government wants to slash emissions in agricultural provinces by more than 50% and plans to buy some cattle farms outright.

In response, farmers have blocked highways, airports, food distribution centers and government offices. Protests are expected to escalate if the Dutch government does not withdraw its policy proposals.

Some of the demonstrators, according to The Counter Signal, believe that Gates "may be partly responsible for pushing additional climate laws" in the Netherlands.

Free Press International