Perhaps you’ve heard of the Beyond burger, a plant based burger which claims to be just like the real thing. It’s become so popular that various chains and restaurants have all started selling their own versions of a plant based burger.
With all this fanfare about plant based burgers, this may pique consumer’s interests and questions. What about traditional meat? Are there any alternatives to the slaughterhouse? There may not be any available currently, but options are in the works. Mainly, cultured meats.
The first cultured meat hamburger, produced in 2013. Wikimedia
Unlike the Beyond burger and other similar offerings, cultured meat is meat which is grown by in vitro cultivation. Using quickly dividing cells such as stem cells, a growth medium is used to facilitate tissue growth. These cells typically grow on a “scaffold”, which serves to direct cell structure and growth. The end result is cultured meat, though the process is much more complex and detailed than stated here.
The potential benefits of cultured meat are numerous. Meat manufactured in this manner would consume considerably less energy, less land and produce less greenhouse emissions than traditional meat. There would be no need for acres of land to be used for animals and the food to feed them. In fact, a study conducted by Oxford researchers has shown that cultured meat could be produced using up to 96% less water, 96% lower greenhouse emissions, 99% less land use, and 45% less energy. Other benefits of cultured meat include the ability to control exposure to antibiotics, reducing the chance of unwanted antibiotic resistances developing.
There are downsides to cultured meat, though these downsides may perhaps be on the human side. Would cultured meat be a choice which consumers reach for? If presented with a choice of steak versus a cultured steak, what would a consumer reach for? Perhaps the non-cultured steak would be preferred, if questions of taste and texture are raised. However, in 2013 when the first cultured meat hamburger was produced, tasters stated that “This is meat to me … It’s really something to bite on and I think the look is quite similar“. Given that this taste test was six years ago, it’s likely that the taste and texture of cultured meat have been able to more closely replicate real meat.
Even the name “cultured meat” may be off-putting, as research shows that “cultivated” meat would be a much more consumer friendly name, perhaps hinting at customer apprehension of “non-natural” products. In terms of economics, as of 2015, a cultured meat patty cost eight euros, which may seem a tad expensive, particularly since you can buy a Big Mac for around $6 CAD. However, compared to 2008 when 250 grams of cultured beef was around a million dollars USD, this is a remarkable improvement, and in the next few years, cultured meat may become a viable and economic alternative.
However, there’s yet to be any commercial testing of meat, so there’s still no telling how potential customers may react to it.
-Bradner Coilan
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