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Cultured meat promises to change the way we eat and help solve some of the big problems of a crowded planet. When will it be on our plate and how will this technology impact the world?
As you eat your next meal, take a moment to consider that in a couple years, your food might be served with meat that has not been taken from an animal. During the past year, the field of cultured meat has evolved from just a few pioneers to a growing number of players working towards the common goal of making meat derived from animals a thing of the past.

We are now at a point where the arrival of cultured meat seems inevitable. To prepare for its arrival, it's important to start thinking about the impact the technology will make, how it will be regulated and whether people will actually want to eat it.

Why eat cultured meat?

"In time, I believe that cultured meat could fundamentally change the way the majority of meat is produced in Europe," Peter Verstrate, CEO of the Dutch company Mosa Meat, told me. Founded by Mark Post , the scientist behind the world's first lab-grown burger, his company might be one of the first to sell cultured meat at restaurants and supermarkets in Europe.

"We will see a shift in the way production is organized from feedlots and slaughterhouses to cultured meat 'factories,'" Verstrate explained. "Moving to this more efficient method of production would have many potential benefits for Europe, such as helping to reduce emissions of methane that contribute substantially to climate change."

The shift to cultured meat could not only reduce greenhouse gas emissions, but also decrease significantly the use of water and land by over 95% . Growing meat without the animal would eliminate the need for antibiotics and hormones in the final product, too.

When will cultured meat be on our plate?

Many companies working on cultured meat - including Mosa Meat and US-based Memphis Meats, the two startups with the most funding - have a similar time in mind to launch their first product: 2021.

There is an exception, though. The American company Just has stated their first product will be launched at the end of 2018, though everyone in the field I talked to seemed skeptical about it - especially as the regulatory requirements of cultured meat have still not been clearly established in the US.

When we'll actually see the impact of cultured meat, however, might take a bit longer.

Will cultured meat be affordable?

The first products will likely be released at a small scale and with a premium price in select restaurants or retail sellers. However, that might vary a lot depending on the type of meat and the technology used by each company.

Most companies are trying to produce their own versions of beef. "Cattle are the least efficient links in production - pigs are twice as efficient, and chickens are four times more efficient," said Verstrate. "Cattle also contribute the most greenhouses gases, including methane which is 30 times more potent than carbon dioxide as a heat-trapping gas. And, cattle require the most natural resources, causing mass deforestation and loss of biodiversity."

Beef is also one of the priciest meats. said Didier Toubia, co-founder and CEO of Aleph Farms, the "Beef sells at 2 to 3 times the price of pork and poultry. With beef it will be easier to break even," first company to create a cultured steak - a feat much more complex than producing processed forms of meat like most other players.

Companies like US-based Finless Foods and Blue Nalu, working on cultured fish, might have lower costs given that culturing fish cells requires lower temperatures and therefore less energy to be produced.

For its part, Biotech Foods focuses on processed forms of food, such as sausages and ham. "In the short term we want to focus on the market that has more traction in Europe, which is pork and poultry," said Vila. She expects the company to, unlike its peers, launch its first cultured meat products in 2021 at a price that can compete with conventional meat.

The trick to driving costs down is scaling up production. "The challenge is the same for all of us," said Vila. "Making tissues in vitro has been around for a long time in regenerative medicine, what hasn't been done before is at large scale and at a price that a consumer can afford. It's not the same to grow skin for a burn unit, which can allow for a higher price, than grow meat to eat a sausage, for which no one wants to pay that much money."

Eventually, as cultured meat producers scale up, all predictions seem to agree that the price will be the same or even lower than that of conventional meat.

How will cultured meat be regulated?

In order to sell cultured meat, the companies developing the technology need to comply with regulations around it. Regulations for cultured meat, however, are something still very new and remain a challenge for all players.

"We all have to comply with the regulatory requirements, but no company you can come across has achieved that yet," said Vila.

The European Food Safety Authority's regulation on novel foods, which specifically includes cultured meat, establishes a process of around 18 months in which a company has to prove the product is safe.

In the US, the situation is still not as clear, but the FDA and the USDA have been actively discussing cultured meat. They recently announced the technology will not require any additional regulations to what it's already in place. Given the engagement that they've shown, some believe the regulatory path will be quicker in the US than in Europe, but that remains to be confirmed in the coming months.

In other locations, the technology is not as advanced and neither are regulations surrounding it. But some regions do accept products approved abroad, such as China, which will accept European regulatory approvals to commercialize certain products.

Will people want to eat cultured meat?

"Acceptance of clean meat seems to vary an awful lot between surveys. Some have shown as many as two-thirds of consumers saying they would eat clean meat, while others have shown as few as 16%," Chris Bryant, who researches acceptance of cultured meat at the University of Bath, told me.

The wording used to conduct the polls seems to have a huge influence on poll results, but the concerns of respondents are the same. "Some people think clean meat won't be as tasty as conventional meat, and others are concerned that it will be very expensive," said Bryant.
"A lot of people are worried that meat grown from cells is unnatural, and could have negative consequences as a result. Of course, people rarely consider that today's meat is far from natural! Animals are bred to grow unnaturally fast and large, and are pumped full of hormones and antibiotics to make them grow faster. Clean meat can actually avoid these practices."
People, however, seem to be increasingly aware of the issues with traditional farming. According to Rolland, the more people are aware about cultured meat and its advantages over farming, the more they are willing to buy and eat cultured meat.

Despite the unclear statistics - though still clearly higher than for eating insects in Western countries - most developers of cultured meat are confident that their product is wanted, and that acceptance will increase as cultured meat is no longer a novelty. Bryant believes just seeing the product in stores will make many people lean towards eating it.

"The most important things for producers to get right are product quality and price," said Bryant. "Many consumers are excited about this technology and will go out of their way to eat clean meat - but for the average person, they will not be willing to compromise on taste or pay more for clean meat."

What's beyond cultured meat?

One whole market that cultured meat could unlock is that of 'personalized nutrition.' Once we are able to fine-tune our ability to control the growth of meat, we could easily customize the nutrients of meat to a specific group of people, based on age, location or health conditions.

"For example, here in the Netherlands, where it's always dark, we could add vitamin D in your meat to supplement it," explained Luining. He also envisions a future where meat is grown inside big cities, removing the need to transport it and making it easier to tailor to the needs of the people that live there.

These are long-term visions, but Luining believes it's not too late to start working towards the future we want. A future where people are hungry for cultured meat.
Images via Mosa Meat; Aleph Farms; Meatable; David Parry/PA

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You Will Be Eating Cultured Meat Soon: Here's What You Need to Know

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Cultured meat promises to change the way we eat and help solve some of the big problems of a crowded planet. When will it be on our plate and how will this technology impact the world?

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World of Nahlej - Shmeat - The Colbert Report (Video Clip) | Comedy Central

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A visionary scientist works to save the future of meat.

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As global populations rise, the world will need an alternative source of protein - cultured meat provides an alternative to traditional meat but without the need to farm animals.

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US6835390B1 - Method for producing tissue engineered meat for consumption - Google Patents

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A non-human tissue engineered meat product and a method for producing such meat product are disclosed. The meat product comprises muscle cells that are grown ex vivo and is used for food consumption. The muscle cells may be grown and attached to a support structure and may be derived from any non-human cells.

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1) the perspective of this topic was that cultured meat would be beneficial for the future.
2) the strongest voice in this case are the scientist who believe that cultured meat will have a great impact for the environment by the year 2050.
3)I agree that it would be beneficial for the environment but i am not a fan about how expensive it would be and wondering about the health benefits of culture meat.

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1. peta wants to save animals by growing meat in a lab and stephen colbert mocks the idea for comedic effect.
2. the strongest voice is colbert's. as the narrator, he makes clear that he doesn't take the animal cruelty concern seriously.
3.