Will Lab-Grown Meat Make Its Way To Market By 2018?

in #food7 years ago

The next time that you go to the grocery store to pick up a few items and you reach down to grab some steak or hot dogs, you might be surprised to find out that the item you're holding was grown in a lab rather than being raised on a farm.

There are various companies that are currently engaged in working toward making grown meat a reality in supermarkets around the United States and elsewhere. By using methods of biofabrication, researchers have been able to grow fish, poultry, meat, and other items, in a lab setting.

One of the companies that is working in this space, Modern Meadow, has previously alleged that this process involves at least 96 percent less water and 45 percent less energy, to get the same amount of meat that you could get from traditional farming methods. However, it's still said to be rather pricey for lab-grown meat and some suspect that it might not become affordable for the average consumer until around 2020.

The prices for lab-grown meat have allegedly dropped by at least 96 percent in the last few years.

Though it's still estimated to cost around $11.36 or more per pound of the stuff, compared to around $3 per pound for your average ground beef.


Are consumers ready for grown meat? Other companies that are working in this space at the moment are those like Beyond Meat, Meat Makers, and more. The animal-free meat market is one that's expected to see healthy growth in the next few years to come.

It might not be on the shelves just yet, but there have been taste tests of the product and it's alleged that there isn't much of a difference in taste between lab-grown and farm-raised.

Could grown-meat become the future of agriculture?

Within just a few years time, a great deal of grown meat products might finally make their way to market shelves. It could arrive as early as the end of 2018.

To try and protect their market share, big players in the beef market have recently moved to try and clamp down on the definition of what constitutes meat or beef in the market.

The US Cattlemen's Association has petitioned the USDA and asked them to restrict the definition of both so that it excludes products that were not born, raised, and slaughtered in the traditional manner.

In their petition, they state:

"The "beef" and "meat" labels should inform consumers that the products are from animals harvested in the traditional manner, as opposed to derived from alternative proteins or artificially grown in laboratories. As such, the definitions of "beef" and "meat" should be limited to animals born, raised, and processed in the traditional manner, regardless of the country of origin. Synthetic products and products grown in labs from animal cells should thus not qualify to be labeled as "beef" or as "meat."

The CEO of Beyond Meat, Ethan Brown, has said that he isn't that worried about the petition and if anything he thinks it might help to start the conversation about grown meat with the masses; helping his products and business to gain awareness. This is one discussion that we are likely to hear a lot more about in the coming years.

In the same way that the gmo debate has been such a hot topic of conversation over the last decade, surely the lab-grown products will foster the same criticism.

To try and ease consumer suspicions about the grown-meat products on the shelves, perhaps some entrepreneurs might introduce a voluntary labeling effort that seeks to relay that the item is a traditional meat product similar to how the non-gmo verified project came about.

Pics:
pixabay

Sources:
https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2017/09/modern-meadow-lab-grown-leather/540285/
https://futurism.com/are-lab-grown-meats-really-the-future-of-food/
https://gizmodo.com/the-future-will-be-full-of-lab-grown-meat-1720874704
https://newatlas.com/beef-industry-petition-definition-lab-grown-meat/53535/
http://www.wsfa.com/story/37596353/cattlemens-association-wants-definition-for-beef
http://www.ibtimes.com/us-cattlemens-association-petitions-strictly-define-meat-beef-2657531

Related Posts:

Growing Meat: The Future Of Agriculture

https://steemit.com/food/@doitvoluntarily/growing-meat-the-future-of-agriculture

Modern Meadow: The Company That's Growing Meat, Fish, Poultry, and Leather In A Lab

https://steemit.com/science/@doitvoluntarily/modern-meadow-the-company-that-s-growing-meat-fish-poultry-and-leather-in-a-lab

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BUY ORGANIC!!!

Its a new information for me to Lab Grown Meat.

By using methods of biofabrication, researchers have been able to grow fish, poultry, meat, and other items, in a lab setting.

Really amazing because in our country this technology is not used. I dont know is this artificial product harmful or helpful for our health. Thanks @doitvoluntarily for updating. My Support always for you. Take care.

I’ve heard about this, and not sure what to think of it.

On one end, it’s weird and creepy and who wants to eat meat that was grown Ins a lab. What’s in it? Is it safe? Is it as nutritious as regular beef?

On the other, it could be safer, less prone to carrying disease and sickness. It could be engineered to be more nutritious and healthy than meat from a cow that’s been sitting in it’s own filth.

Need to do some more reading up on the subject before deciding if it’s right for me, and, I guess I have time since it won’t be commonplace for a few more years.

Thanks for sharing, cheers.

Yikes! Seems like another great way for corporations to further tighten their control over markets and consumers. It’s got GMO written all over it.

On the other hand, the modern meat industry isn’t pretty either. It’s seems like less meat and more insects would be a more sustainable solution to our protein needs.

Because the FDA doesn't know anything about nutrition, I am skeptical at best whether this will be marginally ok for people.

I say, raise your own food, your own cattle or farm animals and then you know exactly what you are eating, since I am having a hard time trusting anything I buy at the stores these days.

Thank you for sharing this, since I have not heard or seen meat being grown in a lab, which is not something that I would purchase if I knew that it was.

The next time that you go to the grocery store to pick up a few items and you reach down to grab some steak or hot dogs, you might be surprised to find out that the item you're holding was grown in a lab rather than being raised on a farm.

Lol, that's exactly where I thought my hot dogs came from!

Truly strange times where lab meat may be on grocery store shelves.

Would give it a try, but not for the cost it is at the moment. Will wait until it's worth the money. Buying organic and slowly more towards more of a plant base diet to a) try it out and see any health benefits and b) being more aware of meat production and consumption.

This actually upsets me a little. As a society we are moving further and further away from the way it used to be and with that we are getting sicker and sicker. I would of preferred for them to put this amount of effort into making organic farming and produce more affordable and accessible to people.

So if it's not meat, then that is IT!! Disturbing, that's what it is. I get all my meat from the local 4H kids who love and care for their animals, up until well it's their time. Support your local community and get great meat at the same time. WIN WIN!!

This news and many articles on t are prevailing day by day. I don't know what benefits the businessmen get from such things yet i don't feel it safe for human body. Natural thing has it's own grace and worth but machinery things(Lab oriented) can never compete with the natural meat, slaughtered meat infact!

I am really thankful that you provided a very precise information that how supermarkets are making us fool without consumers knowing the hazardous background of such things.

once again i am really thankful for the research based data @doitvoluntarily <3

Delicious meat dishes love it .

Me encanto tu post . y me agrada que esos anaqueles esten llenos , lamentandolo mucho aqui en mi pais venezuela no es lo mismo , se ven vacios , dan es ganas de llorar , pero ojala y Dios quiera esto se mejore , saludos.

I feel like this would eliminate a lot of jobs as well and make everything work with technology , I already see technology taking over daily life

Buy your own calf, raise it, eat it.

Get out from under the technology nightmare. Know where your food came from. Have food available even in China stops shipping.

Oye de ser así mándame a mi país que aquí ni en la granja jajajaja saludos.

all will be made with synthetics.China is producing synthetic eggs,rice and a lot of food stuff that are dangerous to your health.

I absolutely had no idea there was something like literally growing meat in the lab that's been going on. The idea itself creeps me out even though I have been working in science for quite a while now. Although lab-grown tissues and cells are quite a big leap in modern science, I don't think it is appetizing for it to be acquainted with food. I know our resources are gradually becoming scarce, but I think developing better and more sustainable farming systems and technologies is still the better way through it. Isn't it more palatable to know that they are still being grown and raised similarly the way they naturally grow?

I have the unfortunate belief that we've already seen this in the food chain :(

Nice post,Its a new information for me to Lab Grown Meat sir.

OMG Lab grown meat !! Just the sound of it makes me cringe !! Got to share this story @doitvoluntarily , upped and resteemed !
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thanks for reminding me! ✌

I saw a video on this a few months ago. It kinda sounded wierd but as long as these lab grown meat has no health damages or negative health effects, its a brilliant. I would prefer original traditional meat from a real animal over artificial anytime. Can imagine how Cows, goats , pigs , chicken and any other kind of animal that we slaughter for meat would be so happy with this project. :)

Probably in the following period, the grown-meat industry will grow, but it won't beat the classic agriculture...
interesting post @doitvoluntarily

Yea, scary. They already have the meatless Impossible burger. It was created in a lab. They offer this burger at a local restaurant. I have been tempted to try but scared. They also "glue" meat together to produce prime meats/cuts and you can't tell the difference from the real thing. The question is: Is the government going to require proper labeling of the product? I have my doubts.

La era moderna cada día se apodera más del mundo, prefiero la carne de los criaderos tradicionales, ya que no sabemos cuales son los efectos secundarios de consumir carnes de laboratorios!

Grown lab meat? I can't even stand the sight of it. Either with side effects or not.

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very interesting topic. I really do wonder if this poultry meat is the real deal.
Meat is more than just protein. Meat contains lots of trace elements like zinc, selenium, copper... Also a few vitamins like B12 or B6.

Will poultry meat have the same nutritional values or is just protein? If the latter is the case, than this would probably negatively impact the taste as well.

 7 years ago  Reveal Comment