Ethical raising of food is a thing, as you know. Some food-producing options beg the question, just because you can, should you? I believe robots in the kitchen fell under that for a minute. Some cried “foul!” at the potential of taking a job away from an employee. Then came COVID and the labor crisis, and now, who can remember why we didn’t want robots?
My career in food and foodservice editorial dates back to the days when folks thought irradiation of produce was a crime against humanity. Food watchdogs put that aphid-killing procedure in their crosshairs, perhaps not realizing that irradiation was the only way to get tropical fruit into the mainland in a still-edible form. I haven’t heard the word irradiation in years. It’s a non-issue.
The next one up that you may not see coming now is cell-cultured meat. Back in the day, it would have fallen under the category of “Frankenfood.” But I think it will bypass that stigma in the current “save the planet” ethos. Someday, lab-grown meat will reach a production level that will put the price on par with traditional meat. The reason it will evade the negative spotlight is because of the global issues it addresses: animal welfare, land use and green-house gas reduction. As the R&D speeds forward, other issues and perceptions must be overcome: flavor/texture, nutritional equivalence and price for sure.
As with anything, education and marketing will be key, starting with how it is produced. A sample of the animal muscle is extracted, then cut into small pieces and separated into cells that go into a culture. There they merge and grow, eventually into strands. With enough strands, a meat patty can be formed.
The government actually backs the development and production of cell-based meat. In 2021, the USDA granted Tufts University $10 million to found the Center for Cellular Agriculture and Cultured Meat. Israel is ahead of the U.S. in the development of cell-cultured meat. Google Future Meat Technologies. It’s been fast at work on cell-cultured meat and announced in December 2021 that it was already producing cultivated chicken breast for $7.70 per pound, down from $18 per pound just 6 months earlier. The goal is to get it under $4 per pound.
The big food companies are all over this. That’s why you’re suddenly going to see cell-based food. You see, chicken and burgers are just the start. Cultivated dairy is also on the horizon. Google Perfect Day Company. It is replicating milk protein in an animal-free way. It can be done, and General Mills is working on a vegan cream cheese with the same technology. And then, imagine cell-cultured honey that doesn’t involve bees. Google MeliBio to learn about that.
All this will be here before you know it, and who will oppose it? Once the taste and price are on par with “the real thing,” the food supply will be transformed in a sustainable, ethical way. And you didn’t know how close we are.
Tell me what you think.
Jody
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