this post was submitted on 04 Aug 2023
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Lab-grown meat.
“In 2013, the world’s first cultivated meat burger was served at a news conference in London. It allegedly cost $330,000 to make. That figure has plummeted in the almost-decade since, but cell-grown proteins are yet to clock in anywhere close to the same price as conventional meats.” (Source: https://www.bonappetit.com/story/lab-grown-meat)
The goal is to get the price down to a level the average supermarket shopper can afford, and if the science is successful it has the potential to revolutionize the food chain.
Once this is available and affordable, I will never eat animal meat again.
Totally agree - from an ideological standpoint I totally agree with Vegans/Vegetarians on the fact that meat produces unnecessary suffering and (more directly important to us humans) huge amounts of greenhouse gases and wasted calories. But from a practical standpoint I've just never been able to convince myself to make such a huge change to my diet - but lab grown meat is literally having your cake and eating it too in that regard.
Hell I'd happilly pay 2x for a cut of meat that was lab grown instead of coming from an animal - and imagine how amazing you could make - for instance - a steak when you have 100% control over it's fat/muscle distribution/ratio. Making a Wagyu steak, vs a typical cut would be as simple as tweaking some settings
I'm already fairly satisfied with the newer plant-based meat replacements. They just need to come down in price to below actual meat.
Not everyone can eat them though, for whatever reason it can cause extreme abdominal pain, diarrhea, nausea/vomiting, and more in some people.
I know, because I'm one of those people. Took 3 impossible burgers before I noticed the pattern and looked into it.
Felt like I was dying the first two times, felt like I was dying the third time too.. but that was mollified slightly by recognizing the pattern and hating myself for doing it to myself.
All I can think of is capitalism filling it with shit.
Why make 50 beef burgers when I can add filler ingredients and make 100.
Capitalism breaks everything.
If cultured meat becomes cost-effective to produce, it may become the filler.
I add fillers at home when I make burgers.
Often times its just panko. Gets an extra burger or two out of the meat, and no one has ever noticed the difference. Still fantastic, juicy hamburgers.
I don't see it happening outside a reduced group of rich countries. They will probably license the method for a very high and unaffordable price.
Due to the environmental impacts they would have a strong incentive to not do that.
Not because they care that much about the climate, but if they can make a significant percentage of continents like Africa and Asia reduce their food production emissions they they themselves would need to reduce theirs less
I'm confused by this. Care to elaborate?
Sure.
Western countries are under pressure by their own population to fight climate change. For that they need to implemente measures that reduce their impact, which most governments would rather not do as it usually comes with some “negative consequences”. Now, if they can make the problem smaller by having other countries change their way of living instead, it’s a win for them, because problem gets smaller, pressure decreases (or more realistically increases less) and they can focus on making lines go up and getting their votes.
So I don’t think that they will have a big incentive in keeping it private. Of course private companies will, but that’s a different story.
Hopefully that made sense. It’s late here xD
I’m inclined to agree, at least initially. I suspect it’ll depend on how much demand and competition there is in the field once it’s democratized. The other consideration is extraneous factors (e.g. soaring price of meat due to climate change) that could make lab-grown the cheapest/best option eventually.
Would licensing matter outside of rich countries? I confess I know very little about patent law and things like that, but I'd imagine that if - say - Thailand wanted to use the same method as the U.S. Company, that the U.S. company wouldn't actually be able to do anything about it, since they're not under the same jurisdiction
International law exists.
I know that, I also know that it has a relatively narrow scope, participation is by treaty and varies wildly from country to country, and often isn't enforced well. Hence my comment
I can already buy impossible beef at my supermarket, it's not even that much more that regular beef. And most fast food places offer it as well.
Not the same thing though.
Is it not? It's literally grown in a lab. What is the difference?
It's made from soy. Not grown in a lab.
Oh ya, right, my bad.
In fairness, it’s kind of a freaky concept. Real meat, yet no animal was killed to provide it. Doesn’t sound like it should be possible. I can’t wait to try it.
It is super good, though.
Impossible beef is plant based. Lab grown meat is made from animal cells.