The meat of the future grown in the laboratory has arrived – and could even sustainably meet the demand | Gene Brands | Business

TThere are billions of people on this planet and many of us like to eat meat. Can the demand be met in a sustainable and affordable way? A group of entrepreneurs is not only optimistic, but also strives to get there sooner than expected.

In 2018 alone, the average American will consume more than 220 kg of red meat and poultry, according to a report from the US Department of Agriculture (USDA). It's a lot of protein, and although there has been a significant growth in the number of herbal diets in recent years, the environmental impact caused by meat consumption – waste, animal treatment, problems of health and even the effects of greenhouse gases potentially caused methane produced by cows – has given birth to a number of young companies seeking to meet our voracious demand for meat in a more efficient, affordable and respectful way of the environment.

For example, San Francisco-based Memphis Meats is developing cell-based meats in its labs without using any animals. The Israeli company Future Meat Technologies does the same by manufacturing fat and muscle cells tested by leaders in Jerusalem. Just Inc, which is also based in San Francisco, has developed its own herbal badtail serum for growing cell-based products for not only meat, but also seafood. Just Inc. has raised over $ 220 million in funding to date.

All of these companies use proprietary processes to harvest animal cells and cultivate them in the laboratory. Bloomberg reports that food giants such as Tyson Foods and Cargill, as well as billionaires Bill Gates and Richard Branson are among the investors in these technologies.

But do not worry if you are not a meat lover. Companies such as Jet Eat, also based in Israel, are working on food products grown in herbal laboratories and reproduce meat, using natural ingredients, while maintaining flavor, consistency and 'l'. overall sensory experience, "according to a report on NoCamels. Jet Eat, which was launched early 2018 and is seeking seed funding, aims to 3D print their products developed in the laboratory by 2020.

As you can imagine, the industry faces many obstacles. Educate the public is a big one. Product labeling is another controversial issue. Groups in the meat industry, such as the National Cattlemen's Beef Association, have urged the USDA to regulate more rigorously substitute meats, citing "highly labeled imitation products," writes Adrienne Rose Bitar on Wired. The USDA and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have recently announced that they will begin to jointly regulate the new "cell-based meat" category.

Traditional meat producers are also wary of newcomers. But that did not stop some of them from building relationships and trying to find ways to collaborate, as more and more consumers are demanding greener products. Companies that make meat in the lab are certainly open to partnership. "Nobody knows more about how to produce meat in bulk than meat companies," said Bruce Friedrich, executive director of the Good Food Institute, which advocates for the sector including cultivated meat, in another Bloomberg report.

Many of us are concerned about the challenges facing future generations as our global population swells and the planet's natural resources decline. The good news is that there are many entrepreneurs in the world, like those who produce lab meats, who are working to solve some of these problems and earn some money. No problem with that.