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Chick-News.com Poultry Industry News, Comments and more by Simon M. Shane

Inordinate Publicity for Lab-Cultivated Meat Substitutes

08/05/2020

On August 3rd the SmartBrief in the FMI DailyLead extolled the virtues of laboratory cultivated meat substitutes. The article documented that 55 ventures have announced their intention to eventually market a commercially available product and collectively raising $75 million in 2019. Time will differentiate between the serious contenders and the scam artists that have emerged.

 

The problems facing cultured meat include:

  • Absence of a regulatory framework with standards for safety and labeling.  The situation in the U.S. is complicated by split jurisdiction between USDA and FDA.
  • Public acceptance is questionable.  Sentiments such as sustainability and welfare are rapidly losing traction since the advent of COVID-19 with the accompanying recession and massive unemployment dictating frugality in purchasing.
  • No producer can predict when products could be available at prices even remotely competitive with either plant-based protein or conventional beef, pork, chicken, and fish.

The article cites improvements in technology to reduce costs, but these reductions are only incremental.

 

The Good Food Institute is a leading protagonist for laboratory cultivated meat substitutes but it will have to apply more than hype and denigration of conventional meat production to stimulate consumer interest.  Invoking the transitory disruption of the supply chain due to COVID-19 appears irrelevant to the long term.  Ultimately, reputable companies with proven technology will emerge and produce a cell-cultured product of questionable acceptibility. Opponents of agricultural technology have yet to commence a negative campaign emphasizing the use of animal stem cells, bovine or porcine serum in production and bestowing an epithet such as “Frankenmeat” 

 

Whether cell-cultured meat substitutes will attract a clientele will depend on quality, price, and public perception.


 
Copyright © 2024 Simon M. Shane