Demand for Food vs. Population
The projection on US population growth shows that, in 2021, there are 332,915,073 residents and about 29.2 million only in Texas. As proposed by data scientists, by 2050, we would have to feed 10 billion people globally. Thus, the consequential challenge would be faced by the food industry alone.
According to FAO, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the sooner an alternative is reaped, the better sustainability we can attain. With an increase in the population graph, we should have a solution to feed 56% more mouths by 2050. The more people anticipated the more stress on the environment, increasing global demand for beef and other ruminant meats. This will simultaneously increase using more land for pasture.
Unfortunately, food scarcity has already begun with the impact of COVID-19, globally. This has put a halt to every industry and in every dimension. We need to battle between creating livelihoods and preserving biodiversity. And, this can only be achieved with Plan B, i.e, expanding the food industry without expanding land.
The appearance of the lab meat culture
According to the claims made by Aleph Farms, an Israeli start-up, they are the first company to develop steak in the lab, in June 2019, without slaughtering an animal. By 2021, they expect to put their invention into trial in every high-end restaurant and supermarket in the United States. However, the official launch will be in 2030.
Another British company, Ivy Farm Technologies, an Oxford University spinout, has also developed this brand-new idea of a guilt-free meat platter. They can become the first commercial producer to take a step towards becoming the sustainable lab-meat yielder by 2023.
If every component fits the trail, cultured meat can be part of your menu by 2023, where you would be served meatballs, sausages that would be grown in the laboratory. You get to taste the first lab fat food harvested in a sustainable process, saving nearly 170000 pigs from being slaughtered.
The insights of the meat laboratory
The Food Standards Agency needs to approve this no-kill lab meat before being launched in supermarkets and restaurants. People are calling it the new age meat. Through biopsy, a tiny part of the skeletal muscle is taken from the animal. The stem cells are isolated, seated in a cell culture media, and then put in a bioreactor to grow.
These cells are split into different categories, such as fat cells, including muscles, and served as an edible product on your table. Yes! Now you can devour your guilt-free meat platter as much as you want
However, the real question remains – Can vegans eat this cultured meat? Are the consumers ready to accept a lab-manufactured product as a replacement for their sausages? Vegan strictly signifies the one who is unwilling to have animal meat, but cultured meat is not from any slaughtered animal. However, the ingredients used for developing the synthetic piece of food are animal derivatives.
The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) agreed to call this meat “cell-cultured”. And, it is assumed that people would repudiate the traditional beef and commit to a new change. The cost will also come down significantly, but only time can reveal whether people are willing to eat. Alongside, Texas is also stepping towards a new barbecue favorite, with the approval of a bill seeking to ban ‘meat’ and ‘beef’ labels from cell-cultured and plant-based food.
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