We Need to Talk About Lab-Grown Meat

Here’s some unsolicited advice: Eat less meat.

At WIRED I report on the impact our diets have on the environment. Greenhouse gas emissions, water use, deforestation—all of those bad things. A lot of the time I run into the same conclusion: Compared to other sources of protein, meat—and especially beef—has an outsized impact on all of those things. So, like I said, eat less meat.

But hold on a sec. What if you could eat meat without the environmental hang-ups? Well, that’s where things get interesting. The last half-decade has seen an explosion in startups trying to brew real animal cells in bioreactors—a field called cultivated (or, less kindly, ‘lab-grown’) meat.

Cultivated meat companies are really racing ahead of late. So far they’ve raised close to three billion dollars in venture capital, and this year, for the first time ever in the US, two companies were cleared to sell cultivated meat to consumers. Several firms are working on giant factories to brew their cells.

But when venture capital and lofty, world-changing, promises intersect, things can start to go awry. In this collection you’ll find some stories about the cultivated meat industry’s growing pains, and what the future of our food system might look like. After some juicy entrees and a carb-heavy main, I’ve included a couple of palate cleansers at the end—so grab some cutlery, pop on a napkin and let’s dig in.

Image by GMVozd / Getty Images