What the future of lab-grown meat could look like

These days, lab-grown meat is plentiful. cultured meat and seafood companies raised over a billion dollars in investment last year, and more and more startup companies are developing their own products. We wanted to find out why people think cultured meat is part of the future.

The creation of cell-based meat begins with a tissue sample. The cells are cultured in a lab in order to grow and reproduce. Once there are enough cells, the batches are transferred into a bioreactor, where the cells continue to grow until they reach the desired number.

The Good Food Institute says that no company today has reached commercial production that is cost-effective. It will take more infrastructure to expand this enterprise. It means bigger vats, more space, and more utilities, which raises a lot of questions about the cost.

It's too early to tell what the industry will look like. Consumers have the chance to think about their relationship with their food. A decade ago a researcher in the Netherlands explored this question with a focus group. They came up with the idea of a pig in the backyard that could feed a whole neighborhood for a long time. To learn more about the future of cell-based meat, watch our video.