World's First 3D Printed Ribeye Steak Promises Sustainability

​ca.news.yahoo.com/worlds-first-3d-printed-ribeye-042629352.html

An Israeli company called Aleph Farms, has produced the world's first 3D printed ribeye steak. The steak uses bioprinted cells taken from cows that are then grown in petri dishes and multiply & grow much like a real biological process that makes an animal grow. 

“It incorporates muscle and fat similar to its slaughtered counterpart and boasts the same organoleptic attributes of a delicious tender, juicy ribeye steak you’d buy from the butcher,” the firm said in a statement.

While there are likely many years to go before we see lab-grown meat on supermarket shelves globally, it certainly sparks both interest and excitement that meat without the cruelty, environmental impact, and habitat destruction is on the horizon. 

There are so many questions attached to lab-grown meat.

• Is it Ethical?
• Is it truly Cruelty Free?
• Is it safe for Consumption?
• How is it produced?
• Will it be Unrealistically Costly?
• Will Meat-Eaters Make the Switch?
• Why not just give up meat?

--Is it Ethical?--

There's simply not enough information out there available to us yet. According to the original story I shared at the top of this blog post, the cells are taken by swabs, indicating there is no harm done to the cows to obtain them. Is this the entirety of the process? Are these cows kept confined, much like the meat industry, destined to be swabbed for life but never slaughtered? There are too many questions to be able to give any kind of definitive answer on this, but I would like to believe that a shift to lab-grown meat would not involve such rampant cruelty as the factory farmed meat industry.

--Is it Cruelty Free?--

Much like the question of whether it is ethical, there simply is not enough information to give any kind of definitive answer on this. It's my understanding that the animals are not harmed to obtain cells needed for lab-grown meat. Much like the lab-grown chicken served in Singapore for the first time in December of 2020, information was vague in terms of what conditions the animals are kept in prior to having cells obtained. Are these local, farm animals that have their cells ethically taken, or are we talking animals living in confinement? There's too many questions here, but I'd like to assume a shift of this magnitude would come with some reassurances on environmental impact and animal welfare.

--Is It Safe for Consumption?--

This is a tricky one because again, there is simply not enough information available to us yet. What is healthy? One would argue from the stance of a vegetarian / vegan that consuming meat is unhealthy for humans period, lab grown or not. Will it be pumped full of the same chemicals / antibiotics that factory-farmed animals consume? What are the long term effects of consuming lab-grown meat? Only time, tests, and studies; many years into the future will give us those answers.

​--How is it Produced?--

Both the lab-grown chicken in Singapore, and the lab-grown steak in Israel, offered limited information about the process in which this meat is grown. What we do know is that extracted cells from animals are grown in petri dishes, and over time, grown and develop much the same way an animal would. I'm assuming it's a heavily monitored process, one that likely takes considerable time. I'm intrigued to learn more about this process from start to finish.

--Will it Be Unrealistically Pricy?--

One thing I've noticed about the launch of products that had sparked a lot of interest is that they tend to be released at a price-point that is often considerably higher than the alternatives. When Beyond Meat first hit the market, it was immediately picked apart for being significantly pricier than the meat alternatives, making it unrealistic to substitute for a family of 4 or 5. For example, a 2-Pack of Beyond Burgers averages about $7.99 Canadian, while that same cost can get you a box of frozen beef patties that will likely feed your whole family. That disparaging price difference is a hurdle for new products when you're trying to sway people away from the products they are currently using.

I would imagine if the process of growing and supervising the meat is timely and requires multiple hands on deck, it's automatically going to be at a higher price point because of the labour involved. I think we should expect that this meat will come at a cost.

--Will Meat-Eaters Make the Switch?--

I really don't know. I think there will be a lot of deciding factors when it comes to getting the everyday, meat-eating family to switch to lab-grown. Firstly, cost will be a big thing. It's nearly impossible to market a product that comes at a significantly higher price to an average, middle-class family. We're all looking for the most cost efficient ways to live, so a product that comes with a much higher cost than a comparable alternative is going to be a hard sell.

Secondly, I don't know if I believe that there are millions of people out there who claim to care about both animal welfare and the environment, while simultaneously supporting factory farms. That would be the initial target market and frankly, I don't think there's a market at all. You can't in good faith claim to care about animal welfare or the environment, while supporting an industry that is single-handedly decimating both. I don't know, I guess only time will tell when more information regarding pricing and availability becomes available.

--Give Up Meat?--

In a perfect world, we wouldn't be growing meat in laboratories to fulfill a planet's need for meat products. The same question could be asked to those of us who don't eat meat in regards to why the plant-based products coming out mimic the taste, smell, and texture of the meat we turned our backs on.

Is a meat-free existence in our future? It's a possibility, but I think we need to get these experiments out of the way first before as a planet, we collectively agree that the future is meat-free.

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What are your thoughts on lab-grown meat? I want to hear from you <3

HAPPY VEG