Where's the Beef?: The lab-grown-meat revolution that wasn't
17 hours ago
- In 2013, Mark Post created a lab-grown burger from cow stem cells, costing $330,000 and funded by Sergey Brin, sparking a gold rush in cellular agriculture.
- Despite $3 billion in investment and hundreds of startups, the cultivated meat industry faced challenges: high costs, scaling difficulties, regulatory hurdles, and declining investment after 2021.
- Cultivated meat became a political target, with several U.S. states banning its sale or production, and the industry struggled to commercialize products beyond a single store in Singapore.
- The author, a long-time vegetarian, traveled to North Carolina and California to taste cultivated meat, but found it bland and experienced nausea from the 'knowing' of its artificial origin.
- Major industry setbacks include Believer Meats' bankruptcy after building a large factory, and a shift toward niche novelty items like quail foie gras rather than mass-market solutions.
- Consumer acceptance is low—only 18% of Americans find cultivated meat appealing—and the product remains expensive and niche, positioned between plant-based and conventional meat.