Our take on the future of meat

It's no secret that the plant-based meat industry has taken off this year. Beyond Meat had the world's most successful IPO in the first half of 2019 (and not for food companies - for all companies!). Major players such as Tyson and Nestlé launched their own burger patties made entirely from plants. 

Food-chains such as Burger King and McDonalds have also added plant-based burgers to their menus in the US and Canada. It feels like you can’t walk down the street or switch on the TV without hearing about the coming “future of meat”. 

From our viewpoint, it’s incredibly exciting to see this change. What we’re doing is different to products that are already on the market (we are developing meat from animal cells, as opposed to mimicking meat with plant components). But the remarkable success of plant-based meat in 2019 shows how demand for alternatives to conventional meat is growing. 

And we think that cultured meat, alongside plant-based meat, can serve as an alternative for a huge number of consumers. We think it’s unlikely that everyone, or even most people, will voluntarily become entirely vegetarian or vegan (or at least not in time). For people who want to continue to eat some animal meat, eating cultured meat is a way to do so without harming animals or having a large carbon impact. 

And indeed, concerns for the environment are part of the reason consumers are shifting away from regular meat.

According to a report by the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations, the livestock sector contributes 15% of total global human-induced greenhouse gas emissions. 70% of the Amazon rainforest has already been cleared for cattle ranching, further reducing the world’s carbon sinks.

It’s not only the climate that has people varying their eating habits.

Concerns surrounding the health impacts of consuming livestock meat, including the emergence of antimicrobial resistance (or “super bugs”) due to the use of antibiotics, are also a part of the shift.

Animal welfare considerations are also driving this change. According to a report by supermarket chain Waitrose in the UK, a third of Britons now have a meat-free or meat-reduced diet, (identifying as “flexitarian”). The report identifies concerns for animal welfare as the most common reason for choosing to become vegetarian or vegan.

The rapid growth of the plant-based market is further proof consumers are concerned about these issues and willing to swap to emerging alternatives. 

We’re incredibly excited to be part of creating the future of meat, and we can’t wait to launch our first products.