Test Tube Meat Will Be Affordable—Eventually
When the first lab-grown hamburger hit the plate back in 2013, its price tag was a whopping $325,000.
Clearly, such an entree is out of reach for most ordinary mortals. But like the first cell phone or computer, the meat was only prohibitively costly because of the costly scientific research that went into creating it.
Over time, lab-grown meat will drop drastically in price. Professor Mark Post of Maastricht University in the Netherlands—the man who grew the meat—said he anticipates cutting costs down to around $11 per burger, reports ABC Australia. That’s pretty close to the current cost of a burger in a fast casual eatery.
“I do think that in 20, 30 years from now we will have a viable industry producing alternative beef,” Post told ABC Australia. (Shmeat, by the way, is now an actual word, used to describe the animal-free foodstuff.)
Rather surprisingly, Post was invited to speak to the Northern Territory Cattlemen’s Association (NTCA) in Australia recently. Chief executive of the NTCA, Tracey Hayes, said: “I think, on an international scale, there is a potential for this technology to be a major disruptor to the worldwide beef industry.”
Let’s hope so.
In the words of Sarah Von Alt of Mercy for Animals: “This is exciting news for those of us who care about farmed animals. Meat grown in labs requires zero animal slaughter. It would also eliminate the harmful environmental effects of raising animals on factory farms.”
Bring on the schmeat.
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