The significant issue with lab-grown meat

Lab-grown meat companies face a daunting challenge in scaling up and breaking into the mainstream market, despite receiving billions in investment, reports The Wall Street Journal.

For years, various companies have made promises to revolutionize the meat industry by cultivating meat in labs using animal cells, thereby eliminating the need to slaughter methane-producing livestock on an industrial scale. However, no company has yet succeeded in scaling up production to the level required for widespread distribution at an affordable price.

Josh Tetrick, CEO of lab-grown meat company Eat Just, admits that small-scale production has been successful, but the challenge lies in producing meat on the largest possible scale while keeping costs low. This means that it could be many years before consumers can purchase lab-grown meat products at their local grocery store.

Analysts suggest that a more promising approach may be hybrid products that combine animal cells with plant-based proteins. Eat Just has already made progress in this area, selling its hybrid chicken product in Singapore, the only country where the sale of lab-grown meat is permitted.

Despite the potential benefits of lab-grown meat, scaling up production remains challenging due to the complexities involved in maintaining a sterile environment. Upside, a lab-grown meat company, has struggled to produce meaningful quantities of its product, and other companies face similar hurdles.

Despite these challenges, some remain convinced that lab-grown meat is the key to addressing climate change and feeding a growing population. However, significant obstacles must be overcome before lab-grown meat can make a meaningful impact on global meat consumption.