Scientists have long understood that plant-based diets often lack sufficient sources of important nutrients such as Vitamin B12 and iron. This has led to the development of plant-based alternatives that imitate both the nutrients and the flavors offered by meat products – with Beyond and Impossible brands becoming increasingly common in supermarkets.
As these alternatives gain popularity in grocery stores and restaurants, UW-Madison’s Suzuki Lab are developing a new meat-like product of their own.
Partnering with the Good Food Institute, the Suzuki Lab aims to create faux meat using cow and pig stem cells rather than plant-based imitations. The lab’s goal is to address concerns about animal sacrifice and unethical treatment involved in traditional meat production without removing meat as a staple of most individuals’ diets.
While this scientific approach may seem more morally sound and environmentally friendly than livestock agriculture, many potential barriers to its widespread adoption exist.
It is important to consider the implications faced by today’s plant-based companies. For instance, Impossible and Beyond burgers are tainted with the belief that they are “processed” or “fake” foods.
The Center for Food Safety also criticized plant-based meat options for using GMO soybeans and their dependence on genetic engineering in their development.
Despite this, GMOs’ increasing presence in society has already been established outside the realm of plant-based meat. Today, over 95% of animals that provide meat and dairy products consume GMO crops and 75-80% of processed foods contain GMOs.
It is important to note that many individuals criticize Impossible and Beyond burgers for their higher sodium content than traditional meat products. But consumption of these foods could be substituted with other plant-based products — such as seitan and soy-based foods — that are healthier. Still, faux meat comes with a “fear of the unknown” factor that leads people to question its authenticity.
For consumers considering Suzuki Lab’s cell-based meat, there may be an even deeper hesitation as this new form of meat is grown in the untraditional setting of a laboratory.
While Beyond and Impossible burgers still made the list of plant-based alternatives used by the public to substitute meat, knowledge of the advanced laboratory processes involved in creating cell-based meat may be far less common. These doubts raise the question of how nutrition labels will describe the contents of cell-based meat as society advances into a world of ingredient and health-conscious eating.
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If scientists are able to overcome the barrier of public doubt, cell-based meat could be mass-produced without environmental degradation and replace traditional meat in the diets of low-income and college students.
Currently, plant-based meat production occurs on a small scale, causing it to be more expensive than its meat counterparts. But, plant-based companies like Just Egg have been experiencing increases in demand that allowed them to increase supply and half their prices.
If the public eventually begins to trust faux meats, these alternatives may become competitive with traditional meat with regard to price. As our population growth becomes increasingly concerning, cell-based meat may be the answer to sustainable, ethical and nutritious eating.
Aanika Parikh ([email protected]) is a freshman studying molecular and cell biology.
