Guilt-free meat is now on the menu as Future Meat Technologies opens their facility in Israel.
We've all been told that eating less meat is not just good for ourselves but good for the planet too. Becoming a vegetarian is, for many, a jump too far. But what if you could eat something that tasted as delicious as meat that wasn't meat?
That's what FMT is claiming to offer and will produce cultured chicken, pork and lamb at its factory per day. That does not yet include beef, but FMT says beef will soon be on the menu too. The good news, of course, is that FMT's technology will help feed a growing population without slaughtering animals or clearing forests. Indeed, FMT claims that its process generates 80 percent less greenhouse gas emissions, and uses 96 percent less water, than traditional meat production.
“This production facility is the real game-changer,” said Prof. Yaakov Nahmis, the firm’s founder. “It can produce meat that is GMO free, without antibiotics or animal serum, meat that is delicious, safe, healthy and affordable.”
Whilst lab-grown chicken has been approved for sale in Singapore, there are considerable regulatory hurdles to overcome elsewhere. The same regulatory hurdles will need to be negotiated by a US company called Impossible Foods which has, to date, raised $1.5 billion in funding for its various product lines, including plant-based pork. No doubt other companies will join the fray.
So, the good news is that we will still be able to enjoy 'meat' long after we have had to replace some or all of the real stuff in favour of preserving our favourite planet.