A Fresh Take on Fake Meat

Abstract

For some, the pleasure of eating meat comes served with a side of guilt. Raising animals for food contributes to climate change, water pollution, and habitat destruction. Governmental dietary recommendations and social campaigns like Meatless Monday pepper us with messages to eat less meat, particularly red meat. But for meat lovers, come dinnertime, alternative protein sources, like beans or soy-based meat substitutes, are no match for the experience of eating a burger. Taking a bite, the meat feels dense, it rebounds as you chew, and juices squirt into your mouth. Consumers crave it, and global demand for meat is projected to skyrocket. Now scientists are using food science, biotechnology, and tissue engineering to develop new meat substitutes with the taste, texture, and appearance of meat—to deliver the pleasure, without the environmental consequences. Chicken strips, ground beef crumbles, and burgers made with these techniques are already appearing on grocery store shelves, made by companies with reported funding from tech giants like Microsoft’s Bill Gates, Google cofounder Sergey Brin, and Twitter founders Biz Stone and Evan Williams. Whether driven by a desire to save the planet or make healthier foods, these food innovators hope high-tech toolkits will help create products that meat eaters love. Sources: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations; Ecosystems 2012, DOI: 10.1007/s10021-011-9517-8.