They’ve done it again. Memphis Meats, the company that presented the first lab-grown meatball last year, has now presented the world’s first chicken produced without the animal. Lab-grown meat might be the perfect solution for the dilemma of many meat eaters who feel sorry for the animals and the environment, but love meat too much to let it go.
It also helps us reimagine the future of food and farming on this rapidly changing planet of ours.
Guilt-free dinners by 2021
Memphis Meats is at the forefront of the revolution in meat production, developing a way to produce real meat from animal cells without the need to feed, breed or slaughter animals. The production of this so-called ‘clean meat’ potentially requires one-hundredth of the land, one-tenth of the water and half of the energy needed for conventional meat production. Not to mention the reduction in greenhouse gasses from cattle breeding or poultry farming. The team expects to continue reducing production costs – currently at 9000 dollars per pound – dramatically, with a target launch of its products to consumers in 2021.
The food and climate crisis
Do you have an innovative idea that can help us change the way we eat? Then submit your proposal to the WDCD Climate Action Challenge. Food systems, agriculture and biodiversity are all threatened by fluctuations in temperature, and as such, food is one of the 5 main topics set out in the briefing of the challenge.
In fact, higher temperatures and a lack of rainfall are already reducing crop yields and killing livestock in many areas. Even if a country’s food production is not majorly affected by climate change, a country that it relies on for food imports may be. The acidification of the ocean, warmer sea temperatures and changing currents are also killing coral and marine life, threatening vital food sources for many people. All this will lead to more frequent and more intense famine. Oxfam say that people at risk of hunger could double to 20% by 2050, and daily calories available per capita will fall.
Want to learn more about the key issues we’re tackling with this challenge? Visit our platform and check out the in-depth resource kits compiled by our research partners STBY.
A version of this story, written by Willemijn de Jonge, first appeared in the WDCD publication: Good News for the Planet – 31 Brilliant Ideas for Climate Action (available for order). All images from Memphis Meats.