A new study shows that cultivated meat - lab-grown food material that requires no slaughtered animal - will be a larger part of future diets. Furthermore, the younger generation shows a more positive reception towards them.
In the research titled "US and UK Consumer Adoption of Cultivated Meat: A Segmentation Study," recently published in the journal Foods, researchers showed patterns of greater openness to trying cultivated meat among the younger generations. Among the Gen Z adults, 87 to 89 percent responded positively, as well as 84 to 85 percent of Millennials. On the other hand, about 76 to 77 percent of Gen X and 70 to 74 percent of Boomers were "at least somewhat open" to trying these lab-grown meat.
The Food of the Future
In their published study, researchers noted that "despite growing evidence of the environmental and public health threats posed by today's intensive animal production, consumers in the west remain largely attached to meat." With cultivated meat, meat is grown directly from cells, culturing them to grow into consumable quantities.
With these lab-grown foods, there is no need to slaughter animals. Furthermore, these are grown in laboratories, under carefully controlled environments, which minimizes the risks of bacterial contamination, as well as having less saturated fat. Lastly, with the development of new technologies, production of cultivated meat might be more scalable, which would allow the easier manufacture of these foods in larger quantities, driving down the price.
As for the results of the study, Co-Founder and CEO of Aleph Farms Didier Toubia notes that "In order to turn this expected acceptance into actual consumption patterns over time, it is critical to develop the right products, based on the right solutions." He adds that for the long run, Aleph Farms - who also commissioned the study - is looking to provide a better alternative to industrial livestock farming, which corresponds to about 70 percent of the global meat production at the present.
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