Mass appeal
In theory, cultured meat seems to be a viable solution to what we’re told is an agricultural crisis where we need to reduce the dependence on livestock and conventional farming methods, for a more sustainable food system.
This high-tech solution is something I am interested in and have been pretty optimistic about its potential. Now, I ask, has the time come to move beyond optimism with the UK looking towards regulation? The Food Standards Agency (FSA) and Foods Standards Scotland (FSS) is embarking on a project to gather scientific evidence about cell-cultivated products and how they are made to inform regulation.
A positive move for the industry sector, however, other issues with cultured meat might mean that society is not prepared to embrace part of all of this solution.
Cultured meat is still unaffordable to many consumers, limiting it to those willing and able to pay a premium for sustainably sourced food. Further cultured meat producers have struggled to achieve mass appeal. Market perception largely dictates the acceptance of alternative meat products, with consumers often assessing their similarity to what they perceive to be natural products. Plenty of consumers will need to be informed of, and understand, how the food is made, the claims on labels, and whether the food is safe beyond what is found by the FSA/FSS. There is also the spectre of the move away from retailers providing processed foods, and the energy intensive nature of production facilities to factor in.
For cell-cultivated products to make inroads, it needs to overcome the obstacles of taste, price and public perception. If just one person gets sick from eating lab meat, it will be branded Frankenstein meat. It will be a marketing disaster and it will find it hard to recover.
- Rodney Jack, editor, Food & Drink Technology.
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