Gates & Bezos into lab meat?

Is there anyone thinking about climate change while eating meat?  If you haven’t, it’s about time that you should. Why? According to Christopher Booker, a renowned journalist, “globally, cows and other livestock animals are responsible for about 40 percent of methane emissions – a potent greenhouse gas.” “In digesting their high fiber diet, cows emit methane as a byproduct, making them one of the least climate friendly sources of food on the planet”, he added.

Also, Ermias Kebreab (an associate dean for global engagement in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences of University of California, Davis, as well as director of the World Food Center) stressed that “about 89 percent of the methane has actually been formed in the gut of the animal and almost all of that is then irradiated out or belched out of it from the animal.”

Moreover, according to the University of California, Davis, “livestock are responsible for 14.5 percent of global greenhouse gases.”  It cited India as a typical example. That it has the “world's largest cattle population, but the lowest beef consumption of any country.” As a result, “cows live longer and emit more methane over their lifetime.”

Definitely, we can’t just say stop raising livestock because that will only worsen global food insecurity. There are ongoing studies though that looked into their feeds. University of California’s (Davis) Ermias Kebreab’s research showed that “it doesn't take a lot to dramatically alter the amount of methane burped out.” His study revealed that “adding just 3 ounces of seaweed each day reduced methane emissions by 82 percent.” While this is a positive development, some experts believe that “cows are creatures of habit, they don’t like when you change things on them.” Thus, so far, the experiment hasn’t gained traction yet.

Other countries though have clearer paths as far as food security is concerned and even beyond. Apart from popularizing hydroponics, Singapore got “regulatory approval for the world’s first clean meat that does not come from slaughtered animals.” Unlike other products that are plant-based, these are grown from animal muscle cells in a lab.

Refusing to be outdone, some “British scientists have joined the race to produce meat also grown in the lab rather than reared on the hoof.”  Scientists at the University of Bath have “grown animal cells on blades of grass, in a step towards cultured meat.” As soon as the process can be reproduced on an industrial scale, they said, “meat-lovers might one day be tucking into a slaughter-free supply of bacon.”

These initiatives got the nod of the US Food and Drug Administration. That these “meat alternatives are inching ever closer to mainstream.” More importantly, it reported that “lab meat or cultivated meat cuts 96% of carbon emissions from the meat harvesting process as compared to traditional methods.”

If some quarters may have some doubts, think about this. Two of the world’s richest are largely involved in the alternative meat initiative. Over a year ago, Bill Gates backed Memphis Meats. Just last week, the world’s second wealthiest, Jeff Bezos, through his Bezos Earth Fund, “poured in US$60 million into revamping alternative proteins as part of its push to make food more sustainable.” They both have the same objective. To enter the market “with affordable and tasty lab grown meats.”

These developments, however, aren’t purely motivated at all by food security or climate change concerns. The truth is, there are demands really for regular meat alternatives. As we all know, consumer concerns about health and animal welfare are mounting especially in the more advanced countries.

Due to these growing preferences, according to McKinsey, “cultivated meat market could reach US$25 billion by 2030.” Actually, this is quite conservative to some extent. To those amongst us who may have the money and the itch for research and development, the potential is much bigger than McKinsey’s estimate. According to Barclays, the market for meat alternatives could be worth “US$140 billion within the next decade, or about 10% of the $1.4 trillion global meat industry.”