With the world changing as a result of 3D printing, companies have set their sights on bringing change to the meat industry. Whether improving animal welfare and easing our reliance on the livestock industry or being the first in a rapidly expanding market, researchers are rushing to release their lab-enhanced, 3D-printed meat to the public on a large scale. But if – or when – is the end, would you switch? Regardless of your opinion about Sanskrit meat, it is already sold in some regions.
As a result of California startup It Just and delivery platform Foodpanda, Singaporeans can order cell-cultured chicken in a variety of recipes, and a Tel Aviv restaurant is testing new “clean meat” as well as selling classic chicken – bas. These cell-cultured meat alternatives can be the perfect bridge between carnivores and vegetarians – foods that taste, look and feel like meat, but do not carry any environmental and moral weight of regular meat. To make it, they use stem cells from cows (taken humanly through a simple biopsy with anesthesia) or chicken eggs, which are able to be cultured into the desired products.
Once these are converted into edible tissues, they are then used to create an ink that uses a 3D printer to place them in common-like food. Thus, scientists have created everything from chicken burgers to full-grown steaks and claim that it will taste exactly the same. However, before it can take over the food market, consumers need to be credible. The jury is yet to decide whether people will switch to lab-based options. In 2018, when the technology was underdeveloped, 29% of UK and US consumers said they would eat cultured meat in a survey, while 60 per cent of vegans would agree to try it.
In most cases, it proves to be sufficient to persuade the moral allowances of the cruelty-free nature of the flesh, but it is still preserved by some. In 2020, a study found that the Australian Generation Z (72-25 years old) was not ready enough to consume Sanskrit meat even after expressing concern for the environment at 2 percent.
