This recent article in The Economist “Meat no longer requires animal slaughter” explores the burgeoning cultured meat industry with a focus on UPSIDE Foods (SOSV IBSF02) and its founder and CEO Dr. Uma Valeti. 

The article tracks the emergence of  lab-cultured  proteins, like chicken, as a response to the moral issue of animal slaughter as well as the dire impact of animal husbandry on greenhouse gas emissions. The Economist wonders if firms like Upside Foods can attract consumers, and points out that Upside is shifting its focus from science to trust-building and education, starting with giant windows at its new facility in California’s East Bay through which the public can view production of lab-grown protein.

Excerpts from the article: 

“Today Upside Foods and its backers hope that lab-grown meat will not shield the revolution, but be the revolution—and in a much more appealing way. The company has broken ground on a new production facility in California’s East Bay. It is not alone. Nearly 100 firms are vying to be the first to bring cultured meat to market. Select locations—including a private club in Singapore and a test kitchen in Tel Aviv—serve it from time to time. But as yet it remains unavailable to the average diner.

“It is not hard to see why investors are excited. Demand for meat and fish is soaring, particularly among the rapidly growing middle classes in parts of the developing world. Making that meat the old-fashioned way uses a lot of land and produces giga-tonnes of greenhouse gas. Much of the fish people want is not caught sustainably, and some comes from endangered or threatened species. Plant-based substitutes can meet some of the increased demand, but currently they only really compete with processed products such as those based on mince. Growing meat directly from animal cells offers a way of squaring the circle, while also satisfying the moral demands of consumers uneasy about factory farming and animal slaughter. But it is a hugely ambitious undertaking.”