"For more than a decade, billions have been invested in lab-grown meat, a technology touted as revolutionary.However, this hope for food processing now seems to be in decline, and some players in the sector, such as Mosa Meat, are looking for public financial support to avoid collapse.

New Nutrition Business' Julian Mellentin considers this initiative a monumental failure, saying that it could become a textbook case in the history of the food industry.

The technology involves extracting animal cells, often from fetuses, to grow them in sterile bioreactors, an expensive process requiring pharmaceutical-like laboratory conditions. It would have to reach a cost of 63 dollars (about 48 euros) per kilo to be profitable, well above the prices of traditional meat. Companies like SCiFi Foods and Aleph Farms have had to lay off or close, while Upside Foods has canceled production plans.

Beyond the costs, Mellentin notes that market tests have been stopped because consumers find the technology too strange and are reluctant to consume products from bioreactors.

The sustainability justifications for cultured meat have also been questioned. While a reduction in CO2 emissions was touted, some studies now estimate that the process could emit between four and twenty-five times more greenhouse gases than conventional livestock farming.

During years of low interest rates, many investors, including Bill Gates and Richard Branson, pumped billions into risky projects. Consultants have supported these initiatives, and academic researchers have done more research on how to convince the public to adopt these new products. But Gen Z, which was supposed to be a target clientele, is increasingly returning to traditional meat, citing health reasons."

Read more in this article from The Telegraph: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2024/10/14/lab-grown-meat-is-proving-to-be-a-grotesque-misadventure/