Making meat from animal cells is no longer confined to science fiction. A Russian scientist has recently succeeded in producing artificial meat from cells on an international space station.
It is now only a matter of time before meat grown from cells reaches the supermarket.
The French news agency AFP reported that last September astronaut scientists used a 3D printer on the space station to produce beef, rabbit meat and fish tissue.
The innovation is important for long journeys and long stays in space, especially long missions such as a trip to Mars. The Israeli food company Aleph Farms supplied the animal cells to the space station.
'Our goal is to sell on Earth'
Didier Toubia, CEO of Aleph Farms, told AFP: "But our goal is to sell this meat on Earth." The idea will not replace conventional farms, but it will be a good alternative to dairy farms.
Although this is a first in space, Dutch scientist Mark Post created burger-shaped beef from stem cells in 2013.
Because production costs are currently high, efforts are under way to develop the technology so that the meat can be sold more cheaply.
How soon in the shops?
Josh Tetrick, CEO of the California company Just, said at a press conference in San Francisco that supplying artificial meat to the market could take this year. The meat will be supplied not only to 4,000 Walmart stores or every McDonald's but to a huge number of restaurants.
Niya Gupta, founder and CEO of Fork and Goodie, said: "We see this kind of industry as a benefit of scientific progress, but the technical side is a challenge for further development. It will take five to 20 years for this kind of artificial meat to reach supermarkets. The sector needs more investment." Total investment in 2018 was only US$73 million.
Source: Dhaka Tribune. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.
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