The Struggle To Name Lab-Grown Meat
The window of opportunity to unify around a term for motherless meat is closing. If cultivated meat companies such as JUST, Memphis Meats, Aleph Farms, and Finless Foods want to present a consistent face before the first cell-based meat is unveiled to consumers, they'll likely have to act in 2020. That's when industry insiders speculate Singaporean food regulators will be the first in the world to approve serving in vitro meat. Back in 2013, when the possibility of growing meat in a laboratory setting was first introduced in London (paywall), the term "lab-grown meat" dominated international headlines. The unveiling of a real product on the market will likely draw the same kind of attention -- offering a rare second chance to make a first impression on consumers. Unlike plant-based meat imitators, these alternatives are grown from actual animal cells into fat and muscle tissue, producing a real meat product without killing an animal. The process is said to leave a much smaller environmental footprint than conventional animal agriculture.
But what are people supposed to call this new meat when they talk about it with their friends and family? Producers say it won't be grown in labs in the future. Instead, it will be in standard food processing facilities. So what wording will distinguish it from conventional meat? Is it in vitro meat? Too weird, some say. Lab-grown meat? Not accurate. Animal-free meat? Nope. Motherless meat? Immaculate meat? Those are long shots, too. Ask people working in the industry about their collective indecision and many respond with groans. Some even say they don't rank the naming issue as a high priority.
The window of opportunity to unify around a term for motherless meat is closing. If cultivated meat companies such as JUST, Memphis Meats, Aleph Farms, and Finless Foods want to present a consistent face before the first cell-based meat is unveiled to consumers, they'll likely have to act in 2020. That's when industry insiders speculate Singaporean food regulators will be the first in the world to approve serving in vitro meat. Back in 2013, when the possibility of growing meat in a laboratory setting was first introduced in London (paywall), the term "lab-grown meat" dominated international headlines. The unveiling of a real product on the market will likely draw the same kind of attention -- offering a rare second chance to make a first impression on consumers. Unlike plant-based meat imitators, these alternatives are grown from actual animal cells into fat and muscle tissue, producing a real meat product without killing an animal. The process is said to leave a much smaller environmental footprint than conventional animal agriculture.
But what are people supposed to call this new meat when they talk about it with their friends and family? Producers say it won't be grown in labs in the future. Instead, it will be in standard food processing facilities. So what wording will distinguish it from conventional meat? Is it in vitro meat? Too weird, some say. Lab-grown meat? Not accurate. Animal-free meat? Nope. Motherless meat? Immaculate meat? Those are long shots, too. Ask people working in the industry about their collective indecision and many respond with groans. Some even say they don't rank the naming issue as a high priority.
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